Roche faces further delay in $4.3bn takeover of Spark Therapeutics June 10, 2019 Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche’s $4.3bn (£3.4bn) acquisition of US gene therapy firm Spark Therapeutics has been delayed again amid increased scrutiny from US and UK regulators. Read more: Big pharma: Invidior launches generic version of own drugs to beat copycat Roche said both firms had received a request from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) [...]
Ocado pumps £17m into vertical farming joint venture June 10, 2019 Online grocer Ocado has invested £17m in the emerging vertical farming industry as it looks to bolster its technology offering. Vertical farming involves the production of food in indoor facilities, where crops are grown on a series of levels in a controlled environment. Read more: Ocado set to cut 400 jobs as it looks to [...]
Three becomes latest UK mobile operator to set 5G launch date June 10, 2019 Mobile operator Three will begin the rollout of its 5G network across the UK from August, the company said today. Read more: 5G explainer: Everything you need to know about the next-generation network Three said it will launch the next-generation network with a 5G home broadband service in London. The firm will then roll out [...]
Trump ‘could ease’ restrictions on Huawei if trade talks advance June 9, 2019 US President Donald Trump may relax restrictions on Chinese tech firm Huawei if the two countries make progress in ongoing trade talks, his treasury secretary has said. Read more: MPs to question Huawei as part of investigation into 5G security risks Steven Mnuchin said the US may be willing to reconsider its approach towards Huawei [...]
Advertisers slam government over junk food ad ban proposals June 9, 2019 Advertisers have launched a scathing attack on the government’s plans to ramp up restrictions on junk food advertising, describing them as “totally disproportionate” and lacking in evidence. In submissions to a government consultation, seen exclusively by City A.M., industry bodies Isba and the Advertising Association (AA) said the proposals would harm advertisers and consumers but [...]
G20 vows to crack down on tech giant tax havens by 2020 June 9, 2019 Tech giants such as Facebook and Google will face a crackdown to ensure they pay their corporate taxes in full, after G20 finance ministers vowed to wrap up new laws by the end of the year. In a communique issued after a meeting in Japan, the finance ministers said they would compile new rules to [...]
BT in talks with ITV over Britbox investment June 9, 2019 BT is reportedly in discussions over a potential multi-million-pound investment in Britbox, the joint streaming service by ITV and the BBC set to be launched later this year. The telecoms firm has held preliminary talks with ITV about taking a stake in Britbox and helping to fund exclusive dramas produced in the UK, the Sunday [...]
Huawei must improve ‘shoddy’ cyber security, says top UK spook June 6, 2019 Chinese tech firm Huawei is “shoddy” and has a lot of work to do to improve its cybersecurity, a top UK spook has said. Read more: US trade ban on Huawei could slow global 5G rollout, warns Barclays Dr Ian Levy, technical director of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), blasted the embattled firm over [...]
Calls for mobile operators to give guarantees over rural ‘not-spot’ proposals June 6, 2019 Campaign groups have called on mobile operators to give guarantees for consumers and businesses over plans to tackle so-called rural not-spots. Consumer group Which and four rural organisations have penned a letter to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) calling for legal obligations to ensure operators improve 4G coverage in rural areas. [...]
Dentsu Aegis launches new UK marketing agency after mega-merger June 6, 2019 Advertising firm Dentsu Aegis has launched a new UK marketing agency after merging four of its existing brands. Read more: Dentsu Aegis buys creative agency BJL as it expands in the north Dentsu said its new agency, Dentsu X, will bring together skills in media, technology, creativity and data to offer a full-service proposition to [...]
