Celebrity vaccine endorsement? Try behavioural science instead December 10, 2020 A Covid-19 vaccine has been approved, and the nation celebrated as the first shots were administered this week. Now, the conversation around coronavirus has developed from how we can produce a cure to how we can successfully convince people to take it. While the vaccine is being heralded as the end of the pandemic, some [...]
US second wave: America sets one-day record for coronavirus cases, Texas pauses reopening June 26, 2020 The US set a new record for a one-day increase in cases yesterday as fears of a second wave caused states to step back from reopening. The governor of Texas temporarily halted the state’s reopening yesterday as coronavirus infections and hospitalisations surged in the latest sign yet of a US second wave. Texas, which has [...]
Health minister admits NHS coronavirus app might not be ready before winter June 17, 2020 A government minister has admitted that the NHS’ contact-tracing coronavirus app might not be ready before the winter. Speaking to the parliamentary science and technology committee this afternoon, department of health minister Lord Bethell said the app was “no longer a priority”. In answer to questions about the app, Bethell said: “We are seeking to [...]
Afternoon update: What we know (and what we don’t) about the US election race November 4, 2020 Afternoon update: What we know about the US election race so far
Cityfibre extends full fibre roll-out to 36 more cities March 6, 2020 Cityfibre will extend the roll-out of its full fibre network to 36 more towns and cities around the country, with an additional £1.5bn in construction contracts to be awarded by July. The new investment, which is part of a £4bn national programme targeting up to 8m premises in the UK, will bring full fibre to [...]
Whatsapp rolls out first wave of in-app digital payments June 15, 2020 Messaging platform Whatsapp today launched its first nationwide rollout of digital payments, starting in Brazil. Users will be able to send payments inside a Whatsapp chat to individuals or businesses in a similar way to attaching a picture or video to a message. The rollout follows an initial testing period in India two years ago, [...]
India will be the big winner of this new world order December 19, 2020 Delhi benefits from the structural fact that though we presently live in an era epitomised by superpower bipolarity, it is a very different type of two-power standoff than was the Cold War. From 1945–1991, America and the Soviet Union so dominated the international scene that they easily lined up much of the rest of the [...]
PM calls face-to-face cabinet meeting since lockdown – without masks July 20, 2020 Boris Johnson will summon his first in-person cabinet meeting tomorrow for the first time since March, with members due to meet without masks despite current social distancing guidelines. The Prime Minister’s usual Tuesday morning cabinet meetings in Downing Street have convened virtually for the last five months using video conferencing software, due to the nationwide [...]
First digital-only Black Friday set for bumper year as Covid-19 moves shoppers online November 27, 2020 England’s first ever digital-only Black Friday will not deter customers, with figures suggesting sales could be as much as 43 per cent higher than in 2019, with customers now familiar with the convenience of shopping online thanks to coronavirus. Figures from IMRG, the UK’s industry association for online retail, found this year’s Black Friday sales [...]
Bank of England asks banks for pandemic loan loss estimates June 4, 2020 The Bank of England has asked banks to provide information on their likely loan losses due to the coronavirus pandemic, its deputy governor Sam Woods said today. The Bank’s Prudential Regulation Authority will gather the data ahead of banks’ second quarter earnings to compare the timing and amount of losses with those it modelled last [...]