The Evening Standard (London, England) articles from February 2004

The Evening Standard (London, England) archives from February 2004

This month in Odyssey.
February 1, 2004... Last Christmas day, a blizzard turned the Northeast into the "whitest Christmas" that I can remember, From dawn until dusk, powdery snow poured from the sky, stranding travelers on highways and making me appreciate my family's decision to...

The beast from 20,000 leagues ... for real?(Science Scoops)
February 1, 2004... In 1870, French novelist Jules Verne published his now famous 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The book follows the fictitious adventures of Captain Nemo aboard his submarine, the Nautilus, which is attacked by a giant octopus some 40 to 60 feet...

Killer dust!(Science Scoops)
February 1, 2004... It comes from Africa. It travels thousands of miles. And when it gets here, it kills huge numbers of fish, shellfish, marine animals,?? and birds. It can even cause sickness in humans. What is "it"? "It" is Saharan dust clouds. In the Gulf...

Dirt bombs?(Science Scoops)
February 1, 2004... If you thought the previous scoop was alarming, get this: Dust clouds blown in from the African Sahara may carry infectious organisms across the ocean to foreign soils! That's right. Eugene Shinn, a geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey...

Weather forecast for June 2263.(Science Scoops)
February 1, 2004... Talk about long-range forecasts! What will the weather look like 50, 100, even 200 years from now? Incredibly, Japan's Earth Simulator, the world's largest and fastest supercomputer, is answering that question right now. Earth Simulator...

Massive mystery flashes.(Science Scoops)
February 1, 2004... We usually associate lightning with the region of air between a cloud and the Earth. About 14 years ago, however, strange luminous events (known as red sprites and blue jets) were photographed accidentally in the air just above thunderstorms....

Nature's fury: for better or worse.
February 1, 2004... Hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, floods, blizzards, cold snaps, monsoons, typhoons, and more. Severe weather affects millions of people--and even takes lives--across the globe every day. And it seems to be getting worse. Of is it? It might...

Other worlds, other storms: weather is everywhere! We live in it every day, and with weather come storms. What you may not realize, though, is that our neighboring planets and moons have weather and storms much as we do.
February 1, 2004... "ET" storms We call the study of the planets in relation to each other comparative planetology. The field looks at the different natures of the planets and moons in our solar system to help understand the origin, history, and future of our...

Firestorm: weather on a neutron star.
February 1, 2004... Imagine yourself in a sea of molten iron. A cloud of superhot gas spirals overhead. Moments later, that same cloud explodes with the fury of billions upon billions of hydrogen bombs. The explosion drives the molten sea into a frenzy, stirring...

EOS and Terra: seeing Earth as a system.
February 1, 2004... A simulated view of the Terra/Atlas II launch. INSET: This CERES image shows heat energy radiated from Earth in varying shades of yellow, red, and blue. The study of other planetary systems yields answers to questions about our own. Now we...

Eye on Hurricanes.
February 1, 2004... HURRICANES CAN WREAK HAVOC. Last September, Hurricane Isabel killed at least 38 people as it smashed into the United States' East Coast. About 5 million people lost electricity, and public transportation shut down in Washington, DC. Early loss...

Name that storm.
February 1, 2004... Should you worry about Bonnie? Or might Tomas be more terrible? These are two names on the 2004 list of tropical cyclone names for the Atlantic. The National Hurricane Center began using girls' names for storms in 1953. Since 1979, both...

Warning: flash flood.
February 1, 2004... Flash floods are America's deadliest weather hazard, says the National Weather Service. They occur in all 50 states and kill an average of 100 people each year in urban as well as rural areas. In 1972, 15 inches of rain fell in five hours...

Daniel Gropper gauges the weather.
February 1, 2004... For most of us, "weather happens." But for Daniel Gropper, it does much more than that. And when it comes to severe weather, well, this trained weather spotter and Skywarn team member admits, "Oh, yes, it's my passion!" Gropper witnessed...

SURVIVOR: wild weather challenge.(Activity To Discover)
February 1, 2004... Can you use science to battle the most extreme weather on planet Earth? * A 250-mph tornado is bearing down on your car--how can you escape unharmed? * Hurricane winds are about to topple your house--what now? * You've been...

Trapped in a lock.(Brain Strain)
February 1, 2004... You are in a boat in a water-filled lock, waiting to be raised to a dock. You look up and see large storm clouds gathering, and a terrible wind is coming from the south. It's time for you to get your boat to the dock quickly and escape the...

Tornado!
February 1, 2004... May 4, 2003, 5:49 p.m.-- Black clouds swirl in a greenish sky, reaching down with twisting fingers to touch the earth, just north and west of LaMar, MO. The local emergency broadcasting system blares: "The National Weather Service in...

Chasing tornadoes: an interview with Howard Bluestein.(People to Discover)
February 1, 2004... Lots of people chase tornadoes, usually for the thrill. But Howard Bluestein is "the tornado chaser." He has spent 25 years getting up-close-and-personal with twisters, not for excitement, but in an attempt to learn more about them. His...

"Storm of the century".
February 1, 2004... In March 1993, a three-day-long superstorm cut a path of destruction from the Gulf Coast of Florida to the eastern shores of Canada. For the first time ever, every airport on the East Coast was closed at some time during the storm. The event...

How deep is it?(Activity To Discover)
February 1, 2004... Look for a flat, somewhat open area away from buildings and trees. Then find a spot where the snow appears to be near its average depth. Measure the depth with a ruler (or yardstick as needed) at several locations and take an average....

What's up.
February 1, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: The monthly All-Sky Chart depicts the sky (minus the moon) as it appears at 6 p.m. (your local time) on Feb. 15. Useful all month, the chart (except for planet positions) is also accurate for 7 p.m. on Feb....

Full moon and a full sky!(What's Up)
February 1, 2004... The Full Snow Moon occurs on Feb. 6. This Native American name probably refers to one of the snowiest months of the year in cold regions! When the weather is good, however, we can be outside checking out the night sky! Evening stargazers...

Planet watch.(What's Up)
February 1, 2004... Evening Planets: Venus (in Aquarius, moving into Pisces) is high in the southwest at sunset and sets 3.5 hours after the sun. By the end of the month, Venus is visible until almost 9 p.m. Look for Venus and Mars in the southwest in the early...

Supermarket stars.(You Can Do Astronomy)
February 1, 2004... This month's activity involves a project you can do while grocery shopping. I have noticed that there are many food items with celestial names. They are found on things like cans of soup, bags of chips, and candy bars. The next time you...

The pink iron planet and the earth's twin; stargazing with Jack Horkheimer.
February 1, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: GREETINGS, GREETINGS, FELLOW STARGAZERS. MERCURY AND VENUS ORBIT SO CLOSE TO THE SUN THAT WE CANNOT SEE EITHER OF THEM VERY LATE AT NIGHT ESPECIALLY MERCURY, WHICH LOOKS PINK BECAUSE WE SEE IT THROUGH...

Sci chat.
February 1, 2004... In the November 2002 Science Scoop "It's a Bug's World," we asked our readers to consider a name for the first new member of a newly discovered order of insects, "Mantophasmatodea." Discovered by entomologists in the Brandberg Mountains of...

The fear factor.(Countdown)
February 1, 2004... Does hearing the word "bioterrorism" make you wish that you lived on another planet? The word comes from two Greek roots: bio for "life" and terror for "fearing." And certainly word of anthrax-laced letters in the fall of the 2000 made many of...

Animal forecasters: "everything is lovely when the goose honks high.".(Animal Angles)
February 1, 2004... Students in Singapore posted this weather proverb to an Australian Web site project on folklore. Do animals forecast the weather? In this case, yes. Migrating birds often fly higher in the high-pressure air that accompanies good weather. ...

Evening Standard, London, Business Briefs Column.
February 3, 2004... Feb. 3--SEC WARNING ON EUROPEAN ACCOUNTS: The US Securities and Exchange Commission has warned it will not accept European firms' accounts filings if the European Commission fails to implement proposals on derivatives accounting. "I wouldn't be...

Evening Standard, London, Business Insider Column.
February 3, 2004... Feb. 3--TRADER TALK: Hedge fund boutique Lansdowne Partners, run by ex-Mercury fund manager Stuart Roden, has emerged with 11.94 million shares in Photo-Me International, representing 3.3 percent of the UKpound 480 million photo booth firm,...

Evening Standard, London, Anthony Hilton Column.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Anthony Hilton Feb. 3--VOTING MESSAGE FROM MYNERS: Paul Myners today published the third report in five years aimed at making it easier for shareholders to vote on matters of corporate governance that concern them. But whereas...

Evening Standard, London, Market Report Column.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Mickey Clark Feb. 3--BOC IS BATTERED IN SPITE OF PROGRESS ON US LEGAL CLAIMS: Industrial gases producer BOC was the biggest faller in the Footsie 100 today, despite better-than-expected first-quarter results. Broker HSBC...

Evening Standard, London, Asian Markets Column.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Jake Lloyd-Smith Feb. 3--Singapore shares lurched today, having been protected from the consequences of the latest developments in the avian flu crisis yesterday when the market was closed. But as screens flashed red, some...

U.K. Firm Standard Chartered Closes In on Control over South Korean Bank.
February 3, 2004... Feb. 3--Standard Chartered has reportedly beaten off strong competition from rivals, including HSBC, to secure control of KorAm Bank, South Korea's sixth-largest lender. The Asian bank is in play after investment houses Carlyle Group and...

London Sees Fewer Insolvent Companies As Downturn Nears End.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Nick Goodway Feb. 3--Insolvencies among London companies dropped by 11 percent in the final quarter of last year, showing that the capital has weathered the worst of the financial and business downturn. This is the largest...

Courts Give Bonus Chasers Edge, Worrying London Financial Firms.
February 3, 2004... Byline: James Rossiter Feb. 3--Whistleblowing and simple emails to clarify pay-award queries are the latest tactics City financiers are using to get paid to the max as the annual bonus season reaches a crescendo in a nervous employment...

Halliburton Unit Faces Battle over U.S. Army Dinners.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Richard Thomson Feb. 3--Hard on the heels of censure for over-charging the US army for petrol supplies in Iraq, Vice President Dick Cheney's old firm Halliburton is in hot water again for allegedly inflating the cost of feeding the...

London Retailers' Bonanza Firms Up Chances of Rate Rise.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Jim Armitage Feb. 3--An interest rate rise this week looked ever more a foregone conclusion as influential figures today showed British shops enjoyed a bumper January. The CBI's closely-watched monthly retail sales survey came...

Policyholders Urge U.K. Mutual Life Insurer to Lead Compensation Fight.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Steve Hawkes Feb. 3--Furious Equitable Life policyholders have urged the troubled mutual to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with them in their fight for Government compensation following the imminent publication of the Penrose Report....

Beijing Olympics Team Looks to Attract U.K. Investment.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Jake Lloyd-Smith Feb. 3--Months before a javelin is hurled or race run at this summer's Olympics in Greece, China is rolling out the red carpet to try to attract British investment for the 2008 Games. Liu Zhi, head of foreign...

Parmalat Prosecutors Probe 'Market-Rigging'.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Bill Condie Feb. 3--Italian prosecutors were today set to intensify their interrogation of former Parmalat internal auditor Gianfranco Bocchi to try to make their new suspicions of market-rigging and insider trading by senior...

Ryanair Threatens Flights Axe after European Union's Clampdown.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Robert Lea Feb. 3--Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary pledged to withdraw services rather than raise fares after the European Commission today ordered a clampdown on the "private and secret" agreements it signs to land at...

Low-Fare Leader Ryanair Flies Just 71 Percent Full, Issues Profits Warning.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Robert Lea Feb. 3--Last week, in the shadow of the Hutton Report, Ryanair moved its third-quarter results and sounded its shock, first-ever profits warning. Today just before the long-awaited EC investigation into the...

Ryanair Slams European Commission for 'Leaks' Ahead of Fines Decision.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Robert Lea Feb. 3--Ryanair has launched a scathing attack on the European Commission hours before Brussels is expected to announce fines for the Irish budget airline and restrictions on cut-price airport deals. The Commission...

Evening Standard, London, Business Briefs Column.
February 11, 2004... Feb. 11--EXCHANGE RATES GUILTY VERDICT FOR JACKSON: Michael Jackson has only a 35 percent to 40 percent chance of being found guilty on charges of lewd acts against a minor in his trial in Santa Barbara -- according to speculators on both sides...

Evening Standard, London, Business Insider Column.
February 11, 2004... Feb. 11--STOCK SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN: Thinking more on the bloodstock feud between Sir Alex Ferguson and the Irish Murphia, it occurs to me that, whatever was or wasn't promised to him, Ferguson should have questioned former members of the...

Evening Standard, London, Asian Markets Column.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Jake Lloyd-Smith Feb. 16--Japanese equities traded nervously today as market watchers tried to decide which way the wind was blowing on the crucial foreign exchanges. As many exporters lost ground amid fears about a stronger...

Vodafone, Cingular Lock Horns in AT&T Wireless Bid War.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Richard Thomson Feb. 16--Fears that mobile phone giant Vodafone could be dragged into a costly and protracted bidding war for AT&T Wireless appeared to be realised with Cingular, America's second-largest cell phone operator,...

National Australia Bank Scandal Claims Second Victim As Chairman Exits.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Bill Condie Feb. 16--The forex trading scandal that cost National Australia Bank A$360 million (UKpound 150 million) claimed a second scalp today as chairman Charles Allen resigned. Chief executive Frank Cicutto fell on his...

Evening Standard, London, Business Briefs Column.
February 16, 2004... Feb. 16--HOT DEAL IN CHILE HELPS COMPASS CLEAN UP: Its prisons used to be terrifying places. Now the guests of Chile's Administration of Corrections will have their meals made by the owner of Caffe Ritazza and Upper Crust sandwich bars,...

Evening Standard, London, Business Insider Column.
February 16, 2004... Feb. 16--GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF IT: Though it has made some of us choke on our chips, Virgin Mobile says its TV ad with rapper Busta Rhymes and his bottom has proved so popular it is being run for longer than originally planned. But it has...

Evening Standard, London, Business Notes Column.
February 16, 2004... Feb. 16--OPEC THREATENS MORE CUTS IN OIL OUTPUT: OPEC President Purnomo Yusgiantoro today warned of further oil production cuts in May if those due to bite in April fail to keep prices between $22 and $28 a barrel. Opec ministers decided last...

U.K. Building-Materials Firm Hanson Makes Hong Kong Concrete Merger.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Jake Lloyd-Smith Feb. 16--Building materials group Hanson has teamed up with Asian billionaire Li Ka-shing in a move that would see the merged operations dominate the booming Hong Kong concrete market. The union of the...

Leading U.K. Electronics Retailer Dixons Buys into Soft-Porn Firm.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Jim Armitage Feb. 16--Dixons group has struck a deal to buy up to 9 percent of Monstermob, the AIM-listed company that sends soft-porn video clips to mobile phone screens. As well as smutty categories such as Video Babes,...

Evening Standard, London, Anthony Hilton Column.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Anthony Hilton Feb. 16--FATAL FLAW IN THE LETWIN PLAN: It is amusing to recall that at the time of the last election Oliver Letwin was ordered into hiding in Dorset so that a baying media could not force him to go into detail on...

Division Could Turn U.S. Legal Giant into Two Stronger Firms.
February 16, 2004... Byline: James Rossiter Feb. 16--One of America's most powerful class-action law firms, which was behind a multi-billion dollar claim against Anglo-Dutch oil major Shell, is splitting into two. But firms hoping the internal rift at...

Sales Spree Boosts London's Hopes for Economic Growth.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Jane Padgham Feb. 16--The London Chamber of Commerce today confirmed that the capital's economy has started 2004 in great shape as it nudged up its growth forecasts for this year and next. The brighter prognosis came as it...

Boob Jobs, Botox Inflate London Neighborhood's Rents.
February 16, 2004... Byline: James Rossiter Feb. 16--Property prices around Harley Street, London's traditional centre for private medicine, are soaring on the back of Britain's growing appetite for nip-and-tuck treatments, plastic surgery and complementary...

Evening Standard, London, Market Report Column.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Malcolm Withers Feb. 16--Concerns that banks making large profits from rising household debt may run into Government intervention hit the sector, with Royal Bank of Scotland the biggest casualty. RBS is expected to announce...

U.K. Natural-Gas Firm BG Snaps Up Rich Canadian Reserves.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Steve Hawkes Feb. 16--BG Group has bolstered its position as leader in the North American gas market by acquiring the Canadian arm of struggling El Paso for UKpound 345.6 million (UKpound 183 million). The former British Gas...

Bank of England Memo 'Urged Secrecy' on Rogue Lender BCCI, High Court Hears.
February 16, 2004... Feb. 16--The Bank of England hid evidence from the Treasury that rogue lender BCCI was on the verge of bankruptcy in the months before its UKpound 9 billion collapse, the High Court heard today. A memo by BoE analyst Helen Jones in June...

Russian Oil Firm's Shareholders Offer UKpound 8 Billion Stake to Free Boss.
February 16, 2004... Byline: Jim Armitage Feb. 16--Top shareholders at Russian oil giant Yukos today offered their shares worth $14.6 billion (UKpound 7.8 million) to the Russian government in return for the freedom of jailed oligarch Mikhail Khordorkovsky....

Evening Standard, London, Asian Markets Column.
February 17, 2004... Byline: Jake Lloyd-Smith Feb. 17--For clothing retailer Esprit the good news from the Hong Kong market manages to go on and on. Days after it turned in a stellar set of results -- including plans for a major UK expansion -- the stock's...

Evening Standard, London, Business Briefs Column.
February 17, 2004... Feb. 17--DISNEY SHOWS OFF PROFIT FIGURES AS IT STEPS UP ITS ANTI-COMCAST CAMPAIGN: Walt Disney is launching a full-scale defence against the Comcast takeover bid by emphasising its improving profit performance and rising share price following a...

Evening Standard, London, Business Insider Column.
February 17, 2004... Feb. 17--BROWN'S SUIT HAS LESS CLOTH: How are the mighty fallen. Bill Brown, once the City's highest-paid man, earning UKpound 8 million and more in the early 1990s, is finding life a bit tougher these days. Not only is his company, Walsham...

Evening Standard, London, Business Notes Column.
February 17, 2004... Feb. 17--DOCTOR FOUNDERS TO SHARE UKPOUND 10 MILLION IN BIOTECH FLOAT: A pair of London doctors stand to share in a UKpound 10 million windfall over the next few years from the UKpound 190 million stock market flotation of the biotechnology...

New York Attorney General Investigates Health Club Contracts.
February 17, 2004... Byline: Bill Condie Feb. 17--Hundreds of Americans locked into lengthy contracts at gyms they never use have found help from an unlikely source -- New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Better known as the scourge of Wall Street,...

Evening Standard, London, Anthony Hilton Column.
February 17, 2004... Byline: Anthony Hilton Feb. 17--OPEN SEASON ON FUND MANAGERS: On one celebrated occasion last year Charles Brady, boss of Amvescap, threatened to take his fund management business back to America if Britain's Financial Services Authority...

More British Insurance Companies Likely to Cut Values of With-Profit Policies.
February 17, 2004... Byline: Steve Hawkes Feb. 17--Nearly seven million savers have had their bonus rates and the payout values of with-profits policies cut since January in yet another rate-slashing season in the life insurance sector. Experts are...

British Financial Firm Bradford & Bingley Sees Profits Drop.
February 17, 2004... Byline: Patrick Hosking Feb. 17--Profits at Bradford & Bingley were dented today as its army of independent financial advisers struggled to sell investment products. Profits before tax and exceptionals slid 4 percent to UKpound 263...

Singapore Mobile, Cable Company's Shares May Be Sold by BT Group.
February 17, 2004... Byline: Jake Lloyd-Smith Feb. 17--BT Group is moving closer to offloading its minority stake in Singapore mobile and cable company StarHub as the Asian group revives plans for an initial public offering. StarHub, the second-largest...

CEO of News Agency Reuters Sees Big Payoff from Restructuring.
February 17, 2004... Byline: Robert Lea Feb. 17--Financial information and international news agency Reuters turned round last year's huge losses into a profit in 2003 with its restructuring -- and chief executive Tom Glocer today predicted a pick-up in...

Two Executives of French Bank BNP Paribas Cut as Result of Merger.
February 18, 2004... Feb. 18--Two of the biggest hitters at BNP Paribas have been ousted amid rumours of more job cuts to come in the London arm of the French investment bank. The casualties are Jo Darlington, director of equity research, and Tim Draper, head...

Halliburton Hires Well-Connected Law Firm to Investigate Payment Allegations.
February 18, 2004... Byline: Richard Thomson Feb. 18--Halliburton, US Vice President Dick Cheney's old company, battling against perceptions that it is too close to the White House, has hired a law firm previously used by the Bush family to conduct an...

British Home Improvement Firm Kingfisher Reports 4.5 Percent Growth.
February 18, 2004... Feb. 18--B&Q do-it-yourself group Kingfisher cheered investors today with news of stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter sales and a promise of full-year profits at the top end of forecasts. Chief executive Gerry Murphy reported...

British Receivers Continue Bid to Recover Money from Former Lender Executive.
February 18, 2004... Byline: Malcolm Withers Feb. 18--Receivers appointed to trace an estimated UKpound 11 million allegedly stolen by the former finance director of collapsed lender Versailles have recovered a "paltry" UKpound 550,000. Southwark Crown...

Evening Standard, London, Market Report Column.
February 18, 2004... Feb. 18--BUFFETT SWEET ON PROSPECT FOR CADBURY SCHWEPPES: Billionaire US financier Warren Buffett's sweet tooth has rewarded him with a tidy profit on his latest investment. The report and accounts from his investment vehicle Berkshire...

CEO of Associated British Ports Announces Plan to Leave.
February 18, 2004... Byline: Robert Lea Feb. 18--Associated British Ports became the latest major UK company to start searching for a chairman after Ross Sayers announced his decision to quit less than two years after taking up the post. Sayers, a...

British Pound Rises to 11-Year High on Dollar with Interest Rate Announcement.
February 18, 2004... Byline: Jane Padgham Feb. 18--Sterling powered to fresh 11-year highs above $1.90 today as it emerged that all nine members of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee voted to raise interest rates earlier this month. The...

Vodafone May Win Bid for AT&T Wireless with Current Offer.
February 18, 2004... Byline: Richard Thomson Feb. 18--Mobile giant Vodafone appears set to win the bidding for AT&T Wireless if, as reported, it ups its bid to $14.50 a share, pricing the company at $39.4 billion (UKpound 20.8 billion). Both Vodafone and...

Activist London Funds among Industry's Top Performers, Survey Says.
February 19, 2004... Byline: Guy Dresser Feb. 19--Fund managers ISIS, HBOS-backed Insight and the Co-op group are the City's most activist institutional shareholders and are also among the industry's top performers, new research shows. However, the overall...

Evening Standard, London, Asian Markets Column.
February 19, 2004... Byline: Jake Lloyd-Smith Feb. 19--The long-awaited debut of Japan's Shinsei Bank -- the country's first foreign-owned lender -- seized the limelight today as investors clamoured for a slice of the action. The shares of the former...

Warnings about Audit Problems at Collapsed Bank Began in 1977.
February 19, 2004... Byline: Malcolm Withers Feb. 19--The Bank of England was warned by Luxembourg regulators as far back as 1977 about major problems with auditing the collapsed Bank of Credit and Commerce International, a court heard today. BCCI...

Member of European Bank Council to Open Conference in Vienna.
February 19, 2004... Feb. 19--European Central Bank Governing Council member Klaus Liebscher will tomorrow open a conference in Vienna on "Challenges for Central Banks in an Enlarged EMU". ECB executive board member Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell will join newcomers...