TUESDAY 29 JUNE 2021 NEWS PROVIDER OF THE YEAR UK £2.90 Channel Islands £3.20; Republic of Ireland €3.20

Open planning Making history Meme too moment Fresh thinking can bring the office Xi unassailable as Communist party Trading’s diversity woes not helped back to life — SARAH O’CONNOR, PAGE 21 marks 100 years — BIG READ, PAGE 19 by Reddit ‘bros’ — MARKETS INSIGHT, PAGE 12

We mist you Briefing Wimbledon i Watchdog probes audit of Greensill The accounting regulator has launched a probe into back on court the audit of Greensill, a new front in the investigation of the finance group that collapsed in a political and financial scandal.— PAGE 7; GFG FUNDING, PAGE 10 Staff use a mist spray to disinfect the seats on centre court before the start of i Hopes fade for UK-US summer travel play as the Wimbledon tennis champi- Hopes that the US and UK will agree to open an air onships makes it post-pandemic come- corridor before the end of the summer are fading, in back after being postponed in 2020. the latest sign that a rise in British coronavirus cases The tournament is one of the govern- is thwarting millions of people’s plans.— PAGE 2 ment’s test events, with spectators admitted if they had evidence of a nega- i Traditional parties score wins in France tive Covid-19 test or a double jab. Centre-right and leftwing politicians won One of those to gain entry was Lady convincingly in France’s regional elections, brushing , developer of the Oxford/ off an attempt by Marine Le Pen’s far-right party to AstraZeneca vaccination, who was win its first region.— PAGE 4; GIDEON RACHMAN, PAGE 21 given a standing ovation by the centre court crowd. Meanwhile, researchers at i Greggs robust despite rivals’ head start Oxford reported that combining doses The bakery chain said that sales of the AstraZeneca and BioNTech/ were still ahead, by as much as Pfizer jabs provided a robust response, 3 per cent, of its figures for 2019 allowing flexibility in vaccination. despite more competition from Report page 5 dine-in venues that were able to Ian Walton/Pool via Reuters reopen in May.— PAGE 10 i Ministers call for urgent bug sweeps Ministers have ordered an urgent search of their offices, and the Speaker has opened a security review of parliament after last week’s leak of CCTV footage Javid shifts tone on curbs in call for of ex-health secretary Matt Hancock.— PAGE 2 i Samsung emissions hurt green claims The South Korean group’s greenhouse gas emissions, which in 2020 rose 5 per cent year on year, and its nation to ‘learn to live’ with Covid slow reduction of fossil fuel use is undermining its sustainability claims, say environmentalists.— PAGE 7 i Glencore bets big on Colombian mine 3 Bullish rhetoric on July 19 3 Predecessor’s caution abandoned 3 Delta variant disrupts schools The London-listed miner and commodity trader is buying out its partners in one of the world’s biggest open-pit thermal coal mines, the latest deal in a JASMINE CAMERON-CHILESHE as being too cautious, while Javid, who ings and certain businesses, including remained “mercifully” low, hospitalisa- sector being reshaped by fossil fuel issues.— PAGE 11 AND GEORGE PARKER hails from the right of the party, nightclubs, would be a final and tions had increased, particularly in the said yesterday that the coun- appeared to place economic wellbeing “irreversible” step. north-east and south-west of . try had to “learn to live” with Covid-19, on a par with health issues. According to the latest data, the UK Jon Ashworth, Labour health spokes- Datawatch in a bullish statement in which the new “My task is to help return the eco- yesterday reported 22,868 coronavirus person, pressed Javid to explain how the health secretary confirmed the govern- nomic and cultural life that makes this cases in the latest 24-hour period, the government would reduce infections. “I ment’s plan to return England to eco- country so great, while of course pro- highest number since January, reflect- Sajid Javid, the want to see an end to restrictions, our A surge of interest in MBAs Enrolment on nomic normality on July 19. tecting life and our NHS,” he said. ing the spread of the Delta variant. new health constituents want to see an end to Annual change in enrolment* (%) MBA courses has In a sharp break with the tone of his Javid said that vaccinations were Three deaths were reported, while secretary, said: restrictions,” said Ashworth. “But I hope -10 0 10 20 risen about 25 per cent in 2021 from predecessor, Matt Hancock, Javid heading in the right direction and final 1,505 people were hospitalised. ‘My task is to his confidence about July 19 does Online MBA aligned himself with many Conserva- virus restrictions would soon be lifted in The rise in cases is causing significant help return the not prove somewhat premature or even, the year before. The surge in Global MBA tive ministers who believe that it is time England. In spite of a sharp rise in cases disruption in schools, with increasing economic and dare I say it, hubristic.” applications has to discard caution and reopen the coun- of the Delta variant first identified in numbers of children sent home to iso- cultural life that Health leaders urged Javid to adopt a Master’s in been put down, in try. “No date we choose comes with India, he said that the uptake of jabs was late after fellow pupils test positive. makes this cautious approach. “Covid is the most management part, to students zero-risk for Covid,” he said in his first “sky high” and two-thirds of adults Department for Education figures for country so pressing issue,” Matthew Taylor, chief wanting to Master’s in 2017-2020 House of Commons statement since would have had both jabs by the date the week to June 19 showed that 214,000 great’ executive of the NHS Confederation, finance 2021 sharpen their returning to the cabinet on Saturday. planned to lift curbs. “We see no reason were off school and isolating, with a fur- which represents healthcare organisa- skills for a tough *Based on analysis of data from more than “We cannot eliminate it, instead we to go beyond July 19,” he told MPs. ther 9,000 at home after positive tests. tions, told the BBC. “[Javid] needs to be 380 programmes in more than 30 countries post-pandemic have to learn to live with it.” The health secretary added that the Javid acknowledged the surge in a voice of caution in the cabinet in terms Source: FT Business Education Rankings jobs market. Hancock was seen by some Tory MPs ending of restrictions on large gather- cases, adding that while deaths of the pressures in the health service.” Chinese women add to demographic struggle with fight to work beyond 50

SUN YU — BEIJING and its birth rate declining. At the same 10 years to 2020. Those factors, com- time, the government is striving to meet bined with improved education and China’s female professionals are fight- economic growth targets and find rising incomes, have prompted more ing the world’s lowest retirement age, employment for the young. women to concentrate on their careers. adding to the challenge for Beijing as it “It is true that our retirement rules In the eastern province of Jiangsu, grapples with an ageing workforce and have led to a waste of human capital,” Wang Yun, 51, failed this year in an Researchers turn focus to youth unemployment. ‘super shot’ Covid vaccines said a Beijing government adviser who attempt to force her an employer, a Court records reveal more than 1,000 asked not to be identified. “But the retailer, to allow her to carry on working As global Covid-19 jab campaigns race cases since 2019 of Chinese women authorities also don’t want old people to as a marketing manager beyond 50. “I to stay ahead of new mutants, interest suing employers for making them leave compete with young ones for jobs that have both the strength and willingness is growing in the work of scientists work at 50. In the decade before 2019, are still in short supply.” to keep my job,” said Wang. “Too bad who are trying to ease fears of another there were fewer than 800 such cases. China established its retirement sys- the court wouldn’t listen to me.” pandemic by developing a single shot China’s labour rules require women in tem in the early 1950s. The arrange- The country’s youth unemployment that protects against all coronaviruses. certain jobs to retire earlier than others ment, said analysts, was then a good levels are another obstacle to changing England’s chief medical officer has said — professionals can stay on to 55 — but match for a country in which people the retirement age. Joblessness for those that within five years polyvalent jabs, the law is vague in specifying which rarely lived past the age of 50 and under 24 is more than 13 per cent, com- which give this protection, ‘will hold groups fall under the policy. In the US women had six children on average. pared with an average of 5 per cent. the line to a very large degree against and UK, retirement ages for men and Since then, life expectancy for women “The Chinese economy doesn’t allow even new variants’. But the road to women are set in the mid-60s. has risen to almost 80, and births have both the young and the old to be fully such vaccines is beset by challenges. The surge in retirement disputes plummeted, despite relaxation of fam- employed,” said an adviser to the Analysis i PAGE 5 comes as China faces a demographic ily planning policies. China’s population ministry of human resources and social time bomb, with the population ageing grew at its slowest rate in decades in the security, which sets retirement policy.

World Markets Subscribe In print and online www.ft.com/subscribenow Tel: 0800 028 1407 STOCK MARKETS CURRENCIES INTEREST RATES Mon-Fri: 7am - 6pm / Sat: 8am - 1pm Jun 28 prev %chg Jun 28 prev Jun 28 prev price yield chg S&P 500 4281.27 4280.70 0.01 $ per €1.193 1.195 £ per $0.720 0.719 US Gov 10 yr 146.60 1.47 -0.07 For the latest news go to Nasdaq Composite 14459.69 14360.39 0.69 $ per £1.389 1.391 € per £1.164 1.164 UK Gov 10 yr 0.72 -0.06 www.ft.com Dow Jones Ind 34264.14 34433.84 -0.49 £ per €0.859 0.859 ¥ per €131.937 132.387 Ger Gov 10 yr -0.19 -0.04 © THE FINANCIAL TIMES LTD 2021 FTSEurofirst 300 1756.92 1767.43 -0.59 ¥ per $110.625 110.775 £ index 81.884 81.911 Jpn Gov 10 yr 116.94 0.06 0.01 No: 40,746 ★ Euro Stoxx 50 4089.05 4120.66 -0.77 ¥ per £153.631 154.133 SFr per £1.277 1.275 US Gov 30 yr 110.79 2.09 -0.06 FTSE 100 7072.97 7136.07 -0.88 SFr per €1.096 1.095 Ger Gov 2 yr 105.79 -0.65 0.00 Printed in London, Liverpool, Glasgow, Dublin, FTSE All-Share 4035.43 4067.79 -0.80 € per $0.839 0.837 Frankfurt, Milan, Madrid, New York, Chicago, San CAC 40 6558.02 6622.87 -0.98 Francisco, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Xetra Dax 15554.18 15607.97 -0.34 COMMODITIES price prev chg Dubai Nikkei 29048.02 29066.18 -0.06 Fed Funds Eff 0.06 0.07 -0.01 Hang Seng 29268.30 29288.22 -0.07 Jun 28 prev %chg US 3m Bills 0.06 0.05 0.01 MSCI World $3024.94 3013.36 0.38 Oil WTI $73.04 74.05 -1.36 Euro Libor 3m -0.55 -0.54 -0.01 MSCI EM $1379.59 1367.39 0.89 Oil Brent $74.95 76.18 -1.61 UK 3m 0.08 0.08 0.00 MSCI ACWI $721.91 718.68 0.45 Gold $1786.65 1784.85 0.10 Prices are latest for edition Data provided by Morningstar