Bloomberg Google is going ahead with delayed plans to expand its London offices, saying it will build a 10-story building on the site in a move that the UK government called a vote of confidence in the country’s post-Brexit future. The company, the largest unit of Alphabet Inc., said it would be able to house as many as 7,000 ...
Read More »Awash in gasoline, US refiners export fuel at record pace
Bloomberg The US has more gasoline than it knows what to do with. Exports have risen above imports for three consecutive weeks as recurring pipeline outages and higher production levels by refiners caused Gulf Coast inventories to grow. Typically a net importer of gasoline, the US has shipped a record amount of the motor fuel abroad and doesn’t show ...
Read More »EU security check for visitors
Brussels / AFP The EU unveiled plans on Wednesday to charge travellers five euros ($5.30) for security checks to get visa-free travel to Europe’s borderless Schengen area, and confirmed the fee would apply to post-Brexit Britain. The proposal is based on a US system and will allow EU countries to quickly cross check identity documents and other details from ...
Read More »Abu Dhabi stocks rally on bank merger speculation
Reuters Abu Dhabi bank shares surged on Wednesday because of renewed speculation that the government might merge more banks as part of an efficiency drive, while other regional markets rebounded, encouraged by strong global bourses and oil prices. The Abu Dhabi index jumped 2.6 percent, its largest single-day gain since June, but trading volume continued to decline from a ...
Read More »US, European stocks tumble, dollar gains
London / AFP Europe’s main stock markets extended their losses on Wednesday after recent volatile swings and US stocks turned lower after a week-long post-election rally while the dollar surged. “US stocks look set for a lower open with the future Donald Trump presidency still front and centre,†analyst Jasper Lawler, of CMC Markets, said in a note to ...
Read More »Nintendo to release iPhone Super Mario in December
Bloomberg Nintendo Co. will release Super Mario Run worldwide for Apple Inc.’s iPhone and iPad on December 15 in US time zones, a highly anticipated launch that has a high bar for success after this summer’s Pokemon Go phenomenon. The game, the first mobile edition starring one of Nintendo’s most iconic characters, will be free to download initially, and ...
Read More »BMW to expand ReachNow services
Los Angeles / AFP German automaker BMW announced in Los Angeles that it is expanding its ReachNow program with new mobile tools and adding a city location: New York’s trendy Brooklyn borough. BMW ReachNow, launched in Seattle, Washington state in April, is adding services to its initial offering, the chief executive of the new program Steve Banfield said at ...
Read More »WhatsApp suspends giving Facebook European user data
San Francisco / AFP WhatsApp has temporarily suspended giving parent company Facebook information about users in Europe for ad targeting, responding to concerns there over privacy, a source close to the matter. Conversations with officials in Europe over the past few months resulted in the social network deciding to only tapping into WhatsApp user data there for purposes such ...
Read More »An app that warns of dangers ahead on road
Bloomberg Drivers in San Francisco, Manhattan and Tel Aviv may soon have another safety tool at their disposal: a mobile app that alerts them to dangers ahead in the road. Nexar Ltd., an Israeli startup whose app records video from a smartphone’s camera to capture hard brakes and collisions, will turn its users into a vehicle-to-vehicle network to prevent ...
Read More »Twitter rolls out new tool to curb online abuse, bullying
Washington / AFP Twitter has begun rolling out a new weapon in the fight against harassment by “trolls†whose often anonymous vitriol can make the messaging service an unwelcoming place. The move comes as online social networks struggle to balance free speech with intimidation and aggression that make many fearful of speaking freely. “The amount of abuse, bullying, and ...
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