Forbidden City forbids Starbucks

We didn't know it was actually possible to turn Starbucks away - we thought they worked a bit like Earthquakes. But China's Forbidden City have told them to get slung. Starbucks are suggesting they don't mind a bit:

Seattle-based Starbucks said the decision was "very congenial" and it respected the site's motives.

Starbucks's vice-president for Greater China Eden Woon said: "There were several choices, one of which was to continue, but it would not carry the Starbucks name any more.

"We decided at the end that it is not our custom worldwide to have stores that have any other name, so therefore we decided the choice would be to leave."

Hilton goes private

The hoovering up of all the world's assets by private equity firms continues, with Blackstone buying up Hilton to add to, erm, La Quinta.

Extrapolating, Hilton Hotels are now 10% owned by the people who bought you the Tiananmen Square massacre. Whether you find this more or less comforting than having your holiday fund Paris Hilton's lifestyle is a matter between you and your conscience.