Green economy Spac Spinnaker plots London stock market float July 26, 2021 A special purpose acquisition company (Spac) focused on sustainability and green energy is planning an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange. Spinnaker Acquisitions — a blank-cheque firm that will target mergers in the green economy — will list in London this week. The company said it will target businesses valued at between £5m [...]
Chinese billionaire Larry Chen takes a hit as Beijing cracks down on private education July 26, 2021 Larry Chen, the founder, chairman and chief executive of Gaotu Techedu, has lost his billionaire status as China imposed a regulatory overhaul on the country’s $100bn private education sector. The Chinese authorities released new regulations banning companies to teach school curriculums in order to make profits, raise capital, or go public, Bloomberg reported today. Chen, [...]
Labour calls for ’employment charter’ to enshrine workers’ rights post-Covid July 26, 2021 Labour has called for a new “employment charter”, which would see workers’ rights enshrined in law from day one in a new job. The party is also calling for a ban on “fire and rehire” practices as a part of the charter, after the practice gained notoriety throughout the pandemic. Under the current legislation some [...]
Ofcom targets Musk’s SpaceX and Oneweb with satellite rule revamp July 26, 2021 Ofcom has outlined proposals for tighter rules on the satellite broadband sector in a move that would impact Elon Musk’s SpaceX and British rival Oneweb. Space X and Oneweb are racing to launch constellations of low-orbit satellites that will provide high-speed broadband services to remote rural locations worldwide. While the systems can bring faster speeds [...]
Bridgepoint mulls selling Burger King UK for a beefy £500m July 26, 2021 The owner of Burger King has plotted early stage talks to sell the fast food retailer for some £500m just days after it listed on London’s top market, according to reports. Bridgepoint, the private equity owner behind Burger King, floated on the London Stock Exchange last week in a rare listing that raked in £300m [...]
Ryanair posts €273m net loss as restrictions continue to ‘wreak havoc’ July 26, 2021 Ryanair has posted a net loss of €273m (£233m) as pandemic travel restrictions continue to “wreak havoc” on the airline industry. Despite the loss, the Irish airline took home some €371m in the weeks to 30 June, up from €125m in the same period last year. Shares were up 4.1 per cent in its afternoon [...]
South Korean broadcaster MBC apologises after using Chernobyl to depict Ukraine during Tokyo 2020 Olympic opening ceremony July 26, 2021 A South Korean broadcaster has been forced to apologise after using offensive stereotypes to depict countries during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics opening ceremony. MBC used the offensive pictures and captions alongside the athletes as they walked out during Friday’s ceremony. Italy was identified via pizza, while the broadcaster used the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986 [...]
Selfridges on sale as owners launch auction starting at £4bn July 26, 2021 Selfridges’ owners, the billionaire Weston family, has launched a formal auction to sell its chain of department stores. Advisers at Credit Suisse are starting to look for a buyer and will send out information to target potential bidders and kick off the process. The company is valued at around £4bn. Potential suitors are said to [...]
UK looks to remove China’s CGN from nuclear energy projects July 26, 2021 Britain is said to be exploring ways to remove China’s state-owned nuclear energy company China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) from all future power projects in the UK. The more hawkish policy will cast doubts over a £20bn project to build the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk, which is being led by French [...]
Softbank’s bet on Chinese app Didi falls $4bn into the red July 26, 2021 Softbank’s bumper bet on Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi has plunged $4bn (£2.9bn) into the red as authorities in Beijing crack down on the app following its New York stock market float. The Japanese conglomerate took a 2.1 per cent stake in Didi worth $11.8bn in 2019, but its shareholding is now worth just $7.8bn, the [...]
