Space-tech: Billionaire Bezos’ flight to space to draw in starry-eyed investors July 21, 2021 Following Amazon boss Jeff Bezos’ 10-minute venture into space yesterday, space-tech investment may be set to rocket, space-fund boss Mark Boggett has said. Just last week Boggett’s space investment firm Seraphim Space listed on the London Stock Exchange after rallying £178.4m from starry-eyed investors in mid-July. “Branson, Musk and Bezos initially cracked open the [...]
Apple to double down on 5G for 2022 iPhone line-up July 21, 2021 Apple will reportedly release only 5G-enabled iPhones from next year and revamp its budget handset for the first time in two years as the company looks to boost sales of its flagship product. The tech giant will not introduce any new 4G models in 2022 and will instead begin selling a 5G version of its [...]
Power of 10: UK more than doubles number of $10bn companies amid tech boom July 21, 2021 The number of UK tech businesses worth at least $10bn (£7.3bn) has more than doubled in the last six months, marking the latest sign of a boom in the British tech sector. Fintech darling Revolut, recently-listed Wise and online grocery giant Ocado are among the businesses to gain the title of decacorn in the first [...]
Pegasus spyware data leaks spark political rows from Delhi to Mexico July 20, 2021 Politicians, journalists and human rights activists are believed to be targeted by Israeli spyware company NSO Group in the interest of its government clients, media reports on Monday. A list of more than 50,000 phone numbers was allegedly selected for potential surveillance as those of people of interest by government clients of NSO Group since [...]
Amazon boss Jeff Bezos completes Blue Origin space flight July 20, 2021 Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos has landed safely back on Earth following the inaugural space flight aboard his company Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket. The world’s richest person and three crewmates were launched to the edge of space on a voyage that lasted roughly 10 minutes and 20 seconds. They blasted off from Blue Origin’s Launch [...]
China calls US, UK cyber attack allegations ‘groundless and irresponsible’ July 20, 2021 China has denied US-led accusations of orchestrating a global cyber hacking campaign against tech giants including Microsoft. The US and a coalition of allies, including the UK, EU, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Nato, on Monday accused China behind the “systematic cyber sabotage”, including a major hacking of Microsoft earlier this year. China hit [...]
Ministers urged to include online adverts in new safety bill July 20, 2021 The government has been urged to include paid-for online adverts in its new online safety bill amid concerns the pandemic has led to a “devastating” surge in scams. Ministers have outlined plans to hold tech companies liable for harmful material posted to their platforms, with the new laws set to be presented to pre-legislative scrutiny. [...]
Pegasus spyware investigation reveals scale of surveillance July 19, 2021 Human rights activists, journalists and lawyers have been targeted by spyware sold to authoritarian governments by the Israeli technology firm NSO Group, according to media reports. An investigation into a data leak by human rights group Amnesty International and NGO Forbidden Stories revealed a list of more than 50,000 phone numbers that may have been [...]
Revolut becomes UK’s most valuable fintech after bumper funding round July 15, 2021 Challenger bank Revolut has become the UK’s most valuable fintech company after seeing its valuation surge to $33bn (£24bn) following a fresh funding round. The British fintech favourite has secured $800m in new funding in a round led by Softbank’s Vision Fund and Tiger Global Management. It makes Revolut one of the most valuable fintechs [...]
Shares in Avast jump as cyber firm confirms NortonLifeLock merger talks July 15, 2021 Shares in Avast jumped this morning after the London-listed cybersecurity firm confirmed it is in advanced discussions over a possible merger with US rival NortonLifeLock. In a statement last night Avast said Norton could make a cash and share offer for the entire issued capital of the firm. However, it warned there was no certainty [...]