England’s Test and Trace system misses one in four people with coronavirus June 18, 2020 The number of contacts made by positive coronavirus cases identified by England’s NHS Test and Trace system increased to 44,895 in its second week, but it missed one in four infected patients. The Department of Health said today that 5,949 people who tested positive for coronavirus had their case transferred to the contact tracing system [...]
Advisers join forces in bid to oust Tesla chairwoman June 18, 2020 Proxy adviser Glass Lewis has joined ISS in recommending that investors vote against the re-election of Robyn Denholm as chairwoman of Tesla’s board. Glass Lewis said it was concern was related to corporate governance, due to an insurance arrangement with chief executive Elon Musk after Tesla’s decision to not renew its directors and officers’ liability [...]
UK says it still wants deal on global digital tax after US quits talks June 18, 2020 The UK will continue to push for a solution to taxing international digital companies such as Google and Facebook after the US abandoned negotiations for a global digital tax, the Treasury said. US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin pulled out of talks on digital services taxes with EU officials after they failed to make any progress, [...]
US dashes hopes of global deal on digital tax June 17, 2020 US officials have reportedly suspended talks with European countries over plans for a global digital tax framework, and continue to threaten to impose sanctions should they go ahead with individual proposals. US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin last week told four European finance ministers that discussions had reached an “impasse”, in a letter seen by the [...]
Apple’s diversity chief exits as pressure mounts on Cook to testify June 17, 2020 Apple’s head of diversity and inclusion Christie Smith has stepped away from the firm, following the launch of its $100m fund to tackle racism. Smith is said to have officially left her role this week, though her move was planned two months ago, Bloomberg reported. Apple committed $100m to a new programme dedicated to racial [...]
Q&A: How can data science help investors map the route out of lockdown? June 17, 2020 | City Talk We ask Mark Ainsworth, Head of the Data Insights Unit at Schroders, how data science can help investors navigate the next phase of the Covid-19 crisis. The Covid-19 crisis has brought data into our everyday lives like never before. Where once we might have checked our news apps for the football scores, we’re now looking [...]
UK Space Agency signs US deal to fuel British spaceports June 17, 2020 British and American government ministers have signed a deal to power up the UK’s spaceports programme and boost tech exports. The UK Space Agency said today the agreement will allow US companies to operate and launch rockets and satellites from British spaceports, as well as support their participation in the UK space sector supply chain. [...]
Huawei to delay smartphone production as US measures threaten bottleneck June 17, 2020 Huawei is said to have told some of its suppliers to halt production on its newest line of smartphones, as tough US sanctions threaten disruption. Huawei has asked suppliers for some components of its upcoming Mate line of smartphones to delay production as it assesses the impact of tightening US export controls, sources told the [...]
German virus tracing app hits 6.5m downloads as Norway and Russia experience technical glitches June 17, 2020 Germany’s app to help trace coronavirus infections has been downloaded 6.5m times within the first 24 hours since its launch. Chief executive of software giant SAP Christian Klein today said he viewed the promising figures as a sign of a job well done, following a collaborative effort between SAP and Deutsche Telekom to develop the [...]
Amazon to use AI to enforce social distancing in offices and warehouses June 16, 2020 Amazon is to use a tracking system powered by artificial intelligence to make sure employees are following social distancing guidelines in its offices and warehouses. Monitors in its warehouses will show workers on the screens highlighted in green circles when keeping a safe distance from others. The system will also be used in office buildings [...]