Hong Kong: Protests continue after thousands attend Tiananmen vigil June 5, 2020 Dozens of pro-democracy protesters marched through a Hong Kong shopping centre this morning after thousands had defied a police ban to attend a vigil commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Protesters gathered in the heart of the financial hub for peaceful demonstrations against China’s new national security laws, which many fear will wipe out the [...]
Coronavirus: BBC calls for right to publish news directly on Whatsapp June 4, 2020 The BBC should be allowed to publish directly on chat platforms such as Whatsapp to help counter fake news about the Covid-19 crisis, one of the broadcaster’s top bosses has said. Jamie Angus, director of the BBC World Service Group, urged tech giants to open their platforms to trusted news providers as part of their [...]
Apple boss Tim Cook pens open letter on racism after ‘senseless’ George Floyd killing June 4, 2020 Apple chief executive Tim Cook has published an open letter admitting that his company must do more to tackle racism. In the letter, published on Apple’s website, Cook spoke out about the “senseless killing” of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis. “To create change, we have to [...]
Bafta Awards: Sky production push pays off as Chernobyl leads nominations June 4, 2020 Hit Sky series Chernobyl has picked up 14 nominations at the Bafta Television Awards 2020 as the media giant reaps the rewards of its production push. The critically-acclaimed miniseries, which is based on the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, led the field at this year’s awards. It is now one of the [...]
Channel 4 to air Hollyoaks on Snapchat as it targets young viewers June 4, 2020 Channel 4 today said it will air Hollyoaks on Snapchat as part of a fresh deal to bring more than 300 episodes of its TV programmes to the social media app over the next year. From today the broadcaster will show short-form edits of the soap opera favourite on Snapchat’s Discover section. The Undateables, The [...]
Coronavirus: UK car sales suffer worst May performance since 1952 June 4, 2020 UK new car sales crashed 89 per cent last month as car dealerships remained shuttered, marking the industry’s worst May performance since 1952. Only 20,247 new cars were sold over the month — a decline of 163,477 compared to the same month last year, according to new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and [...]
Coronavirus: Lookers to slash 1,500 jobs and shutter showrooms June 4, 2020 Car dealership Lookers today said it will cut roughly 1,500 jobs and close 12 showrooms as it reels from the impact of Covid-19. The struggling motoring chain, which employs roughly 8,100 people, said it will start consultations on the cuts across the business. Lookers also said it had identified a further 12 showrooms for closure, [...]
Merkel’s coalition secures €130bn coronavirus stimulus package June 4, 2020 Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government last night agreed a bumper €130bn (£116bn) stimulus package to boost Germany’s economic recovery from coronavirus. Speaking to reporters after marathon talks, Merkel said the wide-ranging package would include lower value-added tax (VAT) to boost consumption. “The size of the package will amount to €130bn for the years 2020/2021, €120bn [...]
Hipgnosis shares jump as lockdown streaming boosts music catalogue June 3, 2020 Shares in Hipgnosis rose sharply today after the music royalties investment firm said the continued growth of streaming had pushed up the value of its song portfolio. The London-listed company reported better-than-expected revenue of £64.7m in the year to the end of March, while net asset value grew 17.7 per cent. Shares in Hipgnosis jumped [...]
Warner Music raises $1.9bn in biggest US listing this year June 3, 2020 Warner Music Group today said it had raised $1.93bn (£1.5bn) from its initial public offering (IPO), marking Wall Street’s largest listing this year. The record label had planned to price its IPO yesterday, but postponed it by a day to mark Black Out Tuesday, a global social media event to show support for racial justice. [...]
