MTN Ghana Pays GHC 1.5 Billion Tax, AfricaOnline aiming for 100% internet coverage in Ghana, And Facebook Hosts Cybercrime MarketPlace

Africa

MTN Ghana pays nearly GHC 1.5 billion in taxes

MTN Ghana has paid GHS 1.48 billion in taxes for the year 2018, it has been reported. The bulk of the tax, about GHS 1.3 billion, was payable to the Ghana Revenue Authority; whiles regulators, National Communications Authority and Ghana Investments Fund for Electronic Communication, received GHS 184 million. The taxes were paid on revenues totaling GHS 4.2 billion, representing a 23.5% rise on the previous year’s performance. MTN Ghana posted a net profit of GHS 755 million.

AfricaOnline launches broadband satellite service in Ghana

AfricaOnline has launched its JOLA service in Ghana, according to reports. JOLA, a high-speed broadband satellite service, is powered by Avanti‘s HYLAS4 satellite and will offer 100% coverage of Ghana using multiple spot beams. JOLA will also offer dowload speeds of up to 35Mbps, Managing Director Foster Plender said at a launch event in Accra. The service will be ideal for both rural and urban areas.

Europe

Huawei could be banned from Westminister for shoddy work

Huawei could be banned from installing 5G network facilities in Westminster due to the company’s shoddy work, a BBC report said. This comes after a recent review failed to offer security guarantees over Huawei’s products in the future. The current assessment also adds that Huawei risked being barred from contributing to the ‘brains’ of UK’s 5G network. “The security in Huawei is like nothing else – it’s engineering like it’s back in the year 2000 – it’s very, very shoddy,” Dr Ian Levy of the National Cyber Security Centre said. An industry organisation representing UK’s telecoms companies has warned barring Huawei from taking part in the 5G infrastructure could cost GBP 6.8 billion. There would also be a delay of up to 2 years as a result.

Screen time not damaging to teens

An Oxford University study has revealed that there is little link between the amount of time teens spend on devices and their general well-being, BBC has reported. The authors said using devices just before bedtime for gaming and watching TV had no significant effect on their mental health. This is in contrast to earlier studies that traced a link between online time and mental health. The research was conducted on 17,000 adolescents in UK, Ireland, and the US based on data collected between 2011 and 2016. Speaking on the research, Dr Max Davie, from RCPCH advised that kids should still avoid devices one hour before bedtime.

Qualcomm loses against EU antitrust body

US chipmaker, Qualcomm, has lost a court appeal against the EU’s demand for data, Reuters says. The company had been under investigation for allegedly forcing British software maker, Icera, out of business through predatory pricing. When the European Commission demanded more information, Qualcomm refused, and took the case to the General Court. As the case was being heard, Qualcomm decided to provide the needed information in order to avoid a daily €580,000 fine. The court’s decision will now strengthen the Commission’s stand in future cases. “The Court finds that the scope of the investigation as defined in the statement of objections, at the state-of-play meeting of 3 September 2015 and at the hearing on 10 November 2016 has not been extended,” judges of the General Court said.

Asia

Huawei Wi-Fi modules removed from Pakistan CCTV apparatus

Huawei removed Wi-Fi modules from Pakistan’s CCTV surveillance systems following demands from the Punjab Safe City Authority (PSCA), BBC has reported. The demand was made in 2017, according to PSCA but was only made known recently. The Wi-Fi cards were placed in the CCTV cabinets to provide diagnostic information and to allow remote access from engineers standing close to the circuits. PSCA said they demanded its removal due to potential misuse. It added that there was no evidence that the Wi-Fi cards introduced a vulnerability into the CCTV systems.

US firm to lay China-Australia internet cable

SubCon, a US submarine cable company, has been contracted to lay internet cable between Hong Kong and Australia. The cable will pass through Papua New Guinea with possible branches in Solomon Islands. This is a blow to Huawei, as the Chinese company had been planning to build those connections before the Australian government placed a ban on the use of Huawei equipment amidst security concerns, Reuters has reported.

Airbnb to continue listing Israeli settlements

Airbnb has reversed its decision to delist Israeli settlements from occupied West Bank, it has been revealed. Airbnb had previously decided to delist West Bank settlements following calls from Palestinians who considered as part of a future Palestinian state. The decision was challenged in US courts amid protests by Israel. As a result, Airbnb will not take profits from future activities in that region. “Any profits generated for Airbnb… will be donated to non-profit organizations dedicated to humanitarian aid that serve people in different parts of the world,” the company said.

The Americas

Facebook unknowingly hosted cyber-crime marketplaces

Facebook unknowingly hosted many marketplaces used to sell stolen products, it has been revealed by researchers at Cisco. The researchers uncovered more than 70 Facebook groups, where stolen credit card numbers and bank accounts were being traded openly. The groups had a membership of more than 380,000 people, the research revealed. Facebook said it had shut down the groups for violating their policies on financial fraud.

SpaceX sends world’s most powerful rocket into space

SpaceX has launched the worlds most powerful rocket in the company’s first commercial space. The rocket, Falcon Heavy, is 23-story-tall and was first launched into space in 2018 during a test flight involving Elon Musk’s cherry red Tesla roadster. Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters separated two minutes after take-off and landed on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Ten minutes later, the middle booster landed on SpaceX’s ship some 400 miles off the coast of Florida, it was reported. This is a major boost for SpaceX, who are looking to secure lucrative military contracts for space missions. SpaceX is also one of two companies looking to send humans to space for the first time in a decade.