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

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

Evening Standard, London, business briefs column.
November 1, 2005... Nov. 1--UMECO RAISES [pounds sterling]48 MILLION AS PROFITS FLY UP BY 46 percent: AEROSPACE widgets distributor Umeco has launched its second rights issue in 18 months to buy the Italian maker of nuts and bolts for Westland helicopters. Umeco...

Singer & Friedlander eyes broker takeovers.
November 1, 2005... Byline: James Rossiter Nov. 1--Takeovers of City brokerages are on the cards after the new owner of Singer & Friedlander announced plans to double its London presence to 900 staff. Kaupthing Bank, Iceland's biggest with a [pounds...

Premier adds [pounds sterling]27m Cauldron to its well-stocked larder.
November 1, 2005... Nov. 1--Fresh from the sale of its Typhoo tea business completed yesterday, Premier Foods today spent [pounds sterling]27 million buying Britain's first maker of that vegetarian delight, tofu. Cauldron Foods will sit in Premier's cupboard of...

Man joins the queue to view Refco books.
November 1, 2005... Byline: Bill Condie Nov. 1--Embattled futures broker Refco has opened its books to the UK's Man Group, the latest bidder to run the rule over the remains of the company that was brought to its knees following fraud charges against its...

Katrina whips up a frenzy of Lloyd's activity for Amlin.
November 1, 2005... Nov. 1--Insurance underwriter Amlin plans to cash in on the expected rocketing price of cover after Hurricane Katrina by beefing up the amount of business it takes in the Lloyd's market and setting up a $1 billion ([pounds sterling]564 million)...

Internet death knell for 110 going places outlets.
November 1, 2005... Byline: Jim Armitage Nov. 1--High Street travel agents suffered another blow today as Airtours owner MyTravel announced the closure of 110 Going Places sites. MyTravel chief executive Peter McHugh said customers were increasingly...

...And factories and shops pick up.
November 1, 2005... Nov. 1--Hopes that the economy is over the worst were boosted today by news of a pick-up in the battered manufacturing and retail sectors. The closely-watched purchasing managers' report from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
November 1, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Nov. 1--FOOTSIE RISE FUELLED BY BID-TARGET HUNT: City speculators were again on the lookout for the next likely bid targets following yesterday's potential [pounds sterling]25 billion splurge by predators which focused...

Hot weather leaves sales at Matalan flagging.
November 1, 2005... Byline: Jim Armitage Nov. 1--The hot weather has triggered an appalling sales decline at budget retailer Matalan as shoppers ignore winter coats and head for the cheap T-shirts. That meant like-for-like sales crashed a massive 10.6...

LSE suitors cleared to bid but face hurdles.
November 1, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Nov. 1--The Competition Commission today cleared potential [pounds sterling]1.5 billion-plus takeover bids for the London Stock Exchange but put so many hurdles in the way of rival European suitors that the chance of...

Advice boom helps UBS deliver [pounds sterling]1.2bn.
November 1, 2005... Nov. 1--Doubled profits from investment advice on takeovers and share sales helped Swiss bank UBS, headed by Peter Wuffli, beat third-quarter expectations with net earnings up 71 percent at Swfr2.77 billion ([pounds sterling]1.21 billion). ...

This month in Odyssey.(longivity)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... It's difficult to imagine what a person 1,600 years old would look like. Maybe she wouldn't have a round, pudgy face and glowing smile like our birthday "girl's." But scientists who are studying how we age and how the process might be halted...

Fossil croc rocks!(Uberabasuchus terrificus, prehistoric crocodiles)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... If you think that crocodiles are one of the meanest, ugliest, most terrifying creatures to roam the waters today, then imagine floating in a canoe down a quiet Brazilian river only to encounter the fearsome Uberabasuchus terrificus (the...

Stressing your mom isn't good for her health!(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Some mothers age faster than other mothers, according to research conducted at the University of California at San Francisco. What makes the difference? Mothers who care for severely disabled children experience much greater stress than do...

What's that smell?(hydrogen sulfide )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... In the classic E.B. White novel Charlotte's Web, Templeton the rat keeps an unhatched goose egg in Wilbur's pigpen. One day, the boy Avery tries to capture Wilbur's spider friend Charlotte. Avery slips, the egg is broken, and the smell of...

Whole lot o' shakin' goin' on!--Part 1.(earthquakes)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... One thing leads to another. That's the way it is with earthquakes. Take the December 2004 earthquake in Sumatra. That event was the most powerful in more than 40 years. The earthquake triggered a tsunami (an earthquake-generated wave) that...

Whole lot o' shakin' goin' on!--Part 2.(visit http://pasadena.wr.usgs.gov/step for earthquake forecasts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Live in California? Want to know if an earthquake has a good possibility of occurring? Well, the answer may be just a mouse click away. Thanks to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), any California resident who fears a strong...

Red's a winner!(athletes wearing red win most, University of Durham study)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Play sports? Want to win your game? Wear red. If you believe the results of a study by Russell A. Hill and Robert A. Barton (University of Durham, England), athletes wearing red uniforms experience a slight advantage over those wearing...

The Spelling Bee at Hayflick Limit: is the process of aging a kind of "spelling test" for your DNA? Let's find out.
November 1, 2005... The sign above the office door reads: "Hayflick Ltd.--Typing Services--We Type Your Life." "Come in," a voice greeted me. "I'm Telly--I manage what goes on here." Inside, I could see row after row of office workers, typing away on...

Slowing the clock.(nematode's life span)
November 1, 2005... If you were a nematode--a small soil worm--you could expect to live for just about 20 days. That is, unless you were a nematode in the laboratory of Dr. Cynthia Kenyon at the University of California, San Francisco. Then you might be one of the...

Human life span: what are the limits? How old is old? Eighty? Ninety? One hundred, for sure. As the human life span increases, we need to adjust our thinking.
November 1, 2005... In early human history, a person would have been lucky to survive to age 30. Now, in 2005, the average American can expect to live well into their 70s. Most biodemographers--experts who analyze statistical information about populations--think...

Mind vs. time: what's ahead for the aging brain?
November 1, 2005... Would you be a hip and happening 180-year-old? Or would you have trouble remembering your own name? Thinking Young Dr. Aubrey de Grey and various other scientists argue that science and technology can eventually conquer the problems of...

Do happy people live longer?
November 1, 2005... Shouldn't the answer to this question be "yes"? After all, having a sunny disposition means that you're an optimist, not a pessimist, and that you accept life's troubles more easily than your grumpier friends. Shouldn't that lower your stress...

Ice & aliens.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... The year is 2140. You are 150 years old, in perfect health, and in your glass-dome habitat on Mars--enjoying your breakfast after having put some salt on your scrambled eggs. Suddenly, aliens burst into your kitchen. They present you with an...

One family's favorite centenarian: Anna "Nanie" Berger.
November 1, 2005... Grandparents and grandchildren, Together they create a chain of love Linking the past, With the future. The chain may lengthen, But it will never part. --AUTHOR UNKNOWN WILL YOU LIVE TO BE 100? The most current scientific research on...

Numbers.(Short Story)
November 1, 2005... When he was five years old, Joey's mother gave him a kitten. It was playful and affectionate and Joey loved it, but after a year his kitten was a big cat that preferred sleeping to playing. When he was seven, his father bought him a puppy....

Deep freeze.(Cryopreservation )
November 1, 2005... Imagine a banana thrust into a clear, bubbling liquid. White mist erupts from the liquid s surface as the banana bounces about in a sea of bubbles. In a few seconds, the banana is frozen solid, hard enough to drive a nail into wood. As the...

Imagining a world of immortals.
November 1, 2005... While traditional geneticists and biologists are hoping to extend the human life span past age 100, one radical scientist is aiming to go much, much further. Believe it or not, he believes that one day, people could live long enough to...

There's a square in the autumn sky!
November 1, 2005... The monthly All-Sky Chart depicts the sky (minus the moon) as it appears at 6 p.m. (your local time) on Nov. 15. Useful all month, the chart (except for planet positions) is also accurate for 7 p.m. on Nov. 1 and 5 p.m. on Nov. 30. To use...

Observing the phases of Venus.
November 1, 2005... Thousands of years ago, ancient sky watchers saw "wandering stars," which we know today as planets. The five planets that you can see with your naked eye are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. You need a telescope to see Uranus,...

Just what is a star, anyway?(StarGazing with Jack Horkheimer Comic)(Cartoon)
November 1, 2005... GREETINGS, GREETINGS, FELLOW STARGAZER. HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED JUST WHAT A STAR IS? WELL, LET ME "UN-WONDER" YOU. IF YOU WERE OUTSIDE ON A CLEAR NIGHT LOOKING UP AT THE STARS, COULD YOU POINT OUT THE CLOSEST ONE? ME? OVER...

Sci chat.(human embryonic stem cell research)
November 1, 2005... In the October 2004 issue, "The Language of Cells, " we explored the controversy surrounding stem cell research. We asked readers to consider the following questions: * Do embryonic stem cells represent a human life? * Should "extra"...

Save the long-lived Galapagos tortoises.
November 1, 2005... Editor's Note: This month in "Fantastic Journeys," we sail from the west coast of South America to visit the Galapagos Islands with Ryan Yoo, age 9, who attends the Mirman School in Los Angeles, CA. The famous--but endangered --giant tortoises...

Methuselah mice.(longevity research)
November 1, 2005... According to the Bible, a man named Methuselah lived for 969 years. Now the Methuselah Foundation wants to extend our lives, too, starting with experiments on the long-lived, dwarf variety of the common mouse Mus musculus. About 99 percent of...

Primark warehouse destroyed by blaze.
November 2, 2005... Byline: Jim Armitage Nov. 2--Primark's biggest warehouse has been wiped out in a huge fire, destroying vast amounts of pre-Christmas stock. Primark owner AB Foods said today that the 300 square metre building off the M1 in...

Bank in the clear as 12-year [pounds sterling]850m BCCI case collapses.
November 2, 2005... Nov. 2--One of the most expensive trials in British legal history collapsed today as the liquidator of fraud-ridden Bank of Credit and Commerce International sensationally dropped its [pounds sterling]850 million claim against the Bank of...

Evening Standard, London, business briefs column.
November 2, 2005... Nov. 2--SEVEN TELECOM'S NUMBER UP AFTER ENVESTA SUSPENSION: Seven Telecom has been put into administration by its AIM-listed parent Envesta Telecom which asked for its own shares to be suspended at 0.35p today. Envesta said it still wants to...

Directors in spotlight as reforms take shape.
November 2, 2005... Nov. 2--Public companies face the biggest shake-up in the law that governs them, leading to growing fears that the position of directors, particularly non-executives, will become increasingly difficult. The Company Law Reform Bill has been...

Credit Suisse boom points to bonus joy.
November 2, 2005... Nov. 2--Doubled investment banking profits and a surge in private banking income helped Credit Suisse boost profits by 42 percent in its third quarter, continuing a string of strong results for the "bulge bracket" banks which promises bumper...

Gadget shop owners in court battle on birthdays.
November 2, 2005... Nov. 2--Retail kingpin Tom Hunter and Make Me A Million TV entrepreneur Chris Gorman today faced the founder of Freeserve in a [pounds sterling]100 million High Court battle following the collapse of The Gadget Shop chain. Freeserve...

City big guns turn on Rudd.
November 2, 2005... Nov. 2--Pilkington director Sir Nigel Rudd, who stands to scoop [pounds sterling]3.75 million from any takeover of the glassmaker, is under fire from one of Britain's most powerful shareholder bodies for holding too many chairmanships. ...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
November 2, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Nov. 2--Hopes among speculators that Telefonica's [pounds sterling]18 billion offer for O2 would create a bidding war have suffered a setback. More than 550 million shares changed hands today as they dipped below...

EDITORIAL: Costly battle of principle always doomed to fail.(Editorial)
November 2, 2005... Nov. 2--If ever there was a case doomed to go nowhere and ultimately fail, surely it was this one. It's one thing to jump up and down and claim you've suffered some heinous act -- a knee-jerk reaction to the destruction of an institution in...

Firms slow off Olympics block.
November 2, 2005... Nov. 2--London firms face a "startling" lack of information about how to bid for contracts for the 2012 Olympic Games. Three-quarters of small and medium-sized firms are confused about the timescale of the procurement process and who is...

'Lost chance' on pensions as Blunkett bows out.
November 2, 2005... Byline: Jane Padgham Nov. 2--David Blunkett's brief tenure as Work and Pensions Secretary was today described by the pensions industry as a missed opportunity. Blunkett, who returned to the Cabinet after Labour's general election...

[pounds sterling]27m losses sink Seacat.
November 4, 2005... Nov. 4--The Seacat fast ferry service between Dover and Calais is to close on Monday with the likely loss of more than 160 jobs. The Hoverspeed Seacat has racked up massive losses -- [pounds sterling]27 million in the first half of the year...

House price rises best in five months, says Halifax.
November 4, 2005... Byline: Jane Padgham Nov. 4--Britain's recovering housing market paused for breath in October, Britain's biggest mortgage lender said today. Halifax said the average price of a home was unchanged at [pounds sterling]168,210 after sharp...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
November 4, 2005... Byline: Sarah Markets Nov. 4--Bid fever brightened up an otherwise dull Friday with the FTSE 100 treading water after a week of spectacular gains. Investors piled into GCap Media after reports that the Capital Radio owner faces a...

Marks & Spencer eyes [pounds sterling]1bn stores makeover.
November 4, 2005... Byline: Jim Armitage Nov. 4--Chief executive Stuart Rose has said he may spend [pounds sterling]1 billion to refurbish all Marks & Spencer's stores after encouraging early results in its current revamp. So far, the chain has revamped...

Credit card woes bring record bankruptcies.
November 4, 2005... Nov. 4--The number of people going bust has surged to an all-time high, writes Jane Padgham. Department of Trade and Industry figures show 12,043 people went bankrupt in the third quarter, up 30.9 percent on a year earlier and the highest...

Sky buybacks pledge after investor rebellion.
November 4, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Nov. 4--BskyB rebel shareholders scored a notable victory today as the satellite broadcaster, chaired by media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, said it would not repeat a controversial share buyback plan next year. However,...

Autonomy pulls off [pounds sterling]283m US coup.
November 4, 2005... Byline: James Rossiter Nov. 4--Autonomy, the Cambridge-based creator of software that allows companies to sort their data and archives, is ramping up its US presence with the takeover of rival Verity in a [pounds sterling]283 million move....

BskyB disappointment ahead of buyback vote.
November 4, 2005... Nov. 4--James Murdoch faced restless shareholders at BSkyB's annual meeting today after delivering first-quarter figures below the market's expectations. BSkyB shares dropped 34p to 493p. Sky added only a net 57,000 subscribers in the three...

Evening Standard, London, business briefs column.
November 10, 2005... Nov. 10--SURGE IN NEW PREMIUMS GIVES LEG-UP TO RSA: Royal & SunAlliance nearly doubled its operating profit over the first nine months. The rise to [pounds sterling]488 million from [pounds sterling]247 million last year was due to an increase...

Debenhams beats the gloom with 123 percent leap in profits.
November 10, 2005... Nov. 10--Debenhams has defied the High Street downturn to notch up record sales and profits in the past year. Total sales at the department stores group grew 9.7 percent to just over [pounds sterling]2 billion in the 53 weeks to 3...

BPB demands [pounds sterling]550m more from French bid.
November 10, 2005... Byline: James Rossiter Nov. 10--Plasterboard maker BPB today called for its French suitor to add another [pounds sterling]550 million to its [pounds sterling]3.6 billion marriage proposal before the British company would start taking the...

Man wins battle for Refco futures division.
November 10, 2005... Byline: James McLean Nov. 10--Hedge fund manager Man Group today appeared to have won an intense tussle for most of the remains of bankrupt Refco. The American futures broker said Man, which was unable to confirm the purchase, had won...

Bank under fire after rate standstill.
November 10, 2005... Nov. 10--The British Chambers of Commerce today stepped up pressure on the Bank of England to cut interest rates after the Bank's monetary policy committee pegged borrowing costs at 4.5 percent for a third month running. While other...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
November 10, 2005... Byline: Sarah Marks Nov. 10--Dana Petroleum shocked the market by unexpectedly auctioning some four million new shares through an "accelerated bookbuild" -- the City's equivalent of a quick whip-round. Investors were initially given...

Olympics chief is business leader of year.
November 10, 2005... Nov. 10--Victorious London 2012 Olympic bid chief executive, Keith Mills, has been named Business Leader of the Year in the London Business Awards 2005. Mills, a successful entrepreneur before devoting himself to the Olympics challenge,...

Top-up to [pounds sterling]207m as Punch gets in the Spirit.
November 10, 2005... Nov. 10--Pubs group Punch Taverns has given the clearest indication so far that it is poised to bid for independent rival Spirit. With a likely deadline of next week for opening bids, Punch is expected to launch a joint move with Mitchells...

Drink quiz for Hunter in gadget shop case.
November 10, 2005... Nov. 10--Scottish retail king Sir Tom Hunter was questioned in court about his drinking again today as he denied drunkenly discussing a disputed business deal during a private dinner at his villa in the south of France. Sir Tom has already...

Booming broadband gives BT a boost to [pounds sterling]596 million.
November 10, 2005... Nov. 10--Continuing strong demand for broadband internet connections helped BT grow sales and headline profits in the three months to the end of September. The cost of continuing to shed around 5000 jobs a year left underlying earnings...

GNER owner hit by 'perfect storm' after July blasts.
November 10, 2005... Byline: Robert Lea Nov. 10--Sea containers, the GNER train company and Hoverspeed Seacat fast-ferries operator, has plunged into the red as its veteran boss James Sherwood admitted that the company had been hit by "a perfect storm." ...

British Airways' 'open skies' talks with US looking set to fail.
November 14, 2005... Nov. 14--British Airways' hopes for a breakthrough into the lucrative domestic American aviation market are likely to be dashed -- maybe for years to come -- as it emerged that "open skies" talks are set to end in deadlock. Transport...

Evening Standard, London, business briefs column.
November 14, 2005... Nov. 14--BRITVIC HEADS FOR A FLOAT TO CASH IN ON FIZZING MARKET: Tango maker Britvic today unveiled details of an initial public offering that could see it worth more than [pounds sterling]800 million. The four owners of Britvic want to see the...

City banks, lawyers gets [pounds sterling]60M fees bonanza in bid for plasterboard maker BPB.
November 14, 2005... Nov. 14--The [pounds sterling]3.67 billion bid battle for plasterboard giant BPB has stoked up a [pounds sterling]60 million-plus fees bonanza for City banks and lawyers. French suitor Saint-Gobain has racked up a bill of about [pounds...

Fast recovery for BBC's 'Dragons' Den' star who went bust with gift company.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Nov. 14--Rachel Elnaugh, founder of Red Letter Days and panellist on BBC's Dragons' Den, is returning to business just three months after the gift vouchers company she founded 16 years ago went into administration. ...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Nov. 14--HOUSEBUILDERS ON MOVE AFTER PERSIMMON POUNCES: The big building companies were back in vogue today with City speculators bracing themselves for another round of consolidation. It follows confirmation that...

Sale or break-up in the cards for SkyePharma.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Sarah Marks Nov. 14--SkyePharma's days as an independent pharmaceuticals company are numbered as the struggling drugs group effectively put itself up for sale following an unsolicited bid approach. SkyePharma has appointed...

Alarm bells ringing as London stores feel pinch.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Jane Padgham Nov. 14--London's retailers are failing to experience the pick-up in High Street spending enjoyed by stores elsewhere, it emerged today. In a gloomy report that will add to jitters among the capital's retailers in...

Macquarie poised to reveal London Stock Exchange bid.
November 14, 2005... Nov. 14--Macquarie Bank may unveil plans to bid for the London Stock Exchange (LSE) when it reports its half-yearly results tomorrow, amid speculation of controversial proposals to offer City stockbrokers a stake in the Exchange. The...

Supermarkets get a taste for India.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Robert Lea Nov. 14--Tesco is set for a multibillion-pound battle with Asda's US owner Wal-Mart and French giant Carrefour for rights to enter the under-developed Indian retail market. Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy is...

Vodafone 3G service tops 5 million customers but slowdown in sight.
November 15, 2005... Nov. 15--Vodafone has smashed through the barrier of five million customers using its third-generation (3G) services, but today predicted its stratospheric growth will slow next year. The company says growth will be limited because so many...

China crisis as copper bet goes awry.
November 15, 2005... Nov. 15--A Chinese trader has left the People's Republic exposed to hundreds of millions of dollars of losses after a series of high-risk gambles on the London Metal Exchange went wrong. Liu Qibing, a "rising star" with many of London's...

Brussels sounds alarm at power prices pressure cooker.
November 15, 2005... Nov. 15--Brussels regulators today delivered a withering attack on the protectionist energy markets of France and Germany, saying that electricity and gas prices are being kept artificially high and warning that there is "dangerous cocktail" of...

Burberry president quits after two years for 'family reasons'.
November 15, 2005... Nov. 15--Former Gucci top man Brian Blake is quitting Burberry as president and chief operating officer after just two years in the job. The luxury clothes group said that Blake, who oversaw its wholesale, retail and licensing businesses,...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
November 15, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Nov. 15--VODAFONE PRESSES THE WRONG BUTTONS: Vodafone shares fell sharply today, wiping more than [pounds sterling]8 billion from its stock market value and dragging the rest of the market down with it. At first...

O2 and Vodafone are the winners in chase for customers, O2 CEO says.
November 15, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Nov. 15--Vodafone and O2 are the current winners in the battle for mobile phone customers in this country, reckons O2 chief executive Peter Erskine. Erskine, whose company last month agreed to be taken over by...

Cheaper fuel puts brake on inflation.
November 15, 2005... Byline: Jane Padgham Nov. 15--A sharp fall in petrol prices drove down inflation in October, keeping the door ajar to further interest rate cuts next year. Inflation on the consumer prices index measure fell from 2.5 percent to 2.3...

Evening Standard, London, business briefs column.
November 15, 2005... Nov. 15--[pounds sterling]540 MILLION WORKSPACE REVEALS A BID MAY BE IN THE PIPELINE: Property company Workspace was the latest focus of merger and acquisition activity today as the [pounds sterling]540 million small-businesses landlord said it...

Branson In Dividend Dust-Up With Virgin Blue Partners.
November 16, 2005... Nov. 16--Billionaire Sir Richard Branson is at loggerheads with his partners in discount airline Virgin Blue over the company's first dividend, paid despite a 33.1 percent slump in annual net profit to A$105.2 million ([pounds sterling]44.7...

Rate-Cut Hope As Bank Lowers Growth Target.
November 16, 2005... Byline: Jane Padgham Nov. 16--The Bank of England today trimmed its forecasts for economic growth and inflation over the next two years, rekindling hopes of spring interest rate cuts. In its latest quarterly Inflation Report, the Bank...

Derivatives Traders Eye [pounds sterling]2.3m Bonuses.
November 16, 2005... Byline: James Rossiter Nov. 16--Scores of interest rate derivatives traders are set for annual payouts of up to $4 million ([pounds sterling]2.3 million). Led by Barclays Capital, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, these specialists service...