Operating profits soar 35 per cent at funeral services firm Dignity May 10, 2021 Funeral services firm Dignity saw underlying operating profits soar 35 per cent to £26.1m in the first quarter of this year, as there were 43,000 more deaths than in the same weeks last year. The group’s underlying revenue also grew 14 per cent to £94.7m in the 13 week period ending 26 March as the [...]
Germany hits back at US patent waiver proposal for Covid-19 vaccines May 7, 2021 Germany has rejected the Covid-19 vaccine patent proposal today, urging that production capacity is key to boosting vaccine output. The country’s health minister said the primary challenge to increasing production volumes of vaccines is quickly and effectively transferring technology. “The main issue is not patent protection but production capacity,” Jens Spahn, said at a news [...]
Amid a slow rollout, 24m vaccines sit in freezers in Japan May 7, 2021 Unused Covid-19 vaccines are stacking up in the millions in Japan, as the country prepares to approve two more shots in the coming weeks amid a sluggish inoculation drive. Due to lack of manpower and logistical bottlenecks, Japan’s vaccine rollout has been slow, in a nation culturally sceptical of vaccines and layered with bureaucracy. Japan [...]
Rocket debris racing for Earth, expected to arrive tomorrow May 7, 2021 Debris falling from a Chinese rocket is expected to land on Earth tomorrow, amid concerns it could cause damage upon re-entry into the atmosphere. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin urged today that most of the debris will be burned up on re-entry and is highly unlikely to cause any harm. The Defence Department [...]
NHS to deliver vaccines to low-uptake communities in a Ford van May 7, 2021 Ford and the NHS in Essex have joined forces with local health leaders to roll out a vaccine drive using a tailored Transit van to deliver jabs. Despite the UK’s successful vaccine rollout, vaccine uptake is lower among some communities facing access challenges, which the vaccine drive seeks to tackle. “Our goal of giving everyone [...]
Irish government warns against the UK shielding Troubles soldiers from prosecution May 6, 2021 The Irish government has urged against the UK protecting former soldiers who served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles from facing prosecution, a foreign ministry spokesman said. It was reported by the Daily Telegraph yesterday that the UK government is looking to propose a ban on prosecutions of Northern Irish veterans, under new legislation to [...]
German e-car boom will hit 178,000 workers unless companies focus on re-skilling May 6, 2021 The electric cars boom will hit 178,000 workers in Germany unless companies gear up efforts to re-skill their employees, a report has shown today. The country’s auto industry will suffer more employees retiring than the labour market can keep up within the coming years, the Ifo institute said. With battery-driven cars requiring less assembly work [...]
Switch-ed on: Nintendo operating profits soar 82 per cent May 6, 2021 Nintendo has forecast its Switch console sales to hit 25.5m units in the financial year that started 1 April, after global lockdown measures spurred a gaming frenzy. The Japanese gaming company sold 28.8m Switch consoles in the year ending 31 March, exceeding Nintendo’s February expectations of 26.5m. The Kyoto-based firm was on the receiving end [...]
London-born Eastenders actor claims he is facing deportation to Jamaica May 6, 2021 A London-born actor has claimed he is facing deportation to Jamaica, just days after the Home Office opened visa pathways for winners of awards. After battles with the Home Office, Ace Ruele Aristotles’ Limited Leave to Remain was downgraded to temporary and must be renewed every 30 months, costing £2,389 each time. “Why should I [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? May 5, 2021 City A.M.‘s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. OneBanks hires ex–Lloyds chief as its first CTO Shared branch banking venture OneBanks has appointed a former Lloyds Bank executive as its first chief technology officer (CTO) this week. Andy Willmot, once [...]
