Boris won the keys to Number 10 – now can he win an election? July 24, 2019 If it wasn’t clear before yesterday’s conclusion of the Tory leadership race, it sure is now: Britain is facing a General Election, and sooner rather than later. Every incoming Prime Minister is greeted with trepidation, sometimes edging into scepticism. That is normal in a country which has traditionally frowned on cults of personality. But the [...]
If you stand for nothing, Lib Dems, what will you fall for? July 24, 2019 The Liberal Democrats have a new, young, energetic, female leader and are riding high in the polls. So with the two main parties in disarray, even now one of them has finally changed managers, can the Lib Dems break through the electoral system and overcome the political duopoly we have been cursed with for decades? [...]
Snap boosts revenue and users with new “augmented reality” features July 23, 2019 Snapchat parent company Snap boosted its user numbers and revenue in the second quarter of the year as customers lapped up its “augmented reality” filters, although it is yet to turn a profit. Read more: Snap smashes expectations with narrowed losses and surprise user additions Revenue at the US social media firm rocketed by 48 [...]
Trump’s tweets do bitcoin and Facebook a favour July 23, 2019 Donald Trump’s recent tweet about bitcoin and that Facebook’s new quasi-crypto the “libra” would get the full force of the US regulators if they “want to become a bank” has put the crypto kitty amongst the pigeons. Why now? Surely Trump doesn’t care about bitcoin? Well, it was timed just before Facebook had to testify [...]
Going on holiday is a chance for a much-needed screen-break, so feast your ears on these podcasts instead July 23, 2019 Just admit it, we are totally dependent on our digital devices. People in the UK now check their smartphones, on average, every 12 minutes of the waking day, according to a worrying 2018 report from media watchdog Ofcom. This is likely to be even worse for business people, with a deluge of emails tiring our [...]
Politicians need to wake up to the risks of artificial superintelligence July 23, 2019 Politicians aren’t very good at thinking about more than one thing at a time. Take Brexit as an example, if you needed one. Everything other than our proposed exit from the European Union – and who will be the Prime Minister to lead us through it – has been downgraded to an inconvenient side-show. This [...]
Hong Kong protests: City in shock after ‘triad gangsters’ attack demonstrators July 22, 2019 Pro-democracy activists and commuters were brutally attacked in Hong Kong last night as men dressed in white left 45 in hospital. The men, who wore white shirts and were suspected to be triad gangsters – stormed a train station in the city to attack regular commuters and protesters alike with batons. Read more: Hong Kong [...]
How 15-year-old American tennis star Cori Gauff can avoid the pitfalls of being a child prodigy July 21, 2019 A month ago few people knew who 15-year-old Cori Gauff was – and with good reason. Although she had caused a stir on the junior tennis circuit, Gauff was ranked No313 in the world before the offer of a wild card into Wimbledon qualifying, in her own words, “literally changed my life in seconds”. Gauff [...]
Britain’s Intelligence and Security Committee urge next Prime Minister to prioritise Huawei decision July 19, 2019 The British Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) has warned the next Prime Minister that if they do not quickly come to a decision on the role Huawei will play in the 5G telecommunications network then it could further damage international relations. The powerful committee of MPs said on Friday that they must make a [...]
Internet reacts in horror to ‘terrifying’ and ‘demented’ Cats movie trailer July 19, 2019 The first trailer for upcoming movie ‘Cats’ based on the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber has caused a stir on social media. The star-studded line-up unveiled its official taster last night ahead of its December release date. Read more: E3 2019: The biggest games, trailers and announcments But instead of excitement, the CGI human-cat hybrids [...]