Australia framing regulatory code of conduct between media outlets and digital platforms, sees revenue sharings from Facebook and Google

On Monday, Australia’s Treasurer Josh Frydenberg disclosed, Canberra will force online giants including Alphabet Inc’s Google and Facebook Inc to share advertising revenue with local media firms. Australia is set to become one of the firts countries to require digital platforms to pay for content that they use. The development comes in the wake of…

COVID-19 patients respond positively to Gilead Sciences experimental drug

Shares of Gilead Sciences Inc’s shares jumped by 16% following news reports that its experimental drug remdesivir is proving to be effective in U.S. trials of patients who have been severely afflicted by the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus. According to a report from medical news website STAT, a University of Chicago hospital participating…

T-Mobile US Inc’s merger with Sprint Corp wins final approval from California’s Public Utilities Commission

Following California’s Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) vote on Thursday, the $23 billion merger of U.S. wireless carriers T-Mobile US Inc with that of Sprint Corp saw the final approval of the deal which closed on April 1. The deal had closed without a final decision from the CPUC, which came through with an unanimous vote.…

FCC chairman pushing for Ligado Networks’s 5G solution despite risks to GPS systems

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has circulated a draft order asking the five-member panel to approve Ligado Networks’ request to deploy a low-power nationwide network to support next generation 5G wireless. Ligado Networks’ request has drawn fire from some U.S. government agencies as well as by some powerful lawmakers. Earlier this week, the chairman…

Foreign state-backed hackers targeting U.S. COVID-19 research: FBI

According to a senior cybersecurity official with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, foreign government hackers have managed to break into companies which are conducting research into treatments for COVID-19 – the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. During an online panel discussion hosted by the Aspen Institute, FBI Deputy Assistant Director Tonya Ugoretz disclosed to…

U.S. chip firm Xilinx Inc wins 5G network equipment contract from Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

In a statement, Xilinx Inc, an American semiconductor firm stated, it had won a deal to supply chips to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd for 5G networking equipment. It did not disclose the financial terms of the deal. Xilinx makes programmable chips used in telecommunications equipment including those used in base stations made by Ericsson, Nokia…

Uber Eats, Postmates, Grubhub and DoorDash face proposed class action lawsuit over charging exorbitant fees midst coronavirus pandemic

In a proposed class action suit filed in Manhattan federal court, three customers have sued GrubHub, Postmates, DoorDash, and Uber Eats for allegedly exploiting their dominance in restaurant meal deliveries to impose fees that consumers ultimately bear through higher menu prices; this includes the current timeframe of the coronavirus pandemic when most U.S. cities are…

Vietnam orders 44 Samsung Display employees be quarantined following COVID-19 case

Authorities in northern Vietnam have ordered people the employees of Samsung Display to be quarantined following a worker testing positive for the coronavirus. According to a statement released on Monday, a 25-year-old worker of the EQC-SI unit of Samsung Display factory in Bac Ninh province tested positive on Sunday. Confirming the case, Samsung Electronics Co…

Hackers manage to access voice mails at Italy’s state-owned Monte dei Paschi bank

In a notice sent to customers by Italy’s state-owned bank Monte dei Paschi, hackers have managed to access the mailboxes of some employees, with the bank informing clients in the notice that on March 30 some messages with voice mail attachments had been sent as a result of the cyber attack. Incidentally, the notice did…