Trade secretary Liz Truss under fire for personal think tank meetings August 20, 2020 Trade secretary Liz Truss is facing criticism after a series of meetings with a pro-hard Brexit think tank were removed from the public record and reclassified as personal discussions. Two meetings between Truss and the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) were originally logged in quarterly transparency data on the government’s website and described as discussions [...]
Premier Oil shares crash as it swings to first-half loss August 20, 2020 Shares in Premier Oil plummeted almost 25 per cent in early trading after the oil giant posted a hefty first-half loss due to weak oil prices. The figures Premier Oil posted revenue of $530.6m (£406m) in the first half, down from $883.1m in the same period last year. The company swung to a loss after [...]
Facebook is a ‘major threat’ to public health, report warns August 19, 2020 Facebook’s failure to halt the spread of coronavirus misinformation makes it a “major threat” to public health, a damning new report has warned. Research by activist group Avaaz found health misinformation relating to the pandemic was viewed 3.8bn times on the social media site in the last year. Just 16 per cent of all misinformation [...]
Monzo marketing chief steps down amid doubts over bank’s future August 19, 2020 Monzo’s long-standing head of marketing is stepping down as the challenger bank faces doubts over its future due to the coronavirus crisis. Tristan Thomas, who joined Monzo in its infancy in 2015, told staff he will leave the company at the end of the year. The move comes as the digital bank faces a fight [...]
Trump backs Oracle bid for Tiktok’s US business August 19, 2020 US President Trump has thrown his weight behind Oracle’s mooted bid for Tiktok, saying the software giant would be a “great company” to take over the hit video app. It follows reports that Oracle has held discussions with Chinese parent company Bytedance over an offer for Tiktok’s operations in the US, Canada, Australia and New [...]
Amazon expands Morrisons range as it beefs up grocery deliveries August 19, 2020 Amazon today said it will offer the full range of Morrisons products for delivery as the ecommerce giant ramped up its presence in the UK grocery market. The strengthened deal means Morrisons customers will be able to do their full shop through the main Amazon website. Amazon Prime customers will be offered free same-day delivery [...]
Marriott International hit with London lawsuit over huge data breach August 19, 2020 Hotel group Marriott International is facing legal action in London over a huge data breach that compromised the personal details of roughly 393m guests. Martin Bryant, who runs a tech and media consultancy firm, has filed a collective action in the High Court on behalf of millions of guests from England and Wales who were [...]
Matt Hancock: There’s one big reason it’s safe to return to the office August 19, 2020 UK workers have no reason to avoid returning to their offices this autumn, as there is little chance of catching coronavirus in the workplace, health secretary Matt Hancock said today. Instead Brits are largely transmitting coronavirus when households meet one another in their homes, Hancock told the BBC. When asked if Britain would follow France [...]
Competition watchdog to probe Carlsberg-Marston’s tie-up August 19, 2020 The competition watchdog today said it has opened a probe into a proposed £780m tie-up between beer giants Carlsberg and Marston’s. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was considering whether the deal would create a relevant merger situation and damage competition. In May the two companies announced plans to combine their brewing businesses [...]
Brute farce: Under Armour scolded by watchdog over shirt strength claim August 19, 2020 Under Armour has been given a ticking off by the advertising watchdog over claims one of its shirts made people stronger. In a promotion for the long-sleeved baselayer shirt, which retails at £55, the sportswear brand said its product had been “tested and proven to improve strength and endurance”. “The way it works is that [...]
