Questions rage on social media over death of black woman in Texas jail

The death of Sandra Bland on July 13 in a Waller County jail northwest of Houston comes amid a national outcry over police violence toward minorities, sparked by high-profile killings of unarmed black men over the past year. The Houston Chronicle newspaper reported that several dozen people gathered at the jail in protest on Friday, while others questioned her death on social media and left instructions to friends, family and the media should they die after an arrest. Some also took issue with Sheriff Glenn Smith, who the Chronicle reported was fired as police chief of Hempstead, Texas, in 2008 after allegations arose of police misconduct toward African-Americans there.

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Google gains billions in value as YouTube drives ad growth

Google's class A shares chalked up their largest single-day percentage change in more than seven years on Friday. The rise in Google's market value was more than the total market capitalization of Caterpillar Inc , the world's biggest construction equipment maker

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Symphony’s Wall Street messaging system aims to widen reach

By Lauren Tara LaCapra NEW YORK (Reuters) – Symphony Communication Services LLC, a Wall Street-backed messaging and information startup, is about to start offering its product more widely. The company, which has more than 30,000 users in a “beta” version of its product, will roll out a new interface and iPhone application for them on Monday, Chief Executive David Gurle told Reuters in a recent interview.

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E-commerce website Etsy shares soar after Google mention

Speaking to analysts after its second-quarter report late on Thursday, Google Chief Business Officer Omid Kordestani pointed to Brooklyn-based Etsy as a good example of web companies winning more business due to Google's recent move to index information and pages within third-party apps. “Developers like Etsy are already seeing a boost in traffic as a result of deep linking,” Kordestani said. The jump in Etsy's shares pressured short sellers who recently increased bets against the company, which has grown from selling just wooden goods to include other crafts, vintage goods and recently, mass manufactured products

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