dives | Common News Update

Feb262021 by adminNo Comments

BA parent firm demands digital health passes to help reopen skies as it dives to £6.5bn loss

Business

The parent firm of British Airways has called for the introduction of digital health passes to help reopen the skies while revealing a €7.4bn (£6.5bn) annual loss as a result of coronavirus pandemic disruption.International Airlines Group (IAG) demanded a global approach, with common testing standards, as the travel industry reels from a disastrous 12 months that has largely grounded fleets and led to tens of thousands of job losses. The operating loss revealed by the company, which also includes Iberia and Aer Lingus among its stable of airlines, compares with profits of €2.6bn (£2.2bn) during 2019 - before COVID-19 struck its operations.Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Much of the bottom line loss was blamed on a pre-tax charge of just over €3bn (£2.6bn) on fuel an...

HSBC profit dives 65% as it warns loan losses could hit £10bn

Business

HSBC saw its pre-tax profit plummet by 65% in the first half of the year as the UK's largest bank was forced to hike funds to cover bad loans due to the coronavirus.The lender reported profits of $ 4.3bn (£3.2bn) in the half year to 30 June, down from $ 12.4bn (£9.5bn) for the same period in 2019. HSBC's results reflected the trend of lenders globally increasing their financial buffers to absorb loan losses as companies reel from the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. Image: Unrest in Hong Kong has added to the challenges of the Asia-focused bank In response to the coronavirus pandemic the bank's provision for bad debts in the first-half soared to $ 6.9bn (£5.3bn), compared to $ 1bn (£760m) for the same period a year earlier.It had s...

Before feeding, Risso's dolphins plan their dives

Science

March 1 (UPI) -- Risso's dolphins are planners. According to new research, the unique dolphin species coordinate their dives, using learned information to inform their next dive strategy.Because dolphins are mammals and breathe oxygen, they have a finite amount of time underwater tracking down something to eat. Therefore, they must be efficient. Luckily, they boast impressive cognitive abilities in addition to their speed and agility."Lab experiments that test the memory of animals for the location of food show that they have a similar ability to that of humans," Patricia Arranz, a research biologist at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, said in a news release.Given their social nature and advanced cognition, scientists hypothesized that dolphins boost the efficiency of their forag...