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The US ban on sharing technology with Huawei is a “cynically timed” blow in the escalating trade war between the US and China, the Chinese firm’s top executive in the UK has said. Huawei denounced Donald Trump’s ban on the sharing of US tech with “foreign adversaries”, after a string of US tech companies followed Google in restricting the company’s access to their products on Monday. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s World At One, Huawei’s executive vice-president in the UK, Jeremy Thompson, said the dispute was about trade, not security. “We’re in the middle of a trade war between two big countries so the timing of this is to inflict maximum hurt on our organisation. We’re a football in between this trade war,” he said. After failing to convince European allies to block the use of Huawei technology, the Trump administration issued an executive order last week aimed at cutting off the Chinese firm from US suppliers. … [Read more...] about US ban on Huawei a ‘cynically timed’ blow in escalating trade war, says firm

Two years ago, GCHQ's annual sports day took place on Wednesday 15 June at the Civil Service Sports Club in London. A mixed six-a-side football tournament was the centrepiece of the day, with matches kicking off at 11am sharp. The event was a jolly for those routinely cooped up in the agency's distinctive doughnut-shaped headquarters in Cheltenham, and they were furnished with six pages of rules and regulations to ensure fair play. "Each team MUST field at least ONE lady player at all times," the note said. "Appropriate footwear shall be worn. No crocs, sandals or flip-flops will be allowed. The wearing of shin-pads is COMPULSORY." Of all the highly classified documents about GCHQ revealed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden, this has to be one of the least sensitive. But it offers a glimpse into the world of the 6,100 people crammed into the open-plan and underground offices at GCHQ; the fact that there is a sports day at all reveals something about the agency which most people … [Read more...] about GCHQ: inside the top secret world of Britain’s biggest spy agency

Microsoft is opening its first European store on Oxford Street, in London, featuring a McLaren Senna car customised as an Xbox driving simulator, a gaming lounge and a community education centre where children can learn to code. The 22,000 sq ft shop is a block away from the Regent Street Apple store, which, when it opened 15 years ago, set the bar for tech retailing. Microsoft’s store, which opens on Thursday, showcases the company’s Surface laptops and PCs, Xbox gaming systems and new technology such as its HoloLens augmented reality headset, as well as offering help services and software products such as Office. Microsoft’s UK boss, Cindy Rose, said the new store, which will employ 150 staff, was a mark of the firm’s continued commitment to the UK market, where it already employed 5,000 people. “We have certainly not been put off by Brexit. We continue to invest a significant amount in this market,” Rose said. “We have concerns about … [Read more...] about Microsoft to open first European store in central London