UK unveils new £20m fund for British businesses facing Brexit disruption February 11, 2021 The UK has today announced a new £20m fund for British SMEs facing post-Brexit disruption. The grants will see SMEs that trade with the EU eligible for grants of up to £2,000 each to “pay for practical support including training and professional advice”. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove today told MPs that some issues facing [...]
EU faces surge in bankruptcies as states start to withdraw pandemic support February 11, 2021 A leaked document from the European Union has revealed that a spike in bankruptcies and bad loans awaits the European Commission during the bloc’s post-pandemic economic recovery, as states begin to withdraw public support schemes. The note, seen by Reuters, said that it has taken nearly €2.3 trillion in national liquidity support to prevent a [...]
Former EE boss Olaf Swantee joins Vodafone February 11, 2021 Vodafone has appointed former EE CEO Olaf Swantee as a non-executive director. He will take up the post at the end of July. Swantee comes from Sunrise Communications, where he was CEO. The ex-EE boss will use his experience in the sector to benefit Vodafone’s Audit and Risk Committee. Vodafone chairman Jean-Francois van Boxmeer said: [...]
China orders Deloitte to investigate PowerPoint whistleblower claims February 11, 2021 China’s Ministry of Finance has asked Deloitte to conduct an internal investigation after an employee circulated a 55-page PowerPoint presentation that alleged accounting violations at the Big Four firm. The anonymous employee sent the presentation to every Deloitte employee’s email, citing incidences involving listed companies around the world and China’s own RYB Education. The presentation [...]
Microsoft ‘made takeover approach’ for social media site Pinterest February 11, 2021 Microsoft is said to have approached Pinterest over a potential deal to buy the $51bn (£27bn) social media platform. The US tech giant held talks with Pinterest in recent months but negotiations are not currently active, the Financial Times reported, citing people briefed on the matter. The approach comes at the height of a pandemic-induced [...]
Heathrow joins calls for plan for reopening travel as passenger numbers plunge February 11, 2021 Heathrow Airport added its voice to calls to see a plan for rolling back the UK’s new border restrictions as passenger numbers dropped 89 per cent in January. The country’s largest airport said that it was vital that Boris Johnson include details of how international travel would restart when he lays out the government’s lockdown-lifting [...]
PVT Chat review – a murky story of online obsession February 11, 2021 Subcultures and obsession are explored in PVT Chat, starring Peter Vack as Jack, a lonely New Yorker living in a crumbling studio apartment. He spends his nights frittering money on online Blackjack, then spunking more on sexual encounters with Cam Girls. He becomes particularly enamoured with one West Coast dominatrix named Scarlet (Uncut Gems’ Julia [...]
Dragon Rider review – familiar animated family fun February 11, 2021 While most of the industry has scrambled to find a release strategy during the pandemic, animated family films have thrived thanks to captive audiences and a need for home-based entertainment. According to rating compiler Neilsen, Pixar’s Soul was the most watched content over the Christmas period, while films like Trolls World Tour and Scoob benefitted [...]
MasterCard plans to follow PayPal with crypto receipts for merchants, Cardano launching Native Tokens February 11, 2021 Crypto at a Glance The markets slowed yesterday, with Bitcoin and Ethereum both seeing small retraces after hitting new all-time highs earlier in the week. The rumour mill continues to grind though, with new reports quoting a ‘source familiar matter’ that MasterCard is planning to give merchants the option to receive payments in cryptocurrency later [...]
Publisher Future given bloody nose over executive pay as profit surges February 11, 2021 Publishing group Future has suffered an investor revolt over executive pay, even as the magazine giant shrugged off the pandemic to post a sharp rise in profit. The board of Future, which owns titles such as Four Four Two and Country Life, has pushed through a controversial new pay scheme that could see chief executive [...]
