GFG Alliance is putting seven of its U.K. plants up for sale as it seeks to reach an agreement with Credit Suisse Group AG to stave off insolvencies of some of its units, Bloomberg News reported. Owner Sanjeev Gupta made “significant progress” in weekend talks with the Swiss lender’s asset-management arm to resolve GFG’s exposure with Credit Suisse, the metals group said in an emailed statement Monday. GFG has been seeking to raise new financing to replace some of the $5 billion of loans provided by Greensill Capital since the London-based financial firm collapsed in March.
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The British government confirmed plans to charge EU citizens and other foreign nationals to visit, as part of a wider reform aimed at making the border more secure, Politico reported. Home Secretary Priti Patel said on Monday that her department will pass legislation to introduce a new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) that she argued will help the government track with more accuracy the number of people entering and leaving the U.K. It will apply to visitors without a visa or immigration status, except British and Irish citizens.
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Financially troubled insurers will be offered more flexibility and clarity on the process of writing down debts to avoid insolvency, under HM Treasury proposals, Insurance Insider reported. The proposed reforms are set out in a consultation now open that would change the existing insolvency arrangements for insurers operating outside the Lloyd’s market. The changes aim to provide greater clarity on the process of writing down debts owed by carriers, to cut costs for the industry and offer greater protection to policyholders.
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Britain’s main opposition Labour Party said it will push for a vote in parliament on Monday over support for U.S. plans to introduce a global minimum corporation tax rate, Reuters reported. The U.S. Treasury Department earlier this week said that it would accept a floor of at least 15% during international negotiations, a rate significantly below its proposed 21% minimum for U.S. multinational firms.
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Eurostar’s shareholders have pulled together funds from bank loans, deferred payments and from their own pockets to secure a £250million refinancing deal to save the company from bankruptcy, ConnexionFrance.com reported. “This refinancing is a major step towards securing Eurostar’s future,” Eurostar chief executive Jacques Damas said in a statement. Eurostar’s majority shareholder is the French national railway company SNCF, which owns 55% of the company and headed up the refinancing effort. The U.K.
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The liquidators of Carillion have struck a deal with a specialist litigation funder to bankroll a £250m lawsuit against KPMG, the collapsed outsourcer’s former auditor, the Financial Times reported. Litigation Capital Management, an Aim-traded litigation funder, said on Wednesday it had entered an agreement with certain Carillion entities to finance a claim in the English High Court over how KPMG conducted its audits of the outsourcing group.
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Imports to Ireland from Great Britain slumped in March, as Brexit continued to impact business between the two countries, Bloomberg News reported. Goods imports from Great Britain, which does not include Northern Ireland, fell 31% in March compared to a year ago to 992 million euros ($1.2 billion), Ireland’s statistics office said in a statement, continuing a trend since the U.K. left the EU. Goods imports dropped 48% in the first three months of the year. Exports to Great Britain from Ireland increased 13% during March compared to a year ago.
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A consortium of Indian banks led by the State Bank of India (SBI) on Tuesday moved a step closer in their attempt to recover debt from loans paid out to Vijay Mallya's now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines after the High Court in London upheld an application to amend their bankruptcy petition, in favour of waiving their security over the embattled businessman's assets in India, the Tribune of India reported.
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Britain's unemployment rate fell again to 4.8% between January and March, when the country was under a tight lockdown, and hiring rose further in April, according to data that showed employers gearing up for the easing of curbs, Reuters reported. Economists polled by Reuters had expected the rate to hold at 4.9%, and the reading added to signs that the labour market will escape the severe hit feared at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, thanks mostly to government jobs subsidies.
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Tullow Oil has raised $1.8bn via a bond offering to repay existing debt, ending a tense refinancing process the company had warned posed a “significant risk” of insolvency proceedings had it ended in failure, the Financial Times reported. The Africa-focused group, which has endured a difficult few years since it slashed its production outlook and parted ways with its former chief executive at the end of 2019, will use the proceeds to repay loans including bonds due this year as well as a lending facility linked to its oil reserves.

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