Tesla rival Lucid Motors gears up for $24bn stock market float February 23, 2021 A luxury electric vehicle maker looking to challenge the dominance of Elon Musk’s Tesla is set to go public in a blank cheque deal that will value it at $24bn (£17bn). California-based Lucid Motors has agreed to merge with Churchill Capital IV, a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) set up by former Citigroup banker Michael [...]
Facebook reverses Australia news ban after law changes February 23, 2021 Facebook has backed down in its feud with Australia after negotiating changes to a new law that will force tech firms to pay publishers for news. The social media giant last week blocked access to news in the country in protest at the upcoming legislation, drawing widespread criticism. But following talks between the government and [...]
Is technology a new asset class? February 23, 2021 | City Talk With Covid-19 accelerating digitalisation, the question facing many companies is no longer whether technology is important, but just how important? What percentage of their time should a bank or retailer’s top executives spend thinking about technology? How much investment should a company make in tech? What weighting should institutional and retail investors give the sector? [...]
Pfizer vaccine cuts Covid transmission by up to 85 per cent February 22, 2021 “Vaccines are working,” the health secretary has announced, after new data showed the Pfizer vaccine cuts Covid transmission by up to 85 per cent and reduces the risk of death and hospitalisation by three-quarters. In a major boost for the Prime Minister’s plans to lift lockdown restrictions, early data from Public Health England’s (PHE) first [...]
Covid vaccines reduce hospitalisations by up to 94 per cent in Scotland February 22, 2021 The vaccine rollout has had a signifiant impact on driving down Covid-related hospitalisations and risk of serious illness in Scotland, new data has shown. Research from Public Health Scotland (PHS) found that the Pfizer and Astrazeneca vaccines reduced the risk of hospitalisation from Covid-19 by up to 85 per cent and 94 per cent respectively. [...]
Transferwise rebrands to Wise ahead of London listing February 22, 2021 A decade after its launch Transferwise has rebranded to Wise ahead of its long-awaited IPO. The fintech, which was most recently valued by private investors at $5bn, has come a long way since its launch in 2011 when it initially offered money transfers. It says the new moniker reflects its growth. “Today our name catches [...]
European Commission gives the green light on data adequacy agreement with UK February 19, 2021 The European Commission has said the UK’s data protection laws are in line with the EU’s, paving the way for a long-term adequacy decision. Article 44 of GDPR prohibits the transfer of personal data from the EU/EEA to recipients in jurisdictions outside the bloc, unless specific conditions are met. One of the conditions is an [...]
Time Out boss: Tech giants have destroyed internet freedom February 19, 2021 The unbridled power of tech giants such as Google and Facebook has destroyed the concept of freedom on the internet, the chief executive of Time Out has said. In an interview with Morning Wire, Julio Bruno said that while tech companies had given us “a lot of good things”, they now exerted too much control [...]
Huawei loses legal case against HSBC over Meng Wanzhou extradition February 19, 2021 Huawei has lost a legal bid to force HSBC to disclose documents, marking a setback in the tech giant’s efforts to prevent the extradition of its chief financial officer to the US. Meng Wanzhou faces charges of bank fraud over claims she misled HSBC over Huawei’s dealings in Iran, causing the bank to violate US [...]
South Africa Covid variant could cut Pfizer vaccine protection by two-thirds February 18, 2021 The South African variant of coronavirus could cut antibody protection from the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine by two-thirds, the drugs companies have announced. Laboratory studies by Pfizer/Biontech and scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch said the vaccine still worked against the new mutation — also known as 501YV2. However, they cautioned that the jab produced only [...]