OneWeb and Panasonic to rival Viasat-Inmarsat tie-up with in-flight wifi deal October 18, 2022 British satellite darling OneWeb has teamed up with in-flight entertainment giant Panasonic, in a partnership which could rival the looming Viasat-Inmarsat tie-up. The deal will see Panasonic Avionics, which serves over 70 airlines, sell OneWeb’s in-flight broadband services to commercial airlines worldwide by the second half of next year, cementing aviation as the latest cash [...]
Microsoft cuts more staff as Big Tech slowdown continues October 18, 2022 Microsoft continued to cull its workforce this week as the software giant feels the sting of stagnating growth, with sources telling the Business Insider that 1,000 people lost their jobs in a fresh wave of cuts. Impacted teams within the software giant included the Xbox division, the Strategic Missions team, and the office of the Chief [...]
Rocket firm Orbex pockets £40m from investors ahead of UK launch October 18, 2022 British rocket firm Orbex has pocketed £40.4m in its latest funding run, as it gathers resources in the count down to its first vertical launch from UK soil in November. The Series C funding round, led by new investor the Scottish National Investment Bank, will also help the company fund future projects. Orbex, which has production and [...]
Government should axe apprenticeship levy and forge skills body, says CBI exec October 18, 2022 The government should axe its levy on apprenticeships, the head of skills at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said, as the UK wrestles with STEM skills shortages and shrinking talent pools. Speaking to the science and technology Lords committee in parliament yesterday, the CBI’s Robert West urged that an independent government taskforce to [...]
Rolls-Royce enters next era as first fully-electric motor car goes on display, in gold October 18, 2022 Rolls-Royce has unveiled its first fully-electric motor car. The British manufacturer said the first customer cars of the new Spectre model will be delivered late next year. The model, displayed in gold by Rolls-Royce, fulfils a “prophecy” by the maker’s founder, Charles Stewart Rolls, who said in 1900 the electric car is “perfectly noiseless and [...]
Competition watchdog orders Facebook owner Meta to sell Giphy October 18, 2022 The competition watchdog told Facebook’s parent firm Meta this afternoon that it would need to dump Giphy, marking the first time the regulator has blocked a deal struck by a Big Tech firm. In its “final decision”, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ruled that the combination of the two companies would allow Meta to [...]
New UK science minister unveils £15m cashpot for satellite comms innovation October 17, 2022 The UK’s new science minister has unveiled a £15m fund for businesses to bolster their satellite communications technology. Nusrat Ghani, who stepped into the position within Liz Truss’ cabinet at the beginning of the month, said the funding will help “to strengthen the UK’s position as a world leader in the satellite communications market” and [...]
US approval of GSK’s one-vial meningitis vaccine sweetens investors amid litigation October 17, 2022 GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) one-vial only meningitis vaccine Menveo has been approved by US regulators, which has sweetened investors amid its ongoing legal battle. The British medicines giant and French pharma firm Sanofi are currently undergoing a series of trials in the US over Zantac, a heartburn drug which was recalled in 2019 following claims by the US [...]
British chipmaker IQE lunges into Samsung’s home turf with Asia push October 17, 2022 British chipmaker IQE has announced its second Asia-based partnership in a week, as it seeks to widen its presence in the tech-driven market. IQE today inked a supply deal with an unnamed consumer electronics heavyweight in the region, just days after cutting a deal with Korean supplies producer SK Siltron for the development and commercialisation [...]
Kanye West snaps up free speech social media firm Parler in bid to ‘change the world’ October 17, 2022 Kanye West is set to buy right-wing social media app Parler, with the vision to “change the world” with a new free speech vision. Parler was banned by both Google and Apple in 2021 after it was used during the Capitol riots in Washington DC. It was accused of the proliferation of posts on violent political [...]