Business

Reuters The UK’s two largest supermarkets will continue to ask shoppers to wear masks, even after the legal requirement to do so in England is dropped on Monday. Sainsbury’s and Tesco have joined the bookseller, Waterstones, which has said customers should wear masks to protect staff and other shoppers. Sainsbury’s said signs and tannoy announcements

Getty Images From Monday 19 July the government has said wearing face coverings in England will be recommended but not mandatory. It says bus and train companies must now decide whether passengers have to continue to wear face coverings, with rules being replaced by government guidance advising passengers to wear masks only on busy services.

Getty Images The UK’s largest employers’ body has urged the government to bring forward changes to Covid self-isolation rules. The CBI says it would help firms deal with staff shortages and help ensure the next phase of lockdown reopening is a “confident” not “anxious” process. In a six-point plan published on Sunday, the CBI says

Getty Images Prime minister Boris Johnson is coming under pressure to give workers a one-off bank holiday if England win their final Euro 2020 championship on Sunday. A petition on the Parliament website passed 320,000 signatures on Friday. It says an extra day off would help families to watch the match together. Mr Johnson said

Reuters Two of the world’s biggest airlines will trial fast-track lanes at Heathrow airport for fully-vaccinated arrivals. Under the scheme passengers from some countries will be able to upload their vaccination status before boarding. The trial by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic comes as the aviation industry calls for quarantine-free travel to the UK from

PA Media A US investment firm is considering making a rival offer for Morrisons, days after the UK supermarket agreed to a £6.3bn ($8.7bn) takeover. Apollo Global said it was considering the move, but no approach has yet been made to Morrisons. It is the third firm to show an interest in the UK chain

PA Media Supermarket chain Morrisons has accepted a £6.3bn ($8.7bn) takeover bid by a US investment group led by the owner of Majestic Wine. Last month, the supermarket group turned down an offer from a different firm, saying it had significantly undervalued the business. Morrisons chairman, Andrew Higginson, said the new offer was fair, and

PA Media Nissan has announced a major expansion of electric vehicle production at its car plant in Sunderland which will create 1,650 new jobs. The Japanese carmaker says it will build its new-generation all-electric model at the site. Its partner, Envision AESC, will also build a new electric battery plant. The new electric vehicle hub,

Getty Images Staff should be allowed to finish work early to watch England take on Germany, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The Labour leader’s comments come after the Trade Union Congress (TUC) urged employers to be flexible in allowing workers time off to follow the Euro 2020 clash, which starts at 17:00 BST. TUC general

Are you thinking of applying for a PhD abroad? If you want to be a successful PhD scholar, a key factor is your motivation. I believe it is logical; when you start a 3 – 5 years-long journey, you may have many ideas why you are doing it. The way to complete a PhD degree

Getty Images US drugs giant Johnson & Johnson is to pay $230m (£165m) to settle claims it fuelled an opioid addiction crisis in New York State. The firm did not admit liability or wrongdoing in settling with the state. The payments remove it from a trial due to begin on Tuesday in which several large

Getty Images Amazon and Google are under investigation over concerns fake five star reviews on their websites could be misleading shoppers. The Competition and Markets Authority is also worried that “law-abiding businesses” who sell over Amazon and Google may be losing out to firms using false recommendations. Amazon and Google could face court action for

PA Media Two big players in the leasehold sector have agreed to change the way they operate, following an investigation by the competition watchdog. Housebuilder Persimmon will allow its leaseholders to buy the freehold of their property at a discount. Insurance company Aviva, which buys leaseholds from house builders, will repay homeowners who saw their

PA Media New flexible tickets go on sale from Monday aimed at commuters in England who only travel to work two or three days a week. The new tickets can be used for eight days in any month-long period. The National Rail website will allow passengers to calculate savings and book the new tickets. It

Robin Wight Robin Wight makes impressive wire sculptures of fairies and dandelions which have won the admiration of hundreds of thousands of people online. Photographs that he has taken of his artwork have appeared in adverts on Facebook. The only thing is, Robin does not advertise. The pictures from his website have been stolen by

Halfords Halfords has warned it faces “acute” challenges with bike supplies after Covid restrictions led to surging demand and lockdowns in Asia hit manufacturers. Sales of bikes rose by 54.1% in the year to 2 April as the pandemic limited local travel and overseas holidays. Halford said “pent-up” demand for bikes and continuing restrictions on