UK ‘to trial’ Covid-19 vaccine passports with new app January 13, 2021 The UK is said to be starting trials of a vaccine passport that could play a key role in efforts to inoculate the population against coronavirus. Thousands of Brits who have already received their Covid-19 jab will be offered a passport proving they have been vaccinated as part of a government-funded trial, the Telegraph reported. [...]
Nature calls: David Attenborough hologram to front £28m 5G trial January 13, 2021 Sir David Attenborough is set to star in a holographic video showcasing the wonders of the natural world as part of a £28m government-funded 5G trial. The beloved British broadcaster will feature in a new augmented reality app, to be released alongside upcoming BBC series The Green Planet. The app, developed by a consortium of [...]
Telegram user numbers surge after Whatsapp privacy update January 12, 2021 Messaging app Telegram has seen its user numbers balloon amid a backlash over changes to Whatsapp’s privacy policy. Telegram, which offers encrypted chat services, today said 25m new users had signed up in the last 72 hours alone. This is compared to the 1.5m daily additions it averaged last year, while the app’s total user [...]
Trump brands social media ban ‘catastrophic mistake’ and defends pre-riot speech January 12, 2021 Donald Trump has branded his social media ban a “catastrophic mistake” as he refused to take responsibility for inciting riots at the Capitol last week. The outgoing president, who has been accused of inciting violence and is facing a second impeachment, today played down his role in the riots and attempted to blame Silicon Valley. [...]
Broadband firm Community Fibre launches London TV service January 12, 2021 Challenger broadband firm Community Fibre has launched a new pay-TV service that it hopes will offer Londoners a more affordable alternative to Sky and Virgin. The new service, launched with TV provider Netgem, gives customers access to 135 channels, as well as a range of streaming services and on-demand content. Community Fibre TV will be [...]
BBC Sounds launches on Sky in latest streaming tie-up January 12, 2021 Sky has agreed a deal with the BBC to embed the Sounds app on its platform, marking the pay-TV giant’s latest effort to become a one-stop shop for streaming services. From today the BBC Sounds app will be available to all Sky Q customers in the UK, offering more than 80,000 hours of audio content. [...]
Zoom kicks off $1.5bn share issue as vaccine threat looms January 12, 2021 Zoom is set to raise $1.5bn (£1.1bn) in a mammoth share sale as it looks to maintain momentum following a bumper year of growth. The video conferencing app launched the fundraising today, adding that it could be expanded by a further $225m. Zoom did not say what it plans to do with the fresh capital. [...]
Fine wine merchant Bordeaux Index tops $125m in sales January 12, 2021 Fine wine and spirits merchant Bordeaux Index has posted sales of more than $125m (£92m) in 2020 as a recovery in trade in Asia helped offset the impact of the pandemic. The London-based company, which is the largest seller of fine wine in Asia, said a resurgence in sales in the region in the second [...]
Retail sales suffer worst year on record as lockdowns bite January 12, 2021 UK retail sales suffered their worst year on record in 2020 as Covid-19 lockdown measures decimated customer numbers. In-store sales of non-food items — which includes all non-essential retailers — dropped by almost a quarter last year compared to 2019. For 2020 overall, total sales declined 0.3 per cent on the previous year, marking the [...]
Sainsbury’s to enforce masks and shopping alone in Covid crackdown January 11, 2021 Sainsbury’s has become the second British supermarket to ban customers who refuse to wear a face mask amid a crackdown on Covid rulebreakers. The chain said shoppers will be prevented from entering without a face mask, while shopping in groups will also be banned. Sainsbury’s will put trained security guards at the front of stores [...]
