Foxconn joint venture to build $8.8 billion LCD plant in China

BEIJING (Reuters) - A joint venture between Hon Hai Precision Industry Co , known as Foxconn, and Sharp Corp plans to build a 61 billion yuan ($8.8 billion) factory in China to produce liquid-crystal displays (LCDs).

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Apple to cut iPhone production in Jan-March quarter: Nikkei

(Reuters) - Apple Inc will trim production of iPhones by about 10 percent in the January-March quarter, the Nikkei financial daily reported, citing calculations based on data from suppliers.

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Amazon looks to the sky to store products

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc has filed for a patent to use airships to store products and serve as a base for delivery-drones.

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China's Midea receives U.S. green light for Kuka takeover

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - China's Midea said it will complete its takeover of German robotics maker Kuka in the first half of January after the United States authorities gave the deal a green light.

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Silicon Valley's obscure unicorns could boost 2017 IPO market

(Reuters) - Social media firm Snap Inc may be the highest profile tech IPO planned for 2017, with the potential to raise billions.

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U.S. evicts Russians for spying, imposes sanctions after election hacks

HONOLULU/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian suspected spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over their involvement in hacking U.S. political groups in the 2016 presidential election.

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Sprint, OneWeb say 8,000 jobs announced by Trump are part of SoftBank pledge

PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said telecommunications group Sprint Corp and a U.S. satellite company OneWeb will bring 8,000 jobs to the United States, and the companies said the positions were part of a previously disclosed pledge by Japan's SoftBank Group Corp.

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Battered Toshiba out of easy options to plug nuclear hole

TOKYO (Reuters) - Faced with the prospect of a multi-billion-dollar writedown that could wipe out its shareholders' equity, Japan's Toshiba is running out of fixes: it is burning cash, cannot issue shares and has few easy assets left to sell.

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Toshiba tumbles for third day as second downgrade fans writedown fears

TOKYO (Reuters) - Shares in Toshiba fell more than 19 percent in morning trade on Thursday, clocking a third day of heavy losses after the Japanese tech-to-nuclear conglomerate said earlier this week it faced a potential multi-billion dollar writedown.

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China tech giant LeEco in talks on $1.4 billion support, starts e-car plant

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Cash-strapped Chinese technology conglomerate LeEco is in talks on securing a 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) deal with an unnamed strategic investor, its listed unit said.

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New York eases proposed cyber regulations after industry complaints

(Reuters) - New York state's financial regulator on Wednesday issued a revised proposal for the nation's first cyber security rules for banks and insurers, loosening some security requirements and delaying implementation by two months to March 1.

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U.S. set to announce response to Russian election hacking: sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration plans to announce on Thursday a series of retaliatory measures against Russia for hacking into U.S. political institutions and individuals and leaking information in an effort to help President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates, two U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

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Xiaomi-backed online bank to launch services soon - bank investor

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese online bank backed by smartphones and home appliances maker Xiaomi Inc [XTC.UL] is set to launch services soon, after being officially established and rebranded recently, according to one of the venture's investors.

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Writedown fears wipe $5 billion off Toshiba's value as it weighs options

TOKYO (Reuters) - A looming writedown at Japanese conglomerate Toshiba Corp has wiped almost $5 billion off its value in two days and prompted a credit rating downgrade on Wednesday, as the company grapples to plug a potential multi-billion dollar hole.

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Amazon calls 2016 holiday season its best ever; shares rise

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said it shipped more than 1 billion items worldwide this holiday season, which the top online retailer called its best ever, and its shares rose 1.6 percent in afternoon trade.

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South Korea regulator fines Qualcomm $854 million for violating competition laws

SEJONG, South Korea (Reuters) - South Korea's antitrust regulator said on Wednesday it fined U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm Inc 1.03 trillion won ($854 million), a record for the country, ruling its business practices of patent licensing and smartphone modem chip sales hindered competition.

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Flight booking systems lack basic privacy safeguards, researchers say

HAMBURG (Reuters) - Major travel booking systems lack a proper way to authenticate air travelers, making it easy to hack the short code used on many boarding passes to alter flight details or steal sensitive personal data, security researchers warned on Tuesday.

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Panasonic to invest over $256 million in Tesla's U.S. plant for solar cells

TOKYO (Reuters) - Panasonic Corp will invest more than 30 billion yen ($256 million) in a New York production facility of Elon Musk's Tesla Motors to make photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules, deepening a partnership of the two companies.

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China renews calls for tighter cyberspace security - CAC

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's top cybersecurity body reaffirmed its commitment to heightened cybersecurity surveillance on Tuesday, calling for increased scrutiny of local and foreign technology used in industries deemed critical to the national interest.

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Snapchat buying Israeli augmented reality start-up Cimagine: report

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Messaging app Snapchat is buying Israeli augmented reality startup Cimagine Media for an estimated $30-$40 million, marking Snapchat's first acquisition in Israel, the Calcalist financial daily reported on Sunday.

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J. Crew's shopping website down for several hours

(Reuters) - Apparel retailer J. Crew Group Inc's shopping website was down for several hours on Monday.

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Sony Music's Twitter hacked, fake Britney Spears death tweets sent

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sony Music Entertainment's Twitter account was hacked on Monday, publishing fake statements that pop music icon Britney Spears had died.

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Power surge: Chinese electric car battery maker charges for global market

NINGDE, China (Reuters) - A dusty village on the outskirts of Ningde, a third-tier city in China's southeast, seems an unlikely place for the headquarters of a potential global leader in future automotive technology.

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Israel telecom regulator signals likely to allow Bezeq to merge units

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Bezeq Israel Telecom said on Sunday it had received notice that Israel's telecoms regulator would likely allow Bezeq to merge its various business units.

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Amazon starts flexing muscle in new space: air cargo

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (Reuters) - A cargo plane emblazoned with "Prime Air" descended from an empty sky at Lehigh Valley International Airport on Tuesday, ninety minutes from the bustle of New York City, loaded with crates of goods during the peak holiday shopping season.

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Exclusive: FBI probes FDIC hack linked to China's military - sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI is investigating how hackers infiltrated computers at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for several years beginning in 2010 in a breach senior FDIC officials believe was sponsored by China's military, people with knowledge of the matter said.

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Ericsson, Cisco to target corporate, public sector clients in 2017

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Global telecoms equipment gear maker Ericsson plans to expand its partnership with Cisco Systems Inc by serving new corporate clients and the public sector in 2017, its North American chief told Reuters in an interview.

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Nokia files more patent suits against Apple

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finnish telecoms networks equipment maker Nokia said on Thursday it had filed a new set of patent lawsuits against Apple Inc in Asia, Europe and the United States.

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Uber takes self-driving cars to Arizona after California demands permit

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Uber said on Thursday its self-driving test cars had left California to begin testing in Arizona, after California revoked the registration of the cars, which it said lacked the proper permits.

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Lithuania said found Russian spyware on its government computers

VILNIUS (Reuters) - The Baltic state of Lithuania, on the frontline of growing tensions between the West and Russia, says the Kremlin is responsible for cyber attacks that have hit government computers over the last two years.

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'Regtech' startups see more business in Trump era

NEW YORK (Reuters) - President elect Donald Trump is pro-business and anti-red tape. But what if your business is red tape?

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Bitcoin's total value hits record high above $14 billion

LONDON (Reuters) - The total value of all bitcoins in circulation hit a record high above $14 billion on Thursday, as the web-based digital currency jumped 5 percent on the day to its highest levels in three years after more than doubling in price this year.

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Russian hackers tracked Ukrainian artillery units using Android implant: report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A hacking group linked to the Russian government and high-profile cyber attacks against Democrats during the U.S. presidential election likely used a malware implant on Android devices to track and target Ukrainian artillery units from late 2014 through 2016, according to a new report released Thursday.

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Uber has removed its self-driving cars from San Francisco roads

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc. [UBER.UL] has removed its self-driving cars from San Francisco streets after California regulators cracked down on the program because the company had not obtained a permit to test autonomous vehicles.

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Lawsuit accuses Google of illegally curbing employee communication

(Reuters) - A Google Inc product manager has sued the company, accusing it of unlawfully prohibiting employees from sharing concerns with coworkers, shareholders or the press, and maintaining a "spying program" to prevent leaks.

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Nokia sues Apple for infringing patents, industry back on war footing

BELGRADE/HELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia Corp said on Wednesday it had filed a number of lawsuits against Apple Inc for violating 32 technology patents, striking back at the iPhone maker's legal action targeting the one-time cellphone industry leader a day earlier.

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Honda, Alphabet's Waymo in talks over self-driving technology

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co said on Wednesday it had entered into formal talks with Alphabet Inc's new self-driving division Waymo to add self-driving technology to its vehicles, marking the second potential customer for the automation software.

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Facebook says government requests for account data rise 27 percent

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc said on Wednesday that government requests for user account data rose 27 percent in the first half of 2016 compared to the second half of last year, with U.S. law enforcement agencies topping the list.

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Yahoo email scan shows U.S. spy push to recast constitutional privacy

(Reuters) - Yahoo Inc's secret scanning of customer emails at the behest of a U.S. spy agency is part of a growing push by officials to loosen constitutional protections Americans have against arbitrary governmental searches, according to legal documents and people briefed on closed court hearings.

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Nintendo's mobile Mario game sets download record but pricing proves sticking point

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nintendo Co Ltd's first Mario smartphone title has set a download record but gamers baulked at the one-time cost of unlocking content, prompting investors to push the Japanese game makers' stock to a one-month low.

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Union calls new strikes at Amazon's German warehouses

BERLIN (Reuters) - Workers at German warehouses of U.S. online retailer Amazon.com Inc were called out on strike by labor union Verdi on Wednesday as part of a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.

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Orlando nightclub victims' families sue Twitter, Google, Facebook

(Reuters) - The families of three men killed at Orlando's Pulse gay nightclub have sued Twitter Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook Inc in federal court, accusing the companies of providing "material support" to the self-radicalized gunman.

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Microsoft wins $927 million Pentagon contract: statement

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp has been awarded a $927 million contract to provide technical support to the Defense Information Systems Agency, the Pentagon said in a statement on Tuesday.

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Apple's new AirPods tough to recycle: report

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc's new wireless headphones could be a problem for recyclers, according to an electronics firm that took apart the device to review its component parts.

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BlackBerry ups outlook, adjusted earnings beat; shares rise

TORONTO (Reuters) - BlackBerry Ltd posted another loss and a surprisingly sharp fall in revenue on Tuesday as the software growth it is relying on failed to make up for shrinking handset sales and lost service fees.

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Apple in talks with India to manufacture locally: WSJ

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Apple Inc is in talks with India's government to explore making products locally, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, as the U.S. firm aims to make deeper inroads in the world's second-largest mobile phone market by users.

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Virtual butler 'Jarvis' takes up residence in Facebook founder's home

(Reuters) - Mark Zuckerberg on Monday introduced the world to "Jarvis", an artificial intelligence system the Facebook chief created in his spare time, which can choose and play music, turn on lights, and recognize visitors, deciding whether to open the front door.

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Uber lost more than $800 million in third quarter 2016: Bloomberg

(Reuters) - Privately held ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] lost more than $800 million in the third quarter, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

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Apple appeals against EU tax ruling, Brussels says no cause for low tax bill

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Apple Inc. appealed on Monday against a $14-billion tax demand as the European Union issued details of its ruling that the iPhone maker won sweetheart tax deals from the Irish government which amounted to illegal subsidies.

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BlackBerry spending $75 million on autos hub over several years

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's BlackBerry Ltd plans to invest C$100 million ($75 million) in a new autonomous vehicle-testing hub over several years, the company's chief executive said on Monday, marking a change of direction for the smartphone pioneer.

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Digital currency sales take off, but with no regulation questions abound

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A small, but rapidly growing number of digital technology start-ups is raising cash by creating and selling their own currencies in offerings that bypass banks or venture capital firms as intermediaries and are outside the reach of financial regulators.

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SoftBank to invest $1 billion in U.S. satellite venture OneWeb

(Reuters) - SoftBank Group Corp has agreed to invest $1 billion in OneWeb Ltd, which is building a constellation of satellites to improve global broadband access, the Japanese Internet conglomerate and the U.S. startup firm said on Monday.

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Ride hailing app Careem says closes first part of $500 mln funding round

DUBAI (Reuters) - Ride-hailing app Careem has closed the first part of a $500 million funding round backed by investors including Japan's Rakuten Inc and Saudi Telecom Co (STC), the Dubai-based company said in a statement on Monday.

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Ride-hailing firm Uber partners Indonesian taxi operator Express

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Uber Technologies [UBER.UL] and Indonesia's second-biggest taxi operator PT Express Transindo Utama Tbk announced on Monday a partnership on ride-sharing and vehicle financing.

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Samsung Electronics likely to procure phone batteries from LG Chem: Chosun Ilbo

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is in talks with LG Chem Ltd to make it one of its smartphone battery suppliers, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper said on Monday - a move that would diversify its supplier base after the failure of its Galaxy Note 7.

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Switching gears, Canada's BlackBerry to open autonomous vehicle hub

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's BlackBerry Ltd will open an autonomous driving research center on Monday, as it tries to make itself an indispensable under-the-hood piece of the automotive industry's weaponry in the self-driving vehicle arms race.

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Yahoo security problems a story of too little, too late

SAN FRANCISCO/BOSTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In the summer of 2013, Yahoo Inc launched a project to better secure the passwords of its customers, abandoning the use of a discredited technology for encrypting data known as MD5.

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Virtual assistants expected to top virtual reality in holiday sales

(Reuters) - Virtual assistants are set to pummel virtual reality headsets in the fight for consumer dollars this holiday season, while smartwatches drive wearable sales. Drones may fly under the radar, though.

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Senators call for probe of cyber attacks by Russia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican and Democratic senators called on Sunday for a special bipartisan panel to investigate cyber attacks against the United States by foreign countries with a focus on Russia's alleged efforts to influence the U.S. presidential election.

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German courts should go after fake news on Facebook now: minister

BERLIN (Reuters) - German judges and state prosecutors need to crack down straight away on fake news disseminated through social media platforms such as Facebook, Germany's Justice Minister Heiko Maas said in an interview published on Sunday.

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Nissan, Renault, Mitsubishi to share electric car platform: Nikkei

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co , Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp will combine their electric vehicle platforms in an effort to slash prices down to levels comparable to conventional gasoline cars, the Nikkei newspaper said.

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Airbnb seeks to raise an additional $153 million

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Airbnb Inc is looking to raise an additional $153 million as an extension of a recent funding round, boosting its coffers as the company pushes forward with global expansion.

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Uber fires back at California DMV in self-driving car spat

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Uber Technolgies Inc [UBER.UL] on Friday again defied a demand by California regulators that the ride-services firm apply for a permit to test self-driving cars, setting up a possible legal battle.

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Facebook underreported iPhone traffic for some publishers

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc said it had underreported the number of views on iPhone of content published by some publishers using its Instant Articles platform between Sept. 20 and Nov. 30.

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With bylaw tweaks, Apple grants activist one of three wishes

BOSTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc's board relaxed some rules for director nominations by outside investors but stopped short of broader changes sought by an activist shareholder.

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China's Wanxiang gets approval to produce Karma electric cars

BEIJING (Reuters) - Wanxiang Group, a major Chinese auto parts supplier which almost three years ago bought the assets of defunct California-based plug-in hybrid carmaker Fisker Automotive, has received approval from local regulators to produce electric vehicles in China.

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Indonesia says Google tax settlement offer too small, no deal this year

JAKARTA (Reuters) - An offer by Google to settle a tax dispute with the Indonesian government was too small and a deal will not be reached this year, the head of the tax office's special cases branch said.

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Apple can sell iPhone 7s in Indonesia after R&D investment commitment

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Apple Inc has committed to invest around $44 million in a research and development center in Indonesia over the next three years, a senior government official said, enabling it to start selling its latest iPhone 7 in the Southeast Asian nation.

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Facebook to roll out new tools to tackle fake news

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Facebook Inc said on Thursday it will introduce tools to prevent fake news stories from spreading on its platform, an about-face in response to rising criticism that it did not do enough to combat the problem during the U.S. presidential campaign.

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GM expands testing, production of self-driving cars in Michigan

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co Chief Executive Mary Barra said on Thursday the automaker will expand testing of self-driving vehicles to Michigan, and will build its next generation of self-driving cars in the Michigan plant that builds the Chevrolet Bolt electric car.

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Blackberry says China's TCL to make BlackBerry-branded devices

(Reuters) - BlackBerry Ltd said China's TCL Communication Technology Holdings Ltd would make and sell BlackBerry-branded mobile devices globally, the Canadian smartphone pioneer's first licensing deal since its transition to a software company.

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Yahoo shares fall on worries new breach will kill Verizon deal

(Reuters) - Yahoo Inc shares fell more than 5 percent on Thursday after the technology company disclosed a second massive data breach that raised fears Verizon might kill a deal to buy its core internet business.

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Instagram's user base crosses 600 million

(Reuters) - Instagram's user base rose to more than 600 million, the Facebook Inc owned company said on Thursday, as new features helped it gain popularity.

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Robot maker Kuka sells U.S. unit to get approval for deal with Chinese buyer

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German industrial robot maker Kuka has sold its Systems US-Aerospace-Business to Advanced Integration Technology to satisfy demands from U.S. regulators in connection with a takeover by a Chinese buyer, it said on Thursday.

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China takes action on thousands of websites for 'harmful', obscene content

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has shut down or "dealt with" thousands of websites for sharing "harmful" erotic or obscene content since April, the state's office for combating pornography and illegal publications announced on Thursday.

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Blockchain firm Cobalt gets Citi backing, sees second funding round

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. bank Citi has invested in blockchain venture Cobalt DL ahead of what the company expects will be a second round of funding next year, Cobalt said on Thursday.

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Thai PM defends cyber controls as censorship concerns rise

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Thursday defended a decision to amend a cyber-crime law to increase the military government's ability to remove online content as authorities seeks to tighten control on dissent.

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California adopts first U.S. energy-saving rules for computers

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California regulators on Wednesday adopted the nation's first mandatory energy efficiency rules for computers and monitors - devices that account for 3 percent of home electric bills and 7 percent of commercial power costs in the state.

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Trump team says Twitter too small to be included in tech meeting

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump left Twitter off the invitation list for a meeting of technology company executives on Wednesday because it is too small, a spokesman for his transition team told Reuters.

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Trump meets Silicon Valley elite after mutual mistrust in campaign

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and some of Silicon Valley's most powerful executives met at his Manhattan tower on Wednesday, a summit convened to smooth over frictions after both sides made no secret of their disdain for each other during the presidential campaign.

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Ashley Madison owner pays $1.66 million to settle FTC case

TORONTO (Reuters) - The owner of hacked infidelity website Ashley Madison has paid $1.66 million to settle a joint investigation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and several U.S. states into lax data security and deceptive practices, the company and New York's Attorney General said on Wednesday.

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Uber launches self-driving car fleet in San Francisco, faces DMV backlash

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Uber [UBER.UL] has rolled out its self-driving car fleet in its hometown of San Francisco, despite lacking the proper permit that state regulators say is required.

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Google extends conservative outreach as Trump calls tech meeting

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Alphabet’s Google is racing to hire more conservatives for its lobbying and policy arm, trying to get a foothold in President-elect Donald Trump’s Washington after enjoying a uniquely close relationship with the administration of President Barack Obama.

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Amazon launches Prime Video globally, leaves out China

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc on Wednesday launched its video-on-demand service, Prime Video, in nearly every country except China, pitting itself against video-streaming pioneer Netflix Inc.

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HSBC launches special lending facility for start-ups in China's Pearl River Delta

HONG KONG (Reuters) - HSBC has launched a $290 million lending facility aimed at technology start-ups and other new industries in China's Pearl River Delta region, intensifying the battle for a slice of a business that is growing despite a slowing economy.

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Meet Waymo, Google's self-driving car company

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google self-driving car project will become an independent entity within the technology company called Waymo, executives said on Tuesday, signaling a willingness to finally monetize its valuable research amid fierce competition from rivals.

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Apple AirPod headphones available for sale after two-month delay

(Reuters) - Apple Inc said on Tuesday its wireless AirPod headphones were now available through its website, two months after the company delayed their launch for unexplained reasons.

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U.S. proposes requiring vehicles to 'talk' to each to avoid crashes

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Department on Tuesday proposed requiring all new cars and trucks to be able to "talk" to one another using short-range wireless technology to potentially avoid tens of thousands of crashes annually.

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Philippines bank says no role in heist, Bangladesh Bank responsible

(Reuters) - The Philippines bank through which $81 million stolen from Bangladesh's central bank was channeled in February said on Tuesday that the central bank was responsible for the heist, and so any liability should not be passed on.

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Silicon Valley VCs are growing wary of on-demand delivery

(Reuters) - Michael Moritz - chairman of Sequoia Capital and one of the most successful venture capitalists in history - says a simple vision led him to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in on-demand delivery startups.

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Bill Gates, investors launch $1 billion clean tech fund

(Reuters) - Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and a group of high-profile executives are investing $1 billion in a fund to spur clean energy technology and address global climate change a year after the Paris climate agreement.

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Exclusive: SWIFT confirms new cyber thefts, hacking tactics

LONDON/BOSTON (Reuters) - Cyber attacks on the global banking system have continued - and succeeded - since February’s heist of $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank, underscoring the continuing vulnerability of the SWIFT messaging network, a SWIFT official told Reuters.

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Sumner Redstone and daughter pull CBS, Viacom merger plan

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Media mogul Sumner Redstone and his daughter Shari called off their failed effort to merge CBS Corp and Viacom Inc on Monday, sending shares of Viacom - widely viewed as the weaker company - down almost 8 percent.

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WhatsApp, Skype set to come under new EU security rules: draft

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Messaging services such as Microsoft's Skype and Facebook's WhatsApp face stricter rules on how they handle customer data under new security laws due to be proposed by the European Union, according to a draft document seen by Reuters.

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Google signs internet deal with Cuba's telecommunications monopoly

HAVANA (Reuters) - Google signed an agreement with the Cuban government on Monday granting internet users on the Communist-run island quicker access to its branded content.

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Tesla settles Norway lawsuit over car's performance

OSLO (Reuters) - Electric carmaker Tesla Motors Inc has reached an out-of-court settlement with 126 Norwegian customers who claimed their cars' performance did not match promises made in the firm's marketing.

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Trump renews questions about election hacking reports

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican President-elect Donald Trump on Monday renewed his questions about U.S. intelligence reports that Russia intervened in the presidential election by targeting his rival.

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Shari Redstone withdraws support for CBS-Viacom merger: CNBC

(Reuters) - Shari Redstone, vice chair of Viacom Inc and the daughter of controlling shareholder Sumner Redstone, has withdrawn her support for a merger between CBS Corp and Viacom, CNBC reported on Monday.

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Top tech executives to attend Trump summit on Wednesday: Recode

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Top executives from Alphabet Inc, Apple Inc and Facebook Inc are among a small group of tech leaders invited to a summit to be held on Wednesday by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Recode reported, citing sources.

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E2V Technologies says agrees on terms of Teledyne Tech offer

(Reuters) - Imaging sensor provider E2V Technologies Plc said on Monday that it had agreed on the terms of an all-cash takeover offer from U.S. firm Teledyne Technologies Inc.

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Automaker Honda invests in ride-hailing service Grab

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Southeast Asian ride-hailing service Grab said on Monday it had secured an investment from Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co as part of a deal to collaborate on its motorbike-hailing service, in the latest auto industry tie-up of its type.

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Meet the Ma family: How millennials are changing the way China thinks about money

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Ma Yiqing, 24, is typical of China's younger generation - he uses his credit card frequently and borrows from online platforms to fund his shopping habits. In a pinch, he is happy to fall back on a lender closer to home - his mum and dad.

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Red means stop! Banking app cuts customer spending

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Traffic lights don't just work for drivers, some bank customers obey them on their smartphones too.

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Samsung to disable Note 7 phones in the U.S. via software update

(Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Friday that a software update for Galaxy Note 7 smartphones will be released mid-December in the United States preventing them from charging and functioning as mobile phones, rendering them useless.

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U.S. trade judge rules Arista infringes more Cisco network patents

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Arista Networks Inc used rival Cisco Systems Inc's network device technology in its ethernet switches without permission, a U.S. trade judge ruled on Friday, handing Cisco yet another win in a sprawling legal battle over patents between the two companies.

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Obama orders review of cyber attacks on 2016 election: adviser

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama ordered intelligence agencies to review cyber attacks and foreign intervention into the 2016 election and deliver a report before he leaves office on Jan. 20, homeland security adviser Lisa Monaco said on Friday.

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Exclusive: Japan's TDK in talks to buy iPhone supplier InvenSense - sources

(Reuters) - Japanese electronic parts maker TDK Corp is in talks to acquire InvenSense Inc, a U.S. chip maker that produces motion sensors for Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

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Bitcoin hits highest levels in almost three years

LONDON (Reuters) - Web-based digital currency bitcoin hit its highest levels in almost three years on Friday, extending gains since India sparked a cash shortage by removing high-denomination bank notes from circulation a month ago.

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White House voices concerns about China cyber law

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday that it raised concerns about China's new cyber security law during a meeting with a Chinese official after the latest round of talks between the two countries on cyber crime.

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Fugitive Indian tycoon Mallya cries foul over Twitter hack

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Fugitive Indian businessman Vijay Mallya said on Friday that his Twitter account had been penetrated by a hacking group called Legion, which posted links to what it alleged were details of Mallya's bank accounts, offshore investments and luxury cars.

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ThyssenKrupp secrets stolen in 'massive' cyber attack

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Technical trade secrets were stolen from the steel production and manufacturing plant design divisions of ThyssenKrupp AG in cyber attacks earlier this year, the German company said on Thursday.

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Inmarsat switches to Arianespace for satellite launch after SpaceX delays

LONDON (Reuters) - British satellite company Inmarsat will switch to using Arianespace from rival SpaceX to launch a new satellite to provide broadband connectivity to air passengers, it said on Thursday.

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German authorities probe VW's Porsche for manipulation software

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany is investigating whether Volkswagen's (VW) sportscar brand Porsche used software to disguise exhaust emissions, the country's car industry regulator said on Thursday, in a fresh blow to VW's attempts to move on from a 15 month-old scandal.

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Germany sees increase in Russian propaganda, cyber attacks

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's domestic intelligence agency on Thursday said it had seen a striking increase in Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns aimed at destabilizing German society, and targeted cyber attacks against political parties.

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Turner will create shows for Snapchat in expanded partnership

(Reuters) - Turner Broadcasting System Inc will create more video content for mobile app Snapchat and collaborate with the social media company on advertising, Turner said on Wednesday, as they expand a partnership to broaden their reach among millennials.

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Ericsson says Swedish staff cuts running ahead of plan

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson said on Thursday sweeping staff cuts in its Nordic home market were running ahead of plan, resulting in higher restructuring costs this year than previously forecast.

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Payments start-up Circle moves away from bitcoin business

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S.-based Circle Internet Financial Ltd, a social payments app backed by Goldman Sachs, said on Wednesday it will no longer allow customers to buy and sell bitcoin because it has failed to become a meaningful part of its business.

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AT&T touts Time Warner merger at U.S. Senate hearing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - AT&T Inc's planned $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner Inc will increase innovation and bring "better-priced options" to consumers upset by high cable bills, AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson told lawmakers on Wednesday.

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Sony's PlayStation 4 sales top 50 million units worldwide

TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp said on Wednesday sales of its PlayStation 4 video game console had exceeded 50 million units as of Dec 6 helped by strong demand during the year-end holiday season.

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Sprint to partner with Pokemon Go developer

(Reuters) - Sprint Corp said on Wednesday it would partner with the developer of Pokemon Go, Niantic Inc, in a bid to pull fans of the wildly popular location-based game into more than 10,500 of its stores in the United States.

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Fitbit buys smartwatch maker Pebble's software assets

(Reuters) - Wearable device maker Fitbit Inc said on Wednesday that it had bought smartwatch maker Pebble's software and intellectual property.

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Merkel ally threatens Facebook with fines over online hate speech

ESSEN, Germany (Reuters) - A senior German conservative has warned Facebook it could face fines if it fails to act faster to tackle online hate speech, and he said the government could propose legislative measures in the new year.

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S&T CEO says full takeover by Foxconn possible: magazine

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Taiwan's Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer, could take over Austrian IT group S&T AG, S&T's chief executive told a German magazine.

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From smart toothbrushes to cancer, Philips bets big on software

LONDON (Reuters) - These days the average researcher at Philips is more likely to be a software developer than an product engineer, reflecting a transformation at the former Dutch conglomerate that its chief executive says will gather pace.

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Apple says iPhone 6 battery fires in China likely caused by external factors

BEIJING (Reuters) - Apple Inc said external factors were the likely cause of iPhone 6 battery fires detailed in a Chinese consumer protection report that featured widely in state media earlier this week and created a buzz on social media.

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Trump claims $50 billion SoftBank investment due to his election win

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The head of Japan's SoftBank Group Corp , which in October set up a $100 billion fund for technology investments, said on Tuesday he would invest $50 billion in U.S. businesses, a move President-elect Donald Trump claimed was a direct result of his election win.

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Discounts, advertising spur brisk Apple Watch sales

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Watch sales appear to have rebounded for the holidays from mid-year doldrums on a redesign, price cuts and strong promotions, but analysts say long-term demand has yet to be proven.

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Little African primate's talents inspire leaping robot

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Inspired by the remarkable jumping ability of an African primate called a galago, scientists have fashioned a small robot with unique leaping capabilities they hope can someday be used in tricky search-and-rescue situations.

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U.S. Supreme Court backs Samsung in smartphone fight with Apple

(Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with Samsung in its big-money smartphone patent fight with Apple, throwing out an appeals court ruling that the South Korean company had to pay a $399 million penalty to its American rival for copying key iPhone designs.

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California EPA says settled with Apple on hazardous waste claims

(Reuters) - The California Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday said Apple Inc had agreed to pay $450,000 to settle state claims that it had mishandled hazardous electronic waste at a facility in Sunnyvale, California.

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Not 'As Seen on TV': Snuggie maker sues Amazon.com

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Makers of the Snuggie blanket and other products sold mainly on TV have sued Amazon.com Inc , accusing the Internet retailer of trademark infringement for letting an "astronomical" number of counterfeit products to be sold through its website.

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Apple Watch sales to consumers set record in holiday week, says Apple's Cook

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Sales of the Apple Watch to consumers set a record during the first week of holiday shopping, and the current quarter is on track to be the best ever for the product, Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook told Reuters.

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Google meets renewable energy goal for global operations

(Reuters) - Alphabet’s Google is on track to purchase enough renewable energy to cover all its global electricity consumption next year, the company said on Tuesday.

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Roper Technologies to buy software firm Deltek in $2.8 billion deal

(Reuters) - IT services provider Roper Technologies Inc said it would buy business software company Deltek [THBVOK.UL] from private equity firm Thoma Bravo in a cash deal valued at $2.8 billion.

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GoDaddy to buy Host Europe for $1.82 billion to boost web hosting business

(Reuters) - U.S.-based website domain name provider GoDaddy Inc said on Tuesday it would buy peer Host Europe Group (HEG) for 1.69 billion euros ($1.82 billion), including debt, as it looks to expand beyond the initial set-up of websites.

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Oil firms and carmakers diverge in costly debate

LONDON (Reuters) - Many carmakers are predicting a significant shift to electric vehicles in the next decade. Advances in battery technology and the growth of autonomous driving and ride sharing - suited to electric vehicles - will power this expansion, they reason.

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Toyota to expand hybrid system development to further cut emissions

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp on Tuesday said it would expand the development of its gasoline-hybrid technology over the next five years to speed up the introduction of lower-emission engines in the face of stricter global emissions standards.

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Web giants to cooperate on removal of extremist content

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Web giants YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft will step up efforts to remove extremist content from their websites by creating a common database.

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Delaware Court revives case over Pincus's Zynga stock sale

WILMINGTON, Del. (Reuters) - The Delaware Supreme Court revived a lawsuit against Zynga Inc's controlling shareholder, Mark Pincus, and fellow board members for allegedly allowing leaders of the social gaming company to act on inside information and dump stock before it crashed in 2012.

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Amazon opens line-free grocery store in challenge to supermarkets

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said on Monday it has opened a brick-and-mortar grocery store in Seattle without lines or checkout counters, kicking off new competition with supermarket chains.

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Tech investors say UK must clarify Brexit immigration stance

LONDON (Reuters) - London could lose its position as the leading destination for start-ups in Europe if it does not remain open to the best talent after the British vote to leave the European Union, investors warned on Monday.

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U.S. makes new arrest in fraud probe of bankrupt video tech firm

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors on Monday announced the arrest of a New Jersey man accused of engaging in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme involving bankrupt video technology firm Kit Digital, in the latest case to spill out of the startup's failure.

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VW's new division takes aim at Uber-style competition

LONDON (Reuters) - Volkswagen launched a new digital business division on Monday to take on services such as Uber , shifting its focus beyond selling cars to catering for customers who prefer to pay for use rather than own a vehicle.

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Bangladesh to share findings of heist inquiry with Philippines

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh will share findings from its investigation into how unidentified hackers pulled off one of the world’s biggest cyber bank heists to help speed up recovery of the stolen funds, its law minister said on Monday.

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Consolidated Communications to buy FairPoint in $1.5 billion deal

(Reuters) - Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc said on Monday it would buy broadband service provider FairPoint Communications Inc in an all-stock deal valued at $1.5 billion, including debt, to boost its fiber network.

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BMW seeks to be 'coolest' ride-hailing firm with autonomous car

MUNICH (Reuters) - BMW will test autonomous vehicles in Munich next year as it seeks to keep up with ride-hailing firms like Uber [UBER.UL], which have spent billions on pay-per-use personal transport.

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Sharp CEO Tai says to step down once stock returns to TSE first section

TOKYO (Reuters) - Sharp Corp CEO and President Tai Jeng-wu told reporters on Monday he would step down once the Japanese electronics maker turns profitable again at the net level and its shares return to the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

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Panasonic in talks to buy ZKW for up to $1 billion: Nikkei

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Panasonic Corp is in the final stages of talks to buy European automotive light maker ZKW Group for up to $1 billion, accelerating its push into the automotive electronics market, the Nikkei business daily reported Monday.

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Apple shows ambition to get into self-driving car race

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Apple Inc is wading in to the debate over regulation of self-driving cars, declaring it is excited about the potential for automated transportation and calling on U.S. regulators not to restrict testing of such vehicles.

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EU urges U.S. tech giants to act faster against hate speech

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. tech giants including Facebook , Twitter , Google's YouTube and Microsoft will have to act faster to tackle online hate speech or face laws forcing them to do so, the European Commission said on Sunday.

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Philippines urges Bangladesh to share results of heist investigation

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippine government wants Bangladesh to share the findings of its investigation into how unknown hackers pulled off one of the world's largest cyber bank heists, to help speed up recovery of the stolen funds.

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Pentagon says Raytheon making progress on satellite control station

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (Reuters) - Raytheon Co is making progress on a long-delayed program for new ground control stations for next-generation GPS satellites, although it is lagging a remedial schedule agreed with military officials, the Pentagon's chief arms buyer said.

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Airbnb, New York City settle rental law lawsuit

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Airbnb Inc and New York City said on Friday they had resolved a lawsuit brought by the company challenging a law it argued could expose it to significant penalties for advertising short-term apartment rentals.

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U.S. presidential commission issues recommendations on cyber security

(Reuters) - The U.S. government and the private sector must cooperate to improve the security of digital networks, a U.S. presidential commission on cyber security recommended in a wide-ranging report issued on Friday.

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Obama bars China's Fujian from buying Aixtron's U.S. business

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama issued an executive order which prohibits China's Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund from acquiring the U.S. business of German semiconductor equipment maker Aixtron , the Treasury Department said on Friday.

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Exclusive: U.S. networking company Ixia explores sale - sources

(Reuters) - Ixia , a U.S. provider of equipment and applications that help maintain computer networks, is exploring a potential sale, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

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Danish prosecutor indicts Uber over driver violations

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Ride-hailing group Uber Technologies' [UBER.UL] European business has been indicted in Denmark on charges of assisting two drivers in violating taxi laws, the Copenhagen police's head of public prosecutions said on Friday.

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Fiber upgrade cost traps Britain in cyber slow lane

LONDON (Reuters) - Britons desperate for faster broadband are unlikely to get it from a plan to separate the country's biggest network from BT unless the industry tackles how to pay up to 25 billion pounds ($76 billion) to upgrade to fiber-optic cables.

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Russian central bank said it was victim of attempted cyber heist

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Hackers broke into accounts at the Russian central bank earlier this year by faking a client's credentials and attempted to steal $45 million, the bank said in a report released on Friday.

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Aixtron will have to cut costs, jobs if U.S. blocks China deal

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Aixtron will have to take action to balance income and costs, including potential job cuts, if U.S. President Barack Obama blocks its takeover by China's Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund (FGC).

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Twitter changes product head for third time in a year

(Reuters) - Twitter Inc appointed Keith Coleman, founder of startup Yes Inc, as head of its product team, the third executive to lead the division in less than a year.

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Shenzhen-HK stock link lets foreigners access China's booming tech firms

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A long-awaited link between China's booming Shenzhen stock market and neighboring Honk Kong goes live on Monday, allowing foreign investors first-time access to some of the fastest growing technology companies in the world's second biggest economy.

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Russia says foreign spies plan cyber attack on banking system

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Friday it had uncovered a plot by foreign spy agencies to sow chaos in Russia's banking system via a coordinated wave of cyber attacks and fake social media reports about banks going bust.

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Draft law gives Chinese police control of online discussion on disasters

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's county-level police will be able to censor internet coverage of natural and man-made disasters, according to a revised draft of the country's policing law that the Chinese Public Security Bureau released late on Thursday.

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Facebook developing artificial intelligence to flag offensive live videos

MENLO PARK, Calif. (Reuters) - Facebook Inc is working on automatically flagging offensive material in live video streams, building on a growing effort to use artificial intelligence to monitor content, said Joaquin Candela, the company’s director of applied machine learning.

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Alibaba is not buying India's Snapdeal: source

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - China's Alibaba Group Holding is not buying Indian e-commerce company Snapdeal and is not in talks to do so, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday, dampening talk that an acquisition was in the works.

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Siemens not planning any more big software acquisitions: source

MUNICH (Reuters) - German engineering group Siemens is not planning any more big purchases of industrial software makers, a person close to the company told Reuters.

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Exclusive: Europe's biggest tech hope Spotify starts talking about profit

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Music streaming service Spotify, one of Europe's most valuable tech start-ups, could start to become profitable as early as next year, said a board member who was also one of the company's first investors.

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Nokia-branded phones set for comeback in 2017 as HMD takes charge

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland's Nokia on Thursday announced that its deal with HMD Global Oy, a new company formed to revive the Nokia brand in phones, has come into force and that HMD has opened for business.

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Exclusive: Mastercard and Verifone launch UK point-of-sale financing app

CANNES, France (Reuters) - British shoppers will soon be able to decide to spread the cost of a purchase over a series of monthly installments at the point of making a payment with their credit card, in a new partnership between Mastercard Inc card machine maker Verifone Systems Inc.

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