The British love affair with Bordeaux is here to stay September 26, 2015 The UK has traditionally been a nation of claret-lovers, dating as far back as the 12th century when Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry Plantagenet. Eager to please his French subjects, King Henry II decreed that any ship sailing from Bordeaux would be exempt from export tax. By the 14th century, England, Scotland and Ireland were [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015 and faster delivery times helps House of Fraser as half-year sales jump September 26, 2015 Department store chain House of Fraser has hailed a jump in sales over the first half, boosted by further improvements to its online offer including faster delivery times. The company, which was taken over by Chinese consortium Nanjing Xinjiekou last year, said like-for-like sales were up 6.5 per cent, with gross total value (GTV) rising to £574.2m in the six [...]
Fifa president Sepp Blatter to face criminal charges as part of Swiss corruption probe September 25, 2015 Sepp Blatter will face criminal charges from Swiss authorities, who have opened an investigation into the Fifa president. Read more: More charges set to be brought in Fifa probe The Swiss attorney general has brought charges of criminal "mismanagement" and "misappropriation" against Blatter, who had previously avoided any allegations specifically against his person in the corruption [...]
Qatar World Cup 2022: Fifa confirms dates for final and reveals shorter tournament September 25, 2015 After years of speculation, disputes and recriminations, Fifa has finally settled on dates for the controversial 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Read more: Qatar and Russia could no longer host the World Cup if bribery evidence is found Football's first winter World Cup will begin on 21 November and finish with the final on 18 December just [...]
Chris Eubank Jr added to Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing stable September 25, 2015 Chris Eubank Jr is the latest British boxing talent to join Matchroom Boxing, after agreeing terms with the promotional company. Read more: Eddie Hearn interview – Matchroom boss says Anthony Joshua will be heavyweight champion of the world Matchroom are adding the son of boxing legend Chris Eubank to a stable that already includes some of [...]
AIG and the All Blacks brand: How New Zealand dominates rugby on and off the pitch September 25, 2015 New Zealand’s opening two wins over Argentina and Namibia at the World Cup will not rank particularly high in the annals of the country’s proud rugby history. Yet even in what was a tense and at times ill-disciplined 26-16 victory over Argentina on Sunday, there was enough in the All Blacks’ opening performance to understand [...]
Rugby Comment: Question marks remain but Sam can be the man September 25, 2015 I’M not surprised that Stuart Lancaster has gone with Owen Farrell and Sam Burgess at 10 and 12 for England against Wales on Saturday. The most important thing for this match is to have a very, very strong defensive line. Wales will want to get over the gainline and those two probably won’t let them. [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015: Wales have not broken rules, fumes Warren Gatland September 25, 2015 Wales coach Warren Gatland has issued a robust rebuttal to suggestions of cheating after England’s Pool A rivals became embroiled in a row involving the use of non-World Cup squad players. Governing body World Rugby slapped Wales with an official warning for using players outside of their nominated 31-man party during a training session on [...]
Max Mosley: F1’s closed cockpits safety plan is nonsense September 25, 2015 Former motorsport chief Max Mosley has rubbished proposals to introduce closed cockpits after a run of recent accidents. Mosley’s comments come ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, which marks the first anniversary of Marussia driver Jules Bianchi’s fatal accident. “A closed cockpit is a nonsense because there are so many downsides,” Mosley said. “The [...]
Mark Lawrenson: Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers’ time could be up September 24, 2015 Under-fire Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers could face the axe should his side lose any of their next three matches, according to former Reds defender Mark Lawrenson. The Anfield club were winless in five games before needing penalties to scrape past League Two side Carlisle in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday. This bleak run of [...]