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5 Things You Need To Know, Today, on Monday 9th August 2021
5. Tobacco giant Philip Morris has raised its bid to buy respiratory drugmaker Vectura to more than £1bn.
Vectura makes inhaled medicines and devices to treat respiratory illnesses such as asthma, and counts Novartis and GSK among its customers.
4. Gold recovered from a flash crash that saw prices drop $60 in minutes on bets the Federal Reserve may soon start paring back its massive monetary stimulus.
Spot bullion fell more than 4% and silver slumped as much as 7% as the selloff following Friday’s better-than-expected employment figures initially accelerated at the start of Asian trading.
3. Fully vaccinated people can now visit France without quarantining on their return to the UK, after travel rule changes came into force at 4am.
Brittany Ferries said it had received a "surge" of bookings following the rule changes announced on Thursday.
2. Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic is exploring a possible listing on the London stock market to raise money to repair the airline's finances.
The move could see shares offered to private investors as well as big City firms, but mean Branson loses overall control of his flagship business.
1. The health secretary has asked the competition watchdog to investigate "excessive" pricing and "exploitative practices" among PCR Covid test firms.
In a letter to the Competition and Markets Authority, Sajid Javid said it was time for a "rapid high-level" review to protect consumers.