THE DAILY BRIEFING

■ SOFTWARE Connection SALE Capital Investmenthas sold educationImpero to private software equity companygroup Investcorp£27.5m. Technology Partners for

Its software is used in more than 90 countries, including more than 1,400 secondary schools.

■ DRUG DEALDE Medical investor Arix Bioscience has invested in San Diego’s AmplyxAm Pharmaceuticals, which is developingde treatments for life-threateninglife-threaten fungal infections.

■ MARKET MARKETING LIFT Digital marketer Be HeardHe has posted a 155pc first-half profitspro boost from revenue of £8.4m, up from £3.3m last year.

■ CITY BASEBAS Hong Kong investment bank Ion PacificP has opened its European headquartersh in London.

■ TAX BILLSBILL Lawyers and accountants paid £15.5bn£1 of taxes in 2015-16, according to The City UK lobby group. ThereTher are 693,000 employees in the sector.secto

■ BANK LOSSLO Germany’s secondlargest bankban plunged to a £601.8m loss in the seconds quarter of 2016.

Commerz Commerzbank’s figure was even worse than analysts had feared, and far below theth £192.3m profit made in the same pe period last year.

■ STRIKE OUT Warehouse workers at retail giant Argos are to stage a three-week strike in a dispute over redundancy arrangements.

Members of the Unite union will walk out on August 15 after a row flared over the transfer of workers from a distribution hub in Leicestershire to a site in Northamptonshire.

■ KNOCKED DOWN British builders have suffered their worst month for nearly a year amid reluctance among clients to commit to new projects, latest figures show. Research group Markit said its index of activity in the construction sector – where scores above 50 show growth – fell from 54.8 in June to 51.9 in July.

■ ENERGY FLOAT Oil and gas explorer Kosmos Energy is due to float in London in September to try to find more European investors. The New York-listed firm has struck a major gas find just off Senegal.

■ OIL FIELD Oil services firm Amec Foster Wheeler plans to flog off its North Sea oil and gas business to help its takeover by rival services firm Wood Group go through. Bosses at both firms hope the sale will satisfy competition officials worried that the £2bn tie-up will drive up prices.