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UK's CityFibre secures $3 bln to invest in network, M&A

UK's CityFibre secures $3 bln to invest in network, M&A

Time of India14-07-2025
LONDON: British fibre broadband network
CityFibre
said on Monday it had agreed 2.26 billion pounds ($3.04 billion) of finance from its shareholders and existing lenders to fund network investment and acquire smaller rivals.
Shareholders Infrastructure at Goldman Sachs Alternatives , Antin Infrastructure Partners, Mubadala Investment Company and Interogo Holding would provide 500 million pounds in new equity, it said, alongside a 960 million pound expansion of its existing debt facilities.
It said it had also agreed a further 800 million pound loan facility to fund acquisitions as it drives consolidation.
CityFibre, which operates Britain's third largest broadband network after BT and Virgin Media O2 , said the new financing would "supercharge" its next phase of growth.
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Yunus's Bangladesh has become a Pakistani client state
Yunus's Bangladesh has become a Pakistani client state

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Yunus's Bangladesh has become a Pakistani client state

Bangladesh and Pakistan have agreed to implement visa-free travel for each other's diplomats and official passport holders—an unprecedented policy shift that marks the most explicit sign yet of Dhaka's growing closeness to Islamabad read more In a move that has raised alarm across Bharat, Bangladesh and Pakistan have agreed to implement visa-free travel for each other's diplomats and official passport holders. This policy shift marks the most explicit sign yet of Dhaka's growing closeness to Islamabad, following the sudden and opaque ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. Framed officially as a gesture of 'Muslim brotherhood' and 'regional solidarity', this development has far deeper—and darker—implications, especially for Bharat. To those familiar with Bangladesh's liberation struggle, the deal reeks of strategic capitulation and ideological drift. 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The Return of US-Pakistan Influence Since Sheikh Hasina's ouster, Bangladesh's new administration has moved swiftly to rehabilitate pro-Pakistani forces, many of them linked historically to Jamaat-e-Islami and other Islamist outfits banned by the previous dispensation. While this is being spun as 'democratic pluralism', it is, in reality, a deliberate erasure of the 1971 war consensus that built Bangladesh as a secular, pluralistic republic. The rollback has been quietly orchestrated by Washington, which had long viewed Hasina as an obstacle to its Indo-Pacific strategy. Her refusal to lease St Martin's Island for a US naval base in the Bay of Bengal infuriated American policymakers. Enter Donald Lu, a US State Department official with a dubious reputation for regime change, and Ambassador Peter Haas, whose fingerprints are all over Dhaka's recent political recalibration. 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Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.

India-UK FTA: Wait for cheap Scotch whisky may not end the way you think
India-UK FTA: Wait for cheap Scotch whisky may not end the way you think

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time3 hours ago

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India-UK FTA: Wait for cheap Scotch whisky may not end the way you think

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East India Company, that once looted India for 200 years, is now owned by an Indian; his name is…, business is...
East India Company, that once looted India for 200 years, is now owned by an Indian; his name is…, business is...

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East India Company, that once looted India for 200 years, is now owned by an Indian; his name is…, business is...

The East India Company was instrumental in the establishment of British dominance in India. It occupied and ruled a large part of the world and the Indian subcontinent for several years. The East India Company was the most powerful arm of the British Empire, which became so large that it was often stated, 'the sun never sets on the British Empire.' But what happened to the East India Company after World War II, when the British Empire crumbled? Who owns the famous trading company now? On December 31, 1600 AD, the East India Company was established as a trading company in England under a special charter from the British Crown, which gave it extraordinary powers and privileges to establish the crown's dominance in other parts of the world, especially in India and East Asia. At first, the East India Company traded with Indian kings and rulers. Over time, it utilized military and political power to consolidate land. Eventually, the Battle of Plassey occurred on June 23, 1757, which led the British to control Bengal. This battle started the Company rule of all of India. As an odd twist of fate, the East India Company – once a ruler of India for nearly 200 years – is now owned by an Indian. Sanjiv Mehta, as British businessman originally born in India, sits at the helm of the company. The East India Company has transformed itself into a luxury goods, gift hampers, luxury tea, coffee and food, premium drinks and homeware retailer.

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