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

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

This month in odyssey.(Editorial)
May 1, 2004... It's never fun to be the bearer of bad news. That's why we've tried to put a positive spin on recent reports that too many kids like you are tipping the scales just a little too much. Even your favorite fast-food stops are beginning to take...

Touchdown on Mars.(Science Scoops)
May 1, 2004... The room felt like a lightning storm had just passed. Everyone in it was jumpy... wired with expectation... and worried. Last January, scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, CA, were waiting anxiously for the Mars...

Obesity blues.(Science Scoops)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Are you antisocial, anxious, dependent, or depressed? How about headstrong, hyperactive, or withdrawn? If so, you'd better check your weight. A new study by pediatrician Julie Lumeng (University of Michigan) and her colleagues suggests...

Baby fat.(Science Scoops)
May 1, 2004... If you found the previous scoop a bit, well, depressing... (Okay, new get your hand out of that Dorritos bag!)... wait until you read this next one! You've all seen it. You've all heard it. Your mother or father is pinching the cheek of...

Obesity gene found!(Science Scoops)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Weight watchers take note. A team of scientists from Britain and France have identified an abnormal gene that stimulates hunger. The discovery is hailed as extremely important because researchers may soon use it to help understand how to...

Crime scene insects.(Science Scoops)
May 1, 2004... "CSI: Crime Scene Insects," a new exhibit making a world tour (booked through 2007), explores the rapidly growing field of forensic entomology--in other words, how maggots and insects found at a crime scene can provide investigators with clues...

Soda "pop" quiz.(Activity To Discover)
May 1, 2004... Soda, tonic, pop--whatever you call it--we love it! Americans consumed 15 billion gallons in 2000. Fifty-six percent of 8-year-olds down soft drinks daily, and a third of teenage boys drink at least three cans of soda pop per day. Not only are...

Insect scales.(Brain Strain)
May 1, 2004... Jessica is trapped in the laboratory of a strange entomologist. Beetles and bugs of all sorts are everywhere--climbing the walls, flying about in jars, and dangling from the ceiling. "This is sick," Jessica screams. "Not really," the...

Rebuilding the food pyramid.
May 1, 2004... If you're trying to figure out the healthiest way to eat, you may be feeling confused by the conflicting messages you've been hearing. Should you avoid fat and fill up on carbohydrates like bread, rice, and pasta, as the existing food pyramid...

Be a nutrition detective.(Activity To Discover)
May 1, 2004... The best way to make sure that the food you put into your mouth has no hidden--and unhealthy--surprises is to read the ingredient list and the Nutrition Facts label, printed on almost all packaged food. The ingredients are listed in order of...

Go on an action Odyssey.(Activity To Discover)
May 1, 2004... Are kids becoming couch potatoes? Professor Lisa Sutherland at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently studied 20 years of government data on teens' eating and exercise habits. "Kids are eating about the same number of calories...

A ray of sunshine: it was Ray who told me that I wasn't fat. She said, "you're not fat. You're tall and curvy. Rubenesque.".
May 1, 2004... It was Ray who told me that I could do anything I wanted. She said, "You can be a scientist, an artist, or a designer. It was Ray who told me to follow my heart. She said, "Know yourself." I met Ray the year I started high school. Our...

What's for lunch?
May 1, 2004... What do you like at the school cafeteria? Tweleve-year-old Joseph Mitchell likes the chicken nuggets and patties, the pizza, and mini corn dogs. "I'm trying to work on the salad," he adds. He wants to eat more fruits and vegetables. ...

Food Psychology 101: cafeteria categories.
May 1, 2004... There's no better place to pick up nutritional tips than in the school cafeteria. (There's also no better place to pick up last night's homework--but that's another story.) Look around, and you'll get to know the main characters in the...

Animal fat: Riddle #1: what land mammal is larger than the largest land mammal?
May 1, 2004... GIVE UP? We, first or all, trunks down, the African elephant is Earth's largest land mammal. So, what's the answer to the riddle?... [tap those tusks, please]... An overweight elephant! It's not a joke. In the wild, an elephant can...

The dangers of diabetes.
May 1, 2004... You stop at a fast-food restaurant with some friends and order a hamburger and a medium-size soft drink. The server tells you at for just another dollar, you can get a supersize drink, a bag of chips, and a large chocolate chip cookie. Your...

DNP: one deadly diet drug.
May 1, 2004... Have you ever been tempted to check out advertisements claiming to "Melt Fat While You Sleep"? Sounds like an easy way to shed extra pounds. Beware! Some diet pills can be downright dangerous. One such drug is DNP. Its official name is...

Summer Stars and Meteor Showers!(What's Up)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... The May full moon occurs on May 4 and is called the Full Flower Moon. With so many flowers in bloom plus lots of green grass and leafy trees, you can see why the Native Americans gave this month's full moon its name. In case you are wondering,...

Planet watch.(What's Up)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Evening Planets: Venus (in Taurus) is high in the west at sunset and sets in the late evening. By the last days of May, Venus sets only one hour after the sun. Mars (in Taurus moving into Gemini), is seen near Venus and sets around 11:30...

Campfire sing-along.(You Can Do Astronomy)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... When I was 12 years old, I spent two weeks at an overnight summer camp. It was so much fun that I returned the next two summers. One of my favorite activities at summer camp was singing around the campfire. We sang lots of Girl Scout songs and...

May 2004.(What's Up)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... From red Antares, to blue-white Rigel, From near Centauri, to far Polaris, Those stars were made for you and me. Check out this month's star map to see which constellations and bright stars are visible. Don't forget those planets! And so...

StarGazing with Jack Horkheimer: kitty in the cosmos and two comets that never were.
May 1, 2004... GREETINGS, GREETINGS, FELLOW STARGAZERS. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE 88 OFFICIAL CONSTELLATIONS, NOT ONE OF THEM IS NAMED FOR A PUSSYCAT. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BUT, IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO LOOK, YOU CAN FIND TWO CAT'S EYES IN THE SUMMER SKY. ...

Weighing self-worth.(Fantastic Journeys)
May 1, 2004... Wax paper crinkled. I looked down at the open package of saltine crackers, and felt nauseated. I touched the waistband of my jeans. The denim pressed uncomfortably on my stomach. I was fat. Too fat. I wasn't going to get thinner if I kept...

Circuits.(Countdown)
May 1, 2004... What would you do without your cell phone? How could you call Mom when you needed a ride home? Worse yet, how could you possibly keep in touch with your friends on the way? Well, you could carry your laptop with you, and with wireless service,...

Bat fat.(Animal Angles)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... If you've got bats in the belfry, they are probably Myotis lucifudus, or "little brown bats." These helpful creatures (honest!) often roost in man made structures. In the higher latitudes of North America, they spend the winter in hibernacula...

Evening Standard, London, Asian Markets Column.
May 5, 2004... Byline: Bill Condie May 5--HONG KONG PROPERTY FIRMS HIT BY FED'S RATE WARNING: The US Federal Reserve's hint that the days of falling interest rates could soon be over, spooked Hong Kong stocks today, taking its toll on property firms in...

Insurance Giant Aviva Boosted by Return of Long-Term Savers.
May 5, 2004... May 5--Insurance giant Aviva made good its promise to cash in on a "flight to quality", as investors returned for long-term savings products. Aviva, which trades as Norwich Union, turned in quarterly long-term investment sales at the top...

BAE Systems Faces Shareholder Questions on Bribery Claims, Overruns.
May 5, 2004... Byline: Jim Armitage May 5--BAE Systems was today facing tough questioning from shareholders after allegations of a Ministry of Defence investigation into a UKpound 60 million slush fund and reports of a stand-off with the Government over...

U.K. Hospitality Firm Whitbread's Budget Hotels Produce Five-Star Profits.
May 5, 2004... Byline: Robert Lea May 5--It is better to be in budget hotels than luxury hotels at the moment, latest results from Whitbread appear to confirm. The leisure giant today reported an 11 percent rise in profits to UKpound 74 million at...

South African Casino Magnate Set to Score at UK's Wembley Gaming Group.
May 5, 2004... May 5--South African casino magnate Sol Kerzner looks set to win the UKpound 300 million battle for gambling group Wembley after rival bidder MGM Mirage folded and walked away from the bid table. Wembley shares today dived 30 pence to...

Coca-Cola Chooses Insider to Be New Chief Executive.
May 5, 2004... Byline: Bill Condie May 5--Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola has named Irishman Neville Isdell as its new chairman and chief executive to take over from Doug Daft, who may now step down from the top job earlier than expected. Some welcomed...

U.K. Government to Tell Directors to Come Clean over Companies' Prospects.
May 5, 2004... Byline: Sarah Marks May 5--The Government's long-running campaign to strengthen corporate governance and improve investor confidence in British business moved to a new level today as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry Patricia...

Ferocious Fares War Slashes Profits at Budget Airline easyJet.
May 5, 2004... Byline: Robert Lea May 5--More than UKpound 275 million was wiped off the value of easyJet after the budget airline posted losses for the winter of UKpound 27 million, reported poor trading over the past five weeks and gave its own...

Evening Standard, London, Economic Indicators Report.
May 5, 2004... Byline: Jane Padgham May 5--Charlie Bean and Kate Barker go into today's Bank of England monetary policy committee meeting safe in the knowledge their previous efforts have earned them new three-year terms on the nine-strong team of...

Richmond Foods Has Winter Licked with Topping UKpound 2 Million.
May 5, 2004... Byline: Nick Goodway May 5--Britain's biggest ice-cream maker has posted a profit in the winter months for the first time ever. Richmond Foods, which makes one out of every two tubs of ice cream sold in this country, said that demand...

Britain's Housing Boom Is Set to Continue, Mortgage Lender Says.
May 5, 2004... Byline: Jane Padgham May 5--Britain's biggest mortgage lender today unveiled fresh evidence the housing market is in the grip of a spring boom, and said there is no sign of an imminent slowdown. The latest survey from Halifax shows the...

KPMG Ordered to Reveal Client Tax Details.
May 5, 2004... May 5--Big Four accounting firm KPMG has been ordered by a US judge to reveal which clients are using tax shelters offered by the firm and are now being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The order opens KPMG to the risk of...

Evening Standard, London, Market Report Column.
May 5, 2004... Byline: Mickey Clark May 5--AIRLINES BLOWN OFF COURSE BY ILL WIND ACROSS EUROPE: A chilling reminder of the difficult trading conditions faced by all Europe's airlines sent a shiver through stock markets across the Continent. Alitalia...

Fears over U.S. Gasoline Stocks, Mid-East Tensions Lift Oil Price.
May 5, 2004... Byline: James Rossiter May 5--Oil prices have surged to a 13-year high on fears of low US petrol stocks against a background of worsening violence in the Middle East, writes James Rossiter. London's Brent crude was trading at $36 a...

U.K. Restaurant Boss Digs into Pay Top-Up.
May 5, 2004... May 5--Alan Jackson, executive chairman of Garfunkels-to-Frankie & Benny's operator The Restaurant Group, saw his pay package rise UKpound 57,000 to UKpound 483,000 last year as he nursed the group back to financial health. The restaurants...

Discount Retailer Matalan Starts Price-Cuts Fightback After Profits Halve.
May 5, 2004... Byline: Fiona Walsh May 5--Profits at discount retailer Matalan were virtually halved last year after what chairman and founder John Hargreaves described as a "deeply disappointing" performance. The group, which hit the market with two...

Royal Bank of Scotland Joins Top Tier of U.S. Banks with Charter One Bid.
May 5, 2004... Byline: Richard Thomson May 5--Royal Bank of Scotland is paying $10.5 billion (UKpound 5.7 billion) for Cleveland's Charter One Financial, vaulting it into the top tier of US banks and extending is geographical coverage to the Mid-West....

SABMiller Launches Takeover Bid for Chinese Brewer.
May 5, 2004... May 5--China today woke up to its first-ever hostile takeover bid after SABMiller launched a HK$3.04 billion (UKpound 213 million) offer for Shanghai-based Harbin Brewery. The bid is widely expected to be countered by American giant...

Evening Standard, London, Anthony Hilton Column.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Anthony Hilton May 6--GOVERNANCE SCORES AN OWN GOAL: With finely crafted weasel words, the Association of British Insurers signalled to its members yesterday that it had no stomach for a second confrontation with the board of...

Evening Standard, London, Asian Markets Column.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Jake Lloyd-Smith May 6--There has been plenty of debate about surging Chinese demand lifting commodity and stock prices last year, but backtracking more recently on signals that Beijing is trying to engineer a soft landing. The...

London Bankers Look Forward to Big Bonus Increases.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Jane Padgham May 6--City bankers are in line for a 30 percent increase in their annual bonuses next year as a new bonus bonanza sweeps through the Square Mile. With the City back on its feet thanks to the global economic...

Giants Line Up As West Gets Taste for Beer Action in China.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Nick Goodway May 6--Billed in newspapers this week as China's first hostile takeover bid, SABMiller's UKpound 300 million offer for Harbin Brewery will actually pan out as anything but that. Stephen Clark, director of...

Evening Standard, London, Business Briefs Column.
May 6, 2004... May 6--DIXONS TUNES INTO MUSIC ALLIANCE WITH NAPSTER: Online music service Napster has sealed an alliance with High Street electronic goods chain Dixons to spearhead a push into Britain's music market this summer. Dixons is planning to sell...

UK Brewer-Pubs Owner Posts Rise in Profits.
May 6, 2004... May 6--Lake District brewer and pubs owner Jennings Brothers appears to have managed the unusual trick of not only combining pubs and brewing but also straddling the Pennines. Pre-tax profits rose 13.5 percent to UKpound 2.85 million in the...

London-Based SABMiller Takes Snub in Bid Battle for China Brewery.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Steve Hawkes May 6--The battle between the world's two biggest brewers for China's Harbin Brewery took a fresh twist today after the Shanghai-based company's chief executive laid into former partner SABMiller. SAB is set for a...

Road to Repeating Success of London's Congestion Charging Scheme May Be Rocky.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Robert Lea May 6--It Would be a dream come true for the anti-car lobby: a network of three dozen or so British cities and other local authorities implementing London-style congestion charging zones, transforming metropolitan life...

U.K. Engineering, Construction Giant Amec Dives 7 Percent on Fears over Iraq.
May 6, 2004... May 6--Shares in Amec tumbled nearly 7 percent today after a botched trading statement fuelled fears that the perilous security situation in Iraq will hit profits this year. Amec warned it was difficult to predict how much work it will be...

Transatlantic Flights Recover to Pre-9/11 Levels.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Robert Lea May 6--Transatlantic flights have finally recovered to their pre-9.11 levels new figures revealed today but latest comments from Ryanair reveal fare wars are seriously hitting the new breed of low-cost airlines. ...

UK Hotel Deals Rise despite Occupancy Drop-Off.
May 6, 2004... Byline: James Rossiter May 6--Hotel deals are running at peak levels as billionaire investors step back into the London market from Europe, America and Asia, writes James Rossiter. Despite the drop-off in hotel occupancy levels after...

U.K. Interest Rates Rise Quarter-Point, But London Analysts Warn More Needed.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Jane Padgham May 6--The City took today's widely expected rise in interest rates in its stride as economists warned the increase would do little to cool the housing and borrowing booms. As the Bank's monetary policy committee...

Evening Standard, London, Market Report Column.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Mickey Clark May 6--You could hear the cabin door slamming shut at easyJet today in the wake of yesterday's shock warning about trading conditions. The discount airline was dismayed by "unprofitable and unrealistic" pricing by...

Newly Named Chief Executive for McDonalds Undergoes Cancer Surgery.
May 6, 2004... May 6--Fast-food giant McDonald's faces a new round of uncertainty at the top after its newly named chief executive Charlie Bell underwent colo-rectal cancer surgery. The news, coming two weeks after the death of former chief Jim...

Universal Studios Plots Monster Killing with Spin-Offs from Horror Movie.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Melanie Morningstar May 6--Gothic Hollywood blockbuster Van Helsing, opening in British and American cinemas this week, is set to be one of the most sophisticated and potentially lucrative examples of entertainment companies...

U.K. Newspaper Publisher Trinity Prospers Despite Row over Mirror Pictures.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Nick Goodway May 6--It may be under fire from politicians, soldiers and rivals alike for its Iraq prisoner-of-war photographs but Trinity Mirror, publisher of the Mirror titles and a host of regional newspapers, appears to be...

U.K. Publisher Huveaux Picks Up Parliament Magazine for UKpound 16 Million.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Robert Lea May 6--The House magazine, the parish pump of the Palace of Westminster, has been sold for UKpound 16 million to fast-growing publishing group Huveaux in a deal that puts it in the same stable as other parliamentary...

UK Electronic Store Chain to Partner with Napster.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Nick Goodway May 6--Dixons, the 1100-strong electrical stores chain which also includes PC World, The Link and Currys, is to be the first UK retail partner for Napster, the newly legitimised music download service, writes Nick...

Ambitious Former Boss of U.K. Retailer Debenhams Plans to Revamp Jaeger.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Fiona Walsh May 6--Former Debenhams boss Belinda Earl has returned to the retail sector as the new chief executive of Jaeger, the upmarket fashion group owned by entrepreneur Harold Tillman. Earl, who collected UKpound 3.6...

U.K. Chipmaker Cambridge Silicon Radio Sees All Right Numbers.
May 6, 2004... May 6--Buying the latest in Bluetooth-enabled mobiles and other wireless applications is sending profits surging at chipmaker Cambridge Silicon Radio in its first quarter trading as a public company. Pre-tax profits for the three months to...

Bitter Battle Means Crunch Time for Board of U.K. High-Tech Security Firm.
May 6, 2004... Byline: James Rossiter May 6--One of the most bitter battles for control of a public company comes to a head today as shareholders in Baltimore Technologies, the former dot com wonder, meet to decide on the firm's future. A key figure...

Bush Administration Requests $25 Billion from Congress for Iraq Operations.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Bill Condie May 6--The Bush administration has been forced into an embarrassing U-turn, asking Congress for a $25 billion (UKpound 13.6 billion) down-payment on next year's defence budget to pay for operations in Iraq which is...

Waterproof Outerwear Sales Boosts British Retailer Blacks Leisure.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Fiona Walsh May 6--Waterproofs have been flying off the shelves in the past few weeks at camping and boardwear group Blacks Leisure, which owns the Millets chain. Sales of boardwear and lightweight summer clothing have, not...

Evening Standard, London, Anthony Hilton Column.
May 7, 2004... Byline: Anthony Hilton May 7--A SHIFT IN PROPERTY FOUNDATIONS: This day every month, when all eyes are on the Bank of England's monetary policy committee to see if it has lifted interest rates, is also the day when people are acutely...

Evening Standard, London, Asian Markets Column.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Jake Lloyd-Smith May 10--Asian shares endured a torrid day as rate-increase unease and buoyant energy prices continued to batter sentiment throughout the region. Japanese mobile phones group NTT DoCoMo was hit even harder than...

Evening Standard, London, Business Briefs Column.
May 10, 2004... May 10--CHRYSALIS EVOLVES WITH RAMPANT REVENUE GROWTH: Heart, LBC and Galaxy radio stations owner Chrysalis outstripped its rivals in the six months to end-February with a 23 percent rise in revenue, against an industry average of 10 percent....

Evening Standard, London, Business Notes Column.
May 10, 2004... May 10--SUNTRUST OF US AGREES TO UKpound 3.8BN BANK TAKEOVER: In the second major American bank deal in a week, Atlanta-based SunTrust Banks has agreed to acquire National Commerce Financial for almost $7 billion (UKpound 3.8 billion) in cash...

Evening Standard, London, Anthony Hilton Column.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Anthony Hilton May 10--BEWARE THE CELEBRITY CHIEF: It has become fashionable in recent times to blame the decline of Marks & Spencer on Sir Richard Greenbury, the long-time chief executive of the famous department stores chain. ...

Mobile Phone Industry Provides Boon to British Government Finances.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Nick Goodway May 10--Britain's mobile phones sector now contributes as much to the economy as the oil and gas extraction industry. Chancellor Gordon Brown would have to find the equivalent of 3 pence on the basic rate of income...

Ousted NYSE Chairman Wants an Apology, Says He Won't 'Give Back a Dime'.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Bill Condie May 10--Former New York Stock Exchange chairman Richard Grasso has offered his ex-employer an olive branch, albeit with a new threat attached, as prosecutors prepare a case for the return of some of the hundreds of...

Former Russian Minister Boosts London-Based Oil Exploration Company.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Steve Hawkes May 10--A former Russian energy minister, recently accused of giving political support to Saddam Hussein, is causing a stir at a little-known oil exploration firm based in London. Yuri Shafranik is being cited as...

Price of Oil Cools, but Analysts Predict Sharp Rise by Summer.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Jim Armitage May 10--The surging oil price took a pause for breath today, but traders were still tipping further strong gains following Friday's leap through the crucial $40 a barrel level. Crude oil for June delivery in New...

Consumer Squeeze Set to Hit British Retailers.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Nick Goodway May 10--More than 1400 shops and other retail businesses are likely to go bust this year, making the highest number of retail failures since 2000, according to accountants BDO Stoy Hayward. This is far higher than...

Thai Premier May Take UKpound 65 Million Stake in British Football Club.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Jake Lloyd-Smith May 10--Liverpool Football Club could become the latest Premiership team to benefit from an influx of foreign cash as billionaire Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra appears set to plough UKpound 65 million into...

India Call-Centre Jobs to Go as Online Travel Agency Axes 270.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Nick Goodway May 10--Ebookers, the high-profile online travel agency, is cutting more than 200 jobs in this country and Europe and another 70 in India, where it was one of the pioneers in outsourcing call centres to the...

Evening Standard, London, Asian Markets Column.
May 11, 2004... Byline: Jake Lloyd-Smith May 11--In the opening months of the year Asia's bears sold down equities from time to time amid fears that the US economy was not adding enough jobs each month. The concern then was that the anaemic employment...

Evening Standard, London, Business Briefs Column.
May 11, 2004... May 11--GW'S SATIVEX PAINKILLER AIMS FOR CANADA MARKET: GW Pharmaceuticals, the UK company developing a cannabis-based painkiller, could be selling its Sativex mouth spray in Canada, pending national medicines regulator approval. The government...

Banana Firm Chiquita Admits Making Payments to Terrorist Groups.
May 11, 2004... Byline: Jake Lloyd-Smith May 11--American banana giant Chiquita Brands International has admitted that a subsidiary paid protection money to Colombian terrorist groups, sparking a probe by the US Department of Justice. Chiquita said...

New European Pollution Standards May Hurt British Industry.
May 11, 2004... Byline: Tom Nicholls May 11--The Government has launched an independent investigation into anti-pollution programmes amid concerns British businesses will be hurt by lax standards elsewhere in Europe. Environmental consultant Ecofys...

Evening Standard, London, Anthony Hilton Column.
May 11, 2004... Byline: Anthony Hilton May 11--HEDGE FUNDS' MARKET SPOILER: EasyJet's shares plunged 30 percent last week when the company warned that, in common with other low-cost airlines, it was having a tough time. Nokia shares fell 30 percent the...

Evening Standard, London, Market Report Column.
May 11, 2004... Byline: Steve Hawkes May 11--Britain's biggest companies gained some much-needed respite on the London Stock Exchange today as investors paused for breath following yesterday's damaging sell-off. The Footsie was up 27.9 points at...