450 jobs are to go at Woolworths. For a company that employs 25,000 people, it may not seem very much. But it is an indication of the uncertain future that lies ahead for the firm.
The branches that are taking a hit because of the job cuts are the ones in Marylebone Road, London, and Castleton, Rochdale. Administrators who are now in-charge launched what they described to the BBC its "biggest ever sale".
One retail analyst told the website that it "looked like a closing down sale" but administrators said it was "ongoing".
'Unsold stock'
The store is offering huge discounts on many of its products during the fire sale. Toys and greeting cards are being sold for half the usual price. Other entertainment goods are also going cheap.
Deloitte, the administrators of the company who moved in on November 26, told the Financial Times that the chain had picked up in the region of £25m through the sale. This could possibly be a record for the company.
Administrators have confirmed to various media outlets that they expected the sale to continue after Christmas and stores too would remain open.
The bidders
This leaves room for the question about who will buy Woolworths and if it will be bought as a going concern.
The administrators have maintained all through that many parties have been interested. Woolworths runs 815 stores across the country.
Dragons Den pulled out of the race on Thursday. Theo Paphitis of Dragons Den admitted that he could not reach a deal with Deloitte. He told the Press Association that a break-up of the business would raise more cash for creditors.
David Buchler, for Kroll chairman and retail executive Eddie Woolf will reportedly be bidding to keep 350-400 of Woolies’ stores. This could help retain Woolworths name on the high street and save about 15,000 jobs, the Times Newspaper reported.
The ripple effect
The collapse of the high street giant is having a major impact on the troubled sector as well. The sale has pressurised other stores to reduce prices considerably. Prices of toys and gifts are particularly being slashed.
Also, EUK a part of Woolworths sent Zavvi into a tizzy as it buys its supplies of CDs and DVDs from the store.
Some high streets could well have a new Tesco, Sainsbury or Iceland coming up to replace the old Woolworths store. But then again, some stores may not be sold at all.
David Harper, of property firm Harper Dennis Hobbs, told the Guardian newspaper, “I have never seen so many shops come on the market before Christmas. Fundamentally retail has changed and there will be less players in the future.”
Friday, December 5, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
THE DNA DEBATE
The DNA database held by authorities in Britain will not be multiplying further. The European court of human rights has ruled that retention of such profiles is unlawful.
More than 1.6 million records may now be destroyed.
The court also observed that the UK was the only one of the 47 members of the Council of Europe to permit the "systematic and indefinite" retention of DNA samples, reported the BBC’s news website.
The case
The ruling is a victory for two Britons who went to court seven years ago. Both Michael Marper, 45, and a 19-year-old man from Sheffield were charged in 2001. One for robbery at age 11 and the other for harassing his partner.
The police retained their DNA information.
The 17 judges decided that Britain had not respected the right to private life in this matter. Both of them were awarded 42,000 euros each in expenses.
Peter Mahy, the solicitor who represented both men told The Times newspaper that the result was a “fantastic result after a seven-year hard-fought battle against the UK Government”.
Undemocratic
"The court was struck by the blanket and indiscriminate nature of the power of retention," Reuters reported.
The judges of the court have been quoted in the Guardian as saying that this is "Could not be regarded as necessary in a democratic society".
Rights activists welcomed the verdict.
"The DNA profiles of roughly 85,000 innocent people should be taken off the National DNA Database," campaign group Liberty said in a statement to Reuters news agency.
Government response
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith was reportedly disappointed by the ruling.
She told Bloomberg news agency that the "DNA and fingerprinting is vital to the fight against crime, providing the police with more than 3,500 matches a month”.
A spokesman for the National Policing Improvement Agency, which manages the database, told the Telegraph newspaper that, "The National DNA Database is a key information tool which has revolutionised the way the police can protect the public through identifying offenders and securing more convictions.”
The judgment is largely perceived to be a huge setback for the Government and police.
Where from here?
Now, the government has until March to implement the ruling.
They cannot appeal against it and will have to propose a plan. Till then, the records will not be removed from the database.
In Scotland information related with the DNA of a person is kept on the database for three years if a he/ she has been acquitted of a serious assault or sex crime.
This is the model that many are expecting the government to consider very closely.
More than 1.6 million records may now be destroyed.
The court also observed that the UK was the only one of the 47 members of the Council of Europe to permit the "systematic and indefinite" retention of DNA samples, reported the BBC’s news website.
The case
The ruling is a victory for two Britons who went to court seven years ago. Both Michael Marper, 45, and a 19-year-old man from Sheffield were charged in 2001. One for robbery at age 11 and the other for harassing his partner.
The police retained their DNA information.
The 17 judges decided that Britain had not respected the right to private life in this matter. Both of them were awarded 42,000 euros each in expenses.
Peter Mahy, the solicitor who represented both men told The Times newspaper that the result was a “fantastic result after a seven-year hard-fought battle against the UK Government”.
Undemocratic
"The court was struck by the blanket and indiscriminate nature of the power of retention," Reuters reported.
The judges of the court have been quoted in the Guardian as saying that this is "Could not be regarded as necessary in a democratic society".
Rights activists welcomed the verdict.
"The DNA profiles of roughly 85,000 innocent people should be taken off the National DNA Database," campaign group Liberty said in a statement to Reuters news agency.
Government response
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith was reportedly disappointed by the ruling.
She told Bloomberg news agency that the "DNA and fingerprinting is vital to the fight against crime, providing the police with more than 3,500 matches a month”.
A spokesman for the National Policing Improvement Agency, which manages the database, told the Telegraph newspaper that, "The National DNA Database is a key information tool which has revolutionised the way the police can protect the public through identifying offenders and securing more convictions.”
The judgment is largely perceived to be a huge setback for the Government and police.
Where from here?
Now, the government has until March to implement the ruling.
They cannot appeal against it and will have to propose a plan. Till then, the records will not be removed from the database.
In Scotland information related with the DNA of a person is kept on the database for three years if a he/ she has been acquitted of a serious assault or sex crime.
This is the model that many are expecting the government to consider very closely.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
A DEEP VOID
As a reporter covering among other things, crime in Mumbai working for Times Now (A Times of India group company) and later another 24-hour English channel it was my job to regularly talk with the police.
A confirmation of a murder, a tip-off on some police investigation, a corroboration over the identity of some petty criminals or just ferreting out stories – a day would not pass when I did not speak with the Mumbai police.
We never loved our friends in uniform. And I am sure they never loved us. But the cat and mouse game of information seemed to be endless. Sometimes, the cat and mice became friends.
It’s a strange sort of friendship, but it blossoms over time. You start to respect a few good men and loath a most others.
The news of three top police officers being killed in the Mumbai attacks was hard to digest. Hemant Karkare was one officer that the force was proud of and his loss will always be felt.
Situated in zone 2 of the island city, the office of the Anti-Terrorism squad of the Mumbai police was an unending source of stories.
The boss of the squad was as many people described him – a gentle giant.
Karkare was from the 1982 batch of the Indian Police Service – the elite administrative cadre.
Ibnlive.com reports that he had returned to the state cadre (Maharashtra), after a seven-year tenure with the Research and Analysis Wing, Indian external intelligence agency, in Austria.
According to ndtv.com, Karkare was probing the Malegaon blasts case.
He was gunned down when he was leading an operation at Hotel Taj against terrorists who had taken 15 people, including seven foreigners, as hostages.
He was hit by three bullets in his chest.
The death of Mumbai’s top anti-terrorist officer is a devastating blow to a police force struggling to confine a burgeoning Islamist threat, reports the Times newspaper.
I spoke with a deputy commissioner of police after the incident and he told me that policemen are not used to being drowned in sorrow over the killings as they have to get on with the though job of policing.
This one instance, however, is an exception.
A confirmation of a murder, a tip-off on some police investigation, a corroboration over the identity of some petty criminals or just ferreting out stories – a day would not pass when I did not speak with the Mumbai police.
We never loved our friends in uniform. And I am sure they never loved us. But the cat and mouse game of information seemed to be endless. Sometimes, the cat and mice became friends.
It’s a strange sort of friendship, but it blossoms over time. You start to respect a few good men and loath a most others.
The news of three top police officers being killed in the Mumbai attacks was hard to digest. Hemant Karkare was one officer that the force was proud of and his loss will always be felt.
Situated in zone 2 of the island city, the office of the Anti-Terrorism squad of the Mumbai police was an unending source of stories.
The boss of the squad was as many people described him – a gentle giant.
Karkare was from the 1982 batch of the Indian Police Service – the elite administrative cadre.
Ibnlive.com reports that he had returned to the state cadre (Maharashtra), after a seven-year tenure with the Research and Analysis Wing, Indian external intelligence agency, in Austria.
According to ndtv.com, Karkare was probing the Malegaon blasts case.
He was gunned down when he was leading an operation at Hotel Taj against terrorists who had taken 15 people, including seven foreigners, as hostages.
He was hit by three bullets in his chest.
The death of Mumbai’s top anti-terrorist officer is a devastating blow to a police force struggling to confine a burgeoning Islamist threat, reports the Times newspaper.
I spoke with a deputy commissioner of police after the incident and he told me that policemen are not used to being drowned in sorrow over the killings as they have to get on with the though job of policing.
This one instance, however, is an exception.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Sorry, we are not sorry: Smith refuses to apologise for Greengate
The divisions in the cabinet, police and House of commons are not apparent over the arrest of Shadow Immigration Secretary, Damian Green. The Financial Times is reporting on the role of the speaker and action police chief moving into focus because of the matter.
Meanwhile the newspaper has said that Jacqui Smith the home secretary yesterday denied endorsing the methods used by the police.
The row over the arrest of Damian Green, shadow immigration secretary, has put the actions of the Commons Speaker, the acting Metropolitan police commissioner and ministers in the spotlight.
The newspaper quoted Harriet Harman, leader of the House, saying that the case “raised serious constitutional questions that needed to be addressed”.
Ms Harman pledged to hold an inquiry after the investigation was complete.
“MPs should be able to get on with their job without interference of the law,” she said.
Green’s arrest
Police told the BBC that Mr Green was held on suspicion of "conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office". Media reports suggest that the politician was picked up for receiving leaked documents.
The MP denied any wrongdoing and said "opposition politicians have a duty to hold the government to account" and that he would "continue to do so".
He was questioned, but has not been charged and was bailed until February.
Mr Green's arrest is believed to be connected to the arrest of a man suspected of being a Home Office whistleblower, the Telegraph said in a report.
Speaking to reporters including those from the BBC, outside the House of Commons, Mr Green said: "I was astonished to have spent more than nine hours today under arrest for doing my job.
"I emphatically deny I have done anything wrong. I have many times made public information that the government wanted to keep secret - information that the public has a right to know.
"In a democracy, opposition politicians have a duty to hold the government to account. I was elected to the House of Commons precisely to do that and I certainly intend to continue doing so."
Political fallout
The fallout of all this could be severe, especially for two rival politicians. Jacqui Smith, the Home secretary and Michael Martin, the speaker of the House of Commons.
Newspaper reports suggest that the acting commissioner of police Sir Paul Stephenson’s career too could be damaged.
"Ms Smith's claim not to know that Tory MP was under investigation has been
directly challenged," the Times newspaper said in a report.
The Daily Mail reported that Sir Paul Stephenson is considering withdrawing his application for the top job in the wake of mounting criticism.
In the Telegraph, the Labour MP and former Foreign Office minister Denis MacShane criticises Martin for allowing the raid on Green's parliamentary offices. "If the speaker has doubts," MacShane says, "he should consult Privy Counsellors rather than take the decision on his own."
Janet Daley writes in the Telegraph, under the headline Arresting MPs and nationalising banks happen in dictatorships that "the object of the exercise seems to have been intimidation and the flaunting of power".
However, the justice secretary, Jack Straw, denies that the UK is degenerating into a "police state" because ministers were not directing the police operations in the report.
Meanwhile the newspaper has said that Jacqui Smith the home secretary yesterday denied endorsing the methods used by the police.
The row over the arrest of Damian Green, shadow immigration secretary, has put the actions of the Commons Speaker, the acting Metropolitan police commissioner and ministers in the spotlight.
The newspaper quoted Harriet Harman, leader of the House, saying that the case “raised serious constitutional questions that needed to be addressed”.
Ms Harman pledged to hold an inquiry after the investigation was complete.
“MPs should be able to get on with their job without interference of the law,” she said.
Green’s arrest
Police told the BBC that Mr Green was held on suspicion of "conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office". Media reports suggest that the politician was picked up for receiving leaked documents.
The MP denied any wrongdoing and said "opposition politicians have a duty to hold the government to account" and that he would "continue to do so".
He was questioned, but has not been charged and was bailed until February.
Mr Green's arrest is believed to be connected to the arrest of a man suspected of being a Home Office whistleblower, the Telegraph said in a report.
Speaking to reporters including those from the BBC, outside the House of Commons, Mr Green said: "I was astonished to have spent more than nine hours today under arrest for doing my job.
"I emphatically deny I have done anything wrong. I have many times made public information that the government wanted to keep secret - information that the public has a right to know.
"In a democracy, opposition politicians have a duty to hold the government to account. I was elected to the House of Commons precisely to do that and I certainly intend to continue doing so."
Political fallout
The fallout of all this could be severe, especially for two rival politicians. Jacqui Smith, the Home secretary and Michael Martin, the speaker of the House of Commons.
Newspaper reports suggest that the acting commissioner of police Sir Paul Stephenson’s career too could be damaged.
"Ms Smith's claim not to know that Tory MP was under investigation has been
directly challenged," the Times newspaper said in a report.
The Daily Mail reported that Sir Paul Stephenson is considering withdrawing his application for the top job in the wake of mounting criticism.
In the Telegraph, the Labour MP and former Foreign Office minister Denis MacShane criticises Martin for allowing the raid on Green's parliamentary offices. "If the speaker has doubts," MacShane says, "he should consult Privy Counsellors rather than take the decision on his own."
Janet Daley writes in the Telegraph, under the headline Arresting MPs and nationalising banks happen in dictatorships that "the object of the exercise seems to have been intimidation and the flaunting of power".
However, the justice secretary, Jack Straw, denies that the UK is degenerating into a "police state" because ministers were not directing the police operations in the report.
MUMBAI TERROR ATTACK - STUDENT REACTION
It is a day no one will forget. Arun Narang, a student at University of Westminster, talks about the the Mumbai terror strike.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
THE WORLD, IN POSITIVES
I stand at the entrance. Laurent Nkunda, leader of the CNPD party, sits behind a desk in his ramshackle office in North Kivu, DR Congo.
Behind me two rockets from the summer, launch into the blue skies of Gaza.
Like me, all the onlookers at the World Press Photo 2008 respond with awe, disgust, despair or a faint smile at each photograph. Currently on tour in London at the Royal Festival Hall at South Bank the exhibition has been a crowd puller.
Shooting at the warzone
Tim Hetherington's work from Korengal in Afghanistan transports you to a war zone.
These are photographs he clicked for Vanity Fair. "You perceive the world to be peaceful because your life is and then you begin to wonder," says Pierpaold Panfilo, a computer student and a photography enthusiast.
A photograph of a soldier wiping sweat off his forehead in Afghanistan won the World Press Photo 2008 award.
The world lens
There are winners in other categories too. Simple pictures of young girls from Turkey strike you. They've never been to school before and they're smiles are to die for. "All of them girls look so happy. They are so poor but so happy," marvels Louise Olareqvu, a primary school student.
My personal favourite are the pictures by Tim Clayton. Young boys jump off from a height playing Nagol. Nagol, is a sport in Pentecost, Vanuatu, that looks like bungee jumping, except, the nylon ropes are replaced with twigs from trees.
Pictures of Benazir Bhutto just before her assassination, a portrait of Putin or Qi Xiaolong's pictures of an ancient Chinese tradition of storytelling at tea houses never leave your mind.
Picks among pics
The idea started in 1955. This year’s photos come from all over the world. The exhibition has come to London and will travel to over 40 cities. 80,536 photographs were considered this year.
Gary Knight, the chairman of the jury, commented on British photographer Tim Hetherington’s photos on http://www.wordpressphoto.org/. “The image represents the exhausting of a man and the exhaustion of a nation,” said Knight.
Hetherington told The Independent in an interview, “I work consciously to find ways t
.jpg)
o close the gap between me and the person in the photograph,” he says.Copyright issues, my vanity unfair and new found photographic vision push me to go for it. I click the reflection of the exhibition on the glass walls. World Press Photo 2009 winner? Probably not.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)