China is not the next superpower and we should stop fearing it July 27, 2021 Back in the 1980s many people expected Japan’s economy to overtake America’s. The world would see a new superpower. Today we hear the same said of China. Its GDP will be the world’s biggest and China will challenge the US for world leadership. China’s GDP may indeed make it to number one, but not GDP [...]
Recruitment drive lifts Robert Walters profits to first half record July 27, 2021 A resurgence in recruitment activity triggered by firms rapidly scaling staffing numbers after Covid restrictions were lifted has pushed first half profits to record levels at recruiter Robert Walters. The group registered a pre-tax profit of £22.1m in the first six months of 2021 compared with £4.2m for the same period a year earlier. Read [...]
Fears over Spain and Greece grow as holidaymakers await travel review July 27, 2021 There are growing concerns that Spain and Greece could be added to the government’s “amber plus” travel list in the coming days after a surge in Covid cases. Yesterday Number 10 has confirmed it will release a review this week into its traffic light system for international travel, with the status of vaccinated tourists to [...]
Wechat suspends new user registration amid China crackdown July 27, 2021 Chinese social media giant Wechat has temporarily suspended new user registrations as Beijing ramps up its crackdown on domestic tech firms. The messaging platform, which is owned by Tencent, said it was upgrading its security technology “to align with relevant laws and registrations”. “During this time, registration of new Weixin [Wechat] personal and official accounts [...]
Olympics: Tom Dean wins gold in the pool as Team GB medal haul swells July 27, 2021 Swimmer Tom Dean edged out compatriot Duncan Scott by 0.04 seconds to add another gold to Team GB’s haul. The swimmer, who could barely walk up his own stairs six months ago having contracted Covid-19, has become Britain’s first 200m freestyle gold medallist since 1908. Duncan Scott finishing in the silver medal position marks the [...]
Ministers mull ‘taking stake in Sizewell power plant’ amid China clampdown July 27, 2021 Ministers are reportedly considering taking a stake in a proposed new power plant at Sizewell in Suffolk after it was revealed that the government was seeking to kick China’s state owned nuclear firm out of the project. The Times reported that the government is mulling options for funding the £20bn Sizewell C project, the UK’s [...]
Bezos offers to cover $2bn of Nasa costs for lunar contract July 27, 2021 Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos offered Nasa a $2bn (£1.45bn) discount if the space agency allows its company Blue Origin to build a spacecraft to land astronauts on the moon. Bezos said Blue Origin would waive payments up to $2bn in the current and next two fiscal years “to get the program back on track right [...]
Supermarket sales improve tentatively after restaurant reopening hit July 27, 2021 UK supermarket sales improved slightly in the last four weeks as Brits stocked up on beers for the Euros and picnic items to enjoy in the sun, according to new data released today. Total till sales over the four weeks ending 17th July were down 1.3 per cent on the same period last year, new [...]
Aon and Willis Towers Watson call off $30bn insurance mega-merger over monopoly concerns July 27, 2021 Insurance giant Aon and Willis Towers Watson have agreed to terminate their $30bn (£22.9bn) merger agreement in what would have created the world’s largest insurance broker, and have blamed U.S. regulators’ objections for unacceptable delays and uncertainty. Aon cited an “impasse” with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as the reason behind the decision to [...]
Average UK house price 30 per cent up on 2007 market peak July 27, 2021 The average price of a home in the UK has risen to a new high of £230,700, up 30 per cent on the 2007 market peak. Since June of last year, the average price has risen by 5.4 per cent, more than double the year on year price growth recorded 12 months ago, when annual [...]
