Search Results for: London

BY ALAN OSBORN

Tobacco stocks have long been regarded as a safe haven for small investors. But they are currently so stable, speculators shy away. In the long term, however, American investment advisors are warning that tobacco companies may not be such a great bet.…

BY ALAN OSBORN, IN LONDON; JULIAN RYALL, IN TOKYO; AND LEAH GERMAIN, IN EDMONTON

AS textile recycling continues to gain importance worldwide, and the number of companies dedicated to processing used apparel or scraps increases as well, governments and industry are working to establish textile waste legislation.…

BY JAMES FULLER

THE SERIOUS Fraud Office (SFO) has welcomed the final act in the long-running Mabey & Johnson (M&J) Iraq bridge-building contracts case: the High Court accepting an SFO bid demanding its sole investor (parent company Mabey Engineering (Holdings) Ltd) repay more than GBP130,000 of share dividends made from contracts won through unlawful conduct.…

By Keith Nuthall, International News Services

Britain’s recent refusal to sign a new European Union (EU) treaty that would impose tougher controls over the level of budget deficits EU governments can run might seem like prudence, given the appalling state of the Euro. But the failure of Britain to negotiate itself a real say in how Eurozone members control public spending poses grave risks for the UK and its financial sector.

By standing aside from this agreement, Britain has cleared the way for Euro-zone members to agree their own financial industry legislation, which could ultimately make it easier for Euro trades to be made in Frankfurt than in London – and that might prove a bitterly expensive pill to swallow.…

BY MARK ROWE and KEITH NUTHALL

WITH the European Commission’s recent flurry of recalibrated environmental targets aiming to cut emissions in the European Union (EU) transport system by 50% by 2050 (34% in the aviation industry) – airports along with air navigation services will have a significant role to play.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

RETAIL – WINNERS AND LOSERS

WINNERS

MARKS & SPENCER

Times may still be tough in its home British market, but M&S showed forward-thinking foresight in 2011- on sourcing transparency and the environment: potential key issues for future consumers.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission is coming under pressure to toughen its action against high mobile roaming charges, as its latest proposals are debated at the European Parliament.

MEPs want the Commission to go further in its action to foist more competition on the roaming market while capping bills.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

INNOVATIVE Mongolian knitwear firm Gobi JSC is to receive a US dollars USD 5 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD) to help finance an equipment modernisation programme. The aim, said the London-based EBRD is to "improve the quality of the group’s products and increase its production capacity", with the loan financing the purchase of new equipment for knitting, linking, and finishing of cashmere and camel wool knitwear products.…

BY MICHAEL KOSMIDES

THE GREEK government has launched an international multibillion Euro tender regenerating the old Athens airport area at Hellinikon. The 620 hectare site is more than twice the size of Hyde Park in London. It includes facilities used for the Athens 2004 Olympics and listed buildings such as the former ‘Athens East Terminal’, designed by the architect Eero Saarinen.…

BY ZLATKO CONKAS

Will Croatia’s ascension to the EU hamper the country’s tobacco industry?

Croatia’s strong tobacco sector stands to benefit from selling into the European Union once the country joins the EU. However it could lose trade in neighbouring states because of duty changes.…