Unite union ‘paid £95m to leader’s friend’ for project estimated to cost £7m January 28, 2021 A construction firm owned by the friend of Unite leader Len McCluskey was paid £95m by the union for a project that was originally supposed to cost £7m, according to reports. The Flanagan Group, a Liverpool-based building firm, was paid the money to act as a private contractor on a new national conference centre and [...]
Theatres warn of ‘devastating’ Brexit impact as pressure grows over touring visas January 28, 2021 UK theatres have called for urgent clarification over post-Brexit touring provisions, warning that a failure to resolve visa rules would have “devastating consequences” for the sector. In a letter to ministers today the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for theatre warned that a current lack of clarity over touring rules posed a major threat to the [...]
Shaun Bailey campaign in strife as team is whittled down to one press officer January 28, 2021 Shaun Bailey’s mayor of London campaign has been plunged into turmoil, with Conservative party headquarters withdrawing funding for his highly regarded press team. City A.M. understands that the Bailey team is now operating with just one junior press officer and is set to significantly reduce its online campaigning efforts. The mayoral election, which pits [...]
Exclusive: Friendship app Yubo to expand workforce 10-fold this year, says CEO January 28, 2021 In a year that saw UK schools close their doors and social gatherings move to video platforms, Gen Z ‘friendship’ platform Yubo saw live streams increase by 550 per cent, with streamers spending an average of two hours per day on the app. Since its launch in 2015, the platform that connects people based on shared interests has [...]
Under the influence: How reality stars’ Dubai trips could sink social media marketing January 27, 2021 While online fitness guru Sheridan Mordew has undoubtedly succeeded at influencing people, she may be struggling to make friends. When the social media influencer, who posts workout videos for her thousands of online followers, insisted that her much-documented trip to Dubai was essential business travel, she was met with little sympathy. In fact, Mordew is [...]
Pay phone: Would you spend £1m on a mobile number? January 27, 2021 You may be willing to splash out £1,500 on a new iPhone, but would you add another seven figures to that to secure the ‘phone number of your dreams’? London-based entrepreneur Usain Kubah has just released what he says is the world’s most expensive phone number, which will set you back a million pounds. The [...]
Covid-19 drives growth at Microsoft as cloud business benefits from home working January 26, 2021 Revenue was up at Microsoft in its second quarter, with the pandemic accelerating the company’s switch to cloud-based computing. Microsoft beat Wall Street estimates for revenue growth from Azure, it’s cloud computing service, as the software giant continued to benefit from a global shift to working and learning from home. The company’s shares, which gained about [...]
Olympic chiefs expected to press ahead and draw up plans for Tokyo 2020 Games in summer 2021 despite Covid-19 concerns January 26, 2021 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will meet tomorrow to draw up plans for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games, despite persistent speculation of a Covid-enforced cancellation. Wednesday’s video meeting of the IOC’s executive board is expected to focus on how it will ensure the vaccination of athletes, manage international visitors and accommodate spectators. The Japanese government, [...]
Bitcoin community resilient amid confusion surrounding BTC’s whitepaper January 25, 2021 CryptoCompare data shows the price of Bitcoin (BTC) moved from around $36,000 to a low under the $30,000 mark before the cryptocurrency’s price recovered. It’s now trading at $33,000 and appears to be within a tight range with support at $31,000. Ether (ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, kept on moving up throughout the [...]
Striking a chord: How music rights firms serenaded the stock market January 23, 2021 Anyone who has the misfortune to monitor news updates on the London Stock Exchange will know the name Hipgnosis. Less than a month into 2021, the gauchely-named company has already issued nine wordy announcements. They are not, however, the usual trading updates or dry regulatory disclosures. Instead, Hipgnosis has been on a relentless acquisition spree [...]