Sir Richard Branson set for space as Virgin Galactic signs Rolls-Royce deal August 4, 2020 Sir Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of private spaceflight firm Virgin Galactic, will be one of the first to go into space in one of his company’s rockets, it has been revealed. As long as two test flights scheduled for the autumn are successful, Branson will go into orbit early next year, Virgin Galactic said [...]
Bayer shares slip as drugs giant falls to €9.5bn loss August 4, 2020 German pharmaceutical giant Bayer saw its shares slip 3.6 per cent this morning after the firm reported a €9.5bn (£8.6bn) loss in the second quarter. The loss stemmed from a $10.9bn settlement of US lawsuits which claimed that its weedkiller product Roundup caused cancer. As of July, lawsuits from approximately 56,200 plaintiffs claiming to have [...]
Fuel prices rise for second consecutive month as oil price steadies August 4, 2020 The average price of petrol and diesel rose for the second consecutive month in July, adding nearly £2 to a fill up, according to RAC Fuel Watch data. The second consecutive month of price rises means unleaded is now 7p a litre more expensive than it was at the end of May, while diesel is [...]
United Oil and Gas takes over Jamaica field from Tullow August 3, 2020 United Oil and Gas has taken over the running of Jamaica’s Walton Morant oil field from fellow explorer Tullow Oil, it was announced today. This morning, the firm announced that the Jamaican government had given it permission to take forward the reserve on a 100 per cent basis. The deal will give United 18 months [...]
Business travel firms call for government help to avoid 10,000 job cuts August 3, 2020 The UK’s business travel sector has called on the government to provide it with an emergency rescue package to help prevent up to 10,000 jobs being lost this year. The chief executive of industry body the Business Travel Association (BTA) has written to chancellor Rishi Sunak, transport secretary Grant Shapps and business secretary Alok Sharma [...]
Thomas Cook buyer Hays Travel to slash 878 jobs August 3, 2020 Hays Travel, which bought Thomas Cook last year after the holiday firm fell into administration, will cut 878 jobs. Nearly a fifth of its total workforce of 4,500 will be made redundant through the cuts as the travel industry continued to suffer the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement, owners John and Irene [...]
WHO head warns that there may never be ‘silver bullet’ coronavirus vaccine August 3, 2020 The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that there may never be a “silver bullet” in the form of a perfect vaccine for coronavirus, imploring countries to “do it all” to beat the virus. Speaking at a news conference in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to enforce mask-wearing, social [...]
Sadiq Khan slams ‘unacceptable’ London lockdown plans August 3, 2020 London mayor Sadiq Khan has hit out at Boris Johnson after the Prime Minister reportedly discussed drastic contingency plans to lockdown London in event of a second coronavirus wave without involving City Hall. One of the options discussed by Johnson as part of a “war gaming” session with chancellor Rishi Sunak was using the M25 [...]
UK bolsters vaccine manufacturing capacity with Wockhardt deal August 3, 2020 The government has today taken further steps to bolster its vaccine manufacturing capacity by striking a deal with Indian pharma giant Wockhardt. Under the 18-month long agreement, the Mumbai-listed firm will carry out the ‘fill and finish’ stage of the manufacturing process, which involves dispensing the manufactured vaccine substance into vials ready for it to [...]
Tui bolsters finances with $226m sale and leaseback deal for 737s August 3, 2020 Package holiday firm Tui has agreed a sale and leaseback for five new Boeing 737 Max-8 aircraft with BOC Aviation Ltd, which will raise $226m (£173m) for its finances. The firm said that the deal was part of its “asset right” strategy, which will see it sell existing assets to finance the purchase of new [...]
