Ryanair to ground the majority of its fleet amid European travel bans March 16, 2020 Ryanair will ground the majority of its fleet in the next week as travel bans across Europe take effect. The low-cost airline said that even in countries where the fleet had not been grounded, social distancing restrictions would make flying impractical, if not, impossible. For April and May, Ryanair expects to reduce its seat capacity [...]
B&Q owner Kingfisher’s shares dive on European store closures March 16, 2020 Shares in B&Q owner Kingfisher plunged this morning after the DIY retailer warned that sales were expected to take a hit as stores closed across Europe due to the outbreak of coronavirus. The firm’s share price dropped more than 19 per cent after it was forced to shutter 221 of its Castorama and Brico Depot [...]
Second MP tests positive for coronavirus March 16, 2020 A second MP has tested positive for coronavirus, while others have announced they are self-isolating, as Covid-19 continues to spread throughout the country. Kate Osborne, Labour MP for Jarrow, announced this morning she had tested positive for the virus “following a period of self isolation and subsequent testing”. She added: “I will continue to self [...]
Coronavirus: Downing Street to hold daily press conferences to keep public informed March 16, 2020 The government will hold daily televised press conferences to keep the public informed about the coronavirus outbreak, after coming under fire for its approach this weekend. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his senior ministers including health secretary Matt Hancock will go before the cameras alongside the chief medical officer Chris Witty and the chief scientific [...]
Airline stocks in freefall as travel restrictions take hold March 16, 2020 Virgin Atlantic, Easyjet and British Airways owner are scaling back flights after a number of countries imposed travel restrictions amid the coronavirus outbreak. British Airways owner, International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) and Easyjet will ground aircraft on an unprecedented scale in an attempt to mitigate the effect of the travel restrictions. Virgin Atlantic said it [...]
Chinese economy nosedives as virus outbreak hits factories March 16, 2020 China’s factory production slumped to its lowest level on record in the first two months of the year as the coronavirus outbreak wreaked havoc for the world’s second-largest economy. Analysts said the shock was worse than the financial crisis decade ago and reinforced fears that the epidemic may have cut China’s economic growth in half [...]
Coronavirus: Australian shares suffer worst fall on record as Asia slides March 16, 2020 Australian shares today suffered their biggest daily fall on record as analysts warned the global economy was teetering on the brink of a recession. The benchmark ASX200 index closed down 9.7 per cent as the coronavirus outbreak continued to roil global markets. The ASX200 has fallen roughly 30 per cent since its highest in February [...]
Coronavirus: Pandemic heaps uncertainty on house price growth March 16, 2020 The UK’s coronavirus outbreak has heaped uncertainty on London’s housing market, which had started to rally following the Conservative general election victory. The price of property coming to market in the capital surged 5.1 per cent year on year last month to an average of £638,826, the highest annual rate of growth since May 2016. [...]
Retail footfall jumps as UK coronavirus cases rise March 16, 2020 Retail footfall spiked at the end of last month as consumers rushed to the shops to stock up due to the spread of coronavirus in the UK. Retail footfall in February was down two per cent year on year due to several storms during the month. However, the final week of the month saw a [...]
UK coronavirus epidemic could lead to 7.9m people being hospitalised March 15, 2020 Up to 7.9m people could be hospitalised as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, which is expected to last until next spring, a Public Health England (PHE) document has revealed. According to media reports, the document is the first time that health authorities have acknowledged that the virus will continue to be a problem for [...]