Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionChina’s ‘first AI news anchor’ China’s state news agency has unveiled a virtual newsreader sporting a sharp suit and a somewhat robotic voice. Xinhua News claims the presenter “can read texts as naturally as a professional news anchor”, though not everyone may agree. “Hello, you are watching …
Sainsbury’s boss Mike Coupe tells BBC Breakfast much of their food imports are perishable and therefore “can’t be stockpiled” in preparation for a no-deal Brexit. The supermarket has about 20 distribution centres in the UK that can hold about a week’s worth of food. Mr Coupe told Ben Thompson any hold-ups in importing food would …
Image copyright Getty Images A glitch in a childcare payment system run by the tax office has left many nurseries and childminders waiting more than a week for their money. The problems came after 22,000 payments made through HM Revenue & Customs’ Tax-Free Childcare system were delayed. The tax office has apologised and says all …
Image copyright Bombardier Image caption A Bombardier CRJ900 plane operated by Skywest Bombardier workers in Northern Ireland and the Midlands face uncertainty after the Canadian company announced 5,000 job cuts globally on Thursday. The struggling plane and train maker has not said where the cuts will be made over the next 12 to 18 months, …
Image copyright Getty Images The money expert Martin Lewis has paid for 340,000 textbooks on personal finance to be sent out to all of the UK’s state schools. The book, called Your Money Matters, is designed to help 15-16 year-olds manage their finances. It has the support of the Department for Education. Financial education has …
Image copyright Getty Images Thousands of online property adverts in England are discriminating against tenants who are in receipt of housing benefit, a study says. The National Housing Federation and charity Shelter examined 86,000 online adverts for rental properties. They found that one in 10 of those adverts requested “No DSS” or “No Housing Benefit”. …
Image copyright PA The pilot of a Flybe plane that plummeted 500ft (152m) in 18 seconds had selected the wrong autopilot settings, an investigation has found. Some 44 passengers and four crew were on board the Belfast City to Glasgow flight on 11 January when the plane “pitched nose-down” towards the ground. An Air Accidents …
Image copyright Reuters Image caption What do the 2018 mid-term elections mean for business? Big business thrived in the first two years of the Trump administration, as President Donald Trump is fond of noting. That was due in part to new policies, including a major corporate tax cut and looser regulation. The 2018 mid-term elections …
Image copyright Getty Images Dyson, the household appliance maker, has won a legal battle over energy labelling laws for its vacuum cleaners in the European courts. The UK engineering firm claimed tests to assess the efficiency of vacuum cleaners favoured rivals’ models. Dyson said the system failed to reflect actual conditions of use. The company, …
Image copyright Reuters Electric car company Tesla has appointed an executive at Australian company Telstra to chair its board. Robyn Denholm takes over the role from founder Elon Musk, who will remain as Tesla’s chief executive. Mr Musk agreed to give up the chairmanship last month to resolve claims of fraud brought by US financial …