while takeaway dinners may be popular with the general public, we'll find out today whether they have much appetite for investing in one of the companies that delivers them. from wednesday, shares in deliveroo will be freely tradable, after the firm's disappointing stock market debut last week when a number of major uk investors expressed concerns about its business model and whether tighter regulation of its gig workers would make them more expensive. joining me now is russ shaw, founder of tech london advocates and global tech advocates. what do you expect from today when general public can start trading its shares? will this be more promising than last week? i’m will this be more promising than last week? i'm definitely more optimistic and let's - than last week? i'm definitely more optimistic and let's face i more optimistic and let's face it, it was a disappointing start last weekend evaluation from where it was initially targeted to where it is now is about £2 billion lower so i think investors are looking at this and saying there is potentially some upside in the near term but over the longer term, the prospects for deliveroo are very good so people will want to invest in the company and it is an important high profile ipo for the stock exchange. how unusual is the way they — the stock exchange. how unusual is the way they have _ the stock exchange. how unusual is the way they have gone - the stock exchange. how unusual is the way they have gone about. is the way they have gone about doing the share offer because initially it was only open to either their riders, their drivers, or customers to purchase shares before they go on more public trading availability. is that something that tech firms to a lot or is that something we could see more of? i that something we could see more of?— that something we could see more of? i think was starting to see more _ more of? i think was starting to see more of _ more of? i think was starting to see more of that - more of? i think was starting to see more of that happen. | to see more of that happen. obviously they went out to their loyal customers, retail investors, to invite them to participate and it is not uncommon for companies to do that and over time, as we see more tech ipos on the london stock exchange, there will be that outreach to customers especially consumer tech brands, not entirely uncommon. a good way to get the message out that the company is floating and that customers can have an investment in a brand that they really like.— that they really like. how important _ that they really like. how important is _ that they really like. how important is today's - important is today's performance of the shares in terms of london's ambitious to encourage more tech companies to list here?— to list here? today's performance - to list here? today's performance will. to list here? today's performance will be | to list here? today's i performance will be an important step but i would rather look at the longer term in term of the overall performance, there have been other ipos, look at facebook and avocado and uber and look at where they are trading today after not starting well, well above the ipo prices. today is an important psychological marker, let's face it, after what happened last week but for many investors they will want to see some good longer—term performances and deliveroo is a solid business, especially now with the lower markdown of its valuation but you cannot forget it is still a £5 billion valuation to the london stock exchange, and this is the largest we've seen in ten years. an important step for the lse and an indicatorfor the lse and an indicatorfor the tech sector. the lse and an indicator for the tech sector.— the lse and an indicator for the tech sector. thank you very much. as the uk begins to emerge from the latest coronavirus lockdown, many will be hoping that the success of the vaccine rollout will mean we'll start being able to enjoy a summer holiday once again. royal caribbean international is set to open bookings today for british isles cruises leaving from southampton from the 7thjuly. uk families, who can prove they have been vaccinated, can opt for 4—8 night cruises with visits to exotic locations like liverpool, kirkwall, scotland, and belfast, in northern ireland. joining me now is ben bouldin, vice president, europe, middle east & africa, royal caribbean international. i wonder how much demand there will be for the cruises when people have been stuck at home for so long, the thing they want most is to go to a sunny, hot location and some of these destinations may not provide that as a guarantee?- that as a guarantee? good morning- _ that as a guarantee? good morning. we _ that as a guarantee? good morning. we may - that as a guarantee? good morning. we may not - that as a guarantee? good morning. we may not be l that as a guarantee? good i morning. we may not be able that as a guarantee? good - morning. we may not be able to guarantee the weather but we can guarantee the guests sailing from southampton they will be on the most incredible ship so we are delighted the governments measures to allow the resumption of domestic reasoning from 17th of may, giving us this opportunity to play our part in the return of tourism to this country, the good news for us as far as we can see. good news for us as far as we can see-— good news for us as far as we can see. cannot ask, how this roof of can see. cannot ask, how this proof of vaccination _ can see. cannot ask, how this proof of vaccination will - can see. cannot ask, how this| proof of vaccination will work? how that applies? what if you have a situation where some of the family have had both doses and the others are waiting for the second dose and for whatever reason that is pushed back into lake, they have booked a cruise, what happens then? figs booked a cruise, what happens then? �* , , ., booked a cruise, what happens then? a . ,, then? as you say, the cruises are for individuals _ then? as you say, the cruises are for individuals over- then? as you say, the cruises are for individuals over 18 - are for individuals over 18 fully vaccinated, meaning both jabs and two weeks post second judge before they go on the cruise and for children under 18 we will be taking a negative test result. it does mean there are a group of the population that this will not be open to initially as they are waiting for their vaccinations to come through. unfortunately, that is just the decision we had to take in order to enable our return in the safest possible way. return in the safest possible wa . ~ ., , return in the safest possible wa. . , ., ., way. what is the position on the uk government - way. what is the position on - the uk government consideration of vaccine passport for leisure and travel and so on, what is your position?— and travel and so on, what is your position? think we need to wait for the global task force to announce their findings on april 12 and i think boris johnson yesterday said he was hopeful, regarding the return of international travel and we do see some form of vaccine certification or passports as being helpful to that process. at the moment it is unclear so what we have chosen to do at least domestically is we will ask for proof of certification or proof of vaccination, or a letterfrom or proof of vaccination, or a letter from the doctor to confirm that it happen. then we will continue to be nimble as a go through the coming weeks. 0k, go through the coming weeks. ok, many challenges ahead, interesting times for everyone interesting times for everyone in the sector. thank you very much. the global economy will recover from the pandemic stronger than predicted — that's according to the international monetary fund. the agency upgraded its global growth forecast to 6% this year but it warns that the recoveries may be dangerously uneven. michelle fleury spoke to the imf�*s chief economist, gita gopinath, who said successful vaccine programmes and stimulus packages had been key factors in the upgrade to its global growth forecasts compared with what it projected in january. we have 0.5 percentage point upgrade and half of that is basically because of the american rescue plan, the additional stimulus put in play in the us and the other half comes from the fact that many economies continue to be more resilient to the virus and shoot containment measures that we may have expected. so we are seeing recoveries coming through. it is basically those two sets of factors behind this upright in india, your forecasting growth of over 12%. does the current high infection rate raise concerns and put the forecast in jeopardy? what we're seeing now in india in terms of cases and going up to record levels, that is a downside risk. we will see what happens in terms of the resiliency of lockdowns put in place and that could be a downside risk, certainly. in china, you were forecasting growth of over 8% but the countries own target is 6%. why is that different? why more conservative than you? i think ou can conservative than you? i think you can get — conservative than you? i think you can get to _ conservative than you? i think you can get to 696 _ conservative than you? i think you can get to 6% even - conservative than you? i think| you can get to 696 even though you can get to 6% even though almost no growth as such quarter on quarter in 2021. that is a very conservative number. we have an upgrade for china of about .3 percentage points, purely reflective of an improved external environment, higher growth, us additional fiscal stimulus, all of that will help with china's exports and also there continues to be demand for pandemic —related goods, so all of that is helping in terms of a stronger growth numbers.— helping in terms of a stronger growth numbers. turning to the united states, we had janet yellen this week pushing for a global minimum tax rate on companies. what is your response, is it a good idea, something that should be adopted?— something that should be adoted? ~ ., ., , adopted? we have long said they should be a _ adopted? we have long said they should be a global— adopted? we have long said they should be a global minimum - should be a global minimum corporate tax to avoid tax shifting, tax avoidance and ensure that countries get the revenues they need to do the necessary policies at home. we are very much in favour of this minimum tax and of course there are some serious practical difficulties in making it happen and that is the challenge but we have an oecd sponsor plan which is about getting the minimum floor on corporate taxation though we are very much in favour of it. the world's financial leaders will discuss how to coordinate policies to prevent their virus—battered economies emerging from recession at highly different speeds. this is part of the virtual g7 and g20 meetings that started tuesday. the idea being that no one economy can recover in isolation, so co—ordination would help all concerned. joining me now is yael selfin, chief economist, kpmg. what you are the meetings and their aims? what you are the meetings and theiraims? any what you are the meetings and their aims? any practical way they can make it happen to ensure an even recovery? absolutely, verbally is very much welcome, we are part of one world ultimately and whatever happens elsewhere will affect each economy. when it comes to co—ordination at the moment, the key is really trying to get out of this crisis as quickly and smoothly as possible and therefore, co—ordination on the vaccine side is the focus we are going to see in these meetings at the moment. ~ ., , . moment. what is the incentive for countries _ moment. what is the incentive for countries to _ moment. what is the incentive for countries to ensure - moment. what is the incentive for countries to ensure an - moment. what is the incentive| for countries to ensure an even recovery, where we have already seen that competitiveness of, even when it comes to vaccines, where is the motivation for them to make sure the benefits are spread beyond their own borders? ~ ., . . borders? with the vaccine, actually this _ borders? with the vaccine, actually this is _ borders? with the vaccine, actually this is simple, - actually this is simple, simpler than we normally get in terms of economics, that is, as long as we have the virus spreading, across the world, we are more likely to get new variants, more likely to get the virus coming back to other countries. so therefore, this is something that we need to do as an international effort more thanjust a national as an international effort more than just a national effort. what you have that upgraded forecast from the imf? do you think that will inspire confidence among investors globally? confidence among investors aloball ? ~ ., confidence among investors aloball ? ~ . , , globally? we have seen big stimulus packages, - globally? we have seen big i stimulus packages, especially in the us, that is going to impact other economies as well. i think as we heard already, there are some downside risks to the forecasts, for example, if were going to see continuous trade tensions between different countries, that is going to have an impact, if we are going to have a strong dollar, potentially rising interest rates in the us prematurely, that will have a big impact on emerging economies and potential big shift in capitalflows. economies and potential big shift in capital flows. still quite a lot to see in the coming months and into next year or so in terms of downside risks. ., ~' , ., , year or so in terms of downside risks. ., ~' ,, , . tvs, washing machines and smartphones — those are the things that people around the world are still snapping up and south korea's samsung is seeing the benefit. the company says profits have likelyjumped a whopping 44% in the first three months of this year. let's go to mariko oi who is following the story from our asia business hub in singapore. some good news for samsung? indeed. and it is notjust samsung but its smaller rival lg electronics also forecasting a jump of almost 40% in its operating profits for the same period, so as you said, those tech giants really seeing the benefit of the pandemic, or rather people staying at home. something in particular are doing really well and its mobile division while lg of course said this week that it would stop making smart phones altogether, which really goes to show how competitive the market has become. if you remember, lg was one the third biggest factor in the world but in the last six years it has slipped down that ranking logging losses of almost $5 billion, so to put things into perspective, samsung is the market leader, shipping over 250 million phones last year, while lg only shipped 23 million in the same time period and the company has lost ground to big brands like samsung and apple at the top end of the market but also we have chinese brands which have flooded the market too, offering cheaper options and of course it is not the only brand to have fallen from lofty heights, if you like. nokia, and blackberry that all dominated the market in the past have lost their market share while samsung appears to be the clear winner the moment. appears to be the clear winner the moment-— appears to be the clear winner the moment. thanks very much for that, mariko _ the moment. thanks very much for that, mariko oi _ the moment. thanks very much for that, mariko oi there. - stay with us on bbc news, still to come: and luxury watch enthusiasts prepare for the world's most important watch fair. a virtual affair, it'll showcase all the new models from top watchmakers. we'll speak to one of them. 25 years of hatred and rage as theyjump upon the statue. this funeral became a massive demonstration of black power, the power to influence. today is about the promise of a bright future, a day when we hope a line can be drawn under the bloody past. i think that picasso's i works were beautiful, they were intelligent and it's a sad loss to everybody - who loves art. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: the european medicines agency prepares to issue new advice about the astrazeneca vaccine, and possible links to rare blood clots in adults. brazil's daily covid deaths, top 4,000 for the first time — a new, unwanted record, for the country. let's ta ke let's take a look now at some of the main business stories copyjeff bezos says he supports raising tax... do you know what, we will come to that in just a know what, we will come to that injust a moment. parsley box is a uk company which delivers ready meals to the door. three quarters of all its customers are elderly people. when adrienne macaulay and her husband founded the business, they tried to get those customers to order online. there was little take up. then she gave them the chance to place their orders in person, and business boomed. her tip to other entrepreneurs is, older customers value the personal touch. i launched an online ready meal business and it really didn't take off until we added and old—fashioned telephone number. old —fashioned telephone number. we old—fashioned telephone number. we knew that we had the right product for the right customer, but we weren't getting the kind of traction that we needed. most of our customers have internet access but they actually prefer not to order online. we went out and got on oh 800 number, and ordered up a couple of headsets and parsley box contact centre was born. we had something like 282 calls on the first day. five or six times gross increase over a day or two. on the contact centre currently we have over 150 people and on average we have about 20,000 calls per day. when you are trying to target the baby boomer plus which is the baby boomer plus which is the 65—year—old and over, which is 25% of the uk market, you must change the way that you interact with them, so if they don't want to click, they want to become a telephone and speak to become a telephone and speak to you, it is really important that adapt your business model to be able to suit that the graphic. right, now let's get some of the day's other news. amazon bossjeff bezos has said he supports raising taxes on us companies. the comments by the world's richest man come as us presidentjoe biden is pushing to raise the corporate rate from 21% to 28%. the rise would help pay for a massive spending plan to upgrade america's roads, ports, water pipes and internet. shares in toshiba have been suspended this morning after the company confirmed it received a proposal for buyout. toshiba said in a statement that it will give the deal careful consideration and ask for further clarification. japanese media had reported that private equity firm, cvc capital partners, made an offer worth roughly $20 billion. the pandemic, lockdowns and working from home have given those lucky enough to have investments time to think about where best to put their money. and often they're putting it into their timepieces. today the organisers of watches and wonders geneva will cut a virtual ribbon on the world's first organised online watch fair, one of the main watch shows of the year in europe. new luxury watches from 38 major brands, including rolex, tag heuer, cartier, patek philippe and hermes are expected to be unveiled at the event. so how has the appetite for luxury watches held up during the pandemic? are they seen as investment pieces, still appealing even if you can't show them off to your business associates in person? joining me now is guillaume de seynes, managing director, hermes. how has the pandemic hit business? how well do you think this can work, because part of the joy, i'd imagine, ofa work, because part of the joy, i'd imagine, of a fair unveiling new models of people seeing them, seeing the lights glisten of them and seeing them actually getting a proper feel for how they look. it is actually getting a proper feel for how they look.— for how they look. it is true that we would _ for how they look. it is true that we would prefer - for how they look. it is true that we would prefer to - for how they look. it is true - that we would prefer to receive people and have the excitement of the physical contact, we hope of course that 2022 will be back to normal, but i think there is a lot of interest and we have been all used to make the best use of this new ways of communication and so on, so i am sure that there will be a lot of interest even through the screens and through digital means. �* . the screens and through digital means. ~ . , . means. and what effect has the andemic means. and what effect has the pandemic had — means. and what effect has the pandemic had on _ means. and what effect has the pandemic had on orders? - means. and what effect has the pandemic had on orders? are . pandemic had on orders? are people willing to spend all that money on a watch by buying it online if they can't try it on first?— on first? certainly it has given a _ on first? certainly it has given a push _ on first? certainly it has given a push to - on first? certainly it has given a push to online i on first? certainly it has - given a push to online sales, evenif given a push to online sales, even if watchers are not among the luxury product, the most easy to sell through online, but it has been growing, definitely. and also we can say that 2020 has seen the acceleration of some existing trends, specifically the weight of the asian markets, which have of course been even more important in 2020 than before the business and what watch business. d0 the business and what watch business-— the business and what watch business. , ., ~ , ., , business. do you think people see these _ business. do you think people see these watches, _ business. do you think people see these watches, especially| see these watches, especially the very expensive high—end ones as an investment, something that will hold value, rather than something for fashion orfor status, rather than something for fashion or for status, because i suppose if you are on a zoom call, you could lean on your elbow and show your watch, but it's not the same, is it, being in a meeting and person? tile in a meeting and person? fir? commentaries copy i think that exceptional watchers are offering a combination of craftsmanship and of creativity, at least at hermes thatis creativity, at least at hermes that is what we try to do, and of course, you don't need a watch anymore to have the time, but it is still a concentrate of creativity, as i said, and fantastic craftsmanship, so i think that of course it is a way to show up but it is also for yourself, the pleasure of having an exclusive watch, i would say. having an exclusive watch, i would say-— having an exclusive watch, i would sa . ., ~ , would say. ok, thank you, very aood to would say. ok, thank you, very good to talk— would say. ok, thank you, very good to talk to _ would say. ok, thank you, very good to talk to you. _ would say. ok, thank you, very good to talk to you. and - would say. ok, thank you, very good to talk to you. and thank| good to talk to you. and thank you for watching. you can reach me and most of the team on social media. if you are watching on bbc one, breakfast is coming up. if you are on bbc world news, iwill is coming up. if you are on bbc world news, i will be back in just a few moments with the headlines. well, it's certainly been cold in the last couple of days. we've snow, particularly across northern parts of the uk. but here's the good news if you don't like the cold. it is going to feel a lot better on wednesday. we won't have that cold northerly wind. we won't have that windchill, which we've been experiencing for a couple of days now. but the arctic air has spread right across the continent into northern parts of the mediterranean as well, so it's quite a widespread outbreak of cold arctic air. now, through the early hours you can see clear skies across much of the country. still a few wintry showers there across parts of scotland. but lighter winds, clear skies, a frost as well. temperatures in some cities down to around —2 or —3 celsius early on wednesday morning. so wednesday's looking something like this, lots of bright, sparkling sunshine first thing in the morning. but the clouds will build through the morning and into the afternoon. so actually the second half of the day is looking a little overcast for some of us. and in the north—west of the country, later on in the afternoon, and towards the evening, the clouds will thicken further and we are expecting some outbreaks of rain in places like belfast, glasgow, much of the western isles. and that's because a weather front is approaching, the winds turning direction, actually milder air is reaching us. and by very early on thursday morning you can see that generally across the country it is frost free — almost. now, that change is brought by area of low pressure which will be tracking into the north of the uk. you can see that slightly milder air brought in by these south—westerly winds. so i think on thursday temperatures, at least for a while, will recover to double figures, onlyjust. perhaps 11 or 12 across parts of england and wales. but with that also comes a weather front and outbreaks of rain parts of the north—west of the uk. i think the best of the weather will be further south and also south—east. now, as we head into thursday night and friday, that weather front will move across, in fact, it's a cold front and behind it we once again open up the gates to a cold air stream from the arctic, which could bring wintry showers to northern areas of the uk. so, yes, temporarily it is going to turn just a little bit milder through thursday, friday, maybe saturday, but the second half of the weekend it is turning colder again. good morning, welcome to breakfast with dan walker and louise minchin. our headlines today. a trial of the oxford astrazeneca vaccine in children has been paused while an investigation takes place into whether the jab is linked to rare blood clots in adults. leading scientists urge the public to continue getting the jab, saying the benefits far outweigh the risk. there are risks of getting sick or dying of disease for all people currently being offered first and second doses are far and away greater than any small theoretical risk that may exist relating to these cases, which are extremely rare. lifting the shutters on the new shopping experience.