Wechat suspends new user registration amid China crackdown July 27, 2021 Chinese social media giant Wechat has temporarily suspended new user registrations as Beijing ramps up its crackdown on domestic tech firms. The messaging platform, which is owned by Tencent, said it was upgrading its security technology “to align with relevant laws and registrations”. “During this time, registration of new Weixin [Wechat] personal and official accounts [...]
‘Unusually large’ meteor lights up night sky over Norway July 26, 2021 Norwegians have been stunned by an “unusually large” meteor that lit up the night sky in southern Norway on Sunday. Witnesses described powerful flashes of light followed by loud bangs as the meteor rumbled across the sky over the capital of Oslo, and the phenomena have been seen as far north as Trondheim as reported. [...]
Ofcom targets Musk’s SpaceX and Oneweb with satellite rule revamp July 26, 2021 Ofcom has outlined proposals for tighter rules on the satellite broadband sector in a move that would impact Elon Musk’s SpaceX and British rival Oneweb. Space X and Oneweb are racing to launch constellations of low-orbit satellites that will provide high-speed broadband services to remote rural locations worldwide. While the systems can bring faster speeds [...]
Softbank’s bet on Chinese app Didi falls $4bn into the red July 26, 2021 Softbank’s bumper bet on Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi has plunged $4bn (£2.9bn) into the red as authorities in Beijing crack down on the app following its New York stock market float. The Japanese conglomerate took a 2.1 per cent stake in Didi worth $11.8bn in 2019, but its shareholding is now worth just $7.8bn, the [...]
Indian food delivery app Zomato surges 80 per cent on IPO July 23, 2021 Indian food delivery startup Zomato skyrocketed as much as 80 per cent on its stock market debut today, setting the pace for a string of upcoming listings in the country. Shares in Zomato, which is backed by Ant Group, surged as high as 138.9 rupees each, giving the company a market capitalisation of $12bn. It [...]
MPs warn of ‘huge financial losses’ as scam ads left out of online safety laws July 23, 2021 A string of cross-party MPs have blasted the government’s failure to include paid-for adverts in its upcoming online safety laws, warning of “huge financial losses” to the public. In a joint letter to the prime minister, the Treasury Committee and the Work and Pensions Committee said fraudulent online ads were doing immense harm and urged [...]
Snap shares jump as it smashes user and revenue targets July 23, 2021 Shares in Snap have soared in after-hours trading after the social media group smashed forecasts for its user numbers and revenue in the second quarter. The California-based owner of Snapchat saw its shares jump more than 17 per cent after markets closed as it booked its highest growth rates since late 2017. Daily active users [...]
Twitter beats revenue expectations after advertising revamp July 23, 2021 Twitter has reported better-than-expected revenue growth in its second quarter as the social media site reaped the rewards of an overhaul of its advertising service. The tech firm posted total revenue of $1.19bn in the three months to the end of June, up 74 per cent on the same period last year and ahead of [...]
Visa to buy London payments firm Currencycloud for £700m July 22, 2021 Visa has inked a deal to buy London payments group Currencycloud in the latest move by a US buyer to swoop on the booming British tech sector. The financial services giant today said the deal builds on an existing partnership between the companies and values Currencycloud at £700m inclusive of cash and retention incentives. However, [...]
Online harms laws pose threat to free speech, Lords committee warns July 22, 2021 The government’s plans to crack down on harmful online content pose a threat to freedom of speech and would be ineffective, peers have warned. In a report published today, the House of Lords communications and digital committee slammed plans to address “legal but harmful” material, saying the issue should instead be addressed through tougher law [...]