Rupert Murdoch denies a “retreat” as Disney confirms buyout of 21st Century Fox assets for $52bn December 14, 2017 Rupert Murdoch denied today that his family was “retreating” as his media empire was broken up by a $52bn (£39bn) sale of 21st Century Fox assets to Disney. “I know a lot of you are wondering, why have the Murdochs come to such a momentous decision?” the recently married 86-year-old said on a call with [...]
London mayor Sadiq Khan taken to task for more than doubling Night Czar Amy Lamé’s pay December 14, 2017 Sadiq Khan was taken to task today for doubling the pay of his Night Czar Amy Lamé, even though she is yet to meet with all of the London boroughs. The mayor was quizzed this afternoon by London Assembly member Susan Hall, who said Lamé had only met with 18 of the 32 London boroughs [...]
Middle-income earners hit by SNP’s new intermediate tax rate December 14, 2017 The Scottish government is planning to introduce a new “intermediate” income tax rate, and pushing up existing higher and top rates, it announced during its Budget today. A new rate of 21 per cent is being introduced on annual incomes of between £24,001 and £44,273, while the higher rate, on incomes of up to £150,000, [...]
Twitter response to Russia Brexit meddling questions slammed as “inadequate” by MP Damian Collins December 14, 2017 A leading MP has slammed the boss of Twitter Jack Dorsey over the disclosure that only six adverts on the platform during Brexit were linked to Russia. Damian Collins, chair of the digital, culture, media and sport select committee, branded the information “completely inadequate”. MPs investigating fake news demanded information from Twitter and Facebook last [...]
Struggling care home group Four Seasons gets breathing space as it finally agrees a payment standstill with hedge fund creditor H/2 December 14, 2017 Struggling care home group Four Seasons has finally agreed an interest payment standstill with H/2 Capital Partners, the hedge fund which owns most of its debt. The agreement comes not a day too soon, as a £26m interest payment was due tomorrow which Four Seasons warned it could not pay. Today’s deal will give the [...]
An oil supply surplus is likely in 2018 as US shale output continues to boom December 14, 2017 The global oil market is expected to show a surplus in the first half of 2018 due to growing US shale production, a new report suggests. “On our current outlook, 2018 may not necessarily be a happy new year for those who would like to see a tighter market,” the International Energy Agency (IEA) said [...]
Bitcoin futures being considered by Deutsche Boerse after Chicago success December 14, 2017 The operator of the German stock exchange could be the next to launch a bitcoin futures after their success on the Chicago exchange. A spokesperson for Deutsche Boerse told German media: “We are thinking about futures, with which private investors and institutional investors can protect existing investments in bitcoin or set for falling prices of [...]
England centurion Dawid Malan on the verge of tears after keeping England’s Ashes hopes alive in Perth December 14, 2017 Dawid Malan admitted he was on the verge of tears after becoming England’s first centurion on the current Ashes series to cap a strong start to the third Test for the tourists at the Waca. England finished on 305 for four at the close in Perth, their highest innings of the series to date, as [...]
Wine glasses grow seven times larger over 300 years December 14, 2017 Wine glasses just keep getting bigger. While most Londoners will be familiar with the experience of paying an arm and a leg for a measly 125ml, it turns out glassware, and the measures we drink from them, are much larger now than in the past. That’s according to a study by researchers at the University [...]
Russian President Vladimir Putin ditches his party United Russia to run for re-election as an independent December 14, 2017 Vladimir Putin has ditched the United Russia party to run as an independent candidate in the country’s election next year. The Russian President has a huge amount of personal support, with approval ratings over more than 80 per cent, according to Russia’s only pollster. Read more: The government has issued a warning over Russian anti-virus [...]