US platform buys Seedrs for $100m after CMA blocks Crowdcube merger on home turf December 1, 2021 UK crowdfunding platform Seedrs is being acquired by US investment platform Republic, just months after the UK’s competition watchdog blocked its plans to merge with homegrown rival Crowdcube. In a transatlantic deal that values Seedrs at approximately $100m (£75m), the two platforms are billing the combined entity as “the first global private investment marketplace with [...]
Pandemic exodus: More than 40,000 staff quit social care sector in last six months alone December 1, 2021 Analysis of Government figures shows this morning that more than 40,000 social care staff have left the sector over the last six months, amid what a think tank is calling a “toxic mix of workforce challenges”. The Nuffield Trust said there is a “deepening crisis” in social care staffing ahead of a very challenging winter. [...]
‘Don’t cancel Christmas’: Boris Johnson increasingly under fire as Omicron Covid variant spreads across UK December 1, 2021 A senior health official has suggested that festive gatherings should be shelved as Boris Johnson will face further questions about the Government’s approach to halting the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant amid criticism from Tory MPs. The Prime Minister urged people not to cancel Christmas parties or school nativity plays during a press conference [...]
Omicron Covid measures show our politicians still don’t know how to take risks December 1, 2021 According to the government, the Omicron measures are “proportionate and responsible”. This may be true when compared to the pinnacle of pandemic command-and-control, when scotch eggs were served with every pint, outdoor gyms were taped up, and hikers were pursued across moors with drones. But make no mistake, with these new restrictions the state is [...]
Hong Kong Racing Tips: Allstars to plunder more Treasure at the Valley November 30, 2021 PUNTERS are faced with some fiendishly difficult puzzles to solve when racing gets underway with a nine-race programme at Happy Valley today. When the local racing enthusiasts have faced similar scenarios in the past, they nearly always pin their hopes on Joao Moreira, and bet him blindly, expecting the champion can at least get a [...]
National Grid and Scottish Power agree record £158m settlement for two-year subsea cable delay November 30, 2021 National Grid Electricity Transmission and Scottish Power Transmission will pay a redress package of £158m for two-year delays to a major power cable following Ofgem investigation.
Getting schooled in risk: The lessons of poker November 30, 2021 Getting rich slowly in the markets is an achievable goal. Just find the risks that everyone else irrationally hates right now. That’s the one that is available at the right price and will yield good returns. Now, while it’s simple, it’s not easy. Winning the gold medal in the 100 metres is simple – just [...]
The Coward’s way out: Loungewear to keep it classy November 30, 2021 The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and the switch to home working by large swathes of the employed population had a distinct knock-on effect on clothing. Suits and smart jackets were out—some of us are fighting a rearguard action to revive them—and suddenly everyone cast aside any remaining shame and championed their loungewear. The pressure [...]
When the chips are down: the tiny piece missing from our supply chains November 30, 2021 If you haven’t already bought your tech gifts this Christmas you may have to come up with some more primitive alternatives for your loved ones. Chronic shortages of chips, the tiny semiconductors that are essential to a myriad of technologies, as well as high labor and transport costs, mean that Christmas gifts this year such [...]
Yvette Cooper made shadow home secretary in comprehensive Labour shadow cabinet reshuffle November 29, 2021 Yvette Cooper has returned to frontline Westminster politics, after being appointed shadow home secretary in Labour’s comprehensive shadow cabinet reshuffle today. Cooper, a former rising star under Gordon Brown and husband to Labour heavyweight Ed Balls, formerly served as shadow home secretary between 2011 and 2015. Sir Keir Starmer’s reshuffle also saw David Lammy promoted [...]