Resurgent Rafa to storm in to French final June 2, 2011 FOR two players who both concede they are not at the top of their game, reaching the semi-final of the French Open is quite an achievement. Top seed Rafael Nadal will take on Andy Murray, seeded fourth, at Roland Garros today for a place in Sunday’s final and, despite his protestations that he is not [...]
Sentance attacks Bank May 31, 2011 OUTGOING Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member Andrew Sentance used his last day in office to launch a stinging attack on the Bank of England. Sentance, whose five-year term ended yesterday, said the Bank of England was in danger of losing its credibility. “I think that there is a big risk now emerging to credibility of [...]
SIP and Betfred in final Tote race May 31, 2011 THE winning bid for the Tote is set to be announced tomorrow – with frontrunners Sports Investment Partners (SIP) and bookmaker Betfred neck and neck at the finish. A Sky News report yesterday suggested SIP chief Sir Martin Broughton had increased the value of his offer to the Treasury by £2m and the overall value [...]
BARCLAYS MAKES HAY AS THE PLOT THICKENS May 30, 2011 THE PLOT thickens at the Hay Festival, with news that Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall will be making an appearance today at the famous literary event. But Camilla isn’t the only surprise addition to the programme at the Hay-on-Wye books festival. Next Saturday, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will make a rare public appearance when he gives [...]
Ulusaba: Where to experience the ultimate safari Where Branson goes to discover the Big Five May 30, 2011 SO much for telling stories around a campfire while on safari. For my merry gang, the tales of adventure started in the transfer lounge at Johannesburg as we waited to board a 12-seater plane bound for Ulusaba, Richard Branson’s lodge just north of Kruger. The chitchat went something like this: “Did you hear about the [...]
ALL CHANGE AT LLOYD’S AS IT RINGS 25 YEARS May 26, 2011 IT MAY seem like only yesterday for many City veterans, but today marks 25 years since the first managing agents moved into the landmark Lloyd’s building on Lime Street. So happy anniversary to the insurance giant, which still shows traces of more than 300 years of Lloyd’s history, such as the famous Lutine Bell, which [...]
Epsom’s French fancy May 26, 2011 WITH just over a week to go until the Investec Derby, racing’s good, bad and ugly gathered on Epsom Downs yesterday morning for the racecourse’s annual ‘Breakfast with the Stars’. The event offers up the opportunity for any horse entered in the world’s most famous race to exercise on the track and sample its undulations, [...]
Zynga eyes market float May 25, 2011 SOCIAL games designer Zynga could file for a multi-billion dollar IPO as soon as next month. It is understood the firm is eager to cash in on the vociferous investor appetite for technology stocks following the bumper flotation of LinkedIn last week. The professional social network saw its shares surge 171 per cent during its [...]
Lavishness amid the lonely splendour of the Welsh coast May 22, 2011 SOUTH Wales is home to a duality like nowhere else in the British Isles. It’s a land of timeless verdancy, endless summers and persistent rain. It’s a land torn apart by poverty, and before that the machinery of heavy industry. It is also my favourite place on earth. On the train eastwards from Swansea, this [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 19, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES MOVE TO QUASH HERMÈS’ POISON PILL Minority shareholders in Hermès have sought to quash the luxury goods group’s poison pill defences devised by its controlling family, potentially bolstering LVMH’s protracted takeover push for its smaller rival. CHINESE SET A NEW STANDARD IN BUYING GOLD China overtook India to become the largest market for [...]