Kier Group shares soar as it outperforms pandemic expectations September 17, 2020 Shares in outsourcing group Kier jumped more than 11 per cent today, after the group surpassed analyst expectations in a set of full-year results dented by the coronavirus pandemic. Its adjusted profit before tax fell 72.5 per cent to £16.9m, compared to £61.4m in 2019 after costs related to restructuring and Covid-19. Costs directly related [...]
Government imposes fresh spate of local lockdowns across northern England September 17, 2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed a fresh round of local lockdowns across towns in the north of England, alongside a £2.7bn funding boost for the NHS. From today, additional lockdown measures will be imposed in Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham. These will include: Households only being allowed to [...]
Coronavirus: Which English towns are at risk of a local lockdown? September 17, 2020 As the UK braces for the impact of a potential second wave of strict lockdown measures, some regions have been placed under close watch by health officials. A watchlist created by Public Health England, which is updated weekly, showed that 18 regions in England are now being monitored for case spikes, almost halved from 34 [...]
Trump wavers on Tiktok deal as Bytedance seeks Chinese approval September 17, 2020 US President Donald Trump has said he is “not prepared to sign off” on a plan to offload management of Tiktok’s US operations to Oracle, as parent firm Bytedance admits the deal will require approval from Beijing. Trump said he will be briefed on the full details of the plan today, which is expected to [...]
Government issues cybersecurity alert for UK education sector September 17, 2020 The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has today issued an alert to the entire education sector over fears that institutions’ cybersecurity is at risk, prompted by the rise in online schooling during the pandemic. Cybersecurity wonks at the NCSC, which is part of the intelligence agency GCHQ, are increasing the support available for UK schools, [...]
Federal Reserve holds rates steady in upbeat US economic forecast September 16, 2020 The US Federal Reserve opted to keep interest rates near zero today, but improved its projections for the US economy while it waits for inflation to improve. The Fed promised to hold interest rates until inflation gets on track to “moderately exceed” its two per cent inflation target “for some time”. Fresh forecasts showed it [...]
Raab accuses EU of threatening Irish peace in Brexit negotiations September 16, 2020 Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has said any threat to the Good Friday Agreement has come from EU negotiators, as he attempts to assuage concerns in the US about a post-Brexit trade deal. Raab is currently visiting US politicians to convince them about the latest developments in Brexit negotiations, appearing today at a press conference alongside [...]
Government extends ban on commercial evictions until end of 2020 September 16, 2020 Businesses cannot be evicted by landlords for getting behind on rent payments until the end of 2020, the government said today, announcing an extension on an earlier policy. The moratorium on commercial tenant evictions may deepen the rift between retailers and landlords, as the high street continues to struggle amid dampened footfall. The government is [...]
Apple accuses Fortnite creator of ‘publicity stunt’ in app dispute September 16, 2020 Apple has said any damages experienced by Fortnite creator Epic Games after being removed from its App Store are “entirely self-inflicted”, as a legal battle between the two firms rages on. In new legal filings, Apple said Epic could immediately reverse the tech giant’s decision to ban the app by complying with the App Store’s [...]
Trump says Tiktok deal is close in Bytedance deadline threat September 16, 2020 US President Donald Trump has said he believes Tiktok is close to securing a partnership deal with software giant Oracle for its operations in the country, as he threatened talks with a fresh deadline. Washington has ordered Chinese parent Bytedance to divest completely from Tiktok’s US operations, citing national security concerns. However the specific terms [...]