(Alliance News) – Ryanair Holdings PLC is being investigated over charging parents to sit with their children on flights. UK competition watchdog the Competition & Markets Authority said it will determine whether the practice is “in line with consumer law”. The Dublin-based airline described the investigation as “bogus” and a “failed effort by the Starmer Government to pretend it cares about consumers”. Ryanair requires at least one parent to sit with their children aged between two and 11, according to the watchdog. It does this through what the carrier calls a mandatory family seat, which typically costs about GBP8 each way, the CMA said.
Comment: A great example of the Nanny State at work. If you do not like a service provider, you do not use them. At the same time the Authority part of the CMA acronym has to be one of the most ironic misnomers given the way that this quango presides over what is still Rip-off Britain. By the way, does anyone know how one gets a cushy job on a quango?
Concurrent Technologies Plc (CNC), a designer and manufacturer of leading-edge computer products, systems, and mission-critical solutions used in high-performance markets by some of the world’s major OEMs, has secured a four-year order worth c. £17 million from a major European defence equipment prime contractor. The order is Concurrent’s largest single contract to date, significantly exceeding the previous largest order of $6.2 million received in 2025.
Comment: CNC shares quite rightly soar in the wake of the latest massive contract win, something which underlines the way that the market likes regular contract wins, as much as those of sheer size. For instance, one could have bought CNC shares at near to half the current price a few months ago.
Further to the announcement on 20th April, Wishbone Gold (WSBN) provided an update on the exploration activity at the Company’s Red Setter Project in the Paterson Province of Western Australia, located 20km south-west of Greatland Gold Plc’s (AIM and ASX: GGP) Telfer gold mine, and 50km east of Cyprium Metals Ltd’s (ASX: CYM) Nifty copper mine. WSBN said “Activity on the ground at Red Setter over the last month has been as expected, with the team making excellent progress with the initially RC drilling program and now the diamond drilling. We are on track to complete the 9,000m of drilling in this first phase of the 2026 programme. The results from the overall drill programme will establish the pattern of mineralisation at the project and guide our team for the next phase of drilling for the later parts of 2026.”
Comment: It has been quite a long saga as far as WSBN’s exploration near to Greatland’s, and one senses that the market is prepared to wait a little longer for the company to deliver the exploration results that could transform both it and its share price.
EnSilica plc (ENSI), a leading fabless microchip maker with a growing portfolio of reusable IP, serving the Space & Comms, Industrial, Automotive and Healthcare markets, is pleased to announce that the Edge AI application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”) supply contract, as first announced on 15 July 2024, has successfully completed production tape-out, releasing the US$5m NRE and tape-out fee to be recognised across FY2026 and FY2027. Progress on the supply contract has been led by the customer’s schedule, with first silicon samples anticipated in 2026 and volume production expected to begin during calendar year 2027. The Edge-AI supply contract is expected to become a significant revenue contributor to the Group of up to an estimated US$50 million over five years once full-scale production commences.
Comment: Shares of ENSI were transformed in April not only by being interviewed by Zak Mir, they were helped along shortly after by major space tech contracts, which the market was anticipating. We should now see a fresh wave to the upside for the company as it continues to build on highly favourable fundamental momentum.
Empire Metals (EEE), the AIM-quoted and OTCQX-traded exploration and development company, announced the completion of an integrated metallurgical processing flowsheet for the Pitfield Titanium Project in Western Australia. The flowsheet is capable of producing a premium 99%+ TiO₂ pigment, supported by bench-scale testwork now successfully completed across the key processing stages. Pitfield’s use of conventional processing technology, combined with the orebody’s mineralogical advantage and the Project’s location near readily available infrastructure, underpins a highly competitive cost structure. The flowsheet also offers the optionality to produce titanium metal feedstock and a high-grade alumina co-product. EEE said “The development of a fully integrated processing flowsheet utilising conventional beneficiation, leaching and refining processes to produce a high-grade (99.25% TiO₂) product represents a defining moment in the development of the Pitfield Titanium Project. This outcome not only demonstrates the potential to produce high-quality TiO₂ products, positioning Pitfield to serve premium pigment and titanium metal markets, but also provides an option to produce high-grade alumina, a highly marketable co-product.”
Comment: It is rather frustrating that EEE keeps on delivering the goods as far as progress on Pitfield, but that the share price has essentially flatlined for months. This should not be the case given the commodities boom (at least in terms of securing supplies) that we have been in since last year. Perhaps the market wants to see the company take the project rather farther down the line, and more quickly.
Amaroq Ltd. (AMRQ), an independent mine development company focused on unlocking Greenland’s mineral potential, announce that the flotation recovery circuit has been installed and commissioned at the processing unit of the Nalunaq gold mine, completing Phase 2. AMRQ “I am very pleased to announce the completion of the construction and commissioning of the Phase 2 flotation circuit at the Nalunaq processing plant. It is important to note this significant milestone, which enables us to increase expected gold recoveries from ~61%, achieved in the first quarter of the year, ramping up to ~90 to 95% for the remainder of the year. This increases confidence in our annual guidance range, which was contingent on the timing of the successful start-up of flotation recovery. I would like to thank our construction and commissioning teams for all their hard work in safely delivering this important project.”
Comment: It is perhaps a shame that coverage of AMRQ has largely originated from the more crackpot end of the spectrum, rather undermining the credibility of a very credible company. One would guess if this had not been the case the shares would be double or more their current level.
Jangada Mines plc (JAN), a Brazil-focused natural resources company, is pleased to provide an update on the Paranaíta Gold Project within the Alta Floresta-Juruena Gold Province in Brazil, where Jangada’s recent exploration results support the presence of a large-scale gold system with significant growth potential. JAN said “We are delighted to have confirmation of 1.2 km of mineralised structure, from the first of our identified five high grade targets. Results suggest an additional potential inferred resource at Paranaíta Project of +50,000 oz can be generated from the TP2 target, adding to the existing 210,000 oz Au. With the extensive desktop study now complete, we have a better understanding and interpretation of the geology and structural trends that have derisked the exploration model. The strong correlation between geological mapping, drilling, artisanal workings, and geophysical anomalies is highly encouraging especially put into context of the 20 plus artisanal pits already identified.”
Comment: Given today’s rather expansive revelations in the RNS, it is perhaps both surprising and disappointing that the market leaves shares of JAN flat so far on Thursday. February’s 3p peak currently feels as though it is a long way away.
