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

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

Gollum techno-magic: making an animated character appear "real" isn't as easy as it looks. Follow the amazing process--part technology, part art--that turned paper, clay, and pixels into a CG superstar.(computer-generated character in the three-movie epic The Lord of the Rings)
October 1, 2005... "What does they want with Mordor?" "We doesn't know... but they're hiding something from us, Precious. Sneaky little Hobbitses! Wicked! Tricky! False!" sputters Gollum, as he squats on the cliffs of Mordor, arguing with his alter ego, Smeagol....

Yoda: "many steps a character make": have you seen Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith? (Who hasn't?) read on to find out how Industrial Light & Magic animators created Yoda's funniest scene!
October 1, 2005... Yoda, irritated by the killing of the Jedi, walks into Darth Sidious's office to confront the Dark Lord. Two large guards flanking the door quickly turn on the 2-foot-2-inch-tall, elfish creature. Yoda doesn't even glance at the guards. With a...

Digital vs. film.(digital camera in movie making)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... When director George Lucas chose to shoot Star Wars, Episode II using digital cameras rather than traditional film, he broke new ground for the movie industry. But this was an old dream. Ever since Lucas's first film, THX, appeared in...

"Squinching" Spider-Man.(3-D effect on moving audience applied in screening The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man)
October 1, 2005... Next time you're in Florida, help Spider-Man retrieve the Statue of Liberty from Doctor Octopus (Doc Ock), Hobgoblin, Hydroman, Electro, and Scream. In The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, at Universal Studios Florida's Island of Adventure...

Now playing at a theater near you: grab some popcorn and read on to see how technology adds to your movie-watching experience. New developments will take your film adventures even further.
October 1, 2005... There's nothing quite like seeing something on the big screen. A theater's huge screen dwarfs us, and we feel pulled into the picture. Most films these days are shot in wide screen or "scope." However, some film still come in "flat format,...

I, Robot: discover the science behind movie robots--and then design your own working "android.".(Activity to Discover)
October 1, 2005... In the movie I, Robot, Will Smith battles futuristic 'bots. In Spider-Man 2, Spidey must fight the slithering, steel tentacles of Dr. Octopus. Whether mechanical or CGI (Computer-Generated Image), robots make perfect artificial actors. They can...

The forest of pixels: I stared at the Biopanel in disbelief. It should have been showing me the latest frame of my film, but instead I was looking at a black screen.(Short Story)
October 1, 2005... I'd been growing the movie for six months now, nurturing it every step of the way, each frame painstakingly encoded into the biological pixels. If something went wrong at this late stage, with 85 minutes of film completed and only five minutes...

I have seen the future, and it is in 3-D!
October 1, 2005... Heather Avery watches intently as a brilliant yellow and blue puffer fish swims inches from her face. Slowly, the fish circles around her, and then abruptly darts off. Heather wheels to see what startled the fish, and comes face-to-face with a...

Great movie--bad science! Today's high-tech special effects can create dazzling images and high action. But how accurate is their portrayal of the real science?
October 1, 2005... A giant wall of water rages down the streets of Manhattan. Tokyo is pummeled by football-size hail. Meanwhile, a fierce blizzard buries subtropical India under a blanket of snow. "The Whole thing is just absurd," declares Dr. David Battisti,...

Feat of clay.(Activity To Discover)
October 1, 2005... What's happening in Pixelville? Fill in the blanks to sharpen your focus and find out. Use the definitions given in the accompanying list. Hi my name is Clay Mation, and I have a sister, Annie. I like things to go slow. Methodical man,...

What's up.(Sky Chart usage )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The monthly All-Sky Chart depicts the sky (minus the moon) as it appears at 7 p.m. (your local daylight-saving time) on Oct. 15. Useful all month, the chart (except for planet positions) is also accurate for 8 p.m....

A spooky sky!(stargazing at the month of October)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... October nights are great for stargazing. The weather is getting cooler and the leaves are falling from the trees, providing a wider "window" in which you can view the sky and the horizon. It's really amazing how much difference the absence of...

Planet watch.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Evening Planets: Mercury (in Virgo, moving into Scorpius) sets only 20 minutes after the sun in early October. By the end of the month, it sets almost an hour after the sun. Venus (in Libra, moving into Ophiuchus) is visible for 90 minutes,...

The haunted sky.(Zoom into astronomy)
October 1, 2005... In the late part of October, go outside at about 8 p.m. and look southeast for four stars in the shape of a square. This is called the Great Autumn Square or the Great Square of Pegasus. Look west of the square until you reach a pattern of...

Autumn square replaces summer triangle.(StarGazing)(Cartoon)
October 1, 2005... WHENEVER THE SEASONS CHANGE ON EARTH, SO TOO DO THE STARS CHANGE OVERHEAD. LET'S GO! OUR TURN! WHEN ..! SUMMER STARS, ALL DONE... THUS THE PHRASE "THE STARS OF THE SEASON"... SEE! WE'RE STARS FOR THE SEASON! ... ...

Chloe, Clara, and the World of Story writing.
October 1, 2005... "The cab pulled up to 25 Peanut Street, my new home away from home for the next four years. Here I was at Sims State University, my first-choice college. I had received many scholarships--enough to afford this nice private home. Two bedrooms,...

Trapped on a raft.(Brain Strain)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... You are making a movie in which you are the main character, who is trapped on a raft in the middle of a lake. All you have with you is a 15-foot-long rope. The water is filled with a toxic chemical that you have no desire to touch. What is your...

The Prometheus Project: Trapped.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
October 1, 2005... The Prometheus Project: Trapped by Douglas E. Richards (Eagleville, PA: DNA Press, 2001) If you've ever had to move with your family to a new town, away from all your friends, you'll know what Ryan and Regan Resnik felt like when their...

Lucky break.(soft tissues found in a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil)
October 1, 2005... Tyrannosaurus rex came to life in the movie Jurassic Park mostly through animatronics. Computer-generated imaging brought 3-D dino action to the IMAX film T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous. Now, there's another T. rex adventure--the real thing! ...

Unichem boss in line for [pounds sterling]4m pay-off in Boots merger.
October 3, 2005... Byline: Jim Armitage Oct. 3--The chief executive of chemists chain Alliance UniChem could scoop a [pounds sterling]4 million pay-off from today's [pounds sterling]7 billion merger deal with Boots. Ian Meakins, who joined from drinks...

Chief exec falls victim as MFI heads for the red.
October 3, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Oct. 3--MFI chief executive John Hancock today became the first major victim of the collapse in consumer spending as the chain revealed sales have fallen by 31 percent in the last month and it will lurch into the red....

Factories get a boost but it's gloomy in London.
October 3, 2005... Byline: Jane Padgham Oct. 3--British manufacturers enjoyed their best month in six in September -- reinforcing expectations that the Bank of England will keep interest rates on hold at 4.75 percent this Thursday. According to the...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
October 3, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Oct. 3--O2 RINGS UP RECORD ON NEW TALK OF A BID BY GERMANS: Shares in mobile phones giant O2 nudged up another 2 1/4p to a new high of 160p today as questions were again raised about its future. O2 has seen a...

Boardroom guru graces Alliance & Leicester.
October 6, 2005... Byline: James Ashton Oct. 6--Boardroom bestpractice guru Sir Derek Higgs shed a trio of directorships so that he has plenty of time to concentrate on his new role as chairman of Alliance & Leicester (off 9 1/2p at 864 1/2p). Higgs, 61,...

Alarm as economic slowdown threatens to worsen.
October 13, 2005... Oct. 13--Growth in the UK economy may fall to as little as 1.6 percent this year, far lower than previously suggested, according to the latest quarterly survey of manufacturers and service industries. Figures today from the British Chambers...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
October 13, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Oct. 13--LEHMAN SEES MORE TO PLAY FOR IN PARTYGAMING: PartyGaming's fall from grace has been spectacular, to say the least. The shares were trading 1 1/2p cheaper at 77p today, but US broker Lehman Brothers takes the...

Sales slide at WH Smith despite [pounds sterling]18m cost cuts.
October 13, 2005... Oct. 13--WH Smith chief executive Kate Swann has made major progress on cutting costs at the struggling stationer, but sales are still falling. Like-for-like sales in the past six weeks are down 2 percent, against a 1 percent fall in the...

India bags Premier's Typhoo Tea for [pounds sterling]80m.
October 13, 2005... Oct. 13--Typhoo Tea, the 102-year-old brand that is the third best seller in Britain, has been bought by one of India's largest companies. Apeejay Surrendra, owner of 17 plantations, is paying Premier Foods [pounds sterling]80 million for...

Jobs threat as Unilever ponders back-office work shift.
October 13, 2005... Oct. 13--Unilever is working on plans to contract-out a host of back-office functions in a move that could see about 2500 jobs lost across Europe. The Pot Noodle-to-Vaseline owner has asked Accenture and IBM to examine the possibility of...

Brothers fashion a fortune from website sale to Emap.
October 14, 2005... Oct. 14--Online fashionistas Marc and Julian Worth are [pounds sterling]140 million richer today after selling their wgsn.com -- the Worth Global Style Network -- to publishing giant Emap, owner of Retail Week and Drapers magazines. The...

Hedge funds shiver at Refco trading freeze.
October 14, 2005... Oct. 14--The global hedge fund industry was preparing for a bloody nose today as the crisis engulfing US futures and derivatives trader Refco halted business in its biggest unit. The embattled group has begun winding down Refco Securities,...

Hedge fund high-flier 'picking up [pounds sterling]62 million pay packet'.
October 14, 2005... Oct. 14--A secretive bankroller of the Conservative party and one-time star trader at Goldman Sachs and CSFB has emerged as one of the London hedge fund industry's biggest winners of 2005. The latest accounts of Belgravia-based CQS...

Ladbrokes 'in play' after [pounds sterling]3.6bn Hilton hotels offer.
October 14, 2005... Oct. 14--Ladbrokes bookmaker Hilton Group stood on the brink of being broken up today as the company confirmed it had received a takeover offer thought to be worth [pounds sterling]3.6 billion for its hotels arm from US partner Hilton Hotels...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
October 14, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Oct. 14--MAN RALLIES AFTER REFCO REACTION 'GOES TOO FAR': Not all futures and derivatives traders should be tarred with the same brush as Refco, accused of trying to cover up [pounds sterling]309 million of bad debts....

Now M&S and BAA dump Cazenove.
October 14, 2005... Oct. 14--Blue-blooded stockbroker JPMorgan Cazenove has lost Marks & Spencer and BAA as broking clients, bringing the firm's big-company losses to seven in one year. Marks & Spencer had used Cazenove as its broker for around 50 years but...

Somerfield poised to bow to [pounds sterling]1 billion bid.
October 14, 2005... Oct. 14--Supermarkets group Somerfield today stood on the brink of falling to a [pounds sterling]1.08 billion takeover offer from a consortium comprising a billionaire financier and two venture capital houses. Property tycoon Robert...

Surprise as Bank's No. 2 opts for private sector.
October 17, 2005... Oct. 17--Sir Andrew Large, Deputy Governor of the Bank of England and a monetary policy committee hawk, has unexpectedly resigned in order to return to the private sector. Speculation was today mounting as to where Sir Andrew, who has been...

Evening Standard, London, business briefs column.
October 17, 2005... Oct. 17--DOUBLE TROUBLE PUSHES CRUDE OIL PRICES HIGHER: The possibility of a Hurricane Wilma brewing in the Caribbean plus bombings in the south-west Iran oil-rich city of Ahvaz sent oil prices soaring by more than a dollar today. Brent crude...

Lloyd's man recruited as chief exec in Pru revamp.
October 17, 2005... Oct. 17--Lloyd's insurance market chief executive Nick Prettejohn is to replace Mark Wood as UK and European chief of Prudential, the life insurer confirmed today. Wood, who earns [pounds sterling]919,000 last year, will leave in January...

Free shares bonanza in Standard Life float.
October 17, 2005... Oct. 17--Standard Life today gave the green light to its multi-billion stock market float, which will see millions of shareholders handed an average of [pounds sterling]1000 in free shares. Chief executive Sandy Crombie and the board met in...

Employees set to share millions in float by New Star.
October 17, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Oct. 17--Maverick fund manager John Duffield is set to make his second fortune in the City when New Star Asset Management, which he founded five years ago, floats on AIM next month. The 66-year-old is not selling...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
October 17, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Oct. 17--AEGIS TAKES A TUMBLE AS SUITOR LIST SHRINKS TO ONE: Shares of UK media and marketing services specialist Aegis were on the slide today, trading 7 3/4p cheaper at 124 3/4p as City speculators took the view that...

Private-equity team JC Flowers leads the race for Refco futures.
October 17, 2005... Oct. 17--Private-equity group JC Flowers is believed to be front-runner for Refco's futures business after the company was laid low by the arrest of its British boss on fraud charges. Britain's Man Group, which was thought to be in the...

London's shop sales slip again.
October 17, 2005... Byline: James Rossiter Oct. 17--A vigorous campaign to lure shoppers back to London in the aftermath of the July bombings has failed to win over their wallets. After August's 11.5 percent drop, the worst monthly fall in the three...

Takeover Panel forces Hands to buy East Surrey.
October 17, 2005... Oct. 17--Venture capital heavyweight Guy Hands has been forced to buy East Surrey Holdings -- a deal he had tried to wriggle out of -- and has had to walk away from the [pounds sterling]1.2 billion acquisition of van rental group Northgate, a...

Evening Standard, London, business briefs column.
October 18, 2005... Oct. 18--BELLWAY BUILDS SALES TO JOIN SECTOR'S TOP NAMES: Bellway has joined the elite list of Britain's big housebuilders -- Barratt, Persimmon and Redrow -- that hit their target of sales volumes while maintaining margins. Bellway completed...

Refco succumbs to bankruptcy filing.
October 18, 2005... Byline: Bill Condie Oct. 18--Commodities broker Refco filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today even as it signed an outline agreement to sell its core futures brokerage to private investors for $768 million ([pounds sterling]438...

Redbus is sold to US for [pounds sterling]20M.
October 18, 2005... Oct. 18--Former City banker Simon Franks has sold his Redbus film distribution business to US distributor Lions Gate for $35 million ([pounds sterling]19.9 million). Franks, 34, who worked for JP Morgan and Paribas before forming Redbus in...

More partners charged in KPMG tax fraud probe.
October 18, 2005... Byline: Bill Condie Oct. 18--The former chief financial officer of accounting firm KPMG is among nine more partners and one other individual charged in a new criminal indictment alleging widespread tax-shelter fraud. Richard Rosenthal...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
October 18, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Oct. 18--BROKER'S SURVEY FINDS THE BEARS LOOK SET TO PREVAIL: Which way for the London stock market between now and Christmas? Merrill Lynch may have the answer, and it looks like the bears are going to have the...

Empire warning hits online casinos.
October 18, 2005... Byline: Robert Lea Oct. 18--The chips were down for internet poker rooms and cyber casinos today after Empire Online admitted its profits would undershoot City forecasts by 10 percent, writes Robert Lea. Empire's shares dived 212p to...

UK 'faces higher gas bills after Spanish takeover'.
October 18, 2005... Byline: Robert Lea Oct. 18--The creation of an overarching national energy champion in Spain via Gas Natural's [pounds sterling]15 billion takeover of its largest electricity generator, Endesa, will have dire consequences for competition...

HgCapital in [pounds sterling]76M Sporting Index punt.
October 18, 2005... Oct. 18--Sporting Index, the sports spread-betting bookie, has been sold by one private equity company to another for [pounds sterling]75.8 million. Duke Street Capital which backed a [pounds sterling]53 million management buyout led by...

Virgin Rail franchise to end five years early.
October 18, 2005... Byline: Robert Lea Oct. 18--Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Trains has been given notice that it could lose its high-profile inter-city Virgin CrossCountry franchise five years early in the latest shake-up ordered by Transport Secretary...

Government points way with windfarm all-clear.
October 18, 2005... Byline: Robert Lea Oct. 18--The South-East's largest onshore windfarm, with 26 turbines on towers as tall as Nelson's Column, has been given the go-ahead by the Government. It also signalled it will aggressively chase targets to erect...

Chinese bank hits [pounds sterling]4.5bn jackpot.
October 19, 2005... Oct. 19--China Construction Bank has raised $8 billion ([pounds sterling]4.53 billion) in the world's biggest share offering since Kraft's in 2001, quashing fears the fast-growing economy's lenders were losing their lustre. The retail...

Bird flu fears help boost Roche sales to [pounds sterling]3.8 billion.
October 19, 2005... Byline: Allan Hall Oct. 19--Drug giant Roche reported a big sales spike today on the back of bird flu fears and colon cancer drug Avastin. Its results show forecasts were smashed in the last three months, with sales rocketing 20...

Rentokil boss defies Robinson.
October 19, 2005... Oct. 19--Rentokil chief executive Doug Flynn wants Sir Gerry Robinson, and his attempts to take control of the [pounds sterling]3 billion hygiene-to-pest control group, to disappear next Monday. That is the deadline Robinson has set the...

Laing O'Rourke 'faces Dubai loss'.
October 19, 2005... Oct. 19--One of Britain's largest construction companies, Laing O'Rourke, is facing a [pounds sterling]100 million loss on its [pounds sterling]350 million contract to build Dubai airport. Laing O'Rourke, best known here for its work on...

Jarvis top bosses line up for bumper pay awards.
October 19, 2005... Byline: James Rossiter Oct. 19--Jarvis, the engineer whose name will forever be blackened by the fatal Potters Bar rail crash, is poised to approve a pay scheme potentially worth hundreds of thousands of pounds each to its bosses. The...

Time 'is running out' for Refco rescue.
October 19, 2005... Oct. 19--A salvage deal for futures trading firm Refco must be approved quickly if the company is to survive, a US judge has been told. Refco has lost half its customer base since its British boss Phillip Bennett was charged last week with...

First-ever Morrisons loss in store as Safeway takes toll.
October 19, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Oct. 19--The [pounds sterling]3.35 billion takeover of Safeway is likely to drive the Wm Morrison supermarkets group into the red for the first time in its 106-year history. The group will show a loss when taking...

Property confidence as first-time buyers return.
October 19, 2005... Byline: Jane Padgham Oct. 19--First-time buyers are trickling back to the housing market in what promises to be a major boost for property prices next year. Enticed by the recent cut in interest rates and sellers dropping asking prices...

Lloyd's faces new blow as Wilma gains strength.
October 19, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Oct. 19--The Lloyd's of London insurance market braced for yet more storm payouts today as Hurricane Wilma, the 12th of the season, was upgraded to a "catastrophic category five" and predicted to hit the Florida coast...

Skandia boss slams Old Mutual over bid price cut.
October 19, 2005... Byline: James Rossiter Oct. 19--The chief executive of insurance giant Skandia today hit out at London-listed Old Mutual for reneging on the original price proposals in its now-hostile [pounds sterling]3 billion bid. Hans-Erik...

Equitable floored by high court costs blow.
October 19, 2005... Oct. 19--Equitable Life has lost the latest round in its legal fight against former directors as the High Court today ordered it to pay interim legal costs to eight former executives so they can continue their defence. It is the latest...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
October 19, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Oct. 19--Shares were quickly on the recovery track following yesterday's sell-off marking the 18th anniversary of Black Monday. The FTSE 100 index, which yesterday slumped to its lowest since the 7 July London...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
October 19, 2005... Byline: Mickey Clark Oct. 19--Global markets harked back to Black Monday as today's 18th anniversary saw private investors out of pocket again. The fall in share values may not have matched those seen on 19 October 1987, but they still...

Talisman snaps up Paladin for [pounds sterling]1.2bn.
October 19, 2005... Byline: Robert Lea Oct. 19--North Sea oil and gas stocks were on fire today after leading independent Paladin Resources was bought for [pounds sterling]1.2 billion in an all-cash deal. Paladin has fallen to a 355p-a-share offer by...

'Options open' at Spirit as reshape boosts sales.
October 19, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Oct. 19--"Great results increase our options," Karen Jones, chief executive of pubs group Spirit, declared today as the [pounds sterling]3 billion bid target revealed stronger-than-expected final-quarter sales. ...

Ex-Refco chief's bank loan shock.
October 19, 2005... Oct. 19--Austrian bank Bawag approved a loan to former Refco chief executive Phillip Bennett on 9 October, just a day before Refco said it had found a massive hole in its accounts, it emerged today. Bawag chief executive Johann Zwettler and...

High Street fightback dents rate-cut prospects.
October 19, 2005... Oct. 19--Lingering hopes of a November interest rate cut were killed off today by news that shoppers flocked back to Britain's High Streets last month. Retail sales jumped by 0.7 percent, more than double City predictions. Supermarkets and...

Battle for [pounds sterling]1.2 billion TFL ads deal.
October 19, 2005... Oct. 19--Two advertising giants will slug it out after Transport for London (TfL) drew up its shortlists for contracts on the Tube, Docklands Light Railway and other sites. These could be worth up to [pounds sterling]1.2 billion over the next...

Tax rise alert as treasury coffers dive into red.
October 19, 2005... Byline: Jane Padgham Oct. 19--Britain's public finances plunged deeper into the red last month, sparking fresh warnings that Gordon Brown will bust his borrowing forecasts and be forced to put up taxes. Treasury coffers were in [pounds...

Robinson 'phoney' bid for Rentokil bites dust.
October 21, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Oct. 21--Sir Gerry Robinson's assault on [pounds sterling]3 billion Rentokil Initial ended in farce and humiliation today as he admitted failure. The former chairman of Granada said he had been unable to reach...

BSkyB in [pounds sterling]211m Easynet swoop.
October 21, 2005... Oct. 21--James Murdoch today thrust BSkyB back into the forefront of the communications revolution with a [pounds sterling]211 million knockout bid for broadband internet group Easynet. The 175p-a-share offer was far higher than expected,...

Compass suspends executive.
October 21, 2005... Oct. 21--Compass has suspended one of its top executives over the crisis surrounding claims of corrupt buying practices at the United Nations. Peter Harris was chief executive of the UK, Irish, Middle East and African business, accounting...

M&C sues insurance broker over 9/11 losses.
October 21, 2005... Byline: James Rossiter Oct. 21--One of Britain's biggest hotel groups, Millennium & Copthorne, is suing Willis, its group insurance broker and adviser for its 2001 US property cover, for more than $45 million ([pounds sterling]25 million)...

Double scoop for Hill Station.
October 21, 2005... Oct. 21--Upmarket ice-cream maker Hill Station is to gobble up a pair of larger rivals and move from Wiltshire to South Wales. Loseley Dairy Ice Cream, another premium ice-cream maker, and Granelli McDermott, which sells the Louis Granelli...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.
October 21, 2005... Byline: Sarah Marks Oct. 21--AstraZeneca provided one of the few talking points in a subdued market today as the drugs giant unveiled promising results from a new study on manic depressives. Patients suffering from bipolar disorder who...

Dual attack launched on Murdochs' tactics.
October 21, 2005... Oct. 21--The Murdoch family came under fire on both sides of the Atlantic today. In the UK, the Association of British Insurers told its members to oppose a planned share buyback by BSkyB because it gives News Corp creeping control. In New...

Cards starting to turn in favour of PartyGaming.
October 21, 2005... Byline: Nick Goodway Oct. 21--Hard-pressed investors finally heard some encouraging noises today from online gambling empire PartyGaming. The operator of PartyPoker shocked markets last month by warning of a slowdown in growth and its...

BAA shuns council plan for Stansted toll roads.
October 24, 2005... Oct. 24--BAA is distancing itself from plans by Essex County Council to launch toll roads into Stansted Airport -- at the same time as the London airports monopoly is working on its own secret plans for a congestion charge scheme at Heathrow....

Bawag facing class action over Refco.
October 24, 2005... Oct. 24--Austrian bank Bawag, already under investigation for its role in the collapse of US futures and commodities trader Refco, may now face millions of pounds in penalties from a class action being brought against the failed group. US...