Gold worth £4m seized from drug cartels by National Crime Agency at London Heathrow March 21, 2023 Around £4 million of gold has been seized from South American drug cartels. The National Crime Agency (NCA) reclaimed 104kg of gold bars, some in the shape of hearts, after they were found hidden in the cargo section of a plane at Heathrow Airport in June 2019. The plane had arrived from the Cayman Islands [...]
Another British tech firm opts for a New York listing as UK’s science superpower dreams fade March 21, 2023 A Cheshire biotech start-up led by a former NHS doctor has floated in New York today after snubbing London’s market due to a dearth of specialised investors. Zura Bio, led by Oxford graduate Dr Someit Sidhu, announced it had merged with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) JATT acquisition corp this morning in a deal that [...]
Boris Johnson admits misleading Parliament over Partygate but says it was ‘unintentional’ March 21, 2023 Boris Johnson has denied “intentionally” misleading parliament over alleged breaches of lockdown rules during parties at 10 Downing Street. Johnson acknowledged his claims to MPs, that Covid rules had been “followed at all times,” did not “turn out to be correct.” However, the former prime minister denied deliberately misleading parliament, as he claimed he immediately [...]
UK faces supply crunch as gas and nuclear power plants close, warns Drax as it halts key biomass project March 21, 2023 The UK is facing a significant shortage in power that can be brought online at times of peak demand, warned Drax.
Hunt must commit Treasury and BoE to review of rate rise impact, Labour shadow City minister urges March 21, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has been urged to commit the Treasury and the Bank of England to a review of “sharp interest rate rises” in light of the ongoing banking turmoil. Shockwaves have rocked the financial sector in the past weeks with the collapse of the US arm of tech bank SVB – plus the buyout [...]
Moody’s follows S&P in UBS ratings downgrade as concerns grow over Credit Suisse deal March 21, 2023 Moody’s downgraded the outlook on UBS today, following a similar move by S&P over the weekend, after the Swiss banking giant’s acquisition of Credit Suisse. The ratings agency said “the transaction poses significant financial, cultural and franchise related integration challenges” to UBS. These challenges included the difficulty of maintaining key members of staff, the need [...]
Bitcoin testing $28k as investors wait for Wednesday interest rate decision March 21, 2023 Bitcoin lacked support to sustain $28,000 in the early hours, backtracking slightly before nudging $28,200 this morning.
Bacon in Muslim officer’s shoes and rape kits in fridges: Five shocking takeaways about the Met from the Casey Review March 21, 2023 London’s Met Police force has been found to be “institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic” by a blistering landmark review. Crossbench peer Baroness Louise Casey was commissioned to look into culture and standards at the Met after the murder of Sarah Everard by serving cop Wayne Couzens. Her review – which has been branded “damning” by [...]
Currys gives 10,000 staff fourth pay rise in 18 months with extra help for London workers March 21, 2023 Tech retailer Currys will increase wages for hourly paid staff for the fourth time in 18 months – with workers in the capital getting extra help. Pay for hourly paid store colleagues will rise to £10.50 across its stores in the UK and to £11.50 in London. The retailer revealed that the average store colleague [...]
UK borrowed record £16.7bn for February but Jeremy Hunt handed interest bill boost March 21, 2023 The UK borrowed a higher than expected £16.7bn in February, a record for that specific month due to the government spending billions on helping families with the cost of energy bills, official figures out today reveal. Office for National Statistics (ONS) numbers indicate Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s decision to cap typical household energy bills at £2,500 [...]
