The Menorca country manor that will blow you away June 3, 2025 We’re not short of country estates in the UK, and perhaps for that reason, they’re not something we look for when plotting a Euro vacation. But Vestige Son Vell, a newly established boutique hotel in southwestern Menorca, is a stately home that challenges that instinct. It ticks all the boxes for a week in the [...]
Google faces £25bn UK lawsuit over ad monopoly claims May 28, 2025 Google is facing a £25bn legal claim in the UK, as a new lawsuit accuses the tech giant of abusing its dominant position in the online search advertising market, driving up prices for UK advertisers over more than a decade. The claim, filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) and led by Roger Kaye KC, [...]
Severn Trent paid over £2m to fight off bill overcharging lawsuit May 22, 2025 Severn Trent paid out more than £2m in legal fees to defend allegations it had overcharged millions of household consumers by underreporting sewage leaks. Professional costs increased by £2.3m last year, according to the firm’s annual report. These were mainly in relation to a class action claim brought against Severn Trent and a number of [...]
Casa’s fortune Written in the stars with Purton in the saddle May 20, 2025 REGULAR viewers of Hong Kong racing will need no reminding how unlucky Thesis was when last seen at Happy Valley a fortnight ago. The winner of the 2022 Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot suffered a desperate journey over the course and distance and was caught three-wide for the majority of the contest but still went [...]
Joy ready to Spring into action for Fownes May 13, 2025 RACING at Happy Valley in Hong Kong returns for another exciting nine-race card on Wednesday, with a small but selective field lining up for the feature Class Two Choi Hung Handicap (1.10pm) over the extended mile. The in-form partnership of trainer David Hayes and jockey Zac Purton aboard Soleil Fighter will probably dominate the betting, [...]
Why shrimp deserve compassion too May 6, 2025 They may be ugly and unappealing, but shrimp – farmed in vast quantities in squalid conditions – deserve ethical consideration, says Phoebe Arslanagic-Little I can buy a box of supermarket eggs for 15p an egg. Instead, I have a crate of eggs couriered to me, once a month, from a farm in Lancashire called Oakstream [...]
In memory of Richard Vines, a sage and a gentleman May 6, 2025 My friend Richard Vines, chief restaurant critic of Bloomberg for 25 years, passed away this week. A champion of both genius chefs and restaurateurs, he was a wonderful man who I admired hugely. Over the last few days, I have been reminded of some magnificent City lunches with Richard; at Kym’s by Andrew Wong, after [...]
Everstar looks to hold Solid chance for Tsui at the Valley April 29, 2025 IT HAS not been easy for bettors at Happy Valley in the last couple of weeks, with only a couple of winning favourites obliging in 18 races. If favourite backers are looking for some respite on the midweek Valley card, they should be forewarned. Racing takes place on the tricky C+3 track, where the width [...]
Welcome to the shape-shifting world of big tech taxes April 29, 2025 Axing the Digital Services Tax may be the price Britain pays for a trade deal with the US, but that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the back of tech taxes, says Tim Sarson Just a few days ago, Rachel Reeves was strolling in, to paraphrase Flanders and Swan, the geopolitical zoo that is Washington DC, attempting [...]
Bankrupt, rat-infested Birmingham shows why local government matters April 23, 2025 With local elections across much of England, it’s time we took regional accountability much more seriously, says Simon Clarke Next Thursday, there are local elections across much of England. For many people, these events will pass them by entirely. For others, they will be purely an opportunity to send a message about national politics: it [...]