Government to roll out new measures to scrutinise foreign takeovers June 21, 2020 The government is set to introduce new measures to protect UK businesses critical to combating coronavirus from foreign takeovers. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) today set it will set out changes to the 2002 Enterprise Act tomorrow to allow the government to scrutinise foreign takeovers to ensure they do not threaten [...]
BBC’s first ever Premier League broadcast scores 4m viewers June 21, 2020 The first ever Premier League match to be broadcast on the BBC attracted a peak audience of almost 4m viewers yesterday, as the top-flight football competition returns to TV after months of lockdown. Last night’s match between Bournemouth and Crystal palace on BBC One pulled in 3.9m viewers, making up almost a quarter of the [...]
Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund ‘builds stake in BT’ June 21, 2020 Saudia Arabia is thought to be buying up a stake in BT, as the kingdom looks to take positions in blue chip companies at a knock-down price during the pandemic. The $325bn (£263bn) Saudi sovereign wealth fund, has reportedly been building a stake in BT on the open markets in recent weeks, with the company [...]
How do you solve a problem like Wirecard? June 19, 2020 It’s been a wild ride for Wirecard. When the German payments firm premiered on the prestigious blue-chip Dax index just two years ago, shares were priced at €200 apiece. Today, prices hit as low as €20 per share, forcing out chief executive Markus Braun and leaving the future of the digital payments firm in question. [...]
Gavin Williamson: All pupils will be back in school in September June 19, 2020 Education secretary Gavin Williamson today confirmed that all UK schoolchildren would return to the classroom in September. Speaking at today’s Downing Street press conference, Williamson said schools were vital to the UK’s plans to “rebuild and recover” after the coronavirus. He said: “We want to bring every child back, in every year group, in every [...]
Exclusive: Elixirr seeks London IPO to end coronavirus drought June 19, 2020 Management consultancy firm Elixirr, whose clients have included Barclays, O2 and RBS, is seeking a London IPO, ending a two-month drought in flotations on the London Stock Exchange. Elixirr will seek a listing on London’s junior AIM exchange this summer, City A.M. can reveal. The company, founded in 2009, plans to go on an equity-funded [...]
Katie Hopkins permanently banned from Twitter June 19, 2020 Right-wing commentator and media personality has been permanently banned from Twitter, the social media platform confirmed today. The micro-blogging site had suspended her account, but a spokesperson told the Huffington Post that this time the ban was for good. “In this case, the account has been permanently suspended for violations of our hateful conduct policy”, [...]
Apple says government had not told it about coronavirus app plans June 19, 2020 Apple has said that it was not aware that the UK was developing an NHS contact tracing app using technology the firm built with Google. Yesterday the government announced that it was dropping its own app in favour of using the Apple/Google technology, which is already in use in countries such as Germany. However, speaking [...]
Wirecard chief quits as shares plummet over missing €1.9bn June 19, 2020 Wirecard chief executive Markus Braun has resigned with immediate effect after the German payments firm’s disclosure of a €1.9bn (£1.7bn) accounting black hole sent shares into a tailspin. Shares have plunged more than 80 per cent since Wednesday’s close after auditor EY yesterday refused to sign off Wirecard’s financial accounts after discovering that €1.9bn of [...]
Foreign Office chief given the boot by Boris Johnson June 19, 2020 The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s top mandarin has announced he will retire early “at the request” of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as the ministry prepares to merge with the Department for International Development (DfID). Sir Simon McDonald, who has served as the Foreign Office’s permanent secretary for five years, will step down in September. The [...]