O2’s £31bn Virgin Media merger ‘will help UK pandemic recovery’, says CEO February 25, 2021 O2’s proposed £31bn tie-up with Virgin Media will accelerate investment in telecoms infrastructure and bolster the UK’s post-pandemic recovery, the mobile network’s boss has said. The mega-merger, agreed last year by O2 owner Telefonica and Virgin Media parent Liberty Global, is facing an in-depth probe by regulators amid concerns it could harm competition. But O2 [...]
UK tech jobs bounce back as investment hits record high December 29, 2020 UK tech job vacancies have bounced back strongly as Britain’s booming tech sector shrugged off the Covid-19 pandemic to attract record levels of investment. While job vacancies in the industry dropped sharply at the height of the crisis in July, they have since climbed 50 per cent and are now accumulating at a rate of [...]
Graham Norton to join Virgin Radio after BBC exit November 16, 2020 Broadcaster Graham Norton is set to join News UK’s Virgin Radio after leaving the BBC last week. The legendary presenter will host a flagship weekend show on Saturdays and Sundays. The hire is a major coup for Virgin as commercial rivals vie for listeners in an increasingly competitive radio market. Read more: Sun newspaper wins [...]
Christmas shoppers flock to toy shops ahead of second Covid-19 lockdown November 10, 2020 Toy and entertainment retailers reported a surge in shopper numbers in the days leading up to the coronavirus lockdown, as Brits snapped up Christmas presents ahead of the closure of non-essential stores. The latest analysis showed that toy stores more than doubled their share of pre-pandemic footfall between Monday and Wednesday last week. But one [...]
UK house prices see fastest growth in four years but monthly rate slows November 6, 2020 UK house prices grew at their fastest annual rate since 2016 in October, new figures have shown, although month-on-month price growth slowed considerably. House prices jumped 7.5 per cent in October, according to the Halifax house price index, compared to 7.3 per cent in September. Yet growth slowed to just 0.3 per cent when looked [...]
Tech stocks drag down Wall Street as FTSE 100 suffers worst month since March October 30, 2020 Sliding tech stocks dragged down Wall Street this afternoon, while the FTSE rounded off its worst monthly fall since March amid a wave of new coronavirus lockdowns. The three main US indexes were on course for their worst week since March as ongoing pandemic-related uncertainty and the looming presidential election sparked market volatility. Read more: [...]
Oracle confirms Tiktok deal as US officials step in for review September 14, 2020 Oracle has confirmed it is part of a deal to sign a partnership agreement with hit video app Tiktok, after its Chinese owner Bytedance rejected a rival takeover bid from Microsoft. Bytedance had been exploring a sale of its US business after US President Donald Trump threatened to shut down the app amid concerns about [...]
US and China welcome ‘constructive’ trade talks after delay August 25, 2020 The US and China have welcomed a “constructive” round of talks over a phase one trade deal after discussions were delayed earlier this month. In a call between US trade representative Robert Lighthitzer, US treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin and Chinese vice premier Liu He, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the deal. “Both sides [...]
London small business boss blasts Barclays over coronavirus loan scheme May 5, 2020 Small businesses are at risk of collapse due to stringent eligibility rules for emergency coronavirus loans, the boss of a London marketing agency rejected for a loan has warned. Richard Cox, co-founder of The Village Communications, accused banks of a “complete lack of interest” in helping small firms that were struggling to stay afloat during [...]
Exclusive: Ronan Keating sues Rupert Murdoch’s News UK in phone hacking claim May 1, 2020 Ronan Keating has filed a lawsuit against the owner of the Sun, becoming the latest celebrity to seek damages from Rupert Murdoch’s media empire over alleged phone hacking. The former Boyzone star has hired lawyers at specialist phone hacking firm Hamlins to file a claim against News Group Newspapers (NGN), part of Murdoch’s News UK. [...]