British film board rolls out new age ratings for Netflix films and TV shows October 29, 2019 The UK film regulator will this week roll out a series of new age rating symbols designed for online streaming platforms. The digital classification symbols, which will launch on Netflix from Thursday, are designed to help young people make more conscious choices about what they watch online. Read more: Netflix to set its own age [...]
Ben Spencer’s late call-up for World Cup final raises the stakes after Eddie Jones’ gamble October 28, 2019 Eddie Jones admitted it was a “gamble” back in August and, on the eve of his biggest match as England head coach, the stakes have duly increased. Jones raised some eyebrows when he named only two scrum-halves in his 31-man squad for the Rugby World Cup and, with Saturday’s final against South Africa on the [...]
Why we need to ditch the ‘Superwoman’ role model October 28, 2019 Is it right to make a straight-out judgement on “good” and “bad” role models? As a female chief executive working in a predominantly male industry, I am often asked if I had a female role model. And I have to be honest, it is not a question that I find easy to answer. From the [...]
Virtual influencers pose ethical dilemmas for the ad industry October 28, 2019 Last month, I reported on the rise of virtual influencers – fake online personalities created using computer-generated imagery and controlled by brands or media agencies. The most famous example is Lil Miquela, a fictional character invented by LA-based studio Brud. “She” has 1.7m followers on Instagram, has appeared in a Calvin Klein commercial alongside the [...]
London’s Aim still well ahead of competitors despite rough year October 28, 2019 London’s Alternative Investment Market (Aim) remains by far the biggest growth stock market in Europe despite falling numbers of floats and questions over regulatory standards, new analysis has shown. Read more: Muddy Waters says Burford Capital ‘continues to evade key questions’ about its accounting In the year ending in September, £3.9bn of capital was raised [...]
Can Freshfields’ young guns retain the Magic Circle firm’s private equity crown? October 27, 2019 Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s youthful private equity team are on the frontline of the struggle between UK and US law firms to control the City legal market. The firm has led the European private equity deal rankings for the last three years, seeing off the challenge of both Magic Circle and US rivals. However, the shock [...]
Riding by: Kapten’s new chief executive plots out the company’s bold future October 27, 2019 French ride-hailing company Kapten launched in London six months ago, with a bold plan to loosen Uber’s iron grip on the sector. The company barged onto the scene in April and immediately paid for a flurry of advertising playfully mocking its competitor. “Others avoid paying VAT in the UK – that’s not Uber cool,” one [...]
Revolving door spins at London litigation funder Augusta Ventures October 27, 2019 Litigation funder Augusta Ventures has launched a new team to back consumer class actions, but has also shed more than 10 per cent of its London workforce in a recent round of cuts. The funder said that despite cutting eight staff in London, it has grown overall, adding 11 new employees in recent months. Its [...]
Lucian Freud: The Self-portraits at the Royal Academy review: There’s genius at play, but it’s shrouded in darkness October 25, 2019 Wandering through the life of Lucian Freud, from awkward teen to darkly handsome young man to disheveled old artist, I was reminded of Nietzsche’s famous line, “If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” The longer you spend in the presence of Freud’s self portraits, taking in their raw, [...]
Essex lorry deaths: Police make two new arrests as Vietnamese woman feared to be among victims October 25, 2019 Police have arrested two more people in connection with the deaths of 39 people found in a lorry container at an industrial park in Essex, it emerged today. A 38-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman from Warrington were arrested in Cheshire. Both have been detained on suspicion to traffic people and on suspicion of 39 [...]