Xbox Series X: A powerhouse machine with bags of potential December 18, 2020 There was a time when the launch of a new games console represented a gigantic leap forward – when gamers could expect to see and play titles in ways they hadn’t even conceived. The jump from Nintendo’s SNES to the N64, for instance, ushered in the era of 3D gaming, changing the course of the [...]
How Cyberpunk, the generation’s most hyped game, turned into its biggest disaster December 18, 2020 The Witcher 3, released in 2015, is rarely far from the upper echelons of “Best Game Ever” lists. Developed by Polish studio CD Projekt Red, it was a sprawling, hugely ambitious RPG that refused to offer players a neat solution to its deftly written quests. In its squalid, low-fantasy world, sparing the life of some [...]
Global emissions cuts needed on ‘unprecedented scale’ to reach Paris Climate target December 18, 2020 If the world is to reach the Paris Climate Agreement’s target of a global temperature increase of no more than 1.5°C, we need to cut emissions five times more quickly than the current rate. This is according to PwC’s Net Zero Economy Index, which delivers a stark message to businesses and governments. The index shows [...]
Google AI unit reports huge losses December 17, 2020 DeepMind, Google's artificial intelligence unit, reported pre-tax losses of £460.9m in 2019.
Gocardless nears $1bn valuation after latest funding round December 17, 2020 London fintech Gocardless is nearing unicorn status after its latest funding round amid a digital payments boom. The Alphabet-backed company announced it had raised $95m in its latest funding round led by the venture capital arm of Bain Capital, valuing the firm at over $970m. “This funding round demonstrates the strength of the business and [...]
Tide to introduce new business payroll service in 2021 December 17, 2020 Business fintech firm Tide has announced that is it to release its first payroll service via its banking app in early 2021. Tide Payroll will be HMRC compliant and will allow SMEs to conduct their payroll from within their Tide account with an all-in-one payroll service that will allow users to run payroll and pay [...]
Google faces multi-state antitrust lawsuit for ‘anticompetitive conduct’ December 16, 2020 The Texas attorney general has announced he will file a multi state lawsuit against Google on behalf of a coalition of states. In a video posted on Twitter attorney general Ken Paxton said: ““The state of Texas is filing a multi state lawsuit against Google for anticompetitive conduct, exclusionary practices and deceptive misrepresentations. Google repeatedly [...]
New biotech rapid-testing facility to help London ‘return to normality’ December 16, 2020 A biotech company, Biogroup is launching a new rapid-testing facility in London, which will boost testing capacity in the capital by 100,000 tests a week. Biogroup UK is setting-up an RT-PCR (RealTime Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) test service, initially via two pop-up testing centres in Marylebone and Notting Hill to detect the presence of [...]
Revolut launches Plus account as it expands fee-paying services December 16, 2020 Revolut is set to revamp its paid plans while also launching its latest subscription option, Revolut Plus. Revolut’s new Plus service will cost £2.99 a-month and will include theft and accident coverage alongside purchase protection up to £1,000 for a year. Under new plans Premium customers will be protected up to £2,500 while Metal customers [...]
Britain begins trials of Valneva vaccine December 15, 2020 Valneva will begin phase one and two UK trials of its coronavirus vaccine today, boosting Britain’s chances of wide-scale inoculation next year. The Scottish-based vaccine company will initially test its jab on 150 British volunteers in England. Early stage trials will attempt to prove whether the vaccine produces a safe and effective immune response against [...]