Politics

Blackstone's Gray on UK Policies, Private Credit, Impact of Iran War

Blackstone President and Chief Operating Officer Jon Gray says the UK government’s attempts to balance the books through higher taxes are pushing entrepreneurs to move abroad. In an interview for the upcoming podcast series, Leaders with Francine Lacqua which launches March 16, Gray also says that recent ructions in the world of private credit aren't indicative of systemic issues. He also expects dealmaking to pick up sooner than people expect despite a pause in transactions because of the Middle East conflict. (Source: Bloomberg)

Airfares Rising as Middle East Tensions Hit Fuel Prices

Qantas is hiking international fares about 5% as jet fuel prices spike on Middle East tensions. Savanthi Syth, Airlines Managing Director at Raymond James joined Bloomberg Open Interest to discuss the stress points in the airline industry as the war upends travel. (Source: Bloomberg)

Lakers' Doncic fined $50K for gesture toward ref

Lakers star Luka Doncic has been fined $50,000 for directing an inappropriate "money" gesture toward a game official during Sunday's win over the Knicks.

Odey’s ex-CEO labelled him a ‘sex pest’, court told

Tribunal kicks off hearing of hedge fund founder’s appeal against UK financial watchdog

‘Maybe it’s AI’ – Wife of suspended Cross River lawmaker dismisses assault video

“Look at me, I am okay, I am good. Did you see any marks on my face or anything like that? Nothing of such ever happened…” The post ‘Maybe it’s AI’ – Wife of suspended Cross River lawmaker dismisses assault video appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.

Qatari spokesman says unchecked escalation has sparked regional war

Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman says years of ignored warnings about unchecked escalation have led to regional war.

N4.65bn Money Laundering Trial: Court rejects Bauchi finance commissioner’s request to travel for Hajj

The judge gave his reason for throwing out the Bauchi State finance commissioner's request for permission to embark on Hajj pilgrimage. The post N4.65bn Money Laundering Trial: Court rejects Bauchi finance commissioner’s request to travel for Hajj appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.

V-bucks are getting more X-pensive

Everything is more expensive now, even Fortnite's in-game currency. Starting on March 19th, V-bucks packs will include less of the premium currency at the same prices. For instance, players can currently get 1,000 V-bucks for $8.99, but after the price increases they will only get 800 V-bucks at the same rate. The price of exact amount packs is increasing from $0.50 per 50 V-bucks to $0.99 per 50 V-bucks. Epic is also adjusting the price of Fortnite's Battle Pass, which will now cost 800 V-bucks to access and reward 800 V-bucks upon completion, rather than costing and awarding 1,000 V-bucks as it currently does. Unfortunately, Battle Pass … Read the full story at The Verge.

'Chelsea clash set to be season defining for Luis Enrique and Co'

Yamaha launches Creator Pass for music makers and podcasters

Yamaha is taking a big leap into subscription services with its new Creator Pass, which bundles a bunch of different services and apps focused on music and podcast production under a single umbrella. Yamaha doesn't actually make much software of its own, so it's partnered with several other companies to help flesh out the bundle. The primary partners are Landr, Output, and Riverside, which offer virtual instruments, sample libraries, and podcast recording tools. The bundles start at $14.99 a month (or $155.88 when billed annually) for the Beginner package, and go all the way up to $468 per-year for the Podcaster Complete plan. In total, the … Read the full story at The Verge.

‘Today will be the heaviest day of strikes on Iran’ – US war department

The United States Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has said Tuesday will witness the most intense day of strikes on Iran since the start of the military campaign known as Operation Epic Fury. Hegseth disclosed this during a media briefing on Tuesday, stating that the operation is progressing with what he described as “overwhelming and unrelenting […] ‘Today will be the heaviest day of strikes on Iran’ – US war department

Stagwell CEO Sees Turmoil at Rivals Bringing In New Business

Stagwell Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Penn said disruption among competitors and a contentious midterm cycle will support the company’s performance this year.