London’s bowling alleys, comedy clubs and arts venues slam fresh lockdown as life-threatening July 31, 2020 London venues have slammed the Prime Minister’s decision to U-turn on plans to reopen tomorrow as “pulling the rug out” from underneath them. In a press conference today, Boris Johnson said plans to reopen venues tomorrow will be pushed back until at least 15 August, following a sharp spike in coronavirus infections. Night clubs, casinos, [...]
Household visits banned in northern England July 31, 2020 Separate households have been banned from meeting indoors in Greater Manchester, east Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire, as the government last night slammed the brakes on lockdown relaxations due to a sharp spike in cases. Health secretary Matt Hancock said the fresh wave of infections was “largely due to households meeting and not abiding [...]
England has highest level of excess deaths in Europe July 30, 2020 The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today said that England had the highest levels of excess mortality in Europe for the six months to June, as a late lockdown took its toll on the UK nation. The ONS today published its first comprehensive analysis of excess deaths across European nations for the first six months [...]
Sadiq Khan calls on government to extend furlough scheme July 27, 2020 Sadiq Khan has once again called on the government to extend its furlough scheme for struggling sectors ahead of changes this weekend which could lead to a surge in unemployment. From Saturday employers will have to pay national insurance and pension contributions for furloughed employees. However, for many sectors such as hospitality and leisure, the [...]
Six by Nico: “The chippie” goes high-end as London’s newest destination opens July 25, 2020 The struggles of the hospitality industry have been well-documented. So Nico Simeone would have been entitled to be more nervous than usual opening his new London restaurant just as lockdown lifted. Not so, though, he tells City A.M. “There are always a bit of nerves when opening in a new city but we have a [...]
Musk qualifies for $2.1bn payday after Tesla rally July 21, 2020 A prolonged bounce in Tesla’s share price means its chief executive Elon Musk has qualified for a $2.1bn payout, in his second award since May. The electric carmaker’s six-month average market capitalisation officially surpassed $150bn today, triggering the vesting of the second of 12 tranches of options granted to Musk in 2018. Musk, who is [...]
Rare earth miner Pensana inks deal with Chinese firm for Angola project July 20, 2020 Rare earth metals firm Pensana has today announced that it is exploring a partnership with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) to develop its flagship mine in Angola. The project, at Longonjo in the southern African country, is the first new rare earth mine in over a decade. The mine, which is slated to start [...]
FTSE 100 falls as rising coronavirus cases dent optimism July 20, 2020 The FTSE 100 slipped in morning trading as investors weighed rising coronavirus cases in the US and Hong Kong against hopes that a vaccine may soon be found. London’s main stock index dropped 0.7 per cent to 6,246 points. The FTSE 250 index of slightly smaller companies fell 0.2 per cent. Germany’s Dax rose 0.4 [...]
US retail sales increase as jobless claims hit 1.3m in June July 16, 2020 US retail sales increased more than expected in June, data showed today, but a sustained high level of jobless claims and fresh infections threatened the budding economic recovery. The Commerce Department said on Thursday retail sales rose 7.5 per cent last month. That was on top of the 18.2 per cent jump in May, which was the biggest gain since [...]
Revenue soars at Ocado during lockdown July 14, 2020 Retail sales for the first half of 2020 for online grocer Ocado jumped 27 per cent to £1bn, as Brits did their supermarket shopping from home. The group reported a loss before tax of £40.6m in the six months to the end of May, citing an increase in investment to handle increased demand as a [...]