Any easing of lockdown restrictions will be modest, says Raab May 7, 2020 Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has said that any easing of the UK’s current lockdown restrictions will be modest. In the Downing Street briefing, he said there is “no change in the rules” over the bank holiday weekend before Boris Johnson’s statement on Sunday. He emphasised that the Prime Minister would reveal details of a “roadmap” [...]
Exit strategy: How and when Boris Johnson will end the UK lockdown May 7, 2020 The Prime Minister is set to reveal a “roadmap” to end UK lockdown measures on Sunday, but what does the exit strategy look like, and when will measures be eased? Last week, Boris Johnson said the UK had “passed the peak” and today chairs a Cabinet meeting that will focus on what restrictions can be [...]
The Long Read: Sir Martin Sorrell on advertising, coronavirus and the new media landscape May 7, 2020 Sir Martin Sorrell has bestrode the ad world for decades – and in the midst of a global pandemic that has hit the industry hard, he’s understandably got some thinking to do. Christopher Jackson spoke to the ad mogul, and his interview for finitoworld – the organisation’s online magazine – is republished here. Prior to [...]
Uber leads $170m investment round in scooter startup Lime May 7, 2020 Bike and scooter-sharing startup Lime today said it has secured a $170m (£138m) in a fresh funding round led by Uber. Google owner Alphabet, its investment arm GV and Bain Capital are also among the backers taking part in the investment round, the company said. As part of the cash injection, Lime will take control [...]
Oil prices jump amid signs of rising demand May 7, 2020 Oil prices jumped today as a combination of an unexpected rise in Chinese exports and cuts by US producers helped extend a week of gains. By the mid-afternoon, worldwide standard Brent crude rose a further 5.7 per cent to cement its position above $31. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) leapt 8.9 per cent to [...]
FTSE 100 and US stocks rise despite more dire economic warnings May 7, 2020 US stocks have joined the FTSE 100 in positive territory as investors bet on a relatively speedy economic recovery from coronavirus despite yet more dire economic predictions. London’s blue-chip FTSE 100 index was up 1.4 per cent at 5,933 points in afternoon trading. This was despite the Bank of England warning of the worst slump [...]
Boris Johnson to announce ‘very limited’ lockdown easing May 7, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce a very limited easing of the UK lockdown from next week as authorities seek to restart the economy without sparking a second wave of infections. Johnson will announce the next phase of the country’s virus strategy on Sunday following a review by ministers of the current lockdown, [...]
Health and wealth: ‘fit-tech’ steps up the pace May 7, 2020 Fitness is far from an obvious winner from government instructions to ‘stay home’. Gyms are firmly closed. People making the most of the ‘one form of exercise’ allowed by the government are the only people in parks. In these inauspicious circumstances, though, there is heightened awareness of personal fitness. In the early days of lockdown, [...]
US jobless claims hit 33m since start of coronavirus lockdown May 7, 2020 US jobless claims now stand at 33m since the American economy entered coronavirus lockdown, new figures released today reveal. The Bureau of Labor statistics show another 3.2m US citizens registered jobless claims over the last week. That is a drop from 3.8m the previous week but the number is still jaw-dropping. It means so-called initial [...]
UK firms face ‘Darwinian culling’, warns ad mogul Martin Sorrell May 7, 2020 Scores of British companies face being wiped out in a “Darwinian culling” caused by the coronavirus crisis, advertising veteran Sir Martin Sorrell has warned. In a bleak prediction of the UK’s economic outlook, Sorrell said the country was “dramatically underprepared” for the pandemic and only the strongest firms would survive. “You feel it in the [...]
