Iran arrests cartoonist as crackdown on free expression goes on

Iranian authorities have arrested a cartoonist and sent him to prison to complete a suspended jail sentence, his lawyer said on Tuesday, joining a growing list of journalists, artists and activists detained on security charges. Hadi Heidari, a cartoonist at the Shahrvand newspaper, was arrested on Monday and sent to Tehran’s Evin prison, his lawyer told Reuters in a telephone interview from Tehran. The authorities had a different interpretation of his cartoons than he had,” the lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, said.

Read more

Britain to develop offensive cyber capability, Osborne says

CHELTENHAM, England (Reuters) – British spies are developing an offensive cyber capability to fight Islamist militants, hackers, criminals and hostile powers who threaten British interests, Chancellor George Osborne said on Tuesday. “We need to establish deterrents in cyber space. We need to not just defend ourselves against attacks but rather to dissuade people and states from targeting us in the first place,” Osborne said

Read more

Sony to pay up to $8 million in ‘Interview’ hacking lawsuit

Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc has agreed to pay up to $8 million to resolve a lawsuit by employees who claimed their personal data was stolen in a 2014 hacking tied to the studio's release of a comedy set in North Korea, “The Interview.” The settlement with the Sony Corp unit and current and former employees was disclosed in papers filed on Monday in federal court in Los Angeles. Under the deal, Sony will pay up to $2.5 million, or $10,000 per person, to reimburse employees for identity theft losses and up to $2 million, or $1,000 per person, to reimburse them for protective measures they took after the cyber attack. Sony has also agreed to pay up to $3.49 million to cover legal fees and costs, according to court papers.

Read more

Alibaba lowers second-quarter gross merchandise volume estimates

(Reuters) – Alibaba Group Holding Ltd said on Tuesday it expected second-quarter gross merchandise volume (GMV) to be lower than its initial estimates due to weaker consumer spending in China. Alibaba said it now expects GMV to be lower in mid-single digits on a percentage basis from its earlier estimates.

Read more

EU strikes data-sharing deal with U.S. for security, terrorism cases

The European Union has struck a deal with the United States on protecting personal data shared for law enforcement purposes in criminal and terrorism investigations, the bloc's justice chief said on Tuesday. The so-called “umbrella agreement”, following four years of talks between both sides, would protect personal data exchanged between police and judicial authorities and also between companies and law enforcement authorities. European Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said the data sharing agreement was a key step to strengthening Europeans' right to privacy.

Read more

Uber to enter 100 more Chinese cities in next 12 months: CEO

U.S. ride-hailing service Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] will enter 100 more Chinese cities over the next year, doubling a previous goal set just three months ago, Chief Executive Travis Kalanick said on Tuesday. Uber's China unit currently operates in almost 20 cities, Kalanick said at an event in Beijing held by Uber investor Baidu Inc .

Read more