Apple prepares to launch EU legal challenge over €13bn Irish tax bill September 16, 2019 Apple is set to launch a legal challenge tomorrow over an order by the European Commission to pay €13bn (£11.5bn) in Irish back taxes, as the EU seeks to crack down on tax avoidance by multinational companies. What’s the case about? The tech giant was accused of having dodged taxes and received €13bn illegal state [...]
Global authorities to quiz Facebook on Libra September 15, 2019 Facebook will be grilled by global central banks over its proposed Libra digital currency project as the social media giant faces increasing European opposition to its plans. Libra representatives will head to Basel, Switzerland tomorrow to face representatives of 26 central banks including the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve, according to the Financial [...]
Micro Focus taps Goldman Sachs to lead review after share price crash September 15, 2019 Struggling software firm Micro Focus is said to be close to appointing advisers at Goldman Sachs as it ramps up its review into a potential sale of the business. Read more: Micro Focus issues revenue warning and embarks on strategic review Micro Focus, which helps to extend the life of old software businesses, could also [...]
Benevolent AI’s valuation halves to $1bn in further blow for Neil Woodford September 15, 2019 Benevolent AI, the tech startup backed by troubled stockpicker Neil Woodford, is set to lose half its value as it announces a major new investment. The London-based firm, which is led by former Facebook executive and government minister Baroness Joanna Shields, has secured a cash injection from Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek. Read more: Fresh [...]
Why Vestager’s legacy is about to catch up with her September 14, 2019 It was a week full of surprises in the world of tech antitrust regulation. On Monday, Google found itself at the centre of a 50-state investigation by the US attorneys general into a range of anti-competitive practices. By the end of the week, publishers had hit out en masse at Google and Facebook for “unscrupulous [...]
EU competition chief Vestager eyes new data rules as she turns up heat on tech giants September 13, 2019 EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager has called for new rules to police how companies collect and use data as she dialled up the pressure on tech giants. Vestager, who this week was given expanded powers and a second term as competition chief, said more regulation was needed to protect the “fundamental values of our society”. [...]
Uber to raise $750m from debt markets to fund purchase of Emirati rival Careem September 12, 2019 Uber has said it will raise $750m (£608m) of debt to help finance the purchase of rival ride-hailing company Careem, the day after California passed a bill that threatens to undermine the company’s business model. The company said the debt placement would primarily be used to raise money for its pending $3.1bn purchase of Careem. [...]
Facebook Messenger down: users complain as tech issues hit platform September 12, 2019 Facebook’s Messenger appears to be experiencing significant problems in the UK, with users complaining of being unable to send or load messages. Read more: Shares in Angry Birds maker Rovio crash as it lowers outlook Outage website Downdetector has recieved at least 900 reports of the messaging app not working. The site shows a spike [...]
Shares in Angry Birds maker Rovio crash as it lowers outlook September 12, 2019 Shares in the company behind hit video game Angry Birds dropped more than 20 per cent this morning after it lowered its revenue forecast for the full year. Read more: Angry Birds maker Rovio predicts bumper 2019 despite halved profits Rovio said it now expected to post revenue of between €295m (£264m) and €310m, down [...]
France plans to block Facebook libra in Europe September 12, 2019 France is reportedly planning to block the development of Facebook’s libra cryptocurrency. AFP reported that France will aim to prevent the social media giant expanding its payment project in Europe. Read more: Facebook libra: Could regulators crush Mark Zukerberg’s dream cryptocurrency? Facebook announced the libra project in June this year, saying it will be a [...]
