By Julia Fioretti BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Facebook said on Monday it would appeal a court ruling ordering it to stop tracking the online activities of non-Facebook users in Belgium who visit Facebook pages, or face a 250,000 euro ($269,000) daily fine.
Read moreBy Clare Baldwin HONG KONG (Reuters) – U.S.-based hotel chain Marriott International Inc and Alibaba Group’s online travel booking platform announced a tie-up on Monday, joining a flurry of rivals expanding their presence in China to cater to the country’s growing upper-middle class. China’s economy is forecast to slow to roughly 6.5 percent growth in coming years, but companies such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd promise direct access to the country’s middle class and what Marriott Asia Pacific head Craig Smith is calling a “land grab” for Chinese travellers.
Read moreThe number of videos viewed each day on Snapchat has tripled since May to 6 billion as the messaging app closes the gap with social media giant Facebook Inc, according to a report in the Financial Times that cites people close to the company. The Financial Times said that Snapchat confirmed the 6 billion figure but had declined to comment further.
Read moreBy Erin McPike and Alice Popovici NEW YORK (Reuters) – Candidate Donald Trump on Saturday satirized his imaginary presidency with a Washington Monument covered in gold mirrors and policy agenda made of magic in his turn as host of comedy show “Saturday Night Live.” The Republican front runner steered clear of making fun of an immigration plan that has angered Latinos but the show's writers did make sure he was called a “racist” during his opening monologue. Actor Larry David stood to the side of the stage and yelled “racist” as Trump spoke, saying he heard he would make $5,000 for doing so — a reference to one group's offer to anyone who yelled that at Trump during the live NBC show.
Read more(Reuters) – Social media lit up on Saturday night with reports of streaking lights across the skies from California to Arizona, but the phenomenon turned out to be a Navy missile test flight launched off the southern California coast, the Pentagon said.
Read moreBy Joseph Menn SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The U.S.
Read moreBy Heather Somerville SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Mobile payments company Square Inc set a price range on Friday for its highly anticipated initial public offering that values the company at up to $4.2 billion, a 30 percent discount to its valuation at its last fundraising round. San Francisco-based Square, which is headed by Twitter Inc Chief Executive Jack Dorsey, is one of the most prominent “unicorns,” or private companies valued at more than $1 billion, to make a public debut this year
Read moreIt is also a vote of confidence in China's economy by Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma, who has said investors should not overreact to his country's slowing growth. Youku Tudou's American Depositary Shares rose 10 percent to $26.80 in premarket trading on Friday, below Alibaba's offer of $27.60 per ADS. Alibaba held 18.3 percent of Youku Tudou as of Oct
Read moreBy Deborah M. Todd SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – YouTube announced two new features Thursday for its Android app that expand the video site's use of virtual reality, giving the new technology its biggest platform yet. The app now supports VR video – a format that gives viewers what the company says are more realistic 360-degree perspectives of films.
Read moreBy Euan Rocha TORONTO (Reuters) – BlackBerry Ltd launched its first Android-based device on Friday, with the future of the company's hardware business riding on a slick smartphone called Priv that boasts an impressive array of features and a hefty price tag. The company is betting the Priv's large curved screen, full array of Android apps from the Google Play store and blend of productivity and security features will help it rebuild its share of the smartphone market, which has slid to under one percent. With hacking and data theft issues becoming a bigger concern these days, BlackBerry expects keen interest in its pre-loaded DTEK feature that alerts users every time any app attempts to access data, or turn on the phone's microphone or camera
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