Boris Johnson says Uber drivers must pass black cab style Knowledge test June 24, 2015 Fresh from his expletive-ridden verbal tussle with a cabbie, the Mayor of London has come out on the side of London's black cab drivers in their rivalry with Uber. Boris Johnson has promised Knowledge style tests and language requirements for Uber drivers who London's traditional taxi drivers believe should be better regulated. Speaking at the [...]
Living near a noisy London road could shorten your life June 24, 2015 Living near a noisy main road in London shortens life expectancy, according to a new report published in the European Heart Journal. Read more: Living in a noisy area increases your chance of being overweight By comparing noise levels with incidences of death across the whole M25 zone between 2003 and 2010, researchers at [...]
Analysts warn that Ladbrokes – Gala Coral mega merger odds on for competition issues June 23, 2015 Analysts are warning that Ladbrokes' multi-million pound merger with Gala Coral could have to jump serious competition hurdles. The combined company would command 4000 retail shops – about 45 per cent of the UK market – and give the group much better odds in the online gaming space too. The retail position in [...]
Tidal chief executive is out: Peter Tonstad exits as boss of Jay Z’s music streaming service June 23, 2015 The boss of Jay Z's fledgling music streaming service has left after less than three months in charge. The company which was launched by the music superstar in March with backing from fellow musicians such as Kanye West and Daft Punk, said Peter Tonstad was stepping down as interim chief executive in a statement. "Current executives [...]
Blackberry share price rises despite decreasing smartphone revenue June 23, 2015 Canadian smartphone maker Blackberry has announced its results for the first quarter for the three months to the end of May – and things do not look like turning around the struggling firm. It reported revenue for the quarter of $658m (£416m), and income before taxes of $73m. Blackberry's handsets used to be a staple [...]
John Lewis has started selling the iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S6 and other smartphones, partnering Vodafone to offer contracts June 23, 2015 High street favourite John Lewis is going mobile and will for the first time stock smartphones on its shelves in an ambitious move to sate people's appetite for mobile devices and grab a share of the rocketing market. More than 25 sim-free handsets will go on sale online from today, while the department store is [...]
Here’s everything you need to know about the EU’s Sentinel Earth-watching mission June 23, 2015 Late last night, the EU launched the Sentinel-2a satellite into space, from where it will take detailed photos of the world's food crops. Read more: How to stop climate change: Drop the hamburger The satellite was developed by the European Space Agency, and was sent up from Kourou in French Guiana aboard a Vega [...]
“Undo send” feature for Gmail is officially here June 23, 2015 Google has added "undo send" as a formal setting in Gmail for the web, giving users up to 30 seconds to cancel emails after they've hit "send". The feature was available in Gmail Labs, a section that lets users trial experimental, pre-release features. However, most users don't use this section, and "undo send" has now [...]
Stunning image of the red aurora taken from International Space Station June 23, 2015 The American astronaut Scott Kelly posted these powerful images of the red aurora – or "red curtain" – on Twitter today. Day 87. The red curtain of an #aurora closes on another day. Good night from @space_station! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/NUyJkGKy9y — Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) June 22, 2015 Aurora borealis is caused by cosmic rays, solar wind [...]
London FinTech startup Currency Cloud raises $18m series C funding from Rakuten, Sapphire Ventures and other investors June 23, 2015 One of London’s FinTech stars has landed a new round of funding as investors scramble for a piece of London’s booming financial technology sector. Currency Cloud has landed $18m (around £12m) from investors, including ecommerce giant Rakuten, in its latest funding round, just a week after London cemented its status as the tech capital of [...]