Carlyle raises $10.4bn in second quarter as pursues largest ever private equity fund July 29, 2021 Global investment firm The Carlyle Group took in $10.4bn from investors in the second quarter and nearly doubled its earnings, as it looks to raise what would represent the industry’s biggest ever buyout fund. Carlyle posted robust second quarter distributable earnings growth on Thursday, rising to $395.4m from $198.4m in the same period last year. [...]
New frontier: UK renews outdated space policies as giants seek commercial travel July 29, 2021 The UK is set to start regulating commercial space travel from today, as an increasing number of companies look to capitalise on the race to the stars. Before appointing its first-ever space travel regulator, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA), the global legal framework surrounding commercial space travel appeared a relic of the Cold [...]
Exclusive: As workplace confidence in bosses tumbles, external consultants thrive July 29, 2021 In a time of tremendous ambiguity, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced business leaders to act urgently in moments of crisis as they have to make decisions in a heartbeat since circumstances and regulation keep on changing. Yet, with new data from the London Business School estimating that Covid-19 has left around 16m jobs in a precarious position, it is far from certain that business [...]
Inmarsat takes on Elon Musk and Oneweb with satellite network launch July 29, 2021 British satellite giant Inmarsat is launching a new network of satellites to offer global broadband and 5G services, joining an escalating space race alongside rivals Elon Musk and Oneweb. The project, dubbed Orchestra, will bring together the company’s existing geosynchronous satellites (Geo) with low-earth orbit satellites (Leo) and land-based 5G services to create a single [...]
Public Health England: Covid jabs have prevented 22m infections and 60,000 deaths July 29, 2021 Covid vaccines have prevented an estimated 22m infections and 60,000 deaths in England, according to new data. Jabs are also estimated to have directly averted more than 52,600 hospital admissions, new figures from Public Health England (PHE) suggest. The figures were published as England’s deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, said he hopes the [...]
‘Open economy’ backers Fabric Ventures announces $130m fund July 29, 2021 A venture manager that backs ‘open economy’ founders, has today announced a new 2021 fund worth $130m (£93m) – the biggest of its type in Europe. The fund is backed by $30m from the European Investment Fund (EIF) and its partners include Niklas Zennstrom’s venture firm Atomico, Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital, DCG and the founders [...]
All Bar One owner going through ‘volatile’ time post-lockdown July 29, 2021 All Bar One and Toby Carvery owner Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) said it has seen “volatile” sales since reopening its all of its venues in May. Shares drifted lower in early trading after the hospitality group said it saw a slowdown in sales after an initially strong period following the easing of restrictions on 17 [...]
Astrazeneca mulls offloading Covid vaccines unit even as total revenues soar above $15bn July 29, 2021 UK-listed Covid vaccine maker Astrazeneca today admitted it’s considering offloading its vaccines unit even as it cheered a 23 per cent revenue rise to $15.5bn for the first half of 2021 – boosted in part by orders for the preventative measure. A senior executive confirmed to Reuters that it is reviewing the future of the [...]
Welsh whiskies apply for special ‘geographical indicator’ tag July 29, 2021 Melton Mowbray’s pork pies and Cheddar’s… cheddar may soon have another companion in the protected category club. The Welsh whisky industry has filed for a ‘geographical indicator’ with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. So-called GIs are, according to the National Farmers Union, given to “products identified to have quality, reputation or other [...]
Mastercard profits jump more than a third as easing Covid restrictions boost spending July 29, 2021 Mastercard beat expectations and posted a 36 per cent rise in profits in the second quarter, buoyed by an overall increase in spending as vaccine rollouts accelerated, lockdowns lifted and travel picked up. Adjusted net income rose 36 per cent to $1.9bn from $1.4bn in the same period last year. Corresponding earnings per share reached [...]