Sunday, July 31, 2016

Exclusive: Clinton campaign also hacked in attacks on Democrats

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A computer network used by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign was hacked as part of a broad cyber attack on Democratic political organizations, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

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Friday, July 29, 2016

Alphabet and Amazon wind up stellar quarter for big tech

(Reuters) - Google parent Alphabet Inc and e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc capped a blockbuster June quarter for the five biggest U.S. tech companies as their dominance in key markets helped them defy the "law of large numbers".

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Russia has motive, capability and form for U.S. email hack

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin says it had zero involvement in the hacking of Democratic Party emails while U.S. officials say the hack originated in Russia. We may never know who is right, but one thing is for sure - Russia had motive, capability and form.

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Tesla mulling two theories to explain 'Autopilot' crash: source

(Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc told U.S. Senate Commerce Committee staff it is considering two theories that may explain what led to the May 7 fatal crash that killed a Florida man who was using car's "Autopilot" system, a person familiar with the meeting told Reuters on Friday.

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Tesla crash does little to sway public opinion on self-driving cars

DETROIT (Reuters) - Consumers are more aware of self-driving cars, but slightly less interested in riding in them, according to two surveys conducted after a fatal crash of a Tesla equipped with self-driving technology.

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Apple says Supreme Court should rule against Samsung over patents

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rule against Samsung Electronics Co Ltd over the damages Apple should receive in a case about smartphone design patents.

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Xerox profit beats estimates as cost cuts begin to pay off

(Reuters) - Printer and copier maker Xerox Corp reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit as restructuring efforts ahead of its planned split into two companies helped cut costs.

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Mercedes pulls U.S. ad touting self-driving car: Automotive News

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz has withdrawn an advert touting the self-driving qualities of its new E-Class model in the United States, Automotive News reported, following allegations from consumer groups that the claims were misleading.

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Thursday, July 28, 2016

Alphabet posts strong revenue on video market, stock surges

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc, Google's parent, on Thursday revealed that efforts to push its vast advertising business toward mobile is paying off as second quarter earnings handily beat Wall Street's expectations.

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Exclusive: New York Fed asks Philippines to recover Bangladesh money

DHAKA (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has asked the Philippines' central bank to help Bangladesh Bank recover the $81 million that was stolen by hackers in February from its account held at the Fed, boosting Dhaka's efforts to retrieve the money.

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Exclusive: FBI investigates hacking of Democratic congressional group - sources

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI is investigating a cyber intrusion at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) that may be related to an earlier hack at the Democratic National Committee, said four sources familiar with the matter on Thursday.

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Amazon revenue beats estimates as cloud sales surge

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc reported a better-than-expected rise in quarterly revenue, powered by blockbuster growth in its cloud services unit and an increase in subscriptions for its Prime loyalty program.

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Vivendi considers suing Mediaset for defamation: spokeswoman

PARIS (Reuters) - French media giant Vivendi is considering suing Mediaset for defamation after the Italian broadcaster denounced what it sees as an unacceptable u-turn on a deal regarding its pay-TV arm Premium.

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Mediaset to seek damages from Vivendi over pay-TV deal

MILAN (Reuters) - The board of Italian broadcaster Mediaset said on Thursday it rejected an alternative proposal by Vivendi for the sale of its pay-TV unit and would seek legal action against the French media group.

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Mercedes rejects claims about 'misleading' self-driving car ads

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz has defended an advertising campaign for its new E-Class against allegations that consumers were being misled about the car's self-driving capabilities, the latest backlash by consumer groups in the wake of a fatal Tesla accident.

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Facebook shares hit record high as it beats estimates again

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc is growing so fast analysts can't keep up.

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New crop of robots to vie for space in the operating room

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Even though many doctors see need for improvement, surgical robots are poised for big gains in operating rooms around the world.

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Oracle to buy NetSuite in $9.3 billion deal

(Reuters) - Oracle Corp said it would buy NetSuite Inc in a deal valued at about $9.3 billion to expand into the fast-growing cloud market.

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Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Facebook trounces Wall Street estimates with sharp ad sales growth

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc provided more evidence on Wednesday that it can turn eyeballs into profit as the maker of the world's most popular app and social website trounced Wall Street's estimates, sending its shares to an all-time high.

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Brazil prosecutor freezes $11.7 million of Facebook funds due to WhatsApp case

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The public federal prosecutor in the Brazilian state of Amazonas said on Wednesday the court there froze 38 million reais ($11.7 million) of funds held in Facebook Inc's account for failing to comply with a court order to supply data on users of the company's WhatsApp messaging service who are under criminal investigation.

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Disappointing earnings revive speculation on Twitter's future

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter Inc disappointed investors yet again on Tuesday with second-quarter earnings that missed estimates and a lower-than-expected outlook, reviving chatter about a possible sale of the company and the future of Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey.

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As iPhone sales stagnate, services promise growth for Apple

(Reuters) - Though Apple Inc is selling enough iPhones to keep investors happy for now, the world's most valuable publicly traded company is set increasingly to rely on its apps and services to drive growth.

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Apple CEO touts future technology amid iPhone worries

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - As iPhone sales declined for the second straight quarter, Apple CEO Tim Cook peeled back the curtain ever so slightly on its work in artificial intelligence and augmented reality, aiming to reassure investors that the company is ready to ride the next wave of technology.

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Twitter's video push seen unlikely to fast-forward revenue growth

(Reuters) - Video may have killed the radio star, but it could offer a lifeline to Twitter Inc .

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Comcast profit drops on film sales, beats Wall Street estimates

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Comcast Corp reported a 5 percent drop in quarterly profit on Wednesday, hurt by lower film division sales, but managed to beat Wall Street expectations due to growth in its business services and high-speed internet units.

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Nintendo in wider-than-expected first-quarter loss, but hopes high for Pokemon GO

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nintendo Co Ltd booked an operating loss in the first quarter, hurt by unfavorable currency rates although hopes for long-term growth are running high on the worldwide success of Pokemon GO.

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Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Apple sells more iPhones than expected, shares jump after hours

(Reuters) - Apple Inc sold more iPhones than Wall Street expected in the third quarter and estimated its revenue in the current period would top many analysts' targets, soothing fears that demand for the company's most important product had hit a wall.

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Tesla's Musk says Model 3 could generate $20 billion in revenue per year

RENO, Nev. (Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Tuesday that the company's Model 3 could generate $20 billion in revenue per year and an annual gross profit of about $5 billion.

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The identity crisis that led to Yahoo's demise

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - When senior Yahoo executives gathered at a San Jose hotel for a management retreat in the spring of 2006, there was no outward sign of a company in crisis.

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Twitter reports slowest quarterly revenue growth since IPO

(Reuters) - Twitter Inc reported its slowest growth in quarterly revenue since going public in 2013 as the company faces intensifying competition from fast-growing competitors such as Snapchat and Instagram.

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U.S. issues guidelines for responding to major cyber attacks

(Reuters) - The White House issued new instructions on Tuesday on how government agencies should respond to major cyber security attacks, attempting to combat perceptions the Obama administration has been sluggish in addressing threats from sophisticated hacking adversaries.

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U.S. report says Tesla driver speeding in fatal Autopilot crash

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A driver killed on May 7 in a crash in a Tesla using the car's Autopilot software was speeding, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday in its preliminary findings.

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Verizon posts subscriber gain shortfall, says Yahoo to fuel media push

(Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc  disappointed Wall Street on Tuesday by reporting a smaller-than-expected subscriber gain for its main wireless business, while its CEO gave few details about plans to increase revenue from its planned purchase of Yahoo Inc's internet assets.

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EU privacy watchdogs keep open mind on new U.S. data pact

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union privacy watchdogs will let a new EU-U.S. commercial data pact underpinning billions of dollars of transatlantic trade run for at least a year without any legal challenge, they said on Tuesday.

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Monday, July 25, 2016

Daimler's MyTaxi to merge with Hailo to take on Uber: sources

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Daimler will deepen its European footprint in the ride-hailing business when its MyTaxi smartphone app unveils an all-share merger deal with U.K. rival Hailo as soon as Tuesday, three sources briefed on the matter told Reuters.

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Verizon sale leaves Yahoo investors betting on a stub

(Reuters) - Yahoo Inc shareholders may be left betting on how quickly, if at all, the former web pioneer can cash in on its multi-billion dollar stakes in two Asian peers after Monday's deal to sell its core internet assets to Verizon Communications Inc.

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Amazon gets permission from UK to explore drone deliveries

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said on Monday it has entered into a partnership with the British government to speed up the process for allowing small drones to makes deliveries.

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Illinois Republican lawmaker resigns, cites Facebook, Twitter hacks

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A prominent Illinois Republican has resigned from the state legislature, citing multiple incidents of fake Facebook and Twitter accounts set up in his name in recent weeks.

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Judge bans Uber use of background checks in NY lawsuit

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday banned Uber Technologies Inc and its Chief Executive Travis Kalanick from using information obtained by an investigative firm in a background check of a plaintiff who brought a price-fixing lawsuit.

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SoftBank's robot Pepper to be rolled out in Taiwan later this year

TAIPEI (Reuters) - SoftBank Corp's human-like robot Pepper will be rolled out in Taiwan later this year with about 100 rented units making their appearance in some banks and Carrefour SA shops, executives handling Pepper's sales in the island said on Monday.

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Sunday, July 24, 2016

Facebook, Twitter co-operated with Brazil probe of alleged militants

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The judge overseeing the probe that led to the arrest last week of suspected Islamist militants in Brazil said Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. co-operated with investigators by providing information about the suspects' use of both social networks.

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Nintendo shares plunge, company says Pokemon GO's earnings impact limited

TOKYO (Reuters) - Shares of Nintendo Co tumbled as much as 18 percent early on Monday after the company said smash-hit mobile game Pokemon GO would have only a limited impact on its earnings.

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Pokemon Go gets big Comic-Con stage, creator talks success and future

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Reuters) - The creator of the wildly popular Pokemon Go gaming app received the celebrity treatment on Sunday at the final day of San Diego's annual Comic-Con, as he discussed the viral popularity and future of the game.

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Apple weathers anti-U.S. demo in China, where patriotic protests snowball

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Apple Inc found itself on the receiving end of a small, short-lived anti-U.S. protest this week in China, the tech firm's biggest overseas market and a country where foreign firms have suffered damaging boycotts following international spats.

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Saturday, July 23, 2016

Pokemon GO blamed for illegal border crossing from Canada to U.S.

(Reuters) - Two youths unaware of their surroundings when they were playing Pokemon GO on their cell phones made an illegal border crossing this week from Canada into the United States in a remote part of Montana, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol said.

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U.S. asks phone companies to provide 'robocall' blocking technology

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission on Friday pressed major U.S. phone companies to take immediate steps to make technology that blocks unwanted automated calls available to consumers at no charge.

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Friday, July 22, 2016

Verizon emerges as front-runner in Yahoo auction: sources

(Reuters) - Yahoo Inc is focusing on U.S. telecommunications company Verizon Communications Inc as the buyer of its core business after reviewing final bids that it received this week, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

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China seeks top-10 automation ranking by 2020: robot industry group

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - China is aiming for a top-10 ranking in automation for its industries by 2020 by putting more robots in its factories, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) said.

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Facebook's solar-powered internet drone takes flight

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc said on Thursday it had completed a successful test flight of a solar-powered drone that it hopes will help it extend internet connectivity to every corner of the planet.

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Apple to open first Apple Store in Taiwan

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Apple Inc is planning to open its first Apple Store in Taiwan, a move that comes after the U.S. technology giant raised $1.38 billion in a bond offering last month on the island that is home to many companies in its supply chain.

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Thursday, July 21, 2016

Peter Thiel tells Republican convention he is 'proud to be gay'

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel, the only big-name supporter of Donald Trump from the country's technology hub, spoke on Thursday at the Republican National Convention to urge the country to discard petty cultural battles and turn its attention to solving the United States' economic decline.

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Pokemon GO launches in Japan, bringing smash-hit mobile game home

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nintendo Co Ltd's Pokemon GO mobile game has launched in Japan, bringing the record-setting global hit to the home of the Pokemon characters.

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Obama administration offers EV charging loan guarantees

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday said it was expanding a federal loan guarantee program to include companies building electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, part of a broader effort to boost EV sales.

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Al Jazeera to launch English language digital streaming service in U.S

(Reuters) - Al Jazeera Media Network is preparing to make its English language international news channel video content digitally available to U.S. viewers again, according to a July 21 email sent to employees obtained by Reuters.

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Musk's Tesla 'master plan' big on vision, short on details

(Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc chief Elon Musk's ambitious new "master plan" provided a vision of the company as a leader in sustainable energy, but lacked details on how the plan would be funded and executed.

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Softbank, Honda: Sit back, relax, let the car do the talking

TOKYO (Reuters) - On the heels of its $32 billion takeover of chip designer ARM Holdings, SoftBank Corp founder Masayoshi Son is embarking on another "crazy idea": talking cars that can read a driver's emotions.

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Silicon Valley's Yahoo diaspora mourns company's decline

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Former Yahoo executive Dan Rosensweig has not worked at the pioneering internet company in nearly a decade.

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Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Intel's slowing data center growth overshadows strong profit

(Reuters) - Intel Corp on Wednesday reported slower revenue growth at its data center business, which makes semiconductors used in high-end servers, overshadowing a better-than-expected quarterly profit.

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McDonald's Japan shares soar, to collaborate on Pokemon GO soon

TOKYO (Reuters) - Shares of Japan's McDonald's Holdings Co jumped to their highest level since 2001 in early trade on Thursday after the company said it would collaborate on the Pokemon GO game "soon".

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Top U.S. vehicle safety regulator stands by self-driving cars

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. auto safety regulator said the government will not abandon efforts to speed the development of self-driving cars, despite a fatal accident involving a Tesla Model S operating on an autopilot system.

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South Korea probes Google for anti-competitive behavior: Yonhap

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's antitrust regulator conducted an inspection of Google's local headquarters to investigate whether the firm is engaged in anticompetitive behavior over its Android operating system, Yonhap News Agency reported on Thursday.

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EBay beats revenue estimate, bumps up forecasts

(Reuters) - Online retailer eBay Inc reported better-than-expected quarterly revenue and raised its sales forecast for the year as efforts to revamp its online marketplace start to pay off.

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Strong demand for chips buoys Qualcomm forecast

(Reuters) - Qualcomm Inc forecast current-quarter profit largely above market estimates as demand for its mobile chips rose and the company made progress with its licensees in China.

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Tesla's data collection may help it deflect Autopilot liability

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The large volume of data Tesla Motors Inc collects from its cars on the road has armed it with information to publicly counter, and possibly legally defend, claims about the safety of its Autopilot driving-assist software, according to lawyers familiar with such cases.

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France says orders Microsoft to stop collecting excessive data by users

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The French data protection authority issued a formal notice to Microsoft Corporation to stop collecting excessive data from users without their consent, it said on Wednesday.

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Electronics retailers, seeing sales bump, tap into Pokemon Go frenzy

(Reuters) - Electronics and smart-phone retailers are seeing a jump in sales of mobile charging equipment since Pokemon GO was released in the United States two weeks ago and are now looking for more ways to drive potential customers into stores through the wildly popular game.

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Twitter announces crackdown after online abuse of 'Ghostbusters' actor

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter Inc said Tuesday it had moved to permanently suspend a number of user accounts for abuse and harassment after Ghostbusters actor Leslie Jones on Monday drew renewed attention to the issue and announced she would quit the social media site.

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Turkey blocks access to WikiLeaks after ruling party email dump

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's Internet watchdog has blocked access to the WikiLeaks website in Turkey, it said, after the whistleblower organization released nearly 300,000 emails from the ruling AK Party.

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Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Cloud business boosts Microsoft's quarterly revenue, shares rise

(Reuters) - Sharp growth in its commercial cloud computing business helped lift Microsoft Corp's quarterly revenue above Wall Street's expectations, sending the technology company's shares up more than 4 percent in after-hours trading.

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Nintendo shares fall 8 percent after doubling on Pokemon GO craze

TOKYO (Reuters) - Shares in Nintendo Co opened down 8 percent on Wednesday after the game operator more than doubled its market value in the past seven sessions powered by the record-breaking success of its Pokemon GO mobile game.

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Seattle judge hears challenge to Uber, Lyft union law

SEATTLE (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Tuesday wrestled with whether a lawsuit could proceed against the city of Seattle over a local law which allows Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize.

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Brazil top court suspends ruling blocking WhatsApp message app

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's Federal Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended a ruling by a low-tier judge ordering wireless phone carriers to block access to Facebook Inc's WhatsApp, the third such decision against the popular phone messaging app in eight months.

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IBM's full-year earnings forecast greeted with skepticism

(Reuters) - IBM Corp has given itself a tall order - a full-year profit target many analysts think it will have trouble meeting.

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BlackBerry inks security software deals, shares slip

NEW YORK/TORONTO (Reuters) - BlackBerry Ltd sought to bolster its security credentials with a string of small deals on Tuesday but analysts said the jury was still out on the success of its turnaround and push into software.

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Brazil judge blocks WhatsApp over data in criminal case

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A Brazilian judge ordered an indefinite suspension of Facebook Inc's WhatsApp on Tuesday after it failed to cooperate in a criminal investigation, the third such incident involving the popular phone messaging app since December.

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SoftBank bid for ARM catches some hedge funds off guard

LONDON (Reuters) - A Dallas hedge fund was among investors betting on a fall in the price of ARM Holdings when SoftBank Group's surprise $32 billion bid sent shares in the British chip designer surging nearly 50 percent.

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Nintendo's market cap doubles to $42 billion since Pokemon GO launch

TOKYO (Reuters) - Shares of Japan's Nintendo Co soared another 14 percent on Tuesday, more than doubling the firm's market capitalization to 4.5 trillion yen ($42.5 billion) in just seven sessions since the mobile game Pokemon GO was launched in the United States.

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Tesla Motors changes web address to Tesla.com

(Reuters) - Electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors Inc has changed its internet address from teslamotors.com to tesla.com, hinting at a possible company name change as part of CEO Elon Musk's latest and still undisclosed "master plan."

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Verizon among leading bidders for Yahoo's core business: Bloomberg

(Reuters) - Leading bidders for Yahoo Inc's core business are Verizon Communications Inc, Quicken Loans Inc founder Dan Gilbert and Vector Capital Management, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

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United States joins case over Facebook data transfers from EU

DUBLIN (Reuters) - The United States can join a landmark case on the legality of cross-border data transfers, an Irish court ruled on Tuesday in a move that gives U.S. authorities a platform to defend their surveillance laws before the European Union's top court.

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EU court adviser backs data retention with strict rules

(Reuters) - Telecoms operators in the European Union may be required to retain customer communications data as long as it is strictly necessary to fight serious crime and does not unduly interfere with privacy, an adviser to the top EU court said on Tuesday.

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Drivers take Uber to UK tribunal in threat to business model

LONDON (Reuters) - Two drivers took Uber [UBER.UL] to a British employment tribunal on Tuesday, arguing that the ride service is acting unlawfully by not offering rights such as holiday and sick pay, in a test case that could force the app to change its business model.

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SoftBank's Son challenges investors to 'feel the force' of his $32 billion ARM gamble

TOKYO (Reuters) - SoftBank Corp founder Masayoshi Son, who created a $68 billion tech investment behemoth from a $50,000 start-up, has divided investors and analysts with his latest "crazy idea", the $32 billion acquisition of chip designer ARM Holdings .

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Monday, July 18, 2016

Yahoo reports lackluster results as sale looms

(Reuters) - Yahoo Inc's (YHOO.O) quarterly earnings fell short of Wall Street expectations on Monday in what may be the company's last financial report before it sells its core business.

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Baidu investor criticizes sale of video unit to CEO

BEIJING (Reuters) - Baidu Inc's proposed sale of online video unit iQiyi to its own chief executive is not in the interests of long-term shareholders and may permanently damage the reputation of the company, an investor in the Chinese internet firm said.

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IBM revenue beat estimates as shift to cloud pays off

(Reuters) - International Business Machines Corp's quarterly revenue beat analysts' expectations as the company's shift to high-growth areas such as cloud-based services begins to yield results.

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Uber reaches 2 billion rides six months after hitting its first billion

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Uber has completed more than 2 billion trips on its app, the company's chief executive said on Monday, a milestone that arrives just weeks after the ride service added another $4.7 billion to its warchest.

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Netflix's subscription forecasts miss expectations

(Reuters) - Video streaming service provider Netflix Inc forecast a slower-than-expected growth in U.S. and international subscriber additions this quarter, sending its shares sliding 16 percent.

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Spanish police issue safety tips for Pokemon Go gamers

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish police issued guidelines on Monday on how to safely use augmented-reality video games after the release of the application Pokemon Go.

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Success of Pokemon GO adds impetus for change at Nintendo

TOKYO/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The phenomenal success of Pokemon GO and the surge in Nintendo Co's market value by $17 billion in just over a week has been seized upon by one of its most vocal investors to press for a change of strategy at the company.

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Sunday, July 17, 2016

Chinese $1.24 billion takeover of Norway's Opera fails, but alternative deal set

OSLO (Reuters) - A Chinese consortium of internet firms has failed to take over Norwegian online browser and advertising company Opera Software in an agreed $1.24 billion deal due to the lack of regulatory approval, Opera said on Monday.

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Twitter, Facebook move quickly to stem celebrations of Nice attack

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Twitter Inc moved swiftly to remove posts from Islamic extremists glorifying a truck attack in Nice, France, watchdog groups said Friday, in a rare round of praise for a platform that has often struggled to contain violent propaganda.

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Chiller in Manila: Filipinos fume as snail-pace internet leaves business on ice

MANILA (Reuters) - Patrolling downtown Manila in his new Toyota, Uber driver Daniel Canezal is grumpy. It's not from the heat, grime or traffic of the capital's clogged streets - it's the Philippines' ramshackle internet service that is making his life a misery.

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Saturday, July 16, 2016

U.S. FCC says 62 bidders make down payments in spectrum auction

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission said on Friday that 62 bidders have made upfront payments in a forthcoming wireless spectrum auction, including AT&T Inc, Verizon Communications Inc, Dish Network, T-Mobile US and Comcast Corp.

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Developer of Nintendo's Pokemon GO aiming for rollout to 200 markets soon

TOKYO (Reuters) - The head of the developer behind Nintendo Co Ltd's Pokemon GO said he wanted to launch the smash-hit mobile game in roughly 200 countries and regions "relatively soon" and was working on bolstering server capacity to enable the wider rollout.

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Friday, July 15, 2016

Britain's Sainsbury's trials similar concept to Amazon's Prime Now

LONDON (Reuters) - Sainsbury's, Britain's second largest supermarket group, is trialing a one hour home delivery service that is similar in concept to Amazon's 'Prime Now', it said on Friday.

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China's Midea lifts stake in German robotics firm Kuka to 76.38 percent

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's Midea Group Co Ltd said acceptances received in its 4.5 billion euro ($5 billion) takeover offer for Germany's Kuka as of 1600 GMT on Thursday would lift its holding in the robotics firm to 76.38 percent.

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China's Midea shares hit record high after firm raises stake in Germany's Kuka

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Shares in China's Midea Group Co Ltd hit a record high on Friday afternoon after the home appliance maker said it was increasing its stake in German robotics maker Kuka , as part of a 4.5 billion euro ($5 billion) takeover.

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Thursday, July 14, 2016

Tencent merges with China Music Corp to develop digital music

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd announced on Friday a strategic merger with China's leading music-streaming company China Music Corporation to develop the digital music business in China.

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Venture capital investments rebound for tech startups

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Venture capital investments in startups rebounded in the second quarter, as a general stock market recovery helped restore confidence, according to a new report published on Friday.

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U.S. senator asks Tesla to brief committee on Autopilot crash

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. Senate committee that oversees auto safety issues wrote Tesla Motors Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk on Thursday, asking the automaker to brief the committee on a fatal May 7 crash involving its Autopilot software.

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Nintendo shares hit six-year high, up more than 80 percent in a week

TOKYO (Reuters) - Shares of Nintendo Co soared almost 10 percent early on Friday, extending their rally since the launch of the Japanese company's hugely popular Pokemon Go mobile game, adding more than 80 percent to their value in just over a week.

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U.S. regulators pave way for speedy next-generation 5G networks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators on Thursday paved the way for a lightning-fast next generation of wireless services in a move that made the United States the first country to set aside an ample amount of airwaves for so-called 5G wireless applications and networks.

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Facebook makes little progress in race, gender diversity: report

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc's employees are still mainly white or Asian males as the world's largest social network made little progress in hiring a more diverse talent pool over the past year, it said on Thursday.

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U.S. lawmakers introduce bill to criminalize ‘revenge porn’

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced long-stalled legislation on Thursday that would make it a federal crime to share sexually explicit material of a person online without the subject’s consent.

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U.S. banking regulator updates cyber security after data breach: chairman

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is updating cyber security policies after a 2015 data breach in which a former employee kept copies of sensitive information on how banks would handle bankruptcy, the regulator's chief said on Thursday.

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Microsoft wins landmark appeal over seizure of foreign emails

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Thursday said Microsoft Corp and other companies cannot be forced to turn over customer emails stored on servers outside the United States.

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Influential consumer magazine urges Tesla disable auto steering

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. magazine Consumer Reports on Thursday urged electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc disable the automatic steering function in its Autopilot driving-assist system, which is under investigation by U.S. regulators after a fatal crash.

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EU antitrust regulators open third front against Google

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU regulators brought a third antitrust charge against Alphabet Inc's Google on Thursday, accusing it of blocking rivals in the lucrative online search advertising market.

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Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Chinese man to serve U.S. prison term in military hacking case

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Chinese man who pleaded guilty to conspiring to hack into the computer networks of Boeing and other major U.S. defense contractors, was sentenced on Wednesday to nearly four years in prison, prosecutors said.

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Pokemon Go blamed for crimes but also aids embattled U.S. police

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Pokemon Go craze is blamed for several robberies of distracted mobile phone players, but the game's cartoon characters have also helped U.S. police improve strained community relations and even arrest wanted suspects.

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Allianz sees cyber premiums as fire insurance of 21st century

BERLIN (Reuters) - The growing threat of hacking and a duty to protect data more stringently will accelerate demand for cyber insurance in Europe, insurer Allianz said on Wednesday, as it launched its first product aimed at Germany's small-to-medium-sized manufacturers.

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Ex-Google engineer launches blockchain-based system for banks

LONDON (Reuters) - A former Google engineer, whose speech recognition software is used in more than a billion Android smartphones, has launched a company that uses blockchain technology to build a new operating system for banks.

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Amazon says Prime Day orders jump 60 percent over last year

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said customers placed 60 percent more orders worldwide on "Prime Day" on Tuesday, compared with a year earlier when it started the shopping event.

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New test for Nintendo? North Korea an obstacle for South Korean Pokemon hunters

SEOUL (Reuters) - Nintendo's smash hit Pokemon GO is likely to face hurdles in South Korea, where Google mapping functions are restricted due to security issues with North Korea - though some fans are already trekking out to one remote area where it can be played.

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Tesla cuts starting price of Model X crossover

(Reuters) - Electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors has added a lower-priced version of its Model X crossover. The new Tesla Model X 60D is priced from $74,000, $9,000 less than the Model X 75D. Equipped with a 60kWh battery, the 60D has less torque and a shorter range between charges than the 75D.

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Uber to suspend operations in Hungary due to govt legislation

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Ride-hailing service Uber will suspend its operations in Hungary due to government legislation that makes it impossible for it to operate, the company said on Wednesday.

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Nissan launches auto drive features, stresses difference from hands-free driving

YOKOHAMA (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co Ltd launched a suite of semi-autonomous driving functions on Wednesday stressing they were intended to assist and not replace drivers, just two weeks after similar technology in another maker's car was involved in a fatal crash.

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Tuesday, July 12, 2016

FCA to offer rewards to hackers who help it find security flaws

(Reuters) - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV will offer rewards of as much as $1,500 to ethical hackers who tell the auto maker about data security weaknesses in its vehicles, the company said.

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Pokemon GO fans told not to play in U.S. Holocaust Museum

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has told Pokemon GO fans not to play the popular new mobile game in its premises, describing it as "extremely inappropriate" in a memorial dedicated to the victims of Nazism.

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U.S. senator probes Pokemon GO maker over data privacy concerns

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic U.S. senator on Tuesday asked the software developer behind Nintendo Co Ltd's Pokemon GO to clarify the mobile game's data privacy protections, amid concerns the augmented reality hit was unnecessarily collecting vast swaths of sensitive user data.

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Magic Leap ramps up production for new type of virtual reality

ASPEN, Colo. (Reuters) - Magic Leap, a startup backed by technology powerhouses including Google and Alibaba that has raised more than $1.4 billion, has hired more than 600 employees and is close to starting production of its first "mixed reality" products.

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Tesla has no plans to disable Autopilot feature: WSJ

(Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk said the electric car maker has no plans to disable its Autopilot feature in the wake of a fatal accident in which the driver of a Model S car was using the technology, the Wall Street Journal reported.

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Tesla has no plans to disable Autopilot feature: WSJ

(Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk said the electric car maker has no plans to disable its Autopilot feature in the wake of a fatal accident in which the driver of a Model S car was using the technology, the Wall Street Journal reported.

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U.S. fund managers on hunt for companies that won't be 'Amazon'ed' away

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Amazon's long shadow is falling on retailers previously thought immune to the threat of e-commerce, forcing U.S. fund managers to rethink their approach to consumer stocks by focusing on companies whose businesses cannot be upended by the online giant.

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Google given extra time to answer EU antitrust charges on Android

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google has been given an extra 6 weeks to early September to respond to EU charges that it uses its dominant Android mobile operating system to squeeze out rivals, EU antitrust regulators said on Tuesday.

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U.S. agency seeks answers on fatal Tesla Autopilot crash

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sent Tesla Motors Inc a detailed list of questions regarding its Autopilot feature and a May 7 fatal crash in Florida in which the system was in use.

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EU-U.S. commercial data transfer pact enters into force

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A new commercial data pact between the European Union and the United States entered into force on Tuesday, ending months of uncertainty over cross-border data flows, and companies such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft can sign up from Aug. 1.

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Monday, July 11, 2016

NY Fed, Bangladesh Bank meeting on heist postponed: sources

DHAKA (Reuters) - A meeting between Bangladesh central bank officials and the New York Federal Reserve scheduled for this week to speed up efforts to recover $81 million stolen from Bangladesh Bank's account at the Fed has been postponed, officials in Dhaka said.

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Google notifies users of 4,000 state-sponsored cyber attacks per month: executive

(Reuters) - A senior executive of Alphabet Inc's Google unit said on Monday that the company was notifying customers of 4,000 state-sponsored cyber attacks per month.

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Google self-driving car project names general counsel as scrutiny rises

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google self-driving car project said on Monday it appointed its first general counsel, as U.S. regulators increase their scrutiny of autonomous vehicles.

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SEC to probe Tesla for possible securities law breach: WSJ

(Reuters) - The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating Tesla Motors Inc for a possible securities law breach after the electric car maker failed to disclose a fatal crash in May, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

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Microsoft confirms Finnish site closure and job cuts

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Microsoft on Monday confirmed it will close its Finnish mobile phone unit and cut up to 1,350 jobs in the Nordic country.

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Musk hints at top secret Tesla masterplan: tweet

(Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc CEO Elon Musk on Sunday tweeted his intention to soon publish part two of his "top secret Tesla masterplan" following an embattled several weeks for the Silicon Valley heavyweight.

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Relatives of Palestinian attack victims sue Facebook for $1 billion in U.S. court

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A group of Israelis and Americans bereaved in Palestinian attacks said on Monday they would seek $1 billion in damages from Facebook Inc. for alleged complicity, as part of a suit filed in the United States against the social media giant.

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Global bank messaging system calls in help to bolster cyber defenses

LONDON (Reuters) - SWIFT, a messaging system used by banks across the world, announced further steps on Monday to bolster its defenses against hackers, after criminals sent fraudulent payment instructions across its network.

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Sunday, July 10, 2016

Obama says U.S. government must improve cyber security

MADRID (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Sunday that the U.S. government has to improve its cyber security practices for the modern age of smart phones and other technology, saying that hackers had targeted the White House.

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Nintendo shares surge on Pokemon mobile game hopes

TOKYO (Reuters) - Shares of Japan's Nintendo Co soared more than 20 percent in early Tokyo trading on Monday, extending last week's gains, on hopes that the popularity of its new Pokemon GO smartphone game will boost its results.

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German authority would not have approved beta-phase Tesla autopilot: newspaper

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's Federal Office for Motor Vehicles (KBA) would not have approved the autopilot system installed on Tesla cars if the technology was still in a beta-phase version, it told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

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Germany's electric car discount scheme spurs new BMW i3 sales: report

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - BMW has recorded rising sales of the latest version of its electric car, the i3, following the Berlin government's push to subsidize electric cars, weekly German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) said.

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Facebook tests end-to-end encryption on Messenger

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc on Friday said it began testing end-to-end encryption on its popular Messenger application to prevent snooping on digital conversations.

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Friday, July 8, 2016

Bitcoin 'miners' face fight for survival as new supply halves

KEFLAVIK, Iceland (Reuters) - Marco Streng is a miner, though he does not carry a pick around his base in south-western Iceland. Instead, he keeps tens of thousands of computers running 24 hours a day in fierce competition with others across the globe to earn bitcoins.

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Germany denies investigating Tesla over software updates

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Transport Ministry denied a media report on Friday that it was investigating Tesla Motors Inc for updating driving assistance software without informing authorities, but said it was "clarifying technical issues" on the matter.

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EU-U.S. commercial data transfer pact clears final hurdle

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A commercial data transfer pact provisionally agreed by the EU executive and the United States in February received the green light from EU governments on Friday, the European Commission said, paving the way for it to come into effect next week.

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Twitter in talks with NBA, MLS, Turner to stream sports: Recode

(Reuters) - Twitter Inc is in talks with the NBA, Major League Soccer and Time Warner Inc's cable network Turner Broadcasting for rights to stream live sports, technology news website Recode reported.

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LG Electronics says second-quarter operating profit likely at two-year high

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's LG Electronics Inc said on Friday its second-quarter operating profit likely reached a two-year high, with analysts pointing to strong contributions from its mainstay home appliances and television set businesses.

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Thursday, July 7, 2016

Uber raises $1.15 billion leveraged loan

(Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc. [UBER.UL] has secured a $1.15 billion leveraged loan, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday, the latest capital infusion for the well-financed ride-hailing company.

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Coupa Software hires investment banks for IPO: sources

(Reuters) - Coupa Software Inc, a U.S. provider of applications that help companies run their financial affairs, has hired investment banks for an initial public offering that could come later this year, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

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Internal Revenue Service investigates Facebook over Ireland asset transfer

(Reuters) - The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is examining Facebook Inc over its transfer of various rights associated with its worldwide business to a holding company in Ireland, according to court papers.

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Florida investigators found laptop in Tesla after fatal crash

(Reuters) - Investigators found a laptop computer in the Tesla Model S sedan involved in a fatal crash on May 7, the Florida Highway Patrol said on Thursday.

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From tweets to streets, Zimbabwe social media anger erupts into anti-Mugabe protests

HARARE (Reuters) - Organizers of a general strike against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe pledged on Thursday to continue action until he falls, as a spontaneous social media movement has coalesced into the biggest uprising against his rule in nearly a decade.

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Wendy's says recently-found malware targeted payment card data

(Reuters) - U.S. burger chain Wendy's Co said on Thursday that a malware it had found at some franchisees in June had enabled hackers to access payment card information from the point-of-sales systems.

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U.S. regulator probes July 1 crash of Tesla Model X in Pennsylvania

(Reuters) - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating a July 1 crash in Pennsylvania of a Tesla Model X to determine whether automated functions were in use at the time of the accident, the agency said on Wednesday.

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Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Wal-Mart mobile pay service rollout complete, repeat usage jumps

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Wednesday it has completed the rollout of its Wal-Mart Pay mobile payment service across the United States and that 88 percent of transactions on the app are from repeat users.

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Verizon raises wireless plan rates, offers more data

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc , the No. 1 U.S. wireless provider, said on Wednesday that it would increase plan rates but expand data buckets by 30 percent for its customers, who increasingly stream content through mobile devices.

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Driverless cars need infrared technology to be safe, says auto supplier ZF

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Self-driving cars will need multiple detection systems including expensive infrared "lidar" technology if they are to be safe at high speeds, the chief executive of German autos supplier ZF Friedrichshafen [ZFF.UL] said on Wednesday.

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Amazon UK says no Brexit hit to sales so far

LONDON (Reuters) - Online retailer Amazon has not seen a dip in sales at its British business in the days after the country voted to leave the European Union, its UK boss said on Wednesday.

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U.S. recalls over 500,000 hoverboards over battery fires

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ten companies are recalling about 501,000 hoverboards after numerous reports of the self-balancing scooters' batteries catching fire, the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission said on Wednesday.

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LG Electronics says to jointly develop connected car platform with Volkswagen

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's LG Electronics Inc said on Wednesday it will work with German carmaker Volkswagen AG to jointly develop a connected car platform to enable vehicles to communicate with external devices.

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U.S. court to hear arguments in warrantless NSA spying case

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court will weigh a constitutional challenge on Wednesday to a warrantless government surveillance program brought by an Oregon man found guilty of attempting to detonate a bomb in 2010 during a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony.

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China's Alibaba puts internet in cars, plans to take drivers out

HANGZHOU/BEIJING, China (Reuters) - Chinese tech firm Alibaba's internet-connected car will set the Chinese e-commerce giant up to quickly introduce driverless vehicle technology, Chief Technology Officer Wang Jian told Reuters on Wednesday.

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New partnership aims to clamp down on use of bitcoin for child porn

LONDON (Reuters) - London-based bitcoin start-up Elliptic and the Internet Watch Foundation, a charity that monitors online child sex abuse, will cooperate to clamp down on the use of bitcoin in online child pornography, Elliptic said on Wednesday.

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Tesla told regulators about Autopilot crash nine days after accident

SAN FRANCISCO/DETROIT (Reuters) - Tesla Motors alerted regulators to a fatality in one of its electric cars in partial self-driving Autopilot mode nine days after it crashed, the company said on Tuesday, defending its decision not to make the accident public before a federal investigation was announced.

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Tuesday, July 5, 2016

U.S. agency warns of security bug in Symantec's anti-virus software

(Reuters) - A U.S. federal agency issued a security alert over a vulnerability in Symantec Corp's anti-virus software that allows attackers to remotely control affected computers.

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Twitter names former Facebook technology chief to its board

(Reuters) - Twitter Inc said it had appointed former Facebook Inc Chief Technology Officer Bret Taylor to its board, effective immediately.

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BlackBerry ditches Classic, adding to smartphone future doubts

TORONTO (Reuters) - BlackBerry Ltd said on Tuesday it will stop making its Classic model, raising further doubts about the future of the smartphone pioneer's money-losing handset business as the company shifts its focus to software.

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Comcast to add Netflix content on its X1 set-top box

(Reuters) - Comcast Corp, the owner of the NBC TV network, has reached an agreement with Netflix Inc to stream Netflix content through its X1 set-top box, the companies said.

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Kenya's Safaricom launches Little Cab app to rival Uber

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's biggest telecoms operator Safaricom on Tuesday launched a ride-hailing app called Little Cab to compete with Uber [UBER.UL] and which was developed with a local software firm.

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Geta load of this, Chinese robot parks your car for you

SHENZHEN, China (Reuters) - The dreaded act of parallel parking could soon become a thing of the past with Chinese inventors backing their new parking robot to take away the stress for anxious drivers.

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Samsung Electronics set for best quarter in over two years on second-quarter smartphone boost

SEOUL (Reuters) - Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is poised to issue guidance for its best quarterly profit in more than two years, propelled by a surge in mobile earnings on the back of robust sales of its flagship Galaxy S7 smartphones.

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Monday, July 4, 2016

Israel's high tech boom threatened by shallow labor pool

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - In the high tech hub of Tel Aviv, where companies have been responsible for ground-breaking advances like the USB stick, Or Offer never thought it would be hard to find workers for his fast-growing Internet data firm SimilarWeb.

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Monsanto, Microsoft to invest in agricultural technology in Brazil

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - U.S. biotech company Monsanto Co and Microsoft Corp announced on Monday a partnership to invest in agricultural technology startups in Brazil.

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Facebook defends position on content standards after Israeli censure

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Facebook is doing its share to remove abusive content from the social network, it said on Sunday in an apparent rejection of Israeli allegations that it was uncooperative in stemming messages that might spur Palestinian violence.

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Sunday, July 3, 2016

In race to be Asia's fintech hub, Singapore leads Hong Kong

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore is rushing to reinvent itself as Asia's financial technology, or fintech, hub to fend off a regulatory threat to its wealth management industry and revive a sluggish economy.

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Saturday, July 2, 2016

Tesla crash raises concerns about autonomous vehicle regulation

(Reuters) - The fatal crash of a Tesla Motors Inc Model S in Autopilot mode has turned up pressure on auto industry executives and regulators to ensure that automated driving technology is deployed safely.

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Friday, July 1, 2016

DVD player found in Tesla car in May crash: Florida officials

(Reuters) - A digital video disc player was found in the Tesla car that was on autopilot when its driver was killed in a collision with a truck in May, Florida Highway Patrol officials said on Friday.

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Uber, Lyft settlement did not require either side to pay -sources

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A pitched legal battle between ride-hailing rivals Uber and Lyft, involving accusations of hacking and corporate spying, ended with a settlement this week that did not require either company to pay money, according to sources familiar with the agreement.

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Spotify hits out at Apple after updated app for iPhones rejected

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Spotify confirmed on Friday that it has complained to Apple Inc after the U.S. tech giant rejected an updated app for the Swedish music streaming service on iPhones.

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BMW to develop driverless car technology with Intel, Mobileye

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - BMW is teaming up with Intel and Mobileye to develop new technology for the auto industry that could put self-driving cars on the road by around 2021.

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Oracle ordered to pay HP $3 billion in Itanium case

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A California jury ordered Oracle Corp to pay Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Co $3 billion in damages in a case over HP's Itanium servers, an Oracle spokeswoman said on Thursday.

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