NEWS IN BRIEF February 5, 2012 TAXED ON TIME According to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), this year saw a record 9.45m self assessment tax returns filed on time, with a record 7.65m filed online. This means that 90.4 per cent of taxpayers met the deadline – an increase of 4 per cent on last year and the highest on-time filing [...]
From the UK to Silicon Valley and back again February 5, 2012 GLOBALISATION throws up some interesting associations. The western world’s need to stay awake supports the coffee industries of Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa; the desires of Japanese, Indians and Chinese consumers to imbibe is helping the UK’s Scotch whisky industry flourish. No less interesting is the case of WANdisco – a tech company that [...]
LOOK BEYOND THE UK TO CASH IN ON GROWTH February 5, 2012 THE UK is full of chief executives facing the harsh reality of uncertain home markets for years to come. So, with forecast sales flatlining – what is an entrepreneur to do? Successful companies are finding new customers and markets beyond our shores. In our recent global survey of over 400 companies, India (34 per cent) [...]
Money and brains inspire business beyond borders February 5, 2012 TRADE across borders – natural and man-made – binds humanity together: “When goods do not cross borders, soldiers will”, surmised the French economist Frédéric Bastiat. Trade enriches us, both in our standard of living and in the variety of our cultural experiences. And it makes others better off too, as if lead by an invisible [...]
Rich pickings in poor man’s Verbier February 5, 2012 IT’S unlikely you’ll have heard of La Tzoumaz. With just 300 permanent residents, few hotels and no town centre (or après ski) to speak of, it’s not the sort of place you’d expect to find a ten-minute ski from Verbier, Switzerland’s sexiest resort. No: La Tzoumaz (rhymes with satsuma) is quite definitely Verbier’s shy, unfashionable, [...]
Ski like an amateur, race like a professional February 5, 2012 THREE, two, one, the race countdown began, as my heart knocked treble-time. With my ski racing bib on, adrenalin pumping, I was staring down a steep, crisply-groomed slope, preparing to race it in my first ever downhill speed run. Then the horn sounded and I was off. I skated a few steps to pick up [...]
TRAVEL NOTES February 5, 2012 Literary London V-Day dinner at Brown’s This romantic package is perfect for those who find exquisite poetry and great food. A tour of the beautiful, private London library is followed by a three course dinner and fizz at the hotel’s Albemarle restaurant by Mark Hix. £160, 14 Feb. To book, call 0207 518 4060 Cupid’s [...]
Capello war with England chiefs over Terry snub February 5, 2012 ENGLAND head coach Fabio Capello last night declared war on his paymasters, the Football Association, over their decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy because of his ongoing trial for alleged racial abuse. In an extraordinary public outburst that reveals the divisions within the game’s powerbrokers over a highly sensitive issue, Capello said he [...]
AVB blasts referee after United stage comeback February 5, 2012 CHELSEA (3) vs MANCHESTER UNITED (3) CHELSEA manager Andre Villas-Boas admitted he was baffled by the performance of referee Howard Webb after two contentious penalty decisions helped Manchester United retrieve a three-goal deficit and keep their Premier League title hopes alive. The Blues led 3-0 just six minutes into the second half courtesy of a [...]
Salvage act not enough for Ferguson February 5, 2012 CHELSEA (3) vs MANCHESTER UNITED (3) MANCHESTER UNITED staged a trademark act of escapology, coming from 3-0 down to rescue a draw – but their manager Alex Ferguson insisted it still felt like two points dropped as his side failed to keep pace with rivals and Premier League leaders Manchester City. Unlucky to be trailing [...]
