Sofitel St James: Rediscover London with a touch of luxury July 24, 2021 When a man is tired of London, he should probably try booking a staycation here. With international travel still (somehow) in disarray, and the languorous month of August looming, it’s only sensible that Brits look closer to home for a break. But forget the packed beaches of Cornwall or the rural gridlock of the Lake [...]
Tory poll lead collapses amid tax hike revolt July 24, 2021 The Conservative Party’s lead in the polls has slumped to its lowest in more than six months as Prime Minister Boris Johnson braces for a revolt over tax rises. The Tory margin over Labour has fallen from 13 percentage points to just four, according to a Yougov survey conducted this week for the Times. The [...]
Covid: More workers to avoid self-isolation as workplace testing expanded July 24, 2021 More workers will be able to avoid self-isolation if they come into contact with a Covid case after the government expanded workplace testing in England. Police, firefighters, border staff and transport workers were already exempt from self-isolation, but only if employers specified their names and they were double-jabbed against Covid. Now a further 200 testing [...]
WPP pulls out of Facebook media agency review July 23, 2021 WPP, which currently handles Facebook’s lucrative media planning and buying account, has pulled out of the social media’s agency review. GroupM, WPP’s media investment management division, has opted not to compete to retain the account, leaving rivals Dentsu, Havas and Publicis Groupe vying for the contract. Facebook’s media buying account is highly sought-after, reportedly covering [...]
Indian food delivery app Zomato surges 80 per cent on IPO July 23, 2021 Indian food delivery startup Zomato skyrocketed as much as 80 per cent on its stock market debut today, setting the pace for a string of upcoming listings in the country. Shares in Zomato, which is backed by Ant Group, surged as high as 138.9 rupees each, giving the company a market capitalisation of $12bn. It [...]
MPs warn of ‘huge financial losses’ as scam ads left out of online safety laws July 23, 2021 A string of cross-party MPs have blasted the government’s failure to include paid-for adverts in its upcoming online safety laws, warning of “huge financial losses” to the public. In a joint letter to the prime minister, the Treasury Committee and the Work and Pensions Committee said fraudulent online ads were doing immense harm and urged [...]
Snap shares jump as it smashes user and revenue targets July 23, 2021 Shares in Snap have soared in after-hours trading after the social media group smashed forecasts for its user numbers and revenue in the second quarter. The California-based owner of Snapchat saw its shares jump more than 17 per cent after markets closed as it booked its highest growth rates since late 2017. Daily active users [...]
Screenshot: Have Bezos and Branson ushered in a new era of space tourism? July 23, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Badger, mushroom, snake **Have Bezos and Branson ushered in a space tourism boom? **No more chill for Netflix Media Moment of the Week: Badger, mushroom, snake Want to feel old? The iconic animated badger video (you know the one) is now almost 18 years old. Aside from lamenting [...]
Twitter beats revenue expectations after advertising revamp July 23, 2021 Twitter has reported better-than-expected revenue growth in its second quarter as the social media site reaped the rewards of an overhaul of its advertising service. The tech firm posted total revenue of $1.19bn in the three months to the end of June, up 74 per cent on the same period last year and ahead of [...]
Not too Priti: Home Office crackdown could see journalists muzzled July 22, 2021 Journalists and whistleblowers could face lengthy prison sentences for exposing information in the public interest under new proposals put forward by the government, industry leaders have warned. Under Priti Patel the Home Office has opened a consultation on planned changes to the Official Secrets Act that could see reporters treated like spies or those who [...]