WPP shares crash as fourth quarter revenue stalls February 27, 2020 Shares in WPP crashed 15 per cent in early trading after the advertising giant failed to deliver growth in the fourth quarter. The figures Like-for-like revenue less pass through costs fell 1.6 per cent to £10.8bn for the full year. Profit before tax dropped 21.9 per cent to £982m. Net debt was slimmed down from [...]
England 24-12 Ireland: Johnny Sexton’s struggles help England record confidence-boosting win at Twickenham February 23, 2020 The build-up to England’s Six Nations clash against Ireland at Twickenham on Sunday was dominated by one storyline. England captain Owen Farrell coming up against his father, Ireland head coach Andy, was an understandable focus, given the importance of both figures. But before England’s 24-12 win was over it was clear that particular aspect had [...]
Call of the Wild review: A heartwarming trek through the uncanny valley February 20, 2020 Throughout his acting career, Harrison Ford has built a reputation for acting alongside large hairy things, whether they be a Wookiee copilot or Sean Connery at peak beard. Now the man stars alongside Buck, a sled dog made not of flesh and bone but a veil of polygons, generated by powerful graphics processors and wrapped [...]
How can Elon Musk keep Tesla on the straight and narrow? February 11, 2020 After a rough start to the year, Tesla ended 2019 by delivering on a promise to Wall Street. The pledge made in the summer of 2019 by Tesla chief executive Elon Musk was to return to profit after months of losses, a string of negative headlines — including his forced resignation as chairman in 2018 [...]
How e-scooters, self-driving cars, and flying taxis will shape the future of your commute February 10, 2020 An air of tranquility hangs about Stratford’s electric scooter riders. Their bodies are still, poised, as they glide by on this crisp February morning. I try to copy them and end up skidding along, struggling to figure out how to position my feet — but after a couple of wobbles I’m gliding too. As I [...]
England weathered the storm in Scotland to keep Six Nations dreams alive February 9, 2020 It was a Six Nations match that will be remembered for everything but the dire spectacle on the pitch as England walked into the eye of the storm at Murrayfield on Saturday. A hostile reception was guaranteed for Eddie Jones and his team on their arrival, but not many would have foreseen a stray bottle [...]
Eddie Jones will be under the spotlight on his first return to Murrayfield since being ‘verbally and physically abused’ in 2018 February 7, 2020 There can be few places Eddie Jones would rather avoid more than Murrayfield this weekend as he leads England north of the border amid growing doubts about his team. Despite taking them to a Rugby World Cup final just three months ago, last weekend’s 24-17 defeat to France in the opening round of the Six [...]
City Moves for 7 February – Who’s switching jobs at Ceres Power, Acin and BDO? February 7, 2020 Today’s City Moves includes Ceres Power, Acin and BDO Ceres Power UK-based engineering firm Ceres Power has announced the appointment of Warren Finegold as non-executive director. Warren has more than 30 years’ experience in the industry. As head of the technology team at UBS Investment Bank, Warren was one of Vodafone’s principal mergers and acquisitions [...]
Fiat Chrysler production at risk due to coronavirus supply chain threat February 6, 2020 Fiat Chrysler may have to stop production at one of its European facilities due to disruption to its Chinese supply chain. The Financial Times has reported that production in the facility could be suspended before the end of February. This comes after several international car companies have reported disruption to their operations following a restriction [...]
Ford shares slide after weaker-than-expected 2020 forecast February 4, 2020 Ford shares nosedived after it handed investors a weaker-than-expected 2020 forecast, warning that quality problems, lower profits at its credit arm and continued investments in unprofitable self-driving cars would weigh down profits. Shares fell 9.7 per cent in after-hours trading. “The results were not OK in 2019,” Ford’s chief financial officer Tim Stone told reporters at [...]