Microsoft’s $69B Activision merger on track for green light

Sep22
by on September 22, 2023 at 10:39 am
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The UK’s antitrust watchdog announced today that it has provisionally accepted Microsoft’s new terms for its $69bn acquisition of Call of Duty developer Activision-Blizzard, renewing hopes that the biggest-ever gaming deal will go ahead. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked the merger in April after fears that Microsoft — which already accounts for an estimated 60% to 70% of the global cloud gaming market — would further increase its advantage by making some of the world’s most popular games exclusively available on its own platforms. The two firms submitted a revised merger agreement to the CMA last month, aimed…

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Biotech startup opens UK’s first pilot facility for cultivated animal fat

Sep21
by on September 21, 2023 at 2:20 pm
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Hoxton Farms, a London-based biotech startup, has opened today the UK’s first pilot production facility for cultivated animal fat. Launched in 2020, the company combines cell biology and mathematical modelling to produce cultivated fat from pig and cow stem cells as an ingredient for plant-based meat. Its targets food ingredient suppliers, distributors, and manufacturers of meat alternatives. According to the startup, optimised taste isn’t its sole advantage. Cultivated fat also requires less water, less land, and less energy than intensive agriculture — all without harming animals. “It’s no secret that the traditional meat industry is broken, but consumers are disappointed…

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Hackers breach defences of ICC war crimes tribunal

Sep20
by on September 20, 2023 at 2:47 pm
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The computer systems of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the world’s most high-profile war tribunal, were hacked last week, according to a statement released by the court yesterday. The tribunal said that its services detected “anomalous activity” affecting its information systems and that “immediate measures” were adopted to respond to this cybersecurity incident and to mitigate its impact.  The ICC, headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, is the only permanent war crimes tribunal and handles extremely sensitive data about some of the world’s most horrific atrocities.  At this time, the nature of last week’s cybersecurity incident remains unclear and it’s not…

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French car battery startup secures €2bn as EU looks to wean itself off Chinese tech

Sep19
by on September 19, 2023 at 3:18 pm
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French car battery startup Verkor has secured €2bn to build its first manufacturing plant in France, at a time when Chinese competitors are rapidly gaining market share in Europe.   The funding round includes €650mn in French subsidies, a sizeable level of state support indicative of the government’s commitment to boosting local production of lithium-ion batteries — the beating hearts of electric cars.   Construction of the mega-factory will kick off next month and is expected to create 1,200 jobs in the region. Verkor predicts the plant will be able to equip 200,000-300,000 electric cars a year once it enters operations, scheduled…

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Hydrogen aviation startup ZeroAvia lands largest funding round to date

Sep18
by on September 18, 2023 at 12:34 pm
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ZeroAvia, one of the leading zero-emission aviation companies in the world, just announced its largest financing round to date. The funding round was co-led by Airbus, Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital, and NEOM. Other participants included Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Alaska Airlines, and the Amazon Climate Pledge Fund. No exact funding amount has been disclosed due to legal reasons, but a spokesperson for the startup confirmed to TNW that it is ZeroAvia’s largest to date, following a Series B of $72mn and a Series A of $56mn.  Based out of Kemble, UK, and Hollister, California, ZeroAvia develops hydrogen-electric fuel cell…

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