TRAVEL NOTES October 30, 2011 Grand boutique hotel in Quito Old Town Ecuador is South America’s hot new destination for the luxury traveller – and has the prices to go with. Old Town Quito now boasts a hotel in the vein of a mini-Ritz: Casa Gangotena, a newly restored historic mansion overlooking the cobbled Plaza San Francisco, with 31 rooms [...]
Why crisis-hit Nintendo was my first real love October 30, 2011 It has been a mixed week for Nintendo. On Tuesday it hosted the last of three concerts to celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of its most successful and enduring franchises: The Legend of Zelda. Two days later it announced the first annual loss in its 122-year history, sending the company into crisis mode. Its [...]
LONDON’S GIANTS FEEL FAN BACKLASH October 27, 2011 • Kroenke forced to defend Hill-Wood • Wenger identifies ‘fear’ and ‘discontent’ • Usmanov to remain frozen out by board• ARSENAL’S majority shareholder Stan Kroenke was forced to defend long-standing chairman Peter Hill-Wood during the club’s stormy AGM yesterday. The American tycoon had flown in from his homeland to address the 281 fans in attendance [...]
Wenger steals show as Stan breaks silence October 27, 2011 STAN KROENKE may have broken his long silence at yesterday’s AGM, but shareholders who expected to gain a clearer understanding of the American’s motives were left deeply unfulfilled. Eloquent, if laden with platitudes, yesterday’s first address may have been, but fans remain no closer to knowing whether his decision to acquire a majority shareholding in [...]
Chelsea Pitch Owners reject club’s attempt to buy back stadium freehold as board members forced to endure a fractious extraordinary general meeting October 27, 2011 CHELSEA owner Roman Abramovich suffered an embarrassing defeat yesterday and was sent back to the drawing board as fans railed against his bid to buy the land on which Stamford Bridge sits. The billionaire Russian oligarch and his board were forced to rethink their proposal to Chelsea Pitch Owners, which was seen as the first [...]
Say No CPO victory a win for football fans as a whole October 27, 2011 SAY NO CPO, the campaign group who yesterday contributed towards Roman Abramovich’s failure to seize the freehold of Stamford Bridge, believe their victory represented a landmark success for football fans as a whole. Despite the odds being stacked in their favour, Chelsea’s resolution attracted only 61.6 per cent of the vote, leaving them 13.4 per cent [...]
Gunners confident talisman Van Persie will sign new contract October 27, 2011 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger is confident he can persuade club captain Robin van Persie to remain at the club and extend his current contract. The Dutchman is currently in the best form of his career and has scored eight of his side’s 15 goals this season following the brace he notched in last week’s defeat [...]
Rangers adamant no players called to give evidence against Chelsea’s Terry October 27, 2011 QPR have categorically denied Paddy Kenny, Clint Hill and Shaun Derry had been called to give evidence in the John Terry racism inquiry. More than one report has suggested the Rangers trio were set to back team-mate Anton Ferdinand’s take on his altercation with Chelsea captain Terry during Sunday’s west London derby at Loftus Road. [...]
PFA leap to defence of City outcast Tevez October 27, 2011 MANCHESTER CITY striker Carlos Tevez has found ally in the shape of the Professional Footballers’ Association, who claim the four-week fine he received this week for refusing to play is “not justified”. The Premier League leaders found the Argentina international to be guilty of five separate breaches of contract in the Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich [...]
Schumacher claims deaths unavoidable October 27, 2011 SEVEN-TIME Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher insists the recent deaths of Marco Simoncelli and Dan Wheldon were down to fate rather than shortcomings in the sport’s safety procedures . Wheldon lost his life following a collision in an IndyCar race in Las Vegas, when his car was catapulted into the air and into perimeter [...]
