Aircraft manufacturer Boeing (BA) is currently in the headlines after pleading guilty to criminal fraud stemming from two fatal plane crashes that killed 346 passengers. Two of Boeing’s 737 MAX jetliners crashed in 2018, one over Indonesia and the other six months later outside Addis Ababa.
Boeing faces a £190.1 million fine and has been ordered to invest at least £355 million over the next three years in improving its compliance and safety programs. That’s not the only deal offered to the company. Federal prosecutors have offered Boeing the choice of pleading guilty or standing trial on a felony charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Hollywood giant Paramount has officially announced its merger with independent film studio Skydance Media, a deal that will add $1.5 billion to Paramount’s balance sheet and pay $4.5 billion to shareholders in cash and stock.
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The merger is seen as a push back against the trend of streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+. The deal brings to an end an eight-month process in which Paramount chairman Shari Redstone had rejected certain deals or terms with independent studios.
Shares in FTSE-listed Ocado soared this morning after the company announced plans to build a third robotic warehouse in Japan, with Ocado Group chief executive Tim Steiner praising the plan as a way to deepen the group’s strong relationship with Japanese retailer Aeon.