Covid infection levels fell sharply across UK last week April 16, 2021 The number of people infected with Covid-19 across the UK fell sharply last week, the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show. After a slight rise last week, the number of people with the disease in England for the week ending 10 April was about one in 480. That’s a considerable drop [...]
UK imports to EU halve in first two months of year April 16, 2021 UK imports to the EU nearly halved in the first two months since Britain left the single market, new figures this morning showed. Imports dropped 47.0 per cent over January and February, while exports of the bloc’s products back across the Channel slipped 20.2 per cent, figures from Eurostat show. As a result of the [...]
EU will pursue legal action over Brexit rules in Northern Ireland for ‘as long as necessary’ April 16, 2021 The EU this morning warned that it would continue to pursue legal action against the UK “for as long as necessary” over post-Brexit trade issues in Northern Ireland. In talks last night, European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic urged his British counterpart David Frost to pursue jointly agreed solutions to the issues. In a statement [...]
Ørsted enters European onshore market with purchase of €570m Brookfield April 16, 2021 Danish energy giant Ørsted has today made its first foray into the European onshore wind market with the acquisition of Brookfield Renewable Ireland (BRI). The Irish firm, which has a portfolio of 389 megawatts of capacity either fully developed or under construction, is valued at €571m (£497.5m). It also has a further 1 gigawatt of [...]
US slaps sanctions on Russia for election interference and cyber hacks April 16, 2021 The US last night slapped sanctions on Russia in response to “harmful foreign activities” including interference in 2020’s Presidential election. The White House has targeted the economic punishments against a combination of officials and companies over accusations of cyber attacks and other destabilising activities. President Joe Biden said that the US had stopped short of [...]
China records best ever GDP growth in post-Covid bounce-back April 16, 2021 China’s economy grew by the fastest rate in its history as the country left last year’s lockdowns far behind. The world’s second biggest economy saw GDP grew 18.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2021, compared to the same period the year before. It is the fastest rate of growth since China began tracking [...]
Apollo circles Stanlow refinery owner Essar amid cash crunch – report April 15, 2021 Private equity giant Apollo Global Management is in talks with the owners of the struggling Stanlow oil refinery over a £400m refinancing deal, it was revealed today. Sky News reported that Apollo had had been in talks with Essar UK for several weeks over a deal that would involve it taking a significant position in [...]
World’s biggest semiconductor maker warns that shortage could continue into 2022 April 15, 2021 The world’s biggest semiconductor maker this morning warned that the current chip shortage could well last into 2022. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) said that it was doing everything it could to alleviate the drought of the processors, which are vital for a vast range of electric devices. Chief exec C. C. Wei told investors [...]
Aerospace industry warns over part shortage if Gupta steel empire fails April 15, 2021 The UK’s aerospace trade body has called for the government’s “urgent intervention” to protect steel production at Sanjeev Gupta’s wavering Liberty Steel empire. The interim chief executive of ADS, Kevin Craven, last week wrote to business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng warning that the sector faced a shortage of steel for plane parts if the plants were [...]
Shop closures weigh down Ladbrokes owner Entain despite online surge April 15, 2021 Ladbrokes owner Entain saw net gaming revenue shrink in the first quarter as the closure of its bookies due to Covid-19 restrictions offset rising online revenues. Although online net gaming revenue grew 33 per cent for the three month period – the segment’s 21st straight quarter of double digit growth – overall revenue fell 13 [...]
