As the economic toll of lockdown starts to rear its ugly head, employment, new orders and output in the sector fell at the fastest pace for 28 years last month.

Sam Fischer spent £479,000 exercising options to buy 28,000 shares at 1709p. He later sold the stock at 2663p, netting £267,000. Diageo's market value has fallen 14 per cent this year.

The fast food business's 1,350 restaurants have been closed since the Government brought in lockdown measures in March due to concerns over staff and customer safety.

RBS, which is changing its name to Natwest later this year, said the loss provisions dragged profit down by almost 50 per cent to £519m in the first three months of 2020.

Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou urged them to back his bid to oust four directors at a meeting on May 22 as he thinks the order is a waste of money with the balance sheet already under threat from coronavirus.

More than 300 listed companies have cut or cancelled payouts as they battle to survive. It is now feared that total dividend payments will fall from £98.5 billion last year to just £47.2 billion this year.

The firm said that closing its stores in March has had a 'material impact' on trading and the company has initiated a 'broad range of actions to manage its costs and cash flow'.

The US fashion brand's lenders will inject £322m of cash and take control of the chain at the same time as cancelling its debt. The preppy brand counts Meghan Markle among its high profile fans.

The tie-up would transform the telecoms market overnight, creating a powerhouse to challenge former state monopoly BT.

The former FTSE 100 hospitals provider crashed into administration after a series of extraordinary revelations, including that it was harbouring billions of pounds in secret debt.

Staff were asked to go into closed stores once a week and pack up stock so it could be sold online, but were told not to clock in, whistleblowers told the Guardian newspaper.

The Financial Reporting Council has found most accounting firms are failing to assess whether their audits of major companies are any good until after they have already published them.

The insurance giant said it would sell up to 58m shares, which at last night's price of 692.4p would be worth £400m, collecting the money so it could 'respond to future growth opportunities'.

Serial investor Vin Murria, an adviser at Hgcapital, bought 13.25 per cent of the AIM-listed company's shares on April 30, according to a stock market announcement yesterday.

Vue boss Tim Richards is 'hopeful' that venues can be open in time for the release date of Nolan's new film, Tenet (starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, pictured) on July 17.

The grocer said its decision to stop people ordering bottled mineral water helped it complete 6,000 extra orders a week.

The Lloyd's of London insurer was a top FTSE 250 riser after placing the 57.6m shares, priced at 650p. This was 6 per cent cheaper than its share price the day before the fundraising launched.

Just hours after the online grocer revealed sales have jumped more than 40 per cent in the last five weeks, it emerged that 29.7 per cent of investors had voted against top pay at the company.

The US giant said it will reopen its Shanghai Disneyland park on May 11 but severely limit the number of guests and enforce strict social distancing measures on rides and in restaurants.

The FTSE-listed group will struggle after the number of hours its engines spent flying in April fell by 90 per cent. Across the first four months of the year, flying hours dropped 40 per cent.

ITV's chief exec Carolyn McCall has done the right things to limit the scarring. Some 800 workers have been furloughed, the dividend and executive pay have been cut and costs severely pruned.

The electric car maker has clocked up a six-month period with an average market capitalisation of $100bn (£81bn), the main requirement for Musk to receive the first payout under a reward scheme.

Liberty Global and Telefonica - parent firms of Virgin Media and O2 respectively - said they had agreed a deal after announcing talks were under way on Monday.

Chief exec Philip Jansen (pictured) said the company now aims to offer fibre to 4.5m homes and businesses by next March and 20m by the mid to late-2020s, up from a previous target of 15m..

In a sign of the devastating impact the coronavirus pandemic is having on business, the unemployment rate in the world's largest economy hit 14.7 per cent last month.

Uber Eats sales jumped 50 per cent as people locked down all over the world turned to restaurant deliveries as a treat at home. The company is trying to save more than £800m this year.

A global oil glut has forced Shell to cut its quarterly dividend by 66 per cent, a move that leaves millions of investors as well as savers in pensions and equity income funds suddenly poorer.

Cutifani will be given the 226,879 shares in 2025 if he and the firm hit targets. The Australian, 61, has led the FTSE 100-listed miner, which bought Sirius Minerals this year, since 2013.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak was forced to rethink the Government's original coronavirus Loan Scheme after thousands of small businesses warned they would go bust without quick access to cash.

The company's market value has rocketed 46 per cent this year to £13.1bn. The three rivals, in contrast, have all seen their share prices fall and are now worth less than £11bn put together.

CHRIS WHEELER IN PERTH: In a wide-ranging interview, the Manchester United manager discusses Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez and the problem of 'spoon feeding' modern-day footballers.

JOE BERNSTEIN: With world-class players at a premium, the news that David De Gea is set to sign a new contract at Old Trafford gives Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a massive boost during a difficult period.

A year ago, Alexis Sanchez was the star attraction on Manchester United's tour of the United States. Now, he returns for pre-season training needing to salvage his Old Trafford career.

United failed to replace Lukaku before Thursday's transfer deadline, but Solskjaer believes his departure will benefit Mason Greenwood and the more fluid forward line he wants in his team.

The Chilean winger has struggled to make in impact since arriving at Old Trafford from Arsenal in 2018, and was given an extended break during pre-season after the Copa America.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is ready to banish Alexis Sanchez to train with the reserves unless he agrees to a move away, according to The Sun. Roma are currently his only potential suitors.

EXCLUSIVE BY CHRIS WHEELER: The astronomical deal United offered Sanchez when he signed from Arsenal made him the highest paid player in the Premier League. But it has now backfired.

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: Alexis Sanchez was indulged too long. That has always been the problem for Manchester United. Not that they started it.

Antonio Conte is pushing his Inter Milan bosses to pursue a deal for Manchester United flop Alexis Sanchez. However the Chilean's huge wages will likely be a huge problem.

The Chilean forward is keen to move to Inter Milan and has received permission from Manchester United to speak to the Italian giants and manager

The 30-year-old could join Romelu Lukaku as the second United player to sign for Inter this summer after the Belgian international completed a £73million move earlier this month.

Sanchez moved to Old Trafford in a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan in January 2018 after beating Manchester City to the forward's signature. But he has endured a torrid time, scoring just twice last term

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted Alexis Sanchez could leave Manchester United in the coming weeks, with Inter Milan among the clubs showing interest in the forward.

Sanchez, like the Van Persie, swapped north London for Manchester, but has failed to follow in the Dutchman's footsteps since joining last January.

EXCLUSIVE BY SAMI MOKBEL: Sportsmail understands the San Siro club are planning on offering Sanchez a contract worth no more than £150,000-per-week if they make deal permanent

The 30-year-old, who has struggled for form at United, is in negotiations with Inter Milan over a season-long loan deal from Old Trafford. He reportedly had to visit the US embassy in the capital.

Inter Milan welcome Leece in their opening Serie A match on Monday night and Sanchez could reportedly be in attendance before undergoing a medical the next day.

Representatives from both clubs have held talks over the past few weeks in the hope of agreeing a deal that would see the former Barcelona and Arsenal end his torrid spell at Old Trafford.

Manchester United's plans to sell Alexis Sanchez to Inter Milan look set to be placed on hold while the club waits for news on Anthony Martial's thigh injury.

ADAM SHERGOLD: The transfer window in Europe's leading leagues closes on Monday and we could well see some of the continent's elite clubs involved in a scramble for some big stars.