NYC sends a slice of Gallic heaven May 31, 2010 Bar Boulud Mandarin Oriental, 66 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7LA, tel: 020 7201 3899 Cost per person without wine: £45 THE name Daniel Boulud is a huge deal in New York, where everything is either a huge deal or offensively passe. The Lyon-born chef’s cluster of Manhattan eateries has managed to remain on the “huge deal” side [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 20, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK PUBLISHERS FEAR THREAT OF DIGITAL PIRACY Publishers have warned that the fight against illegal copying of digital books could impose a huge cost on the industry, raising fears of a new wave of online piracy. Gail Rebuck, chairman and chief executive of The Random House Group, part of Bertelsmann, said illegal copying [...]
HOW THE AGREEMENT AFFECTS THE CITY May 20, 2010 BANKING • The coalition has agreed to impose some kind of levy on the banking industry, although its exact form has yet to be decided. The Tories want to introduce a fee on banks’ wholesale funding, while the Liberal Democrats would prefer a tax on profits. • There is a vague commitment to tackle “unacceptable [...]
A sport with more lure than Wii May 9, 2010 THE REEL screamed as a trout grabbed my seven-year-old son’s lure. Jake gasped with delight – then made a grab for the reel as the fish leapt out of the water. “Don’t touch the reel,” I yelled, fearful of a snapped line. “Let the fish take the line – then you can reel it in [...]
Markets fear Greek disaster May 5, 2010 FEARS Greece’s debt crisis could spread to other countries continued to hit markets yesterday fuelled by a threat by Moody’s rating agency that it may downgrade Portugal. The FTSE 100 crashed 1.3 per cent, while the euro plummeted to $1.2801 – its weakest level against the dollar since March 2009. The cost of insuring Spanish [...]
UK should brace itself for austerity May 5, 2010 RESEARCH DIRECTOR, FOREX.COM OVER the next few months the British electorate will wake up to the reality of what it means to live in a country with a budget deficit of £163bn. The bleak truth is that few will be immune to the tax hikes and spending cuts that will inevitably hit over the next [...]
Be wary of London becoming uncompetitive March 28, 2010 As a representative of the UK financial and professional services industries, overseas visits are a key part of my job, not only to encourage foreign firms to invest in UK plc but also to help our global partners create environments in which UK-based firms are willing and able to invest and prosper. Last week I [...]
The comeback cad trying his luck in the Med March 2, 2010 JAMES Hewitt – former lover of Princess Diana, ex-solider, comeback cad – throws his head back and laughs at what I have just said. “Yes, I suppose this is like Rick’s in Casablanca,” he says when he recovers. “And everyone comes to Rick’s.” We are having dinner in a corner of Polo House, his bar [...]
UK is facing chaos while Asia booms March 1, 2010 WHETHER or not Prudential is overpaying for AIG’s Asian operations remains to be seen. Shareholders, spooked by the prospect of Britain’s biggest-ever rights issue, sent the Pru’s share price tumbling yesterday. But what is not in doubt is just how important Asia is becoming to Britain’s most successful and ambitious companies – and just how [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING February 17, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES DISEASE SENDS SALMON PRICES LEAPING Salmon prices are jumping after the collapse of the Chilean industry through fish disease caused a sharp decline in global supply. Wholesale prices for Norwegian-produced Atlantic salmon have risen 20.6 per cent since the start of the year , says Statistics Norway. That has extended a year-long rally [...]