Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy drew a wave of mocking comments about his judicial woes when he launched a rare question-and-answer session on Twitter on Friday. As soon as the Q&A session was announced, dozens took to Twitter to question him on issues such as his decision to rename the conservative party “The Republicans” and the financing of his political campaigns
Read moreBy Julia Fioretti BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belgium's privacy watchdog accused Facebook on Friday of trampling on European privacy laws by tracking people online without their consent and dodging questions from national regulators. The Privacy Protection Commission (CPVP/CBPL), which is working with German, Dutch, French and Spanish counterparts, launched the blistering attack after trying to find out more about the U.S. social media giant's practices
Read moreIn a rare show of everyman charm from one of China's most elite politicians, Premier Li Keqiang appeared in a grinning selfie with visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. Modi, who is visiting China this week to boost economic ties and discuss a persistent border dispute, is known for being at ease with social media, including a large follower base on Twitter.
Read more(Reuters) – Internet radio service Pandora Media Inc said it will appeal a rate court ruling that could force the company to pay higher royalties to Broadcast Music Inc (BMI) for music licenses. BMI said on Thursday the New York Rate Court ruled in its favor and agreed that the royalty rate of 2.5 percent of revenue was “reasonable, and indeed at the low end of the range of fees of recent licenses.” Pandora said in an emailed statement the ruling could increase its content costs as a percentage of revenue by 80 basis points. The latest court decision comes close on the heels of a court ruling in favor of Pandora last week, rejecting an effort by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) to charge Pandora more to license its music from 2013 to 2015.
Read more(Reuters) – Video streaming company Netflix Inc is in talks with Jack Ma-backed Wasu Media Holding Co and other potential partners to enter China's booming online video market, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Netflix is seeking a partner that has licenses for content on all devices, including mobile phones, computers and set-top boxes, the report said.
Read more(Reuters) – Antivirus and security software maker Symantec Corp’s quarterly profit and revenue missed Wall Street estimates, hurt by a strong dollar and lower demand for its consumer security products.
Read moreCITIC Securities Co Ltd, China’s biggest brokerage, will partner with boutique investment bank China Renaissance to provide M&A, restructuring and initial public offering-related services for Internet companies. Well-connected local firms like China Renaissance are seeing a boom as entrepreneur-driven private businesses, particularly in the technology sector, overtake state-owned companies to drive investment banking revenues in China.
Read moreChina will accelerate development of its high-speed broadband networks to raise Internet speeds and cut prices, long bugbears in a country where many people still have no access to the web. Telecoms firms should make rapid moves to cut prices and increase urban broadband speeds by around 40 percent, according to a statement issued late on Wednesday by China's State Council, the country's cabinet. China's investment in broadband could benefit global network equipment makers such as Ericsson and Nokia Oyj's Alcatel-Lucent, as well as home-grown players like Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] and ZTE Corp.
Read moreBy Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Clara Ferreira-Marques BENGALURU, India (Reuters) – After ping pong tables, motivational posters and casual dress codes, India's tech start-ups are following Silicon Valley's lead and embracing the “fail fast” culture credited with fuelling creativity and success in the United States.
Read moreBy Yasmeen Abutaleb NEW YORK (Reuters) – Facebook raised wages for its contract workers, such as cafeteria staff and janitors, to a minimum of $15 per hour amid rising tension over the wage gap between the technology sector's elite and the lower-paid workers. Contractors will also receive a minimum of 15 days of paid vacation days and a $4,000 new child benefit for parents who do not receive parental leave, Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said in a Wednesday post on Facebook
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