Weightlifting: Virgin Active shareholders ‘set to inject’ £65m to see firm through pandemic February 11, 2021 Virgin Active shareholders are considering plans to inject £65m into the global gym chain as treadmills stand still during the pandemic, according to reports. Investors have tabled a proposed rescue package to lenders and landlords that would see them providing millions in funding over the next few months, Sky News reported. Landlords will likely be [...]
Hong Kong Racing Tips: Missile can surge to victory for Purton February 11, 2021 WITH arch-rival Joao Moreira sitting out the New Year celebrations at Sha Tin, reigning champ Zac Purton must be looking to make inroads into what appears to be an unassailable lead of thirty in the jockeys’ title race. The Australian has a couple of high-profile mounts on the Richard Gibson-trained Wellington, who faces tough opposition [...]
Vue chief executive Tim Richards named as new BFI chair February 11, 2021 The founder and chief executive of cinema chain Vue has been named as the new chair of the British Film Institute (BFI). Culture secretary Oliver Dowden today confirmed that Tim Richards will take up the position from next week and serve a term of up to three years. Richards founded Vue in 1999 and has [...]
Dragon Rider review – familiar animated family fun February 11, 2021 While most of the industry has scrambled to find a release strategy during the pandemic, animated family films have thrived thanks to captive audiences and a need for home-based entertainment. According to rating compiler Neilsen, Pixar’s Soul was the most watched content over the Christmas period, while films like Trolls World Tour and Scoob benefitted [...]
Boris Johnson: People will need booster jabs every year for Covid mutations February 10, 2021 The most vulnerable members of the population will likely need booster jabs especially suited to Covid mutations “every year”, the Prime Minister has said. Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, Boris Johnson said: “As new variants appear, it will be more useful than ever to have vaccines that combat all variants. “I think we [...]
Prezzo to shut 22 restaurants after insolvency deal February 10, 2021 Italian chain Prezzo will permanently close 22 restaurants after being bought out of pre-pack administration by private equity firm Cain International. As a result of the deal, 22 of the high street stalwart’s 178 restaurants will not reopen. Cain said that 216 of its 2,900 jobs would be lost. The deal came after Prezzo was [...]
Ministers in talks with US and Singapore over international vaccine certificate February 10, 2021 Ministers are in discussions with other countries over the creation of an international vaccine certification system that would allow a partial resumption of travel, the transport secretary has said. Grant Shapps told the BBC he has spoken to his counterparts in the US and Singapore about the creation of an internationally recognisable system of proving [...]
EU weighs up forcing tech giants to pay for news February 9, 2021 The EU is said to be considering laws that would force tech giants to pay for news content, mirroring similar moves in Australia. The bloc is currently drafting two new laws — the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act — which are designed to stamp out harmful material and curb Big Tech’s power. [...]
Cain International mulling insolvency process for Italian chain Prezzo – report February 8, 2021 The private equity firm which bought Italian chain Prezzo in December is reportedly mulling putting the restaurant group through an insolvency process. Sky News reported that Cain International was considering a number of options, including pre-pack administration, as uncertainty over the future of the casual dining sector goes on. The firm, which also owns Swingers [...]
Labour calls for government to ‘crack down on cronyism’ amid PPE contracts saga February 8, 2021 Labour has urged the government to “crack down on cronyism” as it claims almost £2bn of taxpayer money has been awarded to “friends and donors” of the Conservative party during the pandemic. In an online speech, shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said the awarding of contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic [...]