UK consumers ‘left in the dark’ over post-Brexit trade deals UK consumers ‘left in the dark’ over post-Brexit trade deals More than two-thirds of UK consumers feel left in the dark about post-Brexit trade deals amid public concerns the government is failing to take into account key consumer concerns. According to a survey published today, the majority of the British public is concerned that the government is not providing enough information on trade negotiations, with [...]
Congestion at Chinese container ports worsens after Covid cases Congestion at Chinese container ports worsens after Covid cases Congestion around the two main container ports in eastern China has worsened following a shutdown caused by rising Covid cases. Traffic is backing up around Shanghai and Ningbo following the closure of a container terminal at Ningbo where a Covid case was detected this week. Forty container ships were waiting at the outer Zhoushan anchorage [...]
Adidas sells Reebok to Authentic Brands for €2.1bn Adidas sells Reebok to Authentic Brands for €2.1bn Adidas is selling Reebok to Authentic Brands Group for €2.1bn (£1.8bn) as the German sports giant looks to double down on its core brand. The deal is a significant markdown on the €3.1bn Adidas paid for Reebok in 2006 — a move intended to help compete with rival Nike. The merger failed to pay off [...]
Elon Musk blasts chipmakers over ‘problematic’ supply October 6, 2021 Elon Musk has fired a broadside at two of the world’s largest chip manufacturers, accusing them of hampering production of Tesla’s electric cars. The boisterous billionaire said Tesla was “operating under extreme supply chain limitations regarding certain ‘standard’ automotive chips”. He singled out Renesas and Bosch as the “most problematic by far”. Car manufacturers have [...]
Staff shortages could hamper UK recovery, IoD warns October 6, 2021 Staff shortages at British businesses could hamper the country’s recovery from the pandemic and stoke inflationary pressures, the Institute of Directors (IoD) has warned. A survey of more than 700 bosses showed that 44 per cent of businesses are currently experiencing staff shortages. Of those affected, 65 per cent said the problem was caused by [...]
UK to deploy 600 troops to Afghanistan as Brits evacuate October 6, 2021 The UK is deploying roughly 600 soldiers to Afghanistan to help evacuate British nationals as the Taliban continues its rapid advance through the country. Defence secretary Ben Wallace this evening announced the troops will be deployed on a short-term basis “in light of the increasing violence and rapidly deteriorating security environment in the country”. The [...]
John Edwards: The ‘Facebook-hating’ Kiwi poised to shake up UK data laws August 26, 2021 The government today confirmed plans to appoint John Edwards, currently New Zealand’s privacy commissioner, as the next head of the UK’s data watchdog. The appointment is part of a planned overhaul of the UK’s data laws that will herald a new era of post-Brexit policy as ministers look to use online information to fuel economic [...]
Chinese tech tycoons lose $87bn amid Beijing crackdown August 9, 2021 A crackdown on Chinese tech giants by regulators in Beijing is estimated to have wiped $87bn (£63bn) off the personal fortunes of tycoons such as Alibaba’s Jack Ma in the last month alone. Authorities have launched a fierce campaign against some of the country’s biggest tech firms amid concerns about their escalating power, sparking sharp [...]
Vodafone returns to revenue growth despite pandemic-bruised retail levels July 23, 2021 Vodafone has reported a robust rise in revenue in its first-quarter trading as the company returned to growth in Europe despite not yet operating at pre-pandemic levels. The British telecoms giant pulled in total revenues of €11.1bn (£9.5bn) over the three-month period, up 5.6 per cent on last year. This included a surprise 3.3 per [...]
Netflix plots move into video games as subscriber growth slows July 21, 2021 Netflix last night confirmed plans to move into video games after the streaming giant suffered a sharp slowdown in new subscriber growth. The streaming giant added 1.54 million subscribers over the last quarter, below analyst forecasts and a significant fall from its 2020 boom. In the same quarter last year, at the peak of the [...]