HS2: Transport department defends top civil servant over transparency row March 15, 2020 The Department for Transport (DfT) has denied its top civil servant broke the civil service code of conduct as she faces accusations she withheld information on HS2’s budget blowouts. City A.M. reported earlier this month that DfT permanent secretary Bernadette Kelly admitted she did not tell parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) she knew HS2 was [...]
ECB ready to close bond spreads amid virus, says Italian board member March 15, 2020 The European Central Bank (ECB) stands ready to reduce bond spreads between Eurozone countries and could even further increase its purchases amid the coronavirus outbreak, a board member said today as the Bank continues to row back on comments from its president. Christine Lagarde, who took over as president from Mario Draghi last November, upset [...]
Coronavirus: Hospitality firms on the brink of collapse as footfall dives March 15, 2020 Struggling hospitality firms could be nearing the brink of collapse due to a dive in footfall across London’s pubs and restaurants this weekend as punters stayed home to avoid the coronavirus outbreak. Hospitality companies are preparing to make redundancies as soon as this week, as visitors to London’s restaurants and bars fell 39 per cent [...]
US and Germany scrap over coronavirus vaccine company March 15, 2020 Berlin is trying to prevent Washington from persuading a German company working on a coronavirus vaccine to move to the US. German government sources told news agency Reuters that the US was looking into how it could gain access to a potential coronavirus vaccine being developed by German pharmaceuticals company Curevac. German newspaper the Welt [...]
Nike closes US and European stores amid coronavirus outbreak March 15, 2020 US sports giant Nike has announced it will close all of its shops in the US, western Europe, and several other countries in an effort to protect staff and customers from coronavirus. Shops will be closed from tomorrow until at least 27 March, Nike said, including in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Nike said its [...]
Mark Strong to front a coronavirus awareness advertising campaign March 15, 2020 The government will unveil its biggest public service advertising blitz since the Aids pandemic next week to promote awareness of coronavirus symptoms. Actor Mark Strong – whose credits include Sherlock Holmes, RocknRolla, Kingsman and The Imitation Game – and the UK’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty will be the faces of the campaign. The advertisements [...]
Jackson Wray interview: Saracens star on why he is staying at the club – and starting up a cold-brew coffee business March 15, 2020 While a number of players will use Saracens’ relegation for breaching the salary cap as an opportunity to move on – either permanently or on loan – many of the team’s core are determined to stay and continue building the club’s legacy. One such player is Jackson Wray, who graduated from the Sarries academy’s class [...]
Coronavirus: Scandinavian Airlines puts flights ‘on hold’ due to ‘non-existent’ demand March 15, 2020 Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) today announced that it has put most of its operations “on hold” due to the “non-existent” demand for air travel as a result of coronavirus. The measures are the most extreme yet taken by an airline and comes amid the grounding of thousands of planes worldwide as countries step up their measures [...]
Eddie Jones and RFU will have to hold future talks without knowing Six Nations outcome March 15, 2020 Eddie Jones’s contract with the Rugby Football Union expires in less than 18 months’ time and there is yet to be any indication on whether he will be the man to lead England through to the 2023 World Cup in France. The 60-year-old was due to sit down with RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney for [...]
Railway industry in talks with government over emergency coronavirus measures March 15, 2020 The government is in talks with the rail industry over a range of steps to protect franchises against falling passenger numbers due to the coronavirus outbreak. According to the BBC, at a meeting of industry figures last week it was revealed that numbers had fallen by up to 18 per cent on certain lines, although [...]
