UK government sets out tougher guidelines to protect smart cars from hackers

LONDON (Reuters) - The British government issued new guidelines on Sunday requiring manufacturers of internet-connected vehicles to put in place tougher cyber protections to ensure they are better shielded against hackers. The government said it was concerned that smart vehicles, which allow drivers...

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U.S. cable firms embrace former foe Netflix as TV viewing shifts

(Reuters) - A growing number of U.S. cable operators are forming alliances with Netflix Inc NFLX.O, a shift that is helping the streaming pioneer add customers as its largest single market matures. No. 3 distributor Charter Communications Inc CHTR.O is expected to make Netflix available through its ...

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Germany needs tougher laws against cyber crime, top policeman tells paper

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's top police official has called for tougher laws to fight cyber crime on the illegal internet - the Darknet - and other organized criminal structures, in an interview published on Saturday. Holger Muench, president of the Federal Criminal Police Office, told Die Welt news...

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Apple to launch watches that can make calls: Bloomberg

(Reuters) - Apple Inc plans to release a version of its smartwatch later this year that can connect directly to cellular networks, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Some of the new models for the Apple Watch will be equipped with LTE chips and be able to perform m...

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Tesla lowers price of Model X, saying margins improved

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) on Friday lowered the base price of its Model X SUV to $79,500 and said improving margins were behind the move, which came as the automaker is ramping up production of its new lower-priced Model 3. Some analysts have been concerned that the launch of the ...

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Volkswagen brand CEO says Tesla has abilities Volkswagen lacks

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) the world's largest carmaker by sales, is looking to loss-making startup Tesla (TSLA.O) for inspiration on how to improve its core business, the VW brand's chief executive Herbert Diess said in an interview published on VW's website. Asked who VW’s ...

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Google developing technology for Snapchat-like media content: Wall Street Journal

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google is developing technology to create media content along the lines of Snap Inc's "Discover" platform, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Google has been in discussions with several publishers, including Vox Media, the Washington ...

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Elliott discloses NXP stake, Qualcomm's $38 billion bid in its radar

(Reuters) - Activist investor Elliott Management Corp on Friday disclosed a 6 percent stake in chipmaker NXP Semiconductors NV (NXPI.O), which is being bought by Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) for $38 billion, and indicated it could engage in talks to boost the offer price. Elliott's stake makes it NXP's lar...

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Viacom shares tumble 10 percent on affiliate sale woes

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Viacom Inc (VIAB.O) fell 10 percent on Friday, a day after the owner of MTV and Comedy Central forecast lower sales to U.S. pay-TV companies and streaming video services this quarter. In early trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Viacom shares were down $3.72 at $31...

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SAP says restrictions on new recruitment not a general hiring freeze

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German business software company SAP denied a media report on Friday that said it has imposed a complete freeze on recruitment in order to meet financial targets this year, while reiterating that it had restricted new hirings in some areas.

Facebook offers tool to combat fake news in Kenya ahead of polls

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Facebook (FB.O) rolled out a tool this week to help Kenyan users spot fake news ahead of a hotly-contested presidential election that has seen supporters of rival candidates trade bitter words online. Voters go to the polls on Tuesday to pick a president, parliament and regional ...

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TIM says Vivendi's 'direction' role due to management change, JV

MILAN (Reuters) - Top investor Vivendi last month notified the board of Telecom Italia (TIM) that it was "directing and coordinating" the phone company because it planned to appoint one of its own managers at the Italian group, TIM said on Friday. In a statement released at the request of market reg...

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Google to work with Indonesia to tackle content deemed offensive

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google is working with Indonesia to tackle video content deemed to be offensive, including material that might incite violence or hate speech, a senior official of the search giant said on Friday. Google plans to implement its "Trusted Flagger" program in Indonesia...

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Copenhagen hospitals hit by IT breakdown: media

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - The Capital Region of Denmark, which is responsible for hospitals in the Copenhagen area, suffered a major breakdown in its information technology systems on Friday, Danish news agency Ritzau reported. Ritzau did not give a reason for the IT problems. The Capital Region of Den...

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Chinese rebel robots apparently re-educated after rogue rants

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China has taken down two online robots that appeared to go rogue, responding to users' questions with one saying its dream was to travel to the United States and the other admitting it wasn't a huge fan of the Chinese Communist Party. The two "chatbots", BabyQ and XiaoBi...

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China holds drill to shut down 'harmful' websites

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China held a drill on Thursday with internet service providers to practice taking down websites deemed harmful, as the country's censors tighten control ahead of a sensitive five-yearly political reshuffle set to take place later this year. Internet data centers (IDC) and cloud...

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Uber takes action to fix unsafe cars rented to Singapore drivers

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc said on Friday it has taken action to fix defective cars that it had rented to drivers in Singapore and was coordinating with regulators in the city state to resolve any concerns. The Wall Street Journal earlier quoted internal Uber emails and documents sh...

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Boeing wins $409 million contract to develop next-generation technologies: Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) has been awarded a $409 million Air Force contract for next-generation thermal, power and controls, part of a government and industry joint effort to develop revolutionary and innovative technologies, the Pentagon said on Thursday. Reporting by David Alexander...

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Yelp to sell Eat24 for $287.5 million, authorizes share repurchase

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yelp Inc (YELP.N) said on Thursday it would sell its Eat24 business to Grubhub (GRUB.N) for $287.5 million in cash, as it posted revenue that beat expectations, news that sent Yelp's shares up 19 percent. The consumer review website operator also said its board had authoriz...

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GoPro's loss much smaller than estimates, shares surge 12 percent

(Reuters) - GoPro Inc (GPRO.O) reported a much smaller-than-expected quarterly loss, as it sold more flagship cameras internationally while the company reined in costs as part of its goal to return to profitability in 2017. The company's shares jumped 12 percent to $9.28 in after-market trading. GoP...

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