Oil prices reaction: All the fallout as OPEC sends prices spiralling March 9, 2020 Oil prices fell to a four-year low today after Russia and Saudi Arabia began a price war that triggered major stock market sell-offs. The two oil-producing titans were in talks over a further production cut to protect oil prices against the coronavirus outbreak. But Russia blanched at the prospect of slashing another 1.5m barrels per [...]
Trial over downing of flight MH17 begins without suspects March 9, 2020 A trial against the four individuals charged with the murder of 298 people and the downing of flight MH17 will begin in the Netherlands today. Last year, arrest warrants were issued for three Russians and a Ukrainian identified by a Dutch-led joint investigation team. Russians Sergey Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Igor Girkin, and Ukrainian Leonid [...]
Elbow bumps and the Wuhan shake: How coronavirus killed the handshake March 6, 2020 Coronavirus fears have prompted a variety of novel greetings as people around the world avoid shaking hands, chief among them the so-called Wuhan shake. In Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak, a new way of saying hello has gone viral. Nicknamed the Wuhan shake, the allegedly coronavirus-proof greeting involves participants [...]
The Independent claims $1bn valuation as it hails ‘unicorn’ status March 5, 2020 The Independent today posted its third consecutive year of profit thanks to a successful shift to digital, prompting its chairman to hail its “unicorn” status. The newspaper’s turnover grew nine per cent to £27m in the last financial year, while advertising revenue grew 10 per cent. Operating profit for the year was £2.3m, down from [...]
Opec mulls further cuts of up to 1m barrels as coronavirus weighs on oil prices March 4, 2020 Oil prices tiptoed up today as oil producer group Opec was considering additional cuts of up to 1m barrels in an attempt to stabilise prices, which have taken a battering from the coronavirus outbreak. If cuts of this size are enacted, it will take total output curbs of over 3.1m barrels per day, equivalent to [...]
What is the coronavirus and how dangerous is it? March 2, 2020 Since it emerged in China at the turn of the New Year, a deadly new strain of coronavirus has spread across the world and claimed hundreds of lives. The number of coronavirus cases globally is nearing 90,000, with fears of a possible pandemic. Read more: 14 Diamond Princess passengers evacuated to US test positive for [...]
From Russia with kefir: How Biotiful Dairy sold a new drink to the British public March 2, 2020 How do you convince the British public to try a whole new food category, especially when it doesn’t sound very appealing at first glance? That was the challenge facing the Russian-born entrepreneur Natasha Bowes when she decided to try to start selling kefir in the UK. Kefir is a type of fermented milk drink made [...]
Portsmouth’s fan-led revival reaches new milestone with Arsenal FA Cup clash March 1, 2020 When Portsmouth welcome Arsenal to Fratton Park on Monday night there will be a release of emotions from the almost 20,000 Pompey fans present, many of whom are responsible for the club’s slow but steady revival. The fifth-round tie is the furthest the club have progressed in the FA Cup since the 2010 final and [...]
British American Tobacco boosts revenue to £25.8bn February 27, 2020 British American Tobacco today said its revenue rose nearly six per cent to £25.8bn last year. The tobacco giant reported adjusted diluted earnings per share of 323.8p, which was ahead of expectations and represented growth of 8.4 per cent at constant currency. Reported earnings per share was 12 per cent below Bloomberg’s consensus after a [...]
Fuming: Foreign Office names and shames embassies for unpaid congestion charges February 25, 2020 Transport for London (TfL) is owed more than £116m of unpaid congestion charges by diplomatic officials, with the US embassy leading the way. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office released the figures today, showing that the US embassy had accumulated a total of 102,225 unpaid congestion charges, which adds up to £12.44m in lost revenue for [...]