Pompeo pushes to ban Tiktok, Wechat and other ‘untrusted’ Chinese apps August 6, 2020 The Trump administration is pushing to purge “untrusted” Chinese apps including Tiktok and Wechat from US app stores, amid increasing tensions across the Pacific. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo yesterday signalled that the US may soon order Apple and Google to remove certain Chinese apps over national security concerns. Pompeo said apps linked to [...]
Wirecard business partner reported dead in Philippines amid investigation August 6, 2020 A German businessman responsible for one of Wirecard’s biggest sources of profit has been reported dead in the Philippines amid ongoing investigations into his involvement with the disgraced payments firm’s collapse in June. Filipino authorities are seeking to confirm whether a recently registered death was that of former Wirecard executive Christopher Bauer, one of several [...]
How to improve your forecasting in a constantly changing world August 6, 2020 | City Talk Companies are moving to the next phase of business planning, with one eye on economic recovery and the other on what their business and industry will look like as they emerge from and go beyond the crisis. But the future is a blind spot for many. Prior forecasting methods, based on past customer demand, may [...]
London hospitality firms call for free face masks at Tube stations August 6, 2020 London’s hospitality firms require urgent improvements to the “insufficient and inadequate” support provided for struggling businesses in the city centre, the leading industry body has said. In a letter to London mayor Sadiq Khan, UK Hospitality has set out a number of urgent measures that could encourage Londoners and domestic tourists to visit the centre [...]
Government wasted £150m on unusable face masks bought from banker August 6, 2020 The government is facing calls to investigate its procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic, after it emerged ministers spent at least £150m on unusable face masks from a family investment firm. The face masks, which were part of a £252m government contract with investment firm Ayanda Capital signed in April, were deemed [...]
Uber snaps up UK taxi tech firm Autocab August 6, 2020 Uber has acquired taxi tech firm Autocab, in a move that will allow it to operate in areas it has yet to launch in. The Stockport-based company sells booking and dispatch software to private hire firms, and will allow Uber to link people who open its app in locations where it does not run with [...]
Economists question Bank of England’s ‘optimistic’ forecast August 6, 2020 The Bank of England today kept interest rates on hold and said the UK economy would not shrink as much as initially thought this year, but it said the recovery would take longer. But some economists have questioned the assumptions, arguing that high unemployment will damage the economy. The Bank said the UK economy was [...]
Ministers set to impose quarantine restrictions on Belgium August 6, 2020 The government is preparing to hit travellers from Belgium with mandatory quarantine restrictions after a spike in coronavirus cases in the country. The Daily Mail reported that ministers would sign off on the decision to impose 14-day self-isolation measures on all those travelling from Belgium to the UK at a meeting this evening. It added [...]
Ryanair increases services to 60 per cent of pre-Covid levels in August August 6, 2020 Budget carrier Ryanair today said that it had successfully increased its flight schedule to over 60 per cent of pre-Covid levels as passenger numbers continue to grow after lockdown. Having restarted its services in June, the Irish airline said that it would fly 11,000 flights a week throughout the month, over 1,600 routes. In September, [...]
Animal Crossing powers five-fold profit jump for Nintendo August 6, 2020 Nintendo posted a more than five-fold jump in quarterly profit today, as the success of its Switch console and standout game Animal Crossing supported the games maker during the pandemic. People stuck at home around the world flocked to titles like Animal Crossing, which allows users to create life on an idyllic island, which sold [...]