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How to lose the technology race with China

Donald Trump’s all-guns-blazing approach is a sure way to a lose-lose break with Beijing




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Europe must embrace a new way of politics

The two-party system that prevailed for so long has been upended




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Trump’s America is threatening the nuclear peace

Hostility to multilateralism means the forces that contained proliferation are dissipating




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Locatee raises $4M Series A for its workplace analytics platform

Locatee, a Swiss startup that uses existing sensors and IT infrastructures to provide employers and commercial real estate owners with detailed data about how their spaces are utilized, today announced that it has raised a $4 million Series A funding round led by San Francisco-based FYRFLY Venture Partners and Zurich-based Tomahawk VC. “We started the […]




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VC’s largest funds make big bets on vertical B2B marketplaces

During the waning days of the first dot-com boom, some of the biggest names in venture capital invested in marketplaces and directories whose sole function was to consolidate information and foster transparency in industries that had remained opaque for decades. The thesis was that thousands of small businesses were making specialized products consumed by larger […]




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VW warns of rising costs as car market faces deep recession

Carmaker says profits are under pressure as suppliers pass on increased expenses




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Facebook to launch ‘virtual dating’ over Messenger for Facebook Dating users

Facebook will soon allow users to go on “virtual dates,” the company announced today. The social network is planning to introduce a new video calling feature that will allow users of its Facebook Dating service to connect and video call over Messenger, as an alternative to going on a real-world date. This sort of feature […]




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Facebook to supply free Portals to some care home residents under NHS scheme

The U.K. government is pulling in tech firms to connect family and friends with isolated residents and patients in care via video call devices and services during the COVID-19 crisis. First to join is Facebook, which is supplying up to 2,050 of its Portal video-calling devices for free to hospitals, care homes and other settings, […]




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UK PLC cuts dividends by £24bn in face of crisis

Investors braced for years of lower payouts by some of the most reliable dividend-paying stocks




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PSA and BMW lead race to cut emissions in Europe

Early winners and losers emerge as carmakers scramble to hit tough new targets




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Vericool raises $19.1 million for its plant-based packaging replacement for plastic coolers

Vericool, a Livermore, Calif.-based startup that’s replacing plastic coolers and packaging with plant-based products, has raised $19.1 million in a new round of financing. The company’s stated goal is to replace traditional packaging materials like polystyrene with plant-based insulating packaging materials. Its technology uses 100% recycled paper fibers and other plant-based materials, according to the […]




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Facebook’s redesign goes live with simplified navigation and dark mode

After months of testing, Facebook’s redesign is finally official. Announced last year at F8, the more minimalist approach to its desktop design has been rolled out in waves. In March, the company added an option to try out the new version. Users could switch back and leave feedback for why they had done so. This […]




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Microsoft Surface Go 2 review

The original Go was a mostly well-received addition to the Surface line when it arrived in late 2018. It was a nice, pint-sized alternatively, positioned fairly well to serve as a secondary device for some. It did the convertible double duty and traveled well, but otherwise was lacking in guts and versatility. Launching at the […]




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Discover is Facebook’s new effort to help people access websites for free — but with limits

Facebook has a new connectivity app called Discover to help those who can’t afford to get online access information on the web. The service, available through mobile web and Android app, allows users to visit any website in text format (no video, images, audio and other elements that eat up large amounts of data) and […]




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Facebook Messenger preps Auto Status location type sharing

Facebook Messenger could soon automatically tell your closest friends you’re at the gym, driving or in Tokyo. Messenger has been spotted prototyping a ported version of the Instagram close friends-only Threads app’s Auto Status option that launched in October. The unreleased Messenger feature would use your location, accelerometer and battery life to determine what you’re […]




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Facebook deletes Brazil president’s coronavirus misinfo post

Facebook has diverted from its policy of not fact-checking politicians in order to prevent the spread of potentially harmful coronavirus misinformation from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Facebook made the decisive choice to remove a video shared by Bolsonaro on Sunday where he claimed that “hydroxychloroquine is working in all places.” That’s despite the drug still […]




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Facebook Messenger launches Mac & Windows apps

Facebook Messenger is finally getting desktop apps almost 9 years after its debut. After seeing over a 100% increase in desktop browser audio and video calling, Messenger today releases its Mac and Windows desktop apps. They bring the same features as the browser version, but make it easier to keep your chat threads handy than […]




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Replace non-stop Zoom with remote office avatars app Pragli

Could avatars that show what co-workers are up to save work-from-home teams from constant distraction and loneliness? That’s the idea behind Pragli, the Bitmoji for the enterprise. It’s a virtual office app that makes you actually feel like you’re in the same building. Pragli uses avatars to signal whether co-workers are at their desk, away, […]




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Facebook launches drop-in video chat Rooms to rival Houseparty

Facebook is co-opting some of the top video chat innovations like Zoom’s gallery view for large groups and Houseparty’s spontaneous hangouts for a new feature called Rooms. It could usher in a new era of unplanned togetherness via video. Launching today on mobile and desktop in English speaking countries, you can start a video chat […]




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Spatial raises $14M more for a holographic 3D workspace app, a VR/AR version of Zoom or Hangouts

The worlds of virtual and augmented reality have yet to land on the applications and hardware to truly spark mass-market, consumer interest in the space, but in the meantime, a startup building mixed reality services for business users has raised a round of funding, underscoring the opportunity in enterprise. Spatial, which has developed a “holographic” […]




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Daily Crunch: Tom Cruise might shoot a movie in space

Tom Cruise is talking to SpaceX about taking the ultimate step to top his crazy movie stunts, Apple and Google’s exposure notification API will not provide access to detailed location data and we survey seven VCs about the new media landscape. Here’s your Daily Crunch for May 5, 2020. 1. Tom Cruise reportedly talking to […]




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Publicist launches its marketplace for freelance PR and marketing

Founder and CEO Lara Vandenberg told me she created Publicist to support the ways in which the communications and marketing industry is changing — changes that are only accelerating due to COVID-19. Vandenberg was previously senior vice president of communications and marketing at Knotch, and she told me, “More companies now are being better served […]




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Crude oil markets face ongoing uncertainties

Events in January contributed to ongoing uncertainty in crude oil markets, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. On January 6, Brent crude oil prices closed at $70 per barrel following U.S. military operations in Iraq, the highest price since May 2019. However, as tensions in the Middle East de-escalated and market concerns over a related oil supply disruption faded, crude oil prices fell. The outbreak of the coronavirus and subsequent travel bans significantly disrupted transportation-related oil demand in China as well as other countries. This accelerated the decline in crude oil prices, despite ongoing crude oil supply disruptions in Libya. Prices closed at $54 per barrel on February 4, the lowest level since December 2018. In the February Short-Term Energy Outlook, EIA estimates the Brent crude oil price will average $58 per barrel during the first half of the year and rise to $64 per barrel during the second half of the year. Brent crude oil spot prices are expected to average $61 per barrel for 2020 as a whole.




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No Sacred Cows or Panaceas In Tax Reform - 29 May

The needs of all Australians - affordable housing, a secure job, a decent education for their children, a good health system and a comfortable retirement - will not be met if we don't achieve major tax reform.




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Banks brace for Fintech fight - 15 Mar

The overwhelming majority of global banks and traditional financial services firms believe part of their business is at risk of being lost to standalone Fintech challengers, according to a PwC report released today.




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Microsoft’s Visual Studio Online code editor is now Visual Studio Codespaces and gets a price drop

About a year ago, Microsoft launched Visual Studio Online, its online code editor based on the popular Visual Studio Code project. It’s basically a full code editor and hosted environment that lives in your browser. Today, the company announced that it is changing the name of this service to Visual Studio Codespaces. It’s also dropping […]




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GitHub gets a built-in IDE with Codespaces, discussion forums and more

Under different circumstances, GitHub would be hosting its Satellite conference in Paris this week. Like so many other events, GitHub decided to switch Satellite to a virtual event, but that isn’t stopping the Microsoft-owned company from announcing quite a bit of news this week. The highlight of GitHub’s announcement is surely the launch of GitHub […]




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Locatee raises $4M Series A for its workplace analytics platform

Locatee, a Swiss startup that uses existing sensors and IT infrastructures to provide employers and commercial real estate owners with detailed data about how their spaces are utilized, today announced that it has raised a $4 million Series A funding round led by San Francisco-based FYRFLY Venture Partners and Zurich-based Tomahawk VC. “We started the […]




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Facebook now allows users in the US & Canada to export photos and videos to Google Photos

Facebook is today rolling out a tool that will allow users in the U.S. and Canada to export their Facebook photos and videos to Google Photos. This data portability tool was first introduced in Ireland in December, and has since been made available to other international markets. To use the feature, Facebook users will need […]




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Facebook to add gift cards, jobs and donation tools to its COVID-19 Community Help hub

Facebook is expanding its Community Help hub to better serve local communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The hub has already seen significant usage by those requesting food, supplies and information about local resources, as well as use by volunteers and groups willing to lend a hand. Now, Facebook is adding more features to the hub […]




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Discover is Facebook’s new effort to help people access websites for free — but with limits

Facebook has a new connectivity app called Discover to help those who can’t afford to get online access information on the web. The service, available through mobile web and Android app, allows users to visit any website in text format (no video, images, audio and other elements that eat up large amounts of data) and […]




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Facebook users are buying and selling pangolin parts, even though it’s illegal

In spite of their protected status under international laws, pangolins remain one of the most trafficked animals in the world — and at least some of that trade is taking place right out in the open on Facebook . A new report from tech watchdog group the Tech Transparency Project details how Facebook users are […]




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Facebook’s redesign goes live with simplified navigation and dark mode

After months of testing, Facebook’s redesign is finally official. Announced last year at F8, the more minimalist approach to its desktop design has been rolled out in waves. In March, the company added an option to try out the new version. Users could switch back and leave feedback for why they had done so. This […]







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UK’s coronavirus tracing app strategy faces fresh questions over transparency and interoperability

The UK’s data protection watchdog confirmed today the government still hasn’t given it sight of a key legal document attached to the coronavirus contacts tracing app which is being developed by the NHSX, the digital transformation branch of the country’s National Health Service . Under UK and EU law, a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) […]




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23 Questions to Ask a Franchisor When You Meet Face to Face

Navigate 'discovery day' with this list of questions that will make sure you learn all the essential information you need before you shake hands.



  • Franchise Buying Guide

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4 Business-Boosting Strategies While Stuck in One Place

Trying times demand innovative measures for online and social media marketers.




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Maxine Peake claims Northern actors still face discrimination for their accents

Maxine Peake has claimed Northern actors still face discrimination for their accents and end up being cast as servants because they are seen as uneducated.




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Jacqueline Jossa pampers herself with a face mask before tucking into nuggets ahead of the NTAs

The National Television Awards always brings out the biggest names on TV.  So it came as no surprise to see Jacqueline Jossa making her way to London to prepare for the event on Tuesday.




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Jacqueline Jossa and Gabby Allen will come face to face at the National Television Awards

Gabby Allen risked a run-in with Jacqueline Jossa at the National Television Awards on Tuesday after being accused of having an affair with her husband.




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Mathew Horne defends use of uncensored Christmas song in Gavin and Stacey's festive special

During an interview at Tuesday's NTAs on Tuesday, the screen star, 41, insisted singing the rendition of The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl's tune  'felt appropriate'.




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Coronation Street's Katie McGlynn admits she's keen to replace Michelle Keegan in Our Girl

Katie McGlynn has said she is willing to replace Michelle Keegan in Our Girl, after the actress, 32, stepped down from the role to spend more time with her family.




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Gavin and Stacey's Rob Brydon shuts down rumours of another series

Gavin & Stacey's Rob Brydon shut down rumours of any further episodes of the show during his red carpet appearance at the National Television Awards on Tuesday.




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Katie McGlynn to become face of online betting company Mecca Bingo after quitting Coronation Street 

The actress, 26, who quit her role on the cobbles as Sinead Tinker last year, revealed the news on her Instagram account.




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House Rules: Who will replace Johanna Griggs as host

Johanna Griggs has exited her role as host of House Rules, but it seems her replacement may be already waiting in the wings. 




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MAFS' Tracey Jewel is considering taking legal action against Nine

A House Rules star won her case against Seven and will receive compensation after suffering a 'psychological injury during filming that left her suicidal and unable to find a job.'




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Kyly, Michael Clarke split: WAG puts on a brave face while filming House Rules

Kyly and Michael Clarke announced their separation on Wednesday, after reportedly living apart for five months. 




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The £1BILLION match: PSG and Real Madrid's expensively-assembled squads face off in Champions League

Supporters lucky enough to be at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night when Real Madrid host Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, will witness one of the most prestigious matches in world football.