GSK and Sanofi begin human trials of coronavirus vaccine September 3, 2020 Glaxosmithkline (GSK) has today announced that it is beginning human trials of the coronavirus vaccine it is developing with French pharma firm Sanofi. The two joined forces back in April to develop the potential vaccine, testing of which is now ready to move to the next stage after promising initial results. The combined phase 1 [...]
UK is world’s fifth largest exporter of tech services September 3, 2020 The number of tech exports from the UK have surged in the past year, making it one of the world’s largest exporter of technology services. Last year UK exports of technology services grew to £23.3bn, sitting behind just India, the US, China and Germany in the global rankings. Tech Nation’s ‘Unlocking Global Tech’ report published [...]
Shooting for the stars: The case for a CANZUK space agency September 3, 2020 The British government knows three things for certain about space. It’s big. It’s cold. It’s expensive. For a small country, the scale of the challenge is daunting — and lonely. Not long ago, the United Kingdom had access to the joint space initiatives of the European Union such as the Galileo program, a global navigation [...]
Russian opposition leader Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, says German government September 2, 2020 Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent, the German government has said. Last month Navalny was admitted to hospital after suffering severe symptoms of suspected poisoning. Tests of Navalny’s blood samples conducted at a German military laboratory produced “unequivocal evidence” that the Russian opposition critic was poisoned with Novichok, according to [...]
Facebook and Twitter take down Russia-backed accounts September 2, 2020 Facebook and Twitter have taken down a small network of accounts that were backed by a Russian influence operation, linked to interference in the 2016 US election. Facebook said the accounts were linked to Russia’s Internet Research Agency (IRA), which is close to the Russian government and accused of interfering in the 2016 US election. [...]
Coronavirus: global cases hit 25 million, as new infections grow in Spain and France August 30, 2020 Global coronavirus cases surged past 25 million today, with positive tests growing in India, Spain, France and Australia
Boris Johnson calls for a ‘transparent investigation’ into Alexei Navalny poisoning August 26, 2020 Boris Johnson has called for a “transparent” investigation into the poisoning of Russian political activist and Vladimir Putin critic Alexei Navalny. The Prime Minister said the UK “stands in solidarity” with Navalny and that the country would “join international efforts to ensure justice is done”. Navalny, who is one of the Russian government’s most prominent [...]
What is the “New Normal” For Oil & Gas August 26, 2020 Aftershocks of the bitter Saudi Arabia-Russia oil–price dispute and subsequent negotiated production cuts to stabilize plummeting oil prices into July, fueled by a massive plunge in demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have created an unparalleled environment for M&A in the Oil and Gas industry. Our recent virtual roundtable discussion, co-moderated by Molly Smith, sales manager at [...]
Blockchain: Protecting our Democracy August 25, 2020 As the US and indeed the world, faces one of its most important elections for many years, the Covid19 world has brought increased political pressure on the under-funded US Postal Service and the security of remote / mail-in voting generally. Important themes for all of us globally. Even though conservatives are generally more fearful of [...]
Japan Sees its First Crypto Seizure As Binance Helps Take Down Money Laundering Group August 25, 2020 This week the price of Bitcoin (BTC) moved sharply up and surpassed the $12,000 mark to hit a high shortly above it. The price has since declined to a weekly low at $11,500, before recovering to $11,750, according to data from CrpytoCompare. Ether (ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, started the week at $425 [...]