Royal apartments dubbed the “One Hyde Park of their day” go on sale in London’s Mayfair June 1, 2015 When the Candy Brothers' One Hyde Park development went on sale with the most expensive flats in the world back in 2011, Londoners scoffed at their £65m price tags. But it's not the first time the capital has played host to some of the world's most exclusive apartments: in the early 19th century, the voluminous [...]
War bunkers, pizza and lots of caffeine – how the City is preparing for referendum night June 23, 2016 Brexit "war bunkers" are being opened, extra staff brought in and sleep-deprived workers plied with pizzas, sweets and coffee to keep them going throughout the night as the City beds in for expected high levels of pre- and post-referendum trading. Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Societe Generale, Deutsche Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland and JP Morgan will all have heightened [...]
Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations: All the events to mark Elizabeth II’s birthday including the lighting of the beacon, the parade, flypast, garden party and street party April 20, 2016 Queen Elizabeth II might be celebrating her 90th birthday but that doesn't mean she gets to put her feet up. It's Britain's longest-reigning monarch actual birthday on 21 April, and her official birthday will be celebrated on 11 June, meaning this spring and summer will play host to a number of public events. April The [...]
Gordon Ramsay Group toasts healthy sales growth after “huge transformation” May 31, 2016 The Gordon Ramsay Group toasted healthy full-year results today, as revenue at the London-based, international restaurant firm grew more than 10 per cent The figures Revenue at the restaurant group was up 12.6 per cent to £50.3m in the year to 31 August 2015, up from £44.7m in 2014. The group posted an operating loss of £1m [...]
Attending live music events could lower your stress levels, scientists find April 13, 2016 If you needed an excuse to head out this week, you might just have found one – attending live concerts can reduce your stress levels, according to new research. Volunteers who went to two music concerts, by the composer Eric Whitacre, saw a reduction in their levels of the stress hormones cortisol and cortisene. Researchers studied [...]
The S&P 500 and Dow Jones indices have hit a new high for 2016 as investors pile into banking stocks: JP Morgan, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup all climb April 13, 2016 US stocks have risen to highs for the year in New York, pushed on by investors piling into banking shares. Both the S&P 500 and the the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached fresh highs for 2016. The S&P 500 was up 0.7 per cent in early morning trading at 2,075.21 in early trading, while the Dow Jones Industrial [...]
ECB chief economist Peter Praet warns of banking “profitability shock” May 17, 2016 Eurozone banks should brace themselves for a profitability crisis, the chief economist of the European Central Bank (ECB) has warned today, predicting that the worst is far from over for the industry. "We have in the sector a severe profitability shock," ECB executive board member Peter Praet told a panel in Brussels this morning. Banks in the [...]
Surrey unveil plans to expand Kia Oval and increase capacity August 18, 2015 SURREY County Cricket Club have unveiled plans to expand the Kia Oval by rebuilding the Peter May Stand at the end of the current season. The redevelopment, which also involves the Lock Stand, will take the capacity of the stadium beyond 25,300, making the Kia Oval the second largest cricket ground in the country behind [...]
As more and more airlines launch new routes to Iran, this increasingly open country is fast becoming a popular tourist destination September 2, 2016 T he Islamic Republic of Iran is a destination rarely found near the top of travellers’ bucket lists. It is, after all, ruled over by a strict theocracy, one in which police patrol shopping malls to enforce a mandatory dress code, and social media continues to be blocked across the country. Yet in the cities, [...]
UK slides down world ranking of banks, with only HSBC within the top 10 for core capital June 29, 2016 The gloss has come off the UK's banking sector a little bit today, as research revealed that the country's banks had performed poorly compared with their overseas counterparts. The UK ranked only seventh in a league table compiled by trade magazine The Banker of countries by total pre-tax profits, after banks' combined profits dipped by [...]