Huawei loses legal case against HSBC over Meng Wanzhou extradition February 19, 2021 Huawei has lost a legal bid to force HSBC to disclose documents, marking a setback in the tech giant’s efforts to prevent the extradition of its chief financial officer to the US. Meng Wanzhou faces charges of bank fraud over claims she misled HSBC over Huawei’s dealings in Iran, causing the bank to violate US [...]
South Africa Covid variant could cut Pfizer vaccine protection by two-thirds February 18, 2021 The South African variant of coronavirus could cut antibody protection from the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine by two-thirds, the drugs companies have announced. Laboratory studies by Pfizer/Biontech and scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch said the vaccine still worked against the new mutation — also known as 501YV2. However, they cautioned that the jab produced only [...]
Government plugs £18.5m into Long Covid research February 18, 2021 The government has pledged to invest £18.5m into research projects looking at the long-term effects of coronavirus, also known as Long Covid. The funding will support four studies seeking to identify the causes of Long Covid and potential treatments for people with chronic side-effects. Imperial College London will receive the bulk of the funding to [...]
UK businesses eye fintech sector to help drive profitability February 18, 2021 A growing number of UK businesses are looking to the burgeoning fintech sector to help boost profits post-Brexit. Britain’s payments startups have seen renewed interest during the pandemic as consumers and businesses pivot online. A third of senior managers surveyed by cybersecurity firm ESET are prioritising improved efficiency and may opt to implement fintech solutions [...]
Australian prime minister blasts ‘arrogant’ Facebook over news ban February 18, 2021 Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has hit back at Facebook over its decision to block news in the country, saying the company’s actions were “as arrogant as they were disappointing”. The social media site last night cut off access to news pages and links in Australia in retaliation to draft new laws that would force [...]
Epic Games files EU competition complaint against Apple February 17, 2021 Fortnite maker Epic Games has filed an EU antitrust complaint against Apple, ratcheting up its battle with the tech giant over app store payments. The two companies have been locked in a dispute since August, when Epic launched its own in-app payment system in a bid to sidestep Apple’s 30 per cent commission on some [...]
Over-80s now most likely age group to have Covid antibodies February 16, 2021 Over-80s in England are now the most likely age group to have antibodies, according to official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in the surest sign yet that the nation’s largest ever vaccination programme is starting to pay off. The latest ONS antibody survey found that the highest percentage of people testing positive [...]
Competition watchdog raises concerns over £6.5bn Gumtree takeover February 16, 2021 The competition watchdog has raised concerns over the £6.5bn takeover of Gumtree by Norwegian rival Adevinta, warning it could push up prices and reduce choice for consumers. In July Adevinta struck a cash and stock deal with Ebay that would create the world’s largest online classified ads business. The merger would bring together advertising platforms [...]
Daily Covid cases fall below 10,000 for first time since September February 15, 2021 The UK’s daily coronavirus caseload has fallen below 10,000 for the first time in five months, according to the latest official figures. A further 9,765 coronavirus cases were reported in the past 24 hours — the lowest figure since 28 September, when 9,929 infections were recorded. The number of coronavirus-related deaths also fell to the [...]
UBS quits role in Darktrace listing over Mike Lynch links February 14, 2021 UBS has quit its role in the upcoming £4bn flotation of Darktrace, the UK tech firm, over its links to British entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who is facing fraud charges in the US. The Swiss bank has informed Darktrace that it can not work on the cybersecurity firm’s initial public offering (IPO), according to Sky News. [...]