Sentimental shoppers flocked to Woolworths stores across London yesterday, on the second day of the troubled retailer's closing down sale.
The discount chain went into administration last month after almost a century in business, during which it became a household name for generations of Britons.
"It's going to be a great loss," said Leonard Kettle, a 77-year-old from the south London suburb of Camberwell. "People of my age were brought up with it. You could go in there and buy something for sixpence when I was a child..." The disappearance of the familiar red Woolworths sign from British town centres will mark the end of 99 years of trading, while also likely leading to the loss of 25,000 jobs in 815 stores across the country.
"It's a shame, really, because it's history, isn't it?" said an 83-year-old great-grandmother from south London. "We've known it all our lives. I've got two little porcelain animals at home that my daughter bought me from Woolworths when she was a baby, and she's 58 now."
Gambler sues casino
An Australian gambler who lost millions in a A$1.4 billion (€680.7 million) gaming spree is suing one of the country's largest casinos, claiming he was targeted by managers despite a known gambling addiction.
Gambling addict Harry Kakavas is suing Crown Casino in Melbourne for A$50 million damages after a mammoth 14-month baccarat binge in which he lost A$37 million. At the time in 2007, property developer Mr Kakavas had been barred from every casino in Australia.
But the Supreme Court in Victoria state was told that Crown's management did not "give a monkey's" about a prohibition in place since 2004. Supreme Court documents said Mr Kakavas wore a concealed recorder that captured Crown managers allegedly attempting to lure him back to its riverside baccarat tables. The Court documents alleged that e-mails detailed a Crown plan to lure back Mr Kakavas after managers discovered he had lost millions of dollars gambling in Las Vegas.
A suit for UBS shares
Shareholders of troubled Swiss bank UBS have been offered a new way to get out of their investment: buy a suit.
A Zurich boutique is accepting UBS shares as payment.
"We take your UBS shares at 21 Swiss francs ($17.74) for your purchase," says the poster in window of boutique Premier in Zurich, only a few blocks from UBS' main building.
UBS shares have lost over two thirds of their value this year as the bank has been forced to make some $49 billion in writedowns.
So far, nobody had paid with UBS shares but Mr Gayer said the offer is valid until the end of the year. Should someone pay with UBS shares, he would keep them: "I would keep them and hope that I would make a profit."
Cargo crew marooned
Fourteen crew and officers have been stranded for three months in an Argentine river on a cargo ship abandoned by its owner, surviving on charity donations of food and water.
The Symphony I, a Liberian-flagged vessel owned by Greek-based Harmony Navigation, sailed into Argentina's River Plate in September. But local authorities detained the ship because of lawsuits against its owner for not paying clients and providers. The company abandoned the vessel and the crew anchored it in the huge river, a few miles from the city of La Plata.
"The shipping company left the crew to its fate. The boat is out of fuel, food and drinking water," said Manuel Romero, head of operations for the La Plata Coast Guard.
"The ship owners went broke and abandoned us in September," Jonathan Luces, the ship's third officer, told La Nacion newspaper.
BBC drops dog show
The BBC announced yesterday it would not screen next year's Crufts, Britain's premier dog show, saying it had suspended coverage over concern about the welfare of the animals.
Earlier this year a BBC documentary reported there were serious issues over the health of some pedigree dogs because of years of inbreeding to produce certain physical traits.
In September the RSPCA said it would boycott Crufts, accusing it of encouraging the breeding of deformed and disabled dogs.
"Hundreds of thousands of dogs are vulnerable to pain, suffering and disease because they're primarily bred for how they look rather than with health, welfare and temperament as the main focus," said the RSPCA's Mark Evans.