China cracks down on tech giants with anti-monopoly laws November 11, 2020 China has outlined proposals for tough new regulations on tech giants, ramping up the pressure on powerful ecommerce sites and payment platforms such as Alibaba. The country’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) said the rules were designed to curb monopoly power and block companies from carrying out anti-competitive practices. The new laws are likely [...]
Eon maintains outlook as market recovery picks up pace November 11, 2020 Energy firm Eon today held its outlook for the full-year as it said third-quarter trading had been buoyed by a better-than-expected market recovery. The Germany-headquartered group has suffered a sharp downturn due to the outbreak of coronavirus, as well as unseasonably warm weather earlier in the year. In the first nine months it booked adjusted [...]
Rebel Tory MPs launch anti-lockdown campaign group November 11, 2020 Dozens of rebel Conservative MPs have launched a new group aimed at blocking the rollout of another national lockdown. Former chief whip Mark Harper and Brexiter Steve Baker will lead the new Covid Recovery Group, while Sir Graham Brady, chair of the backbench 1922 committee, is also a member. The group will argue for a [...]
Darktrace boss Poppy Gustafsson scoops up top innovation award November 10, 2020 Darktrace chief executive Poppy Gustafsson has scooped up the top prize for innovation at this year’s Women of the Year Awards. Gustafsson, who co-founded the cybersecurity unicorn in 2013, was handed the award at a virtual ceremony this afternoon. Organisers cited the cyber boss’ ability to steer Darktrace through critical levels of threats during the [...]
Government blasted over ‘half-baked’ plans to ban online junk food adverts November 10, 2020 The government has come under fire over “severe and disproportionate” proposals to roll out a total ban on online ads for junk food. Ministers today launched a consultation on whether online ads for foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) should be banned in a bid to tackle the growing problem of childhood obesity. [...]
EU accuses Amazon of ‘distorting’ competition in ecommerce market November 10, 2020 The EU has accused Amazon of distorting competition in online retail markets by misusing data from third-party sellers on its platform. In a statement today, competition tsar Margrethe Vestager said Amazon “systematically” relied on non-public business data of traders on its site. She accused the tech firm of using this data to benefit its own [...]
Netflix poaches ITN boss Anna Mallett to lead UK production November 10, 2020 Netflix has swooped on the chief executive of TV production giant ITN as the streaming giant bolsters its credentials in the UK. Anna Mallett will oversee Netflix’s production in Britain as well as local language productions across much of the rest of the world outside the US. Mallet currently leads ITN, which produces news programming [...]
Acast and Patreon team up to launch subscriber-only podcast service November 10, 2020 Acast and Patreon have joined forces to launch a new service that will allow podcast creators to make exclusive content available to subscribers across all major platforms. The tie-up will allow creators on the Patreon membership service to distribute private, patron-only podcast episodes to listeners on apps including Apple and Amazon Music. “At Patreon, we’re [...]
Premier League confirms plans to scrap controversial pay-per-view model November 10, 2020 The Premier League has confirmed it will scrap its controversial pay-per-view model after a fierce backlash from fans. The new model, which was introduced following the international break in October, means fans have to cough up £14.95 to watch games not selected for regular broadcast. The move sparked anger among supporter groups, who raised hundreds [...]
Christmas shoppers flock to toy shops ahead of second Covid-19 lockdown November 10, 2020 Toy and entertainment retailers reported a surge in shopper numbers in the days leading up to the coronavirus lockdown, as Brits snapped up Christmas presents ahead of the closure of non-essential stores. The latest analysis showed that toy stores more than doubled their share of pre-pandemic footfall between Monday and Wednesday last week. But one [...]
