Tag Archives: Software & IT Services (TRBC level 3)

Italy

Italian sovereign lenders approve the sale of the SACE export agent to Treasury -sources | Instant News


ROME, March 5 (Reuters) – Italian state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) on Friday approved a preliminary agreement to sell SACE export agents to the Ministry of Finance in a deal that will add 4.25 billion euros ($ 5.07 billion) to that country’s public debt. , sources told Reuters.

SACE offers guarantees and financial support to Italian exporters. It is also working with banks to facilitate companies’ access to credit, a role that has grown since the coronavirus broke out in Italy a year ago.

The Ministry of Finance wants to directly control the export agency given its importance in supporting the economy.

Roma assists SACE as a co-insurer, in part sharing its exposure to risks that could potentially harm public finances over time.

SACE may also participate in plans to privatize the Monte dei Paschi bank in Siena.

Under the Treasury’s sponsored scheme, SACE and other private players will protect potential MPS buyers from a share of the 10 billion euros legal risk facing banks after decades of mismanagement.

The CDP board approved the agreement on Friday morning, paving the way for the Treasury Department to work out a decision to finalize the acquisition, two sources close to the matter told Reuters.

Sovereign lenders will transfer SACE to the Ministry of Finance in exchange for 4.25 billion euros in government bonds still to be issued. CDP’s liabilities do not count as public debt even though the Ministry of Finance controls it with 83% of the shares.

Rome’s debt pile of 2.6 trillion euros, equivalent to 155.6% of national output, is one of the largest in the world.

The deal reverses a divestment made during the sovereign debt crisis of 2012 by technocrat Mario Monti’s government, which sold SACE to the CDP for about 6 billion euros.

As part of the deal, CDP will buy SACE’s 76% stake in service provider SIMEST, which is partly owned by a group of Italian banks, for around 230 million euros. ($ 1 = 0.8386 euros) (Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte in Rome, Editing by Gavin Jones and Matthew Lewis)

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Germany

Deutsche Telekom offers a German digital vaccination ‘passport’ design | Instant News


FILE PHOTOS: Deutsche Telekom sign silhouettes against the sun and clouds over the headquarters of the German telecommunications giant in Bonn, Germany, February 19, 2019. REUTERS / Wolfgang Rattay

BERLIN (Reuters) – Deutsche Telekom said on Monday it had submitted an application to the German government to draft digital vaccination passports, as part of European efforts to reopen travel for those with protection against COVID-19.

A spokesman confirmed that the telecommunications group had submitted a bid under a tender that was called up last week and closed on Monday. CEO Tim Hoettges told reporters on Friday that Deutsche Telekom plans to make an offer.

Health Minister Jens Spahn wants vaccination passports ready in 12 weeks as part of an EU plan in which they will serve as proof that the holder has been vaccinated or has recovered from a viral disease and thus has a degree of protection against the disease.

The EU executive aims to present its plans for a “digital green permit” on March 17 and to work with international organizations to ensure its systems also work outside the EU, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday.

Deutsche Telekom, which is partially owned by the state, co-designed a German smartphone app that uses Bluetooth short-range radio chat between devices to indicate and warn those at risk of contracting COVID-19.

The Corona Warn application, which has been downloaded nearly 26 million times, was created in partnership with SAP. However, the business software group said that was not part of the offer for digital vaccination passports.

US software giant Microsoft declined to comment on reports that it participated in the tender.

Germany already uses yellow passport-sized booklets to keep records of individual vaccinations. Under the existing plans, this tape – which does not entail any travel privileges – will go digital next year.

Reporting by Nadine Schimroszik, Written by Douglas Busvine, Editing by Susan Fenton

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Australia

QUOTE BOX-Reaction to Facebook agreeing to a concession deal with Australia on a media bill | Instant News


(Update with comments)

CANBERRA, February 23 (Reuters) – Facebook said on Tuesday it would restore its Australian news page after negotiating changes with the government to a proposed law that forces tech giants to pay for media content displayed on their platforms.

Following are comments from Facebook, Australia and analysts:

JOSH FRYDENBERG, AUSTRALIAN ANNOUNCEMENT

“There is no doubt that Australia has become a proxy battle for the world. I am sure there are many other countries that are looking at what is happening in Australia.

“Facebook and Google are not hiding the fact that they know that the eyes of the world are on Australia, and that’s why they’re trying to come up with a code here that works.”

CAMPBELL BROWN, VICE FACEBOOK PRESIDENT GLOBAL NEWS PARTNERSHIP

“We have reached an agreement that will allow us to support our selected publishers, including small and local publishers.

“The government has clarified that we will maintain the ability to decide whether news appears on Facebook so that we will not automatically submit to forced negotiations.

“We have always intended to support journalism in Australia and around the world, and we will continue to invest in news globally and resist attempts by media conglomerates to advance regulatory frameworks that do not take into account the true exchange of value between publishers and platforms like Facebook. “

TAMA LEAVER, PROFESSOR OF INTERNET STUDY AT CURTIN UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIA

“This is not a draw.

“Even though Facebook managed to cover up some concessions and the laws might be lenient, I still think they are big losers here just because of the way they tried to negotiate over the past week. Many Australians are much more hesitant to rely on Facebook and in terms of their Australian reputation and user base have lost confidence.

“The law itself is still untested. It is like a weapon sitting on the treasury table that has never been used or tested. “

RICHARD WINDSOR, INDEPENDENT ENGLISH TECHNOLOGY ANALYSIS

“Facebook has scored a big win in reaching an agreement with the Australian government on payment of news from Australian sources in concessions that virtually guarantee that business will run as usual from now on.

“Prior to this“ sudden ”breakthrough, Facebook had cut off all Australian news outlets’ access to its platform which sparked huge public outrage. Critically, Australian news sites have also taken a big hit in internet traffic, clearly showing that Australian media need Facebook more than Facebook.

“Facebook has been accused of acting like North Korea in its actions, but I think they are completely justified because Australia (and everyone else) seems to view Facebook as a free public service rather than a business.

“As news sites quickly realized, their ad revenue tends to be lower without Facebook than with Facebook even if Facebook doesn’t pay them at all for their content.

“This clearly shows that the current arrangement is better than no arrangement at all. This idea of ​​free internet is a classic misconception held by the general public and legislators and the sooner this is eliminated, the faster a proper working relationship can be established. “

PAUL BUDDE, AUSTRALIA BASED INDEPENDENT INTERNET ANALYSIS

“Facebook won, because a necessary change was made to the law that prevented them from making changes to their business model.”

The Australian government can still say that they are “fighting giants and getting international attention (but) the digital giants are as strong as ever.” (Reporting by Colin Packham, Byron Kaye and Douglas Busvine; additional reporting by Renju Jose Editing by Susan Fenton)

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Australia

Australia says Facebook will restore pages after changes to landmark laws | Instant News


FILE PHOTO: 3D printed Facebook logo seen in front of the Australian flag on display in this illustration photo taken on February 18, 2021. REUTERS / Dado Ruvic / Illustration / Photo File

CANBERRA (Reuters) – Facebook Inc will restore Australian news pages in the next few days after Canberra agreed to change laws that would force the social media giant to pay media companies for news content.

Australia and Facebook have been stuck in a deadlock for more than a week as Canberra pushes for the move, which is aimed at tech giants, such as Alphabet Inc.’s Facebook and Google.

Reporting by Colin Packham; Edited by Clarence Fernandez

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Australia

Fact Box: Where Australia’s important news content law stands | Instant News


CANBERRA (Reuters) – Australian lawmakers are expected to hold a final vote on Tuesday on whether to support a law that will force Facebook and Alphabet Inc.’s Google. pay news outlets for content.

FILE PHOTO: 3D printed Facebook logo seen in front of the Australian flag displayed in this illustration photo taken on February 18, 2021. REUTERS / Dado Ruvic / Illustration

The proposed legislation is being closely watched by other countries, which are considering whether to follow Australia’s lead in challenging the dominance of big tech companies in the news content market.

WHERE THE LEGISLATION STANDS

The law has been approved by the House of Representatives, the lower house of Parliament. It has now been transferred to the Senate, the upper house.

Australian senators began debating the law on Monday, with several opposition and independent lawmakers proposing amendments. So far, no amendments have been approved.

WHAT IS NEXT?

The Australian Government does not have a majority in the Senate so the law can be changed.

If the Senate approves the amendments, the law will need to be returned to the lower house, where the government holds the majority.

If the Senate does not change the law, the Senate will hold two more votes to pass the bill.

The Senate is scheduled to continue debating the law later Tuesday. Without amendments, that could pass quickly, but prolonged debate could result in the final vote being postponed until the afternoon.

FINALLY

If the Senate votes in favor of the bill after the third reading, it must go to the Governor General of Australia for a royal ascension before it becomes law, a formality.

LANDMARK

Australia is poised to become the first country to impose regulatory requirements on Facebook and Google paying media companies for news content.

Others are expected to follow. Canada said last week it would adopt a similar law proposed by Australia. The UK is also expected to unveil new rules that the government says will “try and help rebalance the relationship between publishers and online platforms.”

French copyright rules require large technology platforms to open talks with publishers seeking to reward use of news content.

Reporting by Colin Packham; editing by Richard Pullin and Sam Holmes

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