English sports clubs granted £300m emergency funding package November 19, 2020 The government has announced a £300m emergency funding package to help sports clubs in England survive ongoing coronavirus restrictions during the winter. Rugby League and Rugby Union, horse racing and the lower tiers of National League football are among the beneficiaries of the support. The funding, which is largely made up of loans, comes as [...]
UK competition watchdog launches probe into O2-Virgin Media merger November 19, 2020 The UK competition watchdog has opened an investigation into the planned £31bn mega-merger between O2 and Virgin Media after the deal was referred from the EU. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last month requested to take over the case, arguing the potential impact on competition would primarily affect the UK market. The watchdog has [...]
Amazon ‘sacks dozens of staff’ on drone delivery programme November 19, 2020 Amazon has reportedly laid off dozens of employees working on its drone delivery programme as it looks to third-party firms to help kickstart its eagerly-awaited project. Staff in research and development and manufacturing have been made redundant after Amazon reached preliminary deals with two external companies to build component parts of its drones. Final terms [...]
UK tech visa applications jump as sector attracts top talent November 19, 2020 Applications to the Tech Nation visa rose almost 50 per cent this year as Britain’s booming tech sector continues to attract top talent from around the globe. The number of applications for the visa, which grants employees and founders in the tech sector the right to work in the UK for up to five years, [...]
M&C Saatchi founders step down following accounting scandal November 19, 2020 Three of M&C Saatchi’s founders are stepping down following a long-running accounting scandal that has sent shockwaves through adland. Jeremy Sinclair, David Kershaw and Bill Muirhead, who set up the company when they split from Saatchi & Saatchi in 1995, will hand over the reins in a bid to draw a line under the saga. [...]
Pearson launches new consumer division in bid to harness Netflix model November 18, 2020 Pearson has unveiled a new division that will deliver products directly to consumers as it looks to harness the power of streaming models used by companies such as Netflix. The FTSE 100 education giant said its new direct-to-consumer unit will help to accelerate its shift to digital services and allow it to “meet consumers where [...]
Apple cuts App Store commission following developer backlash November 18, 2020 Apple is slashing the commission it takes from some purchases made through the App Store following widespread criticism of the charges. The tech giant takes a 30 per cent cut of most app and virtual goods sales, though this drops to 15 per cent for subscriptions that remain active for more than a year. But [...]
Ericsson boss backs rival Huawei after Swedish 5G ban November 18, 2020 The chief executive of Ericsson has come out in support of arch-rival Huawei after Sweden blocked the Chinese firm from building its 5G networks. Earlier this month Swedish regulators blocked 5G spectrum auctions after a court suspended part of its decision to ban Huawei over national security fears. But in a surprise move, Ericsson boss [...]
Levelling up: Sony takes over Oxford Circus station for Playstation launch November 18, 2020 London Underground is famed for its iconic roundels, but eagle-eyed commuters will notice something different about Oxford Circus station this week. Transport for London (TfL) has teamed up with Sony to give the Tube station a redesign, transforming the traditional signs into squares, triangles and crosses — the classic symbols of the Playstation controller. The [...]
Micro Focus shares jump as software firm issues upbeat update November 18, 2020 Shares in Micro Focus surged to their highest level since July this morning after the software firm said its full-year earnings margin would come in at the top end of expectations. The London-listed company, which helps customers maintain and update legacy IT systems, swung to a $1bn (£752m) loss in the first half due to [...]
