Investors warm to Clapham House
Clapham House, which owns Gourmet Burger Kitchen and The Real Greek restaurant chains, firmed 2.3 per cent to 89½p after Dresdner Kleinwort said a bid from rival restaurant operator Capricorn was likely.
Capricorn, owners of the Nando’s chain, has already amassed a 24.9 per cent stake in Clapham. “Capricorn are experienced investors in the restaurant sector and we’ve long believed combining two fast casual dining concepts will create substantial value,” the broker said.
Toyota warns of maiden operating loss
Toyota Motor warned on Monday that it would post an operating loss for the first time in its history as a result of plunging sales and a surge in the value of the yen.
The Japanese automaker, which had earned a reputation for turning a profit even in hard times, said it was freezing expansion plans, suspending executive bonuses and reviewing its dividend payout.
Sewing enthusiasts urged to use their skills to save puffins
The pufflings can become disorientated by lights on the Scottish isle
People talented at sewing are being asked to make cotton drawstring bags to help save lost puffin chicks on the remote Scottish isle of St Kilda.
Specialists identify gene variants linked to lung cancer
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Researchers in China and the United States have identified mutations of two genes which appear to make ethnic Chinese more susceptible to lung cancer, they wrote in the journal Cancer.
Their finding involves two genes, ABCB1 and ABCC1, which were previously thought to be linked to eliminating carcinogens from the lungs and protecting them against inhaled toxins.
Panda diplomacy: China’s goodwill gift to Taiwan
CHENGDU, China (Reuters) - A Taiwanese plane arrived in the Chinese city of Chengdu on Monday to pick up a pair of giant pandas, a goodwill gift from Beijing and the latest sign of improving ties between the political rivals.
Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, whose names said together mean “unite,” will be flown to Taiwan on Tuesday with steamed corn buns and fresh bamboo in their luggage and a standby supply of air-sickness pills.
Seawater science can help climate change forecasts
By David Fogarty, Climate Change Correspondent, Asia
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A team of researchers has come up with a new definition of seawater which is set to boost the correctness of projections for oceans and climate.
Oceans help regulate the planet’s weather by shifting heat from the equator to the poles. Changes in salinity and temperature are major forces driving global currents as well as circulation patterns from the surface to the seabed.
Q: Why isn’t the earliest sunrise on the longest day and the latest sunrise on the shortest?
Q: Why isn’t the earliest sunrise on the longest day and the latest sunrise on the shortest? Like this story? Share it with Yahoo! Buzz
A: During the Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice, the direct rays of the sun are over the Tropic of Capricorn, 23.5° south of the equator. For residents in the Northern Hemisphere, this means the shortest amount of time between sunrise and sunset. However, it isn’t the day with the latest sunrise or earliest sunset. In fact, the latest sunrise tends to occur several weeks before the solstice and the earliest sunset several weeks after. This is largely due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis and, to a lesser extent, the eccentricity of the Earth’s orbit around the sun, which is elliptical rather than circular.
Worst festive retail outlook for 30 years
Retailers are braced for the worst Christmas in more than three decades after far fewer shoppers hit the high street on the final weekend before the holidays compared with last year.
The numbers of people going into stores was 8.4 per cent lower on Saturday compared to the same day a year earlier, according to figures from Experian, the retail analyst. In the six days to Saturday, footfall was 11.4 per cent lower.
Coal-fired power is given the green light
Britain won’t ban the construction of coal-fired power stations while new technology is being developed to cut their carbon emissions, Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, has said.
Mr Miliband will decide next year on Eon’s application to build a coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth, Kent. The contentious application, fiercely opposed by environmental groups and the main opposition parties, is seen as a bellwether for a new generation of coal plants. Several other energy companies have plans for new coal plants in the pipeline.
UK coal-fired stations given green deadline
Britain will require all new coal-fired power stations to be built with carbon capture technology within two decades, Ed Miliband, the UK’s energy secretary, has said.
This gives energy groups far longer to build coal-fired plants than they would have under recommendations from Lord Turner, the UK’s adviser on climate change.
Assured in a turbulent market
When Edward Liddy was a young college student he would perch on a steel beam 80ft on high ground without a harness or safety net.
In his summer job at a construction company that built prefabricated warehouses, his role was to climb to the top of the building’s frame to ensure everything was in order. He took the job because it paid three times the minimum wage and he needed the money.
Apple has winning touch in festive sales
Apple, with its iPod touch, appears a clear winner this holiday season as US consumers shop for smaller, cheaper, more versatile electronics.
While the Consumer Electronics Association predicts flat fourth-quarter sales compared with a year ago, analysts report Apple stores have been the busiest among electronics retailers.
Vehicle import curbs have Russians on streets
Riot police in Vladivostok broke up a protest on Sunday against a steep rise in vehicle import duties.
| Riot police arrest a protester in Vladivostok, one of 30 Russian cities that saw vehicle import duty rallies |
Cheney warns of Detroit challenge
Tough decisions on the future of Detroit will fall to the incoming Obama administration, Dick Cheney, the US vice-president, warned on Sunday. “It will shortly become a problem that the next administration is going to have to deal with,” he told Fox News.
Jaguar’s pain is shared in West Midlands
By Jonathan Guthrie
A shiver has run through West Midlands business in response to the news that Jaguar Land Rover has sought government aid. Christmas merry-making was already muted as a result of extended factory shutdowns among automotive businesses hit by a slump in demand.
Tata concurs to cash boost for Jaguar
Tata, the Indian owner of Jaguar Land Rover, has agreed to inject “tens of millions” of pounds into the British vehicle company to prevent an immediate cash flow crisis, while the government continues to consider the case for a taxpayer-funded bail-out.
Customers put payment squeeze on suppliers
Two suppliers out of three are being forced to take arbitrary extensions of payment terms by their customers as pressure on businesses to conserve cash becomes more acute, a survey by the Institute of Credit Management has found.
The findings provide more evidence of the speed with which the recession is prompting many businesses to focus on preserving cash and managing working capital more tightly.