Technology News (Reuters)

Instacart said on Thursday it has brought forward the launch of its door-step grocery drop-off service in response to a surge in consumer demand amid rising fears of the coronavirus spreading in the United States.

Alphabet Inc's Google on Thursday joined Amazon.com Inc, Facebook Inc and Microsoft Corp in recommending employees in the Seattle area to work from home, after many were infected with the coronavirus in the region.

AT&T Inc has partnered with Alphabet Inc's Google Cloud to use 5G edge computing technologies to help clients improve speed and increase security by running applications closer to end users.

Vodafone and Telecom Italia (TIM) are set to secure conditional EU antitrust approval to create Europe's biggest mobile towers company, part of a strategy to roll out lucrative 5G services, sources said on Thursday.

EU antitrust regulators will give conditional approval to a plan by Vodafone and Telecom Italia (TIM) to create Italy's biggest mobile towers company, sources said on Thursday.

Amazon.com Inc and Facebook Inc on Thursday joined Microsoft Corp in recommending employees in the Seattle area to work from home after several people in the region were infected with the coronavirus.

France's top court has recognized the right of an Uber driver to be considered an employee, a ruling that could upend the U.S. firm's business model and potentially require it to pay more taxes and benefits such as paid holidays.

Researchers at one of China's top universities have designed a robot they say could help save lives on the frontline during the coronavirus outbreak.

Israeli startup Hailo, which develops artificial intelligence chips, said on Thursday it raised $60 million in a funding round, bringing its total financing to date to $88 million.

As South Korea's coronavirus cases leapt above 5,000 this week, mask-wearing workers at a logistics center run by e-commerce firm Coupang Corp raced to disinfect trucks and load thousands of boxes of microwavable rice, disposable diapers and kitchen towels.

Online voting at annual shareholder meetings (AGMs) has jumped since the coronavirus outbreak as investors shun large gatherings because of travel restrictions or fear of infection, Swiss tech firm Sherpany said.

India is planning to backstop its growing electronics sector by arranging to airlift components from China, three government officials said, as it tries to contain the fallout from the coronavirus crisis in China.

Finland's Nokia Oyj has entered into partnership with Intel to accelerate its so-far sluggish shift to 5G, the company said on Thursday, a day after announcing a similar deal with Marvell Technology .

Twitter and Facebook have suspended more than 80 accounts following a Reuters investigation that linked them to a network of news sites backed by the Indonesian army that publish pro-government propaganda about the restive region of Papua.

Facebook Inc on Thursday confirmed that a contractor at a Seattle office has been diagnosed with the coronavirus and the social media giant said it would close that location until March 9.

Apple Inc and Netflix Inc said they were pulling out of the South by Southwest music and tech festival to be held later this month, amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The former head of Uber Technologies Inc's self-driving technology unit, Anthony Levandowski, filed for bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, shortly after a court confirmed that he must pay $179 million to Google to end a legal battle over his split from the Alphabet Inc unit.

Apple Inc is pulling out of this month's South by Southwest music and tech festival amid the coronavirus outbreak, a company spokesman said on Wednesday.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley said on Wednesday he will introduce legislation banning federal employees from using social media app TikTok on their devices and accused the company of sharing data with the Chinese government.

Microsoft Corp on Wednesday joined the growing number of U.S. companies asking employees to work from home in order to limit exposure to the spreading coronavirus outbreak, as it responded to cases near its Seattle headquarters and in California.