Wales to use predicted grades for A-level results in U-turn August 17, 2020 Wales is to award pupils A-levels in line with their predicted grades after a backlash against the use of an algorithm to moderate results. Welsh minister for education Kirsty Williams, said: “Working with Qualifications Wales and WJEC we have sought an approach which provides fairness and balances out differences in the standards applied to judgments [...]
Ryanair to cut flight capacity after coronavirus upsurge hits bookings August 17, 2020 Ryanair today said it will cut its flight capacity 20 per cent during September and October after increased coronavirus restrictions hit bookings. The budget airliner said a recent upswing in coronavirus cases in some European countries had particularly hit business bookings. Ryanair last month cut its passenger target to 60m for the financial year to [...]
Ex-Flybe shareholders eye legal action against former directors August 17, 2020 Former Flybe shareholders are reportedly examining legal action over a cut-price sale of the budget airline in early 2019. A group of retail investors want to take former directors to court over allegations they put out inaccurate statements, the Mail on Sunday reported. Shareholders received just 1p per share when the airline was sold in [...]
GCSE results in Northern Ireland to be based on predicted grades August 17, 2020 Pupils in Northern Ireland will receive teacher predicted grades for their GCSEs, the education minister said. Ahead of the publication of GCSE results on Thursday education minister Peter Weir said that “exceptional circumstances” meant that pupils would receive predicted grades as their final mark. “Having received advice from CCEA and listened to the concerns of [...]
UK wages fall steeply in August as job fears grow August 17, 2020 UK households suffered a fall in wages in August and reported increased fears about job security, a survey published today said. The IHS Markit UK Household Finance Index (HFI) – which measures households’ overall perceptions of financial wellbeing – fell from 41.5 in July to 40.8 in August, “signalling a further, slightly sharper, deterioration in [...]
Meat producer Cranswick boosts revenue 25 per cent on strong lockdown demand August 17, 2020 Sausage-and-pie producer Cranswick today said its revenue for the first quarter was nearly 25 per cent ahead of the same period last year thanks to strong retail demand during lockdown. The company said revenue in the 13 weeks to 27 June was 24.8 per cent ahead of the same point the previous year. Cranswick said [...]
US retail sales grow 1.2 per cent, missing July expectations August 14, 2020 US retail sales for July undershot expectations with growth of 1.2 per cent, the US Commerce Department said today. Retail sales were predicted to grow 2.1 per cent in July. Retail sales totalled $536bn in July, according to the preliminary figures. Car sales fell 1.2 per cent, sporting goods and book sales were down five [...]
Hong Kong cuts economic outlook amid ongoing coronavirus fears August 14, 2020 Hong Kong cut its economic outlook for the year today, saying a recovery from recession depended on how fast it can get a new wave of coronavirus infections under control. The Chinese territory’s government revised its full year gross domestic product (GDP) forecast to a contraction of six per cent to eight per cent from [...]
Labour call for government U-turn on A-levels ‘fiasco’ August 14, 2020 The Labour Party has called today for the government to scrap its system for allocating A-level results after thousands of students’ results were downgraded by the statistical model used to moderate grades. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: “The unprecedented and chaotic circumstances created by the UK government’s mishandling of education during recent months mean [...]
Eurozone GDP contracts 12 per cent on coronavirus impact August 14, 2020 The Eurozone economy shrank 12.1 per cent in the second quarter following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to figures released today. Year-on-year the Eurozone economy shrank 15 per cent in the second quarter, according to the figures from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. Eurostat also said the economy of the [...]