Mark Zuckerberg hits back at Tim Cook after Apple CEO criticises Facebook’s data collection April 2, 2018 Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has pushed back against Apple CEO Tim Cook’s latest criticism of the social media giant, calling the critique “extremely glib and not aligned with the truth”. The comments come after Cook called out the Facebook’s business model as a scheme to monetise users. Zuckerberg made the comments in an interview with [...]
Emmanuel Macron faces down the unions in bid to modernise French economy April 2, 2018 Emmanuel Macron is trying to forge a new path for France, but his efforts reveal a fundamental tension between his ambition and the reality of the French condition. Last year, Macron’s government announced plans to liberalise the economy, starting with employment reform – an area that left his predecessors scarred. Changes to employment law, making [...]
Dear London, where’s our Google? Time to move past fintech and take on Silicon Valley April 2, 2018 London’s tech scene is much lauded. More than seven years ago, David Cameron outlined his vision of a Silicon City, one rooted in the east of London and spawning ideas that can take on the world. Since then, there has been much talk – but what about the results? Read more: London will remain tech [...]
Rain hits British high streets as footfall declines on Good Friday April 1, 2018 The UK’s high streets suffered a decline in footfall on Good Friday as rain put shoppers off visiting town centres. Springboard found that footfall was down 9.6 per cent on Friday compared to last year, as heavy rain hit Britain. But consumers were not put off shopping altogether, opting instead to visit enclosed retail parks [...]
Telegram ICO: WhatsApp rival raises $1.7bn in its initial coin offering March 30, 2018 WhatsApp rival Telegram has raised a total of $1.7bn (£1.2bn) through the world’s biggest initial coin offering (ICO). After raising an initial $850m in February through the token pre-sale, the encrypted messaging app raised another $850m from 94 investors in March, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Telegram said it [...]
The Long Weekend: La Donaira, a luxury equestrian farm in Andalusia March 29, 2018 Located in the sweeping hills high above the town of Ronda, Finca La Donaira’s vistas look more like Saharan Africa than the south of Spain. With 250 hectares of farmland sprawled out in every direction, this organic farm and equestrian centre is a retreat from reality. Since 2006 the farmland has been revitalised and regenerated [...]
Through the grapevine: Les Sources de Caudalie, a family-run hotel amid the vineyards of Bordeaux, is where the A-listers relax March 29, 2018 I’m soaking contentedly in a Jacuzzi constructed out of a giant wine barrel. Set among rolling vines, Les Sources de Caudalie delivers the holy trinity of life’s finer things; exquisite food and drink, world-class spa pampering, and Hollywood stars making their arrival by chopper. The hotel, located 20 minutes from Bordeaux, is part of an [...]
Amazon plates up sponsorship to Great British Bake Off March 29, 2018 Amazon announced today that it signed on as The Great British Bake Off’s headline sponsor this year. The deal is reportedly worth £5m — one of the largest sponsorships in UK entertainment history — and the show’s ninth season will bake in the capabilities of virtual assistant Alexa as well as the Echo smart speakers. [...]
Melrose has won the battle for engineering giant GKN as shareholders vote in favour of takeover March 29, 2018 The long-running takeover battle for GKN has finally drawn to a close, with Melrose Industries snatching the engineering giant from the grip of its board. The “most bitter takeover battle in recent memory”, according to Interactive Investor’s Lee Wild, will now end with London-listed Melrose merging GKN’s aerospace and driveline divisions into its existing structure [...]
US President Donald Trump lashes out at Amazon for paying “little or no” tax March 29, 2018 Donald Trump has criticised tech giant Amazon via Twitter today, claiming the firm pays “little or no” tax to state and local governments. “I have stated my concerns with Amazon long before the [US presidential] election,” he wrote. “Unlike others, they pay little or no taxes to state and local governments, use our postal system [...]