Cineworld has warned further global coronavirus restrictions or film delays may force it to raise further cash as it revealed half-year losses of $1.6 billion (£1.3 billion).

The group swung to the hefty loss for the six months to June 30 from pre-tax profits of $139.7 million (£110 million) a year ago as revenues plummeted after lockdowns forced its cinemas to close.

It said it was still in talks with lenders over breathing space for upcoming banking agreements, while it alerted over the potential need to boost finances again if it had to close its cinemas once more or if film releases were pushed back.

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It said current trading has been "encouraging considering the circumstances", with solid demand for action-thriller and spy film Tenet released earlier this month.

Cineworld warned: "There can be no certainty as to the future impact of Covid-19 on the group.

"If governments were to strengthen restrictions on social gathering, which may therefore oblige us to close our estate again or further push back movie releases, it would have a negative impact on our financial performance and likely require the need to raise additional liquidity."

The group said 561 of its 778 sites worldwide have reopened, with 200 cinemas in the US, six in the UK and 11 in Israel still closed.

Cineworld said if the cinemas still closed in the US do not open before the end of October or there are further delays in the forecast significant movie releases to 2021, then extra financing would be needed.

In a "severe but plausible scenario" where a second wave of the pandemic caused further lengthy cinemas closures, then it would breach banking agreements in December and June 2021 and need further financing to continue to operate from early next year, it said.

Cineworld has already raised an extra $360.8 million (£284.1 million) to help it weather the crisis so far.

Chief executive Mooky Greidinger said: "Despite the difficult events of the last few months, we have been delighted by the return of global audiences to our cinemas toward the end of the first half, as well as by the positive customer feedback we have received from those that have waited patiently to see a movie on the big screen again."

He added: "Current trading has been encouraging considering the circumstances, further underpinning our belief that there remains a significant difference between watching a movie in a cinema - with high-quality screens and best-in-class sounds - to watching it at home."

In May, Cineworld pulled out of a 28 billion Canadian dollar (£1.6 billion) deal to buy Canada's biggest chain Cineplex, which would have created the biggest chain of cinemas in North America.

Sofa chain DFS Furniture has cheered a strong bounce back in trading after slumping to an annual loss in an "extraordinary" year caused by the pandemic.

The group swung to an underlying pre-tax loss of £56.8 million for the year to June 28 from profits of £50.2 million after lockdown forced the closure of its showrooms.

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It said the new financial year had started "very strongly" with all its showrooms now open.

DFS said it was on track for additional sales of around £226 million in the new financial year, given sales growth in the past 12 weeks and a higher opening order book, which is set to deliver a solid first-half sales and profit performance.

Tim Stacey, group chief executive of DFS, said: "This has been an extraordinary year, unprecedented in the challenges posed by the closure of our showrooms, manufacturing and delivery capabilities for almost three months of our peak spring trading period."

He added: "While the reported decline in profit is undoubtedly disappointing in headline financial terms, a significant proportion of this profit has already been recovered in the current year as we resumed customer deliveries.

"The current year has started very strongly with all showrooms now open and our digital channels continuing to grow.

"We believe that this growth is due to a combination of pent up demand from lockdown, consumers spending relatively more on their homes and the strength of the DFS and Sofology propositions in particular."

Rishi Sunak will outline his plans to protect jobs this morning as the opposition insisted more needed to be done to bolster the economy in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.

The Chancellor will address the Commons after cancelling this year's Budget.

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With the furlough work scheme due to finish at the end of October, he will announce measures aimed at protecting millions of jobs in sectors hit by the latest Government guidance on Covid-19.

As the number of new cases rose by more than 6,000, new restrictions came into force in England on Thursday, and the much-delayed coronavirus contact tracing app was finally launched.

Mr Sunak's intervention comes after increasing pressure from business groups, MPs and unions to extend the furlough scheme amid fears the new restrictions will damage the economy.

Number 11 said work on the scheme had been taking place in parallel with Budget preparations with a focus on jobs to avoid the expected three million unemployed.

The Treasury said: "We will always be honest with people about the difficult trade-offs that are involved here.

"Not between health and the economy, but between keeping people in jobs and helping them find new ones. And between help in the here and now and rebuilding in the future. That's what people deserve."

The Chancellor initially announced his move via Twitter, with a graphic titled "Winter Economy Plan".

His initiative will include VAT cuts, loans for hard hit businesses and wage subsidies, according to reports.

It could see the Government and firms share the cost of topping up wages for employees only able to work part-time due to the pandemic.

Mr Sunak's emergency plan comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the country could have to cope with up to another six months of coronavirus restrictions.

Labour's shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said she had called for Mr Sunak "to U-turn on his one-size-fits-all withdrawal of furlough" 40 times.

Leader of the opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, said the new Covid restrictions were the result of Government failures.

Ministers are desperate to avoid a second lockdown and the associated economic damage, with early indicators suggesting the recovery has slowed.

One option reportedly being considered to replace the furlough scheme is Germany's Kurzarbeit, or shorter work-time policy, under which firms can cut working hours in economic downturns with the state replacing part of their lost income.

Another proposal put forward by the CBI business group would see subsidies for firms that can offer staff at least 50% of their normal hours, with the cost for non-working hours shared equally by the company, the Treasury and the employee.

At Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Johnson was repeatedly challenged about the looming prospect of support being withdrawn from firms and workers despite the prospect of the latest restrictions being in place for six months.

The furlough scheme has cost the Government £39.3 billion to date, with £3.9 billion between August 16 and September 20 alone, according to the latest figures released.

There were a further 6,178 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, the highest 24-hour total since May taking the overall number to 409,729.

A further 37 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Wednesday, bringing the UK total to 41,862, the Government said.

Westminster Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the coronavirus contact tracing app launched across England and Wales on Thursday came at a "tipping point in our efforts to control the spread of this virus" and he urged everyone who could to download and use it.

New rules came into force in England on Thursday for hospitality, leisure, entertainment and tourism businesses to close at 10pm, with an expansion in the mandatory wearing of face coverings backed by increased fines.

Tighter regulations come into force in Wales from 6pm on Thursday, and further restrictions in Scotland on Friday, including household mixing indoors being no longer allowed, although people were asked to comply from Wednesday.

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