Decision on UK border restrictions in coming days, says Michael Gove January 5, 2021 Cabinet minister Michael Gove today confirmed that the government is preparing new border controls for travellers entering England. Speaking to ITV, he said: “We will be making announcements later today and in the days ahead about how we will make sure that our ports and airports are safe. “It is already the case that there are significant [...]
Trump phone call: Democrats ask FBI to open criminal investigation January 5, 2021 Two Democrats have asked the FBI to open a criminal investigation into US President Donald Trump over a phone call in which he pressurised a top Georgian official to overturn his election defeat. In the call this weekend, Trump told Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to reverse Joe Biden’s victory [...]
Network International taps Mastercard executive as new boss January 5, 2021 Payments processor Network International has hired a top Mastercard executive as its new chief executive following the departure of Simon Haslam. Nandan Mer, who currently serves as Mastercard’s strategy head for international markets, will take up the role on 1 February. It comes after Haslam announced plans to retire at the end of the month [...]
New York Stock Exchange scraps plans to delist Chinese telecoms firms January 5, 2021 The New York Stock Exchange has scrapped plans to delist three Chinese telecoms stocks in a shock U-turn. In a statement last night the exchange said it would no longer go ahead with plans to remove China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom Hong Kong from its index. It said the decision came “in light [...]
Morrisons posts sales growth but warns of higher Covid-19 costs January 5, 2021 Morrisons has reported a rise in sales during the second half of the year, but warned that tougher new Covid-19 lockdown measures would increase its costs. The supermarket chain posted an 8.1 per cent rise in like-for-like sales excluding fuel in the 22 weeks to the 3 January. Including fuel, like-for-like sales rose 1.9 per [...]
Exclusive: Former Portland boss launches new City comms firm January 4, 2021 The former head of Portland’s financial PR division has launched a new communications firm aimed at providing bespoke advice for City businesses. Steffan Williams, who left Portland at the end of 2020, has teamed up with fellow public relations guru Louise Nicolson to start a boutique consultancy based in London. Williams Nicolson has so far [...]
Google workers to form union after string of protests January 4, 2021 Hundreds of Google employees in the US have formed a union, marking a rare example of organisation in Silicon Valley. More than 200 staff members have signed up to the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU), which also represents other companies owned by Google’s parent group. The union, which is supported by the Communications Workers of America, [...]
Where is Jack Ma? Chinese billionaire ‘missing’ after criticising Beijing January 4, 2021 Speculation has been mounting over the whereabouts of Chinese tech billionaire Jack Ma, who has not been seen in public for two months. Ma, who founded ecommerce behemoth Alibaba, hit the headlines in October when he made a speech criticising China’s financial regulators and state banks. The tycoon was reprimanded by Beijing and the $34bn [...]
Ladbrokes owner Entain rejects £8bn MGM takeover bid January 4, 2021 The owner of British betting company Ladbrokes has rejected an £8bn takeover approach by US casino giant MGM. Entain, which also owns betting and gambling brands such as Coral, Bwin and Partypoker, confirmed the offer this morning but said it “significantly undervalues the company and its prospects”. It added that it had asked MGM to [...]
UK court blocks Julian Assange US extradition on espionage charges January 4, 2021 Wikileaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the US to face espionage charges, a UK court has ruled. Assange faces 17 charges of espionage and computer fraud in the US and could be sentenced to as many as 175 years behind bars. In a landmark decision at the Old Bailey this morning, district judge [...]
