Coronavirus: Bank of England extends emergency liquidity measure March 30, 2020 The Bank of England said today it would extend an emergency liquidity measure, the three-month Contingent Term Repo Facility (CTRF), to run until the end of April and it would also hold a one-month CTRF operation each week until 1 May. The Bank reactivated the facility last week as part of its attempts to keep [...]
Sharing fake news about coronavirus should be an offence, says top Tory MP March 30, 2020 Sharing fake news related to the coronavirus outbreak on social media should be an offence, a top Tory MP said today. Damian Collins, former chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee, called for sanctions against organisations and individuals that were “maliciously, deliberately, and at scale pushing disinformation through social media networks”. [...]
Coronavirus: Mercedes-designed ventilator gets approval for NHS use March 30, 2020 Mercedes’ F1 team has designed a ventilator along with engineers and clinicians at University College London (UCL) that has been approved for use by the NHS. Around 100 of the breathing aids, which were designed and produced within 100 hours of engineers’ first meetings, will now be distributed to UCL’s hospital for clinical trials. The [...]
Thousands of jobs at risk as Carluccio’s and Brighthouse collapse under coronavirus pressure March 30, 2020 Italian restaurant chain Carluccio’s and rent-to-own retailer Brighthouse both appointed administrators this morning, putting thousands of jobs at risk. Carluccio’s has appointed FRP Advisory as administrator after forced restaurant closures following the outbreak of coronavirus, and ongoing pressures in the hospitality sector, led to it running out of cash. FRP said it will use the [...]
Coronavirus: Police accused of ‘overzealous’ crackdown on Easter eggs March 30, 2020 Convenience stores selling Easter eggs have faced a crackdown from “overzealous” enforcement of the government’s coronavirus lockdown, according to the sector’s trade body. Newsagents and off-licences have been allowed to stay open during the lockdown as the government has deemed them to be essential retailers, along with supermarkets and pharmacies. Any shops deemed non-essential are [...]
UK banks likely to review dividends amid coronavirus crisis March 30, 2020 British banks are likely to want to review their dividend plans for this year given the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy, an industry body said today, as lenders come under increasing pressure to scrap dividends. “Given current uncertainties and the importance of finance providers being able to play their vital role in [...]
Coronavirus: Retail landlord Hammerson suffers drop in rent payments March 30, 2020 Retail landlord Hammerson received 37 per cent of the rent it was owed in the second quarter as its tenants suffered a drop in sales and forced closures due to the coronavirus pandemic. The shopping centre owner this morning said adjusted for rent deferred, switched to monthly payment and waived, it had received 57 per [...]
Daily coronavirus cases fall 10 per cent March 30, 2020 Daily coronavirus cases have dropped for the first time in weeks, according to the latest figures. Stocks rallied as the number of daily coronavirus cases fell 10 per cent on Sunday compared to the previous day. However, the gains were not sustained and the FTSE 100 is down 0.87 per cent this morning. The drop [...]
UK coronavirus outbreak is slowing and antibody test could be ready in days, says top scientist March 30, 2020 The coronavirus epidemic in the United Kingdom is showing signs of slowing and antibody tests for the disease could be ready in days, a top epidemiologist has said. “We think the epidemic is just about slowing in the UK right now,” Neil Ferguson, a professor of mathematical biology at Imperial College London, told the BBC [...]
Easyjet grounds all airplanes over coronavirus March 30, 2020 Easyjet has grounded its entire fleet of more than 300 aircraft in the wake of “unprecedented” travel restrictions over the global coronavirus pandemic. The budget flyer warned today “there can be no certainty of the date for restarting commercial flights”. It has grounded its entire fleet of commercial aircraft and put its cabin crew staff [...]