Technology News (Reuters)

U.S. regulators are open to making changes to close what some see as a loophole in a new rule aimed at curbing global chip sales to blacklisted Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei Technologies Ltd, two U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

Four Democratic lawmakers, led by Senator Amy Klobuchar, wrote to antitrust enforcers on Wednesday to warn that plans by Uber Technologies Inc, owner of Uber Eats, to buy rival online food delivery company Grubhub Inc would "raise serious competition issues" in many cities.

Authorities in 23 countries across five continents have sought access to contact tracing technology from Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google, the companies announced on Wednesday as they released the initial version of their system.

Apple and Google said they were continuing to talk to the British government about the technology used in its smartphone COVID-19 contact tracing app as the two companies released the initial version of their own system.

Authorities in 23 countries across five continents have sought access to contact tracing technology from Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google, the companies announced on Wednesday as they released the initial version of their system.

EU regulators are seeking feedback from users and digital service providers before drafting rules that could rein in Google, Facebook, Amazon, Uber and other tech companies, an EU document seen by Reuters showed.

Xiaomi Corp reported a 13.6% rise in first-quarter revenue on Wednesday, beating estimates, as the Chinese smartphone maker sold more phones and benefited from sales of its higher-priced 5G models.

HBO Max, the forthcoming streaming service from AT&T Inc-owned WarnerMedia, announced on Wednesday several new partners will carry its content, but it has not yet announced deals with Comcast Corp, Amazon.com Inc or Roku Inc.

Alphabet Inc's Google Cloud said on Wednesday it has secured a deal with the United States Department of Defense to help detect and respond to cyber threats.

SoftBank Group-backed Indian ride-hailing company Ola will cut 1,400 jobs, or about 35% of its workforce, as it navigates a strict coronavirus lockdown that has halted 95% of its business, company chief Bhavish Aggarwal told employees on Wednesday.

The regulation of big technology companies such as Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google has been a hot button issue ahead of the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3.

AT&T Inc said on Tuesday it was shutting its DirecTV subscription access to Venezuela due to U.S. sanctions, cutting off a key source of entertainment for millions of people stuck in their homes under a strict coronavirus quarantine.

German business software group SAP expects to stick to its dividend policy even as the coronavirus crisis weighs on its results, its finance chief said on Wednesday.

Xiaomi Corp reported a 13.6% rise in first-quarter revenue on Wednesday, beating estimates even as demand for its smartphones plunged amid the coronavirus pandemic that has also rattled supply chains in China.

The world's biggest credit data firm Experian Plc on Wednesday reported higher annual revenue as it benefited from greater demand for its analytics products in North and Latin American markets, sending shares to a more-than-10-week high.

SoftBank Group-backed Indian ride-hailing company Ola will cut 1,400 jobs, or about 35% of its workforce, as it tries to navigate the coronavirus crisis, its chief executive officer said in a note to employees.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd will invest 10 billion yuan ($1.41 billion) into an AI (artificial intelligence) and IoT (Internet of Things) system centered around its Tmall Genie smart speaker, the company announced on Wednesday.

China ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing said on Wednesday that it will start using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to verify if drivers in its Latin American markets wear masks and disinfect cars to keep rides safe amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Experian Plc, the world's biggest credit data company, said on Wednesday it expects COVID-19 restrictions to hurt its full-year performance as the pandemic wreaks havoc in its main markets, including North America.

Lenovo Group, the world's biggest maker of personal computers, reported a deep slump in fourth-quarter profit due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus crisis, although the result was far better than expectations.