Permira to buy majority stake in cyber security firm Exclusive Group

PARIS (Reuters) - Private equity firm Permira said on Friday it had agreed to buy a majority stake in Exclusive Group, in a deal that secures substantial funding for the future development of the French cyber security group.

Singapore watchdog sets interim terms for Uber-Grab deal

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's competition watchdog on Friday outlined a number of interim measures as it continued investigation into ride-hailing firm Grab's deal to buy Uber Technologies' business in the city-state.

Yahoo Japan to buy minority stake in cryptocurrency exchange

TOKYO (Reuters) - Yahoo Japan Corp said on Friday it would buy a minority stake in a Tokyo-based cryptocurrency exchange, becoming the latest major Japanese financial services provider to shrug off security concerns and join the digital money industry.

AT&T economist argues Time Warner merger is good for consumers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - AT&T's proposed merger with Time Warner Inc would save consumers money because the marriage of a pay-TV provider with a movie and TV giant would create a more efficient company, an economist testifying for AT&T said in court on Thursday

China lays out self-driving rules in global race: China Daily

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China has laid out national guidelines for testing self-driving cars as it looks to keep pace with the United States in a global race to develop autonomous vehicles, the China Daily newspaper reported on Friday, citing the country's industry ministry.

Tesla, NTSB clash over Autopilot investigation

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tesla Inc lashed out at the National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday after the agency took the unusual step of removing the automaker as a party to its investigation of a fatal crash in March in which a Tesla vehicle's "Autopilot" system was in use.

Spotify buys 'cover song' licensing firm to tackle copyright risks

LONDON/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Spotify, the world's largest music streaming service, said on Thursday it is to buy Loudr.fm, a San Francisco-based provider of licensing technology to help it to locate songwriters and pay them royalties they are due.

Broadcom to buy back up to $12 billion of shares

(Reuters) - Chipmaker Broadcom Inc said on Thursday it would buy back up to $12 billion of its common stock.

Brazil taxi app rides fell by over 50 percent due to Uber: regulator

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Competition from Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] reduced the number of rides on cab apps in Brazil by more than half, the country's antitrust regulator said on Thursday, showing the U.S. ride-hailing service's disruptive effect in one of its biggest markets.

NTSB removes Tesla as a party in its probe of 'Autopilot' crash

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The National Transportation Safety Board said on Thursday it had removed Tesla Inc as a party in its investigation of a fatal crash in March in which the semi-autonomous "Autopilot" driving system was in use, after Tesla flouted terms of an agreement with the agency.

U.S. judge says Uber drivers are not company's employees

(Reuters) - A U.S. judge in Philadelphia has ruled that limousine drivers for Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] are independent contractors and not the company's employees under federal law, the first ruling of its kind on a crucial issue for the ride-hailing company.

EU Justice Commissioner held 'constructive' talks with Facebook's Sandberg

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said she had a "constructive and open discussion" with Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg about the Cambridge Analytica scandal on Thursday.

U.S. group sets up framework to keep customers' financial data secure

(Reuters) - The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), a trade group for the U.S. financial industry, released a framework on Thursday aimed at ensuring customers' private data remains safe when they give third parties access to it.

Uber expands settlement with FTC related to cyberattack

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday the ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc had agreed to expand its proposed settlement with the agency over charges it deceived consumers about its privacy and data security practices.

Tesla withdraws as party to NTSB 'Autopilot' crash investigation

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tesla Inc said it is withdrawing as a formal party to the National Transportation Safety Board's probe into a fatal March 23 crash in California in which the semi-autonomous "Autopilot" driving system was in use.

Russia asks Facebook how it complies with data law - Ifax

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor has asked Facebook to explain how it is complying with a Russian law on data localization, the Interfax news agency reported on Thursday.

Spotify puts bank IPO paydays under fund manager scrutiny

LONDON (Reuters) - After shaking up the music industry, Spotify is now prompting investors to question the value they get from investment banks underwriting new listings with its low-cost IPO.

Bitcoin price jumps to two-week high, leads broad crypto surge

LONDON (Reuters) - Cryptocurrency prices jumped on Thursday, led by a surge in bitcoin to two-week highs, with people active in the market citing a squeeze on traders who have bet against prices, given a lack of obvious news to trigger the gains.

EVgo to build fast charging network for GM's Maven unit

(Reuters) - Electric vehicle charging station provider EVgo said on Thursday it would build a dedicated direct current fast charging network for General Motor Co's Maven car sharing and rental unit.

Uber launches new safety features for U.S. riders

(Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc[UBER.UL] said on Thursday it unveiled new safety features including an emergency button that will connect U.S. riders directly to 911.

Bitcoin jumps 10 percent to two-week high, leads broad crypto surge

LONDON (Reuters) - Cryptocurrency prices jumped on Thursday, led by a 10 percent surge in bitcoin to two-week highs, though analysts said they were unsure of what had triggered the spike.

EU's top court asked to probe Facebook U.S. data transfers

DUBLIN/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The ability of firms such as Facebook to easily transfer Europeans' data to the United States was plunged into legal limbo on Thursday when the Irish High Court asked the EU's top court for a detailed assessment of whether the methods were legal.

Google poised to emerge unscathed from European antitrust crackdown

BRUSSELS/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The European Union's top antitrust regulator, Margrethe Vestager, has made it her mission to stem alleged anti-competitive abuses by big American tech companies, threatening as recently as last month to break up Alphabet Inc's Google.

Exclusive: Walmart close to buying majority of India's Flipkart

HONG KONG/MUMBAI (Reuters) - Walmart Inc is likely to reach a deal to buy a majority stake in Indian e-commerce player Flipkart by the end of June in what could be the U.S. retail giant's biggest acquisition of an online business, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

UK's Playtech buys 70.6 percent stake in Snaitech in regulated market play

(Reuters) - British gambling technology company Playtech said it agreed to buy a 70.6 percent stake in Italian betting and gaming firm Snaitech for 291 million euros ($359.2 million) in cash, in a move to source most of its revenue from regulated markets.

EU privacy watchdogs to look into harvesting of data from social media

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union privacy watchdogs will look deeper into the harvesting of personal data from social networks for economic or political purposes, following the scandal engulfing Facebook after data from nearly 87 million users was improperly accessed.

'Urban mining' in South Korea pulls rare battery materials from recycled tech

GUNSAN, South Korea (Reuters) - Workers at a rural South Korean factory are busy extracting some of the world's most coveted metals, used in the batteries that power electric cars.

Paris municipality asks court to fine Airbnb over unregistered listings

PARIS (Reuters) - The municipality of Paris has asked a French court to urgently fine Airbnb and two other small companies for unauthorized short-term letting, said an official with the city's administration.

Cyber security firm Avast plans watershed London tech listing

LONDON (Reuters) - Avast, the world's largest consumer antivirus supplier by customers, said on Thursday it will apply to list its shares on the London Stock Exchange in what could be a blockbuster float expected to value the company at around $4 billion.

Exclusive: Walmart close to buying majority of India's Flipkart, deal likely by end-June - sources

HONG KONG/MUMBAI (Reuters) - Walmart Inc is likely to reach a deal to buy a majority stake in Indian e-commerce player Flipkart by the end of June in what could be the U.S. retail giant's biggest acquisition of an online business, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said.