Lyft losses grow ahead of $25bn flotation
Getty Images Lyft, the ride-hailing company, has revealed that it is yet to make a profit ahead of an initial public offering (IPO) which could value the firm at between $20bn and $25bn. The company is racing its larger ride-sharing rival Uber to list its stock. In its prospectus, Lyft published detailed financials for the […]
Ofcom report shows growing 5G coverage
Getty Images About seven in 10 UK properties can now get 5G reception from at least one mobile operator, says a new report from media regulator Ofcom. The number of mobile phones able to use 5G has also risen significantly, doubling in the past year to one in five handsets, the Ofcom report found. Getty […]
A year ago, the show did not go on. What happened next?
Marc Brenner The cast of Our Lady of Blundellsands had a run of a week before the show was cut short Last March, Liverpool’s Everyman theatre opened its new play, Our Lady of Blundellsands, starring Josie Lawrence and written by Jonathan Harvey. After a week, it closed again. That was when Covid-19 shut all theatres, […]
Energizer ‘thick boi’ phone gives 50 days of battery life
EVN A new Energizer phone promises its battery will last up to 50 days on one charge. But this isn’t a slim, sleek new handset – tech fans are describing it as an “absolute unit” and the “thick boi” of the mobile world. The snappily named Power Max P18K Pop, made by Avenir Telecom, is […]
Plastic bags recycled into fabric to fight pollution
Getty Images Polythene is among the most widely-produced materials in the world Scientists have made fabrics from polythene in a move they say could reduce plastic pollution and make the fashion industry more sustainable. Polythene is a ubiquitous plastic, found in everything from plastic bags to food packaging. The new textiles have potential uses in […]
Home Office urged to use lie detectors
PA There has been a small spike in the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats in recent months People seeking asylum in the UK should take a lie detector test as part of their application, the former chief of UK immigration enforcement says. Abuse of the asylum system is “rife” and it […]
Rhondda ex-mining village looks to forest for its future
Mike Erskine Ian Thomas from social enterprise Welcome to the Woods hopes taking charge of the forest will build local wealth The Skyline project wants to take charge of about 1.5 sq miles (4 sq km) of forestry around Treherbert, Rhondda Cynon Taff. It wants to create jobs in forestry and provide timber for affordable […]
Sugar reduction in food well below target of 20%
Getty Images There was a small 3% overall reduction in sugar in food products sold between 2015 and 2019, according to a Public Health England (PHE) report. This was far below the government’s voluntary target for the food industry of 20% by 2020. The largest drops in sugar were in yogurts and breakfast cereals. But […]
Finland shocked by suspected ‘racist’ stabbings
Foreign-born citizens in the city of Oulu in northern Finland have said they feel unsafe after two stabbings police suspect may have been racially motivated. The attacks took place in the main shopping centre in Oulu over the course of one week. On 13 June, a 33-year-old local man – a former member of the […]
Furlough’s further furlong
Getty Images The Job Retention Scheme has been retained across the UK, while England enters a new month of lockdown. But it’s not clear it will also be there if Scotland needs to deploy it at a time when England does not. Businesses welcome the return of furlough, but there’s dismay in some sectors about […]