U.S. digital rights group slams tech firms for barring neo-Nazis

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A digital rights group based in San Francisco on Thursday criticized several internet companies for removing neo-Nazi groups from servers and services, saying the actions threatened free expression online. GoDaddy Inc, Alphabet's Google, security firm Cloudflare and other t...

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Lenovo says more confident it can achieve mobile turnaround goal

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese personal computer maker Lenovo Group Ltd is more confident it can achieve its turnaround goal for its mobile business in the second half of fiscal year 2018, Chairman and Chief Executive Yang Yuanqing told Reuters on Friday.

YouTube TV expands to 14 new markets, partners with Sinclair stations

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google has expanded its YouTube TV streaming service into 14 new U.S. markets to reach half of American households, with an additional 17 markets to launch in the next few weeks, the company said on Thursday. YouTube is broadening access to live TV streaming as y...

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Facebook tests adding news stories customized to users' interests

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc is testing a feature in the Facebook News Feed that provides customized links to news on topics of interest to individual users, as the company continues to search for ways to increase the amount of time that people spend using the world's largest social media ...

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ThoughtSpot raises $60 million, ends funding round for artificial intelligence technology

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Silicon Valley technology company ThoughtSpot has completed a $120 million funding round to fuel the start-up's new artificial intelligence endeavor. ThoughtSpot, based in Palo Alto, California, said on Thursday it had raised $60 million from investors in a financing round ...

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U.S. e-sports platform to launch $100 million cryptocurrency sale in September

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Unikrn, a U.S. sports betting digital platform backed by some of the biggest names in media, entertainment and sports, will launch the sale of $100 million in cryptocurrency next month, the company's co-founder and chief executive officer, Rahul Sood, told Reuters in an intervie...

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U.S. appeals court rules for Uber in arbitration dispute

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Thursday ruled in favor of Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] in a lawsuit over whether passengers gave up their right to sue the company when they registered for its taxi-hailing service, The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York vacated a lower cou...

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Pershing Square's Ackman says ADP needs to streamline

BOSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Activist investor William Ackman laid out his case for changes at Automatic Data Processing Inc (ADP.O) on Thursday, saying the payroll processor needs to improve its profit margins and integrate its business lines. Ackman's hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management d...

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Apple's Cook says he disagrees with Trump, vows donations to rights groups

(Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) CEO Tim Cook has joined a chorus of business leaders who have voiced their opposition to President Donald Trump after he blamed white nationalists and anti-racism activists equally for violence in Virginia over the weekend. "I disagree with the president and others who...

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China's Alibaba outstrips revenue estimates with online sales growth

(Reuters) - Alibaba, China's top e-commerce firm, beat analyst's estimates with a 56 percent rise in first-quarter revenue, driven by growth in online sales which make up most of its business. Thursday's results show that Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N), one of Asia's most valuable companies, is ...

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Wisconsin lawmakers debate billions in incentives for Foxconn plant

(Reuters) - The Wisconsin State Assembly on Thursday will consider a $3 billion incentive package for a proposed liquid-crystal display factory by Taiwan's Foxconn, the first vote on the deal by a chamber of the state's Republican-controlled legislature. Foxconn, an electronics manufacturer formally...

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Sixt CEO hints at car-sharing merger talks between BMW and Daimler

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German carmakers Daimler and BMW may be in talks to combine their car-sharing services Car2Go and DriveNow, Sixt chief executive Erich Sixt, whose company owns part of DriveNow, hinted on Thursday. Slideshow (2 Images) Asked whether Sixt was involved in merger talks with Daimle...

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Ericsson could shed 25,000 jobs in cost-cutting drive: report

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Mobile telecom gear maker Ericsson may lay off around 25,000 employees outside Sweden as part of its savings program, Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet reported on Thursday, citing unidentified sources at the company. Ericsson said in July it would accelerate measures to meet a t...

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China targets Alibaba's Taobao, other e-commerce sites, in VPN crackdown

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese authorities have issued a warning to the country's top e-commerce platforms, including Alibaba Holding Group Ltd's Taobao.com, over the sale of illegal virtual private networks that allow users to skirt state censorship controls. Five websites have been asked to carry out...

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Sonova plays catch up with Danish rivals on hearing-aid tech

ZURICH (Reuters) - Sonova on Thursday launched a new hearing aid that streams audio directly from wireless mobile devices as the Swiss company closes the gap to Danish competitors who pioneered similar technology. Sonova, the world's biggest hearing aid maker, was criticized for missing an opportuni...

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NAFTA talks must include discussion on fintech: Mexican negotiator

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) must include a discussion of new financial services, a Mexican negotiator said on Wednesday, singling out so-called fintech companies rapidly gaining ground in the region. Created 23 years ago, NAFTA includes...

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China's Tencent set to open 5.3 percent up after strong second-quarter

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Shares of China's Tencent Holdings are set to open 5.3 percent higher on Thursday after the world's largest gaming company reported a forecast-beating quarterly profit. The stock is set to open at record high at HK$340.40. That compared with a 0.7 percent rise in the benchmark ...

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Hyundai Motor to launch electric vehicle with 500 km range after 2021

SEOUL (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor Co said on Thursday it will launch a long-range electric vehicle with a driving range of 500 km (311 miles) per charge after 2021, seeking to address investor concerns that it is lagging rivals in the green car race. The automaker and affiliate Kia Motors Corp, which ...

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Twitter shutters accounts of U.S. white supremacy website

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter Inc on Wednesday suspended accounts linked to the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer, keeping up pressure from Silicon Valley on white supremacists after weekend violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. Twitter said it would not discuss individual accounts, but at least t...

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Cisco's revenue falls for seventh straight quarter

(Reuters) - Cisco Systems Inc's (CSCO.O) revenue fell for the seventh straight quarter as declines in its switches and routers businesses outpaced gains at its newer software-focused divisions, such as security. The world's largest networking gear maker said on Wednesday revenue fell nearly 4 percen...

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New Nokia 8 phone targets surging demand for video-streaming

HELSINKI (Reuters) - HMD Global, the Finnish start-up looking to reinvigorate the Nokia phone brand, unveiled the Nokia 8 on Wednesday, hoping to cash in on rising consumer demand for high-quality audio and video features. The Android device, due out in September, will potentially beat rivals on pri...

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Samsung, Foxconn to back cable-free phone tech

(Reuters) - A startup backed by Tony Fadell, one of the fathers of the Apple iPod, plans to announce Wednesday it is working with Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS), Foxconn parent Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd (2317.TW) and others on a new way for mobile phones to transfer large amounts of ...

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Uber sorry for Philippines 'misunderstanding', but suspension stands

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippine transport regulator stood by its one-month suspension of Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] on Wednesday, despite its apology for a "misunderstanding" in failing to heed a directive to stop accepting new driver applications. Members of the Land Transportation Franchisi...

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Tencent results blow past forecasts on strength in games, WeChat

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK), China's biggest gaming and social media firm by revenue, trumped forecasts to post its best-ever quarterly results, driven by higher income from smartphone games, payments and online advertising. The most valuable firm listed in Asia - which is r...

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Trump, in tweet, again blasts Amazon over taxes, jobs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized Amazon.com on Twitter over taxes and jobs and accused the global retailer, without evidence, of hurting U.S. localities and causing job losses. Shares of the company fell 0.5 percent at $978.00 in premarket trade after Trump'...

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Amazon maintains UK investment push with Bristol distribution center

LONDON (Reuters) - Online retailer Amazon said on Wednesday it would create over 1,000 jobs next year when it opens a distribution center in Bristol, south west England, maintaining its investment push in Britain. Amazon currently has 13 distribution, or fulfillment, centers in the UK. It said the B...

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Fiat Chrysler joins autonomous driving team of BMW, Intel, Mobileye

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Fiat Chrysler is joining the self-driving alliance led by BMW Group, Intel Corp and its Mobileye subsidiary, becoming the second automaker in the year-old group to opt to partner in developing an autonomous driving platform. More automakers are seeking alliances to share th...

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Mobile language app Babbel, Cambridge team up for English tests

OXFORD (Reuters) - Germany's Babbel, the highest grossing maker of mobile language-learning apps, has teamed up with Cambridge University's English language certification arm, setting a new, high-quality standard for digital language testing, the companies said on Wednesday. Babbel and Cambridge Eng...

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China e-car newcomer Future Mobility raises $200M in new financing

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese-funded electric-car startup Future Mobility Corp, led by former BMW and Nissan Motor Co sales executive as president and co-founder, has raised $200 million in its latest round of financing. Slideshow (2 Images) Daniel Kirchert, Future Mobility's president, told Reuters...

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Tech companies ramp up NAFTA lobbying on eve of trade talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Technology companies, such as Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Cisco Systems (CSCO.O) have ramped up lobbying ahead of talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, looking to avoid any future restrictions on cloud storage and to promote an international pact to eliminat...

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