Business news

• FirstFT: Today’s top stories

  15-12-2020 23:10
  Your daily briefing on the news
  
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• UK draws up plans to rival Singapore with post-Brexit shipping regime

  15-12-2020 22:00
  Push to attract more vessels to sail under British flag with reforms to ‘tonnage tax’
  
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• Western Sahara: King Mohammed VI of Morocco brokers game-changing deal for the region

  15-12-2020 21:31 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  One of the most ancient and forgotten conflict in the world has just witnessed a major evolution with the US decision to recognize "Moroccan sovereignty over the entire Western Sahara territory".
  
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• Treasury plans UK tax shake-up for asset holding companies

  15-12-2020 21:31
  Move to bolster City of London’s appeal at end of post-Brexit transition
  
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• Covid: Chaotic start for travellers' Covid testing system

  15-12-2020 20:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Test to Release programme is supposed to cut quarantine times for people arriving in England.
  
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• Dominic Cummings awarded 40% pay hike last year

  15-12-2020 20:25
  Prime minister’s former chief adviser saw salary rise despite public sector freeze
  
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• Secondary school pupils and teachers in England to be given weekly Covid tests

  15-12-2020 19:46
  Move comes as Greenwich council reverses decision to shut schools after legal action by education secretary
  
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• Beware Christmas parcel delivery scams, banks warn

  15-12-2020 19:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Criminals are looking to steal financial details by posing as well-known delivery companies.
  
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• Retail job losses rise as virus shifts UK shoppers online

  15-12-2020 18:49
  Up to 250,000 roles could disappear as sector drives record fall in employment
  
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• Retail job losses rise as virus shifts shopping online

  15-12-2020 18:49
  Up to 250,000 roles could disappear as sector drives record fall in employment
  
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• UK business 'must wake up' to China's Uighur cotton slaves

  15-12-2020 18:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  MPs say clothes retailers must act after the BBC disclosed the plight of China's Uighurs and other minorities.
  
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• Live now: Free FT webinar

  15-12-2020 15:44
  Join FT experts to hear what the latest developments in negotiations mean for business
  
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• Neymar has suffered only a sprain and not a fracture, confirms PSG

  15-12-2020 14:58 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  The news will come as a big relief, as the injury seemed to be a lot worse when the Brazilian was stretchered off.
  
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• Free FT webinar

  15-12-2020 14:52
  Join FT experts from 3pm GMT to hear what the latest developments in negotiations mean for business
  
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• Online harms law to let regulator block apps in UK

  15-12-2020 14:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ofcom would be able to fine tech giants huge sums if it believed they had failed to protect users.
  
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• HS2 spur to Leeds should be delayed, infrastructure commission advises

  15-12-2020 14:13
  Advisory body says routes between cities in the north and midlands should be prioritised
  
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• Prioritise northern rail network over HS2, says report

  15-12-2020 13:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Linking close-by cities with an upgraded line will have a higher economic impact, a report says.
  
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• Hospitality worst-hit as unemployment rises again

  15-12-2020 13:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  UK loses 819,000 paid jobs since start of pandemic, with a third of the cuts in hospitality.
  
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• Barclays fined £26m for poor treatment of customers

  15-12-2020 13:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The City watchdog says that the bank acted unfairly towards people, including the bereaved.
  
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• Barclays fined £26m over treatment of borrowers in arrears

  15-12-2020 12:03
  Bank did not have ‘appropriate conversations’ with customers who were in financial difficulty, says regulator
  
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• Barclays fined £26m over treatment of borrowers

  15-12-2020 12:03
  Bank did not have “appropriate conversations” with customers who had fallen into arrears
  
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• LoveHolidays to refund £18m for cancelled holidays

  15-12-2020 11:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The firm changes its stance on refunds for trips cancelled by Covid after action by the regulator.
  
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• Universal credit: 'I felt guilty claiming benefits for the first time'

  15-12-2020 11:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Women under the age of 30 have seen one of the sharpest increases in universal credit claims since March.
  
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• Fan-blown air can help advanced cancer patients breathe easier

  15-12-2020 11:03 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  A number of nonpharmacological interventions have been linked with improved breathlessness in advanced cancer patients.
  
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• To save the high street, first fix business rates

  15-12-2020 11:00
  The UK’s property-based tax is not fit for a post-pandemic world
  
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• Gwen Stefani reveals her and sons' experience with dyslexia; dubs fiancé Blake her 'best friend'

  15-12-2020 10:56 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  "The Voice" coach noted that she and her sons have discovered the pros of the disorder as well.
  
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• Three people found with hands hacked off and a signed note from Mexican drug cartel

  15-12-2020 10:51 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  The members of the CJNG cartel are known to cannibalise some of their victims as part of their initiation rite.
  
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• Dyslexic kids show strong social and emotional intelligence

  15-12-2020 10:43 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  Those who have higher emotional reactivity also have stronger connectivity in the salience network of their brain.
  
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• UK government takes legal action to keep schools open as virus rates soar

  15-12-2020 10:27
  Greenwich council told to reverse order advising headteachers to move to online learning
  
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• London council reopens schools after minister takes legal action

  15-12-2020 10:27
  Greenwich told to reverse order advising headteachers to move to online learning
  
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• All secondary school pupils and teachers in England to get weekly Covid tests

  15-12-2020 10:27
  Move comes as Greenwich council reverses decision to shut schools after legal action by education secretary
  
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• Is Dakota Johnson engaged to Chris Martin?

  15-12-2020 10:25 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  The "Fifty Shades of Grey" star has been dating Coldplay frontman Chris Martin for over three years now.
  
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• Treasure hunter who refuses to reveal location of gold coins marks 5th year in jail

  15-12-2020 10:14 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  On December 15, 2015, a federal judge ordered Tommy Thompson to remain in jail with a $1,000 daily fine until he reveals the whereabouts of the missing gold coins
  
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• Gabrielle Union talks about dealing with PTSD in front of husband Dwayne Wade

  15-12-2020 09:56 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  The actress was raped at gunpoint by a stranger in the Payless store where she worked one summer.
  
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• UK unemployment rises to 4.9 per cent in three months to October

  15-12-2020 09:29
  370,000 people made redundant as official data shows largest annual fall in employment in a decade
  
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• UK unemployment rate rises to 4.9% in 3 months to October

  15-12-2020 09:29
  370,000 people made redundant as official data also show largest annual fall in employment for a decade
  
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• Purplebricks expects to beat profit forecasts

  15-12-2020 08:49
  Online estate agent benefits from resurgent housing market
  
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• Jeff Bridges shares update on his cancer battle

  15-12-2020 08:45 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  Jeff Bridges debuted a new dog and a new shave in his latest health update.
  
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• 'Guardians of the Galaxy' comics confirms Star-Lord is bisexual; fans react

  15-12-2020 08:42 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  "Guardians of the Galaxy # 9" reveals Star-Lord is in a polyamorous relationship while stuck in a parallel reality.
  
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• Kate Middleton to become aunt to three kids next year; sister Pippa also expecting

  15-12-2020 08:37 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  Pippa and James, who tied the knot in 2017, welcomed their first son Arthur in 2018.
  
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• Covid-19: Safety concerns over planes returning to service

  15-12-2020 07:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Pilot rustiness, maintenance errors and even insect nests could endanger safety warn airline experts.
  
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• Amber Heard wraps reshoots for 'Justice League' Snyder cut

  15-12-2020 06:56 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  Amber Heard expresses her love for Zack Snyder as she describes him as a "nerd."
  
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• UEFA Champions League draw: All eyes on Barcelona vs PSG

  15-12-2020 06:37 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  Lionel Messi will likely get a chance to face former teammate Neymar Jr. when their clubs face-off in the last 16.
  
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• Jesy Nelson quits Little Mix to focus on her mental health; fans react

  15-12-2020 06:31 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  Jesy Nelson wants to spend more time with loved ones and do things that make her happy instead of focusing on making others happy.
  
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• Jessy Nelson quits Little Mix to focus on her mental health; fans react

  15-12-2020 06:31 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  Jessy Nelson wants to spend more time with loved ones and do things that make her happy instead of focusing on making others happy.
  
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• How London grew into a financial powerhouse

  15-12-2020 06:10
  Charting the growth of London’s financial centre and what the future holds after Brexit
  
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• Jump in London Covid cases raises fears over Christmas gatherings

  15-12-2020 05:00
  Case numbers are surging in the capital and the South East and the cause for the new outbreak is not fully known
  
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• Asian markets fall as virus surge leads to new lockdowns

  15-12-2020 04:43 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  The pound was holding up as British and European Union negotiators pressed ahead with talks on a trade deal with just over two weeks until the December 31 deadline.
  
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• Biden lashes out at Trump after election win confirmed

  15-12-2020 04:21 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  Ahead of Biden's inauguration one major formality remains, when Congress, presided over by Vice President Mike Pence, opens up and counts the electoral votes on January 6.
  
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• Solar eclipse plunges southern Chile, Argentina into darkness

  15-12-2020 03:58 via ibtimes.co.uk
  
  Strict controls were announced for the areas where the total eclipse would be visible, with free movement banned both the day before and after.
  
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