The UK has a vital role to play in leading the global fourth industrial revolution October 28, 2019 For nearly a year, my mayoral programme – Shaping Tomorrow’s City Today – has promoted UK innovation and technology, addressed social and digital exclusion, and championed digital skills. And during my recent business delegation visit to Kenya, I saw the great potential that technological innovation offers to individuals and communities seeking financial empowerment. Over the [...]
Mike Ashley urges MPs to look into Debenhams collapse October 27, 2019 Mike Ashley has redoubled his efforts to have the collapse of Debenhams investigated and lambasted MPs for not being more interested in the failure of the high-street department store. Read more: Mike Ashley kicks off £4m takeover for Goals Soccer Centres In a letter to business select committee chair MP Rachel Reeves, seen by the [...]
Virgin Galactic brings space tourism to public markets as New York float beckons October 27, 2019 Investors will get their first chance to buy into a space tourism firm tomorrow, when shares in Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic start trading in New York. The company tied the knot on a merger with a US investment vehicle late on Friday, meaning it will go public when markets open tomorrow, in what its [...]
Tory donor acquires stake in former Virgin Money chief’s fintech startup Snoop October 25, 2019 A Conservative Party donor has acquired a stake in the technology business of former Virgin Money chief executive Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia. Lord Brownlow’s investment vehicle, Havisham assets, has bought a £5m share in Snoop according to Sky News, alongside Salesforce Ventures, which Jayne-Anne recently joined as UK and Ireland chief. Read more: Self-driving startup Fiveai [...]
WPP leads FTSE 100 risers with surprise return to growth October 25, 2019 WPP led the FTSE 100 risers today as its shares climbed after it posted a surprise return to growth in the third quarter. WPP’s share price rose above six per cent to 971.2p after revealing revenue climbed 5.2 per cent to £3.29bn. Read more: Sainsbury’s heir to the throne quits to join WPP Like-for-like sales [...]
Twitter shares plunge after revenue hit by advertising bugs and weaker demand October 24, 2019 Twitter has posted worse-than-expected profit and revenue figures for the third quarter, which the company blamed on advertising bugs and unusually low demand over the summer. Shares in the social media platform tumbled over 18 per cent following the announcement. Read more: Twitter founder Jack Dorsey has account hacked as series of racist messages posted [...]
John Humphrys makes surprise return to radio with Classic FM show October 24, 2019 John Humphrys is set to make a surprise return to the airwaves, joining Classic FM as a guest presenter on its breakfast show. Read more: Commercial radio market share rises to highest level in 20 years The veteran broadcaster, who stepped down as host of the BBC’s Today programme last month, will head up the [...]
BBC ‘may not be sustainable’ in current form, media watchdog warns October 24, 2019 The BBC may not be sustainable in its current form as it struggles to win over the attention of younger audiences, the media watchdog has warned. In a damning report published today, Ofcom said the corporation was at risk of a “lost generation” as young people increasingly tune out of its services. The reach of [...]
Facial recognition tech powered by AI poses a threat to society October 24, 2019 Facial recognition software feels like it has stepped out of the realms of science fiction and into reality. Thanks to massive developments in artificial intelligence (AI), cameras and surveillance systems can now check and analyse someone’s facial features in real time. This is a profound step forward in the realms of biometric security, and major [...]
The UK’s AI talent race just stepped up a gear October 24, 2019 Technology has the power to improve lives and tackle the great challenges of our time. At the University of Exeter, for example, Tim Dodwell is about to start a five-year project looking into how technology can make the aviation industry more sustainable and safer. He is one of the first five recipients of a new [...]