The need to know

The need to know for the week ending 10th September 2021

The need to know from Reuters’ global network of journalists

Supply shortages sap strength of euro zone recovery

Euro zone business activity remained strong last month, despite fears about the Delta variant of the coronavirus and widespread supply chain issues, according to a survey which suggested the bloc's economy could be back to pre-COVID-19 levels by year-end.

Daimler says supply chain relatively stable - except for chips
Daimler said on Monday that its supply chain was relatively stable, barring issues with deliveries of semiconductor chips that have disrupted production at a number of carmakers.

JD.com unit makes $513 mln controlling bid in China Logistics

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com Inc (9618.HK), 's real estate unit has made an about HK$3.99 billion ($513.45 million) offer to buy a controlling stake in storage facilities manager China Logistics Property Holdings (1589.HK), the companies said in a joint exchange filing on Friday.

UK construction firms hit again by supply squeeze, prices jump - PMI

Britain's construction industry grew at its weakest pace since the lockdown of early 2021 last month, hit by a severe shortage of building supplies which have risen sharply in price, a survey showed on Monday.

Britain's trucker shortage jams post-pandemic recovery

Two furloughed jumbo jet pilots and a burnt-out finance worker have been among the more unusual candidates to learn how to drive 44-tonne trucks at Laurence Bolton's school in south London during the pandemic.

Halfords says supply chain disruption affecting bike business

British bikes and car parts retailer Halfords (HFD.L) said on Wednesday disruption in the global supply chain was dragging on its cycling business, although it stuck to its targets and guided that it was well-positioned to manage the challenge.

Homebuilder Berkeley warns of construction cost inflation, supply chain issues

UK high-end homebuilder Berkeley Group Holdings Plc (BKGH.L) said on Friday it was seeing construction cost inflation and was mindful of ongoing supply chain and labour market issues due to Brexit and the pandemic.

Sea's Shopee to debut in Europe with Poland launch - sources

Sea Ltd's (SE.N) Shopee is preparing to launch in Poland and is currently recruiting sellers, two company sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Relax immigration rules to fix jobs squeeze, companies urge UK

Britain must relax its new immigration rules to allow in more foreign workers and ease labour shortages caused by the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit, a leading employers group, the Confederation of British Industry, said on Monday.

Oxbotica to develop multi-purpose self-driving vehicle with AppliedEV

Self-driving software startup Oxbotica said on Wednesday it has teamed up AppliedEV to develop a fully autonomous multi-purpose vehicle that could be suitable for a variety of commercial uses.

Nissan-backed Chinese startup WeRide develops self-driving vans

WeRide, a China-based autonomous driving startup, said on Thursday that it would start developing self-driving vans for urban logistics service, with automaker JMC (000550.SZ) and delivery firm ZTO Express (2057.HK).

Shipping industry proposes levy to speed up zero carbon future

Leading shipping associations have proposed creating a global levy on carbon emissions from ships to help speed up the industry's efforts to go greener.

As Arctic shipping grows, Russia prepares for first LNG-fuelled icebreaker
Metals miner Nornickel said it will participate in the design and building of Russia’s first dual-fuel liquefied natural gas (LNG) and diesel icebreaker to prepare for more capacity in the environmentally sensitive Arctic region.
UK to extend Northern Ireland's Brexit grace periods
Britain plans to further extend post-Brexit grace periods on some goods imports to Northern Ireland, Brexit minister David Frost said on Monday, in a move designed to give London and Brussels more time for talks about trade with the province.

China to draw foreign investors into commodities futures trading
China will launch more futures contracts, including a shipping futures contract, and accelerate efforts to bring in more overseas investors to trade in its futures market, the State Council, or cabinet, said on Friday.

From elsewhere around the web:

Supply chain managers ramp up hiring, raise wages ahead of peak. [Supply Chain Dive]

Building supplies shortages: 'I can't see it getting better any time soon'. [BBC]

Meat counter prices rising to ‘spook zone’ levels: food expert. [Global News]

Maersk invests in green bio-methanol start-up. [Port Technology]

More logistics players guarantee space by chartering their own box ships. [The Loadstar]

Ikea struggles with supply problems due to driver shortage. [BBC]

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