Softbank boss tells top team to curtail investments March 31, 2022 The boss of Japanese investment giant Softbank has told his top team to slowdown their investments after the firm suffered from a slump in tech stocks in recent months and a regulatory clampdown in China.
Egg farmers: Supermarkets must raise prices by 40p to avert sector crisis March 31, 2022 Egg farmers have called on supermarkets to up the price of a dozen eggs by 40p as producers face cost pressures. Many free range egg farmers are bleeding cash on every egg laid by one of their hens, according to the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA). Shoppers in the UK were unable to [...]
UK expands sanctions to include Russian generals and media personalities March 31, 2022 The UK has hit a further 14 people with sanctions in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, with media personalities and a senior Russian general targeted. Foreign secretary Liz Truss said the latest tranche of sanctions were aimed at stopping the “torrent of lies” and propaganda coming from the Kremlin about the invasion. Rossiya [...]
UK economy grows faster than first thought but contraction looms March 31, 2022 The UK economy grew faster than first thought at the end of last year, but experts warn the tightening cost of living squeeze could plunge the country into a recession. In the three months to December, the economy grew 1.3 per cent, higher than first estimated by the Office for National Statistics, according to final [...]
Government says it will not review VAT for EV public chargers March 31, 2022 The UK Government announced today it will not review the VAT rate for electric vehicle (EV) charging points despite stakeholders calling for a policy change. “VAT makes a significant contribution towards the public finances, raising around £130bn in 2019/20, and helps fund the government’s priorities including the NHS, schools and defence,” said Exchequer secretary Helen [...]
Incoming Ofcom chair Michael Grade: BBC licence fee is ‘regressive’ March 31, 2022 The newly appointed Ofcom chair Michael Grade called the BBC licence fee “regressive” this morning, affirming the ongoing questions marks surrounding the future for the Beeb. Suggesting that this description was simply a “statement of fact”, he told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee: “Let me just say straight away that my criticism [...]
Use of AI tools in justice system poses serious threat to civil liberties, House of Lords says March 31, 2022 A House of Lords select committee has said the government should set up a national body to regulate use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the UK’s justice system, after warning deployment of such tools poses a serious threat to civil liberties. In a report, the House of Lords committee warned that “without many of us [...]
Putin facing Russian military rebellion over Ukraine invasion, says spy chief March 31, 2022 Vladimir Putin is facing a growing military rebellion over his invasion of Ukraine and is being lied to by his advisers about the faltering war, according to a UK spy chief. Sir Jeremy Fleming, the director of Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), said this morning that the Russian President had “massively misjudged” the strength of his army [...]
Fracking industry given reprieve as NSTA lifts plugging order on Lancashire shale wells March 31, 2022 The North Sea Transition Authority has lifted an order for Cuadrilla to plug and abandon the country's two remaining shale gas wells.
High flying insurance duo plan £150m SPAC IPO on London Stock Exchange March 31, 2022 Insurance industry veterans Will Allen and Andy Rear are planning to raise £150m through the launch of a new special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in the coming days. The prominent duo plan to list a shell company called FINSAC on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) with a view merging with a leading name insurance technology [...]
