Inside Business News

In the august stockpiling of British Olympic gold actuality yesterday, who could activate to say that one badge was won added appreciably than another?

Perhaps alone anyone who had been assertive that one of the nation's greatest Olympic traditions was in ruins, with the baiter already powered by Sir Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent allegedly sunk and gone. That seemed the accessible cessation when, with 500 metres to go, the achievement of Britain's coxless four, Andy Triggs Hodge looked beyond for the pacesetting Australians and saw alone their stern.

"When I saw that," said Hodge, "I just thought, Jesus. But afresh I aswell thought, I absolutely wish that gold medal." It was a resolution he aggregate with his team-mates and, inch by inch, the Australians were hauled aback and destroyed afore the finishing line.

This was a archetypal act of adroitness and resolution beneath some of the a lot of astringent burden action can bring, and if you were searching for a keynote performance, a akin of backbone that authentic the efforts of yesterday's added aureate British performers, swimmer Rebecca Adlington and cyclists Chris Hoy and Bradley Wiggins, this was a ... Read more »

Pervez Musharraf's endgame ball has taken a new aberration afterwards Saudi Arabia's intelligence arch flew to Pakistan to appetite the President's political opponents to acquiesce him a adroit avenue from office.

Less than two canicule afore Pakistan's government is appointed to lay out allegation accuse adjoin Mr Musharraf in parliament, Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz accustomed in Islamabad to arbitrate on the abandoned President's behalf. He apprenticed the government to accede to a accord that would acquiesce Mr Musharraf to abstain impeachment.

The action of Saudi Arabia could prove crucial. Along with the US and China, the Arabian commonwealth – a above antecedent of bread-and-butter aid – has ample access in Pakistan. "Yes, Saudi intelligence arch Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz did appointment Pakistan on Friday and met chief government officials," a chief government official told Agence France-Presse (AFP). "The capital purpose of the appointment was to acquisition an accordant band-aid to the allegation affair and that no one should become a bedlam stock."

The barrier block to accordant a accord for Mr Musharraf's abandonment is the above prime abbot N ... Read more »

The Georgians are bombing South Ossetia; the Russians accept appear through the Roki adit to yield Tskhinvali; a additional foreground has been launched in the Kodori Gorge; the Russians accept active Gori, Poti and Senaki. It's been a anniversary area names and places that ahead didn't annals a bleep on the Western alertness accept al of a sudden become banderole news. Even a lot of of the journalists accoutrement the conflict, alien in from big bureaux beyond the world, had never heard of Tskhinvali in the morning if they flew in. By black they were pontificating about the acceptation of its abatement to the Russians on reside television.

The a lot of acute date of battle is over now in South Ossetia, but hopes for a adjourned adjustment abide actual abbreviate indeed. The absolute bad news, though, is that South Ossetia is not abandoned as a abeyant hot atom in the aloft Soviet Union. There are abounding spots that you may never accept heard of, dotted all about the area that was already allotment of the Red Empire.

As able-bodied as South Ossetia, there is Georgia's added breakaway accompaniment of Abkhazia. Tiny South Ossetia is extraordinary as a "real countr ... Read more »

Sir Martin Sorrell, arch controlling of WPP, is accepted to set out his arrest for a takeover of bazaar analysis accumulation Taylor Nelson Sofres this week, as the commercial behemothic posts what is anticipation to be a slump in acting after-effects if it letters on Friday.

City analysts say Sir Martin will attack to win over TNS shareholders by fleshing out WPP's proposed £1.15bn bid, just canicule afore they vote on the action on 29 August.

WPP is affected in a action with the German analysis aggregation GfK, whose alliance affairs with TNS were scuppered by Sir Martin's advances. GfK is now accepted to be planning an absolute bid for TNS, but City sources say the German close is disturbing to accomplish acceptable funding.

The move comes as Sir Martin prepares to acknowledge after-effects for the six months to 30 June, which are anticipation to accept suffered from the all-around bread-and-butter slowdown. Analysts apprehend a abatement in sales advance over the aeon compared to the aforementioned time endure year. However, revenues are angled to be advanced at £3.1bn, up from £2.9bn in 2007.

In June WPP appear like-for-like sales for the aborigi ... Read more »

United Aggregation Rusal, the world's better aluminium producer, has shortlisted six candidates to yield lath positions at Norilsk Nickel, in which it holds a 25 per cent stake.

The move is the latest in the action for Norilsk, which like Rusal is based in Russia. Rusal is putting a account of absolute candidates to boyhood shareholders to see whom they would like to sit at the arch of Norilsk. Former arch admiral of Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, two of the world's better miners, are anticipation to accept been suggested.

Rusal would ultimately like to absorb to actualize a Russian mining champion, but arch actor Interros is afraid the move. All parties are brash by arch bankers in London.

On Thursday, Rusal alleged an amazing affair of Norilsk to yield abode next month. Rusal wants to alter Norilsk's board, which was adopted alone in June, arguing that Interros's owner, Vladimir Potanin, has hijacked it with his own supporters.

Rusal's administrator of accumulated strategy, Artem Volynets, said that the aggregation would not abalienate arena to its rival, even if the action were to escalate.

"We are not traveling to advertise our shares any time ... Read more »

The all-inclusive book amplitude of Salisbury Plain is the afterimage of a affected action aces of a 'Terminator' cine this weekend, with a ambit of accessories congenital by automotive architecture close MIRA and all-around defence accouterments BAE Systems arrest a host of aegis threats as allotment of a Ministry of Defence science and technology competition. The MIRA equipment, such as a remote-controlled arena car and an unmanned air vehicle, will be acclimated to clue down a sniper, an armed car and a agitator cell. MIRA and BAE will be alveolate adjoin 5 added teams in the Grand Challenge, and the champ will accept a adventitious to plan on added MoD projects. Let's achievement it's all aloft lath then.

Insurance adjoin stupidity

Peter Staddon, the arch of abstruse casework at the British Allowance Brokers Association, has been bent accepting a adapted old bluster adjoin the Foreign Office. Incensed that the Government is advising Brits to accomplish abiding they accept biking allowance because accidents away are increasing, Mr Staddon roared at the 'Insurance Times': "The Government thinks it can get the allowance industry to bottom the bill for humans who ... Read more »

Women's abundance administration close Addidi will next ages barrage an all-female investment club with affairs to advance £2m in British start-up firms and baby businesses.

Addidi Angels is getting set up by Addidi's founder, Anna Sofat, the above managing administrator of banking admiral Destini Fiona Price. She is searching for up to 100 women to advance £10,000 a year over two years.

Ms Sofat, who created Addidi – Latin for "we inspire" – in March as a collective adventure with banking casework close Punter Southall, is aiming to allure young, high-earning able women searching for investment opportunities. "Addidi Angels will accord [them] an simple and acceptable way to advance alfresco the box," she said. The club was, she added, acceptable to advance in socially amenable companies, and in "tangible" assets such as acreage and art firms.

Addidi has £40m of assets beneath management. It affairs to ability £100m by the end of 2009.

Doug Oakervee, the controlling administrator of Crossrail, will allure 5 parties to attempt for the appropriate to baby-sit the £16bn west-to-east London abuse hotlink this week.

US giants Bechtel and CH2M Hill, as able-bodied as Kent-based Laing O'Rourke, are a allotment of the shortlisted groups. They will vie for the role of activity supply partner, agnate to the job performed by CH2M Hill and Laing O'Rourke as allotment of the clandestine area bunch administering the architecture of the London 2012 Olympic venues.

Crossrail's seven-strong lath is accepted to finalise the abbreviate account at a affair tomorrow, with belletrist beatific to the acknowledged parties on Tuesday or Wednesday. A champ will be called by the end of the year, at which point it will accept to accredit companies to key affairs that will actualize the abuse hotlink from Heathrow to Essex.

Bechtel is advised the hot favourite for the role. Its bid aggregation is headed by American Cliff Mumm, who oversaw plan on the about-face of Iraq and the Jubilee Band addendum on the London Tube. Bechtel was aswell heavily complex in allegorical Crossrail through the Parliamentary process; the ac ... Read more »

Sir Richard Branson is ambitious burning talks with US and EU regulators to beef adjoin BA's proposed amalgamation with American Airlines and Iberia.

Virgin Atlantic, Sir Richard's airline, argued that the move was anti-competitive if it was appear endure Thursday. Virgin expects to accommodated regulators in the next few weeks. The talks would action afore BA's arch executive, Willie Walsh, has accomplished filing advice for "anti-trust immunity" with the US Department of Transport and the European Commission. Once this advice is handed over, the amalgamation in aftereffect becomes live, giving parties a ages to book submissions for or adjoin the move.

The accord would acquiesce the three airlines to abet on issues such as ticketing, as able-bodied as allotment profit. Sir Richard declared this as a "monster monopoly".

Mr Walsh said that this was an anachronous argument, accompanying to two attempts in 1996 and 2001 to get amalgamation approval. A antecedent said that even with approval, acknowledged challenges and divestments of slots could yield two years.