Intel shares rise as chipmaker replaces chief executive January 13, 2021 Shares in Intel pushed higher this afternoon after the tech giant said it was replacing chief executive Bob Swan following a string of manufacturing missteps. Swan, who has held the top job for just two years, will step down on 15 February and will be replaced with Pat Gelsinger, currently chief executive of software group [...]
Airbnb cancels all Washington bookings during Biden inauguration January 13, 2021 Airbnb is cancelling all reservations in the Washington DC area during the week of Joe Biden’s inauguration amid concerns about further violence. The holiday rental site said all existing reservations will be cancelled, including those made on its Hotel Tonight subsidiary, and any new bookings will be blocked. Airbnb said guests and hosts will be [...]
UK vaccine rollout was ‘lumpy’ at first, minister admits January 13, 2021 The UK’s vaccine tsar has admitted the nation’s largest ever vaccination programme was “lumpy at the outset” as he faced a grilling in the Commons. Nadhim Zahawi told the Science and Technology Committee: “I now have line of sight of deliveries all the way through to the end of February and [am] getting more confident [...]
Covid: UK trials new drug that could cut risk of severe illness by 80 per cent January 13, 2021 The UK has launched large-scale trials of a new drug that could cut the risk of Covid patients developing severe illness by as much as 80 per cent. Thirty-four-year-old Alexandra Constantin became the first patient to receive the drug, produced by London-listed biotech firm Synairgen, after receiving the dose at Hull Royal Infirmary yesterday afternoon. [...]
Tiktok tightens privacy features as online harm laws loom January 13, 2021 Tiktok has tightened its privacy features for young users as the government prepares to roll out tough new rules to improve safety on social media. The hit video-sharing app today said that all users under the age of 16 will have their accounts set to private by default, meaning only approved followers can view their [...]
Telegram user numbers surge after Whatsapp privacy update January 12, 2021 Messaging app Telegram has seen its user numbers balloon amid a backlash over changes to Whatsapp’s privacy policy. Telegram, which offers encrypted chat services, today said 25m new users had signed up in the last 72 hours alone. This is compared to the 1.5m daily additions it averaged last year, while the app’s total user [...]
Trump brands social media ban ‘catastrophic mistake’ and defends pre-riot speech January 12, 2021 Donald Trump has branded his social media ban a “catastrophic mistake” as he refused to take responsibility for inciting riots at the Capitol last week. The outgoing president, who has been accused of inciting violence and is facing a second impeachment, today played down his role in the riots and attempted to blame Silicon Valley. [...]
CES 2021: The futuristic gadgets killing Covid January 12, 2021 In years gone by, City A.M. would have been on the showroom floor in Las Vegas bringing you the latest news from the frontline of the tech world. This year, of course, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has done digital, and if any expo in the world can pull off that feat, it should be [...]
Zoom kicks off $1.5bn share issue as vaccine threat looms January 12, 2021 Zoom is set to raise $1.5bn (£1.1bn) in a mammoth share sale as it looks to maintain momentum following a bumper year of growth. The video conferencing app launched the fundraising today, adding that it could be expanded by a further $225m. Zoom did not say what it plans to do with the fresh capital. [...]
Social media site Parler sues Amazon over account suspension January 11, 2021 Controversial social media site Parler is suing Amazon over its decision to pull support for the app. The so-called free speech app, which is popular among right-wing extremists, accused Amazon of violating antitrust laws by suspending its account. In a complaint filed in Seattle, Parler said Amazon’s decision to stop hosting the app was “apparently [...]