Half of all UK bank branches have been shut or are scheduled for closure as fintech kills off 736 locations in 2021 alone December 27, 2021 New figures published this morning show that the number of bank branches across the UK is dropping dramatically. In fact, nearly half of all banks’ branches have been lost since 2015, or are scheduled for closure, according to Which? Vulnerable customers are being left at risk of being “cut adrift”, the consumer organisation said after [...]
Best of 2021: Football training can be safer with VR technology December 26, 2021 Technology is ever-changing, and that includes in sport too. Matt Hardy took a look at how new VR could revolutionise the way football teams train. Originally published on October 15. A whipped cross and a powerful header towards goal are staples of football and the essence of set-piece tactics used by every football team. But [...]
‘New Hubble’ telescope lifts off December 25, 2021 The $10bn successor to the Hubble telescope has successfully launched into space today. The James Webb telescope launched from French Guiana after years of work which, scientists believe, will make it around a hundred times more powerful than its famous predecessor. It is hoped the telescope will be able to pick up images of the [...]
Metaverse set for regulation, reckons Digital Minister December 25, 2021 Meta’s new virtual reality project the Metaverse will be subject to new UK laws on digital harm, according to the Government’s digital minister. The metaverse was launched with great fanfare by Mark Zuckerberg earlier this year, as he rebranded Facebook with a new corporate identity. The metaverse is envisioned as a blending of both physical [...]
Nasa readies to launch $10bn James Webb Space Telescope on Christmas morning December 24, 2021 Nasa is readying to launch its $10bn James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on Christmas morning, which is set to revolutionise how we view space. The telescope, known as Webb, will be the first major space observatory since the Hubble Space Telescope, which launched more than three decades ago. It is also Nasa’s attempt to unravel [...]
TikTok beats Google for top internet hotspot December 24, 2021 Video sharing platform TikTok has beaten Google as the most popular online destination after soaring in popularity over the course of the pandemic. Fuelled by Gen Z amid social restrictions, the app has held the top position since August, after dethroning Google in February, March and June. Google came first last year, and was surrounded [...]
Octopus Renewables Infrastructure snaps up Finnish windfarms for €140m December 24, 2021 Octopus Renewables Infrastructure has snapped up two onshore wind farms in Finland for around €140m, as it expands into ‘new territory’. The figure includes the acquisition as well as the payments from its final construction stages, and forms part of Europe’s plan to transition to sustainable energy sources. The Saunamaa and Suolakangas wind farms have [...]
Meta appeals against UK watchdog ruling that it must sell Giphy December 23, 2021 Facebook's parent company Meta is appealing against a decision by the UK's competition watchdog ordering it to sell Giphy.
Tencent dishes out over $16bn to shareholders in JD.com windfall December 23, 2021 Chinese tech giant Tencent is set to dish out $16.4bn to its shareholders in the form of the majority of its stake in JD.com. The move will see the gaming and social media group cut its holding from 17 per cent to just 2.3 per cent. It means Tencent will step down from the helm [...]
Omicron: Risk of hospitalisation two-thirds lower, Scotland study suggests December 22, 2021 Early data from Scotland suggests Omicron is less likely to result in hospitalisations compared to Delta , says the University of Edinburgh.