US General: Taliban ‘not interfering with US operations’ at Kabul airport August 18, 2021 There had been no hostile interactions with the Taliban over citizens trying to leave Afghanistan, US General Mark A. Milley told a Pentagon news conference. Around 5,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan, according to chairman of the joint chiefs of staff General Milley. “Through the State Department, the Taliban are guaranteeing safe passage to [...]
Afghanistan: Ousted president in ‘consultation’ to return August 18, 2021 Exiled Afghan president Ashraf Ghani said he was in “consultation” to return to the country after fleeing to the United Arab Emirates. Ghani left the country “in order to prevent bloodshed” and to ensure a “huge disaster” was avoided, he said in a Facebook live broadcast, translated by Al Jazeera. “When it comes to the [...]
Klarna considering a listing but not ‘right now’ August 18, 2021 Swedish fintech Klarna Bank, which offers ‘buy now and pay later’ loan plans to shoppers, may consider listing as early as 2022. The firm does not have “immediate plans” for an IPO amid “very volatile” markets, chief executive and co-founder Sebastian Siemiatkowski told Bloomberg in Warsaw. Klarna was valued at $45.6bn in its latest funding [...]
Business Secretary intervenes in Cobham’s £2.6bn bid for Ultra Electronics on national security grounds August 18, 2021 Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has stopped the planned £2.6bn acquisition of defence firm Ultra Electronics by rival US-owned Cobham, to investigate possible national security risks from the merged entities. The Competition and Markets Authority will now prepare a report on the proposed transaction. Customers of Ultra, which sells torpedo and radar systems and a range [...]
10 minute Covid test hoped breakthrough for travel sector August 18, 2021 University of Birmingham researchers have developed a new Covid test that provides results in less than 10 minutes. The RTF-EXPAR test is reportedly as sensitive at detecting coronavirus as PCR tests, according to the scientists behind the breakthrough. The tests also detect low levels of the virus, which lateral flow do not despite also delivering [...]
Crypto adoption jumps 881 per cent in a year August 18, 2021 Crypto ownership has surged during the pandemic with adoption rising by 881 per cent in the year ending on June 30 2021. New data shows that global crypto adoption has risen from an index score of 2.5 to 24 over the year. According to Chainalysis, the publishers of the Global Crypto Adoption Index, crypto ownership [...]
City figures warn London’s financial crown at risk if UK does not roll out digital Sterling August 18, 2021 City figures have warned that London’s status as Europe’s financial capital will be in serious jeopardy if the Treasury and Bank of England are slow to introduce digital Sterling. Rishi Sunak said last month that the Treasury was looking into one day releasing a so-called “Britcoin”, but that no decision had been made. Sunak said [...]
Brits abroad: M&S to sell Percy Pigs and other classic products to over 150 countries August 18, 2021 M&S has teamed up with export platform British Corner Shop to sell 800 of its classic food products, including Percy Pig sweets and Luxury Gold Teabags, in an effort to recover its struggling business through online sales. It comes after the British retailer reported a significant annual loss in May, as pandemic store closures weighed [...]
10 minute Covid test hoped breakthrough for travel sector – CityAM : CityAM August 18, 2021 University of Birmingham researchers have developed a new Covid test that provides results in less than 10 minutes. The RTF-EXPAR test is reportedly as sensitive at detecting coronavirus as PCR tests, according to the scientists behind the breakthrough. The tests also detect low levels of the virus, which lateral flow do not despite also delivering [...]
Exclusive: Charities invest in stocks as interest rates drop August 18, 2021 UK charities have reduced cash holdings and invested in stocks as they face fundraising challenges. There has been a huge drop in the interest rates on cash deposit accounts for charities, according to independent investment manager James Hambro & Partners. The average interest rate on a deposit of £10,000 from a charity cash deposit account [...]
