Technology

Germany's smartphone app to trace coronavirus infections is ready to be launched this week, Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Sunday.

Facebook Inc fired an employee who had criticized Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg's decision not to take action against inflammatory posts by U.S. President Donald Trump this month, citing his tweet challenging a colleague's silence on the issue.

Canada's intelligence agency warned that arresting the daughter of billionaire Huawei founder Ren Zheng would set off global "shock waves" and seriously affect ties with China, just before her detention in Vancouver on a U.S. extradition request, new court documents show.

A Facebook Inc employee who criticized Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg's decision not to take action against inflammatory posts by U.S. President Donald Trump this month said on Friday that the social media company had fired him.

Zoom Video Communications, whose remote meeting app made the obscure California company a hub for global communications during the coronavirus pandemic, now finds itself fighting political battles in Washington and Beijing.

California investigators are examining Amazon.com Inc's business practices as part of an inquiry into the company, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Zoom Video Communications has gained a following in China in recent months from users ranging from underground churches to feminists who saw it as a rare way to connect with the world beyond the reach of state censors.

Facebook's acquisition of popular GIF website Giphy is being scrutinized by the United Kingdom's competition watchdog for possibly reducing competition.

China's Tencent Music Entertainment Group on Friday reported a 5.2% passive stake in Class A shares of Warner Music Group Corp, about a week after the world's third-largest recording label's debut on the Nasdaq.

The United States is in talks with Brazil and its local telecommunications companies on funding the acquisition of fifth-generation gear produced by Ericsson and Nokia, U.S. ambassador for Brazil Todd Chapman told Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo.

Japan aims to launch a smartphone app based on technology from Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google next week to help curb the spread of coronavirus by tracking close contact with those infected, the health ministry said on Friday.

(This June 11 story corrects amount recovered by trustee in last paragraph)

Top Wall Street brokerages Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley downgraded their ratings on Tesla Inc saying the electric carmaker's shares were overpriced, two days after the high-flying stock crossed $1,000 per share.

Italy, the first major European country to roll out a smartphone app to trace COVID-19 infections that does not rely on a centralized database, has already seen 2.2 million downloads in 10 days, a sign Italians are setting aside privacy concerns.

Japan's Honda Motor Co has resumed production at automobile and motorcycle plants in the United States and other countries after they were hit by a suspected cyber attack this week, a spokesman said on Friday.

Sony Corp on Friday unveiled more than two dozen titles for its upcoming PlayStation 5 console, including a sequel to its hit "Spider-Man" title and the latest "Gran Turismo" racer, as it builds anticipation ahead of the planned year-end launch.

U.S. video streaming company Netflix is in talks with Viacom18, part of the Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries' media unit Network18, about a multi-year partnership to source content, three sources told Reuters, in a move that would expand a relationship between the two sides.

Twitter on Thursday said it removed more than 170,000 accounts tied to a Beijing-backed influence operation that deceptively spread messages favorable to the Chinese government, including some about the coronavirus.

Three U.S. lawmakers asked Zoom Video Communications Inc to clarify its data-collection practices and relationship with the Chinese government after the firm said it had suspended user accounts to meet demands from Beijing.

China on Friday said Twitter should shut down accounts that smear China if it wants to fight disinformation, arguing that the country is the biggest victim of disinformation.