Latest news with #Dunstone
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
BT considers takeover move for struggling rival TalkTalk
BT is weighing up a potential takeover of the rival telecoms and broadband company TalkTalk, which is struggling amid financial difficulties and a customer exodus. The UK's biggest broadband provider is understood to have discussed the strategic possibility of buying TalkTalk. However, it is understood no approach or talks have been held with TalkTalk, and bankers have not been asked to draw up takeover plans. TalkTalk, founded by Sir Charles Dunstone, is the UK's fourth-largest telecoms group, with about 3.2 million customers. However, the group lost 400,000 customers in the 12 months to February, and last year Dunstone and other shareholders were forced to inject £235m to shore up its finances. TalkTalk has struggled since it was taken private by Toscafund, a London-based hedge fund, in a £1.1bn leveraged buyout that added £527mn of debt to its balance sheet in 2021. It now has about £1.2bn in debt on its balance sheet. A BT-TalkTalk tie-up would give the combined group control of about 36% of the UK broadband market. 'Companies are always looking at rivals in their sector, particularly distressed assets,' said one City source discussing the potential takeover plans, which were first reported by the Telegraph. In recent weeks it has emerged that TalkTalk has fallen behind on payments with supplies and partners including Openreach and CityFibre. According to estimates from New Street Research, TalkTalk pays its broadband suppliers more than £60m each month. The Salford-based company cut 350 jobs last year as part of a wider plan to strip £120m out of the business. If a takeover offer from BT were to crystallise, it could face objections from rivals and an investigation from the UK competition regulator. Virgin Media O2 has also previously considered making an approach for TalkTalk. BT and TalkTalk declined to comment. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBC
26-02-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Get to know the teams competing at this year's Brier
Social Sharing The 2025 Brier men's curling championship begins on Friday in Kelowna, B.C., and runs through March 9. Here are all the skips and rinks that will be vying to become this year's national champions. Teams listed by seeding in their pools, athletes from skip to lead, followed by hometown. POOL A CANADA: Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brendan Bottcher, Geoff Walker (St. John's) Three-time defending champions hold the top seed but have posted middling results since adding Bottcher at second in November. A perennial contender, the team has been in top form since E.J. Harnden joined his brother on the front end about three months ago. NORTHERN ONTARIO: John Epping, Jacob Horgan, Tanner Horgan, Ian McMillan (Sudbury) A heavy schedule and impressive results helped this team crack the top five in the national rankings. Epping represented Ontario on three previous trips to the Brier. ALBERTA-KOE: Kevin Koe, Aaron Sluchinski, Tyler Tardi, Karrick Martin (Calgary) An inconsistent season has this rink seeded lower than usual but Koe has the experience to deliver against anyone in the field. MANITOBA-CARRUTHERS: Reid Carruthers, B.J. Neufeld, Catlin Schneider, Connor Njegovan (Winnipeg) Neufeld was recently added at vice after being dropped from Dunstone's rink. Carruthers outscored Braden Calvert 9-7 in the final of the Manitoba playdowns. BRITISH COLUMBIA: Cameron de Jong, Alex Horvath, Corey Chester, Brayden Carpenter (Victoria) It's the third straight Brier trip for de Jong and his first as skip. Kelowna is 475 kilometres away from his Vancouver Island club but he'll still get a boost from the Prospera Place home crowd. NEW BRUNSWICK: James Grattan, Joel Krats, Paul Dobson, Andy McCann (Oromocto) Grattan is making his 17th career Brier appearance. Krats, the young gun on a veteran team, won world junior bronze in 2022. NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR: Ty Dilello, Ryan McNeil Lamswood, Daniel Bruce, Aaron Feltham (St. John's) Gushue's return as defending champion left him out of provincial playdowns. Dilello booked his Brier ticket by stealing a single for a 6-5 win over Andrew Symonds in the Newfoundland and Labrador Tankard final. NUNAVUT: Shane Latimer, Sheldon Wettig, Justin McDonell, Peter Van Strien (Iqaluit) The territory is coming off a 1-7 showing at the 2024 Brier in Regina. Nunavut, which made its Brier debut in 2016, earned its first-ever win at the event in 2023. POOL B ALBERTA-JACOBS: Brad Jacobs, Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant, Ben Hebert (Calgary) Jacobs, in his first season as skip of this experienced team, has guided the rink to the No. 2 position in the Canadian rankings behind Dunstone. SASKATCHEWAN-McEWEN: Mike McEwen, Kevin Marsh (throws second), Colton Flasch (throws third), Daniel Marsh (Saskatoon) A pre-qualified berth allowed this team to skip provincials and prepare for nationals, where they'll look to get back to the final after falling to Gushue last year. SASKATCHEWAN-KLEITER: Rylan Kleiter, Matthew Hall (throws second), Joshua Mattern, Trevor Johnson (Saskatoon) A Grand Slam Tier-2 champion this season, Kleiter leads a sixth-ranked team that's enjoying a breakout campaign. ONTARIO: Sam Mooibroek, Ryan Wiebe, Scott Mitchell, Nathan Steele (Whitby) The future has arrived in Ontario with Mooibroek leading one of the country's top young teams in his Brier debut. He won a U Sports title for Wilfrid Laurier University in 2023. QUEBEC: Felix Asselin, Jean-Michel Menard, Martin Crete, Jean-Francois Trepanier (Glenmore/Valleyfield/Etchemin/Des Collines/Belvedere) Ranked 20th in Canada, this team should not be taken lightly. Vice-skip Menard skipped a Quebec team to a Brier title in 2006. NOVA SCOTIA: Owen Purcell, Luke Saunders, Scott Saccary, Ryan Abraham (Halifax) Purcell won a national U18 title in 2018. Luke Saunders is at vice and his mother, Colleen Jones, will serve as coach. PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND: Tyler Smith, Adam Cocks, Christopher Gallant, Edward White (Crapaud) Smith was a whisker away from making his first Brier playoff appearance last season. Longtime Nova Scotia skip Paul Flemming returns as coach. Scoffin won a U Sports title in 2015 with the University of Alberta. He also skipped Canada to a bronze medal at the Youth Olympic Games in 2012.
