Zoom Zoom Zoom: Why video-conferences are so draining May 22, 2020 When the annals of lockdown come to be written, we will find that the pandemic, like any other great crisis, has produced its own lexicon. You can see it already: self-isolating, social distancing, herd immunity. High up among these new usages will be the teleconferencing company Zoom. Full disclosure: I was an early adopter. The [...]
Children’s exposure to TV adverts halves over last decade amid rise of streaming May 22, 2020 Children’s exposure to TV adverts has almost halved in the last decade as young people increasingly tune in to streaming services. Children aged four to 15 saw an average of 115.9 ads per week last year, down more than 47 per cent compared to 2008, according to new figures from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). [...]
Boris Johnson U-turns on NHS surcharge for migrant care and health workers May 21, 2020 Boris Johnson has told the health and home departments to remove the NHS immigrant surcharge for NHS and care workers, after defending the policy just 24 hours ago in parliament. The charge, which is £400 per year for adult migrants from non-European Economic Area countries, has been criticised for applying to frontline workers who have [...]
Amazon UK boss tipped as candidate for BBC director general role May 21, 2020 Amazon’s UK chief is said to be one of the frontrunners to take over as director general of the BBC amid concerns the job hunt could be pushed back due to Covid-19. Douglas Gurr, who has led the tech giant’s operations in the UK and Ireland since 2016, is one of four candidates on the [...]
Boris Johnson will not face criminal investigation over Jennifer Arcuri relationship May 21, 2020 Boris Johnson will not face criminal charges over his relationship with US entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri. A probe by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police watchdog, found there were no grounds to criminally investigate the Prime Minister. It had been alleged that Johnson had used his position of power to allow Arcuri to [...]
The Lord Mayor’s Appeal speaks to Dr Joanna Abeyie on mental health May 21, 2020 The Lord Mayor’s Appeal’s This is Me is committed to changing attitudes around mental health and strives to create healthier and more inclusive workplaces by reducing stigma, dispelling myths, and improving employee wellbeing for good. It helps organisations encourage their employees to open the conversation around mental health by sharing their personal experiences, be of [...]
Crisis has taught leaders the value of compassion May 20, 2020 With more pressure on our political system than ever, we must not forget what really counts – our compassion and soft power. In a matter of weeks, all our lives have been transformed in ways that we never thought we would accept: our freedoms limited, our employment insecure, our children temporarily uneducated and our bank [...]
Johnson & Johnson stops selling Baby Powder talc in US amid cancer claims May 20, 2020 Johnson & Johnson last night said it would stop selling its talc Baby Powder in the US and Canada, saying demand had dropped in the wake of what it called “misinformation” about the product’s safety amid a barrage of legal challenges. Johnson & Johnson faces more than 19,000 lawsuits from consumers and their survivors claiming [...]
Coronavirus: Government launches £500m Future Fund for startups May 20, 2020 Startups that have been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak will now be able to apply for emergency support under the government’s £500m Future Fund scheme. The fund, which opened for applications today, will offer UK-based startups convertible loans of between £125,000 and £5m to support continued growth and innovation across a range of sectors. The [...]
Facebook launches new shopping feature to help small firms move online May 19, 2020 Small businesses will be able to open a single online store selling products through Facebook and Instagram thanks to a new feature launched by the tech giant today. Facebook Shops, which will be rolled out over the coming months, allows customers to buy products through a firm’s business Facebook page or Instagram profile, or through [...]