News And Announcements
AstraZeneca surges on Covid-19 drug trial
AstraZeneca shares surged on Tuesday after the pharmaceuticals giant said it will start a clinical trial to assess the potential of Calquence (acalabrutinib) in the treatment of the exaggerated immune response associated with Covid-19 in severely ill patients.
Airline Covid-19 losses set to hit $314bn - IATA
Estimated airline losses from the coronavirus pandemic were now expected to hit $314bn as flight restrictions continued and the impact on Africa and Latin America became more severe, the industry's representative body said on Tuesday.
Barclays puts share awards and job cuts on hold during crisis
Barclays has deferred share awards for its chief executive and finance chief and delayed planned job cuts in response to the Covid-19 crisis.
GSK and Sanofi aim for Covid-19 vaccine in 2021
GlaxoSmithKline said it was working with Sanofi of France on a Covid-19 vaccine that could be ready by the second half of 2021.
BlueRock Diamonds sees no impact from SA lockdown extension
BlueRock Diamonds said on Tuesday that the extension of the lockdown in South Africa will not have any direct impact on the strategy it announced last week.
NMC administrators sack old board, bring in new non-execs
New administrators at troubled Gulf hospital operator NMC Health threw out the old board and brought in four new non-executive directors to handle the group's restructure.
Virgin Australia reportedly considering administration
Virgin Australia was reportedly considering going into administration as it searched for ways to combat the crippling impact of the coronavirus pandemic and a massive debt mountain.
Co-op hopes to raise around £30m for people struggling with Covid-19
Retailer Co-op has initiated a programme that enables members to donate shopping rewards to try to raise around £30m to help families struggling with the Covid-19 lockdown.
Chemring 'well placed' to deal with Covid-19 after 'critical' designation
Aerospace firm Chemring said it was "well placed" to weather the Covid-19 storm on Tuesday after seeing its operations in the US, UK and Norway being designated as "critical" to defence and national security.
BAT shares fall after US sanctions probe report
British American Tobacco shares fell after the company was reported to be the subject of a US criminal investigation into suspected sanctions breaches.
Next suspends website hours after reopening
Next has suspended sales on its website hours after reopening for limited online sales following improved employee safety measures.
Shaftesbury execs take 20% pay cut amid Covid-19
West End landlord Shaftesbury said on Tuesday that its board has agreed a 20% reduction to both executive director base salaries and pension contributions and non-executive director fees amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
National Express pulls dividend, loses two employees to Covid-19
Coach operator National Express pulled its final dividend on Tuesday and said that two of its employees had passed away as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
AB InBev halves final dividend due to Covid-19
Brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev said on Tuesday that it will halve its final dividend due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Wizz Air to cut 1,000 jobs and reduce pay
Wizz Air is cutting 1,000 jobs and reducing wages after the Covid-19 crisis caused one-off exceptional losses of up to €80m or the budget airline.
Sirius Real Estate pulls guidance; April 'relatively robust'
Germany-focused business park owner Sirius Real Estate pulled financial guidance on Tuesday as the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown continued across Europe.
Glencore's Peru JV closes but Quebec could reopen
Glencore said its joint venture in Peru had halted activity in line with Covid-19 guidelines but that it was looking at options to reopen mines in Quebec.
Ultra Electronics sees 'small' revenue impact from pandemic
Ultra Electronics said on Tuesday that it will delay the payment of its final dividend due to the coronavirus outbreak, which it expects to have a "small" impact on revenue.
Hochschild Mining cancels final dividend due to Covid-19
Hochschild Mining said on Tuesday that it is cancelling its final dividend for 2019 "in light of the ongoing uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 outbreak" and resulting temporary suspension of its operations.
Paragon Banking pulls interim dividend
Paragon Banking pulled its interim dividend due to the Covid-19 pandemic but said it had a strong capital base and “significant liquidity”.