Can China really become carbon net zero by 2060? March 24, 2021 At the UN General Assembly in September 2020 China’s President Xi Jinping pledged that the country would become net zero by 2060. This was a surprise move that has been hailed as a significant step forward in the global effort to address the Climate Crisis, given that China is responsible for around 30% of global [...]
FTSE 100 slips as fears of third Covid wave spark recovery concerns March 24, 2021 London’s FTSE 100 dipped by 0.2 per cent on Wednesday as a jump in Covid cases across Europe sparked concerns about its near-term economic impact. The blue-chip index was edged down by bank stocks including HSBC, Barclays and Lloyds falling between one per cent and 1.5 per cent. British consumer price inflation fell to 0.4 [...]
Cineworld confirms May reopening plans as it lines up film deal March 23, 2021 Cineworld today confirmed plans to reopen its 127 venues in the UK in May in line with the government’s roadmap for easing lockdown restrictions. Under current guidelines, indoor socialising and hospitality will resume from 17 May, while the government aims to lift all limits on social contact in June. Cineworld today also said it will [...]
Boris Johnson may face defeat as MPs try to stop trade deals with genocidal regimes March 21, 2021 More Tory MPs have come out to support an amendment to a trade bill that would make it harder for the government to sign trade deals with countries that have committed genocide. Former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has now backed the amendment, which would force ministers to justify any trade deal that is signed with [...]
All bets car off: Lamborghini enjoys most profitable year ever despite Covid-19 March 19, 2021 Lamborghini enjoyed its most profitable year ever in 2020, despite coronavirus restrictions and a two-month shutdown of its Italian factory during the pandemic. The luxury car retailer delivered 7,430 vehicles in 2020, generating a record turnover of €1.61bn. Although sales were slightly lower than in 2019, Lamborghini sold more expensive, customised supercars, sending profits soaring. The [...]
Crypto market recovery stalls, but institutional investment in Asia growing March 19, 2021 Bitcoin looks to have recovered from its inertia earlier this week, though there are still challenges ahead.
George Osborne hits out at Tory ‘hotheads’ who want UK-China ‘Cold War’ March 17, 2021 George Osborne has praised Boris Johnson for “seeing off the hotheads” in the Tory party who are calling for a more aggressive UK stance toward China. Osborne said he saw “a lot of continuity” between Johnson’s China policy, announced in yesterday’s integrated defence and foreign policy review, and his and David Cameron’s, which built stronger [...]
Government should crack down on Uighur forced labour in business supply chains, MPs say March 17, 2021 The government should toughen its anti-slavery measures to ensure that forced labour plays no part in the supply chains of major businesses, MPs have said. A report from the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) committee said that there was “compelling evidence” that major retail, media, and fashion companies are “complicit” in the forced labour [...]
China asks Alibaba to sell media assets amid crackdown on Jack Ma March 16, 2021 China is said to have asked Alibaba to sell its assets in the media sector as Beijing continues to pile pressure on the company’s billionaire founder Jack Ma. The two sides have been in discussions over the matter since the beginning of the year, according to multiple media reports, with officials said to be shocked [...]
UK says Russia is its ‘most acute threat’ as China tensions dialled down March 16, 2021 The UK government has today warned that Russia is its “most acute threat”, while also potentially extending an olive branch to China after escalating tensions over the past year. The government’s long-awaited integrated review of defence, foreign and development policy outlined a plan to pivot away from Europe and toward the Indo-Pacific in a landmark [...]