Germany economy flatlines in fourth quarter on falling exports February 25, 2020 Declining exports stunted German economic activity in the fourth quarter, new data has revealed, showing the country’s economy was stagnating even before the coronavirus outbreak. Growth in Europe’s largest economy was confirmed at 0 per cent for the final three months of the year, according to the Federal Statistics Office. Exports fell 0.2 per cent [...]
Harvey Weinstein found guilty in landmark rape trial February 24, 2020 Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has been convicted of sexual assault and rape in a landmark case that inspired the #MeToo movement. A New York jury today found the producer guilty of sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. He faces up to 25 years [...]
Alphabet drops out of trillion-dollar club amid coronavirus rout February 24, 2020 Google parent company Alphabet has dropped out of the prestigious trillion-dollar club after fears over the coronavirus outbreak prompted a wider global sell-off. Shares in Alphabet dropped almost four per cent in New York trading this afternoon, taking its market capitalisation to just below $980bn (£758bn). The fall came amid a wider decline across stock [...]
Samira Ahmed reaches settlement with BBC over equal pay case February 24, 2020 The BBC has reached a settlement with Samira Ahmed after the presenter won her equal pay case against the broadcaster. An employment tribunal last month ruled that Ahmed was underpaid for hosting Newswatch in comparison to Jeremy Vine, who hosts Points of View. The BBC had argued that the two presenters fulfilled “very different roles”, [...]
Disney Plus UK: Everything you need to know (and why The Simpsons is missing) February 24, 2020 Eager film and TV fans can today get their hands on a discounted Disney Plus subscription ahead of the streaming service’s UK launch next month, while the media giant has given subscribers a taste of its content slate. How much does it cost? Disney Plus today announced that customers can sign up for an introductory [...]
Camden takes tech crown as it leads UK for new business creation February 24, 2020 Camden has topped the UK rankings for new business creations as London’s booming tech scene continues to drive growth in the capital. A total of 2,110 net new businesses were created in Camden in 2018, according to figures published today by private equity investment firm Growthdeck. This was closely followed by Westminster with 2,100, while [...]
France warns of tech tax chaos if global deal not reached this year February 23, 2020 Failure to reach a global agreement on how to tax tech giants such as Google and Facebook would lead to a chaotic mix of different tax regimes, France’s finance minister has warned. Bruno Le Maire today called on international leaders to reach a consensus over tax reform by the end of the year or risk [...]
Estate agents Countrywide and LSL ‘plot £500m merger’ February 23, 2020 Countrywide and LSL Property Services are said to be in talks over a £500m merger that would create the largest estate agency group in the UK. The companies, which are two of Britain’s largest listed estate agents, are in discussions over a potential all-share deal, Sky News reported. The negotiations are said to be “serious”, [...]
David Davis: Huawei deal is ‘worst intelligence decision since Cambridge Five’ February 23, 2020 Former Tory cabinet minister David Davis has lambasted the government’s 5G deal with Chinese tech firm Huawei, branding it the “worst intelligence decision since MI6’s recruitment of Kim Philby”. Davis, who served as Brexit secretary under Theresa May, warned the verdict posed a huge risk to national security and likened it to the appointment of [...]
Murdoch’s media empire hit by phone hacking charges as Sun suffers hefty loss February 23, 2020 Rupert Murdoch’s Sun newspapers have posted another year of deep losses after the publisher was forced to pay out millions of pounds to settle phone hacking cases. News Group Newspapers (NGN), which publishes the Sun and the Sun on Sunday, reported a pre-tax loss of £68m in the year to the end of June 2019. [...]