White nationalists use Twitter with 'relative impunity': report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White nationalists and self-identified Nazi sympathizers located mostly in the United States use Twitter with “relative impunity” and often have far more followers than militant Islamists, a study being released on Thursday found.

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SolarCity advisor Lazard made mistake in deal with Tesla

(Reuters) - Lazard Ltd , the investment bank that advised SolarCity Corp on its $2.6 billion sale to Tesla Motors Inc , made an error in its analysis that discounted the value of the U.S. solar energy company by $400 million, a regulatory filing by Tesla showed on Wednesday.

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U.S. tax code may allow dramatic retaliation in EU Apple case

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. tax law gives the Obama administration power to double tax rates for European companies should it choose to dramatically escalate a dispute with the European Union over Apple's tax bill.

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InterContinental unit Kimpton Hotels hit by payment card data breach

(Reuters) - InterContinental Hotels Group Plc-owned Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants said an investigation had found a malware attack on servers that processed payment cards used at some of its hotels.

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Samsung unveils bigger Gear S3 smartwatches

BERLIN (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics unveiled two new smartwatches on Wednesday which boast a range of digital features while also promising up to four days of battery life, seeking to outshine the Apple Watch.

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Salesforce third-quarter revenue forecast misses estimates

(Reuters) - Cloud software maker Salesforce.com Inc forecast third-quarter revenue below estimates after it reported a 25 percent jump in quarterly revenue as customers stepped up purchases of its web-based sales and marketing software.

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Tesla will release Autopilot update 'in weeks': Musk

(Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc plans to release an update of its partly automated self-driving system "in a few weeks," Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted on Wednesday.

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U.S. Treasury says EU's Apple tax ruling aimed at U.S. companies

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury sought to keep pressure on the European Union to rescind a ruling that Apple Inc pay up to $14.5 billion in back taxes, a move Washington says breaches international tax rules and sets the stage for more actions against U.S. companies.

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Irish cabinet may need more time to decide on Apple appeal: minister

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland's cabinet may need more time to decide whether to appeal a European Commission ruling against Dublin's tax dealings with Apple , a minister said on Wednesday.

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Faced with crunch, Tesla plans to raise additional cash this year

(Reuters) - Facing a severe cash crunch, Tesla Motors Inc plans to raise additional money this year to help fund development and production of its new Model 3 sedan and build out a giant battery factory, the company said on Wednesday.

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Apple tax receipts could help cut Ireland's debt pile - S&P

LONDON (Reuters) - The European Commission's ruling that Apple should pay 13 billion euros of back-dated taxes could help Ireland reduce its debt significantly but may undermine the Irish government in the process, Standard & Poor's told Reuters on Thursday.

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Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 shipments delayed due to quality testing

SEOUL (Reuters) - Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Wednesday shipments of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone are being delayed as the firm conducts additional quality control testing for the premium device.

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Head of Technologies unit to leave Nokia

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Telecoms network maker Nokia said on Wednesday the president of its Nokia Technologies unit, Ramzi Haidamus, is leaving the company.

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Amazon Dash one-button device arrives in Britain

LONDON (Reuters) - Seeking to capitalize on Britons too busy or forgetful to shop for household essentials, retail giant Amazon is bringing its thumb-sized, one-button ordering device to the UK.

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Exclusive: SWIFT discloses more cyber thefts, pressures banks on security

(Reuters) - SWIFT, the global financial messaging system, on Tuesday disclosed new hacking attacks on its member banks as it pressured them to comply with security procedures instituted after February's high-profile $81 million heist at Bangladesh Bank.

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Twitter to share ad revenue on videos by U.S. users

(Reuters) - Twitter Inc on Tuesday stepped up its battle to attract video talent to its platform, saying it will allow U.S. users who upload a video to share in any advertising revenue it generates.

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Google expands nascent ride-sharing service: WSJ

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google unit plans to open its ride-sharing program to Waze app users in San Francisco this fall, pitting itself against Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL], the Wall Street Journal reported.

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Uber hires senior Target executive to lead global operations

(Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] has plucked a top executive from retail giant Target to help lead the growing ride services company and reshape its image.

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Google's cloud close to winning PayPal business - CNBC

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google is close to winning PayPal Holdings Inc as a client for its cloud business, CNBC reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

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Exclusive: Six U.S. senators urge Obama to prioritize cyber crime at G20 summit

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Six U.S. senators have urged President Barack Obama to prioritize cyber crime at this weekend's Group of 20 summit in China, in the wake of the theft of $81 million from Bangladesh's central bank, according to a letter obtained by Reuters.

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EU to hand Apple multi-billion dollar Irish tax bill: sources

DUBLIN/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission will rule against Ireland's tax dealings with Apple Inc on Tuesday, sources familiar with the decision told Reuters, likely resulting in a multi-billion dollar tax bill for the U.S.-based tech company.

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Livestream of Kim Dotcom extradition hearing a first for New Zealand

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A New Zealand judge gave permission on Tuesday for the hearing of German tech entrepreneur Kim Dotcom's appeal against his extradition to be streamed on YouTube, making it the country's first court case to be broadcast on the Internet.

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Alphabet executive steps down from Uber board amid growing competition

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Alphabet executive David Drummond, who has been a director on the Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] board for close to three years, has stepped down, the ride-hailing firm confirmed on Monday.

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U.S. appeals court dismisses AT&T data throttling lawsuit

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal appeals court in California on Monday dismissed a U.S. government lawsuit that accused AT&T Inc of deception for reducing internet speeds for customers with unlimited mobile data plans once their use exceeded certain levels.

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Facebook CEO says group will not become a media company

ROME (Reuters) - Facebook Inc. will not become a media company, its founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday, telling students the firm would remain a technology platform.

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Germany wants Facebook to take initiative in fight against online hate

BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government wants Facebook to be more proactive in monitoring and, if necessary, removing forbidden as well as offensive content from its social network platform.

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Uber, Careem suspend services in UAE capital

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Ride-hailing companies Uber [UBER.UL] and Careem have suspended services in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, since Saturday and do not know when they can resume operations, they said on Sunday.

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Vienna Airport says glitch that disrupted dozens of flights resolved

VIENNA (Reuters) - Data transmission problems that caused the delay or cancellation of dozens of flights on Sunday have been resolved, Vienna Airport said, with its flight schedule having returned to normal.

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Cost-cutting, growth could lift Symantec shares 25 percent: Barron's

(Reuters) - Symantec Corp shares could gain 25 percent or more following steps to cut costs and a recent acquisition that could propel the company's business in the hot cybersecurity market, a Barron's report said on Sunday.

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Facebook changes 'Trending' feature to rely less on human editors

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc changed its popular "Trending" feature, which shows users the most-talked about topics of the day, to make it more automated and further eliminate the potential for human bias, the company wrote in a blog post on Friday.

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Iran detects malware in petrochemical plants, says not linked to recent fires

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has detected and removed malicious software from two of its petrochemical complexes, a senior military official said on Saturday, after announcing last week it was investigating whether recent petrochemical fires were caused by cyber attacks.

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Economists see ride-hailing industry as ripe for competition

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Chinese powerhouse Didi Chuxing's acquisition of Uber Technologies Inc's China operations marked the biggest move yet toward consolidation in an industry that many investors and Silicon Valley pundits view as a winner-take-all game.

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Belgians are hunting books, instead of Pokemon

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Inspired by the success of Pokemon Go, a Belgian primary school headmaster has developed an online game for people to search for books instead of cartoon monsters, attracting tens of thousands of players in weeks.

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Apple fixes security flaw after UAE dissident's iPhone targeted

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc issued a patch on Thursday to fix a dangerous security flaw in iPhones and iPads after researchers discovered that a prominent United Arab Emirates dissident's phone had been targeted with a previously unknown method of hacking.

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U.S. bank group to launch Zelle instant payments brand in 2017

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A consortium of banks holding the majority of U.S. consumer accounts plans to launch its instant, person-to-person payments brand Zelle in the first half of 2017, a spokesman said on Thursday.

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Russian lawmaker's son convicted in U.S. for hacking scheme

(Reuters) - The son of a Russian lawmaker was convicted on Thursday on U.S. charges that he engaged in a scheme to hack into U.S. businesses in order to steal and sell credit card numbers, costing financial institutions more than $169 million.

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France's Faurecia recasts interiors for self-driving cars

HOLLAND, Mich. (Reuters) - With self-driving cars expected on the road within three to five years, French supplier Faurecia SA is focusing on the cabin of future autonomous cars.

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WhatsApp relaxes privacy stance, to share phone numbers with Facebook

(Reuters) - Popular messaging service WhatsApp said it would start sharing users' phone numbers with parent Facebook Inc , marking a notable shift in its stance on privacy.

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Uber lost at least $1.27 billion in first half of 2016: Bloomberg

(Reuters) - Ride-hailing giant Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] lost at least $1.27 billion before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization in the first six months of 2016, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

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Uber to let Londoners book journeys weeks in advance

LONDON (Reuters) - Ride service Uber [UBER.UL], which enables users to instantly hail a taxi ride using their smartphone, will allow customers to book trips days or weeks in advance in London, the first European city to get the option.

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First driverless taxi hits the streets of Singapore

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The first driverless taxi began work on Thursday in a limited public trial on the streets of Singapore.

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Pizza by drone: unmanned air delivery set to take off in New Zealand

WELLINGTON/SYDNEY (Reuters) - A New Zealand pizza chain aims to become the world's first company to offer a commercial drone delivery service, a milestone in the once-unthinkable quest to save time and money with an air-borne supply chain dispensing with people.

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CrowdStrike, other cybersecurity firms integrating industry cooperative

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Some information security companies that were shut out of the leading system for sharing data on malicious software are revealing more about how their own systems work in hopes of rejoining the cooperative effort, a shift that should improve protections for customers throughout the industry.

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Japanese truck driver playing Pokemon Go kills pedestrian

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese truck driver playing Pokemon Go while driving hit two women, killing one and injuring the other, in Japan's first death related to the Nintendo Co craze.

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U.S. banking regulators focused on cybersecurity after SWIFT attack

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. banking regulators said in a letter released on Wednesday that they are continuing to focus on cybersecurity risks and controls for U.S. financial institutions after attacks earlier this year on the global financial network known as SWIFT.

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Ex-Comverse CEO pleads guilty to fraud, a decade after fleeing U.S.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The former chief executive officer of Comverse Technology Inc pleaded guilty to securities fraud on Wednesday, a decade after fleeing the United States for Namibia to avoid prosecution.

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Orange denies media report on deal with Vivendi on Telecom Italia

PARIS (Reuters) - French telecoms operator Orange denied on Wednesday having reached a deal with Vivendi that would include taking stakes in the media giant's pay-TV Canal Plus and in Telecom Italia, following an online report by French magazine Challenges.

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Hundreds of Pokemon Go fans hit the streets of Taipei

Hundreds of Pokemon Go enthusiasts caused a stampede in Taipei on Sunday (August 21) in a rush to 'catch' rare Pokemons.

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U.S. appeals court sends BlackBerry lawsuit back to lower court

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit accusing BlackBerry Ltd of fraudulently inflating its stock price by painting an upbeat picture of the prospects for its BlackBerry Z10 smartphone line that was misleading.

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Samsung, Tencent surge in race to become Asia's most valuable firm

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Tencent Holdings Ltd and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd are racing to be crowned Asia's most valuable company as expectations for robust earnings growth push their share prices to record highs.

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BuzzFeed splits itself into news, entertainment departments

(Reuters) - Online media outlet BuzzFeed will split itself into two new departments that will focus on news and entertainment, CEO Jonah Peretti wrote in a memo sent to employees.

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Tesla touts speed and driving range with new upgraded battery

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc crowned itself the maker of the world's fastest production car on Tuesday, saying a new version of its Model S all-electric sedan can accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour in just 2-1/2 seconds.

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U.S. trade judge clears Fitbit of stealing Jawbone's trade secrets

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fitbit Inc did not steal rival Jawbone's trade secrets, a U.S. International Trade Commission judge ruled on Tuesday, dashing Jawbone's hopes of securing an import ban against Fitbit's wearable fitness tracking devices.

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Informatica expects valuation to double in five years

BENGALURU (Reuters) - Informatica, a privately held software developer, said it expects its valuation to double to at least $10 billion in the next five years, driven by investments in big data and cloud computing.

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Reporters at New York Times, other U.S. media, hacked: CNN

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI and other U.S. security agencies are investigating cyber breaches targeting reporters at the New York Times and other U.S. news organizations thought to have been carried out by hackers working for Russian intelligence, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed U.S. officials.

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Amazon working on music subscription service for $5 a month: Recode

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc is working on a music subscription service that would cost about $5 a month and would only work on its Echo hardware, tech news website Recode reported, citing sources.

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Samsung Electronics says to sell third Tizen OS smartphone in India

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Tuesday it will start selling its third smartphone powered by the company's own Tizen mobile operating system in India next week.

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Sharp to review TV licensing deals to boost global presence

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp said Tuesday it will review its TV brand licensing deals overseas in an effort to boost its global presence under the aegis of Taiwan's Foxconn.

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Retailer Target to focus on digital efforts, CIO says

(Reuters) - U.S. retailer Target Corp will focus on technologies that enhance customers' store experience and on other digital efforts, Chief Information Officer Mike McNamara said.

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Need drugs in jail? Try using a drone

LONDON (Reuters) - While Amazon and the British government are looking into how to use drones to deliver parcels to customers, criminals are already exploiting the technology to send drugs to accomplices in prison.

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Samsung plans refurbished smartphone program: source

SEOUL/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd plans to launch a program to sell refurbished used versions of its premium smartphones as early as next year, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

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AT&T, Apple, Google to work on 'robocall' crackdown

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 30 major technology and communication companies said on Friday they are joining the U.S. government to crack down on "robocalls," automated, prerecorded phone calls that regulators have labeled a "scourge."

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Facebook can climb more than 20 percent on ad growth: Barron's

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Facebook Inc stock has the potential to climb by more than 20 percent over the next year given the growing advertising revenue among its platforms, according to a Barron's report on Sunday.

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Massachusetts to tax ride-hailing apps, give the money to taxis

(Reuters) - Massachusetts is preparing to levy a 5-cent fee per trip on ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft and spend the money on the traditional taxi industry, a subsidy that appears to be the first of its kind in the United States.

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Incoming Viacom CEO plans investor campaign as shakeup looms

NEW YORK (Reuters) - As Viacom Inc prepares to announce the impending departure of CEO Philippe Dauman, his interim replacement, Thomas Dooley, is planning to reach out to investors, setting a new tone for a company that has kept communications minimal.

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Vevo hires Goldman Sachs for up to $500 million capital raise: FT

(Reuters) - Online music video service Vevo has hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc to raise up to $500 million from new investors, the Financial Times reported, citing people briefed on the plans.

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Pokemon Go spurs lifestyle changes, business boom as it rolls out in Asia

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Asian fans of smartphone game Pokemon Go are hunting out the best telecom providers and network gear to overcome the hurdle posed by patchy network signals in their race to capture virtual cartoon characters.

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Taiwan asks Uber to pay bill in sales tax stand-off

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan has asked Uber Technologies to pay a sales tax bill estimated by local media to be up to about $6.4 million, the government said on Friday, as a decision looms on whether the global ride-hailing service may be ordered to leave the island.

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U.S. extends ZTE reprieve on alleged Iran sanctions violations

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese smartphone maker ZTE Corp said it has won a further reprieve to Nov. 28 on tough export restrictions that were imposed on the company by the U.S. government in March.

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Australia denies banks interim approval to jointly negotiate with Apple on payment apps

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's anti-trust regulator on Friday said it would not grant the country's three biggest banks interim approval to collectively negotiate with Apple Inc to install their own electronic payments applications on iPhones.

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U.S. judge rejects Uber's driver expenses settlement

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday rejected an attempt by Uber Technologies Inc to settle a class action lawsuit with drivers who claimed they were employees entitled to expenses.

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Exclusive: Viacom board expected to meet tonight to discuss settlement with Redstone

NEW YORK (Reuters) - - Viacom Inc's board of directors is expected to meet on Thursday night to discuss a settlement with controlling shareholder Sumner Redstone that would result in the departure of Chief Executive Philippe Dauman, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters.

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Gawker.com to shut down next week

-(Reuters) - U.S. internet publisher Gawker Media Group said on Thursday that it would shut operations of online news and gossip website Gawker.com next week, ending a 14-year run.

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Amazon steps up British investment with Tilbury distribution center

LONDON (Reuters) - Online retailer Amazon said it would create 1,500 new jobs in 2017 when it opens a new distribution center in Tilbury, south east England, maintaining its surge of investment in Britain.

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Uber buys self-driving truck startup Otto; teams up with Volvo

(Reuters) - Ride service Uber Technologies Inc said on Thursday it has acquired the self-driving trucks startup Otto, and it also announced that Volvo Car Group has agreed to a $300 million alliance to develop self-driving cars.

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U.S. Federal Reserve launches Facebook page

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve said it was launching a Facebook page on Thursday, part of an effort to reach out directly to a general public.

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Nokia cuts price for OZO virtual reality camera

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia has cut the price of its OZO virtual reality camera by 25 percent from its initial launch price, the Finnish company said on Thursday.

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Volvo and Uber team up to develop self-driving cars

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Volvo Car Group has agreed a $300 million alliance with Uber to develop self-driving cars, the latest move by traditional vehicle manufacturers to team up with Silicon Valley firms long seen as disruptive threats to their industry.

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China's Alipay deepens push into Europe with Ingenico partnership

PARIS (Reuters) - Ingenico Group has signed a deal with Alipay, China's biggest online-payments platform, that will allow Chinese consumers to use the mobile payment app widely across Europe, the French company said on Thursday.

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Tech industry's legal shield is feeling the heat

SAN FRANCISCO(Reuters) - When San Francisco passed an ordinance this year imposing fines on home rental companies for listings by hosts not registered with the city, Airbnb sued, saying the measure runs afoul of Section 230 of the U.S. Communications Decency Act.

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Samsung Electronics shares trade at new record intraday high

SEOUL (Reuters) - Shares of South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd traded at a new intraday record of 1.585 million won ($1,433.73) per share in early trade on Thursday, buoyed by hopes for continued earnings recovery.

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Lenovo's first-quarter profit jumps 64 percent, beating estimates

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's Lenovo Group Ltd , the world's biggest personal computer (PC) maker, said on Thursday its first-quarter net profit rose 64 percent, beating estimates as solid PC sales offset tepid smartphone demand.

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Russian court turns down appeal from Google in anti-monopoly case

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian court on Wednesday turned down an appeal from Google in an anti-monopoly case over pre-installed applications on mobile devices running the Android operating system, Interfax news agency reported.

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AT&T revamps cellular data plans, eliminates overage fees

NEW YORK (Reuters) - AT&T Inc, the No. 2 U.S wireless provider, said on Wednesday that it would roll out a new data plan that does away with overage fees and reduces data speeds for wireless customers who surpass their data allowance.

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Uber takes legal action over new rules in London

LONDON (Reuters) - Uber [UBER.UL] has launched legal action against new rules in London such as written English tests for its drivers, in the latest battle between regulators and the car ride app which has faced bans and protests worldwide.

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Apple to boost China investments as demand slows

BEIJING (Reuters) - Apple Inc will boost its investment in China, one of its largest but increasingly challenging markets, and build its first Asia-Pacific research and development center in the country, Chief Executive Tim Cook said on Tuesday.

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Cisco Systems to lay off about 14,000 employees: CRN

(Reuters) - Cisco Systems Inc is laying off about 14,000 employees, representing nearly 20 percent of the network equipment maker's global workforce, technology news site CRN reported, citing sources close to the company.

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Amid Trump criticism, U.S. to help states fight voter fraud

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government is offering to help states protect the Nov. 8 election from hacking or other tampering, in the face of allegations by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that the system is "rigged" and easy to manipulate.

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Russia fails to reach settlement with Google in Android case

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's state anti-monopoly watchdog FAS said on Tuesday it and Alphabet Inc's Google had failed to reach an out-of-court settlement in a case over Google's Android operating system, Interfax news agency reported.

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Ford, Baidu co-invest in autonomous tech firm Velodyne

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co and Baidu Inc , the Chinese search engine giant, have jointly invested $150 million in Velodyne, which makes a key component in self-driving cars as Ford ramps up development in the autonomous field.

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Hacking group claims to offer cyber-weapons in online auction

(Reuters) - Hackers going by the name Shadow Brokers said on Monday they will auction stolen surveillance tools they say were used by a cyber group linked to the U.S. National Security Agency.

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Knock, knock! Google Duo video call is here

(Reuters) - Now, all you need is a phone number to start a video call with any contact who uses an Android- or iOS-based smartphone.

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In a shift, Bangladesh Bank says no plans to sue Fed, SWIFT

DHAKA/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bangladesh's central bank said it has reversed its plans to sue the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the SWIFT money transfer network, and instead intends to seek their help recovering $81 million stolen by cyber thieves in February.

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Firms in aging Thailand bet on demand surge for robots and diapers

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai elderly care robot Dinsow can not only keep track of your medication and video-phone your relatives, but can also exercise with you and even entertain you with its karaoke skills.

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EU plans to extend some telecom rules to web-based providers

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is planning to extend telecom rules covering security and confidentiality of communications to web services such as Microsoft's Skype and Facebook's WhatsApp which could restrict how they use encryption.

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EU to propose minimum spectrum license duration of 25 years

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission is to propose that telecom spectrum licenses are granted for a minimum of 25 years to increase investment certainty for operators, under a reform of the bloc's telecoms rules, according to an EU document seen by Reuters.

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Tesla removes 'autopilot' from China website after Beijing crash

SHANGHAI/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Tesla removed the word "autopilot" and a Chinese term for "self-driving" from its China website after a driver in Beijing who crashed in "autopilot" mode complained that the car maker overplayed the function's capability and misled buyers.

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Ex-Rovio CEO hired to bring Nokia phones back to market

HELSINKI (Reuters) - HMD Global Oy, a new Finnish company looking to relaunch the Nokia brand for phones, said on Monday it has hired Pekka Rantala, the former CEO of Angry Birds maker Rovio, as its Chief Marketing Officer.

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'Grumpy hold-outs' could sink Bitfinex recovery plan after Bitcoin theft

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Crypto-currency exchange Bitfinex's plan to impose losses on all its trading clients for the theft by hackers of $72 million in Bitcoin rests on two flawed pillars, according to lawyers.

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NYSE sees double-digit Asian IPOs through 2017, with focus on tech

HONG KONG (Reuters) - The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) sees technology companies driving a revival in new Asian listings and expects double-digit IPOs through the end of 2017 from the region, the exchange's global head of capital markets said in an interview.

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Can Singapore's labor crunch spark a robot revolution?

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Sherine Toh says her best days at work are when none of the 600-or-so staff at Singapore's Tung Lok Restaurants quits, though such days are rare.

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Exclusive: Xylem nears deal to buy smart meter company Sensus-sources

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. water technology company Xylem Inc is nearing a deal to acquire Sensus USA Inc, a provider of advanced metering technologies to utilities, for around $1.7 billion, including debt, according to people familiar with the matter.

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Megaupload's Dotcom to seek a review of U.S. court's forfeiture ruling

SYDNEY (Reuters) - German tech entrepreneur and alleged internet pirate Kim Dotcom will seek a review of a Federal Court decision which rejected his bid to keep hold of millions of dollars in assets held in Hong Kong and New Zealand, his lawyer said.

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Nissan revolution: could new petrol engine make diesel obsolete?

ATSUGI, Japan (Reuters) - Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co has come up with a new type of gasoline engine it says may make some of today's advanced diesel engines obsolete.

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U.S. Democrat Pelosi gets 'obscene and sick' calls after hack

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said on Saturday she has been flooded with "obscene and sick" calls and text messages after a hacker linked to Russia posted personal contact information online for her and hundreds of other Democratic lawmakers and aides.

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Canada's telcos raise cheap money in internet bet, Fed hikes loom

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian telecom companies are rushing to secure cheap money to fund acquisitions and big infrastructure projects as their reliance on customer appetite for internet services grows.

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Lyft rebuffed acquisition interest from GM: The Information

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Ride hailing company Lyft rebuffed acquisition interest from General Motors Co and will raise a new funding round instead, technology website The Information reported on Friday, citing two people familiar with the situation.

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Secretive investor Rizvi halves Twitter stake, buys Square stock

(Reuters) - Rizvi Traverse Management LLC, managed by secretive investor Suhail Rizvi, has halved its stake in Twitter Inc and increased its holding in mobile payments company Square Inc, regulatory filings showed on Friday.

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More airline outages seen as carriers grapple with aging technology

(Reuters) - Airlines will likely suffer more disruptions like the one that grounded about 2,000 Delta flights this week because major carriers have not invested enough to overhaul reservations systems based on technology dating to the 1960s, airline industry and technology experts told Reuters.

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Samsung Elec gets order for Nvidia's next-gen GPUs: Chosun Biz

SEOUL (Reuters) - Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd won a contract manufacturing order to make new graphics processing unit (GPU) products for U.S.-based Nvidia Corp, South Korea's Chosun Biz newspaper reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources.

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South Korea says investigating whether Google broke antitrust laws

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's antitrust regulator said on Friday it is looking into whether Google has violated the country's anticompetition laws, marking the body's first acknowledgement of a formal scrutiny against the global internet search company.

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Taking on Tesla: China's WM Motor sees mass market electric cars

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - It remains more promise than product, but the electric vehicle (EV) sector is drawing more talent from mainstream automakers which are reluctant to go full tilt at the new technology.

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Gaming, data center strength propels Nvidia to another solid quarter

(Reuters) - Chipmaker Nvidia Corp reported its fastest quarterly sales growth in nearly five years, powered by strong demand for the company's processors used in gaming computers and in data centers.

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Twitter denies #SaveTwitter rumors of shutting down in 2017

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Twitter Inc denied on Thursday rumors that the social media messaging service will be shutting down in 2017, denouncing the claim as groundless.

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France says fight against messaging encryption needs worldwide initiative

PARIS (Reuters) - Messaging encryption, widely used by Islamist extremists to plan attacks, needs to be fought at international level, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Thursday, and he wants Germany to help him promote a global initiative.

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Foxconn clears China's anti-monopoly review for $3.8 billion deal with Sharp

TOKYO (Reuters) - Taiwan's Foxconn said on Thursday China's anti-monopoly authorities approved its acquisition of Japan's Sharp Corp, paving the way for the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer to seal a $3.8 billion deal.

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Alibaba's revenue jump 59 percent, GMV increases by a quarter

(Reuters) - Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd reported a better-than-expected 59 percent jump in quarterly revenue on Thursday, defying a slowdown in the Chinese economy.

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Taiwan police take aim at Pokemon gamers driven to distraction

TAIPEI (Reuters) - The launch of the Pokemon GO game in Taiwan has sparked a sharp rise in traffic violations by commuters using their smartphones to play while driving.

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IBM's Watson won Jeopardy, but can it win business from banks?

NEW YORK (Reuters) - International Business Machines Corp is in an unusual fix in telling big U.S. banks they can use its Watson software of Jeopardy-winning fame as a cost-saving solution: bankers say they like it, but cannot afford it.

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Banks and tech firms apply blockchain to trade finance

LONDON/HONG KONG (Reuters) - An HSBC and Bank of America Merrill Lynch venture and financial technology firm R3 said separately on Wednesday that they had created ways of using blockchain technology to simplify trade finance processes.

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Samsung Electronics says to acquire U.S. appliances maker Dacor

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Thursday it will acquire U.S.-based luxury appliances maker Dacor Inc, seeking to boost high-end product sales.

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U.S. court upholds state laws limiting municipal broadband

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal appeals court said on Wednesday the U.S. Federal Communications Commission could not block two states from setting limits on municipal broadband expansion.

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'No Man's Sky': from a humble shed to a new gigantic universe

LONDON (Reuters) - A new computer game created by a team of 15 people in a shed in southern England made its highly anticipated debut this week after creating buzz for conjuring a mind-bogglingly large universe of 18 quintillion planets for players to explore.

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Cambodia bans Pokemon Go game at genocide museum

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia on Wednesday banned the game Pokemon Go from a former Khmer Rouge torture center and prison after players showed up at the site, now a genocide museum, hunting for the virtual cartoon characters.

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Electric car charging station companies issue warning over VW settlement

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Electric vehicle charging companies are calling for independent oversight of the $2 billion Volkswagen AG is required to invest in clean car infrastructure, saying VW should not have the power to shape the nascent electric car charging space.

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China's LeEco to invest $1.8 billion in electric car factory

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Le Holdings Co Ltd, also known as LeEco, said on Wednesday it would invest 12 billion yuan ($1.8 billion) to build an electric car plant in eastern China with eventual annual production capacity of 400,000 cars.

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China's JD.com revenue meets expectations as slowdown set to continue

BEIJING (Reuters) - JD.com Inc, China's second biggest e-commerce company, reported revenue for the second quarter of 2016 that was within company forecasts, even as the growth rate continued a steady decline that is expected to continue.

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Verizon eyes automotive technology market, could spur other deals

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc's recent purchases of two vehicle tracking firms could spark more deals as the No. 1 wireless provider and rival AT&T see fleet management as a source of growth, analysts said.

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Apple rejects iPhone price-fixing allegations in Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Apple Inc on Tuesday rejected allegations from Russia's state competition watchdog it may have been involved in fixing prices for iPhones, saying resellers set their own prices.

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Alibaba cloud computing arm to help foreign tech firms enter China

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is offering to help international technology firms such as SAP SE to enter China, a market where foreign tech companies face increased government scrutiny.

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Thailand plans no-go zones for Pokemon Go

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand will make places such as the Royal Palace grounds, Buddhist temples and hospitals off limits to players of Nintendo Co Ltd's wildly popular augmented reality game Pokemon Go, the Thai telecoms regulator said on Tuesday.

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Pokemon Go eludes cloning attempts by big game studios: executives

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Top video game companies, caught off-guard by the runaway success of Pokemon Go, are wrestling with how to play catch-up to the augmented reality app that has become a worldwide phenomenon.

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Australia sets up specialist cyber unit to trace terrorism payments

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia has set up a cyber-intelligence unit to identify terrorism financing, money laundering and financial fraud online, the government said on Tuesday, because of "unprecedented" threats to national security.

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Wal-Mart buying Jet.com to lift online sales, battle Amazon

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc, vying to better challenge Amazon.com Inc , will pay about $3 billion for internet retailer Jet.com and its innovative pricing software in the largest-ever deal for an e-commerce startup.

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Exclusive: Honeywell explores acquisition of JDA Software - sources

(Reuters) - Honeywell International Inc is in talks to acquire JDA Software Group Inc, in a deal that could value the U.S. supply chain management software company at around $3 billion, including debt, according to people familiar with the matter.

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Facebook denies reluctance to give data to German investigators

BERLIN (Reuters) - Facebook rejected on Monday claims made by Germany's state authorities that it was reluctant to co-operate with them on criminal investigations, saying many of the requests it received for user data were incorrectly formulated.

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Pokemon Go master says not done with game, hopes for more features

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nick Johnson, who claims to be the first person to capture all 145 creatures now available in the "Pokemon Go" mobile gaming phenomenon, says he is not ready to put away his smartphone just yet and hopes for new features.

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Russia says investigating iPhone price-fixing allegations

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Federal Anti-Monopoly Service said on Monday it had opened a case into price-fixing allegations concerning Apple iPhones.

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U.S. to auction $16 million worth of bitcoin from various cases

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. government said on Monday it plans to auction over 2,700 bitcoin that were forfeited during several cases, including the prosecution of the creator of the online black market known as Silk Road.

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Amazon Japan raided on suspicion of antitrust practices: Nikkei

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Fair Trade Commission has raided the offices of Amazon.com Inc's local unit on suspicion of pressuring retailers to offer products at lower prices than on rival sites, the Nikkei business daily said on Monday.

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Bitfinex exchange customers to get 36 percent haircut, debt token

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Crypto-currency exchange Bitfinex, which lost $72 million to hackers last week, told customers on Sunday they would lose just over 36 percent of the assets they had on the platform but would be compensated for these losses with tokens of credit.

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Nissan in talks with Panasonic, others to sell battery operations: sources

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co is in talks with Panasonic Corp and overseas companies including Chinese firms over the possible sale of its controlling stake in a car battery manufacturing venture, sources said.

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Alibaba says it is not making an investment in Netflix

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Alibaba Group Holding Inc is not making an investment in Netflix Inc, Alibaba spokesman Bob Christie told Reuters on Friday.

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Tesla says Gigafactory costs may exceed expectations

(Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc said the cost of building and operating the Gigafactory could exceed the company's current expectations.

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Google executive departs self-driving car project

(Reuters) - Chris Urmson, an executive who was instrumental in building Google's self-driving car project, said on Friday he is leaving the team after seven and a half years.

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Bangladesh says Philippines President commits to return heist money funneled via Manila

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has given a commitment that $81 million stolen by cyber criminals from the account of Bangladesh Bank in New York and funneled through bank accounts in Manila would be returned, the Bangladesh ambassador to the Philippines said on Friday.

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Oil traders prepare to bid fond farewell to Yahoo Messenger

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - As commodity markets continued dealing on Friday, traders were lamenting the imminent demise of the version of Yahoo Messenger that has been their main communication tool since the late 1990s.

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Apple offers big cash rewards for help finding security bugs

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Apple Inc said it plans to offer rewards of up to $200,000 (£152,433) to researchers who find critical security bugs in its products, joining dozens of firms that already offer payments for help uncovering flaws in their products.

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Geeks win millions for teaching computers to battle each other

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - A software program dubbed "Mayhem" was poised to win the final round of a three-year contest to teach computers to launch and defend against cyber attacks, earning a $2 million prize for the team that wrote the winning code.

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FireEye plans layoffs as it cuts forecasts, misses sales target

(Reuters) - Cybersecurity firm FireEye Inc said it planned to layoff 300 to 400 of its 3,400 workers as it announced quarterly sales on Thursday that missed its own forecast and the company also cut its full-year outlook.

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Zynga quarterly bookings beat estimates with help from slot games

(Reuters) - "FarmVille" creator Zynga Inc reported higher-than-expected bookings in the second quarter, driven by higher demand for its slot games and social games such as "Words with Friends" and "Zynga Poker".

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Facebook's News Feed to show fewer 'clickbait' headlines

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc's News Feed will show fewer "clickbait" headlines over the next few weeks, the company announced Thursday, as it seeks to establish itself as the prime web destination for news and social updates.

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U.S. judge dismisses part of Alibaba counterfeit goods lawsuit

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday dismissed part of a lawsuit filed last year by Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and other luxury brands accusing Alibaba Group Holding Ltd of promoting the sale of counterfeit goods.

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Designers come out for Apple in patent fight with Samsung

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Inc deserved the hundreds of millions of dollars in damages Samsung Electronics Co Ltd paid for infringing patented designs of the iPhone, because the product's distinctive look drives people to purchase it, a group of design industry professionals told the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday.

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Tesla posts another loss, but says on track for future deliveries

(Editor's note: This story may contain language in paragraph 9 that may offend some readers)

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Bitfinex disables trading on exchange after hack

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hong Kong-based digital currency exchange Bitfinex said late on Wednesday that after a security breach on its website it will temporarily disable trading, deposits and withdrawals.

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Remote control : LoRa offers a cheaper link to the Internet of Things

LAUNCESTON, Australia,  (Reuters) - The future of communications may be 5G, where mobile networks push bandwidth-heavy video to phones and pull data from self-driving cars, but some firms see an alternative: farm irrigation equipment, donation boxes and oysters, connected by a technology called LoRa.

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Dorsey's Square reports 41.5 percent jump in quarterly revenue

(Reuters) - Square Inc, the mobile payments company co-founded and run by Twitter Inc Chief Executive Jack Dorsey, reported a 41.5 percent jump in quarterly revenue as more transactions were processed through the company's network.

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Apple reports progress in workforce diversity

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc on Wednesday reported improvements in gender and ethnic diversity in June as the U.S. technology company stayed ahead of fellow Silicon Valley power houses Google and Facebook Inc in hiring minorities.

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Facebook to let emerging market companies sell through their pages

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc is to let small businesses in emerging markets sell to customers for free through their Facebook pages, the social media company said on Wednesday, marking a new effort to build up potential advertisers in its fastest-growing regions.

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Massive funding, Apple backing helped Didi outrun Uber in China

SAN FRANCISCO/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Apple Inc's $1 billion investment in car-hailing app Didi Chuxing in May helped accelerate Uber's decision to agree a halt to a costly two-year battle with its rival in China, people close to the companies and analysts said.

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Wal-Mart in talks to buy online retailer Jet.com: WSJ

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc is in talks to buy online retailer Jet.com, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

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Private company wins U.S. clearance to fly to the moon

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - A Florida-based company won U.S. government permission on Wednesday to send a robotic lander to the moon next year, the firm's founder said, marking the first time the United States has cleared a private space mission to fly beyond Earth’s orbit.

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Taiwan says set to order Uber to exit market

TAIPEI/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Taiwan's Investment Commission said on Wednesday it is set to order Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] to exit the domestic market, saying the global ride-hailing giant misrepresented its business as an internet-based information technology platform rather than a transportation service.

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Bosch launches electric scooter sharing service in Berlin

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Auto parts supplier Robert Bosch [ROBG.UL] has launched an electric scooter sharing service in Berlin, moving into a transport-on-demand market that has attracted companies ranging from technology firms and rental agencies to car manufacturers.

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Bitfinex executive says 119,756 bitcoin stolen from Hong Kong exchange

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Nearly 120,000 bitcoin has been stolen from the exchange platform Bitfinex in Hong Kong, an executive from the bourse said on Wednesday.

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China's robotics rush shows how its debt can get out of control

WUHU, China (Reuters) - Down a side street bracketed by massage parlors and cheap hotels in this city on the banks of the Yangtze river, a humanoid food service robot trundles around the corner of a table in a cafe, red eyes flashing in tune with synthesized classical music.

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FBI took months to warn Democrats of suspected Russian role in hack: sources

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The FBI did not tell the Democratic National Committee that U.S officials suspected it was the target of a Russian government-backed cyber attack when agents first contacted the party last fall, three people with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters.

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Pokemon Go creator wants more tie ups like McDonald's Japan

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, California (Reuters) - The creator of mobile gaming phenomenon Pokemon Go is exploring more sponsorships by companies that want to attract character-hunting players to their businesses, the chief executive of developer Niantic Labs said on Tuesday.

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EA posts unexpected profit on higher game downloads

(Reuters) - Video-game publisher Electronic Arts Inc, known for titles such as "FIFA" and "Star Wars Battlefront", reported an unexpected first-quarter profit, helped by higher downloads of its games.

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Instagram's Snapchat-like feature allows 24-hour-limit posts

(Reuters) - Users of Instagram, a photo-sharing app owned by Facebook Inc , can now post picture and video slideshows that last 24 hours, a feature similar to the signature function of social media rival Snapchat.

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NBA 2K videogame maker wins dismissal of big tattoo damages claim

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The maker of the popular NBA 2K video game series on Tuesday won the dismissal of a potentially large damages claim in a lawsuit over its depiction of tattoos belonging to LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and other National Basketball Association stars.

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Georgia man pleads guilty in insider trading hacking case

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Georgia man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to trading on inside information that authorities say was obtained by hackers through a worldwide scheme to steal information from services that distribute corporate news releases.

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OpenTV owner settles patent dispute with Apple

NEW YORK/ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss digital TV security company Kudelski on Tuesday reached a settlement with Apple Inc, ending a patent dispute in the United States and Europe and removing a threat to Apple's video streaming features in devices sold in Germany.

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Exclusive: Hackers accessed Telegram messaging accounts in Iran - researchers

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iranian hackers have compromised more than a dozen accounts on the Telegram instant messaging service and identified the phone numbers of 15 million Iranian users, the largest known breach of the encrypted communications system, cyber researchers told Reuters.

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Samsung Electronics unveils new curved-screen Galaxy Note phone in H2 sales push

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd on Wednesday unveiled a new Galaxy Note smartphone with a curved screen and iris-recognition technology, seeking to build on the sales momentum that has helped it roar back to surging profit growth.

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China regulator says Didi, Uber deal will need Mofcom approval

BEIJING (Reuters) - A merger between Chinese ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing and the China unit of U.S. rival Uber could face its first hiccup after China's commerce ministry (Mofcom) said on Tuesday it had not received a necessary application to allow the deal to go ahead.

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Hundreds of Uber drivers in Kenya go on strike after price cuts

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Hundreds of drivers signed up with ride-hailing service Uber [UBER.UL] in Kenya went on strike on Tuesday to protest against fare cuts.

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Judge voids VirnetX's $625.6 million Apple verdict; VirnetX plunges

(Reuters) - A federal judge has thrown out a verdict requiring Apple Inc to pay VirnetX Holding Corp $625.6 million for infringing four patents relating to Internet security technology, causing VirnetX's share price to plunge.

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U.S. weighs dangers, benefits of naming Russia in cyber hack

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wary of a global confrontation with Russia, U.S. President Barack Obama must carefully weigh how to respond to what security experts believe was Moscow's involvement in the hacking of Democratic Party organizations, U.S. officials said.

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After bruising China battle, Uber cedes to rival Didi

(Reuters) - After a bruising two-year battle, ride-hailing firm Uber is selling its China operations to bigger local rival Didi Chuxing in a deal that will give Uber a one-fifth stake in Didi.

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Pharma and tech converge in 'fantastic voyage' to fight disease

LONDON (Reuters) - The line between pharmaceuticals and technology is blurring as companies join forces to tackle chronic diseases using high-tech devices that combine biology, software and hardware.

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Tesla to buy SolarCity in $2.6 billion stock deal

(Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc said it would buy solar panel installer SolarCity Corp for $2.6 billion in shares to form a one-stop clean energy shop.

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