BT SAYS SORRY TO INVESTORS May 14, 2009 BT CHIEF executive Ian Livingston yesterday apologised to shareholders after an “unacceptable performance” by BT Global Services (BTGS) forced the firm to cut its dividend for the first time in eight years. Writedowns of £1.3bn against BTGS, which supplies IT services to multinational companies, drove a loss of £134m in the year ending March 2009 [...]
A CONSERVATORY IS THE BEST WAY TO ENJOY THE SUMMER May 14, 2009 WITH a rare hot summer on the way, making use of your outdoor space this year will be a priority for anyone with a garden and a bit of an itch to renovate. Enter the conservatory. Banish thoughts of hyacinth-filled, musty rooms belonging to ladies with cats or ageing parents. They are an increasingly sleek [...]
20/1 Alexandros looks value for the in-form ‘Boys in Blue’ against Paco Boy May 14, 2009 PACO BOY is as short as 11/10 with Boylesports to win tomorrow’s Juddmonte Lockinge Stakes and will take some beating. Richard Hannon’s four-year-old son of Desert Style is looking to land the second Group One contest of his career having won last year’s Prix De La Foret at Longchamp on Arc weekend. However, that race [...]
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BT’S RESULTS? May 14, 2009 DAVID MOLONY OVUM“In a sense, it was one of the most important announcements since BT was floated. However, despite a knock to the confidence in their business, there was plenty to be happy about. Broadband is very strong, conferencing and business services are too. And Global Services is still winning business. If a company can [...]
Profits posted at Royal Mail despite slump May 14, 2009 ROYAL MAIL’S profits have almost doubled, the postal service said yesterday, as all four sections of the company entered the black for the first time in two decades. The whole group’s operating profit hit £321m for the year to the end of March, up from £162m last year, and showed its letter delivery arm and [...]
You’re never Gunner derail United’s title bid May 14, 2009 MANCHESTER UNITED VS ARSENALAFTER a few worries in March, Manchester United are cantering towards an incredible 11th Premier League title and it looks like Sir Alex Ferguson will be lifting the trophy in front of his oldest adversary, Arsene Wenger. The win against Wigan on Wednesday night means that United now only require one point from [...]
Trio of bidders go head to head in war for stake in broker Panmure Gordon May 14, 2009 HEDGE fund millionaire Bertrand des Pallieres went head to head with private equity firm BlueGem and a mystery bidder last night in the fight for a large stake in Panmure Gordon, one of the City’s oldest stockbrokers. Final proposals were due in by yesterday evening, in time for a board meeting at Panmure today to [...]
Top Catt tells Exiles: Savour the moment May 14, 2009 ENGLAND veteran Mike Catt has told his London Irish team-mates to savour every moment of their Twickenham experience tomorrow when they run out for the Premiership final against Leicester. The 37-year-old fly-half makes an emotional return to the home of English rugby as an assistant coach to Exiles chief Toby Booth. And he insists turning [...]
Russian plots Lloyd’s entry via Chaucer May 14, 2009 RUSSIAN billionaire Alex Knaster unveiled plans to buy his way into the Lloyd’s of London insurance market yesterday, saying he is interested in taking a 29.9 per cent stake in Chaucer Holdings. Chaucer chief executive Ewen Gilmour confirmed the interest and ongoing takeover discussions, from Knaster’s private equity firm Pamplona Capital, in an official statement [...]
Sony braces the market for further losses May 14, 2009 SONY Corporation forecast a second straight year of losses as the global recession battered demand for consumer electronics. But the Japanese company stopped short of taking any new aggressive steps to cut costs further. Sony, which competes with Samsung Electronics in LCD TVs and Canon in digital cameras, forecast an operating loss of 110 billion yen [...]