Abu Dhabi fund in £1.6bn bid for London’s Maybourne Hotel Group March 1, 2015 Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund has put forward a £1.6bn bid for Maybourne Hotel Group, owner of London venues the Berkeley, the Connaught and Claridges. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) is reported to have sent a letter declaring its interest in such a deal to Maybourne’s holding company, Coroin. The firm is understood to have [...]
Chelsea suspend three fans from Stamford Bridge over racism incident February 19, 2015 Chelsea have moved swiftly to suspend three fans from attending games at Stamford Bridge after a video appeared to show them stopping a black man from boarding the Paris Metro. The club said that life banning orders will placed on the unnamed trio if there is deemed sufficient evidence they were involved in the incident [...]
Chelsea race row fans face jail sentence February 18, 2015 CHELSEA fans who pushed a black man off a Paris Metro train and chanted racist songs could face three years in prison, five-figure fines and bans from football matches if found guilty. French and British police yesterday both launched investigations into the incident, which took place before Chelsea’s Champions League 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain [...]
Police Federation calls for all UK officers to have tasers to defend against terrorists January 31, 2015 All police officers in the UK could be about to get tasers as fears grow over a possible terrorist attack aimed at members of the police force. According to the Guardian, Steve White, the chairman of the Police Federation, has called for a change from the current system where 10 per cent of officers carry [...]
City Hall to examine London’s ability to withstand Paris-style terror attack, if Jewish communities need police protection January 28, 2015 London's ability to withstand a Paris-style terror attack will come under the microscope at City Hall tomorrow. Metropolitan police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe and deputy mayor for policing and crime Stephen Greenhalgh will answer questions from the London Assembly's Police and Crime Committee to see whether the capital's police force could cope with the [...]
In pictures: Stunning images show the hidden world of workers at the front line of Britain’s night-time economy January 28, 2015 When Dolly Parton sang about the drudgery of Nine to Five, she probably hadn't taken into consideration that things could be much worse. While most of us spend our days slaving away at our desks, an estimated seven million people clock on at 6pm and work through the night. What does this "hidden" economy look [...]
London mayor Boris Johnson visits British military while on trade visit to Kurdistan region of Iraq January 23, 2015 The mayor of London has popped up in the Kurdistan region of Iraq to promote trade links between the region and the UK, highlighting the "commercial opportunities and infrastructure development". Boris Johnson was invited over by the prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government Nechirvan Barzani and will meet business leaders in the hope [...]
Bid to restrict online ticket touts defeated in parliament after government wins vote January 13, 2015 A bid to introduce stricter regulations for online ticket touts whose websites re-sell event tickets failed yesterday, after the government won a vote to overturn it by 289 votes to 204. Last week leading figures in sports, music and theatre wrote an open letter calling for the inclusion of a clause in the consumer rights [...]
Music and sports titans call for action against online ticket touts January 11, 2015 Leading figures in sports, music and theatre are calling for the better regulation of websites re-selling event tickets, claiming they simultaneously rip off fans while hurting artists and sports professionals. In an open letter to the government they called for changes to the Consumer Rights Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, which would better [...]
Charlie Hebdo shooting: We must not surrender our own freedoms in the face of the vile Paris attacks January 8, 2015 This week, Paris has seen the threat to free speech and freedom of expression realised in its most appalling, extreme form. We must not allow the murderous attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine to be used as a pretext for enhancing the powers of the state to spy on us all. France is (even) further down [...]