Zoom: What’s next for the Covid-19 pandemic’s biggest winner? March 18, 2021 There is a moment all marketers dream of when a product becomes so commonplace that the brand name becomes a verb. This achievement was last year bestowed on Zoom, the previously obscure video conferencing platform that almost overnight became relied upon for both work and socialising. It was a year of eye-watering success for the [...]
Vaccine passports for pubs threaten Britain’s crucial libertarian credentials March 18, 2021 To say we live in very strange times is an understatement. While words like unprecedented make less of an impact after a year of living with Coronavirus policies, it’s important that in our eagerness to get society back, we don’t turn ourselves into a nation dominated by security, surveillance and over regulation. Going to prison [...]
Ineos snaps up Danish oil and gas fields for $150m March 18, 2021 Ineos today said that its energy subsidiary had snapped up Danish firm Hess’ oil and gas assets for $150m (£107m). The deal will see the conglomerate take control of the remaining 61.5 per cent stake in the Syne Ard oil field, as well as 4.8 per cent stake in the Solsort field. It is the [...]
OneSavings Bank flags £28.6m fraud by corporate customer March 18, 2021 OneSavings Bank has delayed its results after discovering potential fraud by one of its corporate customers. In a late statement on Wednesday the buy-to-let lender, which was scheduled to publish results this week, said it had recently become aware of possible fraud but maintains it is likely an “isolated incident”. The maximum possible loss could [...]
Ministers slash electric car grant by £500 despite upcoming petrol ban March 18, 2021 The government has today cut the electric car grant from £3,000 to £2,500, prompting cries of disbelief from the auto and energy industries. From today, customers buying cars which cost less than £35,000 will be eligible for the grant. Those buying cars above this price will receive no subsidies. Ministers said that this was because [...]
New US jobless claims jumped last week to 770,000 March 18, 2021 New US jobless claims unexpectedly jumped last week to 770,000. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits came in at a seasonally adjusted 770,000 for the week to 13 March, the Labor Department said today. The week before new US jobless claims came in at 725,000 people seeking benefits. Today’s numbers were worse than what economists [...]
Non-fungible tokens – looking at the legal issues March 18, 2021 Non–fungibletokens(NFTs) are big news. NFTs are special types of cryptographic tokens. Unlike cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, that are fungible (i.e. one bitcoin can be exchanged for another), NTCs are not interchangeable. Each NFT is a unique token on a blockchain, but unlike crypto, they store extra information which provide collectors the opportunity to build a digital [...]
Creation Stories review: A familiar, nostalgic Britpop biopic March 18, 2021 Modern movies have a habit of romanticising the generations before it. The 80s pined for the 50s with Back To The Future, Diner, and Stand By Me, while the 90s longed for the 60s with My Girl, Forrest Gump, and Austin Powers. As we venture into the 2020s, it’s the turn of the 90s to [...]
Assassins film review – N Korea murder doc is an unbelievable hit March 18, 2021 A controversial hit at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, Assassins has had a bumpy road to the screen, but those who seek it out will discover an unbelievable tale. Assassins follows the trial of Vietnamese citizen Đoàn Thị Hương and Indonesian Siti Aisyah, for the 2017 murder of Kim Jong-nam, the elder half-brother of North [...]
Enjoy a day at the races from your own living room with Fitzdares March 18, 2021 If you’ve already turned a pile of pocket change into a sizable slice of pie at Cheltenham this week, bookmaker-cum-luxury members’ club Fitzdares has a perfect way to treat yourself, while emulating the experience of being at the races. The Cheltenham At Home Hamper is filled with goodies usually available at the iconic races, including [...]