Rishi Sunak doubles down on 2021 deadline for global tech tax deal February 12, 2021 Rishi Sunak has doubled down on a commitment to establish a new global tax on tech firms in the coming months following years of conflict over a new regime targeting Silicon Valley. In a G7 meeting today the chancellor said the new digital tax framework was a “key priority” and called on member nations to [...]
UK prosecution of Mike Lynch ‘would delay justice’, court hears February 12, 2021 A criminal prosecution of Mike Lynch, the British tech entrepreneur, in the UK would result in severe delays, the US government argued today as it fought to extradite the Autonomy founder to be tried on fraud charges in America. The UK’s Serious Fraud Office has reserved the right to prosecute the case if Lynch is [...]
Over-65s to receive vaccine appointment letters from next week February 12, 2021 The NHS will start vaccinating over-65s from next week as part of the next phase of the UK’s vaccination programme. The Prime Minister has set a deadline of Monday 15 February for offering a first dose of the vaccine to the top four priority groups, including care home staff and residents, all over-70s, frontline NHS [...]
The Medium review: A middling next gen horror February 12, 2021 Between Covid delays and a slow start to the new console generation, true next-gen games have been thin on the ground. One of the first titles to debut on Microsoft’s new hardware is The Medium, a dark, bloated and occasionally inspired horror story about a troubled spiritualist, produced by Polish developer Bloober Team. With a [...]
Digital GP app Livi prescribes €200m funding boost amid pandemic boom February 12, 2021 One of the largest digital GP platforms in Europe is said to be in talks to raise a further €200m (£176m) as the Covid-19 pandemic drives up demand for remote healthcare services. Kry, which trades as Livi in the UK, is working with bankers at JP Morgan on a series D funding round, Sky News [...]
Australia pushes ahead with online news laws despite Google threat February 12, 2021 Australia is pushing ahead with landmark legislation that will force tech giants to pay publishers for news, despite Google’s threat to pull out of the country. The government will introduce new draft laws next week and they could come into effect this month. If passed, the legislation would make Australia the first country to force [...]
Big tech must do more on financial fraud, Starling boss says February 11, 2021 The chief executive of Starling Bank, Anne Boden has accused social media platforms of supporting financial fraudsters. “A vast number of people in the world at present are being scammed… some of that scamming is being supported by big tech because they’re hosting these scams,” Anne Boden said. “The world is moving faster and [...]
Astrazeneca confirms it will roll out new vaccine for Covid mutations in autumn February 11, 2021 Astrazeneca is on course to launch a new vaccine that is effective against emerging Covid variants by the autumn, the company has said. The Anglo-Swedish firm said clinical trials for the “next generation” of Covid vaccine would commence in the spring, with mass production earmarked for six to nine months’ time. Speaking as he unveiled [...]
Microsoft ‘made takeover approach’ for social media site Pinterest February 11, 2021 Microsoft is said to have approached Pinterest over a potential deal to buy the $51bn (£27bn) social media platform. The US tech giant held talks with Pinterest in recent months but negotiations are not currently active, the Financial Times reported, citing people briefed on the matter. The approach comes at the height of a pandemic-induced [...]
Coronavirus: Kent variant will ‘sweep the world’ February 11, 2021 The more virulent variant of coronavirus first identified in Kent will become the world’s dominant strain of the virus, according to the the director of the UK’s genetic surveillance programme. The Kent variant is now the most common form of the virus in the UK, after it was first detected in September. It has been [...]