Novartis agrees $9.7bn deal for US heart drug maker November 25, 2019 Novartis has announced it will buy American drug company the Medicines Co for $9.7bn (£7.6bn) in the hope its new cholesterol drug Inclisiran will reshape the heart medicine market. The Swiss drugmaker is paying $85 per share, a 24 per cent premium on the Medicines CO’s Friday closing price of $68.55. Read more: Novartis agrees [...]
Coal powered generation set for record fall in 2019 November 25, 2019 Global coal-fired electricity generation is on track for its biggest fall on record in 2019, with production expected to fall by around 3 per cent, according to a new report. This is equivalent to a reduction of around 300 terrawatt hours, which is more than the combined total output from coal in the UK, Germany [...]
Mo Robinson pleads guilty to assisting illegal immigration in Essex lorry deaths case November 25, 2019 Lorry driver Mo Robinson, who is accused over the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants, has pleaded guilty to plotting to assist in illegal immigration. Appearing by video link at the Old Bailey this morning, the 25-year-old from Craigavon in Northern Ireland, whose full name is Maurice Robinson, was asked not to enter a plea to [...]
Domestic abuse costs UK businesses £316m a year November 25, 2019 Domestic abuse against women costs UK businesses a total of £316m a year, according to a new study by KPMG for Vodafone. The new research suggests that per woman, the potential loss of earnings as a result of the negative impact domestic abuse can have on career progression could be as much as £5,800. Read [...]
5m customers switch energy supplier in 2019 so far November 25, 2019 Over 5m customers have switched energy supplier so far in 2019, Energy UK has revealed, as consumers continue to make the most of increased competition. The latest figures show that 626,284 customers moved to a new supplier last month – down 1.1 per cent on October 2018. Read more: National Grid and SSE shift to [...]
BT TV amps up streaming surge with Disney approach November 24, 2019 BT has approached Disney about adding the iconic company’s new streaming platform, Disney+, to its television service. According to the Sunday Times the move is part of BT’s strategy of making BT TV a streaming “super-aggregator”, where viewers can access the majority of on-demand platforms in a single place. Read more: City reacts with shock [...]
Sir Richard Branson to make a third bid for the National Lottery November 24, 2019 Sir Richard Branson will make a third attempt to wrest control of the National Lottery from incumbent Camelot, almost twenty years on from the last of his past efforts. The decision to enter the running to displace the Canadian company as the lottery operator reignites a rivalry that in the past led to a High [...]
National Grid and SSE shift to overseas ownership to counter Labour nationalisation plans November 24, 2019 The backlash to Jeremy Corbyn’s sweeping nationalisation plans has begun, as two of the UK’s leading power companies said that they had shifted ownership of their British operations overseas. The Sunday Times revealed that SSE and National Grid had confirmed that they had set up offshore companies in Switzerland and Luxembourg and Hong Kong respectively [...]
Oil industry reacts to Labour’s new £11bn tax pledge November 21, 2019 A controversial Labour pledge to raise up to £11bn from a new levy on oil and gas companies to help retrain 37,000 workers in the industry to “make the transition to a clean economy” has met with fierce criticism from industry bodies. Jeremy Corbyn revealed the tax at the launch of the Labour manifesto in Birmingham earlier [...]
Thyssenkrupp shares plunge as future looks grim for industrial giant November 21, 2019 Shares in Thyssenkrupp fell over 14 per cent today as the German industrial group’s new chief executive Martina Merz scrapped its dividend, warning that deeper losses were still to come. Merz, who took over last month in an emergency move, asked investors to be patient after the company’s half year results showed net losses had [...]
