How Spotify’s $1bn bet on podcasts failed to make any money August 9, 2023 In 2018, Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek announced the company would invest $500m in growing a podcast business. But that spend ballooned to more than $1bn over the next four years as the company licensed shows, bought numerous production studios and signed exclusive podcast deals with the likes of the Obamas and the Sussexes. Ek [...]
Softbank reports mixed quarter as it ‘timidly’ restarts investment August 8, 2023 Japan’s Softbank Group posted a surprise loss but said it was dipping its toes back into new investments after its Vision Fund unit returned to the black for the first time in six quarters. The Vision Fund unit booked an investment gain of about 160 billion yen ($1.1 billion) for the April-June period, helped by [...]
None for the road: Takeaway pints banned as Home Office ends pub pandemic scheme August 7, 2023 Bad news for punters who enjoy a cold pint on the go as the government has decided to put an end to the Covid-19 scheme which allowed pubs to sell takeaway pints. Pubs were allowed to sell alcoholic drinks in plastic cups to customers on the street in 2020, when businesses could not trade normally [...]
From train robberies to ‘Hi Mum’ texts, we are fighting an ever-changing face of fraud August 7, 2023 We've almost all received a "hi mum" message trying to defraud us, but for the victims who fall for the scammers, we must have a safety net, writes Chris Hayward.
Amazon forecasts bright third quarter on resilient cloud sales and shopping trends August 4, 2023 Amazon reported sales growth and profit that beat expectations as the company delivered goods faster and more cheaply to shoppers while recent cloud-computing headwinds began to subside. Amazon’s Wall Street shares surged nine per cent on the news, extending its stock market value more than $120 billion in after-hours trading. On the FTSE 100 index, [...]
Exclusive: UK government partners with Kindeva in £33m inhaler technology revolution post-pandemic August 3, 2023 The UK government has joined forces with inhaler manufacturers Kindeva Drug Delivery, in a £33m injection to revolutionise inhaler technology post-pandemic. The joint investment aims to produce “eco-friendly” inhalers and create over 250 “high-skilled” jobs in the UK after the Covid-19 exposed a window of opportunity. In the March 2020 dawn of the pandemic, demand [...]
Donald Trump: Fresh charges brought against the ex president for bid to overturn the election August 2, 2023 Former US president Donald Trump has been charged by the US Justice Department for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The indictment focuses on schemes by Trump and his allies to subvert the transfer of power and keep him in office despite his loss to Joe Biden. It is the [...]
London Calling! Over two million tourists will visit this year in £674m boost to the capital August 1, 2023 London will welcome more than two million international tourists this year compared to last, bringing an additional £674m to the capital. As travel fully recovers post-pandemic, data from the London mayor’s office, shows that London was the top city in Europe for bed nights in 2022 with an increase of 131.5 per cent in 2021. [...]
BP suffers second-quarter downturn but profit still tops £2bn August 1, 2023 Weaker refining margins and falling oil and gas prices has weighed down BP's profits in the second quarter of 2023.
McDonald’s revenue growth to moderate as menu prices ease July 27, 2023 McDonald’s said on Thursday that revenue growth was expected to moderate in the second half of the year as signs of easing inflation prompt the burger giant to temper menu prices. Shares of the company were, however, up 1.5 per cent in morning trading after the burger chain posted better-than-expected quarterly profit and sales as [...]