Group behind Hong Kong mass protests disbands amid police suppression August 16, 2021 Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), the pro-democracy group that organises some of Hong Kong’s biggest protests, will disband amid threats of police probe. Founded in 2002, the group organised its first rally on 1 July 2003, when half a million people took to the streets to protest against a draft national security law, known as [...]
Marie Claire owner Future snaps up The Week publisher Dennis for £300m August 16, 2021 UK media group Future, which houses publications like Marie Claire and TechRadar, has acquired rival media company Dennis for £300m in a bid to strengthen its foothold in the US. The deal includes The Week, Science & Nature, IT Pro, Computer Active, PC Pro, Minecraft World, and Coach, but not Viz, Fortean Times, Cyclist and Expert Reviews all of [...]
Meggitt presses ahead and publishes documents for Parker-Hannifin £6.3bn takeover bid August 16, 2021 British defence technology firm Meggitt has published its scheme documents for a recommended £6.3bn takeover by Parker, just five days after it received a proposal for a potentially higher bid from US rival Transdigm. Meggitt said its takeover panel will announce a deadline by which TransDigm must clarify its intentions in relation to its offer, [...]
Big Four refuse to back government plan to break dominance of audit market August 16, 2021 The UK’s Big Four accountancy firms have refused to back a government scheme that would see them share audit work with smaller firms. Last month, Deloitte, EY and PwC said they did not support the government’s proposal for “managed shared audits” of large listed companies. The Financial Times has reported that the other Big Four [...]
Amazon launches own-brand groceries on its UK website August 16, 2021 Amazon has added own-brand groceries to its UK website as it amps up competition with Britain’s supermarkets. Never one to miss out on a lucrative business opportunity, the company capitalised on lockdown restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic by expanding its online groceries service. Amazon Fresh expanded its next-day delivery service to customers across the UK [...]
Chasing Tesla: how traditional carmakers are revving up their electric vehicle production August 16, 2021 Equities generally had a strong year in 2020, but few parts of the market could match the runaway share price gains of the pure electric vehicle (EV) makers. Tapping into investor (and day trader) demand for two popular themes – tech and sustainability – such companies became extremely highly sought after. US group Tesla is [...]
Defence Secretary admits “some people won’t get back” from Afghanistan : CityAM August 16, 2021 The race to get British citizens out of Afghanistan is underway with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace admitting “some people won’t get back.” Over the weekend 600 UK troops arrived in Afghanistan in a bid to support the extraction of some 4,000 British citizens and eligible Afghans from the country. Their arrival came not a moment [...]
Rightmove: First monthly dip in UK house prices this year recorded in August August 16, 2021 The average price tag on a home dipped by just over £1,000 this month. Across the UK, the average asking price in August was £337,371, down by 0.3 per cent or £1,076 compared with July, Rightmove data out this morning shows. It marked the first monthly fall in the average price of property coming to [...]
BHP mulls selling its petroleum division and it could fetch $15bn August 16, 2021 BHP is mulling a merger which would offload the company’s petroleum division for as much as $15bn amid growing environmental pressure. Today, the mining giant said it had “initiated a strategic review” of its multi-billion dollar Petroleum business to “re-assess its position and long-term strategic fit in the BHP portfolio.” The statement confirmed that a merger [...]
Charlie Nunn starts as Lloyds Bank chief executive August 16, 2021 Former HSBC banker Charlie Nunn takes on the role of chief executive of Lloyds Bank today, one of the UK’s biggest finance jobs. Nunn’s appointment was announced in November and his starting date was revealed in February. He replaces Antonio Horta-Osorio, who held the position for a decade and announced he would step down once [...]
