Regarding the London subway bombing on July 7, Baron did know about it in advance. After all, in his previous life, this incident was also reported extensively by the media.
But as for the exact time when it happened, he was in China at the time and did not remember it very clearly. He just remembered that such an incident happened recently.
Therefore, before this, he really didn't have many ways to stop it - or rather, it would be too far-fetched to stop it by force.
First of all, he didn't remember the exact time. Secondly, this incident was mainly planned and carried out by local religious elements in England, and bombs were detonated in more than one place that day - including human bombs.
Therefore, if he wants to stop it in advance, Barron first needs to cooperate with the relevant departments in the UK, including intelligence and police departments. So where does the information come from?
Also, because these participants are immigrants with British citizenship, we don't know who will be involved and when the action will take place. So even if we increase security to avoid it happening on that day, the other party will always find a chance to do it later - there is no such thing as guarding against thieves for a thousand days.
In this case, Barron can only try his best to ensure the safety of those around him, and the people around him often don't need to take the subway, at least not during rush hour on weekdays.
In addition, you can gain benefits for yourself through this incident.
For example, the Protector Security Company uses this opportunity to obtain more government security orders.
…
"As for ITV, their board of directors has agreed to our acquisition plan. The only thing we need to consider now is whether the regulator will approve this acquisition..."
In the SEM Group's conference room, the person who briefed Barron on SEM Group's acquisition of ITV was a tall, beautiful woman in a white business suit who looked quite neat.
She has delicate features, a very contagious smile, and a confident tone:
"Although the BBC and Sky TV have been launching various public opinion attacks on our acquisition, according to the style of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), our acquisition this time will not encounter too many obstacles."
"How did you come to this conclusion?"
Hearing Barron's question, this beautiful woman, Joe Harriman, whom Barron had mentioned to SEM Group CEO Fergal Hayden before, took out a folder, handed it to Barron, and said,
"This is the data related to acquisitions between British local companies reviewed by the CMA in the past five years. Among these acquisitions, the CMA has not rejected any acquisitions of companies other than the top two in the industry, and unless the acquisition will occupy more than 40% of the British market after the acquisition, even the acquisition of the second largest company in the industry has not been rejected... In fact, more than 80% of the rejections in antitrust investigations occurred when the acquiring company was foreign-funded. Therefore, the acquisition between our SEM Group and ITV will not have an overwhelming advantage in the market share of the top two in the industry, that is, BBC and Sky TV. It can even be said that it is basically on par with them and is not subject to strict review by the CMA."
I have to say that judging from today's performance, Fergal Hayden's previous evaluation of Joe Harriman was not an exaggeration.
SEM Group's acquisition of ITV will be made in the form of cash and stock. ITV's current market value is around 3.3 billion pounds, while Summit Media's share price has recently stabilized at around 30 pounds, with a market value of more than 3.75 billion pounds, which is already higher than ITV.
SEM Group will acquire ITV for £3.6 billion, after paying a partial premium.
The payment will be £2.4 billion in cash and £1.2 billion in shares.
In terms of cash, in addition to SEM using its profits in recent years, it also issued 2 billion pounds of corporate bonds to the public to complete this acquisition. Due to the good performance of a series of variety shows it launched, Summit Media's profitability is still very good, so their corporate bonds are also more popular in the market.
In addition, Summit Media will issue 40 million new shares to ITV shareholders to complete this acquisition.
After this acquisition, SDTV under Summit Media will merge with ITV's four channels and use the ITV name and new logo.
The original ITV production department will be incorporated into Summit Studio.
By then, DS Holdings' shareholding in Summit Media will be reduced to 54.55%, and more than 24% of the shares will be in the hands of the original ITV shareholders.
It is indeed as Joe Harriman said, during the process of SEM Group's acquisition of ITV, BBC and Sky TV put up various obstructions, but at best, it only caused a little interference to their acquisition.
Even if we ignore Barron's own influence, even under normal circumstances, Summit Media's acquisition of ITV would not be troubled by British competition and market management. After all, with the existence of BBC and Sky TV, their acquisition cannot be said to have the possibility of monopoly.
After all, SEM Group itself is a British company, and it did not acquire the BBC or Sky TV.
…
"I heard that this bombing was instigated by Al-Qaeda and was an act of revenge..."
"This is terrible. Maybe we should leave this place first and come back after we have investigated the matter thoroughly. Otherwise, we will always feel uneasy."
At the Earl of Bute's house, Barron also met Jenny Bute, who came to London from America.
Listening to the women talking about the subway bombings - a week after the bombings, the police finally publicly admitted that the London series of bombings were suicide attacks.
They also announced that they had identified two of the four suspected attackers.
Peter Clarke, head of the counter-terrorism department of the London Metropolitan Police, claimed at a press conference that the man who detonated the bomb on the subway train between Aldgate and Liverpool Street stations was a 22-year-old man; the man who attacked the double-decker bus was an 18-year-old man. Both were British citizens of Pakistani descent.
What Barron discussed with Ian Boot was the listing of Argent Real Estate Group.
Just two days ago, Argent Real Estate Group submitted an IPO application to the London Stock Exchange. After approval, it will start the listing process. If all goes well, it is expected to be listed on the main board of the London Stock Exchange in October.
This time, together with the cashing out of some shareholders, Argent Real Estate Group is preparing to publicly sell 171 million shares, accounting for 15% of the total share capital after listing.
"Are you prepared to subscribe for a portion of the shares issued, Your Highness?"
"I will consider this matter. After all, I am still very optimistic about the future prospects of London real estate. It is possible that Mars Fund or other foundations will subscribe to a part of it as a pure financial investment."
As Barron was saying these words, he suddenly felt a foot touching his calf in a hidden place under the table, out of sight of everyone...
Barron remained calm on the surface and continued talking with Earl Bute, but based on the position of the foot, he glanced at the three women who were chatting in low voices.
First of all, I ruled out Bonnie. As for the Countess, or... Jenny?
From their expressions, I couldn't tell. They both looked immersed in the conversation, and from their positions, they could stretch their legs to tease me...
Feeling the touch, gradually moving up along my calves...
"Have you considered where to set the stock's offering price?"
Barron spoke to Count Bute, bowed slightly and then grabbed the "mischievous" foot from under the tablecloth...
It's silky smooth, it's a section of calf wrapped in stockings...
After noticing this, Barron's eyebrows slightly raised. It was indeed her...