French health minister says local authorities can make masks compulsory outside July 31, 2020 France’s health minister has said that local authorities will be able to enforce the wearing of face masks in outdoor areas to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Writing on Twitter, Olivier Veran said that the decision could be made “depending on the situation of the epidemic in each region”. Face masks are already compulsory in [...]
Google parent Alphabet sees revenue fall for first time ever July 30, 2020 Google parent Alphabet saw revenue fall for the first time in its history today, although it beat analyst expectations for its second quarter earnings. Revenue fell to $38.3bn from $38.9bn in the second quarter, compared to Refinitiv estimates of $37.4bn. It also beat expectations for earnings per share, which came in at $10.13, instead of [...]
Facebook smashes revenue expectations as more people login in lockdown July 30, 2020 Social media behemoth Facebook has smashed analyst expectations in the second quarter, beating predictions for advertising revenue, earnings per share and user numbers. Shares in the social network shot up 7.8 per cent in after hours trading. In total, revenue rose from $16.9bn last year to $18.7bn in the past three months, ahead of analyst [...]
Government imposes quarantine on travellers from Luxembourg July 30, 2020 The government has imposed a 14-day quarantine on people returning from Luxembourg after an increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the country. In a statement this evening, ministers said that from midnight tonight those arriving from the country would have to self-isolate for 14 days. It said that there had been “a consistent [...]
UK reports highest number of new coronavirus cases since June July 30, 2020 The UK this evening reported its highest number of new coronavirus cases in over a month amid rising concerns over a potential second wave of the virus. There were 846 new confirmed infections recorded today, the largest amount since 28 June. Over the last month, the government has slowly eased a number of restrictions, with [...]
Saudi Arabian takeover of Newcastle United off as bid withdrawn July 30, 2020 The Saudi Arabia-backed bid to takeover Newcastle United football club has been withdrawn this afternoon. A consortium made up of the Gulf state’s Public Investment Fund, PCP Capital Partners and the Reuben brothers had reportedly made a £300m bid to businessman Mike Ashley for the Premier League team. In a statement, the group said: “With [...]
Markets live: FTSE 100 tumbles as US GDP blow hits Wall Street July 30, 2020 The FTSE 100 slumped below the 6,000 mark after data showed the US economy suffered its biggest contraction on record amid the coronavirus pandemic and banks’ second-half results disappointed investors. The UK’s blue-chip index slid 2.9 per cent to 5,951 points in afternoon trading. The FTSE 250, comprised of slightly smaller firms, fell 1.8 per [...]
Tui to close 166 high street stores and cut 270 jobs July 30, 2020 Package holiday firm Tui will close 166 of its high street stores, it announced today, after a slump in the travel sector caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The tour operator said that the decision will impact 900 jobs, but only 270 of these are at risk of being cut. Tui will try to move the [...]
Renault plunges to record €7bn loss as pandemic shrinks sales July 30, 2020 French car giant Renault fell to a record loss of €7.4bn (£6.8bn) in the first half of 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic decimated the global automotive industry. The firm said that most of the loss came through its creaking alliance with Japanese automaker Nissan, which filed a €4.8bn loss. Speaking to investors today, new chief [...]
US jobless claims rise again to 1.43m as total number of claimants tops 30m July 30, 2020 US jobless claims rose for the second consecutive week, as 1.43m more people filed for benefits last week, the Labor Department said. The figure is some 12,000 applications higher than the previous week, which in turn saw the first rise in claimants for almost four months. More than 1.4m Americans made a new jobless claim [...]
