New UK Covid cases down 33 per cent over the past week January 31, 2021 The UK recorded another 21,088 Covid cases today, with the seven-day average falling by 32.5 per cent this week. Government figures also showed another 587 people died from Covid in the UK today, which brings the seven-day figure to 8,219 – a 5.3 per cent week-on-week drop. Patients admitted to hospital over the past seven [...]
Von der Leyen under pressure to resign as EU Commission President over vaccine debacle January 31, 2021 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is reportedly under pressure to resign her post, after a disastrous and shortlived decision to block vaccines traveling to the UK. The call to block vaccines entering the UK, after a dispute with drugmaker AstraZeneca over supplies of its vaccines, would have breached the Belfast Good Friday peace [...]
The week ahead, 1-5 February: FTSE heavyweights front up to third lockdown January 31, 2021 After a turbulent opening to 2021, with new Covid-19 lockdowns around the world, spats over “vaccine nationalism”, and chaos on both Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, a slew of FTSE heavyweights are set to update the market in what will be a crunch week for London’s indices. Despite a strong opening week, the FTSE 100 [...]
Ollie Phillips: Private equity investment is the impetus rugby needs for short-term survival and long-term prosperity January 31, 2021 Private equity in rugby is back on the agenda, with the long-rumoured CVC Capital Partners and Six Nations deal now said to be imminent. Meanwhile, US buyout firm Silver Lake is keen to add a stake in the All Blacks to a portfolio that also includes Manchester City. All this will make some in sport [...]
Social distancing may not end in 2021 even with successful vaccine rollout January 31, 2021 Social distancing in the UK could be in place until the end of the year unless a vaccine is 85 per cent effective in stopping the transmission of coronavirus. A sub-group of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has reportedly given Downing Street modelling that suggest a third spike in Covid deaths will [...]
Sports teams facing end of gambling shirt sponsorship January 31, 2021 Sports teams are facing the prospect of being banned from displaying gambling logos on their shirts, the Sunday Times reported. Officials have warned members of the sports industry that a crackdown on gambling sponsors is under consideration. Such a move would be a seismic shock for sports clubs, and mark the biggest shake-up in sports [...]
Pension fund Equitix joins calls for Eurostar bailout January 31, 2021 Pension fund Equitix has added its voice to calls for ministers to help prop up the struggling cross-channel Eurostar service. The fund is one of the joint owners of HS1, the high-speed rail line linking London to the Channel Tunnel, which depends on the Eurostar for about a third of its revenues. The Times reported [...]
Liz Truss: ‘Too early’ for UK to consider giving vaccines away to other nations January 31, 2021 It is “too early” for the UK to consider the prospect of giving away excess Covid-19 vaccines to other countries, according to international trade secretary Liz Truss. Truss said the UK was on track to vaccinate every adult in the UK by autumn and that the UK was committed to ensure “vaccines are there to [...]
UK applies to join trans-Pacific free trade bloc January 31, 2021 The government has announced that it will apply to become a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free trade area made up of 11 nations. International trade secretary Liz Truss will tomorrow make a formal request to join the group, which includes countries such as Australia, Canada and Japan. “One year after our departure for [...]
Number of British pensioners living in the EU drops after Brexit deal January 30, 2021 Pensioners are leaving the popular European hotspots of Spain and Cyprus following the Brexit deal. The number of UK pensioners living in the EU fell to 463,774 in the last year, down from 474,721 in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum in 2016, according to research by financial adviser Salisbury House Wealth. Popular destinations among [...]
