Uber shares fizz on $1.1bn takeover of alcohol delivery firm Drizly February 2, 2021 Shares in Uber moved up a gear this afternoon after it announced a $1.1bn (£806m) deal to acquire alcohol delivery service Drizly. The deal, which is Uber’s biggest acquisition since it bought rival Postmates last year, will be paid more than 90 per cent through stock, with the remainder paid in cash. Once the transaction [...]
BT in talks with Oneweb over satellite broadband rollout February 2, 2021 BT is in discussions over the potential use of Oneweb satellites to help roll out broadband to the most remote parts of the UK. The telecoms giant is in early stage talks to explore how satellite constellations could be used to beam internet services to rural areas that are too difficult or expensive to reach [...]
‘More mutations of concern’ found in Bristol and Liverpool, says Matt Hancock February 2, 2021 More Covid “mutations of concern” have been identified in Bristol and Liverpool, the health secretary has announced, as ministers scramble to contain new strains spreading around the country. Speaking in the Commons, Matt Hancock said 11 cases of mutant strains were identified in Bristol and 32 in Liverpool. The health secretary said ministers will roll [...]
Alibaba beats revenue forecasts as China crackdown looms February 2, 2021 Alibaba beat revenue expectations for the third quarter as the ecommerce giant continued to benefit from higher demand during the pandemic despite a looming crackdown by Beijing. Total revenue hit 221bn yuan (£25bn) in the last three months of 2020, up 37 per cent year on year. This was driven by record revenue of 195.5bn [...]
Kent Covid variant has mutated again and may be immune to vaccine February 2, 2021 The coronavirus variant first identified in Kent has acquired a mutation that may be partially resistant to vaccines, senior scientists have warned. The E484K mutation is the same change that has been identified in both the Brazilian and South African variants that have sparked international concern. Calum Semple, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group [...]
Door-to-door testing launches in London Covid hotspots amid concerns over South African variant February 2, 2021 Government ministers have warned people living in areas infected with the South African coronavirus variant to “think again” before leaving the house, as door-to-door testing launches in London hotspots. Residents in the London boroughs of Ealing, Haringey and Croydon will receive knocks on the door from today asking them to take Covid tests for the [...]
Amazon earnings: What to expect amid a record-breaking tech boom February 1, 2021 Amazon enjoyed a stellar 2020, so all eyes will be on the ecommerce giant tomorrow night as it reports earnings for the final quarter of the year. Apple last week kicked off tech earnings season with bumper revenue of $111.4 (£81.5bn) — its best ever quarter, while Facebook also beat expectations. Amazon is also expected [...]
Monkey business: Elon Musk has wired up a monkey to play video games with its mind February 1, 2021 Eccentric biliionaire and boss of Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk can claim another first after he told an audience his company Neuralink has wired up a monkey's brain to " play video games with his mind"
WPP signs early access advertising deal with Tiktok February 1, 2021 WPP has secured an advertising partnership with Tiktok, marking a key step in the holding group’s efforts to cash in on the wildly popular video app. The tie-up will give WPP’s clients early access to Tiktok’s new advertising services while they are under development, which the ad giant said will ensure they remain “at the [...]
EU approves Astrazeneca vaccine for all over-18s January 29, 2021 The EU drugs regulator has approved the use of the Astrazeneca Covid vaccine for all people over the age of 18. The green light from the European Medicines Agency means Astrazeneca vaccine is the third to be approved by the EU, after those developed by Pfizer/Biontech and Moderna. The move follows an increasingly bitter dispute [...]