PRESS DIGEST-British Business – March 17
March 17 (Reuters) – The following are the top stories on the business pages of…
March 17 (Reuters) – The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
The Times
– France and Italy prepared to drop their suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Tuesday after the European regulator said it was “firmly convinced” that the benefits outweighed any risks. https://bit.ly/3cGEfk1
– Britain’s financial regulator has launched a criminal prosecution of NatWest, alleging that the bank accepted 264 million pounds of cash deposits from a gold dealer accused of being at the centre of money-laundering “on a massive scale”. https://bit.ly/3cUwmrF
The Guardian
– Uber is to guarantee its 70,000 UK drivers a minimum hourly wage, holiday pay and pensions after a landmark supreme court ruling. https://bit.ly/3eTcB6p
– Former head of the civil service, Bob Kerslake, and scientific advisers have spoken out in favour of a public inquiry into the UK’s handling of Covid-19, raising pressure on Boris Johnson to finally launch the process as the UK’s coronavirus fatalities rose to almost 126,000. https://bit.ly/3bUNZbn
The Telegraph
– The metals tycoon Sanjeev Gupta was handed hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayer support by the Scottish government even as alarm bells were raised about his strength as a buyer, The Telegraph can reveal. https://bit.ly/3lnLukY
– Boris Johnson has revealed his vision for Britain becoming “match-fit” for its post-Brexit future by using its agility, soft power and security expertise to thrive in the decade to come. https://bit.ly/3r30JBf
Sky News
– The payments giant Visa is to hike fees for purchases made by UK-based customers from most of Europe – stoking fears of higher prices and fuelling the argument that Brexit is adding to the cost of trading with the EU. https://bit.ly/3rWJOkO
– The chief executive of Capita will on Wednesday unveil a fresh restructuring of the embattled outsourcer alongside a plan to raise 400 million pounds from a string of disposals. https://bit.ly/3lmp6sh
The Independent
– Demand for the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the UK remains “incredibly strong” despite a string of EU countries pausing use of the jab in their inoculation programmes, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said. https://bit.ly/3cIYgqn
(Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)
