Truss: UK has made ‘great progress’ in New Zealand free trade deal negotiations July 31, 2021 International trade secretary Liz Truss said the UK and New Zealand were “closing in” on a new free trade deal after the latest round of talks between the two countries concluded. Truss met with her Antipodean counterpart Damien O’Connor for a series of trade talks between 19 and 30 July, for a new free trade [...]
Covid case rates fall in every English local authority as R rate dips for first time in weeks July 30, 2021 Covid case rates have fallen in every local authority in England for the first time since comparable figures have been recorded, while the “R” rate has decreased for the first time in weeks. Not one of England’s 315 local authorities recorded a rise in Covid cases in the week to 26 July, according to analysis [...]
Sage advisers: Protection given from Covid vaccine ‘highly likely’ to wane over time July 30, 2021 Vaccine campaigns will likely have to continue for many years as the Covid immunity induced by the shots is ‘highly likely to wane over time’, according to scientific advisers to the government. “It is highly likely that vaccine induced immunity to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and potentiallysevere disease (but probably to a lesser extent) will wane over [...]
Court rules Grant Shapps’ plan to build £1.7bn tunnel near Stonehenge is ‘unlawful’ July 30, 2021 Transport secretary Grant Shapps was found to have made a “material error of law” over his controversial road building plans that include a tunnel near Stonehenge. In a court ruling on Friday, Shapps’ decision to approve the £1.7bn scheme to overhaul eight miles of the A303 and build a two-mile tunnel near Stonehenge was ruled [...]
Amazon shares sink as EU hands down record €746m EU data privacy fine July 30, 2021 Amazon has been hit with a record €746m (£635m) fine for breaking EU rules over how it processed customers’ personal data, the tech giant disclosed today. In a regulatory filing Amazon said the Luxembourg National Commission for Data Protection (CNPD) had issued the ruling against it for breaches of EU data protection rules on 16 [...]
Wall Street dragged down by sinking Amazon shares July 30, 2021 US stocks fell sharply on Friday morning driven by shares in Amazon sinking after the EU slapped the firm with a record fine. The blue-chip S&P 500 dropped 0.51 per cent, while the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 0.36 per cent and 0.66 per cent respectively. Shares in Amazon sunk as much as 7.1 per [...]
Housing fraud trial: Labour MP Apsana Begum found not guilty July 30, 2021 Jurors today found Apsana Begum, Labour MP for Poplar and Limehouse, not guilty of three charges of dishonestly failing to disclose information relating to her social housing application. Ms Begum, 31, had been accused of withholding her true living conditions from Tower Hamlets council officials in an attempt to secure a social housing flat. The [...]
The unforeseen reputational risks of NFTs and how to avoid them July 30, 2021 A look at the risks everyone should be aware of when entering the fledgling NFT market.
One of two men charged for assaulting Chris Whitty pleads guilty July 30, 2021 One half of a duo that was caught on video in an incident involving England’s chief medical officer (CMO) Chris Whitty has pleaded guilty to assault in court. Lewis Hughes, 24, today pleaded guilty to assault at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London. It comes after Hughes was charged with common assault at the beginning of [...]
Pound on track for best week since December July 30, 2021 Pound sterling hovered near a one-month high against the dollar on Friday and was set to register its strongest week since December 2020. The reopening of the UK economy has fuelled consumer spending, while a drop in Covid cases over the last week has improved investor sentiment. Read more: Euro 2020 pushes retail sales above [...]
