China’s Baidu pulls in near $5bn revenue as AI turnover surges November 17, 2021 Internet services giant Baidu pulled in nearly $5bn in revenue in its latest quarter, climbing past analyst forecasts, despite China’s ongoing technology crackdown. Revenue jumped 13 per cent year on year to $4.95bn, while it secured $358m in operating income in the three months to September 30. The Beijing-headquartered company expects to pull in around [...]
Exclusive: Speedy Hire’s CEO on expanding into “untapped” consumer markets with B&Q deal November 17, 2021 Speedy Hire has recovered rapidly from the pandemic and is enjoying a healthy 28.2 per cent boost in revenues, lifting expectations for its full-year results. Its adjusted operating profit has grown to £16.2m, £9.9m higher than the first six months of Speedy Hire’s previous year. The FTSE-All Share listed tools and equipment rental specialist is [...]
Future of travel special: Pent-up wanderlust, streaming and, of course, a lot of tech November 16, 2021 After three strict lockdowns, the old adage ‘trip of a lifetime’ has never been more appropriate. Nearly two years into the pandemic, constant reminders of how precious life is have inevitably left their mark, bringing an increased awareness of what really matters, which is quite a motivation for many people to stop putting off that [...]
Tory MP paid £300,000 by private equity firm that invests in spy tech for China November 14, 2021 A Tory MP has been paid £300,000 by a private equity firm that invests in a spy technology company used by the China government against Uyghur Muslims. North East Bedfordshire MP Richard Fuller has been paid £20,000 a month since January 2020 to work as an advisory director for Investcorp Securities. It is one of four jobs [...]
Supply chain crisis could last until 2023, UK ports warn November 14, 2021 The supply chain crisis could last up until 2023, Associated British Ports (ABP) – the UK’s biggest port operator – has warned. ABP’s chief executive Henrik Pedersen, told the Sunday Times: “When you have congested container ports around the world, it takes a very long time to turn it around. We have a shortage of [...]
Greece’s Ancient Olympia to be digitally preserved by Microsoft November 11, 2021 Ancient Olympia to be digitally preserved in a new deal between the Greek government and Microsoft.
9 in 10 Brits are worried that the supply chain crisis is here to stay November 9, 2021 New research reveals that over 90 per cent of Brits are worried that supply chain problems will be ongoing, throwing brand loyalty out the window.
Weir Group snaps up mining tech firm November 5, 2021 Glasgow-based Weir Group has boosted its technological capabilities with the expected acquisition of Motion Metrics for an initial £89m. The deal is likely to go through in the fourth quarter of this year, and it could increase by a further £59m by the end of 2024 depending on revenue and profit performance. Integration costs are [...]
Crypto blindspot risks ‘crumbling’ British legal system place on international stage November 3, 2021 Britain’s legal system could lose both business and its international standing because of failures to keep up with laws for new markets like crypto-currency and artificial intelligence, according to a new report. English law underpins financial contracts and transactions worth trillions around the world, according to the report by think-tank Social Market Foundation. But the [...]
Q&A: How tech is shaking up the banking sector November 1, 2021 A technological revolution is occurring, which is affecting all business sectors. And the Covid-19 pandemic has been accelerating this process. Banking is one area that has been particularly disrupted by technology for some time, but it was during the pandemic that customers really started to change their banking habits. Banking over the counter in High Street branches is [...]