UK MPs call for Wimbledon to cut ties with HSBC and Standard Chartered February 4, 2021 A group of UK MPs and peers have demanded asset management giant BlackRock and the Wimbledon tennis tournament to cut ties with HSBC and Standard Chartered over their support for Beijing’s freedom of speech crackdown in Hong Kong. The nine parliamentarians also called on the World Rugby Sevens and the British Open tournaments to refuse further [...]
Gamestop Explained: How Reddit investors took on Wall Street hedge funds February 4, 2021 Reddit investors have started to buy up stocks in a bid to cause a “short squeeze”.
Compass Group apologises for free school meals fiasco as revenue plummets February 4, 2021 Compass Group this morning apologised for its free school meals provision – delivered by education arm Chartwells – and said it has improved the service. The firm faced backlash earlier this year after the meals provided to the children of low income families were criticised for being insufficient. Compass, which today announced revenue fell 33.7 [...]
Owen Wilson Matrix-esque drama Bliss is a dark dose of reality February 4, 2021 In the past decade, Owen Wilson has been more prominent as a sofa salesman than he has as a movie star. Since his early 2010s peak as a mild-mannered comedy lead, he’s popped up in underwhelming sequels (Zoolander 2, Cars 3), and had a supporting role in wholesome hit 2017’s Wonder, but nothing that sticks [...]
A Glitch In The Matrix – reality docu is a stoners’ paradise February 4, 2021 Premiering at this week’s Sundance Film Festival, A Glitch In The Matrix ponders a very large idea: what if what we perceive as reality is in fact a computer simulation? Talking to academics, artists, and hardcore believers discuss the various clues around us that suggest not all is as it seems. Director Rodney Ascher’s Room [...]
Malcolm & Marie review – Zendaya saves clunky lockdown drama February 4, 2021 Unusual times call for unusual methods. With filming on their TV series Euphoria halted due to the COVID-19 lockdown, creator Sam Levinson and Emmy winning star Zendaya got together and filmed this relationship drama entirely contained within one building, with cast and crew isolating in order to work together safely. Told over the course of [...]
EU unhappy with ‘tone’ of Michael Gove letter over NI-GB border issues February 4, 2021 The EU has rankled at UK suggestions there should be no extra checks on goods at the Northern Ireland-Great Britain border, with Brussels reportedly not happy with the tone of a letter from Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove. Irish broadcaster RTE reports that the EU saw Gove’s letter as an ultimatum and that officials believe [...]
Ofcom revokes Chinese broadcaster CGTN’s UK licence February 4, 2021 The media regulator has withdrawn China’s state-owned broadcaster right to broadcast in the UK following an investigation. Ofcom said the owner of China Global Television Network (CGTN) does not have control over its day to day output and is a distributor rather than a provider. Star China Media Limited “did not have editorial responsibility for [...]
Watches of Switzerland pushes ahead with expansion despite Covid uncertainty February 4, 2021 Watches of Switzerland will continue with its expansion plans despite the impact of lockdown restrictions, the firm said this morning as it announced trading had remained strong throughout store closures. The luxury watch retailer said group revenue in the third quarter jumped 5.7 per cent to £272.6m, with UK revenue up 1.5 per cent to [...]
Deutsche Bank delivers first profit in six years after trading boom February 4, 2021 Deutsche Bank has recorded a net profit for the first time since 2014, helped by an increase in its fixed-income trading revenue. The German lender reported a net profit of €113m for 2020 after racking up nearly €6bn of net losses the previous year. It was helped by a 17 per cent rise in fixed-income [...]
