30 h. ago ‘There is a moment of clarity that life would be better without alcohol’: what we can learn from addiction memoirs

After losing her father to alcohol addiction, author Sophie Calon turned to writing – and found clarity, connection and hope in other stories of relapse and recoveryOn the night of Boxing Day 2021, my dad’s body was found near a Cardiff hostel. His death, at 55, was as sudden as it was not. For years, alcoholism had been changing the shape of his heart.He died less than a mile from his old office; top law firm, equity partner. Four miles from our once tight-knit home in a leafy neighbourhood. He had lost both his family and his job in 2019. Raised in Barry, working class, he had been proud of the beautiful life he had built for us. Others thought he “had it all”. He was widely adored, but drinking made him volatile. He was homeless and often behind bars in his final two years. Continue reading...

Politics

52 h. ago 'Serious' incident as private jet left stranded after sliding

'Serious' incident as private jet left stranded after sliding-off runway at London airport  MyLondon

Politics

6 d. ago Sentinel taps Aviva’s Ben Sanderson to head its new London office

Sentinel taps Aviva’s Ben Sanderson to head its new London office  Private Equity Real Estate | PERE

Politics

6 d. ago America’s Private Equity Legal Experiment is Coming for London Law Firms—And Their Clients

America’s Private Equity Legal Experiment is Coming for London Law Firms—And Their Clients  Law.com

Economics

6 d. ago Tom Willis wins family affair to help Saracens topple Toulouse in Champions Cup

Pool 1: Saracens 20-14 ToulouseRotimi Segun also scores twice for Prem side Even for the world’s best rugby player it is not all glamour. As he sniffed the damp air on a blustery, cheerless Sunday night in north London, Antoine Dupont must privately have been wondering if this was some sort of fiendish Anglo-Saxon conspiracy. Any similarity with the classic cathedrals and comforting familiarity of the Stade de France in next month’s Six Nations was conspicuously lacking.For a defiant Saracens, though, this chilly, sodden evening delivered the most beautiful of outcomes and a result that transforms the mood of their previous flagging season. They fully deserved this rousing victory, two first-half tries from Rotimi Segun and a barnstorming display from man of the match Tom Willis laying the foundations for the hosts’ best performance of the season which has sharply improved their Champions Cup knockout qualification prospects. Continue reading...

Society

6 d. ago UK private equity firms sharply increase use of offshore funds

University of Glasgow researcher says trend raises transparency concerns for investors

Economics

1 week ago ‘Go back home’: Farage schoolmate accounts bring total alleging racist behaviour to 34

Exclusive: Dulwich college contemporaries say Reform leader often used antisemitic language and racial epithetsThirty-four school contemporaries of Nigel Farage have now come forward to claim they saw him behave in a racist or antisemitic manner, raising fresh questions over the Reform leader’s evolving denials.One of those with new allegations is Jason Meredith, who was three years below Farage at Dulwich college, a private school in south-east London. He claims that Farage called him a “paki” and would use taunts such as “go back home”. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Investigation launched after private jet slides off London airport runway

The plane reached up to 126mph before it skidded onto nearby grassy banks

Economics

1 week ago I went to one of London's worst tourist attractions and left sad and angry

The show has been ranked as the second most disappointing show in London in a Private Tours England study of TripAdvisor data. For me, it more than lived down to the hype

Politics

1 week ago Elon Musk’s xAI announces it has raised $20bn amid backlash over Grok deepfakes

AI company’s chatbot faces criticism over its generation of sexualized, nonconsensual images of women and girlsElon Musk’s artificial intelligence company has raised $20bn in its latest funding round, the startup announced Tuesday, even as its marquee chatbot Grok faces backlash over generating sexualized, nonconsensual images of women and underage girls.xAI’s Series E funding round featured big name investors, including Nvidia, Fidelity Management and Resource Company, Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, and Valor Equity Partners – the private investment firm of Musk’s longtime friend and former Doge member Antonio Gracias. The funding round exceeded its initial $15bn target, according to xAI’s press release. The company touted Grok’s image generation abilities in the announcement of its latest funding round Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Claire’s and The Original Factory Shop near collapse, putting 2,550 jobs at risk

Owner Modella starts insolvency proceedings for both chains, saying trading is ‘extremely challenging’The retailers Claire’s and The Original Factory Shop are on the brink of administration, putting 2,550 jobs at risk.Both chains are owned by Modella Capital, a private equity firm, which recently bought the high street arm of WH Smith – renamed TG Jones. Modella said in a statement that the climate on UK high streets was “extremely challenging” and data suggested “an alarming drop-off in pre-Christmas footfall”. Continue reading...

Society

1 week ago Burger King UK’s owner agrees proposed deal to buy Interpath

Private equity firm HIG Capital is selling Interpath five years after it bought the former restructuring arm of KPMG.

Economics

2 w. ago Anthony Joshua arrives Stansted Airport, London, on private jet

Anthony Joshua arrives Stansted Airport, London, on private jet  The Guardian Nigeria News

Politics

2 w. ago Another year, another manager – but it is unfair to paint Chelsea’s project as a flop | Jacob Steinberg

Enzo Maresca got the sack because of his actions. That does not mean the club’s structure needs a complete overhaulSome clubs build around their manager. Eddie Howe is hugely influential at Newcastle and Aston Villa are pretty much Unai Emery FC these days. Chelsea, though, have adopted an alternative model. They have a team of five sporting directors, led by Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, and do not want one person to hold all the power.Yet the question many are asking in the wake of Enzo Maresca’s demise is whether the template will yield success at the very highest level. It is never quiet at Chelsea. They are often busy in the transfer market, meaning there is an element of players coming and going, and they are now looking for their fifth permanent head coach since a consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, a private equity firm run by Behdad Eghbali and José E Feliciano, bought the club from Roman Abramovich in 2022. Continue reading...

Society

2 w. ago UK companies privatised more cheaply with bidders wary of London

UK companies privatised more cheaply with bidders wary of London  The Times

Events

2 w. ago Private equity firms sell assets to themselves at a record rate

So-called continuation vehicles set to account for a fifth of sales by the sector in 2025

Economics

2 w. ago CT, London private equity firms to back Spanish grocer purchase with $547M loan

CT, London private equity firms to back Spanish grocer purchase with $547M loan  Hartford Business Journal

Economics

3 w. ago See inside London's beautiful and unique private members' clubs

See inside London's beautiful and unique private members' clubs  National Geographic

Politics

3 w. ago Great Barrier Reef’s Hamilton Island to be bought by US private equity firm in reported $1.2bn sale

Blackstone says it has agreed to buy popular Whitsundays island from Australian winemaking familyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHamilton Island, a popular tropical holiday destination on the Great Barrier Reef, has been sold to a US private equity firm, reportedly for $1.2bn.New York-headquartered Blackstone – which owns the casino-hotel chain Crown Resorts – released a statement on Tuesday night announcing it had entered into an agreement to acquire the Hamilton Island resort from the Oatley family, subject to customary regulatory approvals. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago Anthony Joshua is Britain's most eligible bachelor, but can't find love: Single boxer, 36, earned £70M from Jake Paul fight

Anthony Joshua is a two-time world heavyweight champion who also won Team GB's crowning final medal at London 2012 - yet his private life has also prompted fascination.

Sport