Tiktok’s forced sale to Oracle halted as Biden reviews China policy February 10, 2021 Tiktok’s sale of its US business to Oracle and Walmart has reportedly been put on ice as President Joe Biden reviews the Trump administration’s crackdown on Chinese firms. The video platform had been forced into offloading its American unit by former president Trump, who argued user data could be shared with Beijing. Tiktok has always [...]
Italy blocks Astrazeneca vaccine for over-65s February 10, 2021 Italy has become the latest European country to slap age restrictions on the Astrazeneca vaccine, after officials said there was “insufficient data” to prove it will help protect over-65s against Covid-19. The Italian government said it would only use the jab made by the Anglo-Swedish firm on people aged between 18 and 65 and in [...]
Google to pay UK publishers for news as global pressure mounts February 10, 2021 Google has inked a licensing deal with more than 120 UK publications as pressure mounts on tech giants to pay publishers for news. The launch of Google News Showcase, part of the company’s pledge to invest $1bn (£750m) in news worldwide, means publishers will be paid for excerpts that appear in its search results. The [...]
Huawei launches legal challenge against US national security threat label February 10, 2021 Huawei has mounted a legal challenge against the decision to designate the telecoms giant a threat to US national security due to its alleged ties to Beijing. In June the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) formally labelled Huawei and ZTE as security threats, blocking US firms from purchasing equipment from the companies. In December it blocked [...]
Twitter reports record revenues of $1.3bn but user growth slows February 9, 2021 Twitter has delivered record revenues in the fourth quarter despite a turbulent year for the social media giant. The San Francisco-based company reported total revenue of $1.29bn in the fourth quarter, up 28 per cent year-over-year, beating analyst estimates of $1.2bn. It brings total revenue for 2020 to $3.72bn. Financial chief Ned Segal said this had [...]
Lambeth to receive surge testing amid concerns over South African Covid mutation February 9, 2021 Extra coronavirus testing will be carried out in Lambeth following confirmed cases of the South African Covid variant in the south London neighbourhood. Surge testing and genomic sequencing will be carried out in the SE27 0, SE27 9 and SW16 2 postcodes in Lambeth. People living within the targeted areas are strongly encouraged to take [...]
UK launches new body to oversee booming cybersecurity sector February 9, 2021 The government has launched a new independent body to oversee standards in the UK’s booming cybersecurity sector. Britain’s £8.3bn cyber sector has enjoyed continued growth during the pandemic, as a shift to homeworking has encouraged businesses and individuals to sharpen up their online sector. The government said the new UK Cyber Security Council, launched to [...]
Twitter, Uber and Disney: What to expect in the latest round of tech earnings February 9, 2021 Twitter, Uber and Disney will all be under the spotlight as they report fourth-quarter earnings this week. Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google (known as the FAANGs) all closed the year with bumper results as the tech titans continued to cash in on the pandemic. But it will be a more complicated picture for Twitter, [...]
EU weighs up forcing tech giants to pay for news February 9, 2021 The EU is said to be considering laws that would force tech giants to pay for news content, mirroring similar moves in Australia. The bloc is currently drafting two new laws — the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act — which are designed to stamp out harmful material and curb Big Tech’s power. [...]
Fossil fuel pollution causes one in five premature deaths: study February 9, 2021 Three British universities have discovered that fossil fuel pollution is responsible for one in five premature deaths globally, with western Europe facing some of the greatest mortality rates. The new research, published this morning, suggests the health impacts of burning coal, oil and natural gases are far higher than originally believed – with Eastern North [...]