Airbnb faces setback as San Francisco may limit length of stays

San Francisco may become the second California city in a month to limit length of stays arranged by accommodation services like Airbnb, which matches people wishing to rent out all or part of their homes to temporary guests. A city committee late on Monday advanced a proposal that would limit hosts to renting accommodation to no more than 60 days a year, down from 90 currently. Airbnb has grown quickly and is valued at far more than $10 billion, with analysts assuming it can overcome any major regulatory backlash

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Flightradar24 finds not just planespotters flocking to its website

By Victoria Bryan and Peter Maushagen BERLIN/FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Within 40 minutes of Germanwings flight 4U9525 crashing in the Alps in March French accident investigators from the BEA authority were on the phone to plane tracking website Flightradar24. “BEA called us and we of course passed the information over to them right away,” the website operator's chief executive Fredrik Lindahl said

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Fitness studios keep clients on track with photos, social media

Boutique fitness studios are keeping track of clients' progress with methods ranging from videotaping their workouts to measuring their fat, to posting a friendly nudge on their Facebook pages. Gregory Chertok, a sports psychology consultant with the American College of Sports Medicine, said research has shown that even small amounts of social support can produce large and lasting gains in physical activity.

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Thailand worried by blast of anti-migrant vitriol on social media

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand expressed concern on Monday at a wave of anti-migrant vitriol on social media, which the government said underlined why it cannot accept any more of the asylum seekers who have been arriving by boat on its shores.

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Wal-Mart challenges Amazon with unlimited shipping service for $50 per year

Wal-Mart Stores Inc is planning to test a new unlimited online shipping service this summer for $50 per year, a move that may hurt Amazon's annual $99 Prime shipping service. Wal-Mart's service, which will be by invitation only for now, will offer selected products on the company's website to customers within three days or less, company spokesman Ravi Jariwala told Reuters

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