Latest news with #ChrisJRatcliffe
The Star
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
UK police on alert for immigration protests near London this weekend
Police patrol during an anti-immigration protest, in London, Britain, October 26, 2024. REUTERS/Chris J Ratcliffe LONDON (Reuters) -British police will have hundreds of officers on duty this weekend to deal with protests linked to immigration, a regional police chief said on Wednesday, amid worries over possible rioting. Ben-Julian Harrington said he was aware demonstrations were being advertised for Saturday and Sunday in Epping, in the county of Essex to London's northeast, after protests over the last week which resulted in violent disorder offences. "We'll have a robust policing operation. Essex is safe. You will have hundreds of officers on duty," Harrington, the Essex chief constable, told a press conference. The protests occurred outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, about 20 miles north of London, that has been used to house asylum seekers. Five men have been charged with incidents of violent disorder in recent days, after police made 10 arrests following damage to vehicles and protesters throwing projectiles that injured eight officers. The police alert follows nationwide rioting last summer when racist unrest involving far-right supporters broke out after false reports on social media that a suspect in the murder of three girls was a radical Islamist migrant. The anniversary of those murders in Southport is July 29. Essex Police's focus is on protecting communities while allowing peaceful protest to take place, Harrington said. The Epping hotel has become the focal point for some anti-immigration protesters and pro-immigration groups after an Ethiopian asylum seeker living there was charged with sexual assault, harassment and inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity. He denies the charges, according to a BBC report. The man had arrived in Britain by boat from northern Europe eight days before the alleged incident on July 7, the BBC said, adding he had been remanded in custody. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to stop thousands of migrants arriving in Britain via small boats, but is struggling to do so. Official data published earlier this month showed nearly 20,000 asylum seekers arrived on small boats in the first six months of the year, marking a record high for the period. (Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Wall Street Journal
11-07-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Stocks to Watch Friday: Levi Strauss, BP, Coinbase
A Levi Strauss store in central London. The company expects tariffs to cause a two-to-three-cent dip in its annual earnings per share. (Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg News)
Forbes
19-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Whitbread Shares Drop As FTSE 100 Hotelier Announces Sales Drop
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg © 2024 Bloomberg Finance LP Signs of continued stress across its UK hotel and restaurant units pulled Whitbread's share price lower in Thursday trading. At £27.15 per share, the FTSE 100 leisure giant was last 2.7% lower on the day. Sales at the headline level fell 4% during the 13 weeks to 29 May, Whitbread said. At its Premier Inn hotel division – which is responsible for almost three-quarters of group turnover – sales flatlined in the three month period due to enduring weakness in its home territory. However, Whitbread continued to outperform the broader midscale and economy (M&E) accommodation market, with sales 1.7% ahead of the broader sub-sector. In its core UK operation, accommodation sales reversed 1.8% in the 13 weeks on a headline basis, to £485 million. Performance was especially weak in London, where revenues per available room (RevPAR) dropped 5.5% and average room rates reversed 3%. Occupancy dropped 2%, meanwhile, pulling total sales in the capital 2.4% lower to £117.2 million. Outside London, RevPAR declined 1.7% and occupancy levels fell 3.5%. Though average room rates rose 2.7%, this couldn't prevent total sales in the regions dropping 1.7% to £367.8 million. In Germany, total accommodation revenues rose 14.9%, to £53.4 million. RevPAR and average room rates increased 10.2% and 5.7% respectively, while occupancy levels improved 2.8%. Whitbread said that its German operation was 'led by the increasing maturity of our brand and estate, together with the benefit of our commercial initiatives.' Elsewhere, revenues across its UK restaurants tanked 16% during the quarter to £155.2 million. As with its hotels, sales across its eateries (which include the likes of Beefeater and Brewers Fayre) have disappointed due to lasting pressure on consumer spending. This pulled food and beverage sales at group level 14% lower. Corresponding sales in Germany rose 22.1%. Commenting on Whitbread's UK sales, chief executive Dominic Paul said that 'we continue to outperform against a challenging market backdrop, with the strength of our brand and commercial program continuing to drive total accommodation sales and RevPAR growth ahead of the market.' Paul added that 'whilst the short-lead nature of our business means that our forward visibility remains limited, our forward booked position is ahead of last year and we remain confident that we can continue to outperform the market.' Following what he described as 'another strong performance' in Germany, Paul said that the Central European operation remains on track to move into profit this year. He noted that 'we continue to execute our strategic priorities at pace and are making excellent progress with our Accelerating Growth Plan and network expansion in both the UK and Germany.' Under its five-year Accelerating Growth Plan, Whitbread plans to create 3,500 more hotel rooms by converting underperforming restaurant space. Analyst Derren Nathan of Hargreaves Lansdown commented that the FTSE 100 company "continues to outperform the wider market, but when you're the UK's largest hotel brand there's little place to hide from challenging conditions.' He said that 'while forward bookings in the UK are ahead of last year, that doesn't provide a huge cushion if conditions don't improve.' However, Nathan added that 'Whitbread is a quality operator that's doing all it can to improve efficiency, and optimise its estate through initiatives such as converting low performing restaurants into additional room space.'
Straits Times
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Comedian Russell Brand appears in UK court over rape and sex assault charges
British actor and comedian Russell Brand, who has been charged with rape and multiple counts of sex assault appears at Westminster Magistrates' Court, in London, Britain, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Chris J Ratcliffe British actor and comedian Russell Brand, who has been charged with rape and multiple counts of sex assault appears at Westminster Magistrates' Court, in London, Britain, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Chris J Ratcliffe British actor and comedian Russell Brand, who has been charged with rape and multiple counts of sex assault appears at Westminster Magistrates' Court, in London, Britain, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Chris J Ratcliffe British actor and comedian Russell Brand, who has been charged with rape and multiple counts of sex assault appears at Westminster Magistrates' Court, in London, Britain, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso British actor and comedian Russell Brand, who has been charged with rape and multiple counts of sex assault appears at Westminster Magistrates' Court, in London, Britain, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Chris J Ratcliffe LONDON - British actor and comedian Russell Brand appeared in a London court on Friday to face charges of rape and multiple counts of sex assault in cases relating to four separate women more than two decades ago. Brand, once one of Britain's most high-profile broadcasters and former husband of U.S. pop singer Katy Perry, has consistently denied having non-consensual sex since allegations about him were first aired two years ago. The 49-year-old comedian, wearing sunglasses and a dark shirt unbuttoned to his chest, slowly picked his way through a throng of reporters and cameramen into Westminster Magistrates' Court without speaking. In the dock, he was read out the charges he faced of rape, oral rape, indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault involving the four women between 1999 and 2005. He stared ahead as prosecutor Suki Dhadda detailed a summary of the charges which involved raping a woman in her hotel room, groping one of the women's breasts and buttocks, and trying to pull another of the complainants into a toilet. He did not enter a plea, and spoke only to confirm his name and address and to thank the judge, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring, when he said he was free to leave on conditional bail until his next hearing at London's Old Bailey court on May 30. "You face a number of allegations," Goldspring told him, saying Brand risked prison or a fine if he did not attend court. After the charges were first announced last month, Brand said in a video statement posted to social media that in his younger days, before getting married and having children, he had been a fool and a sex addict but "what I never was, was a rapist". "I have never engaged in non-consensual activity," he said in the video. "I'm now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court and I'm incredibly grateful for that." In the 2000s, Brand was a regular on British screens, known for his flamboyant style and appearance. He worked for the BBC and starred in a number of films including "Get Him to the Greek" before marrying Perry in 2010. They divorced 14 months later. By the early 2020s, he had faded from mainstream culture, appearing primarily on his internet channel where he airs his views on U.S. politics and free speech. In September 2023, the Sunday Times newspaper and Channel 4 TV's documentary show "Dispatches" reported allegations of sex offences against him, and London police opened an investigation some weeks later. Brand, who said last year he had become a Christian, rejected those accusations. "These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies. And as I've written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous," he said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
