Davis Cup: Feliciano Lopez’s heroics in vain as Russian defeat helps Novak Djokovic’s Serbia reach quarter-finals November 29, 2021 Feliciano Lopez’s heroics were in vain as the Russian Tennis Federation eliminated holders Spain from the Davis Cup Finals and helped Novak Djokovic’s Serbia reach the quarter-finals. Forty-year-old Lopez, now ranked 106, thrilled a partisan crowd in Madrid by beating world number five Andrey Rublev 2-6 6-3 6-4 to give Spain hope of making the [...]
A cultural mea culpa: a fragile over-reliance on freelancers and insecurity in the creative arts cannot continue July 31, 2021 In March 2020, I was midway through lecturing at the Sorbonne on plagues and portents in ancient Rome, Meanwhile, it was becoming increasingly clear that something alarming was happening in our own world. The night before I left Paris, I took an evening trip through the Louvre. It was practically empty – no queues by [...]
The Mitchells Vs The Machines is the feel-good film of 2021 April 29, 2021 It’s rare to find an original film that generate a lot of hype in this sequel and ‘shared universe’ obsessed industry. However, when there’s a new film from the producers of Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs and the much-adored Into The Spider-Verse, people sit up and pay attention. Netflix certainly did, paying big money [...]
Bloody Friday as cost of living onslaught starts for millions: Steepest rise in household bills in living memory begins today April 1, 2022 Today has been dubbed National Price Hike Day, when government bodies and private firms traditionally announce the increases in the cost of goods and services. This year, energy costs are set to skyrocket, with the cheapest energy tariff for a medium user surging to £1,971 – a staggering 118 per cent increase year on year. The [...]
Twitter permanently suspends Donald Trump’s account to prevent incitement of violence January 9, 2021 Twitter has permanently suspended Donald Trump’s account, citing the risk of further incitement of violence following the storming of the US Capitol on Wednesday. The US President has repeatedly used the platform to declare that the outcome of the 3 November election was fraudulent and to share other conspiracy theories. Trump also urged his supporters [...]
London Tech Week: Russ Shaw looks back at a spectacular week September 28, 2021 London Tech Week – the showcase of all things innovative – happened last week and Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates boss Russ Shaw CBE is back writing us reflecting on the jamboree. Here’s he looks back on the week that was. What a week it has been! London Tech Week saw a new [...]
GameStop’s stock slide speeds up as US senator steps in February 4, 2021 The slide in GameStop shares accelerated today as US officials warned they may step in to investigate the trading frenzy that has roiled markets in recent weeks. A surge in buying by amateur traders, fuelled by activity on social media, sparked big moves in shares of companies that were shorted by Wall Street hedge funds. [...]
How to win over companies and influence a better future August 9, 2021 Companies’ annual general meetings (AGMs) could be testy affairs back in the 1980s and 1990s, the UK’s era of mass share ownership. One former CEO of that period recently confessed to me: “Our security would ask if the venues had a sloping stage that made it impossible to run up. They were intense meetings.” Such [...]
Global vaccine programmes: How do they compare? October 25, 2021 While the UK was one of the first nations to begin the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccines, it has fallen behind in the race for full inoculation. So, how do global vaccination programmes compare? Portugal Leading the world’s vaccination success is Portugal, with 82.82 per cent of its population having received both doses as of [...]
Prince Charles and close aide Michael Fawcett reported to police over cash-for-honours claims September 6, 2021 A pressure group has reported Prince Charles and his most trusted aide Michael Fawcett to the police over the cash-for-honours allegations. Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, a organisation which campaigns for an elected head of state, confirmed he has contacted the Metropolitan Police and reported both Charles and Fawcett on suspicion of breaching the [...]