Pfizer and BioNTech countersue Moderna in Covid-19 patent row December 6, 2022 Pfizer and German partner BioNTech shot back at competitor Moderna last night in the latest jab in the Covid-19 vaccine patent lawsuit. The sparring over allegations from Moderna that Pfizer and BioNTech violated the rights its three patents it created prior to the pandemic has been ongoing since August. All three companies are also embroiled [...]
Link between long-Covid and work absence is strongest in older workers, ONS says December 5, 2022 A link between so-called ‘long Covid’ and absence from the labour market has been highlighted for the first time since the pandemic. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show 23.3 per cent of 16-64 year-olds with long-covid were economically inactive as of July of this year. This, compared to 21.4 per cent being [...]
China hints at easing ‘zero-Covid’ approach following widespread protests December 1, 2022 China’s stance to Covid-19 is at a crossroad, following mass protests against its zero-tolerance approach to cases of the virus. One of the country’s most senior pandemic response officials said last night that China is entering a “new stage and mission”. According to state media, Sun Chunlan, China’s vice premier, said: “With the decreasing pathogenicity [...]
Bird & Bird hikes new lawyers’ salaries for second time this year December 1, 2022 London law firm Bird & Bird has given its newly qualified (NQ) lawyers a pay hike for the second time this year. The law firm has given its NQ lawyers a five per cent pay rise in upping their annual pay to £92,400 per year, a Bird & Bird spokesperson told City A.M. The pay [...]
Musk dumps Twitter’s Covid disinformation policy November 29, 2022 Elon Musk has abandoned Twitter’s Covid disinformation policy in a grand push for free speech. “Effective November 23, 2022, Twitter is no longer enforcing the Covid-19 misleading information policy,” a notice on its website reads. The new owner of the social media firm axed the former “Covid-19 misleading information policy” page, outlining rules surrounding Covid [...]
China Covid-19 cases hit record high as Beijing postpones ‘reopening’ November 24, 2022 Daily Covid-19 cases in China have hit a record high, cementing a fresh wave of concern that the country will not ‘open up’ after all. Wednesday saw 31,527 cases recorded compared with an April peak of 28,000. The figures are relatively small for the country of 1.4bn people. Beijing’s controversial ‘zero-Covid’ policies were hoped to [...]
UK law firms hit harder by global economic headwinds than US rivals November 17, 2022 Law firms worldwide have seen demand for their services slow over the first half of 2022, according to new research. US law firms are however seeing stronger growth than their British and Australian rivals, the research from Thomson Reuters shows. The situation has seen demand for US law firms’ services continue to grow over [...]
Zurich sets out more ambitious financial goals after posting highest profits since 2008 November 16, 2022 Zurich Insurance today vowed to “build a clear leadership position in the insurance industry” in pledging to pursue more ambitious financial targets over the next three years. The Swiss insurer said it is now aiming to grow its annual earnings per share at a rate of eight per cent each year over the period 2023-25. [...]
HMRC’s Covid fraud taskforce to leave billions unaccounted for November 14, 2022 An HMRC unit set up to tackle Covid fraud is set to leave £3.3bn outstanding when it winds down in March 2023, campaigners have warned. The Taxpayer Protection Taskforce, which was set up by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in March 2021, will be phased out, despite having collected less than 25 per cent of the money [...]
Almost half of firms given loans by British Business Bank would have gone under in pandemic November 11, 2022 Nearly half of the companies supported by a state-owned fund would have gone bust in the pandemic without its support, a new report has found. The British Business Bank’s £1.14bn support to 1,190 firms helped 48 per cent stave off going bust during uncertainty of coronavirus. The evaluation from the BBB said more than 60 [...]