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 [...]
Samsung tycoon’s family to sell off art as it faces $11bn inheritance tax bill April 28, 2021 The family of Samsung’s late chairman Lee Kun-hee will donate a vast art collection as it faces a $10.8bn (£7.7bn) inheritance tax bill on his estate following his death last year. Lee, who is credited with transforming the South Korean company into the world’s largest smartphone and memory chip maker, died in October at the [...]
The Super League might be dead, but a global consolidation of elite teams is inevitable April 28, 2021 The frantic furore over the European Super League killed off the proposal before it had a chance to get off the ground. But this is likely little more than a pause while the football community regroups and puts together a better PR strategy. Some form of consolidation around elite teams is inevitable. Professional football clubs [...]
Labour says Boris Johnson had his ‘Kevin Keegan moment’ in PMQs April 28, 2021 Labour has called Boris Johnson’s angry performance in Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) today his “Kevin Keegan moment” in an allusion to the former football manager’s famous 1996 rant. Johnson was furious when answering the last of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s six questions in PMQs today, with the Prime Minister shouting so loudly that his [...]
GSK profit drops sharply due to pandemic but beats forecasts April 28, 2021 Pharma giant GSK saw its profit and turnover slip in the first quarter due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but came in ahead of analyst expectations. The FTSE 100 firm said that adjusted operating profit fell 30 per cent in the period, down to £1.9bn. Turnover slid 18 per cent to £7.4bn, it [...]
HMRC set to crack down on tax evaders’ crypto assets April 28, 2021 The recent surge in interest and value in cryptocurrencies is likely to lead to increased scrutiny on its links to organised crime, according to a top accountancy firm. The organised crime ecosystem is becoming increasingly digital and now there are concerns it is being used by tax evaders. HMRC is set to demand data on [...]
London used as ‘money-laundering base’, mafia trial prosecutor says April 28, 2021 In Italy’s largest mafia trial in three decades, the UK’s capital has been roped in as a potential hotspot for organised crime, particularly post-Brexit. The trial will see around 900 witnesses testify against more than 350 ’Ndrangheta defendants, including politicians and officials charged with being members of Italy’s most powerful criminal group. Defendants are set [...]