CMA and EU antitrust watchdogs eye AstraZeneca’s $39bn Alexion deal June 1, 2021 EU antitrust watchdogs and are set to decide by this weekend whether to approve AstraZeneca’s $39bn bid for biopharmaceutical company Alexion, a European Commission filing revealed today. Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca sought approval for the deal on Monday. However, the UK’s competition regulator is reviewing the takeover bid for the US-based pharma firm, until 5 July – [...]
Europe shrugs off third wave fears with Germany’s bullish job market June 1, 2021 As Europe gears up towards recovery, German unemployment dropped more than expected in May as companies bolstered their workforces ahead of pent-up demand, data showed today. Falling Covid-19 infections and the easing of lockdown restrictions have revealed surprisingly sturdy job market data – with pent-up demand fuelling a consumer-driven recovery this summer. The number of [...]
World Health Organisation renames India variant to Delta variant June 1, 2021 The World Health Organisation has renamed the Indian variant, also known as B.1.617.2, as the Delta variant, which is now the most dominant strain of coronavirus in the UK today. The international health watchdog has begun using a new system for naming emerging variants — the mutated varieties of the virus that have fuelled hotspots [...]
Lifting restrictions should be spaced out to avoid third wave, senior doctors say June 1, 2021 The easing of restrictions should be spaced out to keep the levels of transmissions down and avoid a third wave in the UK, according to senior doctors today. “If we are intending to keep the levels of transmission down because that is the fundamental risk we have, then it would make sense to space the [...]
JD Sports hits back at speculation that its executive chairman is leaving June 1, 2021 JD Sports has today hit back at weekend media speculation that its executive chairman is leaving the helm of the retail chain. The retail chain confirmed this morning in a statement that its senior board member, Peter Cowgill, will remain in the position. JD also said that it had not engaged in any process to [...]
OECD launch real-time information hub to make foreign travel safer May 31, 2021 In a bid to make international travel safer, ministers from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have backed a new initiative to share knowledge in real-time, at the organisation’s annual meeting in Paris today. A safe travel blueprint and a temporary international forum for knowledge sharing form part of the tabled proposal. Allowing [...]
Caffè Nero slurps up 82 per cent post-restrictions sales spike May 31, 2021 Caffè Nero has enjoyed a sales spike in recent weeks, as restrictions were gradually eased, while it has also repaid all of its Covid financial support. Weekly sales surged 82 per cent as outdoor seating was allowed and then restricted indoor eating was permitted in the last 13 weeks. After paying back a £12.2m Liquidity [...]
UK economy set to grow 7.2 per cent this year, OECD forecasts May 31, 2021 The UK’s economy is set to grow at its fastest rate since the second world war this year and in 2022, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has forecast. After the Covid-19 ravaged economies, the UK suffered a 9.8 per cent contraction in 2020 – its worst in nearly 300 years. The organisation [...]
Electric Boris bikes to join London’s fleet by 2022 May 31, 2021 Boris bikes in the capital will be getting an electric boost in time for summer 2022, as London transport gears up its clean initiatives. In a three-year sponsorship deal, 500 e-bikes are set to be added to the 14,000 bikes-for-hire fleet across the city. ‘Cycling has been a lifeline for many Londoners over the past [...]
H&M majority-owned second-hand shop Sellpy expands across 20 more EU countries May 31, 2021 Majority-H&M-owned online second-hand shop Sellpy is set to expand its stores across 20 more European countries, the company said today. The Swedish start-up, which picks up the goods from sellers’ homes, and photographs and sells them online, will now be available in a total of 24 markets after launching in 2014. The second-hand market is [...]
