What Amazon is doing with French football rights and the clues it offers to its plans for the Premier League July 14, 2021 Amazon is yet to make its widely anticipated big move for Premier League football rights, being content so far to buy up handfuls of live games and bundle them with its Prime Video subscription. But it is a different story in France, where the e-commerce behemoth is embarking on its first season as the main [...]
Retail, hospitality and transport sectors fear staff abuse when mandatory face masks end July 13, 2021 Business leaders in industries that operate in public indoor settings fear staff could come under attack from customers after the government lifts the legal requirement to wear face masks on 19 July. As of next week, businesses can enforce their own policy on masks as they see fit to protect their staff and customers. But [...]
Boris Johnson needs to tread a path back to a free market economy and focus on facilitating investment July 12, 2021 Boris Johnson has always been difficult to classify in ideological terms. Ten years ago, he was a small-state economic and social liberal who identified as a One Nation Conservative. His City Hall rival Ken Livingstone initially feared he was “the most hardline right-wing ideologue since Thatcher” but later concluded he was “a fairly lazy tosser [...]
Boris Johnson set to confirm 19 July as freedom day July 11, 2021 Boris Johnson has urged people to “remain vigilant and exercise caution” as he prepares to confirm that almost all Covid restrictions will be removed on 19 July. Johnson also warned people in a statement tonight that “cases will rise as we unlock” in just over one week’s time. Johnson announced last week that the next [...]
Nadhim Zahawi denies gap between vaccines will be cut to four weeks July 11, 2021 There are no plans to cut the gap between first and second Covid vaccines from eight weeks to four, according to vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi. Zahawi said that protection from two doses of any of the approved Covid vaccines is more optimal at eight weeks than from four weeks. The Sunday Times reported today that [...]
Minister says people are ‘expected to wear face masks indoor’ after 19 July July 11, 2021 Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has said people will be “expected” to wear face masks indoors after 19 July in an apparent shift in the government’s previous position. Boris Johnson said last week that face masks would be a “personal choice” after 19 July, but that the government would advise people that wearing them indoors is [...]
Euro 2020 final: Ant-icipation flying high in London as flying pests could descend on Wembley July 10, 2021 Millions of flying ants are taking flight this weekend and could descend on areas including Wembley, according to the Met Office, which issued a “forecast” which could bug the England team as it seeks Euro glory in Sunday’s final against Italy. Over roughly three months each summer, weather conditions are ideal for the insects to [...]
The Analyst: What could the future hold for Channel 4? July 10, 2021 Ian Whittaker has been a City analyst for more than two decades, and what he doesn’t know about media, advertising and the creative services industry isn’t worth knowing. Here’s his second monthly column for City A.M. The UK Government recently announced a consultation on the future of state-owned Channel 4. Theoretically all options remain but [...]
Bottom-up ESG: New platform wants to give retail investor army voting power for £1 July 9, 2021 Tulipshare is targeting the next generation of shareholders by tapping into their booming interest in retail investment and demand for a corporate ESG overhaul. The new UK-based activist investment platform wants to enable individuals to “vote with their money” for change from the inside at Amazon, Coca-Cola and Apple by investing as little as £1. [...]
Covid-19 app sensitivity to be reviewed, amid rising infections July 9, 2021 The sensitivity of the NHS Covid contact tracing app will be reviewed, amid a rise in alerts as infections surge. The NHS Covid contact tracing app used in England and Wales may need to change as coronavirus restrictions change, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said. He said that the end of the one metre plus rule [...]