Filled with HS2 fever? No? Then let’s think up something better August 27, 2019 HS2, the unloved child of British infrastructure, looks like a goner. And while those into trains might spot that there is a review underway, there can be little doubt that this in itself sends a terminal signal to a project that once seemed to offer a glimpse of what a brave new British future might [...]
League One side Sunderland in advanced sale talks with MSD Capital partners and Michael Dell August 23, 2019 US investors and partners at MSD Capital are closing in on an agreement to buy League One football club Sunderland. John Phelan, Glenn Fuhrman and Rob Platek, who are the most senior figures at MSD Capital, a private investment firm that exclusively runs billionaire Michael Dell’s fortune, are in advanced talks to buy the English [...]
DEBATE: Will email die out? August 23, 2019 Will email die out? Morten Brøgger, chief executive of collaboration platform Wire, says YES. Almost 50 years on since its inception, email is fast becoming no longer fit for purpose as a communication tool. Given that 90 per cent of cyber attacks begin with a phishing email, today it’s the equivalent of leaving the house [...]
EU considers giving citizens explicit rights over facial recognition data August 22, 2019 The European Commission is considering introducing strict regulations governing the use of facial recognition technology that would give EU citizens explicit rights over the use of their facial recognition data. The Commission’s plans, which were first reported in the Financial Times, would be part of a wider overhaul into how the EU regulates artificial intelligence [...]
London’s demand for emerging tech skills could create a North–South divide August 22, 2019 London has more demand for those with emerging technology skills than ten other UK cities combined, new research has found. The UK currently has 422,000 professionals with skills in emerging technologies including data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum computing. Of those professionals, 37 per cent (155,000) are based in London, according to research by [...]
Wework rival Knotel secures unicorn status with $400m funding August 21, 2019 Knotel, the flexible workspace rival to Wework, today said it has achieved “unicorn” status after securing a fresh round of funding worth $400m (£329m). The New York-based startup bagged the bumper cash injection in a round led by Wafra, the investment arm of Kuwait’s sovereign wealth fund. Read more: Wework lost $700m in first half, [...]
Citigroup and BNP Paribas named in case against Huawei finance boss August 21, 2019 Citigroup and BNP Paribas have been dragged into an ongoing US court case against the chief financial officer of Chinese tech firm Huawei. The banks have been named in documents published by a Canadian court as part of extradition proceedings against Meng Wanzhou, who is currently under house arrest in the country. Read more: US [...]
Softbank-backed startup Uhuru to list in London August 21, 2019 Japanese software startup Uhuru is to go public in London later this year, after opening an office in the city in 2018. The company raised $4.5m from Softbank last year, and also counts Salesforce, Dentsu and Mitsui & Co as investors. Uhuru, an IoT startup which helps connect products to the cloud, said it will [...]
Tech startups attract record $6.7bn in foreign investment August 21, 2019 British tech companies have attracted more foreign investment in the past seven months than in the whole of 2018, racking up $6.7bn (£5.5bn) in funding. More than half of that amount came from US and Asian investors. As such, the UK is now receiving more non-domestic capital, per capita, than the US, according to data [...]
Apple reportedly hikes streaming budget as it eyes November launch date August 20, 2019 Apple is said to be planning a November launch date for its eagerly-awaited streaming service, as it ramps up its spending on new films and TV shows. Apple TV Plus is considering a monthly subscription fee of $9.99 (£8.25) following a free trial period, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Read more: Apple’s [...]