(Reuters) - Digital currency bitcoin hit a fresh record high on Wednesday, surging above $2,400, as demand for crypto-assets soared with the creation of new tokens to raise funding for start-ups using blockchain technology.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Germany has made good progress with China on how to introduce quotas aimed at producing more electric vehicles, Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Wednesday, adding that more details needed to be worked out.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese online and mobile payment platform Alipay on Wednesday launched in Hong Kong its first app to handle transactions not denominated in the yuan currency, moving closer to its ambition of widening currency payment options.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Uber faces a legal challenge in Israel, adding to the list of places where it is under scrutiny, after the country alleged unauthorized drivers were illegally paid using its network for a new car pooling app the company is piloting.

TOKYO (Reuters) - SoftBank Group Corp said on Wednesday it plans to appoint heads of key overseas subsidiaries to the group's board of directors, as the Japanese firm's business focus moves away from its domestic market.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Microsoft has agreed to acquire cyber security firm Hexadite for $100 million, Israeli financial news website Calcalist reported on Wednesday.

DUBAI/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Dubai's Emaar Malls will buy a 51 percent stake in e-commerce fashion website Namshi from Germany's Rocket Internet for $151 million as competition for technology deals heats up in the Middle East.

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finnish mobile game maker Supercell has acquired a majority stake in London-based game studio Space Ape, the British company said on its website.

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Tech entrepreneurs in central and southeastern European, many of whom already have experience of launching their own businesses, are now having more success at enticing global investors the second time around.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's ambitious plan to push electric vehicles at the expense of other technologies could benefit Chinese car makers seeking to enter the market, but is worrying established automakers in the country who have so far focused on making hybrid models.

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A Brazil appeals court on Tuesday ruled that a driver working for Uber via its ride-hailing app is not an employee of the San Francisco-based company and therefore not entitled to workers' benefits, overturning an earlier lower court decision.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Electronic device makers such as Hong Kong-listed SUGA and other start-ups are looking to cash-in on a boom in China in so-called pet wearables, like smart collars, leashes and feeders.

(Reuters) - Corporations are cheering a U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting where they can be sued for patent infringement, but some intellectual property lawyers say loopholes in the ruling likely mean lawsuits will continue to be filed in plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions.

(Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] said on Tuesday it underpaid its New York City drivers for the past two-and-a-half years, an error that could cost the ride-hailing company tens of millions of dollars.

TORONTO (Reuters) - BlackBerry Ltd's Toronto-listed shares surged 8.5 percent on Tuesday as investors raised expectations that the technology company's cyber security and automotive software will post strong growth, an analyst said.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union ministers approved plans on Tuesday to make social media companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Google's YouTube tackle hate speech on their platforms, the first legislation at EU level on the issue.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Online food takeaway firm Delivery Hero is set to float before the summer break in a deal valuing one of Europe's biggest start-ups at up to 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion), people close to the matter said on Tuesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Altice USA, the cable operator that arose from Netherlands-based Altice NV's acquisitions of Cablevision Systems Corp and Suddenlink Communications, is exploring ways to enter the wireless business as rival cable companies prepare their own mobile services, its chief executive s...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fidelity Investments will allow its clients to see their holdings of bitcoin and other virtual currencies held on digital asset exchange Coinbase on the company's website, said Chief Executive Abigail Johnson on Tuesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Financial and technology companies led by Bank of America Corp , SBI Holdings Inc , HSBC Holdings Plc , Intel Corp and Temasek Holdings have invested $107 million in R3 CEV, a startup which runs a big bank consortium seeking to develop blockchain technology, it said on Tuesday.