French regulator slaps Google with fine over data protection January 8, 2014 FRANCE’S data protection watchdog has fined Google €150,000 (£123,823) after the US search engine ignored a three-month ultimatum to bring its practices on tracking and storing user information in line with local law. The privacy watchdog, known as CNIL, has also ordered Google to post the decision on its google.fr homepage for 48 hours within [...]
AstraZeneca in biotech deal to boost pipeline January 8, 2014 ASTRAZENECA has signed a deal with private British biotech company Immunocore to boost its experimental cancer drug pipeline as it seeks to find new medicines to replace those going off patent. Immunocore is developing drugs known as ImmTACs that exploit the power of the body’s own immune system to find and kill diseased cells. AstraZeneca [...]
Npower to cut energy bills by £50 after green levy rollback January 8, 2014 NPOWER yesterday said it would reduce the average customer’s energy bill by £50, after the government agreed to shift some green levies into general taxation at the end of last year. The company, which is the last of the big six suppliers to reveal its price cuts after the change in policy, will now partially [...]
STJ Advisors sees profits fall but looks forward to better times January 8, 2014 SPECIALIST equity capital market adviser STJ Advisors saw a drop in profits from £2.9m to £2.3m in the year to the end of March 2013, according to documents filed yesterday at Companies House. The niche firm, which advised the Royal Mail Group during the initial stages of its privatisation last year (helping it to choose [...]
Politicians unite over gambling machine danger January 8, 2014 DAVID Cameron shares Labour’s concerns about high-stakes betting terminals in gambling shops, he told MPs during a subdued Prime Minister’s questions yesterday. The issue of fixed-odds gambling machines, that allow customers to place large bets of up to £100, was raised in parliament by Ed Miliband, ahead of a Labour-backed debate yesterday. A government review [...]
UK tech prodigy D’Aloisio reveals his next mobile app with Yahoo January 8, 2014 YAHOO chief executive Marissa Mayer on Tuesday revealed the result of the firm’s $30m (£18.2m) purchase of Summly – the startup created by British teenager Nick D’Aloisio last year. D’Aloisio, product manager of mobile and emerging products at Yahoo aged just 18, took to the stage during Mayer’s keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show in [...]
Car firms show off gadgets that can park at the push of a button January 8, 2014 CARS that can drive themselves have been a frequent sight at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. The technology has even been used to ferry conference-goers around the Las Vegas venue on the Navia, an unmanned ten-seat shuttle similar to a milk float. But the first opportunity motorists will get to try out no-hands driving is [...]
Produce Investments lines up £12m potatover of Jersey Royal January 8, 2014 NEW potatoes could have a new owner in time for the spring harvest, as Aim-listed Produce Investments sizes up the biggest producer of Jersey Royals. The Jersey Royal Company produces around 25,000 tonnes of spuds a year and is the biggest user of land on the Channel Island. Produce Investments is reportedly offering £12m, making [...]
Former Costa Concordia boss steps down with €1.3m payout January 8, 2014 THE FORMER Costa Cruises chief executive, who was the public face of the company after the 2012 Costa Concordia disaster, has stepped down from the board of parent group Carnival with a €1.25m (£1m) payout. Pier Luigi Foschi retired as Costa chief executive in July 2012 but continued as chairman of the Italian cruise line, [...]
Facebook picks up India-based startup to boost its mobile apps January 8, 2014 FACEBOOK is buying India-based Little Eye Labs, a startup that builds performance analysis and monitoring tools for mobile Android apps, to help boost its technology as it focuses on growing revenue from its mobile business. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but media reports suggest the price was less than $15m. “The entire [...]