Spanish banks say adios to merger talks November 27, 2020 Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) and Banco de Sabadell have ended potential merger talks without having reached a deal. “Banco Sabadell informs that the board of directors has decided to terminate the above mentioned discussions, because the parties have not achieved an agreement on the exchange ratio of both entities,” Sabadell said in a statement. [...]
Six ways to reduce job search stress this winter November 27, 2020 The pandemic, rising unemployment levels, a teetering economy and the current lockdown across England — all this has created the perfect storm for stress levels. The spring and summer months saw sharp increases in the proportion of people struggling with stress, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. In fact, nearly half (49.6 [...]
Tech giants hit with new rules amid calls to fix ‘dysfunctional’ ad market November 27, 2020 Facebook and Google will be subjected to tighter scrutiny over how they use consumer data as ministers face calls to fix the “dysfunctional” online advertising market. The government today announced the launch of a new digital markets unit aimed at curbing the dominance of tech giants and giving consumers greater control over their personal data. [...]
It’s closing time for the nation’s pubs and bars — perhaps for good November 27, 2020 I’ve never considered myself a great fan of pubs. As someone who doesn’t drink beer and who came of age exactly as the golden age of pubs was on the wane (so aficionados tell me, citing the smoking ban as the moment the moment things started going downhill), the appeal has always been limited. But, [...]
There’s a new type of leader in town: Agile, decisive, and interested in more than their own voice November 27, 2020 The turbulence of 2020 has provided a new lens through which to look at our leaders, prompting a rethink of what leadership should look like in the Covid era and beyond. Over the past nine months, leaders have had to navigate the coronavirus pandemic, sweeping technological changes, worldwide Black Lives Matter protests, and of course [...]
Tiered lockdowns spread gloom over UK services sector November 27, 2020 Firms in the UK services sector became much more gloomy in the third quarter of the year as the Covid “second wave crashed”, after optimism picked up in the summer when cases were falling, the latest CBI survey has shown. The consumer services sector was particularly downbeat, with the pandemic hitting business harder than in [...]
Government urges regulator to approve Astrazeneca-Oxford vaccine for emergency supply November 27, 2020 The government has formally asked the UK’s medicines regulator to authorise Astrazeneca and Oxford University’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency supply. If the vaccine is approved, it could speed up the rollout of the treatment across the UK. Regulators will begin to assess the vaccine when they receive full data from ongoing trials being carried out [...]
Amazon to give frontline staff $500m in bonuses amid safety concerns November 26, 2020 Amazon will give its frontline staff working over the holiday period combined bonuses worth $500m, the firm confirmed today. The bonus comes at the end of a year in which the e-commerce giant has come under intense scrutiny over working practices for employees amid the coronavirus pandemic. Sales at the tech firm have soared this [...]
Astrazeneca mulling extra vaccine trial to ‘validate’ efficacy after results confusion November 26, 2020 Astrazeneca’s chief executive today said that the firm was likely to carry out another trial of its potential coronavirus vaccine after doubts were raised as to its efficacy. The admission, which was reported by Bloomberg, came after reports that a number of participants had received the wrong dosage during the trials. When the FTSE 100 [...]
Aviation groups push for airport slot waiver extension November 26, 2020 Leading aviation organisations have pushed for airport slot rules to be waived into the summer as airlines continue to battle the coronavirus downturn. Under the existing rules, which have been suspended since March, airlines which do not use 80 per cent of their take-off and landing slots have to cede them to rival carriers. The [...]
