Charlie Mayfield, the former army captain who got his start in business marketing Lucozade and now heads John Lewis, saw his pay last year head towards £1 million... more
Christmas is probably the only time of the year that I allow myself to eat what I want, have a few beers with my friends and also a couple of glasses of champagne... more
Swiss pharmaceuticals firm Novartis splashes out £23.8 billion to take over Alcon, one of the biggest makers of contact lens solutions and surgical eye parts... more
There is urgent whispering in the aisles of Marks & Spencer: Sir Stuart Rose, the smooth, pin-up boss (for lady shoppers of a certain age) is no more... more
GlaxoSmithKline, the drug company producing the bulk of Britain’s swine flu vaccine, said third-quarter pre-tax profit soared 23% to £1.91 billion as the firm cashed in from a boost in emerging markets and H1N1 drugs ... more
Restrictions on taking liquids on planes introduced after the terror plot to blow up transatlantic airliners could be eased if trials of new scanners prove successful... more
Green shoots in the housing market? Don’t bet on it, says Nick Hopkinson of Property Portfolio Rescue. “The blazing headline statistics from Halifax indicate that the property market is booming at first glance,” he says, of figures showing prices rose 2.6% last month. “While this may be great PR for the now mainly public-owned bank, unfortunately this is not correct. House sales volumes remain at an all-time low, making trend analysis of monthly data from just one lender statistically meaningless.” Doesn’t sound like househunters have missed the boat just yet.
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A teenage actor found floating in the Thames after a Christmas Eve drinking session was four times over the drink-drive limit when he died, an inquest heard... more
After a harrowing visit to her husband in prison, no one would expect Amy Winehouse to be looking her best. But even by her own standards, the award-winning singer appeared to be in particularly desperate shape. Heavy make-up failed to conceal the spots and scabs on her wrinkled cheeks, chin and nose... more
Despite her chaotic lifestyle, singer Amy Winehouse still manages to cram quite a lot into 24 hours. A visit to husband Blake Fielder-Civil in prison, a stop-off at the chip shop and a jamming session with notorious drug-user Pete Doherty. But it's not exactly the lifestyle you might expect from a Grammy award-winning pop star... more
Artistic director Jude Kelly's first production, Carmen Jones, is about to be unveiled at the Festival Hall. It's what this place is made for, she says.... more
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