Amazon and Google unveil plans to send workers back to the office April 1, 2021 Amazon and Google have both made changes to their work-from-home policies as they look to encourage workers back into the office. In a memo to employees, Amazon said it expected most of its corporate staff to be back in the office by early autumn. The company said it planned to return to an “office-centric culture [...]
Test and Trace: Impact of £37bn scheme ‘limited’ as Brits shun self-isolation April 1, 2021 The Government has responded to a damnig report which found the effectiveness of the UK’s £37bn Test and Trace programme is “limited” due to the widespread failure of Brits to recognise Covid symptoms and self-isolate. A large study examining the NHS system found that fewer than one in five people request a Covid-19 test if [...]
Millions of workers set to benefit as UK hikes minimum wage April 1, 2021 Around 2m of the UK’s lowest-paid workers will receive a “well-earned” pay rise from today following increases in statutory minimum wages. Workers are being urged to check their pay packets as the National Living Wage rises by 2.2 per cent to £8.91, the equivalent of more than £345 a year for a full-time employee. It [...]
Restart grants: Councils urged to release money ‘at pace’ as £5bn fund launches April 1, 2021 Councils have been urged to release new grant funding to business owners “as soon as possible” to help boost the economy. From today eligible businesses will be able to receive up to £18,000 as part of the government’s £5bn restart grants scheme. In a letter, local authorities have been told by government ministers to “press [...]
Covid-19: France shuts schools as it enters third national lockdown March 31, 2021 France will shut schools for at least three weeks and extend tough lockdown measures to the entire country in a bid to combat a third wave of coronavirus sweeping across Europe. President Emmanuel Macron said he was widening restrictions that were already in place in Paris, swathes of the north and parts of the south [...]
Online learning platform Coursera jumps on US stock market debut March 31, 2021 Shares in online learning company Coursera surged by almost a fifth following their debut on the New York Stock Exchange today, valuing the company at more than $5bn (£3.6bn). Coursera, which offers online courses from top universities and companies, opened at $39 per share this afternoon — 18 per cent above its IPO price of [...]
Nick Clegg defends Facebook algorithms as platform revamps news feed March 31, 2021 Sir Nick Clegg has launched an impassioned defence of Facebook’s algorithms, insisting the platform had empowered people and denying it was responsible for increased polarisation. The former deputy prime minister, who is now Facebook’s vice president of global affairs, said people needed to “make their peace” with algorithms and acknowledge they were “here to stay”. [...]
Bet365 boss Denise Coates nets record £421m payday despite revenue fall March 31, 2021 Bet365 chief executive Denise Coates paid herself at least £421m in the year to March 2020, despite a decline in revenue in the run-up to the pandemic. Company filings show the gambling giant handed the sum to its highest-paid director, who is believed to be Coates. It is thought to be the UK’s largest ever [...]
Apple leads $50m funding round in record label disruptor United Masters March 31, 2021 Apple has led a $50m (£36m) investment in United Masters, an independent music platform aiming to challenge the dominance of major record labels. United Masters, which was founded in 2017 by former label executive Steve Stoute, provides a platform for artists to distribute their music while retaining ownership of their master recording rights. This is [...]
Glastonbury 2021: Haim, Coldplay and Jorja Smith to play livestream gig March 31, 2021 The organisers of Glastonbury today revealed plans for a “ground-breaking” livestream gig from Worthy Farm after the festival was cancelled for the second year running. Haim, Coldplay and Jorja Smith are among the acts who will perform during the five-hour extravaganza on 22 May. British favourites Wolf Alice and Kano are also named on the [...]
