Telenor shifts Myanmar focus to data services as 'hyper growth' era ends

YANGON (Reuters) - Norwegian telecoms company Telenor will focus on improving data services in Myanmar, the head of the local business said on Wednesday, as an era of rapid subscriber growth following the opening up of the economy has ended.

German minister reassured over access to Chinese electric car market

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has promised that German carmakers will not be discriminated against in the electric-car market, Germany's economy minister said in Beijing on Wednesday.

Tesla obliged to pay $1.7 billion to Panasonic for gigafactory cells

(Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc had an obligation to pay a total of about $1.7 billion to Japan's Panasonic Corp as of Sept. 30 for electric vehicle battery cells made at Tesla's gigafactory in Nevada, the carmaker said in a regulatory filing.

Chipmaker Broadcom to buy network gear maker Brocade for $5.5 billion

(Reuters) - Chipmaker Broadcom Ltd said on Wednesday it would buy network gear maker Brocade Communications Systems Inc for $5.5 billion in cash, to expand its fiber channel and storage businesses.

Alibaba revenue beats expectations with strong e-commerce, media growth

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba Group Holding Ltd on Thursday reported a 55 percent rise in second-quarter revenue, beating analyst estimates, on the back of core online sales and strong media and entertainment growth.

Swiss propose rules to encourage fintech sector

ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland proposed on Wednesday a light-touch regulatory regime for financial technology (fintech) companies that the government said could bolster business and competitiveness.

Alibaba-backed Lazada to buy Singapore online grocer RedMart

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Lazada Group, a southeast Asian e-commerce company backed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, agreed to buy Singapore-based online grocer RedMart, the two companies said in a statement on Wednesday.

Square hikes 2016 forecast, third quarter revenue rises more than expected

(Reuters) - Square Inc , the mobile payments company co-founded and run by Twitter Inc Chief Executive Jack Dorsey, reported a higher-than-expected 32.2 percent jump in quarterly revenue as it processed more transactions.

Uber partners with GM's Maven car-sharing program

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] said on Tuesday it would partner with car-sharing service Maven, operated by General Motors, to allow Uber drivers to rent GM vehicles on a weekly basis.

Microsoft says Russia-linked hackers exploiting Windows flaw

(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Tuesday that a hacking group previously linked to the Russian government is behind recent cyber attacks that exploit a newly discovered flaw in its Windows operating system.

Videogame publisher EA's holiday-quarter sales forecasts misses estimates

(Reuters) - Video-game publisher Electronic Arts Inc's revenue forecast for the key holiday-shopping quarter was slightly below analysts' estimates, amid expectations of heavy competition from other games releasing around the same time.

Discovery signs partnership with streaming service BAMTech

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Discovery Communications Inc and video-streaming firm BAMTech will form a joint venture to provide back-end technology for content owners, broadcasters and other platforms throughout Europe, the companies said on Tuesday.

Broadcom nears deal to buy Brocade: sources

SAN FRANCISCO - Chipmaker Broadcom Ltd is nearing a deal to acquire network gear maker Brocade Communications Systems Inc in a deal that could be announced later this week, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Tesla, SolarCity shares fall ahead of merger details

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Shares of Tesla Motors Inc and SolarCity Corp tumbled on Tuesday ahead of expected financial details from the electric carmaker on a pending $2.6 billion merger that has been met with widespread investor skepticism.

Instagram to test new shopping feature

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc's Instagram said that it will start tests next week on a new shopping feature through which users can buy products from U.S.-based retailers via the photo-sharing app.

Hulu signs deals with Disney, Fox for new streaming TV service

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Video website Hulu on Tuesday announced deals to add programing from Twenty-first Century Fox and Walt Disney Co to a streaming TV service that it plans to offer in early 2017.

Ex-AOL, Yahoo executive appointed Ripple CEO

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S.-based financial technology start-up Ripple announced on Tuesday its Chief Executive Officer Chris Larsen has decided to step down and will become the company's executive chair.

Toyota to pilot Smart Key Box technology with ride-hailing start-up

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp will pilot its new Smart Key Box technology in fleets used by U.S. car-sharing service Getaround next year, stepping up its push to benefit from new mobility services seen by some as a threat to traditional car ownership.

Hedge fund raided by the FBI? There's an app for that

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation approaches a hedge fund trader as he leaves the office, wanting to ask a few questions. Nervous about saying no to an official, the trader dishes, and information he provides is later used against him.

Samsung Electronics to invest more than $1 billion in U.S. chip production

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Tuesday it plans to invest more than $1 billion by end-June 2017 to boost production of system chips at its Austin, Texas, facilities to meet growing demand.

Airbnb tells China users personal data to be stored locally

BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. short-term rental company Airbnb Inc has told Chinese users that it will store their personal data locally as foreign tech companies operating in China respond to increasing regulatory pressure.

Lisbon startup entrepreneurs aim to create Berlin-style 'tech buzz'

LISBON (Reuters) - Near a former red-light district around Lisbon's old Cais do Sodre docks, scores of young entrepreneurs are trying to leave depressing economic times behind and turn Portugal's capital into a hive for tech startups.

Former Tata chairman says allegations of Docomo issue mishandling baseless

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Tata Sons ousted Chairman Cyrus Mistry said on Tuesday that any insinuation that he had mis-handled a drawn out dispute with its Japanese telecom partner NTT DoCoMo Inc were baseless, ratcheting up the war of words between the two feuding sides.

Britain to spend 1.9 billion pounds on boosting cyber defenses

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will boost its cyber security defenses with a 1.9 billion pound ($2.32 billion) investment due to be announced by Finance Minister Philip Hammond later on Tuesday, a statement from the Treasury said.

Sharp forecasts first annual operating profit in three years

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Sharp Corp on Tuesday forecast its first annual operating profit in three years after its new owner, Taiwan's Foxconn, cut jobs and sold off loss-making television factories in the North America to trim costs.

Sony reports second quarter operating profit plunge as quake impact lingers

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Sony Corp on Tuesday reported a 48 percent decline in operating profit for the July-September quarter as earthquake damage continued to affect its cash-cow imaging sensor business.

Alibaba's finance arm Ant says to expand in Asia first

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Ant Financial Services Group, the world's biggest financial technology company, plans to focus its expansion plans in Asia before looking to go more global, a senior official said on Tuesday at an event in Hong Kong.

Panasonic shares plunge after heavy spending causes weaker outlook

TOKYO (Reuters) - Panasonic Corp shares plunged on Tuesday as investors reacted to a sharp downward revision of the electronics maker's profit forecast, brought about by heavy spending to build its automotive battery business.

Samsung Electronics CEO says firm must learn from crisis

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd Chief Executive Kwon Oh-hyun on Tuesday said the South Korean tech giant must improve, as it reels from the costly withdrawal of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone.

Women executives left Yahoo amid layoffs, deal talk

(Reuters) - Women executives left Yahoo Inc at an unusually high rate after the U.S. technology company announced plans to sell itself earlier this year, but it was not immediately clear why, according to the company's 2016 diversity report, released on Monday.