Our pledge to bridge the digital divide will shape our post-pandemic future June 14, 2022 Laptop on, coffee mug in hand, smartphone charged. This was many people’s mornings during the pandemic. As Covid-19 ravaged London, we all had to shift from being office-bound commuters to stay-at-home workers. It was then that the digital divide in our city became apparent to everyone. It wasn’t just the divide between the retail and [...]
Let lawyers take holidays without having to work, Mayer Brown managing partner says June 13, 2022 Mayer Brown’s UK managing partner has told partners in the law firm not to disturb associates on their holidays – apart from in emergencies. In an internal memo seen by The Lawyer, Dominic Griffiths, the highest-ranking partner at Mayer Brown’s London office, told the law firm’s senior lawyers not to interrupt younger lawyers’ holidays, as [...]
Learning from Joe Rogan: Spotify sets up advisory board to navigate future content controversies June 13, 2022 Spotify has set up a Safety Advisory Council to provide third-party advice on issues surrounding hate speech and disinformation as the streaming giant hopes to dodge a repeat of the infamous Joe Rogan row.
Top dining chains see losses swell as inflationary pressures hammer the high street June 13, 2022 The country’s top restaurants have seen losses swell considerably in the past six months, surpassing the £800m mark. According to analysis from accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young, losses at the top 100 restaurants swelled 24 per cent from £673m to £832m in just the past six months shows a new study by UHY Hacker Young, [...]
Weekend read: The SPAC bubble is bursting, argues Syz Bank’s investment chief June 11, 2022 With monetary policies tightening, speculative bubbles are bursting one after the other. SPACs are no exception. As a reminder, a SPAC, or Special Purpose Acquisition Company, is a company with no operational activity – an empty shell – that raises funds on the stock market with the sole objective of making an acquisition or acquisitions. [...]
English wine is fine: British producers booming despite merciless pandemic hit to hospitality June 11, 2022 The top producers of English wine have seen their turnover increase by another 4.5 per cent last year. Proceeds from British wines went from £24.3m in 2019/20 to £25.4m in 2020/21, despite sales to the hospitality sector being heavily impacted by Covid. Sales to hospitality venues and events organisers such as conferences, awards and weddings [...]
Shock ruling: BBC Radio One DJ who abused vulnerable children sees jail term increased from 12 to 18 years June 10, 2022 Mark Page, a former Radio One DJ who arranged to have sex with vulnerable children in the Philippines, has had his jail term increased from 12 years to 18 years by Court of Appeal judges. Page, 63, who worked at the station in the 1980s, had been given a 12-year sentence by Judge Paul Watson [...]
The sideways movement of Bitcoin may feel ‘boring’, but stick with it June 10, 2022 The price of Bitcoin remains in its current favourite range of $29,000 to $31,000 and looks set to stay there, for now at least.
UK legal smoking age should increase every year, says government review June 9, 2022 The UK should increase the legal age someone can buy cigarettes every year until they are virtually illegal, according to a new government-commissioned review. The review, by Dr Javed Khan, said that the UK should create a “smoke-free generation” with people born after a certain time unable to legally buy cigarettes. New Zealand has a [...]
Sadiq Khan warns Londoners to brace themselves for more violent crime due to cost of living crisis June 9, 2022 The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, warned this morning the cost-of-living crisis could lead to more violent crime. Khan spoke of his fears that progress in tackling violent crime could be jeopardised as figures show that London’s knife and gun crimes plus teenage murders have been reduced. “We must acknowledge that the spiralling cost of [...]