Peppa pushes profit upward for her owner May 23, 2011 Peppa Pig continues her trot to world domination, helping push creator Entertainment One’s pre-tax profits up 39.2 per cent to £32.3m yesterday. The firm says it is poised to announce a merchandising partner for the cartoon pig in the US, where the series has already smashed into the top ten children’s shows since it began [...]
Inflation is the biggest worry for older Britons May 16, 2011 INFLATION is responsible for damaging the quality of life of middle-aged and elderly Britons, and particularly those on lower incomes, a survey revealed today. More than half of people over 50 are increasingly worried about the cost of living, listing it as their main concern. Fears over price pressures even dwarf concerns about health or [...]
Microsoft in shock Skype acquisition May 10, 2011 MICROSOFT stunned the market yesterday with the announcement it will buy online video-calling service Skype for an eye-watering $8.5bn (£5.2bn). Chief executive Steve Ballmer smashed the software giant’s acquisition record, which had stood at $6.3bn for digital marketing firm aQuantive. Ballmer has been sitting on a vast war chest, with investors calling for a marquee [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 9, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES SAMOA TO MOVE BACK TO THE FUTURE Samoa, the tiny Pacific Ocean island state, is travelling through time to improve its economic prospects. In a vote of confidence for the Asian century, the country has decided to shift the jagged International Date Line to its east at the end of this year, which [...]
Twitter user reveals detail of celeb super injunctions May 9, 2011 TWITTER’S role in the super injunction saga has come under intense scrutiny after several accounts sprung up which appear to name and give details about the alleged affairs of those who have taken them out. Yesterday one Twitter feed, which has attracted more than 50,000 followers, gave details on six supposed super-injunction cases. The feed [...]
CHARLIE BICK IS COMEBACK KING AS X FACTOR DEFEAT OPENS DOORS April 26, 2011 THEY thought it was all over for the singing career of Charlie Bick, the son of Square1 Consulting’s chairman David Bick, who was voted off the Chilean version of the X Factor after just two live performances. Not for long however, as the next morning Charlie Bick – who this column first reported on on [...]
AssetCo chief ousted after court defeat March 24, 2011 THE CHIEF executive of troubled fire engine provider AssetCo resigned with immediate effect yesterday at the request of the board John Shannon’s ousting is the latest twist in a rescue saga that saw AssetCo’s investors force through a £16m emergency share placement on Wednesday. Shannon, AssetCo’s largest shareholder after leading a management buyout in 2005, [...]
City backlash against ECJ insurance rule March 1, 2011 MOTOR insurers and annuity providers attacked a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling that banned insurers from using gender to calculate policy prices yesterday. The ruling will mean women no longer pay lower car insurance premiums than men despite male drivers under 21 being twice as likely as young women to have a crash. Annuity [...]
Toyota to recall another 2.2m vehicles February 24, 2011 TOYOTA yesterday said it was recalling nearly 2.2m vehicles over the risk that the accelerator pedal could be trapped by loose or misplaced carpet mats on the driver’s side. Toyota’s decision to recall the vehicles was part of an agreement it made with US regulators, who in return have agreed to close their investigation into [...]
ALSO OUT THIS WEEKEND February 17, 2011 FILM BIG MOMMA’S: LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON Martin Lawrence wheels out his fat suit once more. CONFESSION Japanese psychological drama about a vengeful bereaved mother. JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER (3D) Never. Never never never never never. In a million years. DVD THE SOCIAL NETWORK The founding of Facebook, one of last year’s best. RED [...]