Coronavirus: Australian shares suffer worst fall on record as Asia slides March 16, 2020 Australian shares today suffered their biggest daily fall on record as analysts warned the global economy was teetering on the brink of a recession. The benchmark ASX200 index closed down 9.7 per cent as the coronavirus outbreak continued to roil global markets. The ASX200 has fallen roughly 30 per cent since its highest in February [...]
UK advertising exports jump to record-breaking £7.9bn March 16, 2020 International trade in British advertising services jumped 15 per cent year on year to hit a record £7.9bn in 2018, new figures have revealed. The sharp growth was significantly ahead of overall UK service exports, which rose by roughly two per cent, while the UK’s balance of payments surplus for advertising was Europe’s largest. The [...]
Coronavirus: Germany to close major land borders March 15, 2020 Germany is said to be preparing to close its borders with Austria, France and Switzerland in a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus. Chancellor Angela Merkel and her interior ministers have agreed the closures with the leaders of the three countries, Germany’s Bild newspaper reported. The borders will be shut down from 8am local [...]
UK backs facial recognition project that helps Beijing catch masked protesters March 15, 2020 The government has partnered with Beijing to back a project aimed at developing facial recognition technology that can identify people wearing masks. The Home Office and the Metropolitan Police are both involved in a programme that carries out research jointly funded by the Chinese state — despite the country’s reported use of surveillance technology to [...]
Saudi Aramco cuts spending as profit drops 21 per cent following record float March 15, 2020 Saudi Aramco today said it will cut capital spending this year as the oil giant braces for a slump in oil prices caused by the coronavirus outbreak and a price war with Russia. The state-run company broke the record for the largest ever initial public offering (IPO) in December after it raised $25.6bn (£21bn), securing [...]
Ofcom draws up new rules to protect reality TV stars March 15, 2020 Ofcom has laid out a revised set of rules aimed at protecting participants in TV and radio programmes. The regulator’s intervention comes after the deaths of two former Love Island contestants and host Caroline Flack, as well as a former guest on the now-cancelled Jeremy Kyle Show. Ofcom said it had also seen a “steady [...]
US stocks regain some ground after Fed pumps trillions into markets March 12, 2020 US stocks pared some of their losses in afternoon trading after the New York Federal Reserve said it would pump more than a trillion dollars into the short-term funding markets. Stocks crashed in early trading after President Donald Trump banned all travel to and from Europe in an effort to contain coronavirus, with the falls [...]
Brits with coronavirus symptoms urged to stay at home for seven days March 12, 2020 Brits with symptoms of coronavirus have been told to stay at home for seven days under new guidance outlined by the government. Anyone with a recent onset of a continuous cough or a high temperature has been told to self-isolate, even if the symptoms are mild. It comes as the UK entered the “delay” phase [...]
Putting Six Nations behind a paywall would be ‘dreadful’, says BBC boss March 12, 2020 Any deal to put the Six Nations behind a paywall would be “dreadful” for both audiences and the sport, the BBC director general has said. The tender process for the rugby tournament’s next broadcasting contract is set to wrap up this weekend, but current holders BBC and ITV have been shut out of the bidding. [...]
Competition watchdog clears Bauer’s regional radio takeover March 12, 2020 The competition watchdog today cleared Bauer Media’s acquisition of dozens of regional radio stations after the media giant agreed to match advertising terms. Bauer last year snapped up almost 50 stations from Celador, Lincs FM, Wireless and UKRD. This included a 50 per cent stake in First Radio Sales Limited, which runs more than 100 [...]