Ancelotti to seek assurances from Terry amid City interest July 5, 2009 JOHN TERRY will be forced to prove his commitment to the Chelsea cause in a series of crisis talks with manager Carlo Ancelotti. The England captain has been the subject of sustained interest from big-spending Manchester City, who had bids of £25m and £30m rejected by the west London club last week. But with an [...]
Brit drops its Chaucer bid June 23, 2009 BRIT Insurance withdrew its bid for rival Lloyd’s of London insurer Chaucer Holdings yesterday, as private equity group Pamplona ramped up its assault on Chaucer by further boosting its stake. Brit said the board of Chaucer had decided not to recommend its £220m offer – worth almost a third less than for the group’s book [...]
Facebook in $200m deal May 26, 2009 FACEBOOK chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said last night that Russian internet investment group Digital Sky Technologies (DST) had made a $200m (£126m) investment in the social networking site. DST will receive a 1.96 per cent stake in preferred stock, valuing the company at $10bn – $5bn less than when Microsoft bought its stake in 2007.
LDV back in administration as white knight Weststar decides to turn tail June 2, 2009 VANMAKER LDV, backed by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, is back in administration, after white knight Weststar rode out of town yesterday. The Malaysian company agreed last month to buy LDV, which employs 850 people in the UK, after it halted production due to a collapse in demand for vehicles. Weststar was the only bidder to [...]
Green dreams: a Moon Race for the 21st Century July 19, 2009 FORTY years ago today Neil Armstrong jumped off the ladder of his Eagle landing module as the US finally won the decade long battle with Russia to put the first man on the moon. NASA won, not by luck, but because it put in place a countrywide programme costing over $100bn (£61bn) in today’s money [...]
Zhirkov seals 18m switch to Chelsea July 7, 2009 CHELSEA’S newest recruit Yuri Zhirkov has admitted that accepting a switch to Stamford Bridge was an easy decision. The versatile Russia international, 25, who can play anywhere down the left flank, signed a three-year contract yesterday after sealing his £18m move from CSKA Moscow. Zhirkov said he could not have rejected the dream transfer, having [...]
Nice ice baby August 12, 2009 ICE cream never used to be a gourmet dinner’s crowning glory. Yet London has become a capital for the stuff – from street vendors to high gastronomy. Take Michel Roux at Michelin-starred Le Gavroche, who makes all his ice cream fresh daily – this week that includes fresh mint and peanut butter. Or Justin Saunders [...]
Lebedev eyes Independent June 11, 2009 RUSSIAN oligarch, and Evening Standard majority stakeholder, Alexander Lebedev is understood to be mulling a deal to buy The Independent and Independent on Sunday. Simon Kelner, the Independent titles’ managing director, and Lebedev have been in discussions over a possible deal for some months, but the process is said to have been accelerated this week. [...]
Lebedev eyes Independent June 11, 2009 RUSSIAN oligarch, and Evening Standard majority stakeholder, Alexander Lebedev is understood to be mulling a deal to buy The Independent and Independent on Sunday. Simon Kelner, the Independent titles’ managing director, and Lebedev have been in discussions over a possible deal for some months, but the process is said to have been accelerated this week. [...]
LDV restart expected by July May 17, 2009 Rescued van maker LDV will restart production by July, it emerged yesterday, once its takeover deal is finalised. Malaysia’s Weststar agreed to buy the Birmingham-based company earlier this month. The UK government is providing a £5m four-week bridging loan, which will allow Malaysia to secure the funds it needs for a takeover. The government had [...]