Government blasted over ‘litany’ of broadband failures January 8, 2021 Small businesses could be locked out of full-fibre broadband for years to come due to a “litany” of failures by the government, MPs have warned. In a damning report published today, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the government had failed to make “any meaningful progress” in securing the policy and legislative changes needed to [...]
Sainsbury’s bags Christmas sales rise after online shopping boost January 7, 2021 Sainsbury’s today posted a strong rise in sales over Christmas as a record number of customers bought their shopping online. The supermarket chain said like-for-like sales were up 9.1 per cent during the festive period, despite people holding smaller gatherings due to lockdown measures. The company said it sold smaller turkeys and more beef and [...]
MPs urge Rishi Sunak to save music festivals amid threat of collapse January 7, 2021 MPs have urged chancellor Rishi Sunak to roll out emergency support for music festivals this summer, warning many events are at risk of permanent collapse. In a letter today the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee asked the chancellor to launch a government-backed insurance scheme to ensure festivals and live music events [...]
US Congress certifies Biden win as Trump vows orderly transition January 7, 2021 US Congress has formally certified Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory, hours after hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol. Late last night lawmakers resumed the process of certifying Biden’s Electoral College win, with debate stretching into the early hours of this morning. The House and Senate rejected two objections to the tally and certified the [...]
Ladbrokes owner makes £250m bid for Enlabs after shunning MGM January 7, 2021 The owner of British betting firm Ladbrokes has made a £250m takeover bid for Swedish rival Enlabs, just days after rejecting an £8bn approach from MGM. Entain today said it is offering 40 Swedish krona for each share of Enlabs, which specialises in sports betting. This values the company at roughly 2.8bn krona (£250m), marking [...]
British Gas engineers start five-day strike in row over pay January 7, 2021 British Gas customers have been warned of “massive disruption” as engineers this morning began a five-day strike amid a row over pay. Thousands of staff members could walk out in protest at new contracts, which the GMB union says amount to so-called fire and rehire tactics to cut pay on pain of dismissal. GMB national [...]
Twitter and Facebook lock Trump’s account amid Capitol riots January 7, 2021 Twitter and Facebook last night took the unprecedented step of locking US President Donald Trump’s account after his supporters stormed the Capitol. In a message to protesters at the height of the violence, Trump told protesters “I love you” before telling them to go home. He also repeated false claims that the election, which he [...]
GB News promises ‘boldly different’ TV channel as it secures £60m funding January 6, 2021 An upcoming TV channel promising to shake up the rolling news market will start recruiting 120 journalists after sealing the final tranche of its £60m investment. GB News, which is spearheaded by Andrew Neil, today said it had secured backing from Dubai-based investment firm Legatum and hedge fund manager Sir Paul Marshall. The funding round, [...]
Competition watchdog to probe Nvidia’s $40bn Arm takeover January 6, 2021 The UK competition watchdog has opened an investigation into Nvidia’s $40bn (£29bn) takeover of British chip designer Arm. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today said it will look into whether the deal could lead to Arm withdraw, raising prices or reducing the quality of its services to Nvidia’s competitors. “The chip technology industry is [...]
Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch to step down January 6, 2021 Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch is stepping down after 13 years at the helm of the media giant. Darroch, who is one of the UK’s longest-serving bosses, will retire as chief executive and take up the role of executive chairman. He will be replaced by Dana Strong, who is currently president of consumer services at [...]
