Kent Covid variant ‘no more deadly’ than original coronavirus strain March 31, 2021 The Kent Covid variant, which is now the UK’s dominant version of coronavirus, is no more deadly than the original strain, research by Public Health England (PHE) has found. A PHE study matched 2,800 cases of the B117 variant first identified in Kent against the original Covid strain and found there was no significant difference in [...]
Royal Mail shareholders set for bumper payday in ‘an astonishing reversal of fortunes’ March 30, 2021 Royal Mail shareholders are set for a bumper payday as the company announced it expects to pay them a dividend following a strong year during the global pandemic. The company said it expects to pay a 10p-a-share dividend by the end of the year with adjusted operating profits likely to hit around £700m this financial [...]
Corona Impact Series: A Chelsea jeweller conveys her message of bling via Zoom and Bing March 29, 2021 In this series, City A.M. looks at the financial and economic impact of the ongoing pandemic on a range of small and medium-sized businesses across London. This week: How three lockdowns forced an upmarket jewellery chain to convey a personal message of bling via Zoom and Bing. The accelerated shift to digital has been the theme of the [...]
Rolls-Royce bulk-buys Liberty steel ahead of feared collapse March 26, 2021 Rolls-Royce is buying enough steel from Liberty to last until Christmas to guarantee supplies in case parent company GVG Alliance collapses. The jet engine manufacturer is buying a relatively small amount of speciality steel for an undisclosed value, the Telegraph first reported, for fear the steel manufacturer may go out of business. Liberty Steel is [...]
Last orders: 21 pubs closed every day during coronavirus pandemic March 19, 2021 Almost 21 pubs and bars have closed each day since the first coronavirus lockdown was imposed last year, according to figures published today. Britain has 7,592 fewer licensed premises than it did before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, with independent pubs and bars hit the hardest by the restrictions on trading. Closures accelerated in January and [...]
Payments group Wise mulls direct London listing March 19, 2021 Payments company Wise, formerly known as Transferwise, is reportedly looking to list in London without selling new shares to investors. Upheld as one of the UK’s most successful startups, having reached unicorn status in 2015, Wise has long been considered a candidate for an IPO. The fintech, which was most recently valued by private investors [...]
Visor may just spark Santini back to life on the biggest stage March 18, 2021 ALL eyes will be on the Willie Mullins-trained Al Boum Photo as he looks to land his third consecutive WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup (3.05pm). The nine-year-old has once again been wrapped up in cotton wool since landing the Festival feature 12 months ago with only the one prep race at Tramore on New Year’s Day. There is [...]
Why the Premier League TV rights bubble really might be about to burst this time March 18, 2021 The Premier League TV rights for 2022 to 2025 will go under the hammer in the next few months. The outcome of that process could put the competition’s very existence at risk. In 2018, the UK segment of the Premier League TV rights sold for £4.5bn, down from a £5.1bn high in 2015. The rights [...]
More Stars on show at Cheltenham March 17, 2021 BOOKMAKERS all over the land will be desperate to get Envoi Allen beaten in the opening Marsh Novices’ Chase (1.20pm) after the successes of Shishkin in the Sporting Life Arkle and Monkfish in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase. The unbeaten Irish superstar is the final leg of plenty of short-priced trebles and I expect the [...]
Porter can floor his rivals in Stayers’ Hurdle March 17, 2021 A LARGE field of 15 is set to line up for Thursday’s highlight, the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (3.05pm), where Paisley Park will bid to join the likes of Big Buck’s, Inglis Drever and Baracouda as dual winners of this race. Emma Lavelle’s stable star won the 2019 renewal impressively but he was a bitter [...]