Zipline Delivers COVAX Vaccines in Ghana; Deliveroo Plans a $7bn LSE Listing; Microsoft Accuses China of Server Attack

Africa

South Africa to stop WhatsApp sharing user information

South Africa’s information regulator has declared that WhatsApp cannot share its users’ data with Facebook. The Facebook-owned app would first need authorisation from the regulator before doing so.

Zipline delivers COVAX vaccines in Ghana

Drone technology company Zipline is delivering doses of the COVAX vaccines across vaccination sites in Ghana. The partnership with UPS and the Ghana government would see 2.5 million doses distributed across the country.

Nigeria extends telco NIN registration licenses to five years

The Nigerian government has extended NIN registration licenses for telcos to five years, it has been reported. Telcos are also obliged to establish SIM Swap Replacement Centres across all regions of the country.

Europe

Apple faces enquiry over unfair claims

Apple faces enquiry in the UK following claims of unfair and uncompetitive Apple Store terms for developers. The UK’s antitrust watchdog is investigating claims that developers have to pay unfair commissions to Apple.

Deliveroo planning a $7bn LSE listing

Deliveroo is planning a massive listing on the LSE that would see its valuation rise to $7 billion. Demand for the food delivery service soared during the pandemic and it’s looking to bolster performance.

Volvo to go full electric by 2030

Volvo Cars will sell only electric cars by the end of 2030, the company said. The Swedish manufacturer plans to phase out all of its older models, including its hybrid vehicles.

The Americas

Parler drops legal battle against Amazon

Parler has dropped its legal action against Amazon months after beginning the legal process. Amazon’s AWS had withdrawn its hosting services from Parler following the riot on Capitol Hill.

Starship lands and then explodes

One of SpaceX’s Starship prototypes finally landed but then exploded shortly afterwards. The space vehicle landed too heavily on its legs before catching fire minutes after landing.

Microsoft accuses China over server attack

Microsoft has accused a China-state sponsored hacker group, Hafnium, of attacking its email servers. The group exploited vulnerabilities in the server to remotely access email inboxes.

Asia

China to boost R&D spending in 5-year plan

China is looking to boost its tech industry with increased spending in a new 5-year plan. The new plan would see expenditure on research and development increase by at least 7% over the period.

ByteDance to build Clubhouse-like app

China’s ByteDance will build a new Clubhouse-like app as developers rush to copy the successful app. The new app will be available to users in China and will mimic the audio-only app.

Honda develops semi-autonomous Legend vehicle

Honda has unveiled a semi-autonomous Legend sedan as part of plans towards building self-driving vehicles. Honda is now the first to acquire level 3 automation level certification.