BREAKING: Hundreds injured and at least 20 dead after powerful earthquake in Pakistan October 7, 2021 A powerful earthquake in Pakistan has killed at least 20 people. It collapsed at least one coal mine and many flimsy mud houses in south-west Pakistan early this morning local time, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 200, an official said. The death toll was expected to rise as crews searched in [...]
Agriculture giant Olam looking to raise £2bn in London food ingredients IPO October 6, 2021 Olam International, the global agricultural commodity trading giant, is considering raising £2bn through the IPO of its London-based food ingredients unit next year, the firm has announced this morning. Five global banks have been appointed to work on the IPO, which would likely rank among the biggest offerings in London over the last few years. [...]
Precious £336m: Amazon shifts Lord of the Rings series production from New Zealand to UK October 6, 2021 Amazon’s TV and film division is set to shift its Lord of the Rings series production to the UK from New Zealand in a major boost for the country’s booming creative sector. The move marks an upbeat investment in the UK’s television industry, with Amazon Studios having already injected around $465m (£336m) into the first [...]
Hostelworld revenue dives against restrictions but travellers begin to return August 11, 2021 Online travel agent Hostelworld has had its revenue plummet 76 per cent in the past six months, as the group was significantly bruised by Covid-19 travel restrictions. Net revenue fell from €12m in the first half of last year to just €2.9m this year. Total bookings have also sunk by 73 per cent from a [...]
Amazon transfers £8.2bn of UK revenue to Luxembourg, report says August 11, 2021 Amazon has shifted some £8.2bn worth of UK revenues to European tax haven Luxembourg, a new report has claimed, as the ecommerce giant bats off calls for a tax inquiry. The retail heavyweight declared £13.7bn in UK revenues in 2019, however, filings for its UK-based companies said it only reported £5.5bn in sales. The report, [...]
Chinese social media giant Weibo’s ex-PR director arrested on bribery charge August 10, 2021 Chinese authorities have arrested today a top communications director at Chinese social media giant Weibo accused of taking bribes. Mao Taotao, former senior public relations director at Weibo, was detained by police on suspicion of accepting bribes and committing fraud. Weibo, part-owned by e-commerce giant Alibaba Groups, said the company had fired Mao and will [...]
Russia launches criminal probe into two allies of Kremlin critic Navalny August 10, 2021 Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation into two top allies of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, for raising money for his political network – which has been labelled extremist. Allies Leonid Volkov and Ivan Zhdanov, who have already been exiled from the country, are at the centre of the investigation which was opened after a [...]
Flutter Entertainment doubles revenue, sending shares rising 8.8 per cent August 10, 2021 Revenue at sports gaming group Flutter Entertainment has rocketed 99 per cent in the past six months, scoring double the cash it recorded in the first half of 2020. The upbeat results sent shares jumping 8.85 per cent to a total share price of 14,085.00. The sports entertainment group, which owns Paddy Power and Betfair, [...]
Hong Kong leader backs to adopt China anti-sanctions law August 10, 2021 Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam said today she supports implementing China’s anti-foreign sanctions law in the city through local legislation. At her weekly press conference, Lam said she supports Beijing’s law to be listed in the annex of Hong Kong’s mini-constitution known as the Basic Law. “We will do its utmost to fulfil its [...]
Home working win: HR software firm Gusto hits $10bn valuation and mulls IPO August 10, 2021 HR software firm Gusto has hit a $10bn valuation following its latest funding round, amid work-from-home measures in which it thrived. The company secured $175m in a funding round in recent weeks, its CEO Josh Reeves told Forbes, after bagging $200m in capital last year. The capital rally was led by T. Rowe Price and [...]