Crypto rush: NFT market hits new record high August 4, 2021 The non-fungible token market broke records this week with 7-day sales volume hitting an all time high of $219.4 million (£157.9 million) on Tuesday. Sales volume peaked at $49 million in a single day on Sunday on OpenSea, the world’s biggest non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace, making it the biggest day of trading since the platform’s [...]
Number of holidaymakers on Ryanair flights doubles in July to 9.3m August 4, 2021 Budget carrier Ryanair reported flight traffic statistics on Wednesday that showed UK holidaymakers seized the opportunity to fly abroad in the last month as travel restrictions eased. The total number of passengers taking Ryanair flights in July double to 9.3m, up from 4.4m in June. In a sign that the air carrier deemed flights safer, [...]
Fertility benefits – for lawyers or for law firms? August 4, 2021 More law firms in the City are offering paid leave or paying towards the costs of fertility treatments for their employees in a bid to stay up to date, and keep their lawyers. Last week law firm Ashurst announced what it called “landmark” changes to its global parental leave policy. Alongside offering a reduction in [...]
Toyota drives operating profit up to record $9.2bn as sales make strong recovery August 4, 2021 Toyota posted a record Q1 operating profit of 997.49bn yen, or $9.15bn (£6.5bn), on Wednesday but did not alter its annual forecast, as sales recovered from pandemic lows but the carmaker cited “uncertainties” ahead. The Japanese carmaker weathered the global chip supply shortage better than many rivals, and sprinted past analysts’ average expectations of a [...]
The Office: Time for Government to offer certainty and direction August 4, 2021 Life has changed immeasurably over the past eighteen months, and the world of work is no different. Many office workers have now been working from home for over a year and habits have changed. Is hybrid working the future? There are certainly plenty of advocates suggesting that sofas, laptops and 8:59 alarm clocks are the [...]
Mike Ashley ‘set to step down’ as chief exec of Frasers Group August 3, 2021 Mike Ashley is reportedly set to hand control of his retail empire to his prospective son-in-laww after nearly 40 years in charge of Sports Direct. The Telegraph reported that the Frasers Group chief executive could confirm the decision alongside the firm’s results on Thursday. It is expected that he will become the deputy chairman of [...]
Foreign Office ‘urgently investigating’ hijacking in the Gulf of Oman August 3, 2021 The Foreign Office is “urgently investigating” a potential hijacking off the coast of the UAE, a spokesperson said this evening. Earlier today the UK’s maritime trade authority issued a warning over the incident, which took place near Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman. Later it upgraded the incident to a “potential hijacking” and warned other [...]
McLaren ‘to sell off Applied Technologies division to Greybull’ August 3, 2021 McLaren has reportedly struck a deal to sell off its Applied Technologies division to Greybull Capital as the supercar maker continues to streamline its operations. According to Sky News, the deal could be announced as early as tomorrow, although details of the size of the deal were as yet unclear. It comes just weeks after [...]
UK weighs up blocking £29bn Arm takeover by Nvidia due to potential risks to national security August 3, 2021 The UK is considering blocking US chip company Nvidia buying tech darling Arm for £29bn due to potential risks to national security, according to reports. According to Bloomberg, a Government-ordered report into the sale, delivered in late July from the CMA, contains worrying implications for national security and now Number 10 is currently inclined to reject [...]
Irn-Bru maker facing ‘increased challenges’ with lorry driver shortages August 3, 2021 AG Barr has said it faces “increased challenges” with its haulage fleet while expecting to report a revenue of some £134m for the first half of the financial year. Bosses have warned August will be a pinch point for the shortage of qualified HGV drivers, which was exacerbated by Brexit and the pandemic, as supermarkets [...]
