The Evening Standard (London, England) articles from December 2005

The Evening Standard (London, England) archives from December 2005

Evening Standard, London, business briefs column.
December 1, 2005... Dec. 1--NIGEL TURNER TAKES THE CHAIR AT NUMIS CORPORATION: Fast-growing mini-investment bank Numis Corporation has landed corporate financier Nigel Turner as its new group deputy chairman and chairman of its core advisory and broking division,...

FSA blast puts Berkeley Berry future in balance.
December 1, 2005... Byline: James Rossiter Dec. 1--The future of one of Britain's largest financial advisers, Berkeley Berry Birch, is in doubt today after the City watchdog found it guilty of three years of sales mismanagement and said it was investigating...

HSBC gets tougher in bid to control bad debts.
December 1, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Dec. 1--A clampdown on lending to people with poor credit records and better debt collection has helped HSBC put the brake on the number of UK customers falling into problems with unsecured loans and credit cards. ...

ECB rate rise to ward off inflation.
December 1, 2005... Dec. 1--The European Central Bank today raised eurozone interest rates for the first time in five years to keep a lid on inflation. Defying political pressure, borrowing costs in the 12-nation bloc were lifted a quarter-point to 2.25...

MFI plugs kitchens leak but sales slump.
December 1, 2005... Dec. 1--Orders for troubled MFI's kitchens and bedrooms have picked up slightly in recent weeks, but overall sales are down 18 percent on a year ago. Meanwhile, its Howden Joinery division, supplying kitchens to the building trade, has...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
December 1, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Dec. 1--RICH SEAM FOR MINERS ON DEMAND FUELLED BY CHINA: Mining shares have enjoyed a spectacular year on the back of strong demand from China, record prices for copper and platinum and gold trading near an 18-year...

Pru shells out [pounds sterling]208m to swallow Egg.
December 1, 2005... Dec. 1--Prudential today bid [pounds sterling]208 million to mop up the 21 percent of internet bank Egg it does not already own. The all-share offer is worth 116 1/2p per Egg share -- 43 1/2p less than the company was floated at five years...

Rotten time as Egg's backers take a beating.
December 1, 2005... Byline: Neil Collins Dec. 1--Egg's life as a quoted company has been short, uncomfortable and on the whole, unprofitable for the outside shareholders. Thanks to an ill-judged adventure in France, whose residents turned up their collective...

Spirit buy makes Punch UK's biggest landlord.
December 1, 2005... Byline: Jim Armitage Dec. 1--Punch Taverns today pipped tycoon Robert Tchenguiz at the post in the [pounds sterling]2.7 billion takeover of Chef & Brewer owner Spirit. The deal sees it leapfrog Enterprise Inns to become Britain's biggest...

'Bleakest Christmas for 22 years' on High Street.
December 1, 2005... Byline: Jane Padgham Dec. 1--Retailers are braced for their worst Christmas for at least 22 years, according to a report today which shows High Street sales still plummeting. The CBI said that following a sharp fall in sales in...

Newcomers to turn on the taps in water revolution.
December 1, 2005... Byline: Robert Lea Dec. 1--A revolution was promised in the water industry today as the first new entrant into the market since privatisation 15 years ago pledged a shake-up, bringing cheaper bills and better service for major...

Consulting editor.(Dr. Ron Baptiste services )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Dr. Ron Baptiste was a wilderness instructor and Academic Semester Program Coordinator for the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School in Rockland, Maine, and subsequently founded M.A.R.E. (Marine Awareness Research Expedition Center) at Franklin...

This month in Odyssey.(survival skills)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... We don't often leave home without our cell phone these days. Can you even imagine being lost miles deep in the woods (no transmission tower in sight) with only your wits and a backpack full of gear to help you survive? Or how about being...

The perfect mummy!(mummy found in Egypt)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Is anything really perfect? Just ask Japanese archaeologist Sakuji Yoshimura (Waseda University, Tokyo). He and his team have just found "a perfect mummy" sealed in a wooden coffin that they dug up in northern Egypt. Before they stuck...

Prehistoric disaster!(global warming event)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Do you know what caused the largest known extinction event in history--an epic disaster 250 million years ago that caused 90 percent of marine life and 70 percent of land species to die? Well, if you believe paleontologist Peter D. Ward...

Death at a snail's pace.(extinct snails )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Okay, we can all go to bed now and get some sleep, thanks to Jeff Garner, a mollusk biologist at the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and his colleague Stephanie Clark. You see, you've probably been staying awake at...

"Shrink-wrap" astronaut.(space suits )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Let's face it: The space suits that the astronauts wore on the Moon in the 1960s and '70s made those brave pioneers look like the Pillsbury Doughboy. But thanks to advances in materials science, future astronauts could be outfitted in...

Catching flies ...(Venus flytrap plant )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... Charles Darwin described it as "one of the most wonderful in the world." He was referring to a plant that can snatch a fly within its clamshell-shape leaves in just 100 milliseconds... faster than the eye can blink! It's called the Venus...

It's a snap!(Science Scoops)(tran)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... Here's what the high-speed tape reveals: First, the plant bends back its rubbery leaves so that they are bowl-shape, rather like half a tennis ball that has been flipped inside-out. When it's time to close the trap, the plant simply releases...

Mayday! It's not easy to imagine a "perfect" plane crash--but that's how rescuers described the accident that led to the amazing survival of the author and her husband.
December 1, 2005... On a sunny summer morning in 2001, my husband, David, and I set out in a single engine Cessna 172 airplane from Van Nuys (CA) Airport to visit a friend in Mammoth Lakes, CA. David had been flying for more than 25 years, so I felt comfortable...

From lost to found: signaling for survival.
December 1, 2005... When David Scott went on an overnight fishing trip in Colorado with his Boy Scout troop four years ago, he didn't expect to get lost. He didn't expect to spend a cold night alone on a mountain without food and proper clothing. The next...

Rescue!(SOLO school trains emergency respone teams)
December 1, 2005... WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A WILDERNESS RESCUER? The SOLO school in Conway, NH, has trained more than 100,000. people to help save lives when, injuries occur far, from urban medical facilities. ODYSSEY reports on a Wilderness First...

Wilderness rescue vs. urban rescue.
December 1, 2005... Bill Kane, director of education at SOLO, identifies five major differences between wilderness and urban emergency care: 1. Time and distance. "This is the most significant difference," says Kane. The response system that we are used to...

Bare-bones survival.(Mountain Shepherd Wilderness Survival School)
December 1, 2005... "It's spooky in the woods at night. Leaves rustle. Twigs crack. All you can see is shapes. It's hard to sleep because you keep hearing things," says Jason Hagler. He should know. As a participant in the Bare Bones primitive survival course...

Decide to survive: imagine yourself in this situation; you regain consciousness. It is dark, cold, and you are alone. Your mountain bike's wheel is bent and so is your leg--in the wrong direction. Oddly, it doesn't hurt. An animal rustles nearby. You vaguely remember a danger sign.
December 1, 2005... Take a deep, slow breath. Do you feel anxious? Stressed? Panicked? "Panic can kill you," says Maj. Don Hoover, a former training officer in the United States Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (S.E.R.E.) program. "Unless...

Surviving Baghdad: a paratrooper's perspective.(Column)
December 1, 2005... Every day, I read in the newspapers or see something on TV about the war in Iraq. And every day it reminds me of my time served in Baghdad as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division and of how survival became my main day-to-day concern for six...

"Presents" of mind: a test of survival.(survival skills)
December 1, 2005... Survival experts often say that during a crisis, the way you think might be your single most important survival tool. And during some emergencies, the thinking skill you need most is ingenuity--the ability to see ordinary things in...

Personal savings accounts: answers to "presents of mind".(survival skills)
December 1, 2005... * Answer #1--Here's how: In fact, that credit card had enormous value--but only if you think laterally. Credit cards are made from plastic; they're usually shiny on one side. One of the castaways realized this. He used the credit card to...

Survival episode: beat the beetles.(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... Your captors drop you off in a grassy field on a secluded island. It's all part of a survival TV show. They tell you that they are going to put two beetles one red and one green into an opaque flask and then you will draw one beetle from the...

School trip.(survival methods)
December 1, 2005... The hatch of the lifeboat clanged shut with a metallic finality. Amber Fairlight looked down at the eight little faces that returned her gaze. A 21-year-old student teacher, she was all that stood between these children and a fiery fate. The...

Survival kit a backpack of books.
December 1, 2005... The anchor's teasers were as enticing as they were mysterious. "Coming up on today's Newsbreaker Nine news: A young girl is discovered alone on an island off the coast of California. A man is attacked by a grizzly bear. There appear to be no...

The electric girl and other shocking tales.
December 1, 2005... Can anyone survive being struck by lightning? Welcome to the world's most unusual "club." "Hello, my name is Sabrina--and I was struck by lightning..." This might seem like an unusual greeting, but Sabrina (who was just seven when the...

What's up.(winter sky analysis)
December 1, 2005... The monthly All-Sky Chart depicts the sky (minus the Moon) as it appears at 6 p.m. (your local time) on Dec. 15. Useful all month (except for planet positions), the chart is also accurate for 7 p.m. on Dec. 1 and 5 p.m. on Dec. 31. The...

Zoom into astronomy.(sky chart preparation to view the winter sky)
December 1, 2005... Like modern observers, ancient peoples around the world also noticed that the Sun's path varied during the year. They built special calendars like Stonehenge, constructed with pillars of stone that were aligned to the Sun and Moon to mark...

How far away are the stars?(StarGazing with Jack Horkheimer)(Cartoon)
December 1, 2005... GREETINGS, GREETINGS, FELLOW STARGAZERS. HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW FAR AWAY THE STARS ARE? WHEN WE LOOK AT THE STARS AT NIGHT, WE ARE REALY SEEING OTHER SUNS SO FAR AWAY THAT THEY LOOK LIKE TINY PINPOINTS OF LIGHT. OUR SUN IS...

Apollo 13: flight for survival.(space missions)
December 1, 2005... ON APRIL 11, 1970, THE 13TH MISSION OF AMERICA'S APOLLO SPACE PROGRAM WAS SCHEDULED TO LIFT OFF IN THE 13TH MINUTE OF THE 13TH HOUR, IF ALL WENT WELL, TWO OF THE THREE-MAN CREW WOULD LAND ON THE MOON ON APRIL 13. All did not go well. In...

Return to fish camp: my favorite place on Earth.(Yukon River travel description)(Column)
December 1, 2005... I was born in the Alaskan interior, and lived in a log cabin without water or electricity until I was almost 14. My parents named me "Tobin" after both Mt. Tobin in the Brooks Mountain Range and after Tobin Creek in the Arctic Circle. You could...

Lone survivor?(ivorybill spotted at Big Woods of Arkansas )
December 1, 2005... Gene Sparling could hardly believe it. He was kayaking in Arkansas' Big Woods on Feb. 11, 2004, when an ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) flew past. There hadn't been a verified sighting in the United States in more than 60...

Evening Standard, London, business briefs column.
December 7, 2005... Dec. 7--RETAIL PRICES TUMBLE AS SHOPPERS SEEK OUT VALUE: SHOP prices in November were 0.8 percent lower than a year ago, according to the British Retail Consortium, providing fresh evidence that stores are resorting to big discounts to attract...

Rail franchise bid fears put brake on Stagecoach.
December 7, 2005... Byline: Robert Lea Dec. 7--Stagecoach shares were on the slide today as the City decided it is likely to fail in its bid to become London's premier rail company. The buses and trains group has spent millions on bids for the new...

Standard Chartered joins with Fleming clan.
December 7, 2005... Dec. 7--Asia-focused Standard Chartered has agreed to pay $78 million ([pounds sterling]45.3 million) for a 20 percent stake in Fleming Family & Partners. FF&P, chaired by Sir John Craven, manages money for some of the world's wealthiest...

Numis gets in seasonal spirit with bonus cheer.
December 7, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Dec. 7--A very merry Christmas indeed was guaranteed for employees of fast-growing niche investment bank and broker Numis today, as it reported profits had more than doubled. "Everyone has done well in the last...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
December 7, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Dec. 7--Footsie heavyweight Vodafone led the market higher today amid signs of improvement in its Japanese operations. Subscriber numbers there grew 57,000 in November, taking the total to 15 million. Sales of 3G...

Glad tidings on the cards at new-look M&S.
December 7, 2005... Dec. 7--Marks & Spencer looks set to beat its rivals in the crucial Christmas trading stakes. A report by consultancy Allegra Strategies said M&S has substantially improved its products, cleaned up its stores and brought in more competitive...

CVC on track for control of Formula One.
December 7, 2005... Dec. 7--London-based buyout firm CVC is a step closer to controlling all the shares in Formula One motor racing. Alpha Prema, majority owned by CVC, has bought JPMorgan's 14.2 percent stake in the F1 group for an undisclosed amount. Alpha...

Property deposits at risk after Sipps rules U-turn.
December 7, 2005... Dec. 7--Thousands of London investors could lose millions after the Chancellor excluded residential property from personal pensions. Experts reckon up to 5000 London flats have been sold off-plan to private investors in the belief that as...

Evening Standard, London, business briefs column.
December 8, 2005... Dec. 8--DMGT picks up property website for [pounds sterling]48 million: DAILY Mail and General Trust has bought upmarket property website primelocation.com for [pounds sterling]48 million in cash. The media group, which owns the Evening...

Protherics' tie-up could be worth [pounds sterling]195m.
December 8, 2005... Dec. 8--Loss-making British drug developer Protherics, best-known for selling antidotes for rattlesnake bites, has sealed a groundbreaking licensing and investment deal worth up to [pounds sterling]195 million with drugs giant AstraZeneca. ...

PartyGaming on a winning streak.
December 8, 2005... Byline: Robert Lea Dec. 8--PartyGaming was turning over a hand of aces today as the world's biggest internet poker site said it is making more money than its City critics dare predict. With some analysts now predicting that revenues...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
December 8, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Dec. 8--Growing prospects of a bumper Christmas saw Marks & Spencer march 13p higher to a record 468 1/2p. Compare that with the 400p a share billionaire retailer Philip Green was prepared to offer last year. ...

RBS detects signs of a retail pick-up.
December 8, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Dec. 8--Retailers might just be on the verge of having a good Christmas, the boss of Britain's second-biggest bank said today. Sir Fred Goodwin, chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, said: "There are signs...

It's no laughing matter for minority shareholders.
December 8, 2005... Byline: Chris Blackhurst Dec. 8--Thrust a microphone or a camera in front of Sir Richard Branson and he usually won't resist saying or doing something, often with his trademark grin. Today, though, while he was smiling, his colleagues were...

Payouts in the pipeline at Pennon.
December 8, 2005... Dec. 8--Three-quarters of a million households in the West Country who, at [pounds sterling]400 a year, suffer the highest water bills in the country are to receive a cheque for [pounds sterling]20 from South West Water -- just months after the...

Evening Standard, London, Anthony Hilton column.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Anthony Hilton Dec. 12--WHY ASDA IS FALLING BEHIND IN RETAIL RACE: It is not meant to take anything away from Justin King and his team to say that even more remarkable than his success at Sainsbury's has been the decline at Asda....

Christmas choc worries melt away.
December 13, 2005... Dec. 13--Fears of a shortage of chocolate treats this Christmas were allayed today by Cadbury Schweppes. It admitted to some supply problems following the introduction of a new IT system in Britain which had affected seasonal favourites...

Inflation slows as price of petrol falls.
December 13, 2005... Dec. 13--A sharp fall in petrol prices drove inflation down to a five-month low in November, keeping alive hopes of further interest rate cuts next year. Inflation on the Consumer Prices Index measure fell from 2.3 percent to 2.1 percent,...

S&P warns that ailing GM could go bust.
December 13, 2005... Byline: Bill Condie Dec. 13--Ratings agency Standard & Poor's has added its voice to warnings that auto giant General Motors could be heading for bankruptcy. The agency, which cut GM's credit rating by two notches to B, further into...

Italy pursued by EU over banking deal.
December 13, 2005... Dec. 13--The European Union today said it will prosecute Italy over the role of its central banker Antonio Fazio in the controversial takeover of Banco Antonveneta. Fazio is alleged to have favoured the domestic Banca Popolare Italiana...

City to lead way in Capital's New Year recruiting drive.
December 13, 2005... Dec. 13--Job-hunters will have improved prospects in the New Year with the financial services sector spearheading a recruitment drive by London firms. A report by recruitment specialist Manpower shows a net 24 percent of firms intend to...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
December 13, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Dec. 13--FIRSTGROUP ENJOYS AN ARMCHAIR RIDE: Champagne corks were popping at FirstGroup, up 16 3/4p at 378 3/4p, after it won the Greater Western and Thameslink/GN rail franchises. They begin next April and run for a...

Outlook getting bleaker for tube firm Metronet.
December 13, 2005... Dec. 13--The future of struggling Tube company Metronet has been thrown into question after a savage report on its finances by top City credit rating agency Standard & Poor's. The report, in which S&P downgrades [pounds sterling]1.3...

Ageing nuclear stations hinder British Energy.
December 13, 2005... Byline: Robert Lea Dec. 13--The ability to keep its three-decades-old nuclear power stations generating electricity is holding back profits at British Energy. Responsible for around a fifth of the nation's electricity, the nuclear...

Key M&S tax ruling blow for chancellor.
December 13, 2005... Dec. 13--Gordon Brown was facing a major threat to public finances today after Marks & Spencer won a landmark tax battle. Europe's highest court ruled that M&S, led by chief executive Stuart Rose, could claim a refund of up to [pounds...

Shell finds $4 billion to pump more oil.
December 13, 2005... Byline: Robert Lea Dec. 13--Royal Dutch Shell is to increase its exploration and development investment programme by some 25 percent in a bid to satisfy the growing demands of the energy-hungry industrial giants of the U.S., China and...

Vodafone gets the right number in Turkish telecoms auction.
December 13, 2005... Dec. 13--Vodafone today won the auction for Turkey's second-largest mobile phone operator Telsim with a $4.55 billion ([pounds sterling]2.6 billion) bid. The final stages of the auction were held live on Turkish television this morning...

Banks fail to prepare for more bombings.
December 14, 2005... Dec. 14--Serious doubts were cast over the ability of City banks to cope with staff injuries from another terrorist atrocity today, although it emerged that businessmen feel London's global commercial status has not been dented by the 7 July...

Takeover surge hits credit ratings.
December 14, 2005... Dec. 14--The surge in takeovers and private-equity deals threatens the ability of companies across Europe to borrow money, credit rating agency Standard & Poor's warned today. It said credit rating downgrades are expected to increase in...

Evening Standard, London, Chris Blackhurst column.
December 14, 2005... Byline: Chris Blackhurst Dec. 14--On Sunday morning, Mike Clasper wanted a lie-in. As the boss of BAA, he'd had an exhausting few days, emerging as the [pounds sterling]1.25 billion lead bidder for Budapest airport and unveiling a [pounds...

Evening Standard, London, City Spy column.
December 14, 2005... Dec. 14--CHRISTMAS PARTIES are upon us, with Credit Suisse First Boston having graced the playboys' favourite West End nightclub, Tantra. BNP Paribas has plumped for a Madame Butterfly-themed party in a marquee in Finsbury Square, with cherry...

Lay urges ex-Enron staff to fight 'terror'.
December 14, 2005... Dec. 14--Enron founder Ken Lay has pleaded with former employees of the failed energy firm to defy a "wave of terror" by federal prosecutors who have charged him with fraud and conspiracy. "It will only take a few brave individuals who are...

No extra time for Eurotunnel debt talks if deal hope fades.
December 14, 2005... Dec. 14--Eurotunnel executive chairman Jacques Gounon has warned that an end-of-January deadline for the Channel Tunnel operator to reach terms with its creditors will not be extended if no hope of a deal is in sight. He told the Financial...

Private equity may pay up to $1bn for Dreamworks library.
December 14, 2005... Dec. 14--Private-equity groups are keen to buy the DreamWorks film library when Paramount sells it off after buying the studio set up 11 years ago by director Steven Spielberg. Providence Equity Partners and Quadrangle Group are tipped to...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
December 14, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Dec. 14--Investors who think the oil industry has had a great year had better hang on to their hats in 2006 because they haven't seen anything yet. That is the message going out to clients of US broker Goldman...

Microsoft warns of key flaw in Windows.
December 14, 2005... Dec. 14--Microsoft has warned users of a "critical" security flaw in its Windows operating system that could allow attackers to take complete control of a computer. The company has issued a patch to fix the problem as part of its monthly...

GUS lashes out [pounds sterling]269m on internet shopping lister.
December 14, 2005... Dec. 14--A day after its demerger of the Burberry fashion house, Argos-owner GUS has splashed out $485 million ([pounds sterling]269 million) on internet shoppers' helper PriceGrabber.com. The privately-owned US business will join GUS's...

Half of Londoners fail to save enough cash for rainy day.
December 14, 2005... Byline: Jane Padgham Dec. 14--Nearly half of Londoners are turning a deaf ear to warnings about the yawning savings gap and failing to put money aside on a regular basis. New figures show that while the capital's habitual savers...

Carrier builders amalgamated in defence overhaul.
December 14, 2005... Byline: Robert Fox Dec. 14--A major shake-up of British defence industries, involving the amalgamation of naval shipbuilders for a massive aircraft carrier contract and the scaling back of a mid-air refuelling deal, is to be unveiled...

Bauger's [pounds sterling]21.5 million takeover offer is just Whittard's cup of tea.
December 14, 2005... Dec. 14--Tea and coffee retailer Whittard of Chelsea today agreed a [pounds sterling]21.5 million takeover bid from Icelandic retail group Baugur. Baugur is making the offer through its Julian Graves business which owns 260 shops in the UK...

Evening Standard, London, Anthony Hilton column.
December 14, 2005... Byline: Anthony Hilton Dec. 14--PERIL IN PANEL'S POOR SHOWING ON WYEVALE: If a company takes on debt it can't repay, it has to accept that the holder of that debt will probably be able to force the board to resign and take control of the...

Evening Standard, London, City Spy column.
December 15, 2005... Dec. 15--DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH for any conjuring tricks from Bank of England Governor Mervyn King. On a whistle-stop tour of Sweden yesterday, he shattered illusions by admitting central bankers are "not magicians". And, he confessed, they...

Evening Standard, London, Neil Collins column.
December 15, 2005... Byline: Neil Collins Dec. 15--Just why are pensions so damnably difficult? The idea is simple enough, heaven knows. Put something aside every month while you work and, by the time you stop, you'll have enough to sustain you until death....

KKR to pass hat for [pounds sterling]8.5bn warchest.
December 15, 2005... Byline: Jim Armitage Dec. 15--Giant buyout group Kohlberg Kravis Roberts is preparing to launch a drive to raise up to $15 billion ([pounds sterling]8.5 billion) from investors to fund global takeovers. The move will come just months...

Booming Goldman team set for bumper bonuses.
December 15, 2005... Dec. 15--Scores of Goldman Sachs bankers are set for million-pound bonuses today as the investment bank unveils one of its best quarterly profits at the end of a boom year for deals. Trading will form the bedrock of Goldman's profits but a...

Evening Standard, London, Anthony Hilton column.
December 15, 2005... Byline: Anthony Hilton Dec. 15--TOUGH TASK OF MAKING MARKETS TRANSPARENT: The Americans and the Europeans have different attitudes to private investors. In the US, they take the view that people have worked hard for their money so when...