Coronavirus: Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia pauses pension scheme payments March 29, 2020 Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia is planning to pause payments to its pensions scheme in a bid to save cash during the coronavirus crisis. Green’s retail empire, which includes Topshop and Dorothy Perkins, will defer its deficit recovery contributions, after all non-essential retailers were forced to close as part of a government lockdown to slow the [...]
How sports teams are using technology to recreate group training sessions with players in isolation March 29, 2020 They may be miles apart and isolated in their homes, but footballers, rugby players and cricketers across the country are finding new ways to continue training together. Sportspeople left in limbo while their seasons are delayed indefinitely by the coronavirus pandemic are still staying in shape, as they have readily documented on social media. The [...]
UK coronavirus lockdown could last until June March 29, 2020 The UK is set to to be in coronavirus lockdown until June, according to the government’s leading epidemiology adviser. Professor Neil Ferguson said it was “optimistic” that the UK’s lockdown measures would end by May, and that early June was more likely. It comes as Boris Johnson is set to write to every household in [...]
Oneweb files for bankruptcy after Softbank funding talks fall through March 29, 2020 Space broadband firm Oneweb has filed for bankruptcy and laid off most of its staff after failing to drum up additional funding from investors including largest shareholder Softbank. The London-based startup, which was building a network of satellites to provide global broadband coverage, on Friday said it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in [...]
Qatar Airways says it will need state aid as cash begins to run out March 29, 2020 Qatar Airways has become the latest airline to warn that it will need state aid in order to continue flying, the carrier’s chief executive has told Reuters. The Gulf state’s flag carrier is one of few airlines to continue operating a relatively normal schedule of flights during the coronavirus crisis. In recent weeks it has [...]
Top scientists tap gamers to model spread of coronavirus March 29, 2020 The scientist whose predictions about coronavirus prompted a nationwide lockdown has teamed up with gamers to launch a simulation mapping the potential spread of the pandemic. Professor Neil Ferguson, a top data modeller at Imperial College London, is working with John Carmack, chief technology officer at Oculus VR and lead programmer on video games Wolfenstein [...]
Coronavirus tests: UK reaches 10,000 per day target March 29, 2020 The UK has reached its target of administering 10,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of this week, according to Michael Gove. The chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster said the weekly target was reached yesterday and it’s “NHS and social care frontline workers who are first in line for those new tests”. However, Gove [...]
Unemployment to double as coronavirus cripples the economy March 29, 2020 Unemployment in the UK is set to double in the next few months and economists are bracing for the coronavirus outbreak to hit harder than the financial crisis. Despite the government’s attempts to incentivise employers to keep staff on, investment bank Nomura predicts the effect of the pandemic will hit “multiple times that of the [...]
Broadband firms to remove data caps during coronavirus crisis March 29, 2020 All UK broadband firms have agreed to remove data allowance caps during the coronavirus crisis under a new deal struck with the government. Internet service providers and mobile operators including BT/EE, Openreach, Virgin Media, Sky, O2 and Vodafone have agreed to a number of measures, effective immediately, designed to ensure all Brits have access to [...]
Coronavirus: Government sends food packages to the most vulnerable March 29, 2020 The first food packages have been sent to those who were asked by the government to isolate for 12 weeks and shield themselves from coronavirus due to being particularly vulnerable. The government has dispatched 2,000 food parcels already over this weekend to those who are unable to leave their homes because of severe health conditions [...]