Coronavirus latest: UK to set out nationwide plan as Johnson warns spread ‘looks likely’ March 2, 2020 The UK government has agreed a plan for dealing with the coronavirus during an emergency Cobra meeting this morning, as the number of cases in the UK is expected to rise throughout the next few weeks. Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to “go about business as usual” and that the country was “very, very [...]
Saga halts Titan Travel sale as coronavirus worries weigh March 2, 2020 Over-50s insurer Saga is said to have halted the sale of one of its travel businesses as the coronavirus outbreak sparks chaos across the tourism industry. Advisers to Saga have postponed the auction of Titan, which operates escorted tours, cruises and rail journeys to various destinations around the world. A number of private equity firms [...]
Twitter bans ‘non-critical’ business travel over coronavirus fears March 2, 2020 Twitter has rolled out a ban on all “non-critical” business travel and events as the social media firm ramps up its health precautions amid the coronavirus outbreak. In a blog post published yesterday, Twitter’s chief HR officer Jennifer Christie said the company had informed staff of the new measures at the end of last week. [...]
Coronavirus threat plagues Eurozone factory output March 2, 2020 Italy’s factory output slumped for the 17th month in a row in February, it emerged today, as economists warned the coronavirus outbreak could deepen the Eurozone’s manufacturing downturn. The embattled economy’s manufacturing industry activity fell from 48.9 in January to 48.7, according to IHS Markit’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI). Anything below 50 represents a contraction. [...]
Covid-19: PM convenes Cobra committee as UK coronavirus cases hit 36 March 2, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to chair a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee today after the number of UK Covid-19 (coronavirus) cases hit 36. The leap in cases came as doctors diagnosed 13 new coronavirus patients yesterday, including the first patient in Scotland. Northern Ireland and Wales reported their first cases last [...]
Coronavirus: Asian stocks turn green on Bank of Japan stimulus pledge March 2, 2020 Asian stocks stemmed their losses overnight as shares rose in response to the Bank of Japan’s move to inject stimulus to save its economy from the worst impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The Nikkei and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng both climbed after Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda pledged to help protect markets from exposure [...]
Health officials hunting source of first coronavirus case spread within UK February 29, 2020 A man from Surrey has become the first person in the UK to be infected with coronavirus without leaving the country. Health officials are trying to discover how the man caught the virus despite not having been abroad recently, which is how the other 19 UK cases occurred. Medical officers are attempting to trace people [...]
132 UK companies issue coronavirus warnings as FTSE 100 spirals February 28, 2020 More than 100 UK-listed companies have now warned the stock market of the effects of the coronavirus on their businesses, according to figures released today. British giants like Guinness brewer Diageo and British Airways owner International Airlines Group are just two of 132 companies to issue warnings to investors. In the last week alone, 62 [...]
Oil prices drop again as coronavirus cases escalate February 28, 2020 Oil prices fell again today as the spread of the coronavirus cast uncertainty over the world economy. Oil prices saw further falls after an initial rally today after yesterday’s slump. A spike in the number of coronavirus cases dragged prices back down, along with the world’s stocks. Brent Crude plunged almost five per cent to [...]
Amazon bans 1m fake coronavirus products February 28, 2020 Amazon has had to remove more than 1m products from its marketplace that claimed to protect from or cure the coronavirus. The retailer said it had also removed “tens of thousands” of overpriced health products, according to Reuters. It comes after the World Health Organisation expressed concern about companies trying to profit off the outbreak [...]