Russia hits back at US accusations that it put astronauts at risk with ‘reckless’ missile trial November 16, 2021 Russia has hit back at US accusations that it put astronauts at risk with its “reckless” anti-satellite missile trial, which saw crew onboard the International Space Station (ISS) shelter from orbiting debris. Crew were directed to close some hatches to keep safe. Roscosmos, Russia’s state space agency, said that it was monitoring the debris situation [...]
Private jet demand soars as aviation industry deals with plane shortage November 16, 2021 A record boom in the use of private jets has left a shortage of aircrafts as more people return to flying, according to reports. Aviation data provider WingX saw a record number of flights in each of the last six months with over 4.2m flights by private jets taking place this year so far, [...]
Jacob Rees-Mogg admits blame in Owen Paterson saga in wake of sleaze scandal November 16, 2021 Jacob Rees-Mogg has admitted he, and not Boris Johnson, was behind the government’s attempt to protect ex-MP Owen Paterson from facing punishment for his breach of Westminster lobbying rules. The leader of the House of Commons today said “I encouraged the Prime Minister to go down this route and I was wrong, I made a [...]
Crossrail to open by June 2022, says TfL boss November 16, 2021 Transport for London’s commissioner Andy Byford has announced the Crossrail will be open to the public by June 2022. Speaking at a Greater London Authority’s (GLA) transport committee meeting, Byford said: “I think we’re in a really good place to get this railway open. “We still maintain that opening window between February and June. It [...]
City watchdog gives banks reprieve on LIBOR contracts November 16, 2021 The City watchdog will allow banks and other financial institutions to use a watered down version of a much-lamented interest rate benchmark for existing contracts. Banks will be able to apply the LIBOR benchmark on existing pound and yen denominated contracts which have not been restructured on to a new rate until the end of [...]
Historic pharma precedent: Pfizer agrees to share its Covid-19 pill secrets with dozens of companies around the world November 16, 2021 Pfizer’s new Covid-19 pill could be made available to more than half of the world’s population after the pharmaceutical giant signed a deal with a UN-backed group to allow other manufacturers to make its experimental pill. In a statement, Pfizer said it will grant a licence for the antiviral pill to the Geneva-based Medicines Patent [...]
Post-Brexit payments space is ‘breeding ground for financial crime as Wild West culture’ looms, warns rising City star November 16, 2021 After the UK left the European Union, a range of payment providers reported so-called IBAN discrimination as a number of companies across Europe began to refuse Euro account bank details if they contained the country code ‘GB’. As a result of Brexit, sending a payment to Eurozone countries resulted in additional charges. Whilst the fee is [...]
Reading financial news: The top 10 avoidable distractions November 16, 2021 | City Talk If you’re like me, you’re bombarded daily by financial news that screams for your attention. But a lot of what we read is either irrelevant, shallow, or incomplete and hence misleading and distracting from an investment perspective. I’ve identified the top 10 distractions, the kind of stories that have no value or insight and can be easily [...]
Netflix renews contract to double the size of Shepperton Studios November 16, 2021 Netflix renews contract with the Pinewood Group for the use of Shepperton Studios that will double the size of its production space at the production facility. The Surrey-based facility is also set for a major expansion that will add almost 1 million square feet of new production space, with the overall studio set to comprise [...]
Snap strikes new licensing deal with Sony for immersive music filters November 16, 2021 Social media giant Snap agrees new deal with Sony Music to allow artists' music to feature on its library of filters.