Test and Trace boss Dido Harding told to self-isolate by her own app November 18, 2020 The head of the government’s troubled contact tracing programme has gone into self-isolation after being told to do so by her own app. Dido Harding, who leads the Track and Trace scheme, must self-isolate until midnight on 26 November. The Tory peer shared a screenshot of the notification on Twitter, joking: “Nothing like personal experience [...]
UK music industry value set to halve as pandemic derails growth November 18, 2020 The value of the UK music industry is set to almost halve in size this year due to the “catastrophic blow” of the coronavirus pandemic. Figures published today by industry body UK Music showed the sector contributed a bumper £5.8bn to the economy in 2019 — up 11 per cent on the previous year. Employment [...]
European tech industry calls for delay to new regulation November 18, 2020 A group representing Europe’s thriving tech industry has called for a moratorium on looming new regulation until a review has been carried out into the impact of the changes. The EU will next month table new laws designed to prevent tech companies from unfairly promoting their own products and services and holding firms more accountable [...]
Mudge: Why has Twitter just hired a world-famous hacker? November 17, 2020 Twitter may have been awash with excitement about its new disappearing Fleets service, but behind the scenes there were other clandestine matters underway today. The social media platform said it had hired Mudge, one of the world’s best-regarded hackers, to the new position of head of security. The appointment comes at a crucial time for [...]
Balancing the books: Murdoch’s News Corp tables bid for Simon & Schuster November 17, 2020 Rupert Murdoch’s media empire is said to have tabled a bid for Simon & Schuster, the publishing giant behind best-selling authors including Stephen King and Dan Brown. Simon & Schuster was put up for sale by its owner, US media conglomerate Viacom CBS, following a strategic review in March. Murdoch’s News Corp has now entered [...]
Online publishers curb revenue decline as pandemic drives up subscriptions November 17, 2020 Online publishers suffered a less steep decline in revenue than feared at the height of the coronavirus lockdown, as surging demand for news drove up subscriber numbers. Digital publishing revenue fell 14.3 per cent year on year to £96.6m in the second quarter — a smaller drop than anticipated. The fall was driven by lower [...]
Huawei sells Honor smartphone brand as US sanctions bite November 17, 2020 Huawei is selling its budget smartphone brand Honor to a newly-formed consortium of Chinese buyers after US sanctions pushed the division to the brink of collapse. The Chinese tech giant said it will offload Honor’s business assets to Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co, a group of over 30 agents and dealers, including several state-owned [...]
Airbnb reveals deeper loss ahead of stock market float November 17, 2020 Airbnb today revealed it has suffered deeper losses this year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, as it unveiled the prospectus for its eagerly-awaited stock market listing. The holiday rental company posted a loss of $697m (£527m) on revenue of $2.5bn in the nine months to the end of September, a widening of the [...]
Three arrested in Germany over $1bn jewel heist November 17, 2020 Police have arrested three people in Germany on suspicion of carrying out an audacious $1bn (£757m) jewel heist at a museum containing Europe’s largest treasure collection. Thieves broke into the Gruenes Gewoelbe — or Green Vault — museum in Dresden last November, escaping with at least three sets of 18th century jewellery, including diamonds and [...]
Graham Norton to join Virgin Radio after BBC exit November 16, 2020 Broadcaster Graham Norton is set to join News UK’s Virgin Radio after leaving the BBC last week. The legendary presenter will host a flagship weekend show on Saturdays and Sundays. The hire is a major coup for Virgin as commercial rivals vie for listeners in an increasingly competitive radio market. Read more: Sun newspaper wins [...]
