Richard Branson pulls out of $1bn investment talks with Saudi Arabia over missing journalist October 12, 2018 Virgin's Richard Branson said he had scrapped talks with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund about a $1bn (£755m) investment into its space ventures late last night, in light of the disappearance of a prominent Washington Post journalist. "What has reportedly happened in Turkey around the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, if proved true, would clearly change [...]
UK car production slides in July August 30, 2018 The number of cars made in the UK tumbled 11 per cent last month, as incoming emissions standards and seasonal adjustments hit production. A total of 121,051 cars were produced in July, falling from 135,954 cars in the same month last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Year-on-year domestic demand [...]
Google joins the list of firms deserting Saudi conference over missing journalist October 16, 2018 Google became the latest name in a long list of high-profile companies to drop out of an investment conference in Saudi Arabia late last night, amid building criticism of the state's handling of a missing journalist. A well-known critic of Saudi Arabia's policies, US resident and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was last seen entering [...]
Turkey’s Erdogan accuses Saudi agents of killing missing journalist October 23, 2018 Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan today accused Saudi Arabian agents of the “premeditated” killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi was last seen alive entering the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on 2 October. Read more: Softbank operations boss to pull out of Saudi investment conference Several groups of Saudi intelligence officers had arrived in the [...]
Private firms should embrace this new chapter of governance December 11, 2018 Up until now, privately held companies of all sizes have largely been left to their own devices as far as governance is concerned. With the main UK Corporate Governance Code only applying to firms traded on the London Stock Exchange, private companies could broadly avoid letting the sunlight into their internal practices. But this state of [...]
Softbank operations boss to pull out of Saudi investment conference October 22, 2018 Japanese technology giant Softbank's chief operating officer is reportedly set to pull out of this week's Saudi Arabia business summit, as one of the world's biggest tech backers struggles with its controversial ties to the region. Marcelo Claure is said to have asked organisers of tomorrow's Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh to remove his name from [...]
Fitness advice: How desk jockey office workers can combat the scourge of sitting, dubbed by some the ‘new smoking’ April 11, 2019 Most of my clients spend the majority of their waking hours at work. This invariably means hours chained behind a desk with very little movement. Throw in relatively poor nutrition and you have a situation where your lifestyle can start to really affect your health. Spread this scenario over many years and problems can grow [...]
Uber’s chief executive Travis Kalanick has stepped down from the ride-hailing company June 21, 2017 Travis Kalanick, the controversial chief executive of Uber, has stepped down from his post, the company has confirmed. Kalanick helped set up the ride-hailing behemoth, but faced a shareholder revolt which forced his hand, according to the New York Times. Yesterday five investors called for his resignation, and wrote a letter to Kalanick outlining their [...]
Taxify boss criticises Transport for London after botched launch of ride-hailing Uber alternative September 9, 2017 The chief executive of ride-hailing app Taxify has criticised “hostile” London transport authorities who forced his firm to stop operating less than a week after it launched in the capital. Markus Villig, Taxify founder and chief executive, said he had been “surprised” by the “most hostile regulatory body we have ever encountered”, accusing Transport for [...]
Hungry? Now you can order from Deliveroo restaurants via Google Maps August 23, 2018 Deliveroo is now firmly embedded in Google Maps, giving London’s workers even less reason to leave their desks at lunchtime. The food delivery firm’s integration with the desktop, mobile web and mobile app versions of Maps means hungry City staff scanning restaurant details online can choose to have their meal of choice delivered directly to [...]