In the news

Bravo!

"The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has approved the merger of Three UK and Vodafone UK, subject to certain conditions."

That isn't good. So who is left? EE?

Mafia employed nun.
https://catholicherald.co.uk/award-winning-nun-arrested-over-alleged-links-to-italian-mafia/

Dunno. I tend to stick with one that meets my needs until they fuck me over then I never deal with them again.

https://www.three.co.uk/merger

EE?

And O2/virgin.

Thought ee and O2 had merged.

Edit: did know so many de mergers and mergers took place.

More Thames Water news:

Embattled Thames Water has received a £5bn bid from Covalis Capital.

Covalis plans to provide about £1bn of the funds upfront and raise a further £4bn from sales of the struggling water company’s assets.

I never understand how this works with acquisitions. So they are only putting in £1bn, then raising the other £4bn by selling the assets that they just bought?

Another example that springs to mind is when Glazer purchased Man United. Paid about £800million, but most of it was loans secured against the asset he was purchasing. So he put in very little money himself, and the club found itself with an extra ~£800m of debt as soon as the deal was done. Weird.

What assets has a water company got to sell? Sale and leaseback so even more debt we will have to service.

I’m sure an investment company is buying it entirely for altruistic reasons

The practices of United Healthcare are quite easy to describe as mass-violence on the American people. Horrible to say it but dog-ate-dog.

I never understand how this works with acquisitions. So they are only putting in £1bn, then raising the other £4bn by selling the assets that they just bought?

It's a kind of legal tax dodge on the part of the company doing the acquiring, because the interest on the debt they take on is offset against their corporation tax, reducing it. The banks support it because they can charge higher than usual interest rates (because the acquiring company likes the higher interest rates) and they feel safe about the loan because the acquired company is usually collateral for it So the buyer and the lenders win, while the customers and employees of the acquired company usually lose. To us ordinary humans, it looks like some jumped-up conman making his victims pay for his crimes. Which is often what it is, in effect.

Angry people in local / national papers pic of the year contender 2024

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20n71zl152o

RIP Mr Oak.

"The felling of the Sycamore Gap tree was deemed a criminal act and I don't see what the difference is here."

1 Attachment

Which house is it meant to be too close to?

Shed owners?

The one they are about to build on that "expansive plot with large frontage and easy access to transport links (the road)"

Cynical much? Does it come under the alannis Morissette ironic?

I only count 3 rings so it should grow back pretty quickly.

The restored Gothic spire of Notre Dame is to provide a dramatic
backdrop for Donald Trump’s return to the geopolitical stage this
weekend, as the US president-elect prepares to make his first visit to
Europe since the election to mingle with world leaders at an official
reopening ceremony in Paris on Saturday.

Syrian rebels are 10 km from Damascus. Will Assad get the Gaddafi treatment?

I suppose their commitment to the invasion of Ukraine means the Russians can't intervene as much as Syria would like?

Exactly this. They’ve picked their moment well.

No. And the Syrian army is so woeful that the Russians were easily the best soldiers in the fight. Assad no doubt has an emergency exit plan. But would his helicopter be shot down? Will his own people switch sides and stop him getting on it? There must have been a torrent of defections and desertions for the rebels to have moved so fast.

Gino campo what is it about these cooks ?