Thames Water has picked US private equity giant KKR as its "preferred partner" to buy the troubled water utility firm.

The planned investment by KKR would help it deal with its mountain of debt, and Thames is aiming for the transaction to be completed in the second half of this year.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27426660

Interest in LibreOffice, the open-source alternative to Microsoft Office, is on the rise, with weekly downloads of its software package close to 1 million a week. That’s the highest download number since 2023.

“We estimate around 200 million [LibreOffice] users, but it’s important to note that we respect users’ privacy and don’t track them, so we can’t say for sure,” said Mike Saunders, an open-source advocate and a deputy to the board of directors at The Document Foundation.

LibreOffice users typically want a straightforward interface, Saunders said. “They don’t want subscriptions, and they don’t want AI being ‘helpful’ by poking its nose into their work — it reminds them of Clippy from the bad old days,” he said.

There are genuine use cases for generative AI tools, but many users prefer to opt-in to it and choose when and where to enable it. “We have zero plans to put AI into LibreOffice. But we understand th

Oxford seems to be a pretty Tesla friendly city. I've even seen multiple cars in Abingdon and Woodstock. Do we expect there to be any push back on owners like we are seeing in the states?

I believe the UK is still lagging behind the EU in terms of Tesla sales dropoff.

Oxford City Council has agreed to boycott and divest from companies which are linked to war crimes and violations of international law.

A motion from the Oxford Community Independents called for the council to stop investing in and trading with companies which are implicated in state violence and oppression, war and occupation, and grave violations of human rights, as well as companies involved in using fossil fuels.

The BBC Memories and Dementia season focuses on how the BBC’s rich archive can help people affected by dementia to stimulate memories, and how the BBC can support you and your loved ones by raising awareness of available services and resources.

Russell T Davies, Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall speak to Radio Times as the modern era of the sci-fi show celebrates a big anniversary.

Farmers protesting Labour policies have caused disruption as tractor horns could be heard across the city from outside the county hall in Oxford this morning.

More than 10 tractors and dozens of farmers planted themselves in New Road from about 11am today (Monday, March 24) to protest inheritance tax and other government policies.

Three councils have backed a proposal to combine into one new local authority as part of a two-unitary council plan.

An initial proposal for the creation of a new Ridgeway Council has been submitted on behalf of West Berkshire Council and the district councils in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse.

They will be moving into the abandoned Topshop building on Queen Street.

Part of the charm of Waterstones is that lovely old building they had. The old staircases and the little nooks dotted around. The children's section was particular enchanting when I was a kid too.

Another shop lost on Cornmarket.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/25781031

An hourly train service connecting Bristol to Oxford could start next year if proposals are approved by the government.

The service would run every day, with stops at Bath Spa, Chippenham and Swindon.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/25584333

While its logo (along with a former advertisement mascot) is a kangaroo, and slogan is "Add some Roo to Your Do!", along with earlier advertisements having the voiceover of an Australian woman, the brand is not Australian owned, made, nor conducts research & development in Australia. The products are manufactured in Europe and the United States by Procter & Gamble, an American company. The brand and initial product was created by American businessperson Thomas Redmond in the late 1970s

While its logo (along with a former advertisement mascot) is a kangaroo, and slogan is "Add some Roo to Your Do!", along with earlier advertisements having the voiceover of an Australian woman, the brand is not Australian owned, made, nor conducts research & development in Australia. The products are manufactured in Europe and the United States by Procter & Gamble, an American company. The brand and initial product was created by American businessperson Thomas Redmond in the late 1970s