Shamayita Acharya

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's <GOOGL.O> Google on Wednesday launched Google TV, which would show content from streaming services including Netflix Inc <NFLX.O> and Walt Disney Co's <DIS.N> Disney+. The tech giant also unveiled a new Chromecast streaming device that will now come with a remote control. It will cost $49.99 in the United States and will be available in other countries by the end of the year. In addition, Google also introduced 5G-enabled phone Pixel 5, with a starting price of $699. Earlier in August, Google launched its first 5G-enabled phone, Pixel 4a (5G), with a starting price of $499, and also introduced a non-5G version of 4a at $349, looking to broaden its appeal among budget-conscious customers.While Google's lower-priced devices have been top sellers, its higher-priced phones have gained little traction versus those from industry leaders such as Samsung Electronics Co <005930.KS> and Apple ... Read More on Datafloq

By Stephen Nellis (Reuters) - Salesforce.com on Wednesday said it has adapted some of its business software to help healthcare organizations and government entities distribute vaccines for the novel coronavirus once they become available. The San Francisco-based company said the offering, called Work.com for Vaccines, will help cities, states and health-care groups track vaccine inventory levels, create online appointment portals and track how patients fare after being vaccinated. "All these vaccines have various levels of quality and efficacy. We all know that they're not all the same," Salesforce.com Chief Executive Marc Benioff told Reuters in an interview. "And so technology will be really critical in separating the wheat from the chaff in the vaccine." Multiple companies and nations around the world are racing to develop a vaccine to provide some degree of immunity to ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Palantir Technologies Inc <PLTR.N>, the U.S. data analytics firm known for its work with the Central Intelligence Agency and other government agencies, was valued at $20.6 billion in a choppy New York Stock Exchange debut on Wednesday. The listing ended years of speculation about when the company, co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel in 2003, would go public and how much it would be worth. Palantir's shares closed at $9.50 apiece, below its $10 opening price though topping the weighted average price of $9.17 in the private markets in September as well as a reference price of $7.25 set by the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. Palantir decided in the middle of 2019 to go public, with an original timetable to complete the listing in the second half of 2021 but the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated its plans, according to Chief Operating Officer Shyam Sankar. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Joseph Menn SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc <FB.O> on Wednesday banned ads on its flagship website and Instagram photo and video sharing service that claim widespread voting fraud, suggest U.S. election results would be invalid, or which attack any method of voting. The company announced the new rules in a blog post, adding to earlier restrictions on premature claims of election victory. The move came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump used the first televised debate with Democratic challenger Joe Biden to amplify his baseless claims that the Nov. 3 presidential election will be "rigged." Trump has been especially critical of mail-in ballots, and he cited a number of small unrelated incidents to argue that fraud was already happening at scale. ... Read More on Datafloq

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A member of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday called for new scrutiny of undersea cables that transmit nearly all the world's internet data traffic. "We must take a closer look at cables with landing locations in adversary countries," FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said Wednesday at a commission meeting. "This includes the four existing submarine cables connecting the US and China, most of which are partially owned by Chinese state-owned companies." The United States has repeatedly expressed concerns about China’s role in handling network traffic and potential for espionage. Around 300 subsea cables form the backbone of the internet, carrying 99% of the world’s data traffic. Starks said the FCC "must ensure that adversary countries and other hostile actors can’t tamper with, block, or intercept the communications ... Read More on Datafloq

Companies across all sectors have learned that they can transform their businesses by embracing Intelligent Process Automation, or IPA, which combines Robotic Process Automation (RPA) with AI to automate a myriad of back-office processes. By automating repetitive, mundane work, they free up their employees to spend more time on higher value work, such as providing a better customer experience and finding more efficient operations. Yet, while RPA works well to automate an employee’s rote responsibilities, many organizations struggle to scale to hundreds of production bots when automation is not coupled with AI and machine learning tools. With the pairing of AI and RPA, IPA adds a new layer of intelligent decision-making processes to automated tasks that standard RPA tools lack.  In addition, IPA allows organizations to see ROI that is often in the triple-digit percentages, according to a McKinsey study. But in order to reap these kinds of rewards, organizations must first educate them

How do businesses decide where and when to open a new store? How does a courier service track packages in real-time? How do inventory managers decide on quantities for reorders? The common answer to all of these questions – data. Data analytics has advanced so far today that many companies have teams dedicated to just this.According to a study, Analytics grew from $122 billion in 2015 to over $187 billion in 2020. That said, the most complicated aspect isn’t analyzing data but collecting data, cleaning it and getting the required skill support. This is why it is important to develop a sound data strategy. What Is A Data Strategy?Simply put, data strategy refers to a plan for preserving and improving data security, data quality and access to data across the enterprise. A comprehensive data strategy would combine all technical, organizational and compliance measures to make data more trustworthy and, in turn, make data analytics actionable. It includes all the processes, policies, archit

By Katie Paul SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc said on Wednesday it would start replacing the direct messaging service within Instagram with a version of its Messenger app, the first major step in its plan to tie together messaging across its suite of apps. The move enables users of each service to find, message and hold video calls with contacts on the other without needing to download both apps. It also introduces features like custom emojis and themes that have been mainstays on Messenger but were not previously available in Instagram's minimalist messaging product, along with new features like disappearing messages. If users accept the update, the messaging icon in Instagram will change to the Messenger logo. As on Messenger, Instagram users - who have not been able to forward messages - will ... Read More on Datafloq

By Angelo Amante ROME (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a warning to Italy over its economic relations with China on Wednesday, and described Chinese mobile telecoms technology as a threat to Italy's national security and the privacy of its citizens. "The foreign minister and I had a long conversation about the United States' concerns at the Chinese Communist Party trying to leverage its economic presence in Italy to serve its own strategic purposes," Pompeo told a joint news conference with Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio. "The United States also urges the Italian government to consider carefully the risks to its national security and the privacy of its citizens presented by technology companies with ties to the Chinese Community Party." Di Maio said the Italians were aware of U.S. concerns over ... Read More on Datafloq

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said if Oracle's deal for TikTok cannot be closed with terms that meet U.S. security requirements, including holding code in the United States, the short video app will be shut down. "All of the code will have to be in the United States. Oracle will be responsible for rebuilding the code, sanitizing the code, making sure it's safe in their cloud, and ...it'll satisfy all of our requirements," Mnuchin told a CNBC investor conference. (Reporting by David Lawder) ... Read More on Datafloq

By Jan Wolfe (Reuters) - The U.S. antitrust case against Alphabet Inc's <GOOGL.O> Google will spotlight two lawyers better known for behind-the-scenes counseling: Justice Department attorney Ryan Shores, who is putting together the case, and Google executive Kent Walker, who is calling the shots on the search engine company's defense. Both parties could still add legal firepower to litigate the case, especially if it goes to trial. The lawsuit could be filed as early as next week. Here are some details on Shores and Walker. RYAN SHORES Shores joined the Justice Department last year to spearhead the Google investigation. He is working closely with Jeffrey Rosen, the ... Read More on Datafloq

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Alphabet unit Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and other U.S. tech giants could be banned from favouring their services or forcing users to sign up to a bundle of services under draft EU rules aimed at reining in their power. The draft rules, known as the Digital Services Act, aim to set the ground rules for data-sharing and how digital marketplaces operate. They are expected to come into force by the end of the year. The European Commission is taking a tough line against U.S. tech giants, driven in part by antitrust cases resulting in decisions that subsequently failed to boost competition because of the lengthy process that typically takes several years. The case has taken on urgency because of the dependence of thousands of EU companies on ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - The European Union (EU) is preparing to force big technology companies to share their customer data with smaller rivals, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing an early draft of its landmark 'Digital Services Act' regulations. "The likes of Amazon and Google shall not use data collected on the platform . . . for (their) own commercial activities . . . unless they (make it) accessible to business users active in the same commercial activities," the FT reported, quoting the draft. EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager would announce by the end of this year tough new rules under the Act, aimed to increase social media companies' responsibilities and liability for content on their platforms. The draft suggests that technology giants may be banned from preferential treatment of their own services on their sites or platforms, to the detriment of rivals, according to the report. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Sam Nussey TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Rakuten Inc <4755.T> launched low price 5G services via its cloud-based mobile network on Wednesday in a challenge to rival carriers under fire for high prices that could shake up the telecoms industry globally. The start of the next-generation service follows the launch of Rakuten's 4G services in April in a network based on cloud-based software and commoditized hardware that the e-commerce firm says has radically slashed entry costs. Rakuten is offering 5G plans for the same price as its existing plan - 2,980 yen ($28) before tax per month. CEO Hiroshi Mikitani said that price point is around 70% lower than larger rivals which began 5G services earlier this year. The launch comes as Japan's new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has renewed attacks ... Read More on Datafloq

By James Davey LONDON (Reuters) - Boohoo reported a 51% increase in first half profit and raised its full year guidance on Wednesday, with publicity over failings in its supply chain showing no impact on the British online fashion retailer's sales. Last week, Boohoo accepted all the recommendations of an independent review which found several failings in its supply chain in England after allegations about working conditions and low pay, setting out steps to tackle the problems. Boohoo, which sells own-brand clothing, shoes, accessories and beauty products targeted at 16- to 40-year-olds, has been under intense scrutiny since July when the allegations surfaced after a lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic. Unlike store-based rivals who had to shutter shops for several months during coronavirus lockdowns, Boohoo was able to trade throughout the first half and ... Read More on Datafloq

By Moira Warburton and Tessa Vikander VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Lawyers for Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou will have a chance on Wednesday to respond to arguments made by the Canadian government, as Huawei pushes to add an allegation of abuse of process to block her extradition to the United States. The hearings, which will finish on Wednesday, are the latest in Meng's extradition case taking place in the British Columbia Supreme Court. Meng, 48, was arrested in December 2018 on a warrant from the United States charging her with bank fraud for misleading HSBC about Huawei's business dealings in Iran and causing the bank to break U.S. sanction law. The arrest has strained China's relations with the United States and Canada. Soon after Meng's detention, China arrested Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael ... Read More on Datafloq

By Andreas Rinke and Douglas Busvine BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government is planning tougher oversight of telecoms network vendors that, while stopping short of a ban on Huawei, will make it harder for the Chinese company to keep a foothold in Europe's largest market. Some coalition and government sources said on Wednesday that agreement had been reached in principle to extend scrutiny of a vendor's governance and technology to Radio Access Networks (RAN) powering next-generation 5G services, in addition to the more sensitive core. Yet not all government departments were on board, with the Economy Ministry saying talks on the proposed regulatory regime "are continuing and have not been completed". The Handelsblatt daily reported earlier that, after two years of wrangling, Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition had agreed on a formula for how to ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - The Seattle City Council passed a minimum pay standard for drivers for companies like Uber Technologies Inc <UBER.N> and Lyft Inc <LYFT.O> on Tuesday. Under the ordinance, effective January, the drivers will now earn at least $16.39 per hour - the minimum wage in Seattle for companies with more than 500 employees. Seattle's law, modeled after a similar regulation in New York City, aims to reduce the amount of time drivers spend "cruising" without a passenger by paying drivers more during those times. City officials argue this should prevent Uber and Lyft from oversaturating the market at drivers' expense, but the companies say it would effectively force them to block some drivers access to the app. Both Uber and Lyft have locked out drivers in response to the NYC law. ... Read More on Datafloq

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese tech giant Alibaba's <BABA.N> cloud unit expects to be profitable within 2021, a senior executive said on Wednesday. Maggie Wu, chief financial officer of Alibaba, made the remarks at an livestreamed investor day event. The company, a dominant player in China's cloud market, is fending off challenge from domestic rival Tencent <0700.HK> which is also trying to capture cloud business opportunities. Alibaba has said it would invest 200 billion yuan ($29.36 billion) in its cloud infrastructure over three years. In the June quarter, Alibaba's cloud computing revenue grew 59% from a year earlier to 12,345 million yuan on higher revenue contribution from its public cloud and hybrid cloud businesses. Cainiao, Alibaba's logistics unit, will likely ... Read More on Datafloq

By Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee's antitrust subcommittee is expected to release a much-anticipated report into antitrust allegations against four of America's largest tech companies as soon as Monday, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. The chief executives of four of the world's largest tech companies, Amazon.com Inc, Facebook Inc, Apple and Alphabet's Google, testified before the panel in July. During the hearing, the four CEOs parried a range of accusations that they crippled smaller rivals in their quest for market share. The four companies have a combined market value of about $5 trillion. The House antitrust subcommittee plans to hold a hearing on Friday on proposals to strengthen antitrust laws and restore online competition as it nears the release of this long-awaited ... Read More on Datafloq

By Akanksha Rana and Stephen Nellis (Reuters) - Micron Technology Inc <MU.O> on Tuesday forecast fiscal first-quarter revenue to be slightly below Wall Street estimates, in part because of a U.S. government ban on shipments of memory chips to Huawei Technologies Co Ltd. Micron shares, which were volatile in extended trading, were down 2% at $49.84 after the company disclosed the Huawei hit. Micron said Huawei accounted for roughly 10% of its revenue in the fiscal fourth quarter, which ended on Sept. 3. Chief Executive Sanjay Mehrotra said on a conference call with investors that the company was unable to shift those chips to other customers because it had only one month of notice before halting shipments to Huawei on Sept. 14. Mehrotra said that the Huawei restrictions would negatively impact it fiscal ... Read More on Datafloq

By Joshua Franklin and Abhishek Manikandan (Reuters) - The New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday set a reference price of $7.25 per share for Palantir Technologies Inc, valuing the data analytics company at a $15.8 billion ahead of its public market debut on Wednesday. While the valuation was lower than the $20 billion that Palantir fetched in a 2015 private fundraising round, the reference price is not an offering price for investors to purchase shares, but rather a benchmark for performance when the stock starts trading on the stock exchange on Wednesday. Two previous high-profile direct listings - Spotify Technology SA <SPOT.N> in 2018 and Slack Technologies Inc <WORK.N> in 2019 - had started trading significantly above their reference prices. Palantir opted to go public through a direct listing rather than a traditional ... Read More on Datafloq

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department is expected to sue Alphabet's Google as soon as next week, and is currently urging state attorneys general to sign onto the lawsuit, according to three sources familiar with the process. The lawsuit is expected to accuse Google, builder of the world's dominant search engine, of looking to disadvantage rivals such as Microsoft's Bing by depriving them of the data about users and user preferences that they need to improve and to advertise to people. The Justice Department has also been investigating Google's "search advertising," the ads that appear under a search box if a person looks up a consumer item like "dishwasher." Google controls the sale of the space under these searches, as well as the tools to make those ad sales. Google has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. The Justice Department declined to comment. ... Read More on Datafloq

Artificial intelligence has propelled online commerce into a new era. Website administrators and marketers are finding highly creative ways to leverage AI to improve functionality and enhance the user experience. Predictive analytics is one of the most important developments that has arisen from advances in artificial intelligence technology. Brands can find ways to use predictive analytics to anticipate the needs of their users. This will improve engagement, lead to greater customer satisfaction and ultimately drive greater conversions. What is the real value of predictive analytics in online UX? UX optimization is a crucial aspect of digital marketing. Brands need to keep customers satisfied and engaged before they can get them to make a purchase. There are a variety of ways that predictive analytics can help them achieve this goal. One of the easiest ideas is to use predictive analytics to create content templates, such as HubSpot email templates. However, there are even more advanc

MADRID (Reuters) - The Spanish antitrust watchdog said on Tuesday it had determined that U.S. giant Amazon <AMZN.O> operates as a mail service in the country and has to comply with specific rules within one month. The CNMC, as the regulator is known, opened a probe in February as it sought to find out whether Amazon had to abide by rules on labour, tax, privacy and immigration as other mail services do in Spain. (Reporting by Joan Faus) ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google is in advanced talks to lease an additional 70,000 square feet in buildings close to its 1 billion pounds ($1.28 billion) new headquarters in King's Cross, The Times reported on Tuesday. The tech giant has also agreed to extend a lease at Central Saint Giles, an office development near Tottenham Court Road, for a further decade, the report said https://ift.tt/2HIcYCb. Google did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. ($1 = 0.7789 pounds) (Reporting by Akanksha Rana in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni) ... Read More on Datafloq

By Stephen Nellis (Reuters) - Netherlands-based chipmaker NXP Semiconductors NV on Tuesday said it has opened a factory in the U.S. state of Arizona to manufacture chips used in fifth-generation (5G) telecommunications equipment. The facility in the city of Chandler will make gallium-nitride radio chips for 5G wireless data equipment, at a time when U.S. lawmakers are debating billions of dollars worth of aid to bring more chip manufacturing back to the United States. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd in May proposed a $12 billion plant in Arizona. Intel Corp has a major production facility about 5 miles (8 km) from NXP's new factory. Gallium nitride is an alternative to silicon. The material is a key ingredient in 5G networks because it can handle the high frequencies used in the networks while consuming less ... Read More on Datafloq

By Tom Wilson LONDON (Reuters) - Financial firms and governments overwhelmingly see cryptocurrencies as risky, a major survey found on Tuesday, with the potential for bitcoin and other digital tokens for use in money laundering and sanctions busting among the chief worries. Around 60% of respondents from financial firms, government and the private sector alike to the survey by the Royal United Services Institute think-tank and the Association of Anti-Money Laundering Specialists said cryptocurrencies were a risk rather than an opportunity. Illicit usage was the major concern. The findings, one of the most detailed efforts yet to map out mainstream global views towards cryptocurrencies, lay bare the depth of scepticism towards the emerging tech. They suggest an uphill struggle for the crypto industry to achieve wider acceptance, even as ... Read More on Datafloq

By Ben Klayman DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co <GM.N> and Nikola Corp <NKLA.O> have not finalized their deal to jointly build electric pickup trucks and hydrogen fuel cell tractor-trailers, one day ahead of the date targeted, and are continuing discussions, GM said on Tuesday. "Our transaction with Nikola has not closed," GM spokeswoman Juli Huston-Rough said in a statement. "We are continuing our discussions with Nikola and will provide further updates when appropriate or required." A statement by Nikola echoed GM's. Huston-Rough and a Nikola spokeswoman declined to comment further when asked if terms of the deal were being renegotiated. Shares of Nikola were down 7.1%, while GM's stock was off 1.5% in midday trading. When the deal was ... Read More on Datafloq

SEOUL (Reuters) - Shares of LG Chem Ltd, which supplies batteries to Tesla Inc, climbed on Tuesday, after media said the U.S. electric vehicle maker was looking to acquire a stake in a battery unit the South Korean company wants to dispose of. "Tesla is said to be exploring taking up to a 10 percent stake in LG Energy Solution," the Korea Times quoted an unidentified banking source as saying, in the U.S. firm's quest for a stable supply of batteries. LG Chem and Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) gained ground, tracking Tesla's gains following a bullish sales outlook by Chief Executive Elon Musk. On Twitter, Musk said the company might sell 20 million cars before 2030, and projected total industry sales at more than 30 million EVs. Tesla delivered 367,500 vehicles last year. ... Read More on Datafloq

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines accused Facebook on Tuesday of censoring pro-government content which it said was tantamount to curtailing freedom of speech and called for new measures to regulate the social media giant to "level the playing field". In the Southeast Asian country, President Rodrigo Duterte has been bolstered by establishing a powerful support base on social media platforms like Facebook, a factor that was instrumental in his election victory in 2016. But Facebook last week dismantled a network of accounts that originated from China and the Philippines for engaging in "coordinated inauthentic behaviour", including one that Manila says it supports for its anti-communism stance. The takedown drew the ire of Duterte who warned Facebook on Monday night that it should explain what its purpose is in his country if it wants to continue to operate. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Supantha Mukherjee and Anne Kauranen STOCKHOLM/HELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia <NOKIA.HE> has clinched a deal with Britain's biggest mobile operator BT <BT.L> to supply 5G radio equipment, the Finnish company said on Tuesday, in one of the first major wins under new CEO Pekka Lundmark. The deal will make Nokia BT's largest equipment provider and comes just months after Britain said it would ban China's Huawei Technologies from next-generation 5G telecom networks. The size of the contract was not disclosed. Nokia has won 63% of the BT contract, or about 11,600 radio sites, a source familiar with the matter said. Nokia currently powers BT's network in Greater London, the Midlands and rural locations, but the new contract will add multiple towns ... Read More on Datafloq

By Supantha Mukherjee STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Microsoft's <MSFT.O> Bing, PrivacyWall and Info.com were among the search engines that won a quarterly auction by Alphabet's <GOOGL.O> Google to show up as search options on new Android devices in 31 European countries. Google offered to allow competitors to bid for advertising space at the top of a search page on Android devices after the European Union in 2018 fined the company billions for violating antitrust rules. The company started declaring quarterly auction results from March to offer users three providers alongside Google. Google and the auction winners will be ordered randomly in the choice screen on a user's device. In the latest https://ift.tt/3n54hCe October-December auction, Bing won the rights in 13 countries, Puerto Rico-based PrivacyWall in 22 countries and U.S.-based Info.com got all 31 countries. Other ... Read More on Datafloq

By Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) - British authorities hit Airbnb UK with an extra tax bill of 1.8 million pounds ($2.3 million) last year, the home rental company's accounts showed on Tuesday, following an investigation into the firm. The UK arm of the San Francisco company, which also paid annual corporation tax of over 1 million pounds in Britain, said it had paid the extra obligations after a request from British tax authorities Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC). "During 2019, the Company received a revised assessment from HMRC which resulted in additional tax payable of 1.8 million pounds," Airbnb UK said in their accounts, which were reviewed by Reuters, after two years of contact with HMRC about its tax arrangements. The U.S. company's tax affairs have drawn closer scrutiny globally as it has ... Read More on Datafloq

Have you ever visited the TLC television network? Or might have watched the “My 600-lb Life” reality show on the TLC network. Then you might be familiar with Dr Nowzaradan 1200 calorie diet plan. Dr Now’s diet plan is quite effective and is actualized for massive weight loss. Losing weight isn’t easy. It takes a lot of effort and patience to lose just an ounce of calories. Two years ago, I got some back issues due to which my lifestyle turned sedentary. I gained a lot of weight. After trying thousands of methods and exercises, I turned to Dr Now’s plan. Contrary to my expectations, it worked wonders for me. So, I decided to share my experience with you guys. Must Read : BOILED EGG DIET – Lose 20 Pounds in just 2 weeks! Why Am I Losing Weight In The Face The Real Secret Behind Melissa Mccarthy Weight Loss Originally published here ... Read More on Datafloq

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's three major banks and some others are set to extend about 4 trillion yen ($37.9 billion) in coordinated loans to NTT for the acquisition of its mobile carrier, the Nikkei business daily reported on Tuesday. The amount would be the largest ever offered as coordinated loans by Japanese lenders, the financial daily added. Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (NTT) <9432.T> said it was looking at taking full control of its wireless carrier business in a deal that could be worth around 4 trillion yen ($38 billion) and pave the way for price cuts in the sector. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp <MSFT.O> said late Monday a recent change it introduced likely caused a major outage, affecting users' access to multiple Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook.com and Microsoft Teams. The developer of Windows and Office software said it did not "observe an increase in successful connections" even after it rolled back the change to mitigate the impact. "A moment ago nothing was working, then I went into files in Teams and it was working, now nothing is working. Well I guess now I have an excuse to not do work and watch TV," one Twitter user tweeted. "We're pursuing mitigation steps for this issue. In parallel, we're rerouting traffic to alternate systems to provide further relief to the affected users," Microsoft said on its status page, without specifying how many users were affected. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Josh Horwitz SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Huawei Technologies has built up stakes in Chinese semiconductor companies and other tech businesses as the world's largest telecoms equipment maker bolsters its supply chain in the face of pressure from the United States. Habo Investments, set up by Huawei in April 2019, has closed 17 deals for stakes in Chinese tech companies since August last year, public records show. The investment arm was established in response to what Huawei's rotating chairman, Guo Ping, last week described as "suppression" by the United States after escalating restrictions that have cut off Huawei's supplies of many overseas chips and effectively barred it from building its own. "Since Huawei is only one company, we use investment and technology to help our supply chain partners become mature," he said. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Katanga Johnson and Michelle Price WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday charged a former finance manager at Amazon.com, Inc. and two of her family members with insider trading in advance of the company's earnings announcements between January 2016 and July 2018. The SEC alleged that Laksha Bohra, who worked as a senior manager in Amazon's tax department, acquired and tipped her husband Viky Bohra with highly confidential information about Amazon's financial performance. The complaint alleges that Viky Bohra and his father, Gotham Bohra, then traded on this confidential information, reaping illicit profits of approximately $1.4 million. The SEC's complaint, filed in federal court in Seattle, charges all three Bohras with violating anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws. They have agreed to pay total disgorgement of $1,428,094, total prejudgment interest ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - A federal judge in California on Monday urged Apple Inc and "Fortnite" creator Epic Games to take their antitrust dispute before a jury, saying the higher courts would be less likely to overturn the result. “I know I'm just a stepping stone for all of you,” District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said during a virtual hearing from Oakland, California. Epic Games sued Apple in August, alleging the iPhone maker's 30% commission on purchases made through Apple's App Store was anticompetitive. The judge's comments came during a hearing to decide whether to keep in place an emergency order saying Apple could remove "Fortnite" from the App Store but could not harm Epic's developer tool business. (Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; editing by Jonathan Oatis) ... Read More on Datafloq

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday that Facebook <FB.O> could not stop him from promoting the objectives of his government, telling the social media giant that they should talk about its purpose in his country. "Facebook, listen to me," Duterte said in a late-night televised address. "We allow you to operate here hoping that you could help us. Now, if government cannot espouse or advocate something which is for the good of the people, then what is your purpose here in my country?" His remarks follow Facebook's move on Sept. 22 to dismantle a network of fake accounts that originated in China and the Philippines, including some that criticised the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA). Facebook linked some of the fake accounts in the Philippines to the military and the police, although they denied ... Read More on Datafloq

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration faces ongoing court battles after two legal setbacks in its efforts to bar U.S. app stores from offering Chinese-owned TikTok or WeChat for download. In two separate rulings, judges have questioned the evidence that data from American users is being accessed by the Chinese government imperiling U.S. national security that prompted the extraordinary orders by the U.S. Commerce Department. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who issued an order late Sunday blocking the TikTok download ban that was set for 11:59 p.m. Sunday, questioned the government's evidence. "The government has provided ample evidence that China presents a significant national security threat, although the specific evidence of the threat posed by (TikTok), as well as whether the prohibitions are the only effective way to address that threat, ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Tesla Inc <TSLA.O> Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk plans to list SpaceX's space internet venture, Starlink, several years in the future when revenue growth is smooth and predictable. "Public market does *not* like erratic cash flow haha," the billionaire entrepreneur tweeted https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1310672832783884290 on Monday. Musk said last year that Starlink was an important new revenue stream for his California-based Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell in February floated the idea of spinning Starlink off for an IPO in the coming years. SpaceX is racing to build out its Starlink satellite constellation to offer broadband internet commercially by the end of 2020. Musk, in his tweet, also said he is a "huge fan" of small retail ... Read More on Datafloq

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese telecoms group Nippon Telegraph and Telephone <9432.T> will take full control of its wireless carrier business NTT Docomo Inc <9437.T> for about 4 trillion yen ($37.89 billion), the Nikkei business daily reported on Tuesday. The move comes as Japan's new prime minister Yoshihide Suga has criticised Japan’s top three mobile phone carriers including NTT Docomo, saying he wants more competition and lower rates. NTT will seek to buy the remaining 34% of NTT Docomo and delist the business from the Tokyo stock exchange, the Nikkei said. The move is intended to allow NTT Docomo to better respond to pressure from the government to cut mobile fees, according to the report. Drastic fee cuts will temporarily take a toll on NTT Docomo's earnings, but having NTT as the sole shareholder will ... Read More on Datafloq

By Supantha Mukherjee (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp <MSFT.O> unveiled a new cloud platform on Monday aimed at enabling telecom operators to build 5G networks faster, reduce costs and sell customised services to business clients. After banning China's Huawei from its telecom network, the U.S. government has been pushing big American companies such as Microsoft to get more involved with 5G - a technology which promises to enable everything from self-driving cars to remote surgery and more automated manufacturing. The new platform will be on Azure, Microsoft's flagship cloud computing business, and the company says it will reduce infrastructure costs, give flexibility to add services on demand and use artificial intelligence to automate operations. Yousef Khalidi, corporate vice president for Azure Networking, told Reuters that it could cut costs by 30%-40% in some cases. ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - General Electric Co <GE.N> said on Monday its GE9X engine for Boeing Co's <BA.N> 777X passenger jet has been certified by the U.S. aviation safety regulator, clearing a hurdle in the planemaker's path to bring its new jet to the market. GE found unexpected wear in a part for the GE9X engine last year, forcing it to redesign the part and causing several months of delays for Boeing, which has also been struggling with the grounding of its 737 MAX planes following two deadly accidents.(https://reut.rs/3icoGl5) The coronavirus crisis compounded that hold up this year as demand for air travel plunged, with Boeing saying in July it was delaying the 777X's entry to service by a year to 2022. GE said on Monday it has received orders and commitments for more than 600 GE9X engines, and has delivered eight GE9X test engines and two test spares ... Read More on Datafloq

By Paresh Dave OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google on Monday sought to rebut criticism that it enforces its 30% tax on sales of paid apps arbitrarily, saying the just over 3% of paid apps that are out of compliance must follow the rules within a year. The announcement follows lawsuits last month by "Fortnite" video game maker Epic Games accusing Google and Apple Inc of anticompetitive conduct by requiring that their payment systems be used in apps, so that they can collect a portion of sales. The companies are defending the allegations. App stores are a fast-growing business for Google and Apple, as their main business - search ads and iPhone sales, respectively - flatten out. Google said under 3% of developers with apps on its Play store sold digital goods over ... Read More on Datafloq

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. tech giant Alphabet Inc's <GOOGL.O> Google has boosted its market power in the three years since EU antitrust enforcers ordered it to stop favouring its own price comparison shopping service, a study of 25 of its rivals showed on Monday. Hit with a 2.4-billion-euro ($2.8 billion) fine three years ago by the European Commission for the offence, Google subsequently offered to allow competitors to bid for advertising space at the top of a search page to channel traffic to their sites. Rivals however have said the proposal was ineffective and since then have urged EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager to sanction Google for not complying with her ruling. The latest study by consultancy Lademann & Associates covered Axel Springer's <SPRGn.DE> price-comparison shopping service Idealo, British company ... Read More on Datafloq

BEIJING (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG <VOWG_p.DE> said on Monday it and three local joint ventures plan to invest around 15 billion euros ($17.44 billion) in electric mobility in China, the world's biggest car market, between 2020 and 2024. With the investment by Volkswagen and its three joint ventures with FAW Group [SASACJ.UL], SAIC Motor <600104.SS> and JAC <600418.SS>, the German automaker will build 15 different battery electric or plug-in hybrid models in China by 2025. The Wolfsburg-based auto maker will start making electric vehicles based on its MEB architecture at two Chinese factories from October. It will source EV batteries from CATL <300750.SZ>, Guoxuan <002074.SZ> and A123. (Reporting by Yilei Sun and Brenda Goh; Editing by Kirsten Donovan) ... Read More on Datafloq

BEIJING (Reuters) - SAIC Motor, the biggest automaker in China, plans to have nearly 100 new energy models with its partners by 2025, its president Wang Xiaoqiu said on Monday. New energy vehicles include battery electric vehicles as well as plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Among the nearly 100 models, which include new and existing models, SAIC plans to have over 20 plug-in hybrid models and 10 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, Wang said. Nearly 60 of them will be from SAIC's own brands. SAIC partners with Volkswagen <VOWG_p.DE> and General Motors. Volkswagen and GM have announced their plans for electric vehicles in China, the world's biggest auto market. Monthly sales of Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV, a micro electric car by a venture between SAIC, GM and another local partner, have reached 20,000 ... Read More on Datafloq

By Sankalp Phartiyal NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Three of Apple Inc's top contract manufacturers plan to invest a total of almost $900 million in India in the next five years to tap into a new production-linked incentive plan, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron all plan to make investments under the scheme, said the sources, who asked not to be named as the discussions are private. India's new $6.65 billion production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme offers companies cash incentives on any increase in sales of locally-made smartphones over the next five years, compared with 2019-20 levels. The scheme aims to help transform India into an export manufacturing hub. Foxconn has applied to invest about 40 billion rupees ($542 million), while Wistron ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Sina Corp <SINA.O>, owner of social media platform Weibo <WB.O>, will be taken private in a $2.6 billion deal with Chief Executive Officer Charles Chao, the Chinese internet company said on Monday. The offer price of $43.3 per share is at an 18% premium to the stock's closing price on July 2, the last trading day before Sina received the preliminary offer of $41 per share. U.S.-listed shares of Sina rose more than 6% in premarket trading. Chao's holding company, New Wave, is the largest shareholder of Sina, with a 12.15% stake as of July 10, according to Refinitiv-Eikon data. Many Chinese companies are opting out of U.S. stock exchanges, following rising tensions between the world's two largest economies, by considering go-private deals or returning to equity markets closer to home. ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said on Monday it would hold its annual shopping event, Prime Day, on Oct. 13 and 14. The company earlier this year postponed the two-day shopping event, started in 2015 to drum up sales during the summer shopping lull, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, Amazon is aiming for an early kickstart to the holiday season with the new timing. (Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni) ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Piedmont Lithium <PLL.AX> on Monday said it signed a five-year deal with Tesla Inc <TSLA.O> to supply high-purity lithium ore mineral to the U.S. electric carmaker, prompting an 83% surge in the Australian lithium miner's shares. The initial five-year agreement implies that Piedmont will supply about a third of its planned 160,000-tonnes-per-year spodumene concentrate produce from its deposits in North Carolina. Both companies have an option to extend the deal for another five years. Shares of the Australian miner touched their highest since May 2007. The deal comes on the heels of Tesla's "Battery Day" presentation last week when Chief Executive Elon Musk shared his vision of novel, proprietary Tesla batteries, following which Tesla stock lost more than $30 billion in market value. Piedmont said in a statement that the agreement ... Read More on Datafloq

BEIJING (Reuters) - Electric vehicle maker Xpeng Inc <XPEV.N> said on Monday it would start building a new car plant in China's southern city of Guangzhou with 4 billion yuan ($590 million) in financing from the local government. Xpeng, listed in New York and headquartered in Guangzhou, will start making cars at the factory from the end of 2022. It is already makes P7 sedans and G3 sport-utility vehicles in two existing factories in China. The Guangzhou city government will provide the financing to Xpeng to build the new plant in the area, Xpeng said in a statement. The new plant will have an annual car manufacturing capacity of 100,000 vehicles. (Reporting by Yilei Sun and Brenda Goh; Editing by Tom Hogue) ... Read More on Datafloq

By Sam Nussey TOKYO (Reuters) - SoftBank's robotics arm said on Monday it will bring a food service robot developed by California-based Bear Robotics to Japan as restaurants grapple with labour shortages and seek to ensure social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The robot named Servi, which has layers of trays and is equipped with 3D cameras and Lidar sensors for navigation, will launch in January, SoftBank Group Corp said. Servi will cost 99,800 yen ($950) per month excluding tax on a three year plan. The launch leverages SoftBank's long experience in bringing overseas technology to Japan but reflects the shift away from CEO Masayoshi Son's earlier focus on humanoid robots. Servi has been tested by Japanese restaurant operators, including ... Read More on Datafloq

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. judge in Washington has temporarily blocked a Trump administration order banning Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google from offering Chinese-owned short video-sharing app TikTok for download that was set to take effect at 11:59 p.m. Sunday. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols granted a preliminary injunction sought by TikTok owner ByteDance to allow the app to remain available at U.S. app stores, but declined "at this time" to block additional Commerce Department restrictions that are set to take effect on Nov. 12 that TikTok has said would have the impact of making the app impossible to use in the United States. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Kim Coghill) ... Read More on Datafloq

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong-listed shares of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp fell more than 7% on Monday after the United States imposed restrictions on exports to China's biggest chip maker, citing a risk of military use. SMIC's shares fell as much as 7.9% to HK$17.12 ($2.21), the lowest since May 29, and were last down 6.7%. The company said it had not received any official notice of the restrictions and added it has no ties with the Chinese military. Suppliers of certain equipment to SMIC will now have to apply for individual export licenses, according to a letter from the U.S. Commerce Department dated Friday and seen by Reuters. Earlier this year SMIC raised $6.6 billion in a secondary listing on Shanghai's tech-centric STAR market. ... Read More on Datafloq

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. judge in Washington said he plans to decide later on Sunday whether to block a Trump administration order banning Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google from offering Chinese-owned short video-sharing app TikTok for download. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols said after a 90-minute Sunday morning hearing that he plans to issue a public order later in the day. The Commerce Department TikTok app store ban is set to take effect at 11:59 p.m. EDT (0359 GMT). John E. Hall, a lawyer for TikTok, argued during the hearing that the ban was "unprecedented" and "irrational." "How does it make sense to impose this app store ban tonight when there are negotiations underway that might make it unnecessary?" Hall asked during the hearing. "This is just punitive. This ... Read More on Datafloq

LONDON (Reuters) - An issue with England's COVID-19 smartphone app, launched to curb the spread of the virus, which meant it could not accept around a third of test results has been resolved, the government said on Sunday. The app's official account had said on Saturday it could not link to test results taken in Public Health England laboratories, via the National Health Service or as part of a survey run by the Office for National Statistics. "Everyone who receives a positive test result can log their result on the app," a health ministry spokesman said. "A minority of people, such as hospital patients, who were unable to log their positive result can now request a code when contacted by NHS Test and Trace to input on their app." ... Read More on Datafloq

SHANGHAI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has imposed restrictions on exports to China's biggest chip maker SMIC after concluding there is an "unacceptable risk" equipment supplied to it could be used for military purposes. Suppliers of certain equipment to Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation will now have to apply for individual export licenses, according to a letter from the Commerce Department dated Friday and seen by Reuters. The latest move marks a shift in U.S. policy from earlier this year, when applicants seeking “military end user” licenses to sell to SMIC were told by the Commerce Department that the licenses weren't necessary, according to three people familiar with the matter. SMIC said it had not received any official notice of the restrictions and said it has no ties with the Chinese military. "SMIC reiterates ... Read More on Datafloq

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German premium brand Audi is in talks with long-term partner FAW Group [SASACJ.UL] about creating a second joint venture to build electric cars on its PPE platform in China, Germany's Automobilwoche reported on Saturday. Audi and FAW have a Chinese joint venture to build combustion-engined cars in the northeastern city of Changchun and the southern city of Foshan. An Audi spokeswoman declined to comment on the report. (Reporting by Edward Taylor; editing by Jason Neely) ... Read More on Datafloq

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Some Hungarian banking and telecommunication services were briefly disrupted by a powerful cyber attack on Thursday launched from computer servers in Russia, China and Vietnam, telecoms firm Magyar Telekom <MTEL.BU> said on Saturday. The event was a distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, a cyber attack in which hackers attempt to flood a network with unusually high volumes of data traffic in order to paralyse it. The volume of data traffic in the attack was 10 times higher than the amount usually seen in DDoS events, the company said. "That means that this was one of the biggest hacker attacks in Hungary ever, both in its size and complexity," it said. "Russian, Chinese and Vietnamese hackers tried to launch a DDoS attack against Hungarian financial institutions, but they tried to overwhelm the networks ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Netflix Inc <NFLX.O>, in a response to U.S. senators' concerns over the company's plans to adapt a Chinese science-fiction book trilogy, said on Friday it did not agree with the Chinese author's views on the Chinese government's treatment of Uighur Muslims. Five Republican U.S. senators urged Netflix this week to reconsider plans to adapt the book into a TV series because they said the author has defended the Chinese government's clampdown on ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims in the Xinjiang region. "The Three-Body Problem" and two sequels were written by Liu Cixin. Netflix announced this month that it was turning the books into a live-action, English-language TV series led by D.B Weiss and David Benioff, the creators of HBO megahit "Game of Thrones". Liu serves as a consulting producer on ... Read More on Datafloq

By Yilei Sun and Brenda Goh BEIJING (Reuters) - China's auto market has rebounded smartly from the COVID-19 crash in recent months, especially for high-end cars, but questions about the durability of that recovery hung over the Beijing autoshow that started on Saturday. A rare industry event being held in person during the pandemic, the show marks a triumph for the world's biggest car market, pummelled from late last year as lockdowns froze economic activity in the country where the disease erupted. However, this show will be a far cry from the usual ebullience as fewer attend, new models are scant and prospects remain uncertain. Among the bright spots: the Chinese market's sharp bounce since April, strong demand for midsize to large luxury vehicles and a flood of interest - and investment - in ... Read More on Datafloq

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng Inc said on Saturday that along with its CEO, He Xiaopeng, it has invested in air taxi startup Xpeng Heitech, as the global auto industry explores future mobility. Air taxis are vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft that use electric motors instead of jet engines. Designed to avoid the need for long runways, they have rotating wings and, in some cases, rotors in place of propellers. Xpeng Heitech is developing electric and vertical takeoff air taxis with a focus on lower altitudes of 5 to 25 metres. Automakers including Toyota Motor, Geely [GEELY.UL], Daimler AG and General Motors are eyeing the nascent industry. Xpeng, which listed in New York last month, did not disclose financial details of the investment but added it will not impact its core business. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Stephen Nellis (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Friday filed a motion to rehear an antitrust lawsuit it lost on appeal against chip firm Qualcomm Inc. The regulator asked the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for an "en banc" hearing before an 11-judge panel. Last month, a three-judge panel at the appeals court reversed a lower court decision against the San Diego-based company, the largest supplier of chips for mobile phones and a major source of wireless communications technology for 5G networks. The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals also vacated an injunction that would have required Qualcomm to change its intellectual property licensing practices. In addition to chips, Qualcomm owns industry-standard wireless technology and requires all smartphone makers to license those patents. The company does not sell chips ... Read More on Datafloq

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Aviation Administration Chief Steve Dickson is set to conduct an evaluation flight at the controls of a Boeing 737 MAX <BA.N> next week, a key milestone as the U.S. planemaker works to win approval to resume flights, the agency told lawmakers. The Boeing 737 MAX has been grounded since March 2019 after two fatal crashes killed 346 people. Dickson, who was previously a commercial airline pilot, plans to undergo simulator training before the flight and will then share his observations with FAA technical staff. It is not typical for an FAA administrator to fly an airplane before it returns to service. Dickson has repeatedly said he would not sign off until he flew it himself and was "satisfied that I would put my own family on it without a second thought." ... Read More on Datafloq

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A judge will hold a hearing on Sunday on whether to allow a Commerce Department ban on new TikTok downloads from Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc Google app stores from taking effect. The Justice Department faced a 2:30 p.m. EDT (1830 GMT) Friday deadline to either delay the ban or oppose TikTok's preliminary injunction. It filed its objection under seal, citing submissions made by TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, that include confidential business information. ByteDance has said it made a preliminary deal for Walmart Inc and Oracle Corp to take stakes in the short video sharing app, but the exact terms of the agreement remain unclear. The Commerce Department gave the companies an additional week to finalize a deal before an order banning TikTok from U.S. app stores ... Read More on Datafloq

By Katie Paul and Stephen Nellis SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc said on Friday that businesses running paid online events on its iOS app would not need to pay a 30% fee to Apple for the remainder of 2020, temporarily defusing a standoff between the two tech giants. The social media company said in a blog post that all businesses except gaming creators would be eligible for Apple's fee exemption and can process payments for the online events they run through Facebook Pay. "Apple has agreed to provide a brief, three-month respite after which struggling businesses will have to, yet again, pay Apple the full 30% App Store tax," Facebook company spokesman Joe Osborne said in a statement. Facebook said it will not charge fees of its own for online events while businesses ... Read More on Datafloq

By Martinne Geller LONDON (Reuters) - Advertisers who boycotted social media are not all rushing back, despite an agreement by Facebook, YouTube and Twitter on how to curb harmful content online. Unilever, one of the world's biggest advertisers, told Reuters the move this week was "a good step in the right direction," but would not say whether it would resume paid advertising on Facebook in the United States next year after stopping over the summer. Coca-Cola also remains paused on Facebook and Instagram and declined to say if this changed its view. Beam Suntory, maker of Jim Beam bourbon and Courvoisier Cognac, plans to stay away from paid advertising for the rest of 2020 and reassess in 2021 based on how Facebook adjusts its approach. Over 1,000 advertisers joined a Facebook boycott over concerns ... Read More on Datafloq

By Sankalp Phartiyal and Heekyong Yang NEW DELHI/SEOUL (Reuters) - India is unlikely to revoke a ban on PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) following PUBG Corp's decision to withdraw the mobile game's publishing rights in the country from China's Tencent <0700.HK>, a senior government official said on Friday. PUBG, a popular online multiplayer battle game, was among 118 Chinese-origin mobile applications banned by New Delhi earlier this month. That led PUBG Corp, the unit of a South Korean firm behind the game, to announce it would no longer give Tencent Games the rights to publish the game in India. It also said it was exploring ways to provide gaming experiences to Indian users in future. The new ownership structure is, however, unlikely to change things immediately, said the source, declining to be named as he was ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc <GOOGL.O> has settled a shareholder lawsuit that accused the Google parent of paying lavish exit packages to executives found responsible for sexual misconduct, saying it would increase oversight of its diversity and equity efforts. The company will set aside $310 million in funding towards diversity initiatives and prohibit severance packages to employees who are subject to any pending investigation for sexual misconduct or retaliation, it said. The lawsuit from last year accused Alphabet leadership of covering up sexual harassment scandals within the company including by awarding lavish exit packages to two top executives found responsible for misconduct. The litigation had been in mediation. Alphabet said on Friday it is setting set up a new council to oversee its diversity efforts and would make arbitration optional for individual sexual harassment claims, heeding to a long-time request from some of its employees. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Sheila Dang (Reuters) - Twitter Inc Chief Executive Jack Dorsey said on Friday the social media platform plans to expand its labeling of state-affiliated accounts worldwide, even as he defended its policy of allowing leaders of countries like Iran and China to use Twitter. During the virtual Oslo Freedom Forum, hosted by New York-based nonprofit the Human Rights Foundation, Dorsey said Twitter would label accounts in more countries to give users more context for information tweeted by state-affiliated accounts and "if there's an agenda behind it." Twitter first announced the labeling last month, but only initially applied it to accounts from China, France, Russia, the UK and the United States. Twitter has been used widely by activists, sometimes using pseudonyms, to broadcast human rights abuses from countries like Saudi Arabia and China, but ... Read More on Datafloq

By Yingzhi Yang and Brenda Goh SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Ant Group, owner of China's ubiquitous mobile payment app Alipay, launched a blockchain-powered platform for cross-border trade settlements on Friday, as it races to launch more technology products ahead of its blockbuster IPO. The 16-year-old giant, backed by e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba Group Holding Ltd <BABA.N> <9988.HK>, plans to list simultaneously in Hong Kong and on Shanghai's tech-heavy STAR Market next month, in what could be the world's largest initial public offering (IPO) - surpassing oil giant Saudi Aramco's <2222.SE> $29.4 billion float last December. Ant is seeking to raise about $35 billion in the dual IPO after assessing early investor interest and based on a higher valuation of about $250 billion or more, Reuters has reported. Ant was previously known as Ant Financial but changed ... Read More on Datafloq

MADRID/LONDON (Reuters) - Spain's MasMovil and its new private equity owners said they had not been in contact with Vodafone after a newspaper reported the London-based company had started talks about buying the mobile operator. El Economista, citing sources with knowledge of the situation, said on Friday that Vodafone had started talks with the three buyout funds that recently took over MasMovil. "MasMovil has not had any interaction whatsoever with Vodafone in relation to a potential corporate transaction," the company said in a statement. A spokeswoman, speaking on behalf of the private equity companies, also said there had been "no conversations whatsoever" with Vodafone. A deal could value MasMovil at 6 billion euros ($7 billion), including debt, El Economista said. ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - The Trump administration is set to announce that the United States and the United Kingdom have signed a new agreement to cooperate on research and development on artificial intelligence, Axios reported https://bit.ly/3kPxxei on Friday. (Reporting by Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber) ... Read More on Datafloq

By Saikat Chatterjee and Thyagaraju Adinarayan LONDON (Reuters) - Passive investors, the backbone of the Nasdaq's rally this year, seem to have lost their nerve, pulling massive amounts of cash in recent days from index-tracking technology funds in what many see as an ominous sign for the sector. With the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 down more than 13% after a record 84% rally off March lows -- in correction territory -- many investors are speculating that a reversal could pick up speed as a COVID-19 vaccine gets closer. Goldman Sachs, for example, predicts at least one vaccine will be approved by the end of this year. That should help broader markets but weaken the case for shares in companies that benefit when people are forced to stay home, whether cloud computing or e-commerce. But exchange-traded ... Read More on Datafloq

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin called on Friday for an agreement between Russia and the United States to guarantee not to engage in cyber-meddling in each other's elections and internal affairs, the Kremlin said. In a statement ahead of the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3, Putin called for a reset between Russia and the United States and said he wanted an agreement between the two countries to prevent incidents in cyberspace. Moscow's relations with Washington are at post-Cold War lows as the election looms. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Moscow interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election with the aim of tilting it in Donald Trump's favour, including by hacking into the campaign of his rival Hillary Clinton. Moscow denies that charge. Trump is currently campaigning for re-election against Democrat Joe Biden. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Yilei Sun and Brenda Goh BEIJING (Reuters) - When 32-year-old photographer Jaco Xu needed a run-around car for work in the eastern city of Hangzhou, the price tag on the latest micro EV from GM's China joint venture overcame his qualms about electric vehicles. Xu paid 38,800 yuan ($5,735) for his tiny two-door Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV, while the basic model retails for just 28,800 yuan ($4,200), making it China's cheapest EV. "It feels pretty good. The price is so low and the appearance is simple and beautiful," said Xu. "Why would I hesitate at that price?" Launched in July, the Wuling MINI is heading a trend towards a new segment of EVs in China following changes to government subsidies - smaller vehicles with less range between charges, but a super-cheap price ... Read More on Datafloq

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department asked a federal judge in San Francisco early on Friday to allow the government to bar Apple Inc <AAPL.O> and Alphabet Inc's Google <GOOGL.O> from offering WeChat for download in U.S. app stores pending an appeal. The filing asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler to put on hold her preliminary injunction issued Saturday. That injunction blocked the U.S. Commerce Department order which was set to take effect late on Sept. 20 and that would also bar other U.S. transactions with Tencent Holding's <0700.HK> WeChat, potentially making the app unusable in the United States. The Justice Department filing said Beeler's order was in error and "permits the continued, unfettered use of WeChat, a mobile application that the Executive Branch has determined constitutes a threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States." ... Read More on Datafloq

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. House panel plans to hold an Oct. 1 hearing on proposals to strengthen antitrust laws and restore online competition as it nears release of a long-awaited report on Big Tech. The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee is expected to soon release a much-anticipated deep dive into antitrust allegations against four of America’s largest tech companies and recommendations. The chief executives of four of the world's largest tech companies, Amazon.com Inc, Facebook Inc, Apple and Alphabet's Google testified before the panel in July. (Reporting by Diane Bartz, Nandita Bose and David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese) ... Read More on Datafloq

By Joseph Menn SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Tyler Technologies <TYL.N> said the hacking attack against it disclosed Wednesday used ransomware, which encrypts company files and demands payment to decrypt them again. In a statement to Reuters, the vendor of software to counties and municipalities said the hacker only reached internal networks. Tyler said the attack had no impact on the software it hosts for clients, and the software it sells that displays election results is hosted by Amazon and so was not at risk. "We have confirmed that the malicious software the intruder used was ransomware. Because this is an active investigation, we will not provide any additional specifics relating to our incident response or our investigation at this time," said the company, based in Plano, Texas. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Jack Stubbs LONDON (Reuters) - Facebook Inc <FB.O> said on Thursday it has dismantled three networks of fake accounts which could be used by Russia's intelligence services to leak hacked documents as part of efforts to disrupt the upcoming U.S. election. The company said the accounts, which it suspended for using fake identities and other types of "coordinated inauthentic behaviour," were linked to Russian intelligence and people associated with a St. Petersburg-based organisation accused by U.S. officials of working to sway the 2016 presidential vote. The Russian foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment after normal working hours in Moscow. Russia has repeatedly denied allegations of election meddling and says it does not interfere in the domestic politics of other countries. Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, said ... Read More on Datafloq

By Norihiko Shirouzu BEIJING (Reuters) - China's electric vehicle startups are on the charge again, thanks to Tesla. The country's growing fascination with the U.S. pioneer's sleek designs and cutting-edge technology is giving a string of second-wave home-grown Tesla wannabes the traction to raise more funding, expand production and boost sales. Chinese EV startups NIO, XPeng Inc, Li Auto and WM Motor have raised more than $8 billion between them this year and now rival Aiways is planning to go public, its co-founder and President Fu Qiang told Reuters. Speaking ahead of the Beijing auto show which starts on Saturday, Fu said the relative success of U.S. initial public offerings (IPO) by XPeng and Li Auto had helped fuel the company's ambitions to list. ... Read More on Datafloq

By AI Trends Staff     As the  US Navy  strives to get to a 355-ship fleet by 2034, part of a 30-year plan the Navy outlined in 2019, it is finding it economical to use underwater autonomous vehicles. They meet many of the requirements of larger submarines at a fraction of the cost.     For example, the Navy awarded Boeing a $43-million contract to build four Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (XLUUVs) last year, described in a release from  USNI News .      Boeing based its winning Orca XLUUV design on its Echo Voyager unmanned diesel-electric submersible. The 51-foot-long submersible is launched from a pier and can operate autonomously while sailing up to 6,500 nautical miles without being connected to a manned mother ship, according to the Navy.   In military spending terms, the versatility of the Orca at the price is “fairly unheard of in military spending,” according to an account in  The National Interest . The nearest equivalent was cited as the Navy’s Littoral Com

Researcher of AI and Social Media Has Ideas on Reducing Social Media Misinformation   Ziv Epstein, Research Associate, Human Dynamics Group, MIT Media Lab Zivvy  Epstein is a PhD student in the Human Dynamics group of the MIT Media Lab. His work integrates aspects of design and computational social science to model and understand cooperative systems. He focuses on new challenges and opportunities that emerge from a digital society, particularly in the domains of artificial intelligence and social media. His research centers around creating new technologies and insights that make the internet a better place. In a new study,  Who gets credit for AI-generated art? , published in  iScience , Epstein, his advisor Prof. David Rand ,  and their coauthors focused on how credit and responsibility should be allocated when AI is used to generate art. Epstein also creates digital art. His personal website can be found  here  and his Google Scholar page can be found  here .     AI Trends: In