Newsletter Feb 22, 2023

Nurses in England pause strikes to enter pay talks with government

Nurses in England will pause planned strike action to enter "intensive talks" with the British government on pay and conditions, both sides said on Tuesday, in the first sign of a break in a long-running dispute.

UK pay settlements hit 6%, highest since 1991: XpertHR

British employers offered the biggest annual pay rises in 32 years during the three months to the end of January, but these increases are still a long way behind double-digit inflation, industry data showed on Wednesday.

UK economy shows unexpected pep in February -PMI

Britain looks on course to sidestep a forecast recession as businesses reported an unexpected bounce in activity this month as well as receding price pressures, according to a survey on Tuesday.

UK's Hunt gets a pre-budget boost with surprise January surplus

Britain's government ran an unexpected budget surplus in January thanks to strong income tax receipts, giving finance minister Jeremy Hunt a little more leeway as he prepares to deliver a budget statement next month.

UK summons Iran envoy over 'threats' to journalists

The British government on Monday summoned Iran's top diplomat in London to condemn "serious threats" to the lives of UK-based journalists, after a Persian-language TV network was forced to relocate.

Registered companies in the UK hits record number in 2022

An analysis by Enterprise Nation reveals the number of new businesses registered in 2022 in the UK hit a record level.

Dollar, sterling underpinned by upbeat PMI surveys; kiwi jumps

The dollar and sterling were buoyant on Wednesday, after a surprise rebound in business activity in the United States and the UK raised the likelihood that their respective central banks would have further to go in raising interest rates.

Oil falls more than 1% as growth fears offset China demand hopes

Brent crude oil slipped more than 1% in a volatile session on Tuesday as persistent concerns about global economic growth outweighed supply curbs and prompted investors to take profits on the previous day's gains.

Cautious Walmart outlook hits shares despite solid Q4 profits

Walmart reported better-than-expected profits over the critical holiday-season quarter Tuesday, but offered a disappointing outlook as inflation weighs on consumers.

Microsoft inks Nvidia game deal to assuage regulators over Activision merger

Microsoft Corp has struck a 10-year deal to bring "Call of Duty" and other Activision games to Nvidia Corp's gaming platform if the Xbox maker is allowed to complete its much-contested $69 billion acquisition of Activision.

HSBC takes US$300 million hit on Russia business sale, says deal on track for 2023

HSBC HSBA.L> said it still expects to complete the sale of its Russia business in first-half 2023, in the most significant update on the progress of the deal since it said in July 2022 it had agreed to sell the unit to local lender Expobank.

Forbes kicks off bid to lead Scotland, would have opposed gay marriage

Scottish finance minister Kate Forbes on Monday became the latest candidate hoping to replace Nicola Sturgeon as the country's first minister, but her stance on gay marriage upset some in her own party.

EU vows to boost investment in Kenya to strengthen ties

The European Union said Tuesday that it would increase its investments in Kenya by hundreds of millions of dollars, looking to bolster ties in the face of competition from China.

Euro zone business growth at 9-month high - PMI

Surprisingly strong services growth meant the recovery in euro zone business activity gathered steam this month, expanding much faster than thought, according to a survey on Tuesday, the latest evidence the currency union could escape a recession.

EU countries mull curbing Russia sanctions dodging via trade tools, access to EU market

Twelve EU countries are calling on the European Union to stop companies and third countries from circumventing EU sanctions on Russia by using trade and access to the European single market as leverage, a document showed on Tuesday.

Microsoft's president to push Activision deal at EU hearing; Google, Nvidia also present

Microsoft President Brad Smith on Tuesday will seek to convince EU antitrust regulators at a closed hearing that the U.S.

Cryptoverse: Tether tightens grip on wobbling world of stablecoins

The world of stablecoins is suddenly looking shaky.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra display defect is not even a real problem, tech giant says

According to Samsung, the bubbling effect on the Galaxy S23 Ultra display is not a manufacturing defect or a real problem. Here's what the Korean brand says.

Four-day working week 'more productive': UK study

Productivity did not suffer from the lighter working weeks, with company revenue rising 1.4 percent on average over the trial.

SpaceX Dragon crewed flight to ISS pushed back 24 hours

Several issues needed to be addressed including additional analysis concerning the thermal performance of some of the pods that cover the exterior of the Dragon spacecraft.

Real Madrid roar back to thrash sorry Liverpool

The defending champions again showed remarkable powers of recovery to turn the tie around in little over 30 minutes of play.