Shamayita Acharya

BEIJING (Reuters) - Debt-laden Chinese chip conglomerate Tsinghua Unigroup on Wednesday said that a draft proposal to restructure the company had been approved by creditors. Administrators will now submit the draft plan to Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court for approval in accordance with Chinese bankruptcy laws, Tsinghua Unigroup said in a statement, without providing detail on what the restructuring would entail. (Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Writing by Tom Daly; Editing by David Goodman) ... Read More on Datafloq

BERLIN (Reuters) - The semiconductor industry's struggle to keep up with incoming orders looks set to continue as supply bottlenecks may last until the end of 2022, a member of German chipmaker Infineon's management board told the Handelsblatt newspaper on Wednesday. "The bottlenecks will extend well into 2022 and could even last until the end of the year," Chief Marketing Officer Helmut Gassel told Handelsblatt. At the same time, demand is continuously high due to the global push towards digitalisation, Gassel added. "So far, we haven't seen any cancellations of orders," he said. (Reporting by Zuzanna Szymanska; Editing by Riham Alkousaa) ... Read More on Datafloq

Fashion has always been at the forefront of innovation. Fashion, like technology, is cyclical and forward-thinking. Any cutting-edge technology that generates advanced tools for the fashion industry, whether to improve production or consumption, is referred to as fashion technology.Designers, producers, merchants, and customers might all benefit from the technology, depending on its role. We may anticipate fashion technology to become more widespread as new technologies become accessible.According to Tractica, the global AI software industry would produce USD 118.6 billion in sales by 2025. Another Juniper Research estimate, worldwide retail investment in artificial intelligence is predicted to reach $7.3 billion per year by 2022.Your business is already behind if you aren't leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to connect with your clients. This article examines the state of artificial intelligence in online fashion retail, contrasting organizations that employ it with others th

BEIJING (Reuters) - A strategic investment of 60 billion yuan ($9.42 billion) will be in place for Chinese chip conglomerate Tsinghua Unigroup before March 31, a report by the local 21st Century Business Herald said on Wednesday. The debt-laden company had earlier announced that a vote on the pending investment would take place on Dec. 29. Investors JAC Capital and Wise Road Capital will inject 60 billion yuan in cash as part of a restructuring plan for Tsinghua Unigroup, state media reported in December. ($1 = 6.3718 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Sophie Yu, Tony Munroe; Editing by Christian Schmollinger) ... Read More on Datafloq

By Supantha Mukherjee and Helena Soderpalm STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Sweden's Northvolt said on Wednesday its new gigafactory in northern Sweden has assembled its first battery cell, making it the first European company to design and manufacture a battery on the continent. The cell is of a prismatic cell format - a variety of thinner and lighter battery - and came off the assembly line on Tuesday. Northvolt CEO Peter Carlsson had told Reuters that the new factory would produce a battery this year "even if it means the first battery is made on New Year's Eve". "What we did yesterday was taking a few cells through the entire cell assembly process, from start to finish, as part of the commissioning of the machinery," a spokesman said. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Sudarshan Varadhan and Sayantani Ghosh CHENNAI (Reuters) -Apple said it had placed the southern Indian factory of iPhone assembler Foxconn on probation after both companies found that some worker dormitories and dining rooms did not meet required standards. Apple did not explain what probation meant. When it placed the southern India plant of another supplier, Wistron Corp, on probation after unrest last year, it said it would not award that company new business until it addressed the way workers were treated. The latest action follows protests that erupted this month after more than 250 women who work at the Foxconn plant and live in one of the dormitories were treated for food poisoning. More than 150 were hospitalised, Reuters reported. ... Read More on Datafloq

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will improve copyright protection livestreaming, e-commerce and sports events by 2025, the country's copyright regulator said on Wednesday. Copyright protection will be strengthened and improved in new industries and new areas, according to the 14th Five-Year Plan for Copyright Work issued by the National Copyright Administration. The Plan said the development and application of new technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence and blockchain will be strengthened, and copyright protection in sports events, variety shows, livestreamings and e-commerce platforms will be improved. (Reporting by Sophie Yu, Tony Munroe, Editing by Louise Heavens) ... Read More on Datafloq

Cloud computing is a technology that uses the internet for storing and managing data on remote servers and then accessing data via the internet. To put it simply, ‘Cloud’ means internet and ‘Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services over the internet. It enables its users to rent physical data servers, storage, databases & computing power from cloud providers under a pay-as-you-go payment scheme. One such example is Google cloud.How cloud computing helps data science?Cloud technology works as a centralized and accessible platform that enables data scientists to flexibly manage multi-structured data in real-time. Cloud computing enables faster collaboration; hence data scientists and engineers can easily view, share and process data across a cloud-based platform. It’s becoming increasingly vital for not just the software developers but in the field of big data analytics, it’s quite handy for data scientists who are digging into large datasets.Moving ahead, while we’ve be

(Reuters) - Bitcoin dropped 6.13% to $47,606.92 on Tuesday, losing $3,111.19 from its previous close. Bitcoin, the world's biggest and best-known cryptocurrency, is down 31% from the year's high of $69,000 on Nov. 10. Ether, the coin linked to the ethereum blockchain network, dropped 5.57 % to $3,812.6 on Tuesday, losing $224.8 from its previous close. (Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese) ... Read More on Datafloq

By Svea Herbst-Bayliss BOSTON (Reuters) - Activist investment firm Jana Partners wants Encompass Health to re-engage with interested third parties on a potential merger for its home health and hospice business before moving forward with a planned spin-off of the unit, sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Jana Partners, which owns more than 2% of Encompass Health, has teamed up with health care industry executive Edwin "Mac" Crawford and is privately pushing the Birmingham, Alabama-based company to make this change, the sources said. The sources, some of whom also invest in Encompass and were briefed on Jana's plans, are not permitted to discuss the private plans publicly. The investment firm wrote to Encompass in November, urging management to pursue a possible merger or spin-off with a strategic partner instead of going it alone by separating its home health and hospice business ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Advanced Micro Devices, Micro-Star International Co and Procter & Gamble Co are the latest companies to withdraw from attending the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in person next month as Omicron cases surge. The rapid spread of the new coronavirus variant has forced individuals and companies across the United States to rethink their travels plans as they look to lessen the risk of contracting the virus. Airlines such as Delta Air Lines and Alaska Air Group have canceled hundreds of flights, while the surge in new infections has also threatened to derail a recovery in the cruise industry. CES, which serves as an annual showcase of new trends and gadgets in the technology industry, is expected to have more than 2,200 in-person exhibitors this year at Las Vegas. ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - China's Geely Holding said its premium electric mobility brand, Zeekr, will make electric vehicles for Waymo, Alphabet Inc's self-driving unit, to be deployed as fully autonomous ride-hailing vehicles across the United States. The vehicles will be designed and developed at Zeekr's facility in Sweden, and later integrated with Waymo's self-driving technology, Geely said on Tuesday. Waymo said it would introduce the vehicles to U.S. roads "in the years to come." Concept images Waymo published on Tuesday show a roomy, low-to-the-ground minivan with seating for about five riders and sliding doors on each side serving as the lone entryways. Waymo is the first and only fully driverless taxi service in the United States. It has driven thousands of people since launching the service a year ago in ... Read More on Datafloq

WARSAW (Reuters) - A Polish opposition senator who believes his phone was hacked using sophisticated spyware developed by the Israel-based NSO Group has accused prosecutors of failing to act on the case, viewing it as a "hot potato" to be passed between offices. The Associated Press (AP) reported this month that researchers at the University of Toronto had found that senator Krzysztof Brejza was hacked in 2019 using Pegasus software, during an election in which he was running the campaign of the largest opposition party. AP also reported that the Citizen Lab project at the University of Toronto found Ewa Wrzosek, a prosecutor critical of the government's judicial reforms, and Roman Giertych, a lawyer who has represented opposition figures, had had their phones hacked. All three say that Poland's ruling nationalists Law and Justice (PiS) party was responsible for the hacking. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Dawn Chmielewski (Reuters) - Paris Hilton commands as much as $1 million a night working as a celebrity DJ, entertaining partiers at clubs in China, Dubai and on the Spanish vacation island of Ibiza. This New Year’s Eve, she will be playing an electronic set for the revelers who drop by a venue of a different sort -- her virtual island on Roblox. Hilton created an island in the online virtual world, dubbed Paris World, where visitors can explore digital replicas of her Beverly Hills estate and its dog mansion, stroll a boardwalk inspired by the neon carnival wedding celebration she and husband Carter Reum hosted earlier this year at the Santa Monica Pier in California, and explore the island in a luxury sports car or Sunray yacht. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Steven Scheer HERZLIYA, Israel (Reuters) - Israeli foodtech firm SavorEat on Tuesday launched a plant-based burger system personalized to each customer, one of the first companies to use 3D printing technology to cook food. Typically, vegan burgers from companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat are frozen and later cooked on a grill. SavorEat's technology, however, are made on site by a self-contained 3D printer with three cartridges containing oils and other ingredients. Customers can choose how much fat and protein they want in each burger, which takes about six minutes to cook. "It's a mix of innovation of meat alternative and digital manufacturing where we can also cook the product," Racheli Vizman, SavorEat's chief executive, told Reuters. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - A U.S. judge dismissed a lawsuit accusing Microsoft Corp's LinkedIn of inflating the number of people who watched video ads so the networking platform could overcharge hundreds of thousands of advertisers. In a decision on Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen said that while some LinkedIn statements may have been misleading, the plaintiffs failed to show their legal remedies were inadequate before suing under two California laws that offered only equitable relief such as restitution. The San Jose, California-based judge also said LinkedIn had no implied duty to provide "accurate ad metrics," citing its disclaimer that it was not responsible for click fraud or illicit third-party activity that could affect ad costs. Advertisers in the proposed class action accused LinkedIn of inflating its metrics ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Plaintiffs who accused Alphabet Inc's Google of unlawfully tracking their internet use while on "Incognito" browsing mode can question Chief Executive Sundar Pichai for up to two hours, a California federal judge has ruled. In the lawsuit filed in June 2020, users accused Google of illegally invading their privacy by tracking internet use while Google Chrome browsers were set in "private" mode. The plaintiffs are arguing that Pichai has "unique, personal knowledge" of issues relating to the Chrome browser and privacy concerns, a Monday court filing showed. Google spokesman José Castañeda told Reuters the new requests were "unwarranted and overreaching". "While we strongly dispute the claims in this case, we have cooperated with plaintiffs' countless requests ... We will continue to vigorously defend ourselves," Castañeda said. ... Read More on Datafloq

BEIJING (Reuters) -Ant Group announced it will shut down its online crowdfunded medical aid service Xianghubao on Jan. 28, a decision that comes at a time of tightening of financial technology regulations in China. Ant, the fintech affiliate of retail giant Alibaba, said on Tuesday that it had made the decision as "the mutual aid industry has undergone significant changes" in the past year, and that the move aimed to protect the interests of users. Xianghubao provides users with a basic health plan covering various types of critical illnesses. Signing up is free, but all members share the medical costs of any becoming ill. Dubbed as "mutual aid", the industry has been under regulatory scrutiny since last year as regulators tighten financial business of online platforms. China's Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) has ... Read More on Datafloq

MADRID (Reuters) -Spain's Telefonica has reached an agreement with labour unions to cut some 15% of its domestic workforce via voluntary redundancies in a plan estimated to cost it 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) this year, the telecoms group said on Tuesday. The plan to cut around 2,700 jobs in an increasingly competitive market in early 2022 will yield annual savings of more than 230 million euros from 2023, Telefonica said in a filing to the stock market regulator. "The impact on cash flow generation will be positive in 2022 as will the booking of savings, since the employees will leave during the first quarter of 2022," the company said. The programme, open to all those born in 1967 or earlier and with at least 15 years of employment at the company, will limit the percentage of departures from some areas, the company said. ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Activist investor Starboard Value LP has purchased a 6.5% stake in web services firm GoDaddy Inc worth about $800 million, according to a regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Shares of GoDaddy, which have dropped 8% so far this year, rose 2.6% in premarket trading. Starboard said that GoDaddy's shares were undervalued and represented an attractive investment opportunity, according to the filing. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the acquisition of the stake. The report also said that Starboard plans to push the company to improve its performance. Arizona-based GoDaddy has seen a surge in online traffic as several businesses increasingly shifted to digital operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ... Read More on Datafloq

MADRID (Reuters) - Telefonica has bought 5G network equipment from Swedish manufacturer Ericsson to replace some of the Huawei gear it has rolled out in Spain, a source at the Spanish firm said on Monday, confirming a report in Expansion newspaper. The replacement of the next-generation mobile network equipment is part of Telefonica's strategy announced in 2019 to diversify suppliers, according to the source. Expansion said the telecoms company has initially rolled out some Huawei equipment that it had already bought before seeking to secure alternative supplies. The source at Telefonica declined to say how much equipment Telefonica bought from Ericsson or when the purchase was made. Huawei and Ericsson's Spanish unit did not immediately respond to requests for comment. ... Read More on Datafloq

DUBAI (Reuters) - Binance has received in-principle approval from the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) to become a crypto-asset service provider in the kingdom, the company said on Monday. Binance, the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, said the in-principle approval came after the company applied for a licence from the CBB as part of its plans to become a fully regulated centralised cryptocurrency exchange. Binance still had to complete the full application process, the company said in a statement, which it said it expected to happen in due course. (Reporting by Hadeel Al Sayegh; Editing by Nick Macfie) ... Read More on Datafloq

By Norihiko Shirouzu BEIJING (Reuters) - China's BYD and autonomous driving startup Momenta have established a 100 million yuan ($15.7 million) joint venture to deploy autonomous driving capabilities across certain BYD car model lines, according to a Momenta statement and a person familiar with the matter. The new venture, called DiPi Intelligent Mobility Co and located in Shenzhen, combines BYD's capabilities as an automaker with Momenta's experience in intelligent driving, said the statement on Monday. BYD has invested 60 million yuan in the venture while Beijing-based Momenta is investing 40 million yuan, the person said. The person said the initial scope of work will include deploying “Level 2 plus” autonomous driving capability across some vehicle model lines. ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Ferrari has signed a multi-year accord with Swiss technology firm Velas Network to create digital content for its fans, the luxury sports car maker said on Monday. From next season, Velas, a provider of digital products and services, will become a partner of Ferrari's Formula 1 racing team. "In addition, Velas will be Title Sponsor of the Ferrari Esports Series, the online mono-brand series of the Prancing Horse, and of the Esports team that will compete in the F1 Esports Series, the official digital championship competed in by all teams participating in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship," Ferrari said in a statement. Velas is a leading provider of blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), cryptographic assets stored on a blockchain which have an identification code that makes them unique and have gained popularity as a way to sell digital art. ... Read More on Datafloq

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese citizens lashed out online against billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk's space ambitions on Monday after China complained that its space station was forced to take evasive action to avoid collision with satellites launched by Musk's Starlink programme. The satellites from Starlink Internet Services, a division of Musk's SpaceX aerospace company, had two "close encounters" with the Chinese space station on July 1 and Oct. 21, according to a document submitted by China earlier this month to the U.N.'s space agency. "For safety reasons, the China Space Station implemented preventive collision avoidance control," China said in a document published on the website of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. The complaints have not been independently verified. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Sudarshan Varadhan CHENNAI (Reuters) -Apple supplier Foxconn's plant near Chennai in India will stay shut for three more days, a senior government official said, extending a week-long closure following workers' protests sparked by a food poisoning incident. The plant is expected to start production with 1,000 workers on Dec. 30, according to the person close to the matter who was not authorised to speak with media and declined to be identified. A separate government source had said last week that the plant was closed on Dec. 18 and was expected to remain shut until Dec. 26. The gates of the factory, which is on the outskirts of the southern city of Chennai, were open on Monday morning and some vehicles were moving in and out but the area was mostly deserted. ... Read More on Datafloq

In recent years, the explosive growth in artificial intelligence has led to exceptional demand for professionals in this field. Nonetheless, the unfortunate factuality remains that a very small percentage of such professionals belong to the female section of society. The reason is that they are significantly underrated. This is even though women in this field have been at the forefront playing a vital role working on AI as a driver of business value and growth. And research conducted by Alan Turing Institute suggests that more females are needed in this field to address the algorithmic gender bias that appears due to the lack of female input. Here, we have put together our list of the top five influential women in artificial intelligence.Dr. Fei-Fei LiShe is among the top female AI influencers who are well-respected and prominent members of this community. She is a co-director and an inaugural Professor at Stanford’s AI institute. Her main areas of research are:Deep learningMachine lea

(Reuters) - Japan will compensate companies to keep secret patents with potential military applications under proposed legislation, the Nikkei reported on Sunday, without citing sources. The patents under review of the proposed economic security legislation will include technology that can help develop nuclear weapons, such as uranium enrichment and cutting-edge innovations like quantum technology, the Nikkei report said. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last month pledged that he will put economic security of the nation among his policy priorities. The Japanese government will give compensation of roughly 20 years of licensing income to the companies falling under the legislation, the report added. The framework of the legislation will be released as soon as next month, the report said, with cabinet approval scheduled for February 2022 and ... Read More on Datafloq

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) has fined the local unit cryptocurrency exchange Binance 8 million lira ($751,314) over violations found during liability inspections, the state-owned Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday. Anadolu said the fine imposed on BN Teknoloji was the first of its kind after the authority took on responsibilities to oversee crypto asset service providers in May. The news agency did not provide further details about the violations or inspections. BN Teknoloji did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment at the weekend, while MASAK could not be reached for comment. ($1 = 10.6480 liras) (Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Pravin Char) ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Microsoft became the latest big tech company to drop out of next month's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) physically because of worries about the spreading Omicron coronavirus variant, the Verge reported https://bit.ly/3mz282K on Friday. Microsoft joins other firms including General Motors Co and Alphabet Inc's Google that will not attend CES in person in Las Vegas in early January due to rising COVID-19 infections sparked by the fast-spreading Omicron variant. The company decided not to participate in-person after reviewing the latest data on the COVID-19 environment, the Verge reported, citing a company spokesperson. Microsoft did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. CES officials on Thursday said the event will still be held in person Jan. 5-8 with "strong safety measures in place," which include vaccination requirements, ... Read More on Datafloq

By Marc Jones LONDON (Reuters) - You might be tempted to pop corks if you've invested in vintage champagne this year - the most coveted bottles have outperformed all major financial market assets, from Big Tech to bitcoin. Online platforms that allow you to trade desirable wine, champagne and spirit vintages, much like stocks or currencies, have seen record activity and bumper price movements this year. Data from LiveTrade, which runs the "Bordeaux Index" of drinks, showed champagne accounted for 15 of the 20 top price rises on the platform in 2021. The charge was led by Salon le Mesnil's 2002 vintage, described by its producer as "captivating like a samurai sword". It has surged more than 80% in value in 2021 on both LiveTrade and another wine platform ... Read More on Datafloq

TOKYO (Reuters) - It's a bus, it's a train, it's a DMV! The world's first dual-mode vehicle, equally at home on road and rail, is set to make its public debut on Saturday in the town of Kaiyo in Japan's Tokushima prefecture. The DMV looks like a minibus and runs on normal rubber tyres on the road. But when it arrives at an interchange, steel wheels descend from the vehicle's underbelly onto the rail track, effectively turning it into a train carriage. The train wheels lift the front tyres off the track while the rear wheels stay down to propel the DMV onto the railway. The CEO of Asa Coast Railway company, which operates the DMVs, said the vehicles could help small towns like Kaiyo with an ageing and shrinking population, where local transport companies struggle to make a profit. ... Read More on Datafloq

BEIJING (Reuters) - The consumer finance unit of China's Ant Group will boost the company's capital to 30 billion yuan ($4.71 billion) from 8 billion yuan, and introduce 4 new strategic investors, an exchange filing released on Friday said. The unit, Chongqing Ant Consumer Finance Co Ltd, is under regulatory pressure to fold Ant's two lucrative micro-loan businesses Jiebei and Huabei into it, which would make it subject to rules and capital requirements similar to those for banks. China Cinda Asset Management, one of company's new investors and one of the country's four biggest state asset managers, said it will invest 6 billion yuan as part of the exercise. After the deal, China Cinda will become the second biggest shareholder with a 24% stake in the consumer financing unit, including a 20% stake it holds directly and a 4% stake held by Nanyang ... Read More on Datafloq

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian court fined Meta Platforms almost 2 billion roubles ($27.16 million) on Friday for what it said was a repeated failure to delete content Russia deems illegal, the press service of Moscow courts said. ($1 = 73.6462 roubles) (Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova; Editing by Alison Williams) ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - The Netherlands' top competition regulator on Friday said Apple Inc broke the country's competition laws and ordered changes to the iPhone maker's App Store payment policies. Apple's practice of requiring app developers to use its in-app payment system and pay commissions of 15% to 30% on digital goods purchases has come under scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers around the world. An investigation by the Netherlands' Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) on whether Apple's practices amounted to an abuse of a dominant market position was launched in 2019. But it was later reduced in scope to focus primarily on dating market apps, including Tinder owner Match Group Inc. "We disagree with the order issued by the ACM and have filed an appeal," Apple said in a statement. It added that "Apple does not have a dominant position in the market ... Read More on Datafloq

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Moscow court on Friday said it was fining Alphabet's Google 7.2 billion roubles ($98 million) for what it said was a repeated failure to delete content Russia deems illegal, the first revenue-based fine of its kind in Russia. Moscow has increased pressure on big tech this year in a campaign that critics characterise as an attempt by the Russian authorities to exert tighter control over the internet, something they say threatens individual and corporate freedom. Google said in an email it would study the court ruling before deciding on further steps. Russia has imposed small fines on foreign technology companies throughout this year, but Friday's penalty marks the first time it has exacted a percentage of a company's annual Russian turnover, greatly increasing the sum of the fine. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Giuseppe Fonte and Giulio Piovaccari ROME (Reuters) - Intel and Italy are intensifying talks over investments expected to be worth around 8 billion euros ($9 billion) to build an advanced semiconductor packaging plant, two sources close to the matter told Reuters. A deal of this size would secure Italy about 10% of the 80 billion euros the U.S. company is looking to spend over the next decade in Europe on cutting-edge manufacturing capacity to help avoid future shortages of semiconductor chips. Sources had previously told Reuters that the investment size was in a 4 billion to 8 billion euro range. As part of this plan Germany, the European Union's largest economy, is in the lead to land Intel's planned European 'megafab' plant, although France remains in the running, Reuters ... Read More on Datafloq

VMware vSphere is a powerful platform that integrates platform virtualization services and software, along with cloud computing capabilities. It is a leader in the enterprise virtualization industry, and for good reason. Many IT-driven enterprises and businesses are dependent on VMware for hosting their critical workloads. VMware vSphere offers many incredible services, and it is important for business leaders and companies to protect their virtual data. Being struck by malware is now a growing possibility, regardless of your organization’s size. This is primarily because malicious activities increase with the reliance on virtualization. Therefore, cyber security is an essential consideration for businesses, especially those that cannot afford their data to be compromised. One of the best ways to avoid data loss as a result of malware is backups. The Importance of BackupsBacking up is a preventative measure you take so that you are ready for when disaster strikes in your VMware vSphere

Technological advancements in Blockchain have opened gateways for Cryptocurrency Development. To flourish in this highly competitive edge, Companies are migrating toward Cryptocurrency Development Services. Let’s explore more about Cryptocurrency Development Services. What is Cryptocurrency Development? Cryptocurrency Development refers to crafting a medium of exchange that is secured by a Blockchain-based ledger. Cryptocurrency Development has turned to be a golden phenomenon among financial institutions ensuring secure transactions through Cryptography. Cryptocurrency is accepted as a payment gateway for goods and services and the ledger depicts a data store keeping track of transaction details. Bitcoin was the 1st Cryptocurrency created by Satoshi Nakamoto. Post releasing Bitcoin in 2009, a wide array of Cryptocurrency Development Companies flourished in the business world. What is the Difference Between a Cryptocurrency and a Token? Cryptocurrencies and Tokens are digital assets an

BEIJING (Reuters) - A consumer protection organisation in China's Zhejiang Province on Thursday summoned five online platforms including Alibaba Group's Taobao, Pinduoduo and JD.com over livestreaming irregularities during the Singles' Day shopping festival, according to state-owned media. Short video-sharing and livestreaming platforms Kuaishou and ByteDance's Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, were also summoned. The consumer protection organisation said there were irregularities with nearly 30% of livestreamers during Singles' Day, while almost 40% of the products sold during the livestreams failed to meet national standards. (Reporting by Sophie Yu, Tony Munroe; Editing by Kirsten Donovan) ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - China will scrutinise online platforms such as social media networks and video-sharing sites to clamp down on fake accounts and information as part of its drive to "clean up" the internet, the country's cyber regulator said on Thursday. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said it would launch a two-month special operation to target deceptive online behaviours, ranging from boosting engagement figures to paying for fake fans and reviews. The investigation comes against the backdrop of a wide-ranging crackdown by regulators on several sectors, with officials tightening oversight of companies in technology, real estate, gaming, education, cryptocurrencies and finance. The CAC held a video conference on Wednesday attended by its provincial and municipal bodies from across the country, according to a statement posted on its website on Thursday. ... Read More on Datafloq

MOSCOW (Reuters) -A Moscow court on Thursday said it had fined Twitter 3 million roubles ($40,920) for failing to delete content Russia deems illegal, the latest in a string of penalties against foreign technology firms. Moscow has increased pressure on Big Tech this year in a campaign that critics characterise as an attempt by the Russian authorities to exert tighter control over the internet, something they say threatens to stifle individual and corporate freedom. Twitter has denied allowing its platform to be used to promote illegal behaviour. Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Moscow's Tagansky District Court said Twitter had been fined 3 million roubles for failing to delete banned content. The court later said software development website GitHub, which Microsoft purchased, had been fined 1 million roubles ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) -The U.S. Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) said on Wednesday its EDGAR system was back up and running after facing technical problems earlier in the day. EDGAR, or the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system, has a database of filings submitted by companies and others, which are required by law to file forms with the SEC. "The technical issue has been resolved. EDGAR is operating normally," a banner message on SEC's website read, as regulatory filings from companies trickled in. SEC did not elaborate on what had caused the issue. No company filings showed on the database since Tuesday night, according to a Reuters check. (Reporting by Nivedita Balu and Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by ... Read More on Datafloq

By Heekyong Yang and Sophie Yu SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea's SK Hynix Inc said on Wednesday it has received merger clearances from the Chinese antitrust authority for its acquisition of Intel Corp's NAND memory chip business, clearing the way for the world's second-largest memory chip maker to completion of securing regulatory approvals from all eight countries. The U.S. chip giant last October agreed to sell its NAND memory chip business to SK Hynix for $9 billion, part of a move to divest to focus on its smaller but more lucrative Optane memory business which uses more advanced technology. "SK Hynix sincerely welcomes and appreciates the State Administration for Market Regulation's merger clearance for the deal. SK Hynix will enhance its competitiveness of NAND Flash and SSD business by continuing the remaining post-merger integration process," the company said in a statement. ... Read More on Datafloq

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -The official Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday it will issue a digital media photo collection via non-fungible tokens (NFTs), a first for China and a boost for the blockchain technology that underpins them and that Beijing has previously criticised. NFTs, which are digitised ownership certificates, have gained in popularity globally this year, featuring as everything from an autographed tweet to paintings. But China's relationship with the technology behind them, which also backs cryptocurrencies, is a complex one. The issuance by the state news agency would indicate official support for NFTs, but party mouthpiece People's Daily last month criticised them as a possible fraud. Xinhua said in an official notice that it planned to issue the 11 photos, all taken by journalists during 2021, free of charge online at 8 p.m. ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Chinese provincial authorities have ordered celebrities and livestreamers to report tax-related crimes before 2022, just days after China's "queen of livestreaming" Viya was fined 1.34 billion yuan ($210 million) for tax evasion. Top e-commerce livestreamer Viya, whose real name is Huang Wei, was fined on Monday by the tax bureau in Hangzhou, a city in southern China, for hiding personal income and other offences in 2019 and 2020. On Wednesday, tax officials from China's most economically prosperous cities and provinces posted identical notices on their websites ordering celebrities and livestreamers to conduct a self-review of any tax-related misdoings, correct these issues, and report to the relevant tax authorities. "Before the end of 2021, correct tax-related issues and report them proactively to the tax bureau, (which) will lighten, mitigate or exempt tax penalties in accordance with the requirements of the ... Read More on Datafloq

By Marcela Ayres and Aluisio Alves BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's central bank has put the brakes on tougher regulations for the burgeoning fintech industry, withdrawing a draft proposal that had been set to be voted on last month by the government's top financial policy-making body, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. On Nov. 18, the central bank proposed that the regulations be discussed at an extraordinary meeting of the National Monetary Council (CMN) but the new rules - which look to level the playing field between fintechs and traditional banks - were never voted on, the sources say. The central bank declined to comment. It is unclear why the central bank chose to delay the passing of the regulatory changes but it has left a multi-billion-dollar sector ... Read More on Datafloq

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S auto safety regulators said Wednesday they have opened a formal safety investigation into 580,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017 over the automaker's decision to allow games to be played on the front center touchscreen. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said its preliminary evaluation covers various 2017-2022 model year Tesla Model 3, S, X, and Y vehicles. This functionality, referred to as “Passenger Play,” "may distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash," the agency said. NHTSA said it has "confirmed that this capability has been available since December 2020 in Tesla 'Passenger Play'-equipped vehicles." Before then, the game feature "was enabled only when the vehicle was in Park." Tesla did not immediately comment. NHTSA said it "will evaluate ... Read More on Datafloq

By Marc Jones and Tom Wilson LONDON (Reuters) - The number of cryptocurrency trades in Turkey has surged back above one million per day as the country's currency has plunged to a series of record lows, data shared with Reuters showed. Worries about Turkey's economic policy have seen the lira slump nearly 40% since September, driving Turks to look for places to park their savings to avoid the effects of soaring inflation. The one million-a-day threshold - cleared according to data from blockchain analysis firms Chainalysis and Kaiko - was first surpassed earlier in the year when the sudden replacement of the country's central bank chief in March triggered the lira's first major slump of 2021. But the number of trades had dropped back below 500,000, before the ... Read More on Datafloq

By Aishwarya Nair and Kannaki Deka (Reuters) - Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) maker Eve, part of Brazilian planemaker Embraer, is planning to go public in the fifth such debut as investors bet on environmentally friendly urban air travel. That comes after Vertical Aerospace saw its shares surge 19% in a New York debut on Friday Following are some of the leading eVTOL developers, some of which aim to start their "flying taxis" before mid-decade. Vertical Aerospace - The Bristol-UK-based manufacturer was founded in 2016 and launched its eVTOL VX4 in 2020. - It is backed by investors such as American ... Read More on Datafloq

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) said on Tuesday the 2021-22 Tesla Model Y received its Top Safety Pick+ designation. Following a conversion to a camera-only system, IIHS said the mid-size SUV's standard front crash-prevention system earned superior ratings in both the vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian tests. The standard front crash-prevention system on 2021-22 Tesla Model 3 vehicles built after April also earned a superior rating in both crash avoidance tests, following a software update, IIHS said. To qualify for the awards, vehicles must earn good ratings in six crashworthiness tests, including the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, original side, roof strength and head restraint tests. They must also be available with a front crash-prevention system that earns high ratings for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Billionaires Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey dismissed the so-called Web3 and criticized the involvement of venture capital firms such as Andreessen Horowitz in building out what some have called the next phase of the internet. Web3, a vague term for a utopian version of the internet that is decentralized, is based on digital record-keeping technology blockchain, which also drives the platforms running cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ether. Tesla Inc Chief Executive Officer Musk on Tuesday tweeted, "Has anyone seen web3? I can't find it." To this, former Twitter Inc top boss Dorsey replied, "It's somewhere between a and z." Dorsey did not elaborate on the tweet. Venture capital firms such as a16z, founded by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, have heavily backed blockchain, crypto and Web3. Andreessen ... Read More on Datafloq

PARIS (Reuters) - The first text message ever sent, reading "Merry Christmas," was sold on Tuesday for 107,000 euros ($121,000) as a 'Non-Fungible Token' at a Paris auction house. The text, which was sent on Dec. 3, 1992, was put up for auction by the British telecoms company Vodafone. Vodafone engineer Neil Papworth sent the SMS from his computer to a manager in the United Kingdom, who received it on his 2-kg (4 lb) "Orbitel" telephone - similar to a desk phone but cordless and with a handle. "They were in the middle of end-of-year events so he sent him the message 'Merry Christmas'," said Maximilien Aguttes, head of development for the Aguttes Auction House. Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs, are a type of digital asset that has surged ... Read More on Datafloq

BERLIN (Reuters) -Volkswagen said allegations made against it by Acer were unfounded, after a magazine reported that the Taiwanese computer maker had sued the German carmaker for infringing on its mobile network patents. German weekly WirtschaftsWoche had reported earlier on Tuesday that Acer had filed a suit in the U.S. state of Virginia, alleging that Volkswagen had only paid for licences for 2G and 3G patents, but had largely installed mobile phone chips with 4G technology in the past two years. "We will examine the suit together with our suppliers and will then decide how to proceed," Volkswagen told Reuters. "At first glance we have indications that the allegations and accusations made in it are unfounded and we will defend our position," it added, while declining to provide further details. (Reporting by ... Read More on Datafloq

By Sophie Yu and Brenda Goh BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's 'common prosperity' crackdown has turned a harsh spotlight on the country's massive livestream e-commerce business - underlining the fragility of a surging sales channel that some of the world's biggest brands have come to rely on. More than 100 million followers of Viya, dubbed the country's 'queen of livestreaming' by the Chinese media and public, awoke on Tuesday to find her e-commerce and social media accounts shut down after news that she had been fined more than $200 million for tax evasion. The rise of celebrities partnering with brands from L'Oreal to Unilever and Adidas to sell consumer goods in live online streams has seen the sector billow. Consultancy McKinsey expects the trade in the world's second-biggest economy to be worth $423 billion next year - more than double estimates ... Read More on Datafloq

By Jane Lanhee Lee OAKLAND (Reuters) - Black and Hispanic tech startup funding ticked up in Florida and Georgia this year, following an influx of investors fleeing California and efforts by some venture capitalists to focus on minority founders in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. The technology industry has long been criticized for overlooking Black and Latino founders, and the improvement was greeted with some caution. Floyd's death sparked a national outcry about the treatment of people of color in many areas, but often without clear results. "The numbers are broken, right? The numbers are an order of magnitude away from where they should be," said Paul Judge, managing partner at Panoramic Ventures in Atlanta, which focuses on investments in startups by minority founders. “But they do have movement based on a more diverse city to begin with.” ... Read More on Datafloq

By Maki Shiraki TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp said on Tuesday it will launch a service next year offering customisation and updates for cars as customers increasingly hold on to their vehicles for longer. The service, known as Kinto Factory, will start in late January and offer new safety features, refreshed interiors, and software upgrades to car computer systems. Toyota is trying to transform itself from a maker and seller of cars to a more service-based "mobility company". The new service is part of Toyota's Kinto brand, launched in 2019 and offering car-sharing services. Kinto president Shinya Kodera told reporters that for the sake of sustainability, it's best for cars to be "used for a long time in a healthy condition and eventually collected and recycled". ... Read More on Datafloq

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - TomTom NV, the Dutch digital mapmaking company, said on Tuesday it would extend a supply partnership with Volkswagen, integrating its mapping and navigation technology into Volkwagen's cars, including electric vehicles. "This multi-year deal between TomTom and the Volkswagen Group covers all markets globally excluding China and is the continuation of a successful and long cooperation," TomTom said. Under the deal, the terms of which were not disclosed, TomTom's technology will be integrated into Volkswagen cars' user interface. TomTom shares closed at 8.265 euros on Monday. (Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Kirsten Donovan) ... Read More on Datafloq

DUBAI (Reuters) - The Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) will become a crypto zone and regulator for cryptocurrencies and other virtual assets, the Dubai Media Office said on Monday, part of efforts to attract new business as regional economic competition heats up. The move by the DWTC to create a specialised zone for virtual assets - including digital assets, products, operators and exchanges - is part of a drive by Dubai, one of the United Arab Emirates federation of seven emirates, to create new economic sectors, the statement said. "Rigorous standards for investor protection, anti money laundering, combating the financing of terrorism, compliance and cross border deal flow tracing," will be developed, it said. In September, the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority and the Dubai World Trade Centre Authority (DWTCA) agreed a framework that allows the DWTCA to approve and licence financial ... Read More on Datafloq

BEIJING (Reuters) - The Beijing cyberspace regulator said on Monday that the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) had asked it to summon Zhihu for unlawful release of information, as Beijing steps up efforts to control and "clean up" the internet space. The internet regulator said in a statement that authorities have demanded "immediate rectifications" from the company, and the online question and answer platform would suspend some functions during that period. Zhihu did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Regulators this month levied fines of 3 million yuan ($470,000) on Sina Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, and 1.5 million yuan on social media platform Douban, for similar reasons. Douban suspended its reply function at the time. Zhihu's New York-listed shares are down more than 10% in pre-market ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Enterprise software maker Oracle Corp expects to buy electronic medical records company Cerner Corp in an all-cash deal for "mid 90's" per share, a CNBC reporter tweeted on Sunday, citing sources. The deal could be announced Monday morning, according to the tweet. Oracle and Cerner did not respond to Reuters requests for comment outside regular business hours. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the deal talks, saying that the deal could be valued at $30 billion. (Reporting by Juby Babu in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta) ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Electric-car maker Tesla Inc's Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said on Sunday on Twitter that he will pay more than $11 billion in taxes this year. Earlier this week, Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren took to Twitter to say that Musk should pay taxes and stop "freeloading off everyone else" after Time magazine named him its "person of the year". Musk responded by saying that he "will pay more taxes than any American in history this year". Musk is the world's richest person and his company Tesla is worth about $1 trillion. Over the last few weeks, Musk has sold nearly $14 billion worth of Tesla shares. (Reporting by Shivam Patel in ... Read More on Datafloq

By Chris Taylor NEW YORK (Reuters) - The pandemic era upended the world in all sorts of ways, but one of the most fascinating is the so-called 'Great Resignation.' Employees are moving out of their previous roles in numbers not seen for decades. Here is an idea to keep employees challenged and engaged, instead of heading elsewhere: the 'social sabbatical.' The brainchild of enterprise software firm SAP – inspired by others with similar programs, like IBM – social sabbaticals take selected employees away from their 9-to-5 roles and throw them an intriguing challenge somewhere around the globe while working with a team to solve real problems. Heading up that program is SAP's global head of corporate social responsibility, Alexandra van der Ploeg. She spoke with Reuters about the value ... Read More on Datafloq

By Scott Murdoch HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese artificial intelligence start-up SenseTime Group relaunched its $767 million Hong Kong IPO on Monday, a week after pulling the listing in the wake of the company's inclusion on a U.S. investment blacklist. SenseTime retained its target of selling 1.5 billion shares for between HK$3.85 and $HK3.99 each, according to regulatory filings, with the final price to be set on Thursday. However, it will now rely on cornerstone investors to buy about $511 million, or around 67%, of shares, up from $450 million, or 58%, of shares previously. SenseTime said its inclusion on the U.S. blacklist did not impose any restrictions on its business operations, but added the resulting lack of U.S. investors could impede its ability to raise capital ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's YouTube began restoring access to Walt Disney Co channels on its platform on Sunday, after the companies reached a distribution agreement to end a two-day blackout. YouTube tweeted that "we've reached a deal with Disney and have already started to restore access to channels like ESPN and FX." Neither company disclosed the financial terms of deal. YouTube warned last week that it would only renew its agreement with Disney if the company offered "equitable terms" and announced that it was cutting the monthly price for YouTube TV by $15, from $64.99 to $49.99. On Sunday, YouTube said a monthly subscription had reverted to $64.99, but affected users would receive a one-time $15 discount. ... Read More on Datafloq

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Facebook has paid 17 million roubles ($229,643) in fines owed in Russia for failing to delete content Moscow deems illegal, the Interfax news agency reported on Sunday, but with the threat of a potentially larger fine looming. Facebook parent Meta, along with Alphabet's Google, faces a court case next week for suspected repeated violations of Russian legislation on content and could be fined a percentage of its annual revenue in Russia. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday. Russia in October sent state bailiffs to enforce the collection of 17 million roubles in fines imposed on Facebook. Interfax said there were no more enforcement proceedings against the company as of Sunday, citing the federal bailiff service's database. Moscow has increased ... Read More on Datafloq

By Aditya Kalra NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Apple Inc has asked India's antitrust watchdog to throw out a case alleging abuse of market power in the apps market, saying it is too small a player in the South Asian country where Google is dominant, a filing seen by Reuters shows. The filing was made after the Competition Commission of India (CCI) started reviewing allegations that Apple hurts competition by forcing app developers to use its proprietary system which can charge commissions of up to 30% on in-app purchases. Apple denied the allegations in its filing to the CCI and stressed that its market share in India is an "insignificant" 0-5%, while Google commands 90-100% as its Android operating system powers most other smartphones. "Apple is not dominant in the ... Read More on Datafloq

In order to understand the interest of blockchain technology in the healthcare sector, it is important to understand the characteristics that differentiate it from current tools for sharing and managing data. First of all, blockchain is a decentralised technology. Unlike traditional tools which are centrally managed by a single intermediary, the blockchain is a database distributed among all the nodes of the network. Thus, each minor has a copy of the register. This technology thus lends itself to the sharing of information between several stakeholders such as hospitals, research centres or pharmaceutical laboratories. The blockchain also makes it possible to trace the origin and fate of each of the data recorded. Unlike a centralised system in which an administrator controls this information, in a blockchain only the owner can save it and transfer it to other stakeholders. In addition, although the ledger created by the blockchain is made available to all members of the network, the d

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is considering writing rules to fight data privacy abuses, poor online security and the use of algorithms that may lead to discrimination, the agency's chair said in a letter released on Friday. The letter from FTC Chair Lina Khan to Senator Richard Blumenthal, which was dated Tuesday, said the commission was "considering initiating a rulemaking" that would focus on online privacy and security as well as potential civil rights violations. The agency is considering the move under a streamlined process that was announced in July. "I share your concerns about commercial surveillance and am committed to ensuring the FTC is using its full suite of tools to protect Americans from unfair or deceptive practices online," wrote Khan. She added that increased reliance on the internet during the coronavirus pandemic "makes this a particularly urgent and ... Read More on Datafloq

By Julie Zhu and Xie Yu HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese officials are planning to ban online brokerages such as Futu Holdings Ltd and UP Fintech Holding Ltd from offering offshore trading services to mainland clients, the latest development in a broad regulatory crackdown that has roiled a wide range of sectors over the past year. The Nasdaq-listed Chinese firms are two of the biggest players in the sector and a ban would block millions of retail investors in mainland China from trading securities easily in markets such as the United States and Hong Kong. Concerns over data security and capital outflows are driving the potential ban, sources said. The looming restrictions come on the heels of a clampdown that has affected a broad scope of companies over the past year, in sectors ranging from technology to education and real estate. ... Read More on Datafloq

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has set a target for gross merchandise volume of $100 billion in gross merchandise volume (GMV), the total sum of purchasing transactions, for its Southeast Asian marketplace Lazada. The goal, which was shared with investors on Thursday and later in a public online presentation, ups the ante for the company, which entered the region via acquisition in 2016 and competes fiercely with rivals. Lazada generated $21 billion in GMV from September 2020 to the same month in 2021, according to the presentation. It also hopes to serve 300 million customers, roughly double its current count. By comparison, Sea Ltd's Shopee, the market leader in the region, generated $35.4 billion in GMV for the full calendar 2020 year. The division ranks itself the third-top ... Read More on Datafloq

By Helena Soderpalm and Supantha Mukherjee STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Northvolt Chief Executive Peter Carlsson wants to take on his old boss Elon Musk with the greenest electric vehicle batteries in the world. But he needs to start producing them first. The Swede is determined to get his factory, roughly 200 km south of the Arctic circle, open for business this month, meaning he and his team of engineers and technicians are labouring at a pace that would rival Santa's little helpers. "We are working extremely intensely right now to keep that schedule, and even if it means the first battery is made on New Year's Eve, it's going out this year," Carlsson told Reuters. The lithium-ion plant was the first to be built in the European Union by a European ... Read More on Datafloq

By Eric M. Johnson and Tim Hepher SEATTLE/PARIS (Reuters) - In Boeing Co's factory of the future, immersive 3-D engineering designs will be twinned with robots that speak to each other, while mechanics around the world will be linked by $3,500 HoloLens headsets made by Microsoft Corp. It is a snapshot of an ambitious new Boeing strategy to unify sprawling design, production and airline services operations under a single digital ecosystem - in as little as two years. Critics say Boeing has repeatedly made similar bold pledges on a digital revolution, with mixed results. But insiders say the overarching goals of improving quality and safety have taken on greater urgency and significance as the company tackles multiple threats. The planemaker is entering 2022 fighting to reassert its engineering ... Read More on Datafloq

By Karen Freifeld WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Biden administration still has not decided whether to block more sales of U.S. technology to Chinese chipmaker SMIC, but raised the possibility of discussing with allies further restrictions on selling chip-making equipment to China, sources familiar with a Thursday meeting on the topic said. Officials at the meeting of deputies from various U.S. agencies talked about a proposal to toughen sales to SMIC and other chipmakers in China, the sources said. The officials appeared to agree that the U.S. should work with friendly countries on a more restrictive policy, one source said. A spokesperson for the White House declined to comment. The Trump administration placed Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) on the U.S. Department of Commerce's trade blacklist late last year over concerns of SMIC's aiding China's military. ... Read More on Datafloq

BEIJING (Reuters) -Microsoft Corp's Bing, the only major foreign search engine available in China, said it has been required by a "relevant government agency" to suspend its auto suggest function in China for 30 days. "Bing is a global search platform and remains committed to respect the rule of law and users' right to access information," Bing said on its Chinese search site on Friday. It did not specify reasons for the suspension. Internet companies in China have been hit over the past year by a regulatory crackdown that has imposed fresh curbs on areas from content to customer privacy. The Chinese government has also said it wants platforms to more actively promote core socialist values. In October, Microsoft said it would shut down its professional social networking platform LinkedIn in China, citing "a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements” in the ... Read More on Datafloq

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese regulators have given Tencent Holdings approval to publish updates to nine of its mobile apps including QQ Music and WeCom, media reported on Friday. Chinese media outlet The Paper reported that the updates had appeared in the Apple app store. Last month, China required Tencent to submit any new apps or updates for inspection after a number of its apps were found to have infringed users' rights and interests. Tencent confirmed to Reuters that the nine apps had been reviewed and given the green light by regulators to resume regular updates in the app stores. Chinese regulators have cracked down on the country's tech companies over the past year, seeking to dismantle some of the industry's long-held practices after accusing them of monopolistic behaviour and infringing user rights. ... Read More on Datafloq

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The management of debt-laden Chinese chip conglomerate Tsinghua Unigroup, set for a state-backed takeover, late on Thursday said its estranged official chairman, also a major investor, had spread "false information" and defended its restructuring plan. In a notice published on Unigroup's public social media account, attributed simply to Unigroup's management, the company linked its debt situation directly to the leadership of Zhao Weiguo, who spearheaded a wave of asset purchases in the previous decade. Zhao has retained the post of chairman but China's state council appointed a working group to assume leadership of the company after it defaulted on bonds in November 2020. The notice comes a day after Zhao published a memo via his personal investment vehicle, Beijing Jiankun, arguing that Beijing Jianguang Asset Management (JAC Capital) and Wise Road Capital, two state-backed firms poised to take over Unigroup, ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) -Social media platform Reddit said on Wednesday it had confidentially filed for a proposed initial public offering (IPO) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Reddit, known for its message boards that became the go-to destination for day traders during this year's meme stock frenzy, was looking at a valuation of more than $15 billion, Reuters had reported in September. The company was valued at $10 billion in a private fundraising round earlier this year. The San Francisco-based firm had retail investors flocking to its message boards for tips on trading GameStop Corp and other meme stocks. Reddit had roughly 52 million daily active users and over 100,000 communities, or "sub-reddits," as of October last year. Its biggest investors include ... Read More on Datafloq

By Ben Klayman DETROIT (Reuters) -Electric vehicle startup Canoo Inc on Wednesday said it was accelerating its production plans in the United States while ending its deal for VDL Nedcar in Netherlands to serve as its contract manufacturer in Europe. Canoo shares were up 3% in after hours trading. The Arkansas-based company said the shift from using VDL Nedcar overseas to relying on the plants it is building in northwest Arkansas and Pryor, Oklahoma, was made to reduce supply-chain vulnerabilities and overseas shipping costs, and increase speed to market for its vehicles. "The initiatives announced today are another step in executing our strategy of reducing risk and increasing certainty," Chief Executive Tony Aquila said in a statement. "We have concluded that building in America is better aligned with our mission." ... Read More on Datafloq

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Major U.S. air carriers warned on Wednesday that plans by AT&T and Verizon Communications to use spectrum for 5G wireless services could be highly disruptive to air travel and cost air passengers $1.6 billion annually in delays. Trade group Airlines for America (A4A) said if a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) directive for addressing potential interference from wireless transmissions had been in effect in 2019 "approximately 345,000 passenger flights, 32 million passengers, and 5,400 cargo flights would have been impacted in the form of delayed flights, diversions, or cancellations." At a hearing Wednesday, senators urged airlines to work to find a resolution. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the 5G wireless issue "is the biggest and most damaging potential issue facing us. We want ... Read More on Datafloq

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU lawmakers voted on Wednesday to beef up draft rules to rein in U.S. tech giants, including extending the scope to their retailing activities and to their business users outside Europe, as part of their common position in forthcoming talks with EU countries. The Digital Markets Act (DMA), unveiled by EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager last December, sets out a list of dos and don'ts for U.S. tech giants designated as online gatekeepers with fines up to 10% of global turnover for violations, a global first. Vestager's proposal targets Amazon, Apple, Alphabet unit Google and Facebook but the European Parliament wants to extend it to travel website booking.com, China's Alibaba and online retailer Zalando. EU lawmakers also want the rules to apply ... Read More on Datafloq

By Mike Stone HONOLULU, Hawaii (Reuters) - U.S. military commanders in the Pacific have built a software tool to predict how the Chinese government will react to U.S. actions in the region like military sales, U.S.-backed military activity and even congressional visits to hotspots like Taiwan. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks was briefed on the new tool during a visit to United States Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii on Tuesday. The tool calculates "strategic friction," a defense official said. It looks at data since early 2020 and evaluates significant activities that had impacted U.S.-Sino relations. The computer-based system will help the Pentagon predict whether certain actions will provoke an outsized Chinese reaction. In October, the Chinese military condemned the United States and Canada for each sending a warship through ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Apple Inc is delaying its return to office plans indefinitely, Bloomberg News reported, while the company said it has temporarily closed three stores in the U.S. and Canada after a rise in COVID-19 cases and exposures among the stores' employees. The company's employees were previously set to return to offices on February 1, according to the report, citing a memo sent by Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook. Growing worries over the rapidly spreading Omicron coronavirus variant have derailed several companies' plans for a return to normalcy. Google told its employees they would lose pay and eventually be fired if they did not follow the company's vaccination rules, according to a report, while JP Morgan Chase & Co has asked its unvaccinated staff in Manhattan to work from home. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Joseph Menn and Joel Schectman WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of U.S. lawmakers is asking the Treasury Department and State Department to sanction Israeli spyware firm NSO Group and three other foreign surveillance companies they say helped authoritarian governments commit human rights abuses. Their letter sent late Tuesday and seen by Reuters also asks for sanctions on top executives at NSO, the United Arab Emirates cybersecurity company DarkMatter, and European online bulk surveillance companies Nexa Technologies and Trovicor. The lawmakers asked for Global Magnitsky sanctions, which punishes those who are accused of enabling human rights abuses by freezing bank accounts and banning travel to the United States. DarkMatter could not be reached for comment. The other three companies did not immediately reply to requests for comment. ... Read More on Datafloq

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing lives in a better and bigger way than ever before. Sometimes, one doesn’t realize it when a new AI-powered system, tool, or product appears and outperforms the tasks that are done by humans. It is immensely affecting human life on all types of levels.AI is everywhere in the current modern world, and there are many aspects to consider as to how it will impact the future of work especially human resources. Artificial intelligence is present in virtually at almost all the major industries from healthcare to advertising, transportation, finance, legal, education, and now also inside the workplaces. A recent Accenture survey found that 54 percent of managers’ time is spent on administrative coordination and control—and those tasks are excellent targets for AI-based automation.But still, a majority of organizations are still lagging in integrating Artificial Intelligence in human resources practices because of cost. While there are firms that

By Guy Faulconbridge LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said it would push back at what it casts as attempts by Russia and China to establish national sovereignty over the communications arteries and emerging technologies which will shape the 21st Century. Britain depicts China and Russia as strategic rivals whose rush for control of some major technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and microprocessor design could threaten both Western security and a relatively free internet. "China and Russia continue to advocate for greater national sovereignty over cyberspace as the answer to security challenges," according to Britain's new National Cyber Strategy to be published on Wednesday. "Debates over the rules governing cyberspace will increasingly become a site of systemic competition between great powers, with a clash of values," Britain said. ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant and fresh travel restrictions have led to a spike in hotel booking cancellations globally, online hotel search firm Trivago said on Tuesday, threatening to upend a fragile recovery in tourism. Cancellation rates increased to 35% since November and holiday travel planning was down 10%, the company said, adding that most travelers were choosing domestic destinations. The company did not say what the cancellation rates were prior to November. The Omicron outbreak, first reported in southern Africa, has led to a flurry of new testing rules and border closings, raising concerns ahead of the important Christmas travel season. Multiple events ranging from sports and trade shows to corporate parties have been canceled, also leading to a slowdown in hotel bookings. ... Read More on Datafloq

By Thomas Escritt BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany should order the messaging programme Telegram removed from Apple's and Google's app stores if it continues to ignore requests to help track down extremist content, a senior German official said on Tuesday. Telegram has been blamed in Germany for fueling an increasingly virulent subculture of anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists who exchange news about supposed dangers and arrange protests that have spilled over into violence. The app, which says it does not bow to "government censorship", has become increasingly popular with activists and protesters, especially as platforms like Facebook become more responsive to government pressure to crack down on those spreading lies, threats or conspiracy theories. Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google told its employees they would lose pay and eventually be fired if they do not follow its COVID-19 vaccination rules, CNBC reported on Tuesday, citing internal documents. A memo circulated by Google's leadership said employees had until Dec. 3 to declare their vaccination status and upload documentation showing proof, or to apply for a medical or religious exemption, according to the report. After that date, Google said it would start contacting employees who had not uploaded their status or were unvaccinated and those whose exemption requests were not approved, CNBC reported. Employees who have not complied with the vaccination rules by Jan. 18 will be placed on "paid administrative leave" for 30 days, CNBC reported, followed by "unpaid personal leave" for up to six months and termination. ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's YouTube said on Tuesday it has fixed an issue that caused thousands of users to lose access to its platform or face slow services. Downdetector, which showed there were more than 15,000 incidents of people reporting issues with YouTube, tracks outages by collating status reports from a number of sources, including user-submitted errors on its platform. "If you were having a slower than normal experience or were having trouble accessing YouTube earlier today – this has been fixed! The issue ran for about 20 mins," YouTube tweeted. A major outage disrupted Amazon's cloud services for several hours last week that resulted in Netflix, Disney+, Robinhood and a slew of other services being inaccessible, including Amazon's e-commerce website. YouTube experienced 65 outages over the past 12 months, ... Read More on Datafloq

By Christopher Bing, Raphael Satter and Joseph Menn WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A newly discovered vulnerability in a widely used software library is causing mayhem on the internet, forcing cyber defenders to scramble as hackers rush to exploit the weakness. The vulnerability, known as Log4j, comes from a popular open source product that helps software developers track changes in applications that they build. It is so popular and embedded across many companies' programs that security executives expect widespread abuse. "The Apache Log4j Remote Code Execution Vulnerability is the single biggest, most critical vulnerability of the last decade," said Amit Yoran, chief executive of Tenable, a network security firm, and the founding director of the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team. The U.S. government sent a warning to the private sector about ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Buy now pay later firm Afterpay Ltd said on Tuesday its $29 billion buyout by Block Inc, previously known as Square, got overwhelming support from shareholders, with 99.79% of the proxy votes cast in favour of the deal. Afterpay delayed the vote earlier this month as payments firm Block awaited regulatory approval from the Bank of Spain. While Block has still not got the approval, Afterpay said it got court orders to hold a meeting to amend the conditions of the deal. The Bank of Spain approval has to come by April 14 next year to close the deal. If the deal closes, it will be Block's biggest to date and the largest buyout ever of an Australian firm. Block's investors have already approved the deal. Twitter Inc ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Nike Inc said on Monday it had bought virtual sneaker company RTFKT for an undisclosed sum, as the sportswear giant looks to quickly expand its footprint in the fast-growing "metaverse". Last month, Nike became one of the first big brands to enter the shared virtual world that gained prominence after Facebook Inc recently rebranded itself to Meta Platforms Inc. In such blockchain-based environments, users can buy virtual land and other digital assets such as clothing for avatars in the form of a crypto asset called a non-fungible token (NFT). Formed in 2020 by Benoit Pagotto, Chris Le and Steven Vasilev, RTFKT also makes NFT collectibles and memes, according to its website. "This acquisition is another step that accelerates Nike's digital transformation and allows us to serve athletes and ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Apple Inc said on Monday it had launched an Android app to help users scan nearby AirTags or other similar item trackers that might be traveling with them without their knowledge, in an effort to boost privacy. The Tracker Detect app, which Apple released on Google's Play Store, says that a user can scan to try to find AirTags or compatible devices if they believed someone is using it to track their location. AirTags are small devices that can be attached to items such as keys and wallets to locate them when they are lost. Apple said the app enables Android users to proactively scan for item trackers that are no longer with their owner. If such a tracker has been moving with the user for more than 10 minutes, the app will help locate it by playing a sound ... Read More on Datafloq

As enterprises grow, they often find it challenging to keep their teams aligned with the proper responsibilities, duties, and powers. The only way to deal with this dilemma is to provide adequate support to all team members as they find their pacing. However, it isn't straightforward to drive effective business results in the meanwhile. Finding your OKRs, or Objectives and Key Results, can help you link team and organizational goals for quantifiable outcomes. It's possible to accomplish your desired outcomes from valuable data discovered via Objectives and Key Results (OKR). Let's find out how. What are OKRs?OKR is a goal-setting technique designed to monitor progress and support teams around high-level and measurable goals. This framework improves team productivity, transparency, and focus when properly used.This goal management approach is highly effective for high-growth, ambitious enterprise companies. The critical elements of OKRs are the key result, objective, and the

By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cryptocurrency products and funds posted net inflows of $88 million last week, data from digital asset manager CoinShares showed on Monday, amid a mixed investment flows picture in a week that saw a drop in prices. Inflows so far this year added up to a still robust $9.5 billion with two more weeks to go for 2021. In 2020, total crypto inflows were $6.7 billion. Bitcoin recovered a bit last week, posting a slim 1.3% gain for the period after a steep 14% selloff the previous week. CoinShares data showed that bitcoin managed to show inflows of $51 million, its 13th straight week of inflows that puts its year-to-date net total to $6.5 billion. ... Read More on Datafloq

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Volkswagen's Spanish unit SEAT has added new output curbs at its main assembly car plant near Barcelona in December, closing its factory for five days, because of global semiconductor supply bottlenecks, the company said on Monday. SEAT has decided to advance by one week its production break before the Christmas holidays, which was originally planned to start after Dec. 23 but it will now be after Dec. 16. "The crisis of global semiconductors supply, that affects all the automobile industry, will force us to idle the Martorell plant on 17, 20, 21, 22 and 23 December," the company said on Monday in a statement. The production curbs come as demand for the SEAT and CUPRA brands is back at pre-pandemic levels, the statement said. The company will ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Apple Inc's upcoming iPhone SE 5G has the potential to attract more than a billion non-premium Android users, J.P. Morgan analysts said on Monday. The company is expected to launch the iPhone SE with 5G capabilities in early 2022, according to media reports and the brokerage, with the analysts adding the model will allow Apple to target the mid-range smartphone market dominated by rivals such as Samsung Electronics and Huawei Technologies. The upcoming smartphone has the potential to lure nearly 1.4 billion low- to mid-end Android phone and about 300 million older iPhone model users, the brokerage estimated. "Apple's trade-in program for non-iPhones is admittedly not as attractive as the iPhone trade-in values, it could nonetheless lead to an average starting price range of $269 to $399 for the 5G iPhone SE, which is still very competitive," analyst Samik Chatterjee, rated ... Read More on Datafloq

(Reuters) - Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk was named Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2021, a year that saw his electric car company become the most valuable carmaker in the world and his rocket company soar to the edge of space with an all-civilian crew. Musk is also the founder and CEO of SpaceX, and leads brain-chip startup Neuralink and infrastructure firm The Boring Company. Tesla's market value soared to more than $1 trillion this year, making it more valuable than Ford Motor and General Motors combined. Tesla produces hundreds of thousand of cars every year and has managed to avert supply chain issues better than many of its rivals, while pushing many young consumers to switch to electric cars and legacy automakers to shift focus to EV vehicles. "For creating solutions to an existential crisis, for embodying the possibilities ... Read More on Datafloq