Sunday, April 30, 2017

Trump says China could have hacked Democratic emails

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said China may have hacked the emails of Democratic officials to meddle with the 2016 presidential election, countering the view of U.S. intelligence officials who have said Moscow orchestrated the hacks.

Read more

UK lawmakers criticize social media over response to extremist content

LONDON(Reuters) - Social media were heavily criticized by a committee of British lawmakers on Monday for failing to do enough to remove illegal and extremist material posted on their sites, and for not preventing it appearing in the first place.

Read more

Siemens, SAP sign cooperation deals with Saudi Arabia: officials

JEDDAH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia wants German companies Siemens and SAP to play an important role in furthering the kingdom's "digital transformation", company officials said on Sunday during German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to the country.

Read more

Amazon's moves beyond retail get Wall Street thumbs up, for now

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc's ventures far beyond online retail, from cloud computing to movie making, are raising questions among corporate strategy experts about its focus.

Read more

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Turkey blocks access to Wikipedia website: monitoring group

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish authorities on Saturday blocked access to online encyclopedia Wikipedia, an internet monitoring group said, the latest in what government critics say is a crackdown on free speech on the internet.

Read more

Google gets Australian tax office demand to pay more, says to fight it

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google said it will challenge amended tax assessments issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), which is trying to claw back billions of dollars from multinational corporations citing unpaid taxes.

Read more

Friday, April 28, 2017

Google's search for non-ad revenue puts spotlight on cloud, Pixel

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's non-advertising business, which houses its cloud unit, Pixel smartphones and the Play store, has long been sandwiched between Google's advertising juggernaut and its moonshot ventures that have captured popular imagination.

Read more

Tesla must complete brake fix to regain top safety rating: Consumer Reports

DETROIT (Reuters) - Tesla Inc needs to complete fixing its Model S sedan emergency braking system to regain Consumer Reports' top safety rating, the magazine said on Friday, noting that a recent update by the luxury electric car maker was not enough.

Read more

Twitter CEO Dorsey snaps up shares worth about $9.5 million

(Reuters) - Twitter Inc Chief Executive Jack Dorsey snapped up more than half a million of the company's shares for about $9.5 million, a regulatory filing on Friday showed.

Read more

Tesla recruiting engineers in Mexico for California plant

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Tesla Inc is recruiting engineers from Mexico to work on robotics and other automated equipment at its California factory, according to LinkedIn postings viewed by Reuters, part of a hiring push to ready the plant for mass production of the upcoming Model 3.

Read more

ASML files patent countersuit against Japan's Nikon

(Reuters) - ASML, the world's third largest semiconductor equipment maker, said on Friday it had counter-sued rival Nikon, after the Japanese company launched a wide-ranging patent battle against the Dutch company this week.

Read more

Apple, Tesla ask California to change its proposed self-driving car testing policies

(Reuters) - Apple Inc asked the state of California to make changes in its proposed self-driving car policies, the latest sign the company is pursuing driverless car technology.

Read more

Huawei under fire over phone chips as tight supply bites

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese smartphone maker Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL] has come under fire from users for "cutting corners", after it said it used a mix of less advanced and powerful chips in its flagship P10 model due to tight supplies of the parts.

Read more

Tech firms race to spot video violence

SINAGPORE (Reuters) - Companies from Singapore to Finland are racing to improve artificial intelligence so software can automatically spot and block videos of grisly murders and mayhem before they go viral on social media.

Read more

Qualcomm says Apple to stop paying royalties, cuts profit forecast

(Reuters) - Qualcomm Inc said on Friday Apple Inc will not pay royalties to its contract manufacturers, that are owed to the chipmaker, for sales made in the first quarter of 2017.

Read more

Russian prosecutor demands jail time for man who played Pokemon in church

YEKATERINBURG, Russia (Reuters) - A Russian state prosecutor asked a court to jail a blogger who played Pokemon Go inside a church for three-and-a-half years on Friday, saying he was guilty of inciting religious hatred, a court employee told Reuters by phone.

Read more

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Sony expects 73.2 percent annual profit jump as it recovers from quake damage

TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp said on Friday it expects operating profit to rise 73.2 percent in the financial year through March 2018 as its cash-cow image sensor business recovers from earthquake damage that had suspended a key plant in southern Japan.

Read more

Google parent Alphabet's profit up 29 percent on strong ad sales

(Reuters) - Google parent Alphabet Inc posted a surge in profit and revenue on Thursday as its core advertising business continued to grow at an extraordinary rate and problems such as an advertiser boycott of YouTube had little impact.

Read more

Microsoft's quarterly revenue falls short of estimates

(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp on Thursday reported quarterly revenue that slightly missed analysts' estimates, as robust demand for its cloud computing services failed to offset weak growth in its personal computing division.

Read more

Microsoft's quarterly profit rises 27.8 percent

(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp reported a 27.8 percent increase in quarterly profit on Thursday, lifted by robust demand for its cloud computing services.

Read more

Amazon's first-quarter profit, revenue beat estimates

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc reported first-quarter revenue and profit that topped analysts' estimates, driven by sustained growth in online retail sales and its profitable cloud business, sending its shares up more than 4 percent in extended trading on Thursday.

Read more

Alphabet CEO touts results of corporate restructuring

(Reuters) - Alphabet Chief Executive Larry Page said on Thursday the holding company structure for search unit Google and a host of new businesses is working well.

Read more

Apple in talks to launch money-transfer service: Recode

(Reuters) - Apple Inc has held talks with payments industry partners about launching a money-transfer service, technology news website Recode reported on Thursday.

Read more

Comcast profit tops views on strong subscriber growth, movie hits

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Comcast Corp's quarterly profit topped estimates on strong growth in cable and internet subscribers and hits such as "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Get Out" boosted movie revenue, the No. 1 U.S. cable operator said on Thursday.

Read more

Samsung Elec flags stronger second quarter; Elliott welcomes share cancellation

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd on Thursday flagged stronger earnings and announced a cancellation of treasury shares after posting a solid first-quarter profit boosted by the memory chip business, sending its shares to a new high.

Read more

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Vietnam says Facebook commits to preventing offensive content

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam's government said Facebook has committed to work with it to prevent content that violates the country's laws from appearing on its platform.

Read more

U.S. FCC chairman to propose reversing 'net neutrality' rules

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday proposed overturning the landmark 2015 Obama-era net neutrality rules that prohibit broadband providers from giving or selling access to certain internet services over others.

Read more

Hackers exploited Word flaw for months while Microsoft investigated

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - To understand why it is so difficult to defend computers from even moderately capable hackers, consider the case of the security flaw officially known as CVE-2017-0199.

Read more

Digital ad spend jumps 22 percent to $72.5 billion in 2016: report

(Reuters) - Marketers spent $72.5 billion on digital advertising last year, an increase of 22 percent from 2015, as Google and Facebook once again booked the lion's share of new revenue, a report released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau said on Wednesday.

Read more

PayPal's profit, revenue beat on higher processing volumes

(Reuters) - Payment processor PayPal Holdings Inc reported higher-than-expected quarterly profit and revenue on Wednesday, helped by an increase in payment processing volumes and customer additions.

Read more

Twitter posts strong user growth, shares soar

(Reuters) - Shares of Twitter Inc jumped on Wednesday after the microblogging service reported better-than-expected user growth in the first quarter, although its revenue fell for the first time.

Read more

Canadian police investigate Facebook beating video in murder case

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Canadian police said on Wednesday they are investigating whether a beating captured on video, reported to have been distributed through social networking site Facebook Inc, may be connected to a young woman's murder.

Read more

Anti-Putin protesters get a smart phone app to help get out of jail

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Anti-Kremlin protesters who run the regular risk of being detained by the police are being given a helping hand: A smart phone app that allows them to instantly inform others where and when they have been arrested.

Read more

GE fixes bug in power software as researchers warn of grid hacks

(Reuters) - General Electric Co said on Wednesday it is fixing a bug in equipment used in electric power systems after three New York University researchers said they identified a vulnerability that could be exploited to shut down parts of the electric grid.

Read more

UK complains to Twitter over withdrawal of access to user data

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has protested to Twitter over restricting the government's access to data, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday.

Read more

South Korea court says Uber violated transport law, latest setback for U.S. firm

SEOUL (Reuters) - A South Korean court on Wednesday ruled that the ride-hailing group Uber Technologies Inc illegally used private vehicles for commercial purposes, in the latest legal setback for the U.S. firm in Asia's fourth biggest economy.

Read more

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Canon raises annual profit outlook on Toshiba medical unit acquisition

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Canon Inc on Wednesday lifted its full-year operating profit forecast after reporting strong first-quarter results on the back of earnings from a medical equipment unit it bought from Toshiba Corp last year.

Read more

Thai police to review procedures for taking down content after Facebook killing

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Police in Thailand on Wednesday said they would discuss how to speed up taking down "inappropriate online content" after a man broadcast himself killing his 11-month-old daughter in a live video on Facebook.

Read more

Palantir settles U.S. lawsuit charging bias against Asians

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The data analytics and security company Palantir Technologies Inc has agreed to pay nearly $1.7 million to resolve charges it discriminated against Asian applicants for engineering jobs at its Palo Alto, California, office, the U.S. Labor Department said on Tuesday.

Read more

Automakers ask California to ease rules for self-driving car tests

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Automakers on Tuesday urged the state of California to further ease its proposed regulations for autonomous vehicles, saying the state did not respond to their earlier objections by making enough revisions to its planned set of rules for self-driving cars.

Read more

U.S. FCC to launch 'comprehensive review' of media regulations

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Tuesday said the top U.S. telecommunications regulator will launch a "comprehensive review" of regulations that restrict consolidation among media companies, potentially opening the door to a new wave of deals among broadcasters and newspapers.

Read more

Alibaba's Ma champions U.N. e-commerce drive for development

GENEVA (Reuters) - Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma said on Tuesday the Internet should be a utility available to the whole world, putting his weight behind a U.N. call for e-commerce to boost developing economies and help fight poverty.

Read more

Waymo testing self-driving car ride service in Arizona

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Waymo autonomous vehicle group will begin testing a self-driving car program for hundreds of families in Phoenix, Arizona and is buying 500 Chrysler minivans to do so, the companies said on Tuesday.

Read more

Thyssenkrupp plans to open 3D printing center this year

HANOVER, Germany (Reuters) - German industrial group Thyssenkrupp plans to open its own 3D printing center this year to manufacture products for its customers, a company executive said on Tuesday.

Read more

Wikipedia founder aims to 'fix the news' with collaborative website

LONDON (Reuters) - Jimmy Wales, the founder of online encyclopedia Wikipedia, has launched a website aimed at countering the spread of fake news by bringing together professional journalists and a community of volunteers and supporters to produce news articles.

Read more

ABB, IBM team up on industrial artificial intelligence

ZURICH (Reuters) - ABB has sealed a collaboration agreement with International Business Machines Corp, the Swiss engineering company said on Tuesday, the latest step in its efforts to ramp up its presence in digital technology and the internet of things.

Read more

Thyssenkrupp sees connected elevators lifting profit

HANOVER, Germany (Reuters) - Thyssenkrupp sees the connection of elevators to the internet potentially lifting its profits by a double-digit million-euro amount, the head of its elevator business told Reuters in an interview.

Read more

Monday, April 24, 2017

Tesla’s big Model 3 bet rides on risky assembly line strategy

(Reuters) - Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk took many risks with the technology in his company's cars on the way to surpassing Ford Motor Co's market value. Now Musk is pushing boundaries in the factory that makes them.

Read more

China targets 35 million vehicle sales by 2025, NEVs to make up one-fifth

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China is targeting 35 million vehicle sales by 2025 and wants new energy vehicles (NEVs) to make up at least one-fifth of that total, the industry ministry said on Tuesday.

Read more

Apple delays release of first original series 'Carpool Karaoke'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Apple Inc's Apple Music has delayed the release of its first original video series, an adaptation of comedian James Corden's popular "Carpool Karaoke" segment, the company said.

Read more

Microsoft's Nadella banks on LinkedIn data to challenge Salesforce

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is rolling out upgrades to its sales software that integrates data from LinkedIn, an initiative that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told Reuters was central to the company's long-term strategy for building specialized business software.

Read more

EU states push back against 25-year wireless spectrum licenses

(Reuters) - Germany and Italy are among 15 European Union member states pushing back against a proposal to set a 25-year minimum on wireless spectrum licenses, thwarting the telecoms industry's hopes for a more coordinated approach across the bloc.

Read more

Nikon files patent case against ASML, Carl Zeiss over lithography tech

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Japan's Nikon filed lawsuits against Netherlands-based ASML, the world's third-largest chip equipment maker, and Germany's Carl Zeiss [CZTOP.UL], saying its lithography technology was illegally used by the two.

Read more

Sunday, April 23, 2017

U.S. Homeland Security probes possible abuse in Twitter summons case

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The U.S. Homeland Security Department's inspector general said on Friday he was investigating possible abuse of authority in a case that triggered a lawsuit against the department by Twitter Inc .

Read more

German cyber crime rose 80 percent in 2016: report

BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government registered 82,649 cases of computer fraud, espionage and other cyber crimes in 2016, an increase of just over 80 percent from 2015, a German newspaper reported on Sunday.

Read more

Friday, April 21, 2017

Apple self-driving car testing plan gives clues to tech program

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc outlined a plan to train operators of self-driving cars in documents submitted to California regulators earlier this month, the latest clues to the company's autonomous vehicle technology aspirations.

Read more

Elon Musk on mission to link human brains with computers in four years: report

(Reuters) - Tesla Inc founder and Chief Executive Elon Musk said his latest company Neuralink Corp is working to link the human brain with a machine interface by creating micron-sized devices.

Read more

KKR, INCJ plan joint bid for Toshiba's chip unit: Nikkei

(Reuters) - U.S. private equity firm KKR & Co LP and Japanese government-backed fund, Innovation Network Corp of Japan (INCJ), will submit a joint offer for Toshiba Corp's memory chip unit, the Nikkei business daily reported on Friday.

Read more

Singapore researchers turn water into 'virtual lemonade' but is it tart enough?

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - It looks like lemonade, tastes like lemonade, but it's simply water.

Read more

Sony lifts annual profit estimate on lower amortization costs

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Sony Corp raised its operating profit estimate for the year ended March 31 thanks to lower amortization costs for its financial services segment.

Read more

Uber extends sexual harassment probe; expects report by end-May

(Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc said it has extended its internal investigation into sexual harassment claims in its own organization, and a report is expected by the end of May.

Read more

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Flying car costing more than $1 million goes on show in Monaco

MONACO (Reuters) - A Slovakia-based company unveiled the commercial design for a flying car priced at more than $1 million on Thursday, saying it was ready for pre-orders with first deliveries expected by 2020.

Read more

Uber could face higher license fees in London under new proposals

LONDON (Reuters) - Taxi app Uber could face an increase in operator license fees in London under proposed changes by the city's transport authority, the latest in a series of moves by regulators to rein in a firm that has disrupted the traditional taxi industry.

Read more

Spotify and Merlin agree multi-year license deal

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Music streaming service Spotify said on Thursday it had struck a multi-year license agreement with Merlin, a digital rights agency for the independent label sector.

Read more

Western Digital CFO: Would consider bid with INCJ, DBJ for Toshiba chip unit

TOKYO (Reuters) - Western Digital Corp, the U.S. partner of Toshiba Corp in a semiconductor venture, is in talks with state-backed fund Innovation Network Corp of Japan (INCJ) and the Development Bank of Japan and would consider a joint bid with them for the chip business, a senior official said on Thursday.

Read more

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

EBay's second-quarter profit forecast falls short of estimates

(Reuters) - EBay Inc on Wednesday forecast second-quarter profit that fell short of analysts' estimates, as it spends heavily on revamping and marketing its e-commerce platform amid stiff competition from much larger rival Amazon.com Inc .

Read more

Facebook gives peek inside unit studying brain-to-text technology

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Reuters) - Facebook Inc on Wednesday pulled aside the curtain on a secretive unit headed by a former chief of the Pentagon's research arm, disclosing that the social media company is studying ways for people to communicate by thought and touch.

Read more

Amazon rolls out chatbot tools in race to dominate voice-powered tech

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc's chief technology officer is working toward a day when people can control almost any piece of software with their voice.

Read more

Chipmaker Qualcomm's revenue, adjusted profit beat estimates

(Reuters) - Qualcomm Inc , the largest maker of chips used in smartphones, reported higher-than-expected quarterly adjusted profit and revenue, helping allay concerns about the company's patent-licensing business.

Read more

Beijing cyber regulators to summon Apple over live streaming: Xinhua

BEIJING (Reuters) - Internet regulators in China's capital plan to summon Apple Inc to urge the American firm to tighten its checks on software applications available in its Apple Store, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Read more

Bose headphones spy on listeners: lawsuit

(Reuters) - Bose Corp spies on its wireless headphone customers by using an app that tracks the music, podcasts and other audio they listen to, and violates their privacy rights by selling the information without permission, a lawsuit charged.

Read more

Imagination likely to see Apple royalties slashed, then end: UBS

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Apple Inc is likely to pay graphics chip designer Imagination Technologies just one third of its current royalty rate as the smartphone giant wind downs their supply deal over the next two years, UBS estimated on Wednesday.

Read more

China's Ant Financial targets brand boost in SEAsia with helloPay deal

BEIJING (Reuters) - Ant Financial, the payment affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd , has acquired Singapore-based payment service helloPay Group, part of the Chinese firm's drive to boost its Alipay brand and presence in Southeast Asia.

Read more

Yahoo's first-quarter revenue jumps 22 percent

(Reuters) - Yahoo Inc reported a 22.1 percent increase in quarterly revenue on Tuesday, ahead of the sale of its core internet business to Verizon Communications Inc .

Read more

China EV makers to take on Tesla's Model 3 through price, local manufacture

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - It's not due to arrive in China until next year, but already Chinese-funded, smart, connected plug-in car start-ups are scrambling to launch cars to go head-to-head against Tesla Inc's "mass market" Model 3 sedan.

Read more

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Baidu to launch autonomous car technology in July

(Reuters) - Baidu Inc said on Tuesday it would open its self-driving car technology for restricted environment in July this year.

Read more

Inspired by Pokemon Go, Facebook pushes augmented reality

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Reuters) - Facebook Inc is trying to seize on the technology known as augmented reality, a mix of the real and digital worlds best known from the hit smartphone game Pokemon Go, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Tuesday.

Read more

IBM posts first revenue miss in five quarters, shares drop

(Reuters) - International Business Machines Corp reported a bigger-than-expected drop in revenue for the first time in five quarters due to weak demand in its technology services business, its biggest.

Read more

Verizon, Corning agree to $1.05 billion fiber deal

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc has agreed to buy optical fiber from Corning Inc for at least $1.05 billion over the next three years as the No. 1 U.S. wireless carrier aims to improve its network infrastructure, the companies said on Tuesday.

Read more

Uber eyes EU expansion despite Denmark setback, looming EU court ruling

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Uber Technologies [UBER.UL] sees opportunities to expand in the Europe Union, despite withdrawing its ride-hailing service from Denmark and facing the possibility of an EU court ruling that could mean tougher rules for the firm, an Uber executive said.

Read more

Netflix shares head for new high after strong subscriber outlook

(Reuters) - Netflix Inc made a bullish forecast for subscriber additions by mid-year, a positive sign for its push to expand around the world that sent its shares toward an all-time high.

Read more

INCJ looking at Toshiba chip unit auction; didn't bid in first round

TOKYO (Reuters) - The state-backed fund Innovation Network Corp of Japan is looking at the auction of Toshiba Corp's chip unit but did not participate in first-round bidding, INCJ Chairman Toshiyuki Shiga said on Tuesday.

Read more

Monday, April 17, 2017

Snap stock falls as alleged CEO comments rile some on social media

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Shares of Snap fell 1.5 percent on Monday as the Snapchat owner faced criticism for comments allegedly made by its CEO about not prioritizing growth in India and Spain because they were "poor" countries.

Read more

Google to open up Android to rivals in out-of-court deal with Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google will open up its popular Android mobile operating system to rival search engines in Russia as part of a deal to settle a two-year dispute with Russian competition authorities.

Read more

New York City taxi commission plans to force Uber to add driver tipping feature

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Ride-services company Uber Technologies Inc may be required to provide passengers a way to tip their drivers, despite its longstanding resistance, if a plan by New York City's taxi regulator is implemented.

Read more

Buffett's Berkshire, Chinese property portal Juwai.com team up

(Reuters) - Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices on Monday said it entered a marketing agreement with Juwai.com, China's largest international property website, to attract wealthy Chinese buyers looking to purchase homes in the United States.

Read more

Hacker documents show NSA tools for breaching global money transfer system

HONG KONG/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Documents and computer files released by hackers provide a blueprint for how the U.S. National Security Agency likely used weaknesses in commercially available software to gain access to the global system for transferring money between banks, a review of the data showed.

Read more

Sunday, April 16, 2017

China's Ant Financial raises offer for MoneyGram to $1.2 billion

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China's Ant Financial has raised its offer for electronic payment firm MoneyGram International Inc and the deal was unanimously approved by the U.S. firm's board, outbidding rival Euronet Worldwide Inc.

Read more

Friday, April 14, 2017

Facebook shareholders propose reports on 'fake news', pay equality

(Reuters) - Shareholders have proposed that Facebook Inc prepare a report on the threat to democracy and free speech from so-called fake news spread on the social media forum, and the dangers it may pose to the company itself, according to a proxy filing made on Friday.

Read more

Uber's revenue hits $6.5 billion in 2016, still makes large loss

(Reuters) - Ride-hailing service Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] generated $6.5 billion in revenue last year and its gross bookings doubled to $20 billion, the ride-hailing service said on Friday.

Read more

Hackers release files indicating NSA monitored global bank transfers

(Reuters) - Hackers released documents and files on Friday that cybersecurity experts said indicated the U.S. National Security Agency had accessed the SWIFT interbank messaging system, allowing it to monitor money flows among some Middle Eastern and Latin American banks.

Read more

Apple considers bidding for big stake in Toshiba chip business: report

TOKYO (Reuters) - Apple Inc is considering teaming up with its supplier Foxconn to bid for Toshiba Corp's semiconductor business, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Friday - the latest twist in the sale of the world's second-biggest flash memory chipmaker.

Read more

Sao Paulo judge rules Uber drivers are employees, deserve benefits

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A judge in Brazil's biggest city ruled this week that a driver using the Uber [UBER.UL] ride-hailing app is an employee of the San-Francisco-based company, threatening its business model in one of its biggest markets.

Read more

Apple receives permit in California to test self-driving cars: DMV

(Reuters) - Apple Inc has secured a permit to test autonomous vehicles in California, the state Department of Motor Vehicles said on Friday.

Read more

Italy court lifts block of Uber services in Italy

ROME (Reuters) - A Rome court on Friday suspended a lower court ruling that had blocked the use of smart phone apps for Uber cars in Italy.

Read more

Toshiba creditors likely to approve chip unit collateral for $9.2 billion finance: sources

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Toshiba Corp is likely to win creditors' approval for offering its prized memory chip business stake as collateral for new loans and loan commitments worth around 1 trillion yen ($9.2 billion), sources briefed about the matter said on Friday.

Read more

Thursday, April 13, 2017

T-Mobile, Dish bid combined $14 billion in U.S. airwaves auction: FCC

NEW YORK (Reuters) - T-Mobile US Inc bid $8 billion and Dish Network Corp $6.2 billion to win the bulk of broadcast airwaves spectrum for sale in a government auction, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday.

Read more

A Samsung Group building evacuated on report of explosives: media

SEOUL (Reuters) - A Samsung Group [SAGR.UL] office building in southern Seoul was being evacuated following a report of explosives being planted inside, South Korea's MoneyToday reported on Friday.

Read more

Uber may face $1 million fine over California drunken-driving complaints

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Uber's popular ride-sharing network has repeatedly failed to promptly suspend and investigate its California drivers when passengers report them driving drunk, state regulators charged in an enforcement action, recommending $1.13 million in fines.

Read more

Microsoft says U.S. foreign intelligence surveillance requests more than doubled

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it had received at least a thousand surveillance requests from the U.S. government that sought user content for foreign intelligence purposes during the first half of 2016.

Read more

Samsung putting Note 7 behind it as S8 pre-orders surpass S7's

SEOUL (Reuters) - Pre-orders for Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's flagship Galaxy S8 smartphone have exceeded those of its predecessor S7, the firm's mobile chief said on Thursday, suggesting many consumers are unfazed by last year's Galaxy Note 7 fires.

Read more

Tesla jumps after Elon Musk teases commercial truck, pickup

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Shares of Tesla jumped nearly 3 percent on Thursday after Chief Executive Elon Musk said the electric car company expects to unveil its planned commercial truck in September.

Read more

Uber CEO's iron grip poses challenge in COO search

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Help Wanted: A chief operating officer to help change a Silicon Valley giant's now-notorious "bro" culture, but who can thrive in a power dynamic that hands the boss overwhelming control.

Read more

Facebook failed to remove reported extremist posts - The Times

LONDON (Reuters) - Facebook failed to remove dozens of instances of extremist and child pornography even after the social network's moderators were directly informed of the potentially illegal content, an investigation by The Times showed on Thursday.

Read more

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Self-driving 'arms race' complicates supplier alliances

FRANKFURT/DETROIT (Reuters) - The race to develop and exploit autonomous vehicle technology is reshaping the hierarchy of the automotive industry, replacing traditional top-down manufacturing relationships with complex webs of alliances and acquisitions.

Read more

Burger King debuts Whopper ad that triggers Google Home devices

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fast-food chain Burger King said on Wednesday it will start televising a commercial for its signature Whopper sandwich that is designed to activate Google voice-controlled devices, raising questions about whether marketing tactics have become too invasive.

Read more

Automakers unveil new SUVs at New York auto show but also focus on EVs

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Automakers unveiled new sport utility vehicles at the New York auto show on Wednesday, boosted by low fuel prices and increasing demand, but said they were also moving ahead with new U.S. electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles for the U.S. market.

Read more

Apple hires secret team for treating diabetes: CNBC

(Reuters) - Apple Inc has hired a team of biomedical engineers as part of a secret initiative, initially envisioned by late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, to develop sensors to treat diabetes, CNBC reported citing three people familiar with the matter.

Read more

Japan automakers look to robots to keep elderly on the move

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese automakers are looking beyond the industry trend to develop self-driving cars and turning their attention to robots to help keep the country's rapidly graying society on the move.

Read more

Cyber breaches have cost shareholders billions since 2013: report

LONDON (Reuters) - Cyber security breaches erode companies' share prices permanently, with financials the worst hit, a study issued by IT consultant CGI and Oxford Economics has found.

Read more

Brexit referendum website might have been hacked: UK lawmakers

LONDON (Reuters) - A website which allowed Britons to register to vote in last year's European Union referendum might have been targeted by foreign hackers causing it to crash before the deadline, a committee of British lawmakers said on Wednesday.

Read more

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

China live streaming: Would-be internet stars boost billion-dollar market

BEIJING (Reuters) - Jing Qi, a part-time presenter on the live streaming platform Huajiao, underwent cosmetic surgery in March to improve her chances of becoming an internet celebrity.

Read more

Uber's communication head Rachel Whetstone to depart

(Reuters) - Ride services company Uber Technologies Inc said on Tuesday its head of communications, Rachel Whetstone, will leave the company.

Read more

Apple may ditch Dialog, analyst says, hitting chipmaker's shares

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Dialog Semiconductor risks losing a crucial supply deal with Apple Inc , according to a financial analyst who cut his rating on the stock on Tuesday, sending the Anglo-German chipmaker's shares down by as much as one-third.

Read more

Yahoo's EU regulator to issue recommendations on email security within weeks

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Yahoo's European regulator said it is preparing to give the U.S. Internet firm the results of an investigation into the 2014 theft of data from 500 million users, including possible remedial action to avoid a repeat of the breach.

Read more

China's Huawei targets Amazon, Alibaba in public cloud service push

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese telecoms equipment and smartphone maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] on Tuesday said it aims to compete with Amazon.com Inc and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd as a global provider of public cloud services.

Read more

Qualcomm hits back at Apple's lawsuit, accuses iPhone maker of false statements

(Reuters) - Qualcomm Inc hit back at Apple Inc's charges that were made in a U.S. lawsuit in January, saying the iPhone maker breached agreements with the firm and encouraged regulatory attacks on its business in various jurisdictions around the world by making false statements.

Read more

Monday, April 10, 2017

Symantec attributes 40 cyber attacks to CIA-linked hacking tools

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Past cyber attacks on scores of organizations around the world were conducted with top-secret hacking tools that were exposed recently by the Web publisher Wikileaks, the security researcher Symantec Corp said on Monday.

Read more

China draft cyber law mandates security assessment for outbound data

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's top cyber authority on Tuesday released a draft law that would require firms exporting data to undergo an annual security assessment, in the latest of several recent safeguards against threats such as hacking and terrorism.

Read more

Boeing Dreamliner cost to drop $2-$3 million per plane from 3-D printed titanium

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Boeing Co hired Norsk Titanium AS to print the first structural titanium parts for its 787 Dreamliner, the Norwegian 3-D printing company said on Monday, paving the way to cost savings of $2 million to $3 million for each plane.

Read more

Banks scramble to fix old systems as IT 'cowboys' ride into sunset

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bill Hinshaw is not a typical 75-year-old. He divides his time between his family – he has 32 grandchildren and great-grandchildren – and helping U.S. companies avert crippling computer meltdowns.

Read more

Ciber files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

(Reuters) - Information technology company Ciber Inc said on Monday that it and some of its U.S. units filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 in the U.S. bankruptcy court in the District of Delaware.

Read more

Turkey's Vestel in talks to buy Toshiba television unit: official

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's Vestel is in talks to buy the television unit of Japan's Toshiba Corp, a Vestel official said on Monday, a deal that could be worth a few hundred million dollars and could expand the Turkish firm's global presence.

Read more

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Computer hack sets off 156 emergency sirens across Dallas

(Reuters) - A computer hack set off all the emergency sirens in Dallas for about 90 minutes overnight in one of the largest known breaches of a siren warning system, officials in the Texas city said on Saturday.

Read more

Fidelity becomes first asset manager to join blockchain group IC3

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fidelity Investments Inc has become the first financial institution to join the Initiative for CryptoCurrencies & Contracts, a group of academic institutions and technology companies looking to develop blockchain-based technology.

Read more

New York regulator wants other states to model cyber laws after its rules

DENVER (Reuters) - A group of U.S. state insurance regulators should use New York's sweeping cyber security rules as a model for how insurers must protect their networks from hackers and when they must disclose cyber events, New York's financial regulator said on Sunday.

Read more

Google offers at least $880 million to LG display for OLED investment: Electronic Times

SEOUL (Reuters) - Google Inc has offered to invest at least 1 trillion won ($880.29 million) to help South Korea's LG Display Co Ltd boost output of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens for smartphones, the Electronic Times reported on Monday citing unnamed sources.

Read more

Snapdeal founders move to calm employees amid takeover speculation

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The founders of India's Snapdeal told employees in an email on Sunday that the e-commerce company will ensure there is no disruption to staff "as the way forward becomes clear," as speculation of a takeover swirls.

Read more

Friday, April 7, 2017

Twitter CEO forgoes compensation; long-time board member to leave

(Reuters) - Twitter Inc's chief executive, Jack Dorsey, continued to forego direct compensation and Peter Fenton, a board member since 2009, will leave after the company's annual meet in May, a regulatory filing showed on Friday.

Read more

U.S. net neutrality advocates blast Pai effort to reverse rules

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Advocates of landmark net neutrality rules on Friday blasted Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai's plans to roll back the Obama era legal framework.

Read more

Twitter pulls lawsuit over anti-Trump account, says summons withdrawn

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter Inc on Friday dropped a lawsuit it filed the previous day against the U.S. Homeland Security Department, saying the government had withdrawn a summons for records about who was behind an account critical of President Donald Trump.

Read more

Uber says never used Waymo files on self-driving

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc said on Friday its self-driving sensor technology was "fundamentally different" from Waymo's, blasting Waymo's assertion that its ride-services rival profited from confidential stolen files, in the latest salvo in a high-profile dispute between the two rivals.

Read more

Facebook virtual reality unit Oculus faces lawsuit over imaging patent

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc's virtual reality unit Oculus VR is facing a lawsuit alleging it incorporated without authorization a smaller competitor's patented technology into its Rift headset.

Read more

Twitter refuses U.S. order to reveal user behind anti-Trump account

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter Inc on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit to block an order by the U.S. government demanding that it reveal who is behind an account opposed to President Donald Trump's tough immigration policies.

Read more

Cloud software provider Okta surges 44 percent in debut

(Reuters) - Cloud software provider Okta Inc's shares jumped as much as 44 percent in its debut on Friday, giving the tech unicorn a market capitalization of about $2.22 billion.

Read more

LG Electronics estimates first quarter profit surged, likely best in nearly eight years

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's LG Electronics Inc estimated on Friday its first-quarter operating profit rose 82 percent to its highest in nearly eight years, handily beating market expectations on healthy sales of appliances and televisions.

Read more

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Adidas to mass-produce 3D-printed shoe with Silicon Valley start-up

HERZOGENAURACH, Germany/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Adidas launched a new sneaker on Friday with a 3D-printed sole that it plans to mass-produce next year, part of a broader push by the German sportswear firm to react faster to changing fashions and create more customized products.

Read more

U.S. FCC chairman plans fast-track repeal of net neutrality: sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is moving quickly to replace the Obama administration's landmark net neutrality rules and wants internet service providers to voluntarily agree to maintain an open internet, three sources briefed on the meeting said Thursday.

Read more

YouTube tweaks ad strategy to curb content stealing

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's YouTube said on Thursday it would place ads on channels only if they reach 10,000 views as it tries to weed out people who make money on the site by stealing content from other sources.

Read more

Samsung forecasts best quarterly profit in over three years as chips soar

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd forecast on Friday its best quarterly profit in more than three years in the January-March period, beating expectations on the back of robust demand for memory chips.

Read more

Twitter dips after co-founder says selling some of his shares

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Shares of Twitter dropped about 1 percent on Thursday after co-founder Ev Williams said he is selling a minority of his shares in the social media company, which has been losing ground to Facebook and other fast-growing rivals.

Read more

Lyft valued at $7.5 billion in new funding round: source

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Ride services company Lyft Inc has nearly completed a funding round of at least $500 million, valuing the company at $7.5 billion, according to a source close to the company.

Read more

Comcast enters U.S. wireless business with unlimited data plans

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Comcast Corp , facing pressure in its core business, said on Thursday it is launching a wireless service with an unlimited data plan, making it the first major U.S. cable provider to enter the highly competitive wireless market.

Read more

How artificial life spawned a billion-dollar industry

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists are getting closer to building life from scratch and technology pioneers are taking notice, with record sums moving into a field that could deliver novel drugs, materials, chemicals and even perfumes.

Read more

Australian regulator sues Apple alleging iPhone 'bricking'

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's consumer watchdog has sued Apple Inc alleging it used a software update to disable iPhones which had cracked screens fixed by third parties.

Read more

China court orders Samsung units to pay $11.6 million to Huawei over patent case

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A Chinese court has ordered Samsung Electronics's mainland subsidiaries to pay 80 million yuan ($11.60 million) to Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL] for patent infringement, the China firm's first victory against Samsung on its legal challenges over intellectual property.

Read more

Twitter creates 'lite' version for data-starved users

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter Inc is launching a faster version of its mobile service on Wednesday aimed at people with sporadic connections or little data on their smartphone plans, hoping to pick up users in harder-to-reach emerging markets.

Read more

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Financial institutions risk 24 percent revenue loss from fintech: PwC

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Large financial institutions across the world could lose 24 percent of their revenues to financial technology companies over the next three to five years, according to a new study by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Read more

Taser changes name to Axon in shift to software services

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Taser International Inc , maker of the eponymous device used by police to stun and incapacitate a person temporarily, is changing its name to Axon as it pushes further into the software business.

Read more

U.S. judge warns Uber in Waymo self-driving car case

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday warned Uber Technologies Inc it could face a court injunction that would bar a key Uber executive from working on its self-driving car project, in a high-profile case filed by Alphabet Inc's Waymo unit.

Read more

Boeing forms venture group, invests in two tech startups

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Boeing Co said on Wednesday it had launched a venture capital arm and invested in two startup companies in a bid to stay abreast of rapidly evolving aircraft designs and factory technology.

Read more

AT&T adds HBO to unlimited wireless plan for free

(Reuters) - AT&T Inc said on Wednesday customers of its unlimited mobile data plan would get Time Warner Inc's HBO, home to hit shows such as "Game of Thrones" and "Veep", as part of the service at no additional cost.

Read more

Apple aims for more control, less cost as it accelerates in chip design

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc's decision to stop licensing graphics chips from Imagination Technologies Group Plc is the clearest example yet of the iPhone maker's determination to take greater control of the core technologies in its products - both to guard its hefty margins and to position it for future innovations, especially in so-called augmented reality.

Read more

Amazon acquires right to buy stake in fuel cell maker Plug Power

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc has acquired the right to buy up to 23 percent of hydrogen fuel cell maker Plug Power Inc , in a deal giving the retailer powerful batteries that promise to speed up work in its warehouses, Plug Power said on Wednesday.

Read more

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Kim Dotcom announces new Bitcoin venture for content uploaders to earn money

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Controversial New Zealand-based internet mogul Kim Dotcom plans to launch a Bitcoin payments system for users to sell files and video streaming as he fights extradition to the United States for criminal copyright charges.

Read more

Samsung to ride soaring chip profits in first quarter, Galaxy S8 aura in 2017

SEOUL (Reuters) - Record earnings at Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's chip division are set to propel the tech giant's first-quarter profit to a three-and-a-half-year high, and the quarters ahead could be even better if its newest smartphone, Galaxy S8, is a success.

Read more

New York's top court rejects Facebook search warrant challenge

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York state's highest court on Tuesday rejected Facebook Inc's challenge to 381 search warrants to uncover suspected widespread Social Security disability fraud by its customers.

Read more

Uber executive has 'no basis' to believe criminal probe underway: court filing

(Reuters) - An Uber executive at the center of a high-profile legal dispute with Alphabet Inc's Waymo self-driving-car unit has "no basis to believe" any criminal investigation is underway over allegations of trade secret theft, the executive's lawyer said in a court filing.

Read more

Spotify and Universal Music agree multi-year license deal

(Reuters) - Music streaming service Spotify said on Tuesday it had signed a global, multi-year license agreement with Universal Music Group (UMG).

Read more

Toshiba seeks new loan, offers memory chip unit stake as collateral: sources

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp asked creditor banks for a new loan and offered as collateral a stake in its memory chip unit that is being split off, sources said, underlining the firm's growing financial woes as it braces for a multi-billion dollar loss.

Read more

Mercedes joins forces with Bosch to develop self-driving taxis

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and supplier Robert Bosch [ROBG.UL] are teaming up to develop self-driving cars in an alliance primarily aimed at accelerating the production of "robo-taxis".

Read more

WhatsApp mulls foray into digital payments with India launch

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Instant messaging app WhatsApp, owned by Facebook Inc, is mulling a foray into digital payment services in India, its first such offering globally, and has advertised to hire a digital transactions lead in the country.

Read more

Monday, April 3, 2017

Waymo targets second senior executive in Uber self-driving dispute

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Alphabet's self-driving car unit Waymo initiated private legal proceedings against two former executives who launched a rival company acquired by Uber [UBER.UL], court records show, accusing them of trying to recruit Waymo employees to the new startup that aims to revolutionize the auto industry.

Read more

Elon Musk mocks short sellers after Tesla stock surge

(Reuters) - As Tesla Inc's strong quarterly vehicle deliveries sent its stock to a record high on Monday, Chief Executive Elon Musk took a swipe at traders betting the luxury electric car company is on a road to ruin.

Read more

Imagination Technologies' shares plunge 70 percent after Apple ditches firm

LONDON (Reuters) - Imagination Technologies has been told by Apple , its biggest customer, that the maker of iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches is to stop using its graphics technology in its new products, sending shares in the company crashing by more than 70 percent on Monday.

Read more

FCC reverses Charter Communications 'overbuild' requirement

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted to reverse a requirement imposed under the Obama administration that Charter Communications Inc extend broadband service to 1 million households that currently have service, a source briefed on the matter said.

Read more

AIG taps into consumer fears with new cybersecurity product

NEW YORK(Reuters) - American International Group Inc is joining insurers offering products that offer consumers safeguards against hackers and cyber criminals who might steal personal data.

Read more

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Tesla delivers quarterly record of 25,000 vehicles in first quarter

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tesla Inc , the U.S. luxury electric car maker, said on Sunday first-quarter vehicle deliveries jumped 69 percent from a year ago to a quarterly record of 25,000 vehicles, bouncing back from delays in the previous quarter.

Read more

Ride-hailing firm Grab agrees to buy Indonesian payment startup Kudo

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Southeast Asian ride-hailing firm Grab on Monday said it has agreed to buy Indonesian online payment startup Kudo, marking the first investment under a recently announced plan to commit $700 million to its largest market.

Read more

Toshiba shares tumble after sources say third earnings postponement likely

TOKYO (Reuters) - Shares in Toshiba Corp tumbled on Monday after sources told Reuters that the troubled Japanese conglomerate would likely miss a third deadline to report its quarterly business results.

Read more

In self-driving car race, winners get all the way around track

WILLOWS, Calif. (Reuters) - Nine self-driving cars did not quite zoom around a 2-mile (3.2-km) course in Northern California over the weekend in a race involving students and entrepreneurs from startup companies where the real goal was just to make it around the track.

Read more

Major internet providers say will not sell customer browsing histories

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Comcast Corp, Verizon Communications Inc and AT&T Inc said Friday they would not sell customers’ individual internet browsing information, days after the U.S. Congress approved legislation reversing Obama administration era internet privacy rules.

Read more

Chicago teen arrested in Facebook Live sex assault, others sought

(Reuters) - Chicago police have arrested a 14-year-old boy and expect to charge a second youth in connection with the sexual assault of a teenage girl by multiple young men that was seen on Facebook Live in March, officials said on Sunday.

Read more

Saturday, April 1, 2017

New York Post apologizes after app apparently hacked

(Reuters) - The New York Post apologized early on Sunday hours after its app was apparently hacked with what was reported to be alerts about President Donald Trump.

Read more