Synairgen said full results from the phase 3 SPRINTER trial of its SNG001 have now been published in the peer-reviewed European Respiratory Journal Open Research (ERJOR).
Topline results were released earlier in the year showing the respiratory drug missed its primary endpoints of discharge from the hospital and recovery, but there were signs of a reduction in the relative risk (RRR) of progression to severe disease.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s windfall tax on electricity generators will threaten investment into UK renewables, according to the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA).
“We would question the wisdom of subjecting cheaper, greener renewable power sector to a more punishing tax system than its oil and gas counterparts,” said REA policy director Frank Gordon.
Boeing resumes testing of ‘world’s largest and most efficient’ jet
Aerospace giant Boeing said it has resumed testing of the “world’s largest and most efficient twin-engine jet” on Thursday, after repeated delays.
Hurricane Energy PLC (LSE:HUR) chairman Philip Wolfe has said its major shareholder’s move to replace the board and propose a new team to reinvest in the company is “simply mystifying”.
It comes as the company seeks to conclude a formal sales process.
On the 12th day of Christmas, Sam Bankman-Fried scored a US$250mln bail secured against the California home of his parents in one of the largest pre-trial bonds in history.
The lyrical cadence could use some work, but the message is clear: The former crypto tycoon and head of collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX will be celebrating his 30th Christmas on planet Earth from the comforts of home.
Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:FB). has agreed to pay US$725mln to settle a class action lawsuit that claimed the social media giant gave third parties access to user data without their consent.
It is the “largest recovery ever achieved in a data privacy class action and the most Facebook has ever paid to resolve a private class action,” Keller Rohrback LLP, the law firm representing the plaintiffs, said in a court filing announcing the settlement.
Tesla share’s fell by nearly 9% on Thursday, amid demand fears which has seen it offer discounts on Model 3 and Y vehicles with rumours also of staff cuts.
Elon Musk, chief executive and a major shareholder, again promised to stop selling his shares in the electric vehicle company having dumped around US$40bn worth of stock this year.
Border Force staff will walk out today in the first day of a series of strikes planned for the festive period.
Travellers can expect disruption and even airport closures, according to chief operating officer Steve Dann, as the border enforcer looks to replace its ranks with military and civil service volunteers.
Web3 investor Coinsilium Group Ltd (AQSE:COIN, OTCQB:CINGF) has today published an update of its investment in portfolio company Greengage, which was completed via Coinsilium’s Gibraltar-based subsidiary Seedcoin in September 2021.
Greengage’s e-money account services are now set to go live in January 2023 following a successful audit conducted by Modulr.
Bitcoin (BTC) seems to have packed it in for Christmas, given the exceptionally low trading volumes and minimal price movement on the BTC/USDT pair.
Given the lack of investor appetite, BTC/USDT has barely moved from the US$16,800 price point since the start of the week.
UK car production grew for the second consecutive month in November, up 5.7% to 80,091 units, according to the latest figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “These figures bring some Christmas cheer to UK car makers in what has been another incredibly tough year.”
Hurricane Energy PLC's (LSE:HUR) major shareholder Cystal Amber Fund Limited has sent a requisition notice for a general meeting in which it seeks to remove certain directors and appoint two new directors.
Private equity investor Crystal Amber wants Hurricane Energy to hire Tony Buckingham and Franco Castelli, who run Albion Energy Limited, which has been in consultation with the fund over the potential value within Hurricane’s acreage.
Cellular Goods PLC (LSE:CBX) has said trading in the first quarter of the current year has “improved significantly", with the company looking forward to the future with “cautious optimism.”
The UK-based cannabinoid wellness company said that the first three months of the current financial year have seen sequential growth in revenues, generating sales momentum from a low base.
RC365 Holding PLC (LSE:RCGH) saw a near threefold increase in top-line revenues in its half-year ending September 30, 2022, boosted by the two key acquisitions of Hong Kong-based RCPAY Limited and Singapore-based Regal Crown Technology.
The company reported revenues of HK$7.9mln (£840,000) for the six-month period, against HK$2.7mln in the 2021 half-year (H1 2021).
Hydrogen Future Industries PLC (AQSE:HFI) said it making good progress towards its target of a cheaper and greener way of producing the gas.
Testing of its wind turbine is underway in Montana but Dan Maling, chairman, said this is only the first element of its system.
TikTok parent company ByteDance has fired employees who improperly accessed data from two journalists’ accounts, fuelling concerns over how user information is handled.
ByteDance admitted the breaches in an email to staff, with the employees having looked at the users’ IP addresses, gained through the video sharing app, while investigating information leaks.
Kodal Minerals PLC (AIM:KOD) said it expects to submit its application for the switch to a dense media separation (DMS) plant at its Bougouni lithium prospect to the authorities in Mali early in the New Year.
The DMS option is a much cheaper upfront option, said Kodal, based on feeding 1Mtpa of lithium ore to produce 130,000 tonnes per annum of spodumene concentrate with an initial four-year mine life.
Inchcape PLC (LSE:INCH) said its £1.3bn acquisition of Derco, Latin America’s largest independent automotive distributor, has been given the green light by Peruvian authorities.
In addition, the deal was approved by Inchcape’s shareholders on 16 December, and completion of the acquisition is now expected to take place before the end of the year.
Gfinity PLC (AIM:GFIN) chief executive John Clarke said the eSports and technology company is continuing "on a pathway towards profitable growth" as it reported results for the year ending June 30, 2023.
The company posted revenue of £5.3m (2021: £5.7m), a decrease of 8% year-on-year (YoY), but that included a 33% increase in revenue attached to Gfinity's owned audience, technology and esports properties. Average monthly active users increased 36% YoY, while revenues generated per MAU increased 29%.
San Leon Energy PLC (AIM:SLE, AQSE:SLE, OTC:SLGYF) relayed an update on oil sales by associate Decklar Petroleum, which operates the Oza field in Nigeria.
Decklar has now completed a 10,000 barrel shipment of crude to a small oil refinery in Edo State, Nigeria, San Leon said in a statement.
ECR Minerals PLC (AIM:ECR), the exploration and development company focused on gold in Australia, revealed that “encouraging” lithium, tantalum and niobium anomalies have been identified at the Lolworth Range project in North Queensland.
ECR owns 100% of three exploration tenements - EPM27901, EPM27902 and EPM27903 - which cover the Lolworth Range, located 120- kilometres west of the famous gold district of Charters Towers.
Cornerstone FS PLC (AIM:CSFS) said it has agreed to a sale of Avila House, its electronic money subsidiary, to payment and lending services provider Aspire Commerce Ltd.
Aspire, trading as MalootMoney.com, will purchase Avila by way of a share purchase agreement.
Bens Creek Group PLC (AIM:BEN, OTC:BENCF) said it has agreed on a deal to buy the rail track at its coal loading facilities from major shareholder MBU in another move to put distance between the two companies.
Currently, Bens Creek leases the track from an MBU subsidiary, BC Rail, at an annual rent of US$55,000.
Symphony Environmental Technologies PLC (AIM:SYM) has said its revenues this year will be behind 2021 even after a strong second half to the year.
An issue with Middle East destocking has still not been resolved mainly due to delays in certifications for its partner's new factory in the UAE, which finally became fully operational in December.
Plexus Holdings PLC (AIM:POS) has said it is hopeful of converting a number of expressions of interest in its portfolio of products into contracts in the coming months.
“We look forward to 2023 with growing confidence,” the AIM-quoted oil and gas engineering services business said in an update to investors ahead of its AGM being held on Friday.
Netflix’s plans to crack down on password sharing have been boosted by the Intellectual Property Office’s (IPO) announcement that the distribution of logins may be illegal.
“There are a range of provisions in criminal and civil law which may be applicable in the case of password sharing… these provisions may include breach of contractual terms, fraud or secondary copyright infringement, depending on the circumstances,” the IPO stated.
Deloitte has been fined over £900,000 by the UK watchdog for failings in its auditing of building materials supplier SIG’s financial statements between 2015 and 2016.
Simon Manning, Deloitte’s engagement partner was also sanctioned.
Warnings of delays and possible airport closures have been issued by Border Force chief operating officer Steve Dann ahead of strikes starting on Friday.
Hinting at possible closures, Dann outlined the border control enforcer would try to keep “most if not all ports open” during the strikes.
Britain is to provide £165mln worth of funding for five sustainable aviation projects aiming to convert household waste into fuel capable of powering aircrafts.
The five Northern-based projects will look to create fuel using household waste, steel mill off-gases, carbon capture and from hydrogen, aided by the government’s Advanced Fuel Fund.
Moderna has agreed to invest in a Covid vaccine research and development and build a new vaccine manufacturing facility in the UK.
“The deal is also a major boost for UK health research and will see the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) working with Moderna to ensure early vaccine development” said the government.
US multinational Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) is shaking up its graphics processing unit (GPU) output in a bid to increase its market share against leading competitor Nvidia Corporation.
Nvidia is easily the largest manufacturer of discrete graphics cards, accounting for some 80% of the total market.
Amazon could be held responsible for third-party trade mark misuses in the wake of a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling.
A case was brought by French luxury shoemaker Christian Louboutin after the company accused Amazon of breaching its trade mark by hosting advertisements from third-party sellers.
Superdry PLC (LSE:SDRY), the branded retailer famous for its hoodies, has secured a new £80mln loan facility helping push shares 16.6% higher.
In a trading update the group said the new facility, included a £30mln term loan, and covered a three-year period with an option to extend for one further year.
Restaurant Group PLC (LSE:RTN), which owns Wagamama, Chiquito, and Frankie & Benny’s has negotiated new debt terms with lenders.
The revised £340mln package comprises a £220mln term loan facility and a £120mln revolving credit facility (RCF) with its existing lenders.
Royal Mail strikes have left households in the cold as they await energy bill support vouchers.
Only 27% of vouchers issued under the Energy Bills Support Scheme for traditional prepayment meters have been redeemed up to 18 December, according to data from PayPoint.
A senior investment banker at Spanish bank Santander UK operation has been accused of the harassment and bullying of female staff over a period of multiple years.
Eduardo Bastida is the chief risk officer for Santander corporate and investment banking, a role that requires mitigating any significant threats to the company’s earnings.
High-street sandwich purveyor Pret A Manger is rolling back its Veggie Pret chain of vegetarian-only outlets after six years of trading.
Five outlets have already closed or been rebranded to a regular Pret, bringing the total down to five from a zenith of 10.
Home furnishings retailer MADE.com Group PLC is set to close down completely after proposing a members’ voluntary liquidation ahead of its annual general meeting in mid-January.
The proposal would see MADE’s assets and proceeds, if any, distributed among creditors and shareholders.
Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is planning a wave of layoffs as well as a hiring freeze in the new year, according to news reports, while also offering a discount on its vehicles.
News website Electrek, which quoted sources familiar with the matter, said the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer will scale back on the number of its employees in the first quarter of 2023.
Commuters, already facing disruption from a raft of strikes, will be stung with a 5.9% increase in regulated rail fares from next March, the Department for Transport has announced.
The rise, which impacts rail users in England, is being capped at a level well below inflation, "to help reduce the impact on passengers", the transport secretary Mark Harper said.
Britain’s ‘big four’ supermarket have been accused of “heartlessly overcharging” drivers by RAC, which said prices for fuel this Christmas will be the highest ever.
Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons “robustly” refusing to “lower forecourt prices” will mean this Christmas is the "most expensive ever" for drivers, according to RAC spokesperson Simon Williams.
Two former close associates of disgraced crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried have pleaded guilty to criminal charges relating to the collapse of FTX, formerly the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange.
One half of the pair, Caroline Ellison, was chief executive of FTX's sister company Alameda Research.
Frozen-grocery retailer Iceland has lost its years-long trademark battle with Iceland, the country, following a ruling by the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
As a result of the finding, Iceland Foods’ EU trademark registrations will be cancelled.
With the World Cup over and a series of strikes causing mass disruption, pub sales in the City of London have taken a turn for the worse.
According to Kate Nicholls, chief executive of trade group UKHospitality, takings in the past week were nearly half of pre-pandemic levels, and with rail strikes planned in the weeks ahead, there could be more pain to come.
Deltex Medical Group plc (AIM:DEMG) shares surged 20% to 0.9p on Thursday following a year-end update in which it announced revenues for 2022 would be ahead of last year.
The medical technology firm also told investors it has a “large advanced opportunity in the pipeline which if successful, could provide a further boost to revenue in the short term.”
Overall inflation including housing costs fell from October to November 2022, but the cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks has continued to rise, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The headline inflation figure fell to 9.3% in November from 9.6% in October but food and non-alcoholic drink inflation rose by 16.5% in the 12 months to November 2022, the highest increase since September 1977 (17.6%).
Shares in Tekmar Group PLC (AIM:TGP) surged 60% after the company announced it has won a contract to supply cable protection systems (CPS) for the third phase of Dogger Bank C wind farm in the UK.
AIM-traded Tekmar will design, manufacture and supply a further 172 CPS in addition to an existing contract with EPCI contractor DEME Offshore to supply 380 CPS to protect subsea array cables on Dogger Bank A and B project phases.
Brexit is not delivering for British business and has left many feeling they are "banging their heads against a brick wall", according to a survey from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).
More than three quarters (77%) of firms surveyed, for which the Brexit deal is applicable, say it is not helping them increase sales or grow their business, the BCC reported.
IOG PLC (AIM:IOG)’s Southwark A2 well is now expected to come onstream by mid-January, the UK gas and infrastructure operator said in an update on current production.
The A2 well test and clean-up is planned for next week, with final hook-up and commissioning and safety reviews then leading to Southwark first gas by mid-January, said the AIM-traded group.
The 600 Group (AIM:SIXH) PLC, the industrial laser systems business, tumbled 25% to 8.7p after reporting a fall into the red in the first half.
The underlying pre-tax loss in the six months to 30 September 2022 was US$800,000, compared with a profit of US$100,000 in the first half of last year.