Hundred: Who are winners and losers from £1bn cricket sale? February 14, 2025 When a collective £975m valuation was placed on the Hundred this month many were surprised a competition in its infancy could fetch such a number. But the franchise competition through, largely, eight 49 per cent stakes being sold by the England and Wales Cricket Board, has exceeded expectations – around £700m was seen as a [...]
Avdulla keen to be Awarded with a Bundle of winners at Sha Tin February 14, 2025 IT’S D-Day for jockey Brenton Avdulla when he arrives at Sha Tin for an 11-race programme in Hong Kong on Sunday. Considered one of the most consistent pilots on the Hong Kong racing circuit, Avdulla has his card marked in nine of the 11 races, and many will be at the forefront of the betting. [...]
‘Free speech in retreat’- JD Vance warns Europe of ‘threat from within’ February 14, 2025 JD Vance has accused the UK and Europe of a “backslide away from conscience rights”, warning of the “threat from within” and claiming: “Free speech, I fear, is in retreat.” The US vice-president made the comments while addressing European leaders at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday, amid wider concern on the continent [...]
Manchester Originals investors ‘happy’ despite missing out on London Spirit February 14, 2025 The owner of Indian Premier League side Lucknow Super Giants, RPSG Group, says it is “extremely happy” to have bought a stake in the Hundred franchise Manchester Originals despite initially bidding for Lord’s-based London Spirit. RPSG was gazumped in the auction of a 49 per cent stake in London Spirit by a consortium of Silicon [...]
Why the NBA has reinvented All-Star Weekend in a bid to revive it February 14, 2025 The NBA has made drastic changes to its All-Star Weekend in an attempt to breathe new life into a spectacle that has lost half of its audience. Todd Boehly and his consortium of US investors didn’t waste any time in ripping up the rulebook after they took over at Chelsea in the summer of 2022. [...]
Bridget Jones director on finding ‘real heat’ between Leo Woodall and Renee Zellweger February 14, 2025 Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy director Michael Morris shares “precious” memories of reuniting Hugh Grant and Renee Zellweger, those age-gap sex scenes and reflects on the scenes he wishes he didn’t have to cut Renee Zellweger was apprehensive about playing Bridget Jones again. Of course she was: you’re careful about reprising the roles that [...]
The Week in Business: Is Net Zero going out of fashion? February 14, 2025 Just a few short years ago BP proudly told us they were embarking on a journey – and I quote – “in support of our purpose to reimagine energy for people and our planet, and our ambition to become a Net Zero company by 2050 or sooner and help the world get to Net Zero.” [...]
Natwest skims past profit expectations February 14, 2025 Natwest narrowly beat analysts’ annual profit expectations after posting a bump in its consumer lending. The FTSE 100 lender posted a £6.2bn pre-tax profit, ahead of £6.1bn pencilled in by analysts and up 0.3 per cent on 2023. Net loans to customers hit £368.5bn, an increase of £12.9bn, which reflected Natwest’s acquisition of Metro Bank’s [...]
HSBC to unveil $1.5bn in savings alongside financial results February 14, 2025 Citing two people familiar with the matter, the FT reported that the savings will largely come from HSBC's decision to withdraw from non-core markets.
Whisky Business: The Glenlivet’s oldest permanent expression to date February 14, 2025 Whisky Business: City AM’s monthly look at the world of whisky. The key to whisky’s unique flavour is patience, but for producers, there will always be a trade-off between patience and profit. While the process of distilling whisky only takes a few days, Scotch whisky must be matured for a minimum of three years, a significant [...]