Affjordable Norway: a mountainous trekker’s paradise October 30, 2011 IF you want to turn back at any point, you can.” Our sympathetic Norwegian host was suddenly full of reassurance. She was looking across the breakfast table with the concerned expression of a mother observing her sick, ailing child. Fear, dread. Pity. Maybe a hint of disdain for being put in this position. With a [...]
LONG ISLAND COMES TO THE CITY IN CLUB FOR DISCERNING DINERS September 1, 2011 GERALD RONSON and his business partner Enzo Quaradeghini spent 12 years building up their joint restaurant and bar interests in Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid, including the Irish pub O’Sullivans and a 3,500-capacity club called Guru. But now the Heron International boss and the restaurateur have sold off their Spanish assets, Quaradeghini is free to devote [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING August 1, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES FOXCONN LOOKS TO AN AUTOMATED FUTURE WITH 1M ROBOTS BY 2013 Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer by revenue, plans to have as many robots as workers in its China factories within three years, according to Terry Gou, chairman and chief executive. Foxconn, China’s biggest employer, produced Apple’s iPad and other electronic [...]
Passengers may face a £1bn bill from air tax rise June 16, 2011 AIRLINE Virgin Atlantic yesterday warned that proposed changes to Air Passenger Duty (APD) could cost holidaymakers £1bn in extra taxes, as the government prepares to close its consultation on the matter today. APD raised £2bn in 2010, but in its response to the possible reforms Virgin said this could jump to £3bn – with costs passed [...]
Passengers may face a £1bn bill from air tax rise June 16, 2011 AIRLINE Virgin Atlantic yesterday warned that proposed changes to Air Passenger Duty (APD) could cost holidaymakers £1bn in extra taxes, as the government prepares to close its consultation on the matter today. APD raised £2bn in 2010, but in its response to the possible reforms Virgin said this could jump to £3bn – with costs passed [...]
Plan to alter air tax sparks industry rage May 17, 2011 BUDGET airline EasyJet will today launch a campaign warning the government against changing the air passenger duty as proposed in the Budget, claiming such a move would reduce British GDP by £2.6bn. EasyJet today releases a report, written by Frontier Economics, which will claim that moving the levy would also reduce tourist spending by £475m [...]
Burberry fast tracks expansion plan as profit soars May 26, 2011 Burberry is stepping up spending on new stores and upgrading existing ones to cash in on a boom in spending on luxury goods, it said as it met forecasts with a 39 per cent leap in annual profit. The British maker of raincoats and handbags, best known for its camel, red and black check pattern, [...]
Ryanair profit surges by 17 per cent November 1, 2010 Ryanair has reported a 17 per cent surge in first half net profit and upgraded its full-year earnings guidance. The low cost Irish airline now expects full-year net earnings to be in a range of 380m to 400m euros (£328m to £345.3m) compared with previous guidance of 350m to 375m euros. The rosier outlook comes [...]
KNEES UP AT TREASURY IF GEORGE HAS A BEER March 22, 2011 AHEAD of today’s Budget, the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) is trying to loosen up chancellor George Osborne – and his stance on beer tax – by dropping by the Treasury to hand-deliver a hamper of Britain’s finest beers. With the Budget speech the one day that the chancellor is allowed an on-duty tipple, [...]
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 [...]