Simon & Schuster to let £2bn Penguin deal fall through November 21, 2022 Simon & Schuster owner is set to let its $2.2bn (£1.9bn) sale to Penguin Random House collapse today after the deal was blocked by US regulators. Sources told Reuters that German media group Bertelsmann, which owns Penguin, has been unable to convince Paramount Global, Simon & Schuster’s owner, to launch an appeal of the decision. [...]
Crypto collapse: FTX launches review of assets and seeks court relief to pay key vendors November 21, 2022 Collapsed crypto exchange FTX said it has launched a strategic review of its global assets and is preparing for the sale or reorganisation of some of its businesses, just a week after it filed for bankruptcy. FTX said the review of its global assets would “begin to maximize recoverable value for stakeholders”. In a filing this [...]
The year the music died? What energy bills and recession will mean for gigs November 21, 2022 Gigs have always been a great way to escape from the toils of everyday life – a few friends, usually a few drinks and great bands. But, what does a live music scene look like once you factor in spiralling inflation and rocketing energy bills for venues and consumers who can no longer afford to [...]
Rishi Sunak meets President Zelensky in first Ukraine visit November 19, 2022 Rishi Sunak has met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in his first visit to Kyiv since becoming Prime Minister. “We discussed the most important issues both for our countries and for global security,” Mr Zelensky wrote on Telegram following the meeting earlier today. “We are stronger and we will achieve the desired results,” he added. [...]
‘We’d rather have no decision than a bad decision’: EU threatens to walk from climate talks November 19, 2022 The EU has threatened to walk away from COP27 talks based on concerns that the UN summit could backtrack on commitments. “We’d rather have no decision than a bad decision,” EU climate chief Frans Timmermans told reporters at Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday. “All ministers . . . like myself are prepared to walk away if we do not have [...]
Allwyn snaps up rival Camelot as it gears up for National Lottery takeover November 19, 2022 Allwyn will snap up the current operator of the National Lottery Camelot UK as the Czech firm gears up to takeover the licence in 2024. Earlier this year, the Gambling Commission awarded Allwyn the licence to operate the National Lottery from 1 February 2024. Camelot, which is owned by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, initially [...]
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes jailed 11 years for fraud November 19, 2022 Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of blood-testing start-up Theranos, has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for defrauding investors. The disgraced former CEO falsely claimed the Theranos tech could diagnose diseases with a few drops of blood. Theranos was valued as much as $9bn (£6.5bn) at its peak, with Holmes heralded as the [...]
Fifa president accuses West of ‘hypocrisy’ in Qatar World Cup coverage November 19, 2022 Fifa president Gianni Infantino has accused the West of “hypocrisy” in its reporting of Qatar’s human rights record. In a news conference in Doha, Infantino defended Qatar and the tournament, which is due to kick off tomorrow evening. “Today I have strong feelings. Today I feel Qatari, I feel Arab, I feel African, I feel [...]
Exclusive: Brits ready to splash £300m in World Cup flutter November 18, 2022 BRITISH punters are set to splash over £300m during the Qatar World Cup, according to new data from gambling titan Flutter. As owner of Paddy Power, Sky Bet and Betfair UK, Flutter said the tournament would undoubtedly be the biggest betting event of the year – on track to surpass the 2018 World Cup figures, [...]
Hunt pushes to make UK ‘the world’s next Silicon Valley’ November 17, 2022 The Chancellor has vowed to turn Britain into “the world’s next Silicon Valley,” stating that the key to global success was “not tax subsidies but competition”. In his Autumn statement, Jeremy Hunt restated the government’s commitment to pushing through legislation that would activate the Digital Markets Unit (DMU). Under the current draft Digital Markets Bill, [...]