Weinstein prosecution of A&O partner scrapped because of ill health January 14, 2021 Proceedings against an Allen & Overy partner that relate to an NDA agreement he helped negotiate on behalf of Harvey Weinstein have been scrapped. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has permanently stayed proceedings against Mark Mansell because he is suffering from ill-health. Medical experts on both sides agreed the continuation of proceedings, and in particular [...]
888 to beat profit expectations as betting shop closures accelerate shift to online gambling January 14, 2021 Online gambling platform 888 Holdings expects to beat profit and revenue expectations for last year after more customers signed up while betting shops were closed during the coronavirus pandemic. 888 said today that revenue and adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation will be “moderately ahead” of previous forecasts. The betting site said the [...]
US unemployment claims surge as Covid-19 cases ravage economy and jobs January 14, 2021 US unemployment claims surge as Covid-19 cases ravage economy and jobs
Grab raises $300m to fund financial services expansion January 14, 2021 Southeast Asian ride-hailing app Grab has raised $300m (£220m) to help fund further expansion of its rapidly-growing financial services arm. The series A funding round was led by South Korea’s Hanwha Asset Management, while existing investors K3 Ventures and GGV Capital also participated. Grab, which also offers food delivery services, said the cash injection followed [...]
SRA backs down on high profile sexual misconduct case January 14, 2021 The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has decided not to appeal a High Court ruling that followed a high-profile case featuring jagerbombs, a magic circle law firm and alleged sexual misconduct. The SRA will not appeal a High Court ruling in favour of an ex-Freshfields partner who allegedly took advantage of a junior colleague. The SRA [...]
Brexit: Michel Barnier says new UK-EU border friction here to stay January 14, 2021 Much of the post-Brexit trade disruption and regulatory issues in the past two weeks will not be fixable, according to the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. Barnier said today that many things “changed for good” when the UK left the EU’s single market and customs union on 31 December, adding that “there are mechanical, [...]
London missing out on ‘fair share’ of vaccine January 14, 2021 London is missing out on its “fair share” of the vaccine, Sadiq Khan has said, as he urged ministers to reassess the formula for distributing doses across the UK. The mayor of London has written an urgent letter to vaccines tsar Nadhim Zahawi calling on him to scale up vaccine supply to meet different population [...]
London landlord Great Portland Estates confident capital will bounce back after Covid January 14, 2021 London commercial landlord Great Portland Estates reported that tenants have struggled to pay their rent due to the impact of lockdown measures on trading, but said the Covid-19 vaccination programme is the light at the end of the tunnel. December quarter rent collection was ahead of September levels, with Great Portland Estates receiving 77 per [...]
Post-Brexit delays are ‘teething problems’, says minister January 14, 2021 Environmental secretary George Eustice told the House of Commons earlier today that post-Brexit customs delays, currently heavily impacting Scottish fishing exports, are only “teething problems”. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called the backlog “shameful” on Twitter last night, in a push for compensation for Scottish fishermen. Eustice said that the government will ‘remain open’ to [...]
EY gender pay gap shrinks as ethnicity pay gap widens January 14, 2021 Ernst & Young has reported a 32.4 per cent gender pay gap among its staff, as at April 2020, and a nearly 37 per cent ethnicity pay gap. EY UK chairman Hywel Ball said the gender pay gap at the Big Four firm had improved by 4.7 per cent in the last year, which was [...]