Four-in-ten Germans and French see AstraZeneca vaccine as unsafe March 7, 2021 Four-in-ten Germans and French now see the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine unsafe, after politicians in both countries made unfounded claims about the effectiveness of the UK-manufactured jab. New figures from YouGov show one-in-four Germans and French would refuse to take the AstraZeneca vaccine if offered – a growing sentiment that has lead to stocks of the [...]
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to face new trial after being freed from house arrest March 7, 2021 British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been released from house arrest by Iranian authorities, however she will face a new court case on Sunday. The British national had her ankle tag removed today, after being released from prison into house arrest last March. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a charity worker, was sentenced to a five-year prison sentence in 2016 [...]
Rishi Sunak to rally US to agree to G7 tax on tech giants March 7, 2021 Rishi Sunak will call on his US counterpart Janet Yellen to help coordinate an international tax on tech giants like Amazon at the upcoming G7 summit. Sunak has already said that one of his priorities at the G7 summit, which will be held in Cornwall this year, will be to get the ball rolling on [...]
David Frost tells EU to ‘shake off remaining ill will’ toward UK post-Brexit March 7, 2021 Brussels should stop complaining about the UK’s decision to leave the EU and instead try to make Brexit work, according to new cabinet minister Lord David Frost. The UK’s new de-facto Brexit minister said he hoped the EU “will shake off any remaining ill will towards us for leaving” and “instead build a friendly relationship, [...]
EU to urge US to export doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to Europe March 6, 2021 The European Union will urge the United States to permit the export of millions of doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine to Europe. The EU is scrambling the bridge supply shortfalls, the Financial Times reported, and has turned to the US for help. The EU also wants Washington to ensure the free flow of shipments of [...]
Kwasi Kwarteng: Social distancing in retail and hospitality could stay the year March 6, 2021 Business minister Kwasi Kwarteng believes social distancing in the retail and hospitality sectors could remain in some capacity for the rest of the year. Last month Boris Johnson announced almost all Covid-19 restrictions could be lifted by June 21, so long as the battle against the coronavirus continues to go to plan. Despite the planned [...]
Downing Street spends millions on new broadcast room March 6, 2021 Downing Street has spent more than £2.6m on fitting out a new meeting room, following plans to have America-style daily press conferences. The Cabinet Office told the BBC the multi-million-pound spending was “in the public interest” and will “increase public accountability and transparency”. Number 10 plans to start televised daily press conferences similar to those [...]
Democrats advance Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package March 6, 2021 Democrats forged ahead with President Joe Biden’s $1.9trn coronavirus relief plan early on Saturday, holding back Republican attempts to modify the package. With Republicans united in opposition, Democrats who narrowly control the chamber must keep all 50 of their members on board in order to pass the package, as they hope to do this weekend. [...]
Saturday Read: Investors are fleeing Myanmar as coup grows more deadly March 6, 2021 The world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, the Norwegian central bank, has put Japanese Kirin Holdings on a watch list for possible exclusion due to its ties to Myanmar’s military, in light of the recent coup and ongoing unrest in the country. The Japanese beverage group Kirin has a partnership and $1.7bn controlling stake in Myanmar [...]
Hancock firm on NHS one per cent pay rise despite nurse and union pressure March 5, 2021 Matt Hancock rejects opposition to one per cent pay rise despite union hostility towards the decision