Hong Kong is home to a special kind of star: the bar that holds the number one spot on the prestigious list of the World’s 50 Best Bars.

While I was there in October, I took the opportunity to experience it for myself. But despite the buzz and international acclaim, I left feeling… underwhelmed.

Opened in June 2023, Bar Leone is the brainchild of multi-award-winning Italian bartender Lorenzo Antinori.

The concept leans heavy on nostalgia, early ’90s cinema and sports culture, all wrapped in a colonial-style interior designed to evoke the casual charm of a Roman street bar. In theory, it sounds warm and transportive. In reality, it felt restrained to the point of bland.

I can’t help but think this place has been a victim of its own success; that being seen as ‘the best’ has actually, sort of, ruined it.

Like many Hong Kong establishments, Bar Leone is unassuming.

Street-level, dimly lit, and sparsely decorated, the space lacks the kind of visual drama or personality you might expect from a venue crowned ‘best in the world’.

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Inside, the room feels tight and crowded, with small tables that wobble when leaned on and little separation between guests. Rather than buzzing, it felt cramped, more functional than atmospheric.

And before we get to the drinks, there’s the wait.

Getting through the door of Bar Leone requires patience and a willingness to check WhatsApp obsessively. On arrival, a hostess takes your number and places you on a digital waitlist that updates sporadically.

I am told that five-hour waits are not uncommon. I started at number 57 and waited two and a half hours to reach the top three.

At one point, a drunk man in a dishevelled suit wielding a bamboo stick charged the entrance, only to be politely informed that he’d need to rejoin the digital queue.

‘Can we stay here, do you have a tent?’ he shouted. Welcome to the hunger games. 

Moments like this underline just how subjective lists like the World’s 50 Best Bars can be. Watching people endure hours-long waits made me wonder: was this about genuine love for the bar, or a desire to be part of the prestige attached to it?

For me, exclusivity does not mean quality. And waiting hours for what ultimately felt like a straightforward bar experience isn’t my idea of best in show. The interior, while tasteful, lacked imagination.

The vibe skewed more chaotic than convivial. Service, though polite, felt stretched, with water glasses going unrefilled, and once seated, attention was minimal.

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Even the basics faltered. Last orders were called at 11:30pm, which is unusually early for Hong Kong’s buzzing nightlife scene, where bars commonly stay open until around 2am, and clubs run even later.

That’s the norm in nightlife districts such as Lan Kwai Fong and Soho, where late-night crowds never peak until after midnight.

So, when a bar with global plaudits cuts service so early, it feels like a missed opportunity, especially in a city built for late-night drinking.

These may sound like small details, but at this level, they matter. Isn’t this the bare minimum of bar etiquette?

To be fair, and this matters, the cocktails were genuinely excellent.

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My olive oil sour was rich, balanced, and memorable. It was the kind of drink you stop talking mid-sentence to appreciate.

I didn’t get to try the food (by the time I was seated, I had just 45 minutes before closing), but TikTok has been relentless in flaunting a viral mortadella sandwich, which looks decadent and tempting.

For the uninitiated, the World’s 50 Best Bars list is often described as the Oscars of cocktail culture. Judged by hundreds of industry professionals worldwide, venues are assessed on creativity, technical skill, design, and overall experience.

While undeniably prestigious, the process is famously opaque. Voters are anonymous, criteria are broad, and results inevitably reflect prevailing tastes and trends, which can amplify hype just as much as quality.

Standing in the crowded entryway during my short stay, I couldn’t help but question Leone’s title.

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While the drinks were outstanding, the overall experience didn’t live up to the promise. A number one bar, to me, should deliver consistency, comfort, and hospitality alongside innovation, not just one exceptional cocktail before ushering guests out the door.

So, is it worth the visit? In my opinion, no.

I understand why both judges and the public are drawn to Bar Leone: the pedigree, the drinks, the exclusivity. But the waitlist alone is enough to deter me from returning, especially when Hong Kong is packed with bars that offer equally strong cocktails and a more generous, enjoyable experience.

Places like Muis or Peridot, for example, impressed me far more. Both deliver inventive drinks without the chaos, offer warmer service, and create impressive, aesthetic and stimulating spaces where you want to linger.

But hey, maybe I was just cranky from the wait.

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DARTS CHIEF Matt Porter has hinted that the PDC will change the Premier League Darts format in the future.

The tournament kicked off on Thursday with Michael van Gerwen winning the opening night in Newcastle.

The format of the Premier League Darts sees the eight players take each other on in a weekly knockout competition.

Each player faces each other at least once in the opening round, before it is then repeated in Weeks 9 to 15.

The format has faced criticism from fans who claim to be bored with repeated match-ups in the later stages of each night.

Porter has admitted that the format will change at some point, but presently, there is still enough interest as it is.

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He told the Metro: “We will change it at some point, but at the moment you can only look at the numbers that are in front of you.

“The live crowd and the TV audience, the numbers are telling us that the format is working.

“If people stop buying tickets or start changing the channel then it wouldn’t be working, but every metric is improving.

Porter did then reaffirmed that the format will be changed in the future.

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He added: “It’s not a format that will keep forever because we never keep any format forever in the Premier League.

“The format must have changed half a dozen times in the 20 years of the event.

“But at the moment, it’s still the right format, we believe, for what we’ve got.”

Porter is aware of the criticism the current format is facing and also admitted that sometimes fans will not get what they want at the oche.

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He said: “I would accept that that is the biggest criticism of it. There is a lot of repetition.

“But you’re looking at it through the eyes of somebody who’s perhaps watching it on TV every week.

“If you’re in Nottingham, you want to see [Luke] Littler vs [Luke] Humphries.

“If you’re in Aberdeen, you might want to see the same, and if you’re in Brighton, you might want to see the same.

“It’s very difficult to turn around to people and say, ‘oh, sorry, you can’t see the biggest matchup in your city.’”

DELE ALLI has been snubbed from a move to League Two following his exit from Como.

The midfielder left the Serie A side in September 2025 and is currently a free agent.

Alli, 29, made just one appearance during his time in Italy, which ended after NINE minutes and with a red card.

It was his only taste of action on the pitch since he left Besiktas in February 2023.

He was a substitute in the 2-1 loss to AC Milan but was shown a red card in injury time for a foul on Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Following the brief outing manage Cesc Fabregas left him on the outskirts of the team until his contract was terminated.

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Since leaving Como, Alli has been left as a free agent despite multiple rumours linking him to clubs.

Rumours had also suggested he was closing in on a romantic return to MK Dons – where he made his professional debut at the age of 16.

But manager Paul Warne has insisted that there is nothing in the rumours.

He told the MK Citizen: “I haven’t heard anything about that.

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“There is absolutely no truth to it, unless I leave here and the owner pulls me aside!

“I’ve heard nothing, I’ve not spoken to him, we don’t know each other, we don’t have phone numbers, there’s no text banter.

“I’ve not seen him on the training pitch, he’s not asked to come and walk my dog!

“If you want to come here, it doesn’t matter if you’re one of the best players this club has ever had; you’ve still got to at least try and get on my good side!

Dele Alli’s club career by numbers

Here is a look at Dele Alli’s club career…

Milton Keynes Dons, 2012–2015

Tottenham Hotspur, 2015–2022

Milton Keynes Dons (loan), 2015

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Everton, 2022–2024

Beşiktaş (loan), 2022–2023

Como, 2025

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“I don’t know who started that rumour, but it’s crazy season.”

Reports have also suggested that there is still some interest in Alli with clubs in Spain taking a look.

It is claimed that four Spanish sides could be tempted to hand him a deal until the end of the season.

The clubs are said be Real Oviedo, Sevilla, Elche and Getafe who are all in LaLiga.

The order, issued on Friday, does not specify the rate that could be imposed, but uses 25% as an example. It says the tariff could apply to goods imported into the US from any nation that “directly or indirectly purchases, imports, or otherwise acquires any goods or services from Iran”.

Nothing elevates a present like beautiful wrapping; and when it comes to achieving a professional-level finish, who better to turn to for advice than one of the UK’s leading gift-wrapping experts?

When Jane Means started her own gift-wrapping business 31 years ago after spotting a gap in the market for such a service, it was an art that was rather undervalued in the UK. Now, she employs a team of 20 and offers gift-wrapping courses online and in person. She has also wrapped for the royal household and a host of luxury brands including Dior, Ralph Lauren and Tiffany and has launched her own line in wrapping paper, ribbons, tags and tape.

With Valentine’s Day approaching, we asked for her expert tips for wrapping any shape of present. For the low-down, see Jane’s step-by-step guides below.

You will need:

• Good-quality paper
• Tissue paper
• Scissors
• Double-sided tape
• Ribbons

How to wrap a bottle

Japan said goodbye to its last two giant pandas on January 27, as twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei were returned from their host country to China. Their departure has left Japan without any pandas for the first time since 1972, when Tokyo and Beijing normalised diplomatic ties.

The Chinese government has long pursued a strategy of giving or loaning giant pandas, which are found exclusively in China, to other countries to strengthen international ties and boost its global image. Widely known as “panda diplomacy”, this practice has seen more than 30 pandas sent to – or born in – Japan over the past 50 or so years.

However, relations between Tokyo and Beijing are currently tense. Comments made in November by Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, that her country could respond militarily to a Chinese attack on Taiwan prompted an angry response from officials in Beijing.

And soon after, China announced it would be recalling Japan’s last two pandas from the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo a month ahead of schedule. The Tokyo metropolitan government had been negotiating with China to extend the pandas’ stay or loan new bears in their place. But these talks were put on hold and the pandas have subsequently been returned.

Panda diplomacy

China’s practice of sending pandas to foreign countries can be traced to the 7th century, when Empress Wu Zetian gifted two bears to Japan as a gesture of goodwill. However, modern panda diplomacy is often associated with the 1970s. That decade saw China open up and gift pandas to a number of major economies in an attempt to build ties, including the US and Japan in 1972, France in 1973 and the UK in 1974.

Due to declining wild panda populations, China stopped gifting pandas to other countries by 1984. Pandas were instead sent to foreign zoos on long-term loans, often lasting up to 15 years, with countries paying as much as US$1 million (£738,000) in “conservation fees” per year to keep them.

By the peak of panda diplomacy in 2019, a total of 21 countries or territories outside of China, Macau and Hong Kong had pandas. These were South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Qatar, Russia, Taiwan, Germany, Spain, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Mexico, Australia, Thailand, Finland, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, US and UK. That number has now dropped to 16.

One reason for this decline is that China has to be careful about which countries it chooses to engage in panda diplomacy with. Many Chinese people regard the giant panda as a national treasure, with the animal carrying deep emotional significance. Because of their status, the perceived mistreatment of pandas abroad can cause Beijing to receive intense backlash from nationalist circles at home.

For instance, when panda Le Le died of natural causes at Memphis Zoo in the US in 2023 and photos of his female companion Ya Ya looking thin and sickly surfaced online, speculation arose on Chinese social media that the US had mishandled the pandas. Some went as far as to accuse Chinese authorities of colluding with the zoo to cover up the incident.

For many of these people, the alleged mistreatment of the pandas was symbolic of what they saw as the US’s bullying of China. As one comment on the Weibo Chinese social media platform put it: “Treating our national treasure with such an attitude is an outright provocation of China”. Despite insistence by the Chinese foreign ministry that both pandas had been “well taken care of” in the US, Ya Ya’s stay was not extended.

The desire to avoid more public backlash may help explain why China recalled Japan’s last two pandas early and did not extend their stay. With tensions between China and Japan running high, it would have been difficult for officials in Beijing to justify why these cherished national symbols should stay in the hands of what many Chinese people see as a belligerent rival.

Panda diplomacy remains an effective tool of soft power for China. This was demonstrated by the 178,000 visitors that flocked to Ueno Zoo to catch a glimpse of Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei in the month after it was announced they would be returned. The public response was so strong that the zoo had to restrict visitor numbers to the panda viewing area to 4,800 people per day, with each visit limited to one minute.

Yet there are limits to using pandas as diplomatic tools, and not just due to the strength of nationalist feeling within China towards them. China’s practice of sending pandas to foreign nations has been heavily criticised by conservationists and animal advocates, who argue the bears are used as pawns in a game of geopolitical chess.

There are also question marks over whether the practice enhances conservation. While foreign zoos that host pandas send China millions of US dollars a year in conservation fees, the species is currently listed as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Panda diplomacy is a delicate balancing act. While it can help strengthen China’s international relationships, it also exposes Beijing to public backlash whenever its furry ambassadors become entangled in political disputes or welfare controversies.

For a largely sedate and elegant spectacle, the Winter Olympics opening ceremony still became an outlet for rage in Milan.

Pleas from International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry to be respectful were ignored when four Israelis entered the San Siro in the athlete parade.

You had to listen carefully, but boos could be heard over the music in the vast stadium.

Simultaneous parades were held at Games clusters across northern Italy – while jeering was reported in Predazzo, there were cheers when Israelis marched in the mountain resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Israel has endured more harrowing days at the Olympics, with 11 of their athletes murdered by Palestinian terrorists in a massacre at Munich in 1972.

For these Olympics, the IOC faced pressure to ban Israel from competing over the thousands killed in the post-7 October war in Gaza, but rejected those calls.

The jeering demonstrated the animosity of some in the crowd towards the Jewish state, with hostility over conflict and geopolitical tensions hard to escape in the ceremony.

Read more: Best pictures from Winter Olympics opening day

Fractures between Europe and the United States were also evident.

While American athletes entered to cheers, the brief appearance of vice president JD Vance, waving Stars and Stripes flags with wife, Usha, did prompt more booing and whistling.

Anger against the Trump administration has been evident in the buildup to the Games, with protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents being here to protect the US delegation, weeks after their personnel killed two American citizens.

But if you were watching on television, you probably didn’t hear the booing – drowned out by music or commentators.

Italians will have revelled in hearing Mariah Carey paying homage to the hosts by singing iconic 1950s hit Volare in Italian.

Maybe you did hear the cheers for Ukraine, a show of solidarity four years into the full-scale invasion by Russia, whose team remains banned.

There were enthusiastic roars, too, for Venezuela following Trump’s military interventions.

The IOC wanted to show a world uniting through sport, hoping these Games are a platform for compassion to shine rather than conflict.

“You’ll show us that strength isn’t just about winning,” Ms Coventry told athletes in her address. “It’s about courage, empathy and heart.”

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It is about a vast Olympics. For the next two weeks, five sporting clusters across northern Italy will be in the sporting spotlight.

An Olympic Games has never been as sprawling across such a large footprint. It is an even wider platform-to-platform.

But Ms Coventry told her first opening ceremony leading the Olympics that “when we see rivals embrace at the finish line, we are reminded that we can choose respect”.

So what is the one thing I would ask the Chancellor for right now? Not just for London, but for the whole of the UK? It’s what we’ve all been crying out for — a sector-specific VAT reduction. Sunak did it when he was Chancellor, coming out of Covid, and it undoubtedly saved many businesses and jobs. I recently met Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Lib Dems, and she fully supported a VAT reduction. Even a reduction to thirteen per cent would still make us the 26th most taxed country in Europe in terms of hospitality, where the average is in the region of nine per cent. Incidentally, at the Night Time Industries Association conference in 2023, all three northern mayors, Andy Burnham, Steve Rotheram and Tracey Brabin, agreed.