Week ahead: UK January borrowing bill to hit £5bn to pay for cost of living support, experts predict February 19, 2023 Britain is expected to have borrowed around £5bn last month, largely to pay for household energy support, new figures out from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this week are poised to show. The difference between what the government spends and takes in tax revenue – the deficit – is likely to have been kept [...]
Oil prices to stay high this year on China reopening and OPEC output snags, experts predict February 19, 2023 Oil prices will be propped up this year by rebounding demand from China alongside tightening supplies into Europe and OPEC's capacity issues.
Shell: European demand to boost LNG competition over next two years February 16, 2023 Europe's growing need for liquefied natural gas will boost competition with Asia for LNG over the next two years, Shell revealed on Thursday.
China sanctions US defence giants Lockheed Martin and Raytheon for supplying Taiwan weapons February 16, 2023 China imposed trade and investment sanctions on Lockheed Martin and a part of Raytheon for supplying weapons to Taiwan. The move steps up efforts to isolate the island democracy claimed by the ruling Communist Party as part of its territory. Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Missiles and Defence are barred from importing goods into China or [...]
Standard Chartered announces $1bn buyback scheme and lifts guidance despite weak profit February 16, 2023 Standard Chartered announced a $1bn (£831m) buyback scheme and raised its guidance for the next couple of years despite its results failing to meet market expectations. Results for the bank, which has been subject to takeover speculation in recent months, were much weaker than expected. Profit in the final quarter of 2022 was significantly below [...]
Ex-spy chief warns balloon ‘gross transgression’ as US denies alien links February 14, 2023 A former head of MI6 has warned of a “gross transgression” by the Chinese authorities in sending a spy balloon into US airspace and urged the UK to “wake up” to the threat posed. Sir Alex Younger, who ran the UK’s foreign intelligence service from 2014 to 2020, told the BBC on 14 February that [...]
OPEC raises oil demand forecast as markets tighten and China reopens February 14, 2023 OPEC has hiked its forecast for global oil demand this year, its first upward revision for months, in its latest market report.
Reining in ChatGPT: AI tech titans must navigate a regulatory maze to thrive in the UK and beyond February 14, 2023 As ChatGPT continues to amaze, and Alphabet and others try to follow suit, Jess Jones explores some of the legal and regulatory challenges facing AI tech, and what they mean for the UK’s ambition to become a science superpower. “The genie is out of the bottle – and it’s hard to imagine how it goes [...]
Arm China lays off dozens of staff as restrictions hit demand February 11, 2023 SoftBank Group Corp’s chip technology firm Arm Ltd’s China joint venture laid off 90-95 employees last week to cope with a challenging business outlook this year, according to three sources familiar with the situation. The layoffs come as SoftBank tries to set up a public listing for Arm this year. The China market has been a major source [...]
A naughty midnight swim at the top of The Shard? That’s Valentine’s Day sorted February 9, 2023 Let’s get this clear: Valentine’s Day is a commercialised hellscape. A disastrous day ruled by anxiety for those of us not in couples. If you’re not smooching your partner in a twee restaurant, making valiant waiters interrupt you to take your order, does Valentine’s Day even exist? It’s not that I mind romance, I just [...]