Astrazeneca to test combining Covid-19 vaccine with Russia’s Sputnik jab December 11, 2020 Astrazeneca has announced it will experiment with combining its Covid-19 vaccine with Russia’s Sputnik V jab, in a move that scientists believe could significantly boost efficacy. In its statement this morning, Astrazeneca said it was considering assessing combinations of different vaccines, and would soon begin exploring with Russia’s Gamaleya Institute, which developed Sputnik V. Peer-reviewed [...]
Competition watchdog refers O2-Virgin merger for in-depth investigation December 11, 2020 The UK competition regulator has referred the £31bn O2-Virgin merger for in-depth investigation. Liberty Global and Telefonica, the respective owners of Virgin Media and O2, struck a deal to merge their UK operations back in May. Last month the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched its phase one investigation into the mega-merger, arguing the potential [...]
EU takes on big tech firms with new legislation December 10, 2020 Under new European regulation big tech companies will face large fines if they do not take more responsibility for policing the internet. The EU will require large tech firms, such as Facebook and Amazon, to vet third-party suppliers and share data with authorities and researchers on how they moderate illegal content, according to a document [...]
Celebrity vaccine endorsement? Try behavioural science instead December 10, 2020 A Covid-19 vaccine has been approved, and the nation celebrated as the first shots were administered this week. Now, the conversation around coronavirus has developed from how we can produce a cure to how we can successfully convince people to take it. While the vaccine is being heralded as the end of the pandemic, some [...]
Facebook facing multiple lawsuits that could splinter the tech firm and render acquisitions illegal December 9, 2020 The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and nearly every US state have sued Facebook today, saying that it broke antitrust law and should potentially be broken up. In its complaint, the coalition of 46 states, Washington, D.C. and Guam also asked for Facebook’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp to be judged to be illegal. The [...]
Challenger bank Revolut broke even in November December 8, 2020 Revolut broke even last month in the latest indication that the challenger bank is bouncing back from the worst of the pandemic. It is an encouraging sign for the digital bank which tripled its losses to £106.5m, in figures released in August. It came despite a rise in its customer base during the first lockdown [...]
Pocket money app GoHenry secures $40m in funding round December 8, 2020 Children’s bank account app GoHenry has raised $40m as it looks to fund its expansion in the UK and the US. The UK fintech firm, which was founded eight years ago, provides children as young as six with a pre-paid debit card and app that can be controlled and topped up by parents. The funding [...]
Mark Zuckerberg ‘threatened to pull UK investment’ in meeting with Matt Hancock December 8, 2020 Mark Zuckerberg reportedly threatened to pull Facebook’s investment from the UK in a meeting with Matt Hancock amid a regulation row. Secret minutes from a meeting in 2018, obtained by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, reveal Hancock, who was the Culture Secretary at the time, offered a “new beginning” for the government’s relationship with the [...]
The CMA sets out new regime for tech giants such as Google and Facebook December 8, 2020 The CMA sets out new regime for tech giants such as Google and Facebook
V-Day: All your vaccine questions answered December 8, 2020 Ninety-year-old Margaret Keenan this morning became the first person in the world to receive a coronavirus vaccine outside of a trial, marking the start of Britain’s largest vaccination programme in history. Jabs of the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine will be administered at dozens of hospital hubs across the country from today, dubbed V-Day by health secretary Matt [...]