WhatsApp faces French fine over Facebook data sharing

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Messaging app WhatsApp could be fined if it does not comply with an order from the French data protection regulator to bring its sharing of user data with parent company Facebook in line with French privacy law. The French data protection authority - CNIL - said on Monday it had...

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EU's top court to decide whether Uber is a digital app or a taxi service

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A debate in Europe over whether ride-hailing app Uber [UBER.UL] is merely a digital company or one providing transport services will be decided when the top European Union court hands down its verdict on Wednesday in a highly anticipated case. While a ruling that Uber is a trans...

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Payment processor Total System Services to buy Cayan for $1.05 billion

(Reuters) - Total System Services Inc (TSS.N) (TSYS) on Monday said it would buy payment technology firm Cayan for $1.05 billion in cash to expand its offerings to small and mid-sized U.S. businesses. The deal is expected to modestly benefit TSYS’s net revenue growth and adjusted earnings per ...

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Exchange giant CME's bitcoin futures get tepid take-up in debut

NEW YORK/LONDON/SYDNEY (Reuters) - Bitcoin futures got a muted reception after their debut on CME Group late on Sunday, with volumes in the tens of millions of dollars in the first 12 hours of trading, as warnings about the risks of bitcoin sounded ever louder. The launch of futures by the world&rsq...

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Twitter to put warnings before swastikas, other hate images

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) said on Monday it would begin putting a warning in front of pictures that show Nazi swastikas and other items it determines are hateful imagery, as well as ban their use in any profile photos on the social media network. The step is one of several that ...

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Total System Services to buy Cayan for $1.05 billion

(Reuters) - U.S. payment processor Total System Services Inc (TSS.N) (TSYS) on Monday said it would buy payment technology company Cayan in an all-cash deal valued at $1.05 billion. The deal is expected to modestly benefit TSYS’s net revenue growth and adjusted earnings per share in the first ...

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Internet giants told: Accept cyber curbs to be welcome in China

GENEVA (Reuters) - Google and Facebook will have to accept China’s censorship and tough online laws if they want access to its 751 million internet users, Chinese regulators told a conference in Geneva on Monday. Google (GOOGL.O) and Facebook (FB.O) are blocked in China, along with Twitter Inc...

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Danish central bank head issues stark warning on 'deadly' bitcoin

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Potential investors in bitcoin should steer clear of a dangerous gamble and not complain to financial regulators if things do go wrong, Denmark’s central bank governor warned. “You should stay away (from bitcoin). It is deadly,” central bank head Lars Rohde s...

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Solid Power, BMW partner to develop next-generation EV batteries

(Reuters) - U.S. EV battery company Solid Power said on Monday it had partnered with Germany’s BMW AG (BMWG.DE) to develop the next-generation solid-state battery technology for use in electric vehicles (EVs). BMW will assist in advancing Solid Power’s technology to achieve performance l...

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France files complaint against Amazon for abuse of dominant position: paper

PARIS (Reuters) - The French government has filed a complaint with the Paris Commerce Court against e-commerce company Amazon for abusing its dominant position with some suppliers, newspaper Le Parsien said on Monday. Under the complaint, which follows a two-year investigation by the DGCCRF consumer...

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Uber ties up with BBM messenger on ride booking

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Uber Technologies [UBER.UL] said on Monday it has joined forces with BBM Messenger to allow users around the world, including in the application’s biggest market of Indonesia, to book rides via the messenger service. The partnership agreement is with Creative Media Works, o...

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To thwart Amazon, Kroger and Walmart lure shoppers with curbside pickup

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - As Amazon.com looks to upend the U.S. grocery market with home delivery, some veteran supermarket operators are betting on a different strategy: curbside pickup. Americans have long loved the convenience of drive-through service for burgers and coffee. Kroger Co (KR.N) and Wa...

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China's Tencent, JD.com invest $863 million in online retailer Vipshop

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK) said on Monday it would lead an $863 million investment in apparel platform Vipshop Holdings Ltd (VIPS.N), upping its rivalry in retail with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N). Tencent will invest $604 million in exchange for ...

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Toyota to make over 10 battery EV models globally in early 2020s

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp will make more than 10 battery electric car models globally in the early 2020s, with sales starting in China, the company said on Monday. Toyota will subsequently sell the models in Japan, India, the United States and Europe, it said in a statement. Every Toyota m...

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Oracle Corp to buy Australia's Aconex for $1.19 billion

Sydney (Reuters) - Australia’s Aconex Ltd (ACX.AX) said on Monday it had received a A$1.56 billion ($1.2 billion), or A$7.80 in cash-per-share, buyout offer from U.S. software major Oracle Corp (ORCL.N), sending the target’s share price up 45 percent. Aconex said in a statement its direc...

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Bitcoin hits bigger stage as exchange giant CME launches futures

NEW YORK (Reuters) - CME Group Inc, the world’s largest derivatives exchange operator, began trading bitcoin futures on Sunday, with the contract opening at what is currently its session high and dropping over 6 percent within the first half hour. The CME bitcoin front-month futures opened at ...

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Bitcoin hits a bigger Wall Street stage as exchange giant CME launches futures

NEW YORK (Reuters) - CME Group Inc, the world’s largest derivatives exchange operator, became on Sunday the second exchange to launch bitcoin futures trading, seeking to capitalize on the mania for the booming digital currency. The CME bitcoin futures opened at $20,650 and have so far traded a...

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Rio Tinto to retrofit Pilbara trucks for autonomous handling

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd said it plans to expand its fleet of autonomous trucks operating in Australia’s Pilbara iron-ore region, part of a cost-cutting program across its operations. Rio said it had signed deals with Komatsu Ltd and Caterpillar Inc to retrofit 48 trucks w...

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Equinix to buy Australia's Metronode data center group for $791 million

SYDNEY (Reuters) - U.S. data center group Equinix Inc on Monday said it was buying Australian data center company Metronode from the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in an all-cash deal worth A$1.035 billion ($791.15 million). Metronode operates internet and communications infrastructure facilit...

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Aconex receives $1.19 billion takeover offer from Oracle Corp

(Reuters) - Aconex Ltd (ACX.AX) said on Monday it had received a A$1.56 billion ($1.19 billion), or A$7.80 in cash per share, buyout offer from U.S. software major Oracle Corp (ORCL.N). Aconex said in a statement its directors had unanimously recommended the offer, which represents a 47.4 percent pr...

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