Aboriginal group plans to score mining companies after Rio Tinto disaster March 10, 2021 An Aboriginal group today announced plans to publish a scorecard to rate mining companies in Western Australia on how well they comply with environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. Following the recent controversy concerning the destruction of ancient Aboriginal caves by Rio Tinto, the Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corp (WGAC), said it hoped the scorecard system [...]
UK regulators unveil ‘joined-up’ approach ahead of Big Tech crackdown March 10, 2021 Three major UK watchdogs have outlined their “joined-up” approach to digital regulation this morning as authorities prepare to crack down on Big Tech. The Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DCRF), which includes Ofcom, the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), today unveiled its first annual plan for co-ordinating new regulation across online [...]
HSBC launches £15bn lending fund for British SMEs March 10, 2021 HSBC has today launched a new £15bn fund to help UK SMEs through the economic recovery. The fund, which includes over £10bn of regionally focussed allocations, seeks to move away from the “traditional” London focus and drive growth in regions across the country. “The past 12 months have highlighted the challenges many small businesses face. [...]
Covid court backlogs leave victims waiting years for justice, watchdog warns March 9, 2021 Court dates pushed back to 2023 are having “major consequences for victims and witnesses”, a prosecution watchdog has found, as backlogs due the pandemic continue. Delays exacerbated by restrictions have impacted people’s ability to recall events and could lead to less people willing to provide evidence, sparking concern over a “major risk for public confidence”, [...]
DFS Furniture enjoys lockdown cushion as online sales soar March 9, 2021 DFS Furniture’s revenue soared to £572.6m in the final six months of last year as consumer demand for new home furnishings jumped in lockdown. Revenue increased 17.3 per cent compared to 2019, despite the closure of non-essential retail during Covid lockdowns, boosted by a 66.2 per cent surge in online sales. Shares in the furniture [...]
Oil price through the roof following Saudi drone attack March 8, 2021 Oil price have eased back off their mornign high of over $70 a barrel, which followed a drone attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities over the weekend. Saudi officials said on state television that the ttack hit one of the oil storage yards at the Ras Tanura port in the east of the country, with [...]
Two-thirds of world’s original rainforest now destroyed or damaged March 8, 2021 An estimated two-thirds of the world’s original tropical rainforest has been degraded or destroyed by people, new data has revealed, sparking concern that a vital natural buffer against the climate crisis is disappearing quickly. As well as providing protection against the impacts of climate change, the loss of forest has also majorly contributed to climate-warming [...]
Premier League tester to launch Covid testing ‘pods’ at UK offices March 8, 2021 Covid-19 testing pods are set to be introduced this week at a number of IWG-run offices, which will be available to both the public and employees, the genetic tester said this morning. The company, which does the testing for The Premier League, will roll out 10 pods this week, with another 100 due to be [...]
Trustpilot aims for £1bn valuation in upcoming London IPO March 8, 2021 Consumer review service Trustpilot is aiming to bag a £1bn listing when it lists its shares in London later this month, after it secured $240m through the initial public offering. The Danish company confirmed its intention to float on the London Stock Exchange earlier this month, following $240m commitments from investors including Fidelity, Adelphi, BlackRock and [...]
Saturday Read: Investors are fleeing Myanmar as coup grows more deadly March 6, 2021 The world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, the Norwegian central bank, has put Japanese Kirin Holdings on a watch list for possible exclusion due to its ties to Myanmar’s military, in light of the recent coup and ongoing unrest in the country. The Japanese beverage group Kirin has a partnership and $1.7bn controlling stake in Myanmar [...]
