Facebook classified ads under scrutiny amid EU competition probe April 6, 2020 EU regulators have turned their attention to Facebook’s classified advertising business as part of an ongoing competition probe into the tech giant. The next stage of the antitrust investigation will examine whether the social media platform is distorting the classified ads market by promoting its free Marketplace service to users. Regulators have sent a 14-page [...]
BT gives staff pay rise as chief executive donates salary April 6, 2020 BT has handed out a share bonus to all staff and pledged not to cut jobs during the coronavirus crisis as the telecoms giant faces a surge in demand for its services. Each of BT’s 100,000 employees will be awarded £500 in shares in June, while thousands of non-managerial staff will be given a 1.5 [...]
Pressure builds on social media firms to stamp out ‘crazed’ 5G conspiracy theories April 6, 2020 Social media firms are under fierce pressure to stamp out misinformation about 5G amid fears the spread of conspiracy theories is putting lives at risk. Phone masts have been set alight in locations across the UK due to posts circulating online falsely claiming that there is a link between mobile phone technology and the coronavirus [...]
Apple to make 1m coronavirus face shields per week April 6, 2020 Apple has outlined plans to manufacture 1m face shields per week as it ramps up its efforts to tackle the coronavirus outbreak. Chief executive Tim Cook said the tech giant had so far sourced 20m face masks from its global supply chain to distribute to health workers around the world. Apple’s design and engineer teams [...]
Coronavirus shutdown set to hit youngest workers and women hardest April 6, 2020 Sector-wide shutdowns caused by the coronavirus outbreak will have a disproportionate impact on the youngest and lowest paid workers and women, a top think tank has warned. The government-ordered lockdown has shuttered restaurants, shops and leisure facilities, while air travel has been halted and public transport reduced. But analysis published today by the Institute for [...]
UK house prices set to drop as sales plummet during pandemic April 6, 2020 UK house prices are set to fall three per cent this year as market activity grinds to a halt during the coronavirus crisis, forecasts published today revealed. House sales are expected to plunge 38 per cent year on year to 734,000 transactions assuming the current lockdown remains in place until the end of May, according [...]
Rent payments must be maintained where possible, say landlords April 6, 2020 Tenants must continue to pay their rent where possible, landlords have said, citing concerns about a lack of clarity over rent holidays. The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) today said an increasing number of tenants believed they no longer had to pay rent due to the pandemic. But the trade body insisted residential rent should [...]
Video games firms tapped to feature in-game coronavirus health messages April 6, 2020 The government has teamed up with the British video games industry to insert public health information about coronavirus into some of their most popular hits. Candy Crush Saga, Sniper Elite 4 and Dirt Rally 2.0 are among the games that will feature the ‘Stay at Home, Save Lives’ slogan. The government has already launched ads [...]
Coronavirus: The Queen’s speech to the nation in full April 5, 2020 The Queen tonight gave an historic televised address to the nation, calling on Brits to band together in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. In the speech — only her fifth peacetime address outside her annual Christmas message — the Queen thanked frontline medical staff and said Britain would overcome the crisis. She also made [...]
‘We will overcome it’: Queen calls for unity as she thanks NHS staff April 5, 2020 The UK will overcome the coronavirus crisis if it remains “united and resolute”, the Queen said today as she thanked frontline medical staff for their efforts in fighting the pandemic. In an historic televised address from Windsor Castle this evening, the Queen acknowledged the “very challenging time” for the country, but insisted that “we will [...]