Shortly after a terminal diagnosis in April, the journalist Mark Edmonds packed a small car with treats for his beloved dog Roxy, and boxes of cancer drugs for himself, and drove 1,400 miles to southern Italy, writes Bill Akass.
He had booked a villa in Puglia for a whole month and hosted a rotating group of friends and family including many of his former colleagues from newspapers including the Sunday Times Magazine where he had been deputy editor.
The trip was cut short because of his failing health. But Edmonds continued to arrange raucous lunches and get-togethers between gruelling bouts of chemotherapy until shortly before he died, aged 63, on Monday night, peacefully and with friends and family at his bedside, in St John’s Hospice in north London.
Even in his hospital bed, groggy from painkillers, Edmonds cracked jokes, mostly at the expense of friends who had stayed loyal to him over the years despite – and maybe because of – his caustic humour.
Born David Mark Edmonds, but preferring to use his middle name, Edmonds began his career on the Hampstead and Highgate Express after journalism training at the London College of Printing. His first job included restaurant reviews, sparking a lifelong culinary passion.
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Around this time Edmonds also wrote a well-received book, Inside Soho, about an area he loved especially for the personalities who later congregated at the Groucho club where he became a member.
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He moved into feature writing, hard investigative reporting came later, and worked his way up from She magazine and Observer supplements to executive positions on the Daily Telegraph (property editor 1997-1999), the Financial Times (executive editor 1999-2000) and the Daily Mail as assistant features editor from 2000-2004.
There was also a brief foray into digital publishing for a property website before the dotcom crash.
Another one of his proteges, the writer Katie Glass, said: “I met him 15 years ago when I was one of his ‘young uns’. He played up being a curmudgeonly sexist with outrageous nicknames for the women he worked with and endless stories about Paul Dacre’s ‘vagina monologues’. He’d guffaw as he told me my features were ‘shit’. But he was also very funny and kind and a thrilling connection to an old Fleet Street I never got to see. When he finally said a feature I wrote was ‘okay’ it was like winning a press award.”
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His death at only 63 from liver and pancreatic cancer – what AA Gill whom Mark edited for many years at The Sunday Times Magazine termed ‘the full English’ – was marked with huge sadness by those who knew him and huge hilarity on a mates Whatsapp group where some of his many bon mots were celebrated.
I was lucky enough to go and see him a few days before his death. Illness had not dulled his wit or his love of talking about the “old days”. He chuckled through his oxygen mask as he reminisced about being summoned in with a bunch of other hacks by Telegraph managing editor Jeremy Deedes back in the day for a “serious chat about expenses”.
“Chaps,” said Deedes. “We’ve really got to cut back. It’s fine to take a black cab to the pub but you can’t just leave them outside with the meter running anymore.”
I first met Mark in my early 20s. He’d take me out to All Bar One for fish and chips, treacle tart and lashings of red. He always called me “Bombs” – short for “Bouncing Bombs” which what he said I reminded him of as I walked across the Telegraph office. But beneath the banter and ornery manner he was kind and shrewd with a huge gift for friendship.
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Journalism was his life, he revelled in a well-turned tale, particularly his own. “I loved his enjoyment of his own ‘gags’”, remembered Matt Curtis who worked with Mark as design editor of the Sunday Times Magazine. “However much he made me smile he would be enjoying the joke the most. Like we were all just playing parts in his comic melodrama… I was his hipster-woke-cxxt”.
Mark died as he lived. “I saw him at a Christmas party in early December 2022 when he had just been diagnosed with cancer,” remembered his old friend and colleague Margarette Driscoll. “Anyone else would have been panicking or frightened but Mark was typically phlegmatic: he told me he’d decided to absorb the news the old-fashioned journalist way by having a decent lunch every day till Christmas.”
In his last days at the hospice he was on his mates Whatsapp group chuckling over old times, lapping up the Life in the Day that was written for his leaving do from The Sunday Times. He could always take a joke.
His old editor at The Sunday Times Martin Ivens said: “Mark was a fine journalist of the old school who knew how to move with the times. He had wit and flair and was always fun.”
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‘He gave me Ghislaine Maxwell’s Black Book’
Mark was a dear friend, a source of great mischief and one of those people who populated the old Fleet Street of fond, booze-sodden memories, writes John Sweeney.
Deep voiced, acerbic, with a laugh like Sid James when Babs Windsor pops her bra, he was forever rubbishing people – me, especially – “low-rent” was a favourite barb. He could play the misanthropic pub bore to a tee. But also the other thing.
When my luck was down, he gave me Ghislaine Maxwell’s Black Book and I made a podcast out of it. That’s just one episode of his great generosity. Mark will be sorely missed by everyone who has a sense of fun and cares about the truth untold.
Mark Edmonds: Born on 6 April 1961 in Ealing. Died 9 September 2024, St John’s Hospice, St John’s Wood, London
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The Kerala bench of the GST Authority for Advance Ruling (AAR) ruled that the concessionaire agreement between the AAI (Airport Authority of India) and Adani Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd is liable to GST since it is not a “transfer of business” but supply of services.
This ruling is in direct conflict with rulings passed by the Appellate Authority for Advance Ruling (AAAR) in Rajasthan and Gujarat regarding the transfers of Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports, respectively. These state bodies exempted GST on almost identical transfers.
Back in March 2023, the Rajasthan bench of AAR said that the considerations received from the transfer of running business of whole airport operations are a “tax neutral supply”, which could persuade similar transfers in other locations in India. However, the almost identical agreement between Adani’s airport arm and AAI is now treated differently.
The 2021 handover of the Thiruvananthapuram airport was met with strong political opposition from both the ruling left LDF and opposing UDF alliances. However, it garnered local support in Thiruvananthapuram when social media groups, including IT professionals and residents, actively lobbied for better amenities, which, according to them, were allegedly absent in the capital city airport when compared to the PPP facilities at Cochin International Airport.
According to GST law, the transfer of a business as a going concern, as a whole or an independent part thereof, is considered a service, and such supplies are exempt from the goods and services tax. The Rajasthan AAR ruled in 2023 that the 2021 Jaipur Airport pact was a transfer of going concern and, therefore, GST exempt.
Did Thiruvananthapuram get the short end of the stick?
In 2021 and 2022, both Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh benches of AAR also ruled that business arrangements between AAI and airport proceeds in a similar manner were covered under transfer of going concern.
However, the invoice raised by AAI for reimbursement of salary and staff cost on Adani Jaipur International Airport Ltd fell under “supply of services” and hence taxable at 18% under GST, as per the Rajasthan AAR ruling.
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In contrast, the Kerala ruling for Thiruvananthapuram International Airport by the state AAR said that the deal did not constitute “a transfer of business” and, therefore, will not be treated as “a transfer as going concern”. It also noted that “assets have not been transferred”, and GST is payable on the amounts received as a consideration for leasing or supply of assets to the concessionaire, that is, Adani Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd. These leased assets include critical aeronautical items required to operate the airport.
The Kerala AAR bench went even further and slapped GST on the annual concession fees charged by AAI from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd as well.
Will the Kerala GST ruling hamper the development of Thiruvananthapuram International Airport?
Last month, Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) announced a Rs 1,300 crore investment into the expansion of Thiruvananthapuram International Airport under the name “Project Anantha”.
With an aim to do a significant overhaul of the infrastructure by 2027, the expansion includes an extended renewal of the terminal, with a focus on Kerala’s culture and heritage. It remains to be seen what will happen to the plan now that there are tax implications in the mix.
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AMRG & Associates Senior Partner Rajat Mohan noted Kerala AAR’s contrasting stance, saying, “this discrepancy highlights the need for clearer guidance at a national level to ensure uniformity, as businesses navigating such transactions could face inconsistent tax treatment.” The only similarity with the GST body’s treatment of the identical Jaipur deal was the 18 per cent GST levied on the invoices raised by AAI for reimbursement of salary and staff cost since they come under “supply of services”.
The way smart energy meters work in northern England and Scotland is causing issues for customers, BBC Panorama has been told.
The body that represents energy companies, Energy UK, has confirmed for the first time there is a regional divide – because of the way meters send usage data back to suppliers.
The technology used in the north can affect whether smart meters work properly – and could leave customers having to submit manual readings and receiving estimated bills.
The issues have also been confirmed by meter engineers who have spoken to the BBC.
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In the Midlands, Wales and southern England, all meters use wireless cellular technology – similar to mobile phones – to send data to energy providers. If a signal is not strong enough, it can be boosted by an aerial.
But in northern England and Scotland, meters instead rely on radio frequencies and no such fix is available.
It is a legal requirement, the government says, for suppliers to make sure smart meters are working and it expects suppliers to “resolve all issues at a much faster pace”.
The mass roll-out of smart meters began 12 years ago, with the goal of helping people save money on their bills, while lowering carbon emissions as part of the government’s net zero plan.
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By showing how much energy households are using, and how much it is costing, meters are intended to encourage people to use more energy at times of day when it is cheaper – because there is a surplus while most are in bed and factories are closed.
As more energy comes from renewable sources, smart meters will form a vital part of a “smart grid”, allowing consumers’ demand for energy to match the available supply, minute-by-minute.
The cost of installing smart meters across Great Britain is estimated to be £13.5bn, according to the government. There are 36 million such devices in England, Wales and Scotland – but recent government figures show 3.5 million of them are not working properly.
As a rule of thumb, smart meters in the northern region designed to connect to the radio signal have two small indicator lights on the communications hub, fitted to the top of the smart meter. The hubs fitted to smart meters in central and southern regions, receiving the cellular signal, usually have five of these indicator lights.
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Northern Ireland’s energy market is separate with its own rules and regulator – and a consultation on a proposed smart meter roll-out is taking place.
Hartesh Battu, a doctor from Glasgow, has had six different smart meters, fitted by two energy suppliers, none of which have worked. “I just think it’s astonishingly bad in terms of the technology,” he told us. “I do feel like, ‘how could billions of pounds be spent on something so bad?’”
He told the BBC he had wanted a smart meter so he could save energy on his bills and take advantage of a night-time rate that would make it cheaper to charge his electric car.
His current energy supplier, Octopus Energy, told him the problem was down to signal issues in the area and may be because he lived “far up north” – reasoning that left him feeling deeply unimpressed. “I just thought that was a bit bonkers because I live in Glasgow, I’m hardly up in Shetland, I’m not rural at all.”
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When the mass roll-out started, the decision to use radio signals across northern England and Scotland – rather than the mobile technology further south – was because it was thought the signals would be able to travel far across the hills and mountains, reaching more rural communities more easily.
But Energy UK admits there are problems regarding how the radio signals transmit. “There are issues in the north,” chief executive Dhara Vyas told us.
She said there were “live conversations” within the industry about increasing the network range in the north of England and Scotland.
This technological divide has been experienced by smart meter engineers who have spoken anonymously to Panorama.
One engineer, “Ahmed” told us there were more problems in northern England and Scotland on average, adding that the technology further south was more up to date.
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“You can end up going to someone’s house at the bottom of a mountain in the north and the radio frequency can’t get through. But there could be a good 3G signal nearby and that could get through – the customer doesn’t know that,” he said.
Another engineer, “Steve” working for a major energy supplier in Merseyside, who has experience of installing meters in homes on both sides of the regional divide, told us it was “far easier to complete a successful installation” in the south and Midlands where he could use the cellular network.
Smart meters are supposed to make paying our energy bills easier and cheaper. But is that the whole story?
Watch now on BBC iPlayer– or on BBC One on Monday 11 November at 20:00 (20:30 in Wales and Northern Ireland).
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The original roll-out of smart meters is a “textbook example of a project failure”, Sir Dieter Helm, a former government advisor on energy policy, told Panorama.
He believes the Coalition government made several mistakes that led to the roll-out taking too long and costing too much money. The decision to divide the communications network in two was one such error, he says, which meant there “were bound to be problems and right from the word go”.
Energy suppliers do not have direct control over the communication network – in both the north and south. Instead it is run by an organisation known as the Data Communications Company (DCC) and is operated by outsourcing company, Capita.
Panorama contacted Dr Battu’s energy supplier, Octopus Energy, about the problems he was having with his meter. The company said the situation was “frustrating” because government regulations dictated it must use the radio-wave technology to provide a signal to Dr Battu’s meter – and that it was not permitted to access the local 3G signal instead.
However, in what they described as “a highly unusual move”, Octopus told us that it had in fact decided to break the rules and fix his meter by connecting it to the mobile network. It added that “regulation has not moved with technology”.
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Meter engineer, “Alan”, agrees with Octopus that the rules are too rigid. When he encounters problems in the north with radio-wave technology, especially in built up areas, he says he wishes he could access the cellular network.
“It shouldn’t be an either-or. We should be able to use both.”
Capita told the BBC it advised energy suppliers against using alternative technological solutions, because that would mean there was no contractual or consumer protection for the meter user to ensure service was maintained or problems addressed.
It said the network it runs provides 99.3% coverage across Great Britain, adding that it was “fully committed to resolving connection issues”.
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In a statement it added: “The DCC is actively working with government to provide a future-proof 4G technology solution for the whole of Britain.”
Most energy users pay a little bit extra on their bills towards the cost of installing and fixing smart meters. That is supposed to be offset by the savings they could make and the environmental benefits.
And the latest figures show that nine in 10 smart meters are working fine. But a recent survey by Citizens’ Advice suggests one in five households have had to regularly send manual meter readings because their smart meters haven’t worked properly.
Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis told the BBC he was supportive of the concept of smart meters, but the reality had not matched up.
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“I find it incredibly frustrating how bad the roll-out has been, it has taken far too long, it has cost billions. All our bills are higher because of it, and we haven’t yet reaped the benefit because it hasn’t been done right. Somebody needs to grab the bull by the horns and make the smart meter system finally work.”
The government told Panorama that “while over 90% of smart meters are operating normally’’ the number not working properly was “still too high” and, as a result, “many households are missing out on cheaper, flexible tariffs”.
It also said that a recent customer experience survey by Ofgem “found no statistically significant differences” in the proportion of customers reporting that their meter was not sending readings to their suppliers for areas in, or predominantly in, the north.
Most experts agree smart meters can help to deliver lower bills and lower carbon emissions. But if the tech problems continue, that could put people off having them and undermine the government’s goal of getting them into every home.
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
China’s markets fell on Monday after a fiscal stimulus package announced by authorities last week to help shore up its economy underwhelmed investors.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index declined 2.1 per cent, while mainland China’s CSI 300 edged lower. Brent crude, the international oil benchmark affected by the outlook for China demand, was trading 0.4 per cent lower at $73.50 a barrel.
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Chinese equities had climbed over the past week with expectations of more details on Beijing’s stimulus plan following a monetary policy blitz at the end of September. But investors were disappointed by the lack of measures targeting consumption, said analysts.
“Investors are unwinding bullish bets as they feel the major event is over and they are a bit let down,” said Jason Lui, head of Asia-Pacific equities and derivatives strategy at BNP Paribas. Lui noted that mainland markets were benefiting from increased retail participation and the central bank’s new lending facilities.
Traders in options markets sold down their Chinese equity positions in Hong Kong, implying they did not believe the fiscal stimulus would lead to any major market moves. Six-month at-the-money options for the Hang Seng China Enterprises index were down 8.5 per cent.
China’s rubber-stamp parliament, the National People’s Congress, on Friday announced a $1.4tn package to restructure local government debt. The long-awaited fiscal plan included authorising local governments to issue bonds to restructure much of a “hidden” debt pile worth about Rmb14tn ($2tn).
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Finance minister Lan Fo’an said the government was “studying” additional measures to recapitalise big banks and strengthen consumption but did not provide more details.
The country’s central bank on Monday fixed trading on the renminbi at its lowest level in a year, at Rmb7.18 a dollar, 0.5 per cent lower than Friday’s fix. The dollar strengthened by 0.1 per cent to $105.1 against of a basket of six currencies.
The weaker exchange rate suggests downward pressure on the renminbi from investment outflows and traders positioning for president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration and potential trade tensions with China.
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“With perceived emphasis on stabilisation rather than stimulus, and no measures to facilitate bank recapitalisation and/or boost consumption, we think this will come as a disappointment for stock investors,” wrote analysts at Nomura.
Investor focus has shifted to the Central Economic Work Conference, an agenda-setting economic meeting held by authorities in early December in Beijing, for more stimulus details.
“Constant delays and underwhelming stimulus might remind some investors of Green Day’s ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ — a song that echoes the feeling of repeated disappointments,” added Nomura.
Different retirement ages for pilots of Air India and those of Vistara could be a potential issue, with reports suggesting that a section of the flying officers are unhappy as the merger between both carriers gets underway this week.
Formerly owned by the government, Air India came under the Tata fold in 2022. The latest merger with Vistara, which is supposed to be concluded later this week, has also raised questions regarding the confusion about the retirement of pilots.
As of now, the retirement age for pilots and staff is 58 years at Air India and 60 years at Vistara. Current DGCA regulations allow pilots to fly up to the age of 65. Reports say that management has yet to provide a statement regarding the same to clear any brewing discord.
“While the management was prompt in bringing parity in terms of salary structure and other working conditions of the employees of the two airlines as part of the merger process, it is yet to address the issue of two different retirement age limits,” an anonymous source told PTI.
Will Singapore Airlines’ investment help transform Air India?
Singapore Airlines recently announced that it would invest Rs 3,194.5 crore in the merged Air India entity.
This adds to the merger consideration of 49 per cent interest in Vistara and Rs 2,058.5 crore in cash from Singapore Airlines (SIA) in exchange for a 25.1 per cent stake in the merged carrier.
“SIA’s additional capital injection is expected to be Rs 3,194.5 crore (about SGD 498 million), based on Tata’s funding to Air India to date. This will occur after the completion of the merger and within November 2024 through subscription to new Air India shares,” read a statement by Singapore Airlines.
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Messages from the archive of Rutherford Hall, critical communications strategist
WhatsApp to Stephen: What? And I thought I was the tough nut in this partnership. We are not going to go round to staff’s houses when they are off sick to check they are really ill.
WhatsApp to Stephen: Two reasons. Number 1: we are not medically qualified. Number 2: this idea is being championed by a Tesla factory in Germany. Which part of “Tesla factory in Germany” screams “best of breed staff relations” at you?
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WhatsApp to Stephen: Seriously, is there anything more scary than the thought of Elon at your front door with a large thermometer? Listen, I know some of the team wind us up sometimes but our staff don’t throw sickies or plead illness. We are a professional outfit. Anyway forget about your plans to boost team morale. There’s big news out of Saudi.
WhatsApp to Stephen: Yeah, news reports suggest the kingdom is scaling back its international investments and with The Line already being reduced from the City of the Future to the size of a housing estate in Wolverhampton, it may be time to reconsider our presence there.
WhatsApp to Stephen: No it’s nothing to do with my being desperate to stop going there. Business is business. Although yes I am desperate to stop going there.
WhatsApp to Stephen: I’m going to have to go there. Turns out this announcement was for domestic consumption. They are just tweaking the balance between domestic and foreign projects and there’s still tons of cash splashing around. They’ve done deals with Brookfield, and China is showing investment support. The sucker cash is still flowing. It is still a big money spinner for us and they value face time and loyalty. God knows I’d like to move our base back to Bahrain and I know most of their projects turn out to be lemons — but we haven’t squeezed this lemon dry.
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WhatsApp to Stephen: I know I said I don’t want to go but I can’t keep finding excuses and calling in on Zoom. Personal presence, personal relationships are really important to them. Also how many bouts of Covid is realistic in a six-month period? I used it for the last meeting but I could tell they were annoyed and probably didn’t believe me. If I do it again they’ll be sending Elon round.
Greetings, A quick line to say I will be back in town next week and would be very keen to hear your latest thinking and how we can help. Just to let you know I’m hoping to expand our Riyadh office in the coming months. I know some others are moving to Bahrain but we remain committed to and excited by PIF’s vision. I was buoyed by your recent announcement. We see part of our mission as helping you bring projects home. It is a brilliant strategy to make anchor investment from PIF conditional on inward investment in national and regional projects. It’s time people realised it is not enough to take your cash and simply turn up for a tennis tournament.
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Best Rutherford
Find me on Strava, KoM Sydenham Hill, PR Al Jubailah/Bawdah Loop — 42 mins
My apologies. I was not diminishing the tennis. It was a wonderful advert for the kingdom and I wish I’d been well enough to get there myself. But didn’t want to bring Covid to Riyadh. Nor was I suggesting that you were being treated as suckers. No one who deals with you could think that. I was simply saying that turning up is not the real measure of commitment. Very much looking forward to our conversation next week.
Rutherford,
Find me on Strava . . .
WhatsApp to Stephen: You won’t believe it. I actually have got Covid now. I’m meant to fly out tomorrow. What do I do? I don’t want to infect them but I told them I had it last month. I can’t say I’ve got it again, can I?
Believe me, I am as shocked and irritated as you are. I was looking forward to breaking my personal best on the Al Jubailah/Bawdah Loop this visit. I must admit to being hurt that you would even think such a thing. Would you like me to send you a video of me taking another Covid test? I could hold a copy of today’s paper. Meanwhile, would you like a Zoom call or shall we just arrange to meet in two week’s time? Rutherford
Find me on Strava…
WhatsApp to Stephen: Do we still have the lease on the Bahrain office? Might be worth checking
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