Author: LoveWorld UK

British car production could slump this year to the lowest level in decades after the coronavirus pandemic forced factories to close and hit demand, according to an industry body. Just 197 cars were made in April compared with 71,000 in the same month in 2019, leaving year-to-date production down over a quarter, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. Only some automotive sites have reopened since then with the country’s largest car plant, Nissan’s Sunderland facility, not set to resume production until next month. “We need government to work with us to accelerate this fundamentally strong sector’s recovery,…

The coronavirus lockdown has accelerated a digitalisation drive in a global shipping and logistics sector that still routinely delivers many documents by bike messenger in some countries, according to industry leaders. Ports operator DP World DPW.DI said on Thursday it would join shipping company Maersk (MAERSKb.CO) and other peers in a blockchain platform aimed at limiting the sector’s costly paper trail. “The situation around the coronavirus is a very good catalyst for making sure everyone in the supply chain can communicate with each other digitally,” Mike Bhaskaran, DP World’s chief operating officer for logistics and technology, told Reuters. The Dubai-based…

U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on social media companies on Thursday, White House officials said after Trump threatened to shut down websites he accused of stifling conservative voices. The officials gave no further details. It was unclear how Trump could follow through on the threat of shutting down privately-owned companies including Twitter Inc. The dispute erupted after Twitter on Tuesday for the first time-tagged Trump’s tweets about unsubstantiated claims of fraud in mail-in voting with a warning prompting readers to fact check the posts. Separately, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington…

Huawei Technologies Co’s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou was dealt a setback by a Canadian court on Wednesday as she tries to avoid extradition to the United States to face bank fraud charges, dashing hopes for an end to her 18-month house arrest in Vancouver. The ruling, which could further deteriorate relations between Ottawa and Beijing, elicited immediate strong reaction from China’s embassy in Canada, which said Canada is “accomplice to United States efforts to bring down Huawei and Chinese high-tech companies.” Meng, a Chinese citizen and daughter of Huawei’s billionaire founder Ren Zheng, was arrested in December 2018 on…

Riot police were deployed across Hong Kong on Thursday after mass protests a day earlier, as lawmakers debated a bill that would criminalise disrespect of China’s national anthem and Washington piled on pressure to preserve the city’s freedoms. Heated debate over the bill – the latest spark of anti-government unrest in the semi-autonomous city – saw lawmakers removed in chaotic scenes from the Legislative Council which was then adjourned. Police fired pepper pellets and made 360 arrests on Wednesday as thousands took to the streets in anger over the anthem bill and national security legislation proposed by China that has…

British employers should pay the wages of anyone told to stay at home by England’s COVID-19 test and trace system, British health minister Matt Hancock said on Thursday. The service is aimed at allowing the loosening of lockdown measures for most of the population. From Thursday, contacts of those who test positive will be instructed to isolate for 14 days, even if they have no symptoms. Asked during an interview on Sky News if employers were being asked to step in and pay people’s wages while they isolate, Hancock said: “Yes.” “If you are instructed by the NHS, for public…

Finland’s number of unemployed jobseekers nearly doubled in April to 433,100 from 229,700 a year earlier, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment said on Wednesday. The number of jobseekers increased by 124,000 in April from the previous month, it said. The ministry’s numbers, based on registered jobseekers at Finland’s employment offices, includes those who have been temporarily laid off due to the coronavirus outbreak. Earlier on Wednesday, Statistics Finland said the official number of unemployed, based on a survey and excluding the furloughed, remained nearly flat at 217,000 in April year-on-year for an unemployment rate of 6.8%, up 0.2%…

Falling numbers of active coronavirus cases in Australia and New Zealand are paving the way for the easing of travel restrictions between the two countries, health officials said on Wednesday, even as Australia recorded its youngest coronavirus death. In Australia, active COVID-19 cases have dropped below 500 people, while New Zealand’s last coronavirus patient was discharged from hospital on Wednesday. “The trans-Tasman bubble is certainly a possibility,” Australia’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said. “If we look at the countries that are doing extremely well in controlling this COVID-19 problem, New Zealand is if anything a bit better than…

Bulgaria will allow restaurants, bars and cafes to reopen at full capacity on Monday as the Balkan country further eased restrictions imposed in mid-March to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Health Minister Kiril Ananiev issued a new order on Tuesday night, allowing bars and restaurants in tourism-dependent Bulgaria to go fully back to business ahead of the summer season. Ananiev also allowed the resumption of cultural and entertainment events, including theatres, concerts and stage performances. Dance classes could also resume, using up to 30% of their indoor capacity and up to 50% of the outdoor capacity. According to the…

The British government said on Wednesday that it was time to move on after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s senior adviser provoked outrage and widespread scorn by making a 400 km (250 mile) road trip during the coronavirus lockdown. Dominic Cummings has refused to quit after it was revealed that he had driven from London to northern England in March with his 4-year-old son and his wife, who was sick at the time, to be close to relatives. Johnson has backed his adviser. “Now I think is the time for us all to move on,” Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick told the…