BBC licence fee may shrink in real terms as ministers reject inflation link August 31, 2021 The BBC licence fee will increase by less than the rate of inflation out until 2026 because ministers are concerned about hitting households with higher bills, the Times has reported The dominant public service broadcaster is in the middle of a funding squeeze that has forced it to restructure major parts of its news production. [...]
Zoom bags first $1bn quarter but demand for the Covid-19 essential is fading August 31, 2021 Zoom, which became a household name amid the pandemic, has recorded its first billion-dollar revenue in just one quarter – but demand for its Covid-19 essential service is quickly weening. The company forecast revenue of between $1.015bn and $1.020bn for its third quarter, which inched past analysts’ average estimate of $1.013bn, according to Refinitiv data. [...]
Michael Gove spotted raving away with punters at Aberdeen nightclub August 31, 2021 Tory grandee and cabinet Office minister Michael Gove was spotted dancing in a nightclub, where he reportedly showed up on his own. Dressed in a dark suit with no tie, footage on social media shows Gove dancing and throwing shapes at the Pipe club night in Aberdeen. Adam Taylor, co-manager of Pipe, said Gove had [...]
Eleven digits: Pianists in London play with extra robotic thumb August 29, 2021 Within an hour of being fitted with a robotic extra thumb, pianists can learn to play with all eleven digits, according to researchers in London. Watch the full report.
Cazoo cash: Newspaper tycoon Lord Rothermere moves closer to taking Daily Mail private August 27, 2021 The successful listing of used car business Cazoo means that newspaper tycoon Lord Rothermere moves a step closer to taking the company behind the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Metro newspapers private. DMGT owned a stake in Cazoo and Lord Rothermere had said if the company could join the New York Stock Exchange successfully, [...]
Tom Cruise’s BMW stolen in Birmingham while filming Mission: Impossible in the Midlands August 27, 2021 Tom Cruise’s BMW has been stolen while the Hollywood A-lister was filming in Birmingham. The X7 had been used to ferry around the star, who has been in the city recording scenes for the seventh instalment in the Mission: Impossible series. The vehicle was taken in Church Street in the city centre from where it [...]
Fraud trial: National Geographic producer spent more than £100,000 on porn August 27, 2021 A film producer working on a multimillion-pound National Geographic documentary who spent more than £100,000 on online sex shows using a company card has avoided jail. Mark Johann Insanally, 55, previously admitted fraud between October 2019 and November 2020, at Croydon Magistrates’ Court. During a hearing at Inner London Crown Court on Friday, prosecutor Peter [...]
Gogglebox star and former UKIP candidate Andy Michael dies at 61 August 27, 2021 Gogglebox star Andy Michael has died at the age of 61 following a short illness, a statement from Channel 4 and Studio Lambert on behalf of his family has said. The family first appeared on Gogglebox in the debut episode in 2013, but announced in 2014 that they were leaving because Michael was running for [...]
Blackmail plot: Shadow from ’90s ITV show Gladiator jailed for for six years August 27, 2021 Michael Jefferson King, 60, better known as Shadow from ‘90s television show Gladiators, has been jailed at Isleworth Crown Court for six years and three months for his role in a blackmail plot. The bodybuilder, famous for his starring role in the 1990s television programme, was one of four people who kept a man detained [...]
China targets internet algorithms that risk public order or ‘encourage addiction’ August 27, 2021 China has proposed a ban on algorithms that “encourage addiction or high consumption”, or risk national security or public order, in another round of its regulatory crackdown. In draft guidelines published by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) today, algorithm providers with “social mobilisation capabilities”, or algorithms with large public influence, should first apply through [...]