China’s small cities barred from reaching for the stars with sky scraping vanity projects October 28, 2021 China has put limits on smaller cities, restricting their ability to build “super high-rise buildings”, for fear of indulging in too many vanity projects. The country, home to the largest number of tall buildings in the world, has already banned buildings taller than 500 metres – which joins another ban on “ugly architecture” from earlier [...]
World’s SMEs will need as much as $50 trillion to make net zero, says HSBC and BCG report October 28, 2021 The world’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will need as much as $50 trillion worth of investment to meet net zero, according to a joint report by HSBCs and the Boston Consulting Group. Smaller businesses have struggled amid the decarbonisation push, which seeks to reduce the world’s emissions to avoid climate change, as they have [...]
MPs mull the end of hotel quarantine as battered travel firms yearn for recovery October 28, 2021 MPs are mulling the end of hotel quarantine and wiping remaining countries from the red travel list, according to reports. The red list has been drastically cut down earlier this month, ahead of the October half-term, with just seven Latin American countries remaining. Though ministers could reportedly scrap the red travel list on Thursday, which [...]
Supply chain woes: Virgin Wines stocks up for Christmas year in advance October 28, 2021 Virgin Wines revenue has jumped around a third to £73.6m in the past year, buoyed by strong levels of customer demand. In comparison with pre-pandemic figures, revenue has soared 73 per cent in the year to 30 June. Meanwhile, profit before tax and exceptional items has surged 86 per cent to £5.2m. The retailer has [...]
Travis Perkins builds sturdy sales growth as cost inflation swells four per cent October 28, 2021 Building materials business Travis Perkins has posted solid sales growth in its third quarter trading update, which flies in the face of global supply chain troubles and a raw material pricing crisis. The London-listed builders merchants has continued a pandemic-era momentum – which saw many households undertaking DIY projects during lockdown – with like-for-like sales [...]
Green Budget 2021: Net zero strategy to receive around £11.4bn in new funding October 27, 2021 The government is set to inject more than £11.4bn in new funding into its net zero strategy, according to chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Autumn Budget today. The fresh capital will go towards “the new, green industries of the future”, Sunak said this afternoon. “We are making this country a science and technology superpower”. It will mean [...]
Budget 2021: UK to return to offering 0.7 per cent of national income in foreign aid October 27, 2021 True to his promise, chancellor Rishi Sunak has said the UK will return to offering 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) in overseas aid over the next four years. The spending will grow from the 0.5 per cent rate it is now before the parliament’s end in 2024, earlier than the office for [...]
Over 80,000 12 to 15-year-olds book Covid-19 vaccinations in teen rollout October 27, 2021 More than 80,000 12 to 15-year-olds have booked a Covid-19 vaccination, as cases among secondary school age children remain high. Around 2.5m letters will be sent out to parents this week, which will invite them to book a jab for their child. Covid-19 vaccines were made available to the age bracket in late September, but [...]
Whistleblower: Julian Assange to see UK appeal hearing over US extradition October 27, 2021 High profile whistleblower Julian Assange is due to have his UK appeal hearing, scheduled for 27 to 28 October, which could determine whether he will be extradited to the US. Australia-born Assange’s US charges allege that he conspired with a whistleblower, army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, to illegally obtain classified information. “Assurances by the US [...]
Softline to launch $1.5bn London IPO amid cybersecurity frenzy October 27, 2021 Cybersecurity firm Softline has launched a lofty $1.5bn initial public offering (IPO) in London today, as technology and security creep higher on the business agenda post-pandemic. The London headquartered firm will sell shares at a final offer price of $7.50 per share. “Today is an extremely proud day for the whole company,” founder and chairman [...]