Fed keeps rates and bond buying unchanged but notes “strengthened” recovery April 28, 2021 The Federal Reserve has left interest rates and bond buying unchanged but is encouraged by a “strengthened economy”. “Amid progress on vaccinations and strong policy support, indicators of economic activity and employment have strengthened,” the central bank said. The result of the FOMC result is as analysts expected but the vaccine rollout and additional stimulus [...]
Spy scandal: Businessman admits smuggling marine tech to China April 28, 2021 A Chinese businessman has pleaded guilty to smuggling marine technology out of the US to help China’s efforts to develop underwater military drones. Shuren Qin, a marine biologist who owns a company that sells oceanographic instruments, pleaded guilty in Boston federal court to illegally exporting devices called hydrophones, which monitor sound underwater. His plea related [...]
Microsoft calls on users to pick new default font for Office April 28, 2021 Microsoft is changing its Office font for the first time in 15 years and is calling on users to pick the new default. There are more than 700 options in Word but Microsoft has reportedly commissioned five new customs for Office as it moves away from Calibri. Users will be given the options to choose [...]
G7 leaders ink agreement over global tech regulation April 28, 2021 Top leaders from G7 nations today signed an agreement over proposed new tech laws aimed at curbing the power of Big Tech and improving safety on online platforms. Politicians from the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and the EU signed a declaration outlining a series of shared principles on how to tighten [...]
UK gets 60m units of Covid booster vaccine from Pfizer April 28, 2021 The UK has secured an extra 60m doses of the Pfizer vaccine to be used for the country’s booster programme that will aim to protect against new variants. The Department of Health said in a statement that the government will also buy booster doses of other vaccines as well to administer the booster programme. About [...]
Drinking around the world: Care for a glass of Dutch red? April 28, 2021 When one thinks of wine growing terroir, thoughts turn to the rolling valleys of the Languedoc or the rugged terrain of the Duero River Valley. The flat-as-a-pancake Dutch countryside doesn’t generally spring to mind. But with more than 200 active, commercial vineyards, Holland is slowly gaining international attention as a wine-making region as it recovers [...]
FTSE 100 rises while US stocks mixed as investors await Fed meeting April 28, 2021 The FTSE 100 closed higher after a busy day of results while US stocks are mixed as investors awaited the outcome of the US Federal Reserve’s policy meeting. London’s blue-chip index closed 0.27 per cent higher boosted by a series of positive earnings updates from WPP and Lloyds. Investors’ focus now turns to the US [...]
Arlene Foster resigns as Northern Ireland First Minister April 28, 2021 Arlene Foster has today announced she is resigning as Northern Ireland First Minister and as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Foster said in a statement this afternoon that she will step down on 28 May. It comes after a letter calling for her to face a leadership challenge was yesterday signed by around [...]
Some 600 jobs at risk as Nestlé closes UK factory and moves some production to Europe April 28, 2021 Nestlé plans to close its Fawdon factory near Newcastle, putting 573 jobs at risk in the process. Under new proposals, the Swiss food and drinks conglomerate said products currently made at Fawdon would move to other plants in the UK and in continental Europe. If the plans go ahead, the Fawdon factory will close “towards [...]
Litigation funders’ cash pipeline hits £2bn for the first time amid growing popularity April 28, 2021 The value of the pipeline of court cases and cash held by top UK litigation funders has hit £2bn for the first time as the asset class grows in popularity. The value held by litigation funders has rocketed in recent years, according to data by law firm RPC, with funding doubling in three years from [...]
