London designers to strut their stuff at Fashion Week September 15, 2011 LONDON Fashion Week kicks off today and stores surrounding its Somerset House are already stocking up on Diet Coke and cigarettes in preparation for the barrage of models, fashion editors and buyers descending. From today until next Wednesday, the cobbles of the fabled house will be witness tottering fashionistas and booming music as designers’ collections [...]
LONDON’S TOP FASHION HANGOUTS September 15, 2011 CUT AT 45 PARK LANE Cut at 45 Park Lane, the brainchild of top iconic Hollywood chef Wolfgang Puck opens this week at The Dorchester Hotel, just in time for shows, and is already getting London’s glitterati in a quiver. Beg, borrow, or steal to get a reservation. www.45parklane.com THE FUMOIR, CLARIDGE’S Nestled discreetly in a quiet corner of [...]
Greenwood: England must utilise Foden and Ashton September 12, 2011 FORMER England centre Will Greenwood has urged Martin Johnson’s side to throw off the shackles and return to the expansive style of rugby that saw them brush Australia aside last autumn if they are to make a major impact at the World Cup. The error-strewn performance against Argentina on Saturday could not have been further [...]
Government bans injury claim referral fees September 9, 2011 The government has banned the referral fees paid for customer data that have been blamed for a surge in personal injury claims against car insurers, retailers and the NHS. The Ministry of Justice has said the ban on such fees, to apply solely to personal injury cases, is designed to tackle the alarming rise in [...]
THE BREAKDOWN | WORLD CUP BRIEFS September 8, 2011 LANDMARK FOR PAterson Mike Blair will start at scrum-half for Scotland in their World Cup opener against Romania tomorrow. Blair will partner fly-half Ruaridh Jackson, while Joe Ansbro and Sean Lamont make up the centre pairing. Full-back Chris Paterson becomes the first Scot to play at four World Cups, while hooker Ross Ford will win his 50th [...]
Obama urges new stimulus September 8, 2011 AMERICA looks set for yet another double-pronged dose of government stimulus, after President Barack Obama launched his “American Jobs Act” late last night, and Fed chief Ben Bernanke hinted at more monetary easing. Obama urged Congress to vote through his $447bn (£280bn) programme of tax cuts and government spending hikes, repeating the words “pass this [...]
Glimmer of hope after year of decline in new car sales as vans carry market September 6, 2011 VEHICLE registrations increased in August for the first time in 14 months, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Trades has revealed. Over 59,000 new cars were sold last month, representing a 7.3 per cent increase on sales in August 2010. From January to July of this year sales were down 6.1 per cent on the [...]
Pension fund assets rising September 5, 2011 The total assets of the world’s largest 300 pension funds grew by 11 per cent last year to a record high of $12.5 trillion (£7.77 trillion) according to new research. The study from Pensions & Investments and Towers Watson showed that despite last year’s growth in total assets, annualised growth of all funds during the [...]
Insurers hit out at no win no fee claims September 5, 2011 AMBULANCE-CHASING lawyers came under fire from major UK retailers and insurers demanding reform of the booming market for personal injury claims yesterday. Businesses led by the Association of British Insurers are fighting back against a surge in “no win no fee” legal actions behind a 72 per cent jump in the number of bodily injury [...]
Retailers and insurers campaign for no-win-no-fee reform September 5, 2011 Insurance companies are to join with some of the UK’s biggest retail brands in a new campaign to crack down on no-win-no-fee legal claims. The Association of British Insurers is working with carmaker Ford, supermarket chain Asda and pub group Whitbread to call for reform of the UK’s injury compensation system that has led to [...]