'Stablecoins' could hinder efforts to stamp out money laundering: global watchdog

The spread of cryptocurrencies such as Facebook's Libra could have serious repercussions for worldwide efforts to detect and stamp out money laundering and terror financing, a global watchdog on illicit finance said on Friday.

Gun with a chip: U.S. Army contracts may lead to a smarter firearm

A carbine that can call in an airstrike. A computer-aided scope on a machine gun that can turn just about anyone into a marksman.Even firearms that measure and record every movement, from the angle of the barrel to the precise moment of each shot fired, which could provide law enforcement with a dig...

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Snakes and ladders: SoftBank Vision Fund's climbing, sliding valuations

The $100 billion Vision Fund of Japan's SoftBank Group Corp has in just over two years burned through much of its capital investing in money-losing, late-stage tech startups in areas as varied as autonomous driving, healthcare and finance.

Indonesia issues rules to block illegally imported mobile phones

Indonesia has issued regulations to allow authorities to block smartphones purchased on the black market, in a bid to encourage investors to produce mobile phones in the country, a minister said on Friday.

Apple's Cook meets China regulator after pulling Hong Kong app

Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook met the chief of China's market regulator in Beijing on Thursday, the Chinese agency said, a week after the U.S. firm was thrust into the midst of political tensions between the mainland and protesters in Hong Kong.

China market regulator chief met with Apple CEO Tim Cook

China's market regulator chief Xiao Yaqing met with Apple Inc's Chief Executive Tim Cook in Beijing on Thursday, the regulator said on Friday.

Lebanon scraps WhatsApp fee amid violent protests

Demonstrators and police clashed in Lebanon on Thursday as thousands of people rallied against the government's handling of an economic crisis, in one of the biggest protests the country has seen in years.

Two killed in Lebanon fire near Beirut protests: report

Two foreign workers in Lebanon choked to death from a fire that spread to a building near major protests in the capital, Beirut, state news agency NNA said on Friday.

AT&T, Elliott in talks after activist campaign launched: sources

AT&T and Elliott Management are talking about issues the activist hedge fund raised last month when it pushed for change at the U.S. telecommunications and media conglomerate, two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

Martin Luther King's daughter tells Facebook disinformation helped kill civil rights leader

Disinformation campaigns helped lead to the assassination of Martin Luther King, the daughter of the U.S. civil rights champion said on Thursday after the head of Facebook said social media should not factcheck political advertisements.

Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency faces new hurdle from G7 nations

Facebook's plans to launch its Libra cryptocurrency faced a new hurdle on Thursday when the Group of Seven wealthy nations said such "stablecoins" should not be allowed to launch until the profound international risks they pose are addressed.

Zuckerberg defends Facebook's approach to free speech, draws line on China

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday defended the social media company's light regulation of speech and lack of fact checking on political advertising, while citing China's censorship as a roadblock to operating in the country.

Thousands protest across Lebanon over dire economy, proposed WhatsApp fee withdrawn

Thousands of people demonstrated in Beirut on Thursday against the government's management of a dire economy in one of Lebanon's biggest protests in years, leading the Cabinet to pull a proposed new levy on WhatsApp calls.

Facebook's Zuckerberg criticizes TikTok for censoring protesters

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday attacked the rapidly growing Chinese short-video app, saying it censored political protest, including in the United States.

Facebook's Zuckerberg hits pause on China, defends political ads policy

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday defended the social media company's political advertising policies and said it was unable to overcome China's strict censorship, attempting to position his company as a defender of free speech.

Accel leads $77 million funding round for fintech firm Galileo

Galileo Financial Technologies, a company whose technology handles back-office functions for payment industry startups, said on Thursday it raised $77 million in a series A funding round led by Silicon Valley venture capital firm Accel, one of the early investors in Facebook.

Facebook's Zuckerberg says company considered banning political ads

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a speech on Thursday that the social media company had considered banning all political advertising but decided against it, erring on the side of greater expression.

NTSB to determine probable cause of fatal Uber self-driving crash

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will hold a Nov. 19 hearing to determine the probable cause of a March 2018 Uber Technologies Inc self-driving vehicle crash that killed a pedestrian in Arizona.

Lebanon proposes charges for WhatsApp calls

Lebanon's cabinet has agreed to impose a fee on calls over WhatsApp and other similar applications, as part of efforts to raise revenues in the country's 2020 draft budget, a minister said on Thursday.

Fitbit in healthcare partnership to take on Apple Watch

Fitbit Inc is developing a method to detect irregular heart rhythm in time through a partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb-Pfizer Alliance, as the wearable device maker looks to match a feature available on rival Apple Inc's Watch.

Startup headed by ex-Apple engineer aims to eliminate smartphone buttons

Sentons, a startup led by chip industry veterans, on Thursday began marketing technology that aims to do away with gadget buttons and said it is working with two smartphone makers in addition to an existing contract with Asus Computer Inc.

Ford partners with Volkswagen, Amazon to build charging network for cars

Ford Motor Co said on Thursday it was teaming up with Volkswagen AG and Amazon.com to give its future electric car customers a range of charging options from highways to homes.

Lebanon plans to charge for WhatsApp calls: minister

Lebanon's cabinet has agreed to impose a fee on calls over WhatsApp and other similar applications, as part of efforts to raise revenues in the country's 2020 draft budget, a minister said on Thursday.

Abu Dhabi's Mubadala eyes debt market, weighs SoftBank's Vision Fund 2: CEO

Abu Dhabi state investor Mubadala Investment Co will be looking at the debt markets over the next few weeks amid attractive market conditions, said the fund's Chief Executive.

Netflix and Amazon face censorship threat in India: source

India is deliberating potential censorship on streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, a senior government source told Reuters.

Snap launches dynamic ads to draw more advertisers

Snap Inc. said on Thursday it is introducing dynamic advertising that automatically create ads and target audiences in real-time, as the parent company of photo messaging app Snapchat looks to compete for digital ad dollars.

No plans to ban Facebook's Libra: ECB's Coeure says

Global financial regulators have no plan to ban Facebook's Libra or other stablecoins, but these digital tokens backed by official currencies will have to meet the highest regulatory standards, European Central Bank director Benoit Coeure said in an interview published on Thursday.

Chipmaker TSMC boosts capex by up to $5 billion, sees fourth-quarter sales jump on smartphones

Apple Inc supplier TSMC raised its 2019 capital spending plan by up to $5 billion on Thursday and forecast a nearly 10% rise in fourth-quarter revenue on strong demand for faster mobile chips and new high-end smartphones.

Samsung says will soon patch Galaxy S10 fingerprint recognition problem

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Thursday it will soon roll out a software patch to fix problems with fingerprint recognition on its flagship Galaxy S10 smartphone.

Chipmaker TSMC raises capex by up to $5 billion, sees fourth-quarter sales jump on smartphones

Apple Inc supplier TSMC raised its 2019 capital spending plan by up to $5 billion on Thursday and forecast a nearly 10% rise in fourth-quarter revenue on strong demand for faster mobile chips and new high-end smartphones.