I recreated all my favourite TV tropes, from crawling through pipes to being two kids in a trenchcoat
Telefonica confirms talks to merge O2 with Virgin Media May 4, 2020 O2’s Spanish parent company has confirmed reports that it is in discussions with Liberty Global over a potential merger with Virgin Media. Telefonica this morning said it has just begun talks with Virgin Media owner Liberty, which is led by telecoms billionaire John Malone, over a tie-up between the British mobile operator and cable company. [...]
Asian stocks slip as Donald Trump blames virus on China May 4, 2020 Asian stocks slipped this morning as renewed tensions between the US and China over the origin of coronavirus stunted optimism about the lifting of lockdown measures. With China and Japan on holiday, other Asia-Pacific shares fell 2.5 per cent, according to an MSCI index. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng returned from a two-session holiday to suffer [...]
FTSE 100 extends losses after worst daily drop in a month May 1, 2020 The FTSE 100 extended its losses today after suffering its worst daily drop in a month yesterday as dire economic reports and weak earnings weighed on traders. London’s blue-chip index was down roughly 2.3 per cent at 5,762 points by around 10.20am today. By the mid-afternoon the FTSE 100 had trimmed its drop to just [...]
Meghan Markle loses first claim in Mail on Sunday legal battle May 1, 2020 Meghan Markle has lost the first stage of her legal battle against the Mail on Sunday over alleged breach of privacy. A High Court judge today sided with publisher Associated Newspapers and ruled that three aspects of Markle’s case should be ruled out. The lawsuit relates to the publication of a private letter sent by [...]
UK tech firms suffer worst quarter since financial crisis May 1, 2020 British tech firms have posted their worst quarterly performance since the global financial crisis as the Covid-19 crisis stunts growth, new figures have revealed. Business activity across the tech sector declined for the first time in almost eight years, according to the latest KPMG UK Tech Monitor index. The headline index dropped to 47.1 from [...]
Amazon and Apple earnings: Covid-19 crashes the tech titan party May 1, 2020 It’s been a busy week for Silicon Valley as the major US tech firms lined up to report earnings for the first quarter. Google, Facebook and Twitter all delivered upbeat figures, proving that social media services are well-placed to weather the Covid-19 storm. But the mood was dampened somewhat last night as coronavirus costs weighed [...]
FTSE 100 ends April in a slump as coronavirus batters Shell and Lloyds April 30, 2020 The FTSE 100 fell dramatically today after oil giant Shell slashed its dividend in response to the plunge in demand for oil amid the coronavirus pandemic and Lloyds profits slumped. The sell-off gathered speed throughout the day, with the FTSE 100 index ending 3.5 per cent lower at 5,901 points. It came after a dramatic [...]
Sketch: The tech giants dance to their own tune in Zoom parliament April 30, 2020 “Have you ever met Mark Zuckerberg?” the culture select committee asks, wasting no time in getting to the real issues about the spread of fake news during the coronavirus crisis. Facebook’s UK public policy manager, a bespectacled millennial sat predictably next to a potted plant, looks nonplussed via webcam. “I have seen him,” he says [...]
Treasury fast tracks VAT cut for e-books and digital newspapers April 30, 2020 Plans to scrap VAT on e-books and digital newspapers have been fast tracked in an effort to support the publishing industry during the Covid-19 crisis, the chancellor said today. In his Budget speech in March Rishi Sunak said all digital publications, including books, newspapers, magazines and academic journals, would be exempt from the tax from [...]
Twitter posts rise in revenue despite Covid-19 advertising hit April 30, 2020 Twitter today posted a rise in revenue for the first quarter despite the lingering threat of a slowdown in advertising caused by the coronavirus crisis. The social media platform reported revenue of $808m (£646m) in the first three months of the year, up three per cent on the same period in 2019 and ahead of [...]
