Coronavirus: P&O Ferries temporarily lays off workers March 26, 2020 P&O Ferries will reportedly temporarily furlough more than 1,000 workers, using the government’s recently announced job retention scheme to pay staff during the coronavirus crisis. Workers will be paid their basic salaries, with the government funding 80 per cent and P&O topping up the rest. The English Channel operator said on Wednesday that it will [...]
Apple could delay iPhone 12 launch ‘by months’ due to coronavirus March 26, 2020 Apple could be forced to delay the launch of iPhone 12 by up to two months as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, analysts have warned. In a note published yesterday, JP Morgan said the launch could be pushed back by one or two months due to disruption to the firm’s supply chain. Travel restrictions [...]
Apple donates 10m face masks to healthcare workers for coronavirus relief effort March 26, 2020 Apple will donate 10m face masks to US healthcare workers as part of worldwide efforts to halt the spread of coronavirus. Chief executive Tim Cook said the tech giant would also provide “millions more” masks for the hardest hit regions in Europe. “Apple has sourced, procured and donated 10m masks to the medical community in [...]
Silver linings: Positive investment trends for stock market optimists March 24, 2020 Stocks investors are likely to be feeling battered and bruised at the moment. The coronavirus-induced bear market has seen share prices fall sharply — even the UK’s blue-chip FTSE 100 index is down more than 30 per cent since the start of the year. Many industries are facing hurdles due to the government’s self-isolation guidelines, [...]
Facebook and Instagram cut streaming quality amid broadband surge March 22, 2020 Facebook today said it will cut streaming quality for videos posted to its platform to help reduce the strain on broadband networks during the coronavirus outbreak. The measures will be rolled out across Europe, and also apply to Facebook-owned social media app Instagram. “We are committed to working with our partners to manage any bandwidth [...]
Boom or bust: The risk of a repeat of the dot-com bubble March 19, 2020 On 10 March 2000, the US Nasdaq stock market peaked at 5,048.62. By October 2002, the index had lost 78 per cent of its value, or about $5 trillion. The Nasdaq had swelled due to the proliferation of internet-related companies aiming to make money from this nascent technology. In fact, between 1995 and 2000, the [...]
Apple fined $1.2bn by French antitrust authorities March 16, 2020 US technology giant Apple has been fined $1.2bn (£958m) by antitrust authorities in France. This is one of the largest fines the body has ever handed down. Two French wholesalers were also fined for running the cartel with Apple which exploited the company’s dependence on re-sellers. Tech Data and Ingram Micro received fines of 76.1 [...]
Disney’s streaming push is about more than subscriber numbers March 16, 2020 With Disney Plus launching in the UK — and in other European markets — debate rages as to whether we will see the rise of a “Netflix killer”, and which brand will emerge as the ultimate winner. Streaming services have been enjoying their moment in the sun. In the leading US market, subscriber rates for [...]
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 [...]
Coronavirus: Spanish cases jump by 1,500 as Ryanair joins Jet2 in cancelling flights to Spain March 14, 2020 Spain has had a 1,500 rise in confirmed coronavirus cases today, the country’s public health officials have said. It brings the total to 5,753, almost of half of which are in Madrid. Meanwhile, the death toll has risen to 136. Spain has more cases of coronavirus than any other country in Europe except for Italy, [...]