Going private in the Maldives, at long last March 24, 2011 For years, the Indian Ocean’s most exquisite islands, the Maldives, have been solely the preserve of hotels. Now, they’ve begun to open up to foreign buyers, thanks to new laws introduced by the pro-enterprise President Mohamed Nasheed. Before Nasheed, elected two years ago, leaseholds were too short to attract European buyers – but they have [...]
Ruia bullish on potential from India March 21, 2011 ESSAR Energy’s directors are camped out in the Deutsche Bank offices on Great Winchester Street this week, with a relentless schedule of meetings with investors, analysts and press. City A.M. found Essar Energy’s vice chairman and Essar Group chief exec Prashant Ruia surrounded by Diet Coke cans and half-eaten fruit (the schedule hasn’t allowed for [...]
An Italian affair at the Four Seasons March 21, 2011 Amaranto Hamilton Place, Park Lane W1J 7DR Tel: 020 7499 0888 FOOD SERVICE ATMOSPHERE Cost per person without wine: £55 AFTER its £125m makeover, the Four Seasons is looking just like you’d imagine. It’s dripping in chandeliers, coated in lacquer and bedecked with equine sculpture. It hardly feels homely, but it does feel rich. It’s [...]
WORLD’S FIRST SOCIAL MEDIA HEDGE FUND TO TRADE FROM TWEETS March 17, 2011 WORD has reached The Capitalist of an unconventional new approach to trading: using Twitter to predict swings in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The method is the brainchild of 28-year-old City trader Paul Hawtin and his brother Simon, whose new hedge fund, set to launch in April as a spin-off of their family-run investment boutique [...]
Partygaming moves closer to Bwin merger March 15, 2011 ONLINE gaming company PartyGaming has moved closer to its agreed merger with Austrian rival Bwin, confirming that the tie-up is planned to complete on 31 March. The merger was formally entered into the Vienna companies’ register yesterday, in a filing by Bwin. The Austrian company’s shares will cease trading on 25 March in anticipation of [...]
Ice chambers, wooden baths and good health in Austria March 13, 2011 IT is the depths of winter in Austria and what am I doing? Gracefully skiing down the Alps or snuggling up in front of a fire sipping Gluhwien? No, I’m dressed in my bikini and boots, awaiting instructions to go into a sealed chamber with a temperature of minus 130 degrees for three minutes. I [...]
Murphy hoping to make it Big at the Festival again March 13, 2011 Colm Murphy trains 50 horses in Ballinadrummin, Killena, Gorey – an address more Harry Potter than Dick Francis, but apparently it’s in the heart of County Wexford. We didn’t meet face-to-face and only spoke on the phone – he was too busy finalising his Festival plans and I couldn’t find platform nine and three quarters. [...]
NEED TO KNOW | AREA INSIGHT March 10, 2011 Education: Awash with good schools. St James’s Roman Catholic Primary School is rated “excellent” by Ofsted, as are St Saviour’s Grammar School and St Olave’s Grammar School for boys, and Darrick Wood School – a co-educational comprehensive. Parents of sporty kids may want to consider The Priory School, a specialist sports college. Crime: Rates are [...]
Mayfair tycoons: We will clear our name March 9, 2011 ENFORCEMENT THE Tchenguiz brothers were held for questioning for over 12 hours by the Serious Fraud Office yesterday after being arrested in connection with the collapse of Icelandic bank Kaupthing. Vincent and Robert Tchenguiz were among seven men arrested in a series of dawn raids across London. The brothers were both released without charge last [...]
Revenue up for Restaurant Group March 9, 2011 THE Restaurant Group yesterday posted a 12 per cent rise in adjusted pre-tax profit to £56m for the year to 2 January. Revenue was up seven per cent to £466m, although like-for-like sales fell by one per cent at the chain which includes Frankie & Benny’s, Chiquito and Garfunkel’s. During the year the group opened [...]