British Airways and Iberia to merge?

British Airways has begun merger talks with Iberia, the Spanish national carrier, in a deal that will create Europe’s largest airline.

The merger was billed by both as the coming together of equals, but aviation analysts were in no doubt that BA will be the dominant partner. With combined passenger numbers of more than 60 million a year, BA-Iberia would overtake Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and Ryanair to become Europe’s premier airline.

However, such a merger would be opposed by Virgin Atlantic and other major carriers.

More here

British Energy rejects takeover

British Energy has rejected a deal which would have seen eight of the UK's nuclear power stations sold to a French state-owned energy firm.

EDF had been expected to announce a £12bn deal to buy British Energy.

The rejection is a major setback to the UK's plans to cut greenhouse gases by relying more on nuclear energy.

The government holds a 35% stake in British Energy and is believed to have backed the deal, which would have raised as much as £4bn for the chancellor.

More here

Recent Comments widget for Blogger

This is a nice little widget for "recent comments". It will show all the recent comments put on Blogger blogs.

What to do:

1. Go to your Blogger Dashboard. Then go to Layout. Click on Add
a Page Element. Select HTML/JavaScript
option.

2. Copy and paste the code in the box below:

<script style=text/javascript src=http://www.freewebs.com/filer/blogger/rc.js ></script><script style=text/javascript >var a_rc=5;var m_rc=false;var n_rc=true;var o_rc=100;</script><script src=http://yourblog.blogspot.com/feeds/comments/default?alt=json-in-script&callback=showrecentcomments ></script><div align="center"><a href="http://businessmarketingnews.blogspot.com/">↑</a> <a href="http://businessmarketingnews.blogspot.com/2008/08/recent-comments-widget-for-blogger.html" target="_blank" title="Recent Comments Widget">Want this widget?</a><br/><br/></div>

3. Replace your own blog address as indicated below in the
red colour -

…src=”http://yourblog.blogspot.com/feeds/comments/default…

4. Then add your own title. Lastly, click Save.

Note:
This widget is set to display 5 recent comments. In order to change that number, just look for the number 5 in the code and replace it with the number of comments you want to be displayed. We recommend you don’t go above 9 for simplicity.

… a_rc=5;var m_rc=false;var n_rc=true;var…

All done and dusted! Happy blogging.

easyJet sees passenger number increase!

The consumer downturn has not damaged the public's appetite for weekend breaks and holiday trips on low-cost airlines, said today, as it reported strong demand for budget flights last month. easyJet has bucked the trend of financial woes in the general market and have come through for June in getting a 19.5% increase in passenger numbers over the previous year.

Europe's second-largest no-frills carrier, which carried nearly 38 million passengers last year, reported a 19.5% increase in travellers in June to 4.1 million. However, with much of that increase due to a growing fleet and the recent acquisition of GB Airways, it was the passenger load factor - or the proportion of seats sold per flight - that showed continued strength in the short-haul flight market. Last month's load factor, compared with the same downturn-free period last year, was up slightly at 86.9%.

Guardian news report

UK shops 'misleading customers'

High street shop staff are fobbing off customers and giving them misleading advice about their rights, according to the consumer organisation Which?

Consumers are often told to take their complaint to the manufacturer, when it is the retailer's responsibility to sort it out, Which? said.

One marketing expert told the BBC that bad advice is often due to a lack of training or the management's attitude.

The government is planning to simplify consumer protection laws.

More here

NBC agrees Weather Channel deal

NBC Universal and private equity firms Bain Capital and Blackstone Group have agreed to buy The Weather Channel. The terms of the deal have not been revealed, but the price tag is reported to have been almost $3.5bn (£1.8bn).

That is less than the $5bn that the Weather Channel’s parent, Landmark Communications, sought when it put the basic cable channel and related properties like weather.com up for sale in January.

More here

Pringles 'are not potato crisps'

Pringles, the popular snack food in a tube, are not potato crisps, a High Court judge has ruled. They will now be free from VAT after the ruling found in favour of Proctor and Gamble's legal argument.

Yesterday Richard Cordara QC appeared in the High Court to tell Mr Justice Warren that Pringles have nothing to do with real potato crisps. They are, he assured the judge, more like cakes or biscuits.

'The appearance and taste of a Pringle is not that of a potato crisp,' Mr Cordara said. 'It has none of the irregularity and variety of shape that it always present in crisps. It has a shape not found in nature being designed and manufactured for stacking, and giving a pleasing and regular undulating appearance which permits comfortable eating. In this respect , it is unlike a potato crisp, and, I would add, a potato stick or puff.'

The judge accepted this line of argument. He concluded, 'This appeal is allowed because Pringles are not, on the facts found, products made from the potato'.

More here