Google protesters hit out against “totalitarian” company June 26, 2014 Tech giant Google has had its annual developer conference interrupted by protesters hurling abuse at the company over its recent acquisition of Boston Dynamics, a company that made robots for the US military. At the time it bought Boston Dynamics, Google promised to honour existing contracts between the robotics company, the Pentagon and the Pentagon's [...]
Carphone Warehouse meets forecasts with 59pc earnings boost June 26, 2014 Carphone Warehouse has announced that it met forecasts with a 59 per cent rise in annual earnings for the year ended 29 March. Europe's biggest independent mobile phone retailer enjoyed full year like-for-like revenue growth of 5.3 per cent, with connected world services progressing strongly. Andrew Harrison, CEO, said: Strategically and operationally, we have moved [...]
Dixons profits surge ahead of Carphone Warehouse merger June 26, 2014 Dixons Retail, the owner of Currys and PC World, has reported a jump in profit before tax of 76 per cent to £166.2m for the financial year ended 30 April. Online sales were a particularly bright spot, rising by 16 per cent to £1bn, while customer service metrics reached their highest recorded levels in all [...]
Uber’s south east Asian rival looks to make history June 25, 2014 The chief executive and co-founder of Malaysian-based startup Grabtaxi believes his mobile app has the potential to take south east Asia by storm and revolutionise the taxi industry. Speaking to the Financial Times, Anthony Tan said: "We all believe that if we get this right, we can literally go into the history books." The taxi app [...]
Digital news as popular as print for the first time says Ofcom June 25, 2014 Consumers are now accessing news via the web and mobile apps just as much as print for the first time, according to telecoms regulator Ofcom. Some 41 per cent of people say they now access news on websites and apps, a substantial increase from 32 per cent in 2013. Digital news consumption also raced past [...]
Spire Healthcare announces IPO June 25, 2014 Spire Healthcare Group has announced its intention to float on the London Stock Exchange. The private hospital group's offer will include a proportion of new shares worth approximately £315m. Thye money raised will be used to pay off debts and cover the listing cost. The announcement follows the decision of Spire's private equity owners to [...]
Premier Oil appoints Tony Durrant as CEO June 25, 2014 FTSE 250 company Premier Oil has announced the appointment of Tony Durrant as its new chief executive. The appointment follows the decision of Simon Lockett to step down after nine years at the helm. During his tenure, production at the business grew by 56 per cent, while cash flows rose by 580 per cent to [...]
Stagecoach meets expectations as confidence in buses grows June 25, 2014 Stagecoach has announced financial results in line with the company's expectations for the year ended 30 April. Profit before taxation was in line with analysts’ forecasts of £180m. The FTSE 250 company's performance in the UK was was boosted by new contract wins in London and solid cost control. North American business has been booming, [...]
Isle of Bitcoin: Jersey to take on Bali as best place for cryptocurrency June 24, 2014 Jersey is set to take on the tropical island of Bali in a race to become the most attractive jurisdiction for Bitcoin businesses. Campaign group Bit.Coin.Je is hoping to solidify Jersey's reputation as a hospitable regulatory environment. Oscar Darmawan, CEO of Bitcoin Indonesia, recently launched a new initiative called ‘Bitislands’ in the hope of turning [...]
Chemring share price drops 7pc as Michael Flowers is named CEO June 24, 2014 British-based Chemring Group has seen its share price fall by seven per cent after the company announced that Michael Flowers had been appointed chief executive with immediate effect, replacing Mark Papworth. Chemring is a leading producer of defence equipment such as flares and explosive device detectors. Papworth is the second chief executive the company has [...]
