This new website from Nasa allows you to see how the Earth changes each day from a million miles away in space October 20, 2015 You can now see what the Earth looks like from space every day, thanks to a new website launched by Nasa. The US space agency is putting images taken by a camera on its Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) up for public viewing, so that it is possible to see how the Earth rotates over [...]
Transport for London: Uber and London’s private hire trade need new regulations October 20, 2015 On Friday, the High Court declared that smartphones used by some private hire drivers were not taximeters. This confirmed the view that Transport for London (TfL) has held all along. It was right to seek clarity on the matter at the High Court because, as the regulator of the taxi and private hire trades, we [...]
Yum! spins off its China business as KFC and Pizza Hut owner hopes to boost China sales October 20, 2015 Yum! Brands is spinning off its China business, following disappointing sales in the country. The fast food group, owner of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, plans to split into two separate publicly traded companies. Yum has some 6,900 restaurants in China today, but hopes to grow to some 20,000 as more and more of [...]
Electoral Commission data: Here’s how much money donors have given to political parties and politicians in 2015 October 20, 2015 The amount of money donated to both political parties and politicians since the General Election has – as you might expect – dropped substantially. But now new data from the Electoral Commission shows that with the London mayoral elections and Labour leadership contest, the amount received by political parties and regulated donees between 8 May [...]
Google splashes $60m on Chinese AI startup Mobvoi signalling return to China after five years October 20, 2015 Google has splashed a reported $60m on a Chinese startup specialising in Artificial Intelligence, taking a minority stake in the company. Mobvoi, founded in 2012 by former Google employees, makes Chinese language voice recognition software which is available on Android, Android Wear, and Google Glass devices as well as iOS and Wechat. While the exact amount has not [...]
Data protection watchdogs: The race is on for EU and US to find a new Safe Harbour agreement after European Court of Justice landmark ruling October 20, 2015 EU data protection watchdogs have set a January deadline for the EU and US to strike a new accord allowing Europeans’ data to be sent across the Atlantic, or risk enforcement action. In a landmark ruling the European Court of Justice decried the Safe Harbour agreement as invalid on 6 October. The court sided with [...]
Tata Steel confirms 1,200 job cuts in Scunthorpe and Scotland October 20, 2015 Britain's biggest steelmaker, Tata Steel, has confirmed 1,200 job cuts at sites, blaming a flood of cheap imports, particularly from China. Around 900 jobs will go in Scunthorpe and 270 in Scotland, as well as a small number at other sites across Europe, the company said in a statement today. "I realise how distressing this news will be for all those [...]
UK and London house prices: How long does it take to save a deposit for a property? 104 years for people in Brighton October 20, 2015 Wannabe homeowners in Brighton are worse off than Londoners when it comes to jumping onto the first rung of the property ladder. A resident in the town would need to save for more than 104 years to amass a deposit for a property in the area, based on average salaries and property prices, The average cost of a [...]
Transport for London development project to provide an extra 10,000 homes across London October 20, 2015 It may be more at home ferrying workers across the capital – but now Transport for London (TfL) has announced plans to build homes, as well. In fact, it reckons it can create 10,000 homes in London. More than 300 acres of land owned by TfL across 75 sites has been put forward for development. The organisation suggests it will create [...]
Internet of Things: With great power comes great responsibility – we have to prepare our youngsters to fight cybercrime October 20, 2015 Among the myriad manifestations of modernity, nothing evokes a sense of sci-fi quite like the Internet of Things (IoT). In case any minds need refreshing, this is the phrase coined to describe everyday objects that can connect with the Internet, collecting and exchanging data without the need for human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. The stuff that [...]