UK and Japan join forces on chip supply with Taiwan ties feeling ‘risky’ in China conflict December 7, 2022 The UK and Japan have pledged to improve the resilience of their semiconductor supply chains, as part of a freshly inked partnership between nations. In a statement today, the UK government said the partnership – which will oversee a combined IT sector worth more than £406bn – will further cement foundations for trade and investment [...]
Buzzfeed slashes team by 12 per cent in bid to save cash December 6, 2022 Buzzfeed will cut 12 per cent of its headcount in a desperate push to slash costs in the face of economic uncertainty. In a note written to staff, the firm said revenues had been battered by a “combination of worsening macroeconomic conditions, and the ongoing audience shift to vertical video”. “That requires us to lower [...]
Apple expands DIY repair service to UK December 6, 2022 Apple has expanded its iPhone self-repair service to the UK as Brits hoard their phones for longer than ever before. The tech giant said today that the Self Service Repair is now available in eight European countries, providing repair manuals and genuine Apple parts and tools. The service will apply to iPhone 12 and iPhone [...]
CMA concerned £94m hearing implant merger will stoke higher prices for NHS December 6, 2022 A merger between two hearing implant suppliers has raised concerns within the UK’s competition watchdog, which said a deal could risk higher prices for the NHS and less choice for patients. Should Cochlear and Demant’s £94m deal for Otican Medical go ahead, it would mean the combined group would control between 90 and 100 per [...]
Facebook: We’ll pull US news content if Congress passes law to pay December 6, 2022 Facebook’s parent company Meta has threatened to pull news content from the US if Congress push forward with plans to make the company pay for content. Meta’s head of policy communications, Andy Stone, tweeted the thread, saying that “if Congress passes an ill-considered journalism bill as part of national security legislation, we will be forced [...]
Mangata Networks to create over 550 UK jobs with satellite manufacturing site December 6, 2022 Telecoms company Mangata Networks is set to create up to 575 new jobs in the UK, as it plots a multi-million-pound satellite manufacturing site in Scotland. The move forms part of a nearly £84m grant, of which £54.5m has been injected by the Scottish government’s research and development body. The Glasgow-based company will pay back [...]
Pfizer and BioNTech countersue Moderna in Covid-19 patent row December 6, 2022 Pfizer and German partner BioNTech shot back at competitor Moderna last night in the latest jab in the Covid-19 vaccine patent lawsuit. The sparring over allegations from Moderna that Pfizer and BioNTech violated the rights its three patents it created prior to the pandemic has been ongoing since August. All three companies are also embroiled [...]
Exclusive: Average start-up loan shrinks to just £142k while volumes drop by half December 6, 2022 The average start-up loan has fallen over 138 percent in the past year to just over £142k, from £339k in 2021., according to new data shared exclusively with City A.M. today. Moreover, the number of startup loans has more than halved compared to 2019. The findings by Purbeck Personal Guarantee Insurance follow a recent British [...]
Conviction Life Science to float in London to pounce on undervalued biotech firms December 6, 2022 Investment fund Conviction Life Science will float in London in an £100m IPO to capitalise on a stream of undervalued biotech and pharma firms, its investment chief told City A.M. yesterday. While the UK is home to Nobel-winning science, the industry gets a bad rap for being too risky and lossmaking. The company had mulled [...]
Online safety makes return as concern over fraud adverts mount December 6, 2022 The online safety bill returned to parliament yesterday after five months in limbo and a tide of rallying cries from campaigners. The bill aims to better regulate big tech firms, threatening hefty fines for non-compliance, covering illegal and harmful content, as well as fraudulent advertising. Although consumer group Which? praised the inclusion of online scam [...]