Police use of facial recognition tech ruled unlawful by UK court August 11, 2020 The use of automatic facial recognition (AFR) technology by a UK police force has been ruled unlawful by the Court of Appeal, following a legal challenge in south Wales. The court found South Wales Police’s use of facial recognition technology breaches privacy rights, data protection laws and equality laws, bringing a long-running trial of the [...]
Russia names new vaccine after iconic satellite Sputnik August 11, 2020 Russia has named its first approved coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V, in reference to the world’s first satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. The choice in name was selected as a way of comparing the vaccine to what Russia views as its success in becoming the first country to approve a treatment, according to [...]
The UK is falling behind in AI race, warns Microsoft August 11, 2020 The UK risks falling into an artificial intelligence skills gap, Microsoft said today, after it found most businesses in Britain use the technology less frequently and at a less advanced level. The software giant said in its annual report that projects using AI in the UK has a higher failure rate — meaning they generate [...]
Fiat Chrysler accuses General Motors of making ‘preposterous allegations’ August 10, 2020 Fiat Chrysler has said a recent filing by rival General Motors was like a “third-rate spy movie”, asking a US federal judge to dismiss its request to reinstate a racketeering lawsuit. Fiat Chrysler, which is set to merge with French carmaker PSA next year, said the filing was “full of preposterous allegations”. General Motors had [...]
TSB to phase out branch cashier roles in job cuts August 10, 2020 TSB has told cashiers that their jobs will be phased out at the start of 2021, following a steep decline in customers banking in its branches due to the pandemic. Those affected by the cuts will have to retrain, change roles or take voluntary redundancy, according to a staff memo seen by Reuters. A total [...]
NHS Test and Trace to cut 6,000 staff August 10, 2020 The government plans to cut 6,000 staff from the NHS Test and Trace scheme by the end of August, it said today. Those who are left — approximately 12,000 employees — will work alongside local public health teams to reach more people who could be infected and increase their contacts in communities. The tactic is [...]
Tech giants join legal challenge against Trump worker visa ban August 10, 2020 A number of tech giants have pledged their support to a legal challenge against a ban on foreign worker visas by US President Donald Trump, aimed at preserving jobs for Americans during the pandemic. Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Netflix and Twitter were among 52 companies that signed the legal brief, which was filed in a [...]
UK records another 816 positive coronavirus cases August 10, 2020 Health authorities today recorded 816 confirmed cases of coronavirus, falling back from the previous day’s total which had been the highest daily rise in infections since late June. A total of 311,641 people have now tested positive for coronavirus, official data on cases showed. The daily rate is unusually high for a starting week figure, [...]
McDonald’s sues former chief Easterbrook over alleged sexual conduct with staff August 10, 2020 McDonald’s has filed a lawsuit against its former chief executive Steve Easterbrook, after accusing him of having several sexual relationships with colleagues. The fast food chain is suing Easterbrook to to recover his exit package, worth tens of millions of dollars, after an internal investigation found that he had sexual relationships with multiple employees. Easterbrook [...]
Unilever may abandon HQ unification over €11bn Dutch tax bill August 10, 2020 Unilever has said it may scrap plans to unify its London and Dutch headquarters, if parliament in the Netherlands passes a law which would demand an €11bn exit tax over the deal. The legislation, which was proposed by the opposition Green Left political party, is currently being assessed by the Netherlands’ Council of State as [...]