Major UK business body calls for furlough scheme extension to July January 15, 2021 One of the UK’s largest business lobbies is calling for the government to extend the furlough scheme to July and to give out a fresh round of business grants worth £25,000 each. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) also called for temporary VAT cuts and business rates relief to be extended, with the group saying [...]
Pubs and restaurants suffer festive flop as Christmas sales slump January 15, 2021 Pubs and restaurants were plunged into festive misery as tough Covid-19 lockdown restrictions prompted a slump in sales in Christmas. UK boozers and eateries saw total sales drop by almost three-quarters during what should have been the sector’s busiest trading period of the year. Drink-led pubs and bars were worst hit, with sales down 83.7 [...]
UK slaps travel ban on South America and Portugal over Brazil Covid mutation January 14, 2021 UK-bound arrivals from South America and Portugal will be banned from tomorrow amid mounting fears about a new Brazilian variant of coronavirus. Transport secretary Grant Shapps said the change will come into force from 4am on Friday. He announced he had made the “urgent decision” following a meeting with the government’s Covid Operations committee at [...]
Middle-aged Brits look ahead to post-Covid holidays after over-50s get vaccine, says Tui January 14, 2021 FTSE-listed travel giant Tui said it has seen a jump in holiday bookings from those aged over 50 in the UK, which it hasn't seen since the Covid-19 pandemic struck
Virgin Atlantic part-owner Delta posts $12bn loss for 2020 — and is still burning $12m in cash a day January 14, 2021 Delta Airlines, which owns a 49 per cent stake in Virgin Atlantic, has posted an eye-watering $12bn (£8.77bn) loss for 2020.
London missing out on ‘fair share’ of vaccine January 14, 2021 London is missing out on its “fair share” of the vaccine, Sadiq Khan has said, as he urged ministers to reassess the formula for distributing doses across the UK. The mayor of London has written an urgent letter to vaccines tsar Nadhim Zahawi calling on him to scale up vaccine supply to meet different population [...]
EBRD invests record €11bn to combat Covid-19 pandemic January 14, 2021 The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development invested last year a record €11bn in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2020 spending was administered through 411 projects which addressed the urgent needs of the 38 economies where it invests, according to a report released earlier today. The EBRD said it also supported a record of [...]
Andy Murray tests positive for Covid-19 January 14, 2021 Just weeks before he is set to play in the Australian Open, Andy Murray has tested positive for the coronavirus. The two-time Wimbledon champion is said to be in good health but isolating at home, according to STV. Hopes are still high for Murray to attend the event, which begins on 8 February.
Boots and Superdrug pharmacies start rolling out vaccine January 14, 2021 High street pharmacies including Boots and Superdrug will start rolling out coronavirus vaccines from today as the UK ramps up plans to vaccinate 2m people a week by the end of the month. Six stores around the country, including a Boots store in Halifax and a Superdrug chemist in Guildford, were the first to start [...]
New Covid travel testing rules delayed until Monday January 14, 2021 Pre-departure testing will now come into force on Monday, three days later than initially planned. Transport secretary Grant Shapps tweeted the last minute change of plan was to give international travellers time to prepare. Shapps also reminded travellers to complete a Passenger Locator Form before travelling. The form helps to contact travellers if they have [...]