Official global Covid-19 death toll exceeds four million July 8, 2021 The world’s known Covid-19 death toll has passed four million, according to the Centre for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, the equivalent to around half of London’s population. Taking just nine months to cause one million deaths, the rate at which coronavirus has swept through communities has quickened. The second million lives [...]
The best bangers to eat this National BBQ Week July 8, 2021 Newmarket is the home of horse breeding and thoroughbred racing. It’s also the home of sausage-making and thoroughbred bangers, and therefore the go-to place for National BBQ week. The royal households have been getting their bangers from Suffolk for over 100 years and doubtless William and Kate have placed their order for this week. Founded [...]
BT avoids strike after reaching pay deal with union July 8, 2021 BT has averted its first major strike in more than three decades after reaching an agreement with the Communication and Workers Union (CWU) over pay and redundancy plans. The CWU had threatened strike action against the telecoms giant, accusing it of “putting profit before people” in its radical restructuring plan. But BT today said it [...]
City minister says UK govt won’t impose compulsory flexible working model on finance July 8, 2021 The government won’t impose an obligatory flexible working model on financial services, as regulators ramp up pressure on firms to improve diversity and inclusion. City minister John Glen said financial services firms should use the experience of remote working during the pandemic to decide how flexible working could help foster a more diverse workforce, but [...]
Audit reforms: IoD call for caution in plans to break Big Four dominance July 8, 2021 The government should approach its plans for an audit and corporate governance reform with greater caution, said the Institute of Directors (IoD). A government white paper aimed at breaking up the concentration of the Big Four auditing firms – Deloitte, PwC, KPMG and EY has stirred criticism from the business group, who said that the [...]
London home to nearly a third of all Europe’s tech unicorns July 8, 2021 London is now home to almost a third of all tech unicorns across Europe as the capital continues to attract the continent’s top talent. New data from Dealroom revealed there are 71 private tech firms valued at $1bn or more in London, a large chunk of the total 268 unicorns across Europe. It comes after [...]
UK labour supply falls at fastest rate on record in June July 8, 2021 The supply of UK workers slid at its fastest rate on record as firms struggle with severe labour shortages, according to a survey released today. The latest KPMG and REC report on jobs shows supply of both permanent and temporary staff in June fell at its quickest pace since the survey started 24 years ago. [...]
England’s Euro 2020 success could be behind rising Covid-19 infections in men July 8, 2021 Increased group gatherings to watch the Euros could be why men are a third more likely to test positive for Covid than women, according to Imperial College London’s latest REACT study. Results from the REACT-1 study, which tested more than 47,000 volunteers across England, showed a significant increase in infections between 24 June and 5 [...]
Frost warns UK-EU relationship doomed without agreement over Northern Ireland Protocol July 8, 2021 Boris Johnson’s defacto Brexit minister has warned that UK-EU relations post-Brexit will not succeed unless the issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol are solved. Lord David Frost said today that the future of Northern Ireland is “so fundamental to getting this relationship right”. “The issues around the protocol are central to the tensions between us,” [...]
Delivery boom: Ant Group-backed Zomato eyes IPO valuation of nearly $8bn July 8, 2021 Ant Group-backed food delivery company Zomato has a near $8bn valuation on the cards in its initial public offering (IPO), with shares priced at 0.96 cents to $1.02 per share. Zomato, one of India’s most biggest startups, has reaped the rewards of a pandemic-induced surge in online ordering. The lofty $7.98bn figure is at the [...]
