EU launches air passenger law overhaul April 11, 2011 THE EUROPEAN Union yesterday laid out plans to shake up airline passenger compensation laws, after carriers faced massive bills from the Icelandic ash cloud and snow storms. The EU will discuss wide-reaching changes with aviation stakeholders and present a new law in 2012, European Commission vice-president Siim Kallas said yesterday. The review of Regulation 261 [...]
Businesses should take a lesson from Twitter April 10, 2011 I anchored CNBC’s coverage of the European Central Bank (ECB) Rate Decision Special show last week. This involved saying: “Welcome to CNBC. Jean-Claude Trichet is speaking. Let’s listen in,” then tweeting snippets of the proceedings to my Twitter followers, of whom there are literally dozens, including several who think I’m the librarian in Massachusetts who [...]
Italy’s green heart lures clever buyers April 7, 2011 LIKE Nice, Cannes or St Tropez, it’s hard to find a slice of Tuscany that’s escaped the money and appetites of the international set. So for those craving a home in a still-authentic slice of Italy, with budgets below those of the global elite, Umbria is the smart choice. Paul Belcher, director of Ultissimo, a [...]
The smarter way to travel April 7, 2011 ANYONE who thinks a small trolley case is suitable hand luggage for a weekend away or a business trip is suffering a failure of imagination. The only thing in an airport less stylish than a Ryanair boarding queue is a businessman wheeling around a tiny overnight case – at least pick it up, you weed. [...]
Albertas Run can take another Melling Chase April 7, 2011 TONY McCoy warmed up for his Grand National success last year by taking Friday’s Grade 1 Melling Chase (3.05pm) aboard ALBERTAS RUN and I fully expect them to be in the winner’s enclosure again this afternoon. The key to Jonjo O’Neill’s high class 10-year-old is having genuine good ground and the sun on his back. [...]
BAA must sell two airports March 30, 2011 THE Competition Commission yesterday again ruled that BAA should sell Stansted and either its Edinburgh or Glasgow airports, in a decision that is sure to spark a bidding war for the airports. The decision backs one made in March 2009 which BAA successfully appealed on a technicality, but the court of appeal yesterday reinstated its [...]
Big Buck’s completes hat-trick March 17, 2011 BIG BUCK’S completed a World Hurdle hat-trick yesterday to cement his place as one of the greatest staying hurdlers of all time. Jockey Ruby Walsh guided the 10-11 favourite home to the delight of trainer Paul Nicholls and the legions of punters that backed the unbeaten star. “He is as close to unbeatable as a [...]
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 [...]
Bulletproof Big Bucks looks best in the World March 16, 2011 On St Patrick’s Day there is no other place to be than Cheltenham with a drop of the black stuff. And I think we’ll be seeing a couple of Irish winners too. Poquelin will be all the rage in the Ryanair Chase after some high profile challengers dropped out but I think it might be [...]
Poquelin set to go one better than last year March 16, 2011 IT will be interesting to see how many of the 14 declared for this afternoon’s Ryanair Chase actually line-up come 2.40pm. Captain Cee Bee, Somersby and Rare Bob all look certain non-runners which means a maximum field of 11. As the ground continues to dry out, the most obvious starting point is last year’s winner [...]