What Elon Musk did next: Tech entrepreneur promises 2023 won’t be ‘boring’ January 2, 2023 Elon Musk tweeted that 2023 would not be boring. He followed this up by hinting at a release of the “Fauci Files” later this week. Musk has been critical of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who stepped down as the White House chief medical advisor at the end of 2022. In December, he had made a tweet [...]
UK government takes pro-innovation approach to AI January 2, 2023 UK government’s push to bridge the AI skills gap comes with a focus on a risk based approach. As industry predictions indicate an AI boom in 2023, the UK government has stepped up to plug the skills gap in the sector. At the end of 2022, the government evaluated the Industry-funded Masters in AI (IMAI) [...]
Vodafone CEO frontrunner critical of telecoms sector January 2, 2023 Vodafone’s former non-executive director and ex-EE chief has publicly criticised the bureaucracy of European telecoms. Olaf Swantee, a Dutch businessman and key figure in the continent’s telecom sector has stated that the sector’s biggest companies are too complex and centralised. He stated that the sector needs to listen to customers. Swantee is rumoured to be [...]
EXCL – The unstoppable rise of the Chief Innovation Officer in 2023 January 2, 2023 More and more UK businesses are making innovation a priority. The conviction is growing that tech and the implementation of innovative solutions drive business growth and help firms to stay ahead of the competition. It is therefore no surprise that the chief innovation officer takes an increasingly prominent position within many businesses, and that won’t [...]
Retail woes: 47 shops closed EVERY DAY in 2022 amid warning ‘big hitters’ could fall January 2, 2023 The UK’s retail sector had a bruising year in 2022 as more shops closed their doors than at any other point for at least five years. Around 47 sites shut up shop for the last time every day last year, according to new analysis. The Centre for Retail Research found that 17,145 shops on high [...]
New year, same strikes: Post-festive return to work disrupted by more rail walk-outs January 2, 2023 Rail passengers will face fresh travel disruption this week because of strikes by tens of thousands of workers in bitter disputes over pay, jobs and conditions. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at Network Rail and 14 train operators will stage two 48-hour walkouts from Tuesday and Friday, while drivers in the [...]
BP, Unilever, and HSBC have failed to properly exit Russia after Ukraine war, new report warns January 2, 2023 Three FTSE 100 companies – HSBC Holdings, Unilever, and BP – have been named as members of a “dirty dozen” of high-profile multinationals still heavily involved in Russia. The three UK headquartered companies have failed to properly exit Russia in the wake of Putin’s invasion, according to a new report by the Moral Rating Agency [...]
Dubai ends 30 per cent tax on alcohol sales January 1, 2023 Dubai has ended its 30 per cent tax on alcohol sales in the sheikhdom and made its required liquor licences free to obtain, ending a long-standing source of revenue for its ruling family to apparently further boost its tourism to the emirate. The sudden New Year’s Day announcement, made by Dubai’s two state-linked alcohol retailers, [...]
New Year: Eight arrests as revellers rush stewards to ‘force’ way into fireworks January 1, 2023 Eight people were arrested during New Year’s Eve fireworks in central London, after celebrations turned sour with revellers trying to “force” their way into the sold-out event. In its first return since the pandemic, thousands of tickets were sold to watch midnight fireworks, but trouble started about an hour before 2023 was welcomed. Fireworks also [...]
Next: Fashion chain starts January sales early ahead of update January 1, 2023 Fashion chain Next is set to shine a light on the health of the retail sector in the aftermath of the “crucial” Christmas shopping period. Investors will be closely watching the clothing and homeware giant’s trading update on Thursday for detail on its sales figures over the festive season. In August, chief executive Lord Wolfson [...]