Ride-hailing giant Gett chases $60m raise ahead of stock market debut June 8, 2020 Gett, the ride-hailing company part-owned by car giant Volkswagen, is close to raising a $60m (£47m) funding injection as it gears up to go public. The Uber rival is finalising the round which would be its first external fundraise since it secured $200m from investors last year. Sources told Sky News that the new funding [...]
Honda investigating suspected cyber attack after IT issues June 8, 2020 Japanese carmaker Honda is investigating a suspected cyber attack after experiencing issues with its IT network. Honda began to experience issues with its IT networks in Japan and Europe on Monday, Sky News reported, citing sources who said the company believed this was due to unauthorised attempts to breach its systems. Honda confirmed there was [...]
Easyjet boss warns that more jobs could be lost due to quarantine plans June 8, 2020 Easyjet’s chief executive Johan Lundgren has warned that the budget airline may be forced into making more job cuts due to the government’s new quarantine rules. The blanket restrictions, which came into effect today, mean that almost all incoming passengers to England must quarantine for 14 days. When asked whether it could lead to more [...]
We live in interesting times, but kindness matters too June 7, 2020 There is hardly a day goes by that I don’t think of the old curse: ‘May you live in interesting times.’ The saying comes – appropriately enough, you might say – from China. But whatever one’s suspicions about the Xi Jinping administration and its role in the current crisis, I have always liked the saying. [...]
Retail landlord Intu puts KPMG on standby to act as administrator June 7, 2020 Embattled retail landlord Intu Properties has reportedly lined up KPMG to handle its insolvency process ahead of a testing fortnight. Intu has placed the Big Four accountancy firm on standby in the event that lenders refuse to grant a standstill on its debt obligations, according to Sky News. The landlord, which owns Manchester’s Trafford Centre, [...]
British Airways-owner mulls quarantine legal challenge June 5, 2020 The owner of British Airways is mulling a legal challenge against the government’s quarantine plan which will require passengers coming in from overseas to isolate for 14 days on landing in the UK. With planes grounded since March, airline bosses fear the quarantine rule which is set to be introduced from 8 June will sink [...]
Sadiq Khan calls for compulsory face coverings in all stores June 5, 2020 Sadiq Khan has called for the government to make face coverings mandatory in all stores, after they were made compulsory on all English public transport networks yesterday. The mayor of London said he welcomed the “U-turn from the government” on making coverings compulsory on public transport, but said it should go further. Non-essential retail shops [...]
Acacia snaps up Woodford biotech stakes in £224m deal June 5, 2020 US-listed patent licensing firm Acacia Research today secured a deal to buy a portfolio of biotech stakes from Neil Woodford’s failed fund for up to £223.9m. The deal will see Acacia take control of shareholdings in 19 healthcare firms, including Oxford Nanopore and Immunocore. California-based Acacia, which specialises in intellectual property and patent licensing, agreed [...]
Bafta Awards: Sky production push pays off as Chernobyl leads nominations June 4, 2020 Hit Sky series Chernobyl has picked up 14 nominations at the Bafta Television Awards 2020 as the media giant reaps the rewards of its production push. The critically-acclaimed miniseries, which is based on the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, led the field at this year’s awards. It is now one of the [...]
George Floyd London protests: Thousands gather in Hyde Park June 3, 2020 Thousands of people descended on Hyde Park this afternoon to take part in protests organised by Black Lives Matter London in response to the killing of George Floyd. The peaceful protest began at 1pm, with crowds chanting “no justice, no peace” and waving signs in solidarity with demonstrators in the US. Jessie, 22, told the [...]