Boufféré / AFP Electronic spies come in all shapes and sizes, but none is as funny looking as an oyster impersonator called the Flex Spy now infiltrating the waters off western France. Looking for all the world like the bivalves it is protecting, the plastic imposter is fitted with a circuit board that allows it to snitch on thieves. …

  BEIJING / AP Chinese authorities are clamping down on streaming video over social media amid a proliferation of online-only television content and live-streaming. The State Administration for Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television is requiring social media platforms like WeChat and Weibo to obtain licenses to broadcast video or audio, while also demanding that content distributed over social media …

  Bloomberg Australian real estate loans are bucking a slump in the syndicated lending market and have nearly quadrupled in 2016 from last year, buoyed by continuing demand for residential and commercial assets. Asian banks are taking notice. Fifteen syndicated loan deals for constructions, land development and property acquisitions worth $3.37 billion were signed so far this year, the highest …