Tuesday newspaper round-up: Royal Mail, energy security, Shein-Topshop

(Sharecast News) - Royal Mail is to lose its 360-year-old monopoly on delivering parcels from Post Office branches, after concerns about poor quality of service persuaded the postal service to sign deals with rivals Evri and DPD in the run-up to Christmas. The two couriers would be added to the options available at the counter from later this month, the Post Office said, with customers given a choice for the first time. - Guardian Rishi Sunak's plan to boost energy security by issuing new North Sea licences every year has been cast into doubt by claims Britain will be unable to handle the crude oil. Up to half of the oil produced in the North Sea will be incompatible with UK refineries by 2035, campaigners have warned. Britain's refineries are geared up to handle what is known as light oil, rather than heavy crude. - Telegraph

Britain faces record shortages of medicines amid a row between drug makers and the NHS over payments. Patients face issues getting hold of drugs for epilepsy and ADHD, as well as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for the menopause. A total of 111 drugs are currently facing supply issues, according to the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA). - Telegraph

More than 100 UK companies have admitted breaching sanctions against Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) recorded that 127 businesses had voluntarily reported sanctions violations as of May 17. fter the invasion in February 2022, the UK government added hundreds of individuals and organisations linked to Russia to its sanctions list. There are now 1,637 individuals and 239 entities on that list, according to Pinsent Masons, a law firm that obtained the figures on sanctions breaches after it made a freedom of information request to the OFSI. The Treasury body, which oversees sanction enforcement, did not name the companies in its response. - The Times

One of the world's fastest-growing fast-fashion groups has taken a shine to the Topshop brand. Shein has formally registered its interest in making an offer with Asos, the struggling online retailer that bought Topshop for £330 million in 2021 from Sir Philip Green's Arcadia retail empire. It would represent Shein's second acquisition of a British fashion brand after it bought Missguided and intellectual property rights from Frasers Group last week for an undisclosed sum. - The Times