Northern Rail ‘could be split up’ amid nationalisation plans December 26, 2019 The government is said to be plotting a break-up of Northern Rail as part of a radical plan to renationalise train services in northern England. Northern Rail, which is run by German operator Arriva, would be split into two franchises – North West and North East – under plans drawn up by Whitehall officials, the [...]
Boxing Day spending set to fall after Brits cash out on bumper Black Friday December 26, 2019 UK shoppers are set to tighten the purse strings in the Boxing Day sales this year after retailers bagged a record performance over the Black Friday weekend. Brits are expected to spend £3.7bn in post-Christmas sales this year, £200m less than in 2018, according to new figures from Barclaycard. Read more: Super Saturday fails to [...]
Oil prices rise on renewed hopes of US-China trade deal December 26, 2019 Oil prices lifted this morning as markets responded to a potential breakthrough in US-China trade talks and production cuts by producer group Opec. Brent crude rose 11 per cent to $66.23 a barrel in early trading, while West Texas Intermediate was up 0.25 per cent at $61.26. Read more: Shell takes $2bn hit amid slowing [...]
Top Nissan boss steps down in blow to scandal-hit car firm December 26, 2019 A senior Nissan executive has resigned from the company just weeks after taking up the job, marking a blow to the embattled car manufacturer’s turnaround plan. Jun Seki, vice chief operating officer and the firm’s third highest-ranking executive, said he was leaving to become president of Kyoto-based car parts manufacturer Nidec. Read more: Nissan faces [...]
Watchdog puts BAT in its sights as it clamps down on Instagram vaping ads December 18, 2019 The advertising watchdog has banned British American Tobacco (BAT) from promoting e-cigarettes on public Instagram pages, including through the use of influencer marketing. In a landmark ruling, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) stated that the tobacco giant had breached regulations on promoting unlicensed, nicotine-containing e-cigarettes. Read more: Peloton’s ‘sexist’ advert was so bad it sent [...]
Tensions mount in German coalition as SPD eyes Huawei ban December 16, 2019 German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government could be plunged into further conflict tomorrow as the Social Democrats (SPD) vote on a proposal to block Huawei from the country’s 5G network. The government has announced plans to toughen up scrutiny of telecoms suppliers, but has stopped short of excluding any country or company. Read more: Telefonica [...]
New Orleans declares emergency as cyber attack shuts down government December 16, 2019 New Orleans has declared a state of emergency after a huge cyber attack shut down the local government’s computers and servers. The city’s emergency response service, dubbed Nola Ready, first reported phishing attempts and suspicious activity at 5am on Friday. Read more: London software firm Kape snaps up US cybersecurity company for $95m Chief information [...]
WPP offloads stake in sports marketing agency Two Circles December 16, 2019 WPP today announced it has sold a majority stake in sports marketing agency Two Circles to New York-based private equity firm Bruin Sports Capital. Two Circles, which sat in WPP’s Group M division, analyses data on sports fans across the world to create marketing campaigns. It counts the Premier League, UEFA, Formula 1, and Wimbledon [...]
Uber in talks to sell Indian food delivery business to Zomato in $400m deal December 16, 2019 Uber is said to be in talks to sell its Indian food delivery business to local rival Zomato in a deal worth roughly $400m (£299m). The ride-hailing giant is looking to offload Uber Eats in India to Zomato as part of its plan to reach profitability by 2021, according to several media reports. Read more: [...]
Senior Labour MP says BBC ‘played a part’ in election defeat December 16, 2019 A senior Labour MP has accused the BBC of “consciously” playing a role in the party’s election defeat, as figures on both ends of the political spectrum take aim at the broadcaster over perceived bias. Shadow transport minister Andy McDonald said the BBC and other broadcasters had allowed Jeremy Corybn to be “demonised and vilified” [...]
