The centre-left Social Democrats had been written off but surge of support could make Olaf Scholz chancellor in SeptemberAn old party with an ageing membership, fronted by a politician with all the charisma of a middle-ranking bank clerk, following the…
Vladimir Putin warns west to stop meddling in Afghanistan
During ‘farewell summit’ with Angela Merkel, Russian leader says US-led campaign cannot be called a successVladimir Putin has demanded that countries not interfere in Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul, saying the west “must stop the irresponsible pol…
Apple launches a new iOS app, ‘Siri Speech Study,’ to gather feedback for Siri improvements
Apple recently began a research study designed to collect speech data from study participants. Earlier this month, the company launched a new iOS app called “Siri Speech Study” on the App Store, which allows participants who have opted in to share their voice requests and other feedback with Apple. The app is available in a […]
Spotify expands its radio DJ-like format, Music + Talk, to global creators
Last fall, Spotify introduced a new format that combined spoken word commentary with music, allowing creators to reproduce the radio-like experience of listening to a DJ or music journalist who shared their perspective on the tracks they would then play. Today, the company is making the format, which it calls “Music + Talk,” available to […]
Werner Herzog to tell story of Japanese soldier who refused to surrender
The German film director has announced two new books: a memoir and The Twilight World, about a remarkable second world war officerWerner Herzog is writing a book about Hiroo Onoda, the Japanese soldier who took three decades to surrender after the end …
InfoSum raises $65M Series B as organizations embrace secure data sharing
InfoSum, a London-based startup that provides a decentralized platform for secure data sharing between organizations, has secured a $65 million Series B funding round led by Chrysalis Investments. The investment comes less than a year after InfoSum closed a $15.1 million Series A round co-led by Upfront Ventures and IA Ventures. Since, the data privacy […]
xentral, an ERP platform for SMBs, raises $75M Series B from Tiger Global and Meritech
Enterprise Resource Planning systems have traditionally been the preserve of larger companies, but in recent years the amount of data small medium sized businesses can generate has increased to the point where even SMEs/SMBs can get into the world of ERP. And that’s especially true for online-only businesses. At the beginning of the year we […]
informed., you want to be? Trio of European media veterans take on the problem of news economics
News is vital to society, but it’s also incredibly expensive to produce. As ad rates have suffered across the industry (minus a positive blip this summer), publishers have increasingly turned to paywalls to make ends meet. There’s just one problem: the open internet which allowed readers to range over the entire thought of humanity has […]
UK police involved in Berlin embassy spy case for ‘number of months’
Arrest of David Smith, 57, on suspicion of spying for Russia prompts calls for review of embassy contractorsBritish police have been involved in the case of a British embassy employee arrested in Germany on suspicion of spying for Russia for “a number …
‘Old-style espionage’: Briton’s arrest feels like cold war throwback
Analysis: eastern bloc spy agencies historically would target western staff in junior rolesGerman police arrest Briton on suspicion of spying for RussiaThe arrest of a British citizen in Berlin for allegedly spying for the Russians has a distinctly col…