Wiggins saga reignites: Damian Collins says there is no evidence to back-up Dave Brailsford’s decongestant claims December 29, 2016 The teams behind five times Olympic gold medalist Bradley Wiggins have failed to provide evidence to back-up claims a mysterious package delivered to the team contained a non-banned medical substance. Controversy surrounded Team Sky – who masterminded Wiggins' 2012 Tour de France victory – and British Cycling earlier this year after it was revealed a British Cycling coach was asked [...]
Brexit, six months on: City leader demands government allays uncertainty in the Square Mile December 23, 2016 Doesn't time fly? Just six months ago half the nation was celebrating the Britain's decision to unshackle itself from the EU, while the other half had that knot in the pit-in-the-stomach feeling. The good news so far is the sky hasn't fallen in. And this was after 2016 continued to shock and surprise us from a [...]
Virgin Media boss is baffled by broadband windfall, saying it conflicts with Ofcom plans December 22, 2016 Virgin Media has hit back at news of a £440m broadband boost to the remote parts of Britain. The government announced today more money would be ploughed back into the country's telecoms infrastructure as a result of better than expected demand for superfast broadband in the hard to reach areas. The money is a rebate from [...]
Editor’s 2016 review: It’s been a year of momentous political change, but there’s every reason to look to the future December 22, 2016 Attempting to reflect such an extraordinary year with just a handful of our own front pages was always going to be difficult, but I thought we’d give it a go. The front page of City A.M. is (to borrow a phrase from our marketing department) the front door of our brand. The choice of splash, [...]
Millwall v Charlton: The South London derby overshadowed by fans’ fighting for their future off the pitch December 21, 2016 In different circumstances, Charlton’s meeting with Millwall at The Den tonight could be a Sky Sports blockbuster capable of capturing the capital’s attention. The “South London showdown” could sit alongside the “Mersey Monday” with the broadcaster’s branding makeover. It sees two clubs who are producers of England internationals, can boast of a combined 28 seasons spent in [...]
Team Sky boss Dave Brailsford reveals package contained the decongestant Fluimucil December 19, 2016 Team Sky boss David Brailsford relented following weeks of doping speculation and finally revealed what was in a mysterious package delivered to a team doctor at the end of a race in 2011. Responding to questions from MPs, Brailsford divulged the package contained Fluimucil, a decongestant not included on a banned list of substances by [...]
Radio Times publisher Immediate Media is set to be sold to a German media group for £260m December 19, 2016 One of Britain's most recognisable brands, Radio Times, will be sold to a German media giant. The television listings magazine's publisher Immediate Media will be sold this week to Germany's Hubert Burda in a £260m deal, Sky News reported. Hubert Burda, publisher of YourHome and Wedding lifestyle magazines, will take over the Exponent Private Equity-owned [...]
Rupert Murdoch pleads with newspaper to stop using “fake news” quote December 19, 2016 Rupert Murdoch has written to the Guardian, asking the newspaper to stop attributing a "fake" quote to him. The executive chairman of 21st Century Fox, which last week agreed an £11.7bn deal to takeover Sky, has taken issue with the following quote: “When I go into Downing Street, they do what I say; when I [...]
Suited and booted in beautiful Vietnam: how to do Da Nang in style December 19, 2016 Vietnam is not the kind of place I expected to need a suit. Shorts, sunblock and mosquito spray, sure. But tailoring was not on my check-list. While Thailand, Malaysia and to an extent the Philippines all have an established super-luxe travel market, Vietnam – at least outside of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi – [...]
After subdued 2016, contrained by Brexit and Trump, these bankers are predicting a 2017 bounceback for UK M&A December 19, 2016 Despite mega-deals involving the London Stock Exchange, Arm Holdings, Sky and a big takeover approach from British American Tobacco (BAT), even the most optimistic M&A banker would concede it’s been a somewhat subdued year for UK deals. After a record 2015, a year in which Megabrew was finally agreed and Anglo-Dutch oil major Shell tied [...]