Blood, sand and oil in Arabia February 23, 2012 Film BLACK GOLD Cert: 12A *** A battle has finished and dead bodies litter the sand, rotting in the unforgiving sun. The victor, Sultan Nesib (Antonio Banderas) demands the sons of the loser, Sultan Amar (Mark Strong), as hostages. Amar agrees, as insurance against future war. Finally, both agree that the wasteland on which they [...]
GOING OUT February 23, 2012 The big launch this week takes place on the site of recently closed Merah on Wells Street, Fitzrovia, an area getting livelier by the week. Project aims to offer the consummate VIP experience for House Music aficionados. Following a multi-million pound refurbishment and with Luca Maggiora (previously of Luxx) at the helm, this 400 capacity [...]
Jacobean tale of incest is a 21st century triumph February 23, 2012 Theatre ‘TIS PITY SHE’S A WHORE Barbican **** by Steve Dinneen JOHN Ford’s Jacobean tale of incest and revenge is dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century in this highly stylised and deliciously sinister production. The forbidden love between Giovanni and his sister Annabella is portrayed as a tender but doomed affair – similar [...]
Carling Cup looks to be Anfield-bound February 23, 2012 CARDIFF CITY vs LIVERPOOL SUNDAY – 4.00PM BBC ONE ENGLAND might be on drought watch at the moment, but one of the country’s most high profile dry spells looks set to come to an end this weekend. The last time Liverpool won a major trophy, Steve Finnan, Djibril Cisse, Jan Kromkamp, Djimi Traore and Fernando [...]
Red Dragons have edge in Twickenham thriller February 23, 2012 ENGLAND vs WALES TOMORROW – 4.00PM BBC ONE THIS is the one many of us have been waiting for. Wales at Twickenham always gets the blood flowing, but there seems to be more at stake this year. It’s the first real test for Stuart Lancaster’s new-look England. The interim coach can be pleased to have [...]
Haadeeth and The Strig look good in Sprint Series Final February 23, 2012 THE Blue Square Sprint Series has been a tremendous initiative over the past two months and tomorrow’s £15,000 Grand Final (2.15pm) looks a cracking contest. All the key protagonists from the Series are lining up and any one of the 12 runners could quite feasibly land the prize. What seems certain is that there will [...]
BLUE SQUARE WINTER CARNIVAL February 23, 2012 AS we’ve taken a detailed look at the Blue Square Sprint Series Grand Final already, we’re going to concentrate on the rest of the card at Lingfield. The bluesquare.com Cleves Stakes (2.50pm) is a Listed contest over six furlongs and, on paper, it looks a match between PALACE MOON and Oasis Dream. I find it [...]
CBI factory orders index hits six-month high February 23, 2012 Britain’s main factory orders index rebounded in February to its highest level in six months, boosting hopes that the economy is on track for recovery, the CBI’s monthly industrial trends survey showed. The Confederation of British Industry survey’s total order book balance jumped to -3 from -16 in January, well above economists’ forecasts of a [...]
Eurozone economy to shrink in 2012 February 23, 2012 The eurozone is heading into its second recession in just three years, while the wider European Union will stagnate, the EU’s executive said on Thursday, warning that the currency area has yet to break its vicious cycle of debt. The Commission forecast that economic output in the 17 nations sharing the euro will contract 0.3 [...]
RBS spearheads banks’ rally on FTSE February 23, 2012 The FTSE staged a rally this morning spearheaded by banks as investors gave a positive reaction to RBS results. Markets yesterday had been dented by surging oil prices which triggered fears that world global growth could be hampered while data in the Eurozone suggested that the bloc could lurch into recession. Banking stocks jumped in [...]
