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Bloomberg President Donald Trump downplayed the severity of a massive cyber-attack on the US government and suggested China may have been responsible — even as other US officials are convinced Russia was the perpetrator. In doing so on Twitter, the president contradicted assessments from senior officials within his own administration who’ve blamed Moscow for the intrusion of at least half ...

Bloomberg More than 16 million Britons are now required to stay at home as a lockdown came into force Sunday in London and southeast England, part of Boris Johnson’s attempt to control a fast-spreading new strain of the coronavirus. The measures ban household mixing in the capital and the southeast, and restrict socialising to just Christmas Day across the rest ...

Bloomberg The UK will spend as much as 11.7 billion pounds ($15.7 billion) on purchasing, manufacturing and roll-out of coronavirus vaccines, according to estimates from the public spending watchdog. The National Audit Office (NAO) said in a report the cost includes UK investment in global efforts to find a vaccine — but not the potential future expense of any multiyear ...

Bloomberg Tesla Inc. halted some construction work at its German plant project after failing to make a security deposit with local authorities. Brandenburg’s environment ministry stopped tree removal activity and the installation of paint-shop machinery at the site until the funds are received, reports said. Tesla needs to provide a 100 million-euro ($122 million) deposit with local authorities to cover ...

Bloomberg At least three US states are investigating Alphabet Inc.’s Google over the fees it takes from developers for purchases and subscriptions inside apps, and they may file an antitrust lawsuit against the company early next year, according to people familiar with the matter. The attorneys general of Utah, North Carolina and New York are among states that are preparing ...

Dubai / WAM Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), the integrated free zone technology park, on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Canadian Society for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CSEI). The partnership focuses on providing startups and SMEs from the UAE and Canada with the opportunity to expand their businesses internationally. Ghanim ...

ROME / WAM The Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) began distributing essentials to people affected by the harsh winter in Naples, Italy and other cities south of the country. The project is part of the winter aid programme implemented by the ERC to help people affected by cold temperatures in 25 countries, following the directives of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM The UAE Public Prosecution on Saturday published a video on its social media accounts to raise awareness on the penalties regarding the possession and distribution of material that incites racial, religious and cultural hatred. The Public Prosecution warned that the penalty according to Article 12 of Federal Decree-Law No 2 of 2015 on Combatting Discrimination and ...

Bloomberg The US Commerce Department announced it’s blacklisting Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), drone maker SZ DJI Technology Co and more than 60 other Chinese companies “to protect US national security.” “This action stems from China’s military-civil fusion doctrine and evidence of activities between SMIC and entities of concern in the Chinese military industrial complex,” the Commerce Department said. Commerce ...

Bloomberg Brexit trade talks headed into a decisive weekend with neither side confident of a deal after a frantic 24 hours exposed just how far apart the UK and European Union (EU) still are on an issue that’s hampered the talks since March. With officials from both sides expecting a conclusion one way or the other within the next two ...