Prince Harry to release memoir in late 2022 July 19, 2021 Prince Harry will publish a memoir late in 2022, publisher Penguin Random House announced in a statement this evening. The book will be the “definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him,” the firm said. The former Duke of Sussex is currently living in California with his wife, [...]
Stellantis to axe shift at Vauxhall plant due to staff shortages July 19, 2021 Stellantis has become the latest carmaker to have its operations disrupted by the number of workers that are being forced to isolate due to Covid-19. The firm today confirmed that it would halt one of the three daily shifts at its Vauxhall van factory in Luton. In a statement, the car giant said: “The safety [...]
Bus privatisation a ‘masterclass in how not to run a public service’, report finds July 19, 2021 The privatisation of the UK’s bus industry three decades ago has proved a “masterclass in how not to run an essential public service”, a new report into the sector has found. Philip Alston, a law professor and former UN special rapporteur for poverty, said that since Margaret Thatcher’s reforms in 1985, the country had been [...]
Spire shareholders scupper £1bn Ramsay takeover bid July 19, 2021 Shareholders in private hospitals group Spire Healthcare have narrowly rejected a £1bn takeover bid from Ramsay Health Care. At today’s AGM it was announced that around 70 per cent of the FTSE 250’s shareholders had voted in favour of the takeover, narrowly missing the 75 per cent minimum threshold. Spire’s board had unanimously recommended that [...]
Saudi Arabian wealth fund takes McLaren stake in £550m raise July 16, 2021 Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has today taken a stake in iconic supercar maker McLaren through an equity raise. Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has taken part in a £550m raise likely to be unveiled within days, as was first reported by Sky News. Along with investment firm Ares Management, PIF will put £400m into [...]
FTSE pushes higher as City awaits Monday’s reopening July 16, 2021 London’s markets rose this morning as the City geared up for Monday’s loosening of coronavirus restrictions and the unlocking of the rest of the economy. Both the FTSE 100 and mid-cap sibling the FTSE 250 are up 0.4 per cent so far today, pushed higher by a raft of heavyweight stocks. Although energy group DCC [...]
Intel ‘in talks’ to but chipmaker Global Foundries for $30bn July 16, 2021 Intel is reportedly in talks to buy semiconductor chipmaker Global Foundries for $30bn (£21.7bn), amid the continuing global shortage of the chips. The Wall Street Journal reported that the US tech giant was circling the New York-based firm, which is owned by the Mubadala Investment Company. But Global Foundries said that it was not in [...]
Boeing ordered to check 9,000 737s for switch failures July 16, 2021 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last night told operators of Boeing’s 737 airplanes to carry out checks of the plane’s cabin altitude pressure switches in the latest setback for the aerospace giant. The new directive, which comes just days after the agency found a fault in undelivered 787 Dreamliners, affects some 9,000 planes worldwide. It [...]
GSK sets out plans for new £400m life sciences campus July 16, 2021 Drug giant Glaxosmithkline (GSK) has this morning unveiled plans for a new £400m life sciences campus in Stevenage. The FTSE 100 firm said that the new facility could create 5,000 high-skilled jobs over the next decade. It is looking to sell 33 acres of its existing 92 acre site in Stevenage to a private developer [...]
France on cusp of being moved to ‘red list’ over South African variant fears July 16, 2021 France is reportedly on the cusp of being moved to the travel “red list” amid growing fears over the prevalence of the so-called South African variant of Covid-19. Ministers discussed taking the measure during Wednesday’s review of the travel list system, the Telegraph reported. Officials have been asked to “interrogate” the data coming out of [...]