Investors mob Airbnb listing giving it $100bn value
Reuters/Perla Requejo Shares in holiday booking platform Airbnb have surged on their first day of public trade, giving the firm a valuation of more than $100bn. The massive listing – the biggest of the year in the US – raised $3.5bn (£2.6bn) for the firm. The firm said it would use the money to help […]
Welsh Shellfish producers facing block on exports to EU
Getty Images Shellfish from Grade B waters must be cleaned and purified before being sent to Europe Many cockles and mussels producers in Wales have been told they cannot continue exporting to the EU because the water quality is not good enough. Most Welsh waters are Grade B which means shellfish have to be cleaned […]
Solar panels unveiled at Chernobyl nuclear power site
Reuters A new solar power plant has been built at the site of the former Chernobyl nuclear power station Reuters The Chernobyl plant was the site of a catastrophic nuclear disaster in 1986 Radioactive material was released into the atmosphere across parts of Europe, leading to a rise in cases of thyroid cancer The area […]
What happens when they get to the South?
Getty Images Starting a new life in South Korea can be challenging for North Korean defectors For Kim Ji-young, arriving in South Korea at the age of 31 after an arduous escape from the North “was like a dream”. But her joy at arriving in the prosperous South in March 2013 alongside her mother and […]
TalkTalk to move headquarters to Salford from London
TalkTalk TalkTalk says the move was “part of its strategy to simplify its operations” Broadband provider TalkTalk is moving its headquarters from London to Salford, the firm has confirmed. It said hundreds of roles would be relocated to its Salford office – where its business and technology teams are already based – in 2019. It […]
Jersey to enter ‘hospitality circuit breaker’
Getty Images Hospitality outlets will be forced to close from 00:01 on Friday Pubs, bars and restaurants in Jersey are set to close from 00:01 GMT on Friday for up to a month in order to tackle a surge in Covid cases. The “hospitality circuit breaker” announced on Wednesday comes amid fears health services could […]
Firefighters trial new smart helmet which could save lives
A new smart helmet could help firefighters locate people in smoke-filled buildings more quickly. Feeds from thermal imaging cameras, radars and sensors provide real-time data of their surroundings, identifying people and other fire service crew. Dr Chris Lu from the University of Edinburgh hopes to improve real-time communication between fire crews attending an incident. The […]
Gütersloh lockdown lifted after German court ruling
Getty Images Authorities rolled out testing units to track the outbreak in Gütersloh A German court has ended a lockdown imposed to tackle a coronavirus outbreak at a meat packing facility. While a lockdown was “not unreasonable” at first, the court ruled that authorities should have replaced it with more focused measures. Officials in North […]
No-deal Brexit would ‘wipe out’ profit in dairy sector
‘The tariffs will wipe out total profitability’ – Nick Whelan, Dale Farm chief executive A leading dairy co-operative has warned that a no-deal Brexit would “wipe out” profitability in the dairy sector. Nick Whelan, chief executive of Dale Farm, said steep EU export tariffs in the event of a no-deal would crush the sector. Dale […]
ChatGPT banned in Italy over privacy concerns
Getty Images OpenAI launched ChatGPT last November Italy has become the first Western country to block advanced chatbot ChatGPT. The Italian data-protection authority said there were privacy concerns relating to the model, which was created by US start-up OpenAI and is backed by Microsoft. The regulator said it would ban and investigate OpenAI “with immediate […]