China blasts US over ‘safe haven’ scheme for Hong Kong residents August 9, 2021 China has condemned the Biden administration for offering temporary “safe haven” status to Hong Kong residents in the US. China’s foreign ministry and the Hong Kong and Macau affairs office both issued statements on Sunday, which was the second time Beijing has criticised the move in two days. US President Joe Biden signed a memorandum [...]
California feels the heat as wildfires sweep the Golden State August 9, 2021 More than 5,000 firefighters are battling wildfires across California, including the state’s largest ever standalone blaze. The Dixie Fire started on 13 July and has since consumed more than 463,000 acres (187,369 hectares), an area larger than Greater London. Just 21 per cent of the blaze is contained, according to officials. By Saturday evening, the [...]
Marlboro maker Philip Morris offers £1bn for British inhaler company August 9, 2021 Philip Morris has upped its bid for respiratory drugmaker Vectura to over £1bn as the takeover deal, which is being “closely monitored” by the government, has raised public interest questions. Philip Morris International (PMI) raised its offer to £1.65 per share, valuing Vectura at £1.02bn, after private equity firm Carlyle made an offer of £958m [...]
How to win over companies and influence a better future August 9, 2021 Companies’ annual general meetings (AGMs) could be testy affairs back in the 1980s and 1990s, the UK’s era of mass share ownership. One former CEO of that period recently confessed to me: “Our security would ask if the venues had a sloping stage that made it impossible to run up. They were intense meetings.” Such [...]
Taliban fighters take three more cities in northern Afghanistan August 9, 2021 Taliban fighters have captured five provincial capitals in Afghanistan since Friday in a lightning offensive that seems to have overwhelmed pro-government forces. The Islamist group has been seizing much of the countryside since May, coinciding with the start of the final stages of withdrawal of foreign forces, and has now taken its fight to key [...]
Depop to move London HQ as pandemic sales boost Gen-Z app August 9, 2021 Online fashion marketplace Depop has signed the lease on a new headquarters in Farringdon, East London. The second hand clothing app saw over 100 per cent growth in gross merchandise sales (GMS) and revenues during 2020. Now, the brand will move from its current Shoreditch base to a site of some 30,000 sq ft of [...]
Hipgnosis buys up iconic Fleetwood Mac songs August 9, 2021 Hipgnosis, a Guernsey-based fund which invests in music and its IP rights, has purchased songs from one of the main writers for Fleetwood Mac. Christine McVie sang on five albums for the band between 1971 and 1974 and wrote tracks for many of its most iconic releases including Rumours, Tusk, Tango in the Night and [...]
How upskilling your HR team can help you overcome challenges August 9, 2021 Through the challenges of the last year and a half, HR teams have arguably never faced this much pressure. Back in early 2020, more than half of HR professionals were already reporting that their organisations were hiring less. They were also spending less on contract workers and redirecting spending to support their existing teams. That [...]
The future of film: Big screen’s make or break moment August 9, 2021 As blockbuster season explodes into action and Cannes finally reconvenes, it may seem like business as usual for cinema. But peek behind the scenes and there are still huge challenges to overcome. Three CAs in the sector tell Christian Koch about the big screen’s make-or-break moment. This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. Hollywood and [...]
Gold prices slide to four-month lows on fears of rates hike August 9, 2021 Gold prices dropped to a four-month low this morning amid growing concerns that the Federal Reserve could hike interest rates sooner than expected. As of 8:30, the yellow metal was hovering at $1,747.93 an ounce, just below the crucial $1,750 level, having staged a slight rally today. At one point, it fell as low as [...]
