WHO launches coronavirus chatbot on Facebook Messenger April 15, 2020 The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched its coronavirus chatbot on Facebook Messenger as it expands its efforts to tackle online misinformation. The interactive Health Alert service will allow the messaging app’s 1.3bn users to ask questions and get the latest information about the Covid-19 outbreak. It follows the launch of a similar service on [...]
Coronavirus: 761 more deaths in the UK as confirmed cases near 100,000 April 15, 2020 A further 761 people have died of coronavirus in the UK, the Department of Health has announced, taking the total death toll to 12,868 as of yesterday evening. The figure is a tiny decrease on yesterday’s figure of 778 deaths. The total number of new confirmed cases rose by 4,605, taking the UK to the [...]
Coronavirus: Hospital deaths in England rise by 651 April 15, 2020 A further 651 people have died from coronavirus in England’s hospitals, the NHS has announced, taking the total number of fatalities to 11,656. The new patients were aged between 20 and 101, and 20 of them had no underlying health conditions. The government will provide an update for the total number of deaths across the [...]
Hope opera: Andrea Bocelli’s Milan concert breaks streaming record April 15, 2020 Andrea Bocelli has smashed multiple records after his live-streamed solo performance from the deserted Duomo in Milan racked up millions of viewers worldwide. The Italian tenor’s Music for Hope concert reached a peak of more than 2.8m live Youtube viewers on Easter Sunday, while the video received more than 28m views worldwide in the first [...]
British AI startup Onfido in talks to provide coronavirus immunity passports April 15, 2020 British AI startup Onfido revealed a $100m (£80m) funding round today and confirmed it is in talks to provide so-called coronavirus immunity passports when lockdowns begin to ease. The entirety of Onfido’s new stake comes from US investor TPG Growth’s $45bn fund, and brings the digital identity startup’s total funding to $200m. Founder Husayn Kassai [...]
London hotel market ‘set for strong post-coronavirus recovery’ April 15, 2020 London’s hotel market could make a complete recovery by the end of next year if coronavirus restrictions are lifted by the end of June, according to the latest research. Knight Frank research found that there could be a surge in UK investment volumes in the final months of 2020, and showed that the hotel market [...]
Standard Chartered bans staff from using Zoom and Google Hangouts April 15, 2020 Standard Chartered has become the first major bank to ban staff from using Zoom during the coronavirus crisis due to cybersecurity concerns. In a note to managers, seen by Reuters, chief executive Bill Winters last week also warned against holding virtual meetings on Google Hangouts. It comes amid growing scrutiny of Zoom’s security standards as [...]
Coronavirus: Quiz reopens online store and distribution centre April 15, 2020 Fashion retailer Quiz is the latest brand to resume online trading after shutting its warehouse last month over coronavirus safety concerns. Shares in the company jumped more than 13 per cent as it announced this morning that it has reopened its online store and distribution centre, but can only offer standard delivery. Quiz said it [...]
UK coronavirus lockdown: Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer pushes for exit strategy April 15, 2020 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for transparency over when UK coronavirus lockdown measures will ease, as the government faces pressure over its care homes strategy. Starmer’s party will back the government’s likely extension of the coronavirus lockdown tomorrow. But he has said “there needs to be transparency” over how long the measures will [...]
Which stock markets sold off the most over Q1 and how do valuations look? April 15, 2020 | City Talk It’s been an incredibly tough start to the year for investors, with some market veterans describing it as one of the most challenging situations they’ve ever experienced. While markets have staged a recovery since late March, it was a crushing quarter as coronavirus (Covid-19) effectively shuttered the global economy, not to forget the immeasurable human [...]