News: Business/Economy

Latest News

AI discovers antibiotic that kills even highly resistant bacteria
AI discovers antibiotic that kills even highly resistant bacteria

The use of AI to discover medicine appears to be paying off. MIT scientists have revealed that their AI discovered an antibiotic compound, halicin (named after 2001's HAL 9000), that can not only kill many forms of resistant bacteria but do so in a novel way. Where many antibiotics are slight spins

Netflix
Netflix's first 'Transformers' teaser reveals a hopeless war

Netflix has posted the first teaser trailer for its Transformers animated series, and it's now clear just how the service will take on the robots' origins. The clip for the first part of the War For Cybertron trilogy, Siege, portrays the Autobots fighting a seemingly hopeless war to prevent

Alphabet
Alphabet's Loon, telecoms unite to boost high-altitude internet

Alphabet's Loon just got a big boost from telecoms in its bid to provide high-altitude internet to the world. The company has partnered with several industry giants to form the HAPS Alliance, a group devoted to promoting the use of stratospheric vehicles for internet access. Most of the allies

Google
Google's new terms of service will (hopefully) be easier to read

Terms of service still tend to read like legal alphabet soup, but Google thinks it can do better. It's notifying users of a TOS change on March 31st that, among other things, should remove some of the mystery. The internet giant said its new terms are still written in legalese, but that the company

Spin Master
Spin Master's new NinjaBots are cute little killers

Do you remember the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon from the '80s? Shredder's minions were all featureless humanoid robots, which our heroes could could slice and dice without guilt. At this year's Toy Fair, Spin Master's new product answers the question: What if the ninjas were

Ford hopes you
Ford hopes you'll trade some privacy for discounted car insurance

Ford thinks it has a way to make car insurance more appealing: taking advantage of the data available from connected cars. It's teaming up with Nationwide to introduce its own take on usage-based insurance. If you have one of several 2020 Ford or Lincoln models (like the Mustang you see above),

Startups Weekly: What the E-Trade deal says about Robinhood
Startups Weekly: What the E-Trade deal says about Robinhood

How well do Robinhood's financials stack up against incumbent online brokerages? While we wait for the seven-year-old company's long-planned IPO, Alex Wilhelm examined Morgan Stanley's big $13 billion purchase of E-Trade for fresh data comparison points. Robinhood has 10 million accounts

Bethesda games leave GeForce Now streaming service
Bethesda games leave GeForce Now streaming service

Most Bethesda titles will no longer be part of NVIDIA's GeForce Now game streaming service. In a post on the NVIDIA forum, a staff member has announced that the platform has already started removing Bethesda Softworks titles from its library. They include major titles like Skyrim, several Fallout

Original Content podcast: Netflix
Original Content podcast: Netflix's 'Locke & Key' offers spooky delights

Adapted from a comic book series written by Joe Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez, the show tells the story of the Locke family after they move into the mysterious Keyhouse, where they soon discover hidden keys that can be used for a variety of magical purposes. With its emphasis on adolescent

Samsung temporarily shuts down phone factory following coronavirus case
Samsung temporarily shuts down phone factory following coronavirus case

Samsung's coronavirus problems extend beyond people steering clear of phone stores. The company has closed a phone factory in Gumi, South Korea until February 24th after confirming that a factory worker was infected with COVID-19. The company told the worker's associates to self-quarantine

Hitting the Books: A brief history of industrial espionage and corn
Hitting the Books: A brief history of industrial espionage and corn

Welcome to Hitting the Books. With less than one in five Americans reading just for fun these days, we've done the hard work for you by scouring the internet for the most interesting, thought provoking books on science and technology we can find and delivering an easily digestible nugget of their

Avoid these 4 traps when claiming Social Security
Avoid these 4 traps when claiming Social Security

Millions of Americans plan to apply for Social Security or disability benefits, but there are a few things that could go wrong when applying.

'Minecraft Earth' gets a bit more physical thanks to new NFC-enabled minis

When the mobile-based Minecraft Earth was announced last year, it immediately drew comparisons to Pokémon Go because of its use of augmented reality and location-based activities. But it was very different (as senior editor Jess Conditt will attest), since it didn't require you to actually

The Morning After: Don
The Morning After: Don't buy a Galaxy Z Flip

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.Last week Motorola's Razr made its big comeback, then there was a rotary cellphone DIY kit, and this week we learned that the old Tiger Electronics handheld games are returning in 2020. I haven't even mentioned the Friends reunion on HBO Max. The only things

Buffett Spends Record $2.2 Billion Buying Berkshire Shares

(Bloomberg) -- Warren Buffett kicked his stock-buyback program into high gear, spending $2.2 billion on repurchases in the last three months of 2019, the most ever in a single quarter -- and he's looking to buy even more.Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which loosened its repurchase policy almost two years ago after being stymied on the dealmaking front, has since taken a cautious approach to buybacks, acquiring only $6.3 billion of stock. In the fourth quarter, Buffett bought shares every month, and has no plans to slow down, if the price is right."Shareholders having at least $20 million in value of A or B shares and an inclination to sell shares to Berkshire may wish to have their...

Chevron
Chevron's Future Growth Prospects Dwindle With Reserves Decline

(Bloomberg) -- Chevron Corp.'s future growth prospects may be dimming after the oil explorer pumped more crude than it discovered or bought last year, eroding its portfolio of untapped fields.New finds, acquisitions and expansions of existing oil and natural gas holdings were equivalent to just 44% of the company's 2019 production, according to a regulatory filing on Friday. That was Chevron's poorest performance in that important metric since 2010.The measure, known as the reserves-replacement ratio, is key for investors because it helps them gauge whether an oil driller is doing enough to sustain future production that underpins everything from dividends to buybacks to acquisitions.For...

Twitter suspends 70 accounts posting identical pro-Bloomberg content
Twitter suspends 70 accounts posting identical pro-Bloomberg content

Mike Bloomberg's presidential campaign has been much shorter than his competitors and, so far, much louder. With a huge budget, it's paid for posts by social media influencers as well as standard advertisements. However, the LA Times reports that on Friday, Twitter suspended some 70-odd accounts

Google fully explains why its apps aren
Google fully explains why its apps aren't on new Huawei phones

Since last spring, the government's entity list ban against Huawei (and ZTE) has largely prevented US companies from working with them. Despite legal wrangling and trade negotiations between the two countries the ban is still in place, and in the case of Google, it means that while there are still

WSJ: Comcast
WSJ: Comcast's NBCUniversal is in advanced talks to acquire Vudu

Comcast-owned media company NBCUniversal is in "advanced talks" to acquire Vudu from Walmart, according to The Wall Street Journal. We're just a couple of months away from the launch of NBCUniversal's new streaming platform called Peacock, so the company's interest in another streaming

Vinyl cover maker Slickwraps coughs up customer info in a data breach
Vinyl cover maker Slickwraps coughs up customer info in a data breach

If you have an account with Slickwraps, you'll want to change your password as soon as possible. The company, one of the more popular manufacturers of vinyl skins for phones, computers, tablets and game consoles, disclosed today that its website was hacked.

Sanders Suggests Report that Russia Is Boosting Campaign Was Politically Motivated
Sanders Suggests Report that Russia Is Boosting Campaign Was Politically Motivated

Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) suggested to reporters Friday that a report by the Washington Post that Russia is attempting to boost his campaign was politically motivated.The Post story, which broke Friday afternoon, said that Sanders had been briefed by U.S. officials on apparent Russian efforts to help his campaign, but did not say when the briefing took place. Questioned by reporters later Friday, Sanders said it happened "about a month ago." When asked what he thought of the timing of the Post's story, he said "I'll let you guess how, one day before the Nevada caucus," and cast sarcastic aspersions on the Post.> Here's the video: pic.twitter.com/JpOljo2PIE> > -- Abby D....

'Friends' cast is locked in for a reunion special to launch HBO Max

Now that AT&T spent more than $400 million pulling Friends from Netflix to serve as one of the pillars for its HBO Max streaming service, the WarnerMedia company has also shelled out to get the original cast back together for a reunion special. Negotiations over the special have been rumored for

Investors in LatAm get bitten by the hotel investment bug as Ayenda raises $8.7 million
Investors in LatAm get bitten by the hotel investment bug as Ayenda raises $8.7 million

Some of Latin America's leading venture capital investors are now backing hotel chains. In fact, Ayenda, the largest hotel chain in Colombia, has raised $8.7 million in a new round of funding, according to the company. Led by Kaszek Ventures, the round will support the continued expansion of Ayenda

Greyhound to stop allowing immigration checks on buses
Greyhound to stop allowing immigration checks on buses

Greyhound, the nation's largest bus company, said Friday it will stop allowing Border Patrol agents without a warrant to board its buses to conduct routine immigration checks. The company's announcement came one week after The Associated Press reported on a leaked Border Patrol memo confirming

SpaceX said to be seeking around $250 million in funding, boosting valuation to roughly $36 billion
SpaceX said to be seeking around $250 million in funding, boosting valuation to roughly $36 billion

SpaceX is looking to raise around $250 million in new funding according to a new report from CNBC's Michael Sheetz. The additional cash would bring SpaceX's total valuation to around $36 billion, according to CNBC's sources -- an increase of more than $2.5 billion versus its most recently

Hot Wheels brings its NFC-enabled stat-tracker to even more toys this year
Hot Wheels brings its NFC-enabled stat-tracker to even more toys this year

For stats-obsessed kids, last year's release of Hot Wheels ID was a godsend. The NFC-based system let you scan your cars into the app to keep tabs on how fast and how far the cars in your collection had traveled. And it definitely solved the problem of figuring out who won a race. But it wasn'

Google search is showing invitations to private WhatsApp groups
Google search is showing invitations to private WhatsApp groups

Your private WhatsApp group might not be as private as you'd like. DW journalist Jordan Wildon has noticed that Google is indexing at least some WhatsApp group invitations in its search, making it possible to slip into groups that owners might not want to be public. While many of these are fairly

Trump
Trump's Election Day YouTube takeover plan feels very different in 2020

According to a report from Bloomberg, the Trump campaign called dibs on some of the most prized ad space online in the days leading up to the 2020 U.S. election. Starting in early November and continuing onto Election Day itself, the campaign will reportedly command YouTube's masthead, the space

Analytics firm exposed data for 120 million households
Analytics firm exposed data for 120 million households

Exposed databases are all too common, but this one may be more serious than most. Researchers at UpGuard discovered that the Australian market analysis firm Tetrad left data for 120 million households exposed in Amazon S3 storage. It appeared to be a blend of data from providers like Experian Mosaic

Gold
Gold's 'Cold Blooded' Gain Shows Virus-Induced Rush Into Havens

(Bloomberg) -- Investors are rushing to the safety of gold amid a selloff in U.S. stocks on mounting concerns the coronavirus outbreak will derail global growth.Gold jumped as much as 2%, extending its climb to a seven-year high, as the S&P 500 Index headed for its first weekly loss since January. In a sign that the virus is starting to dent the world's largest economy, business activity in the U.S. shrank in February for the first time since 2013 with the pandemic disrupting supply chains."The persistent, cold-blooded and measured shift in gold higher, despite the U.S. dollar, is telling," Nicky Shiels, a metals strategist at Bank of Nova Scotia, said in emailed message. "The breakout is...

The Hot Wheels RC Cybertruck is a mini Tesla for $400
The Hot Wheels RC Cybertruck is a mini Tesla for $400

If you're feeling pretty hype about the Tesla Cybertruck but don't have $39,900 to spend on one, maybe Hot Wheels' newest RC vehicle is more your thing. Sure, it's only 1/10 the size and made out of plastic, but here it only takes $400 to live out your Tesla dreams.

Afghanistan Could End Up in a Civil War. Time For U.S. Forces to Leave.
Afghanistan Could End Up in a Civil War. Time For U.S. Forces to Leave.

Three separate political groups in Kabul are threatening to form a government of their own in opposition to current President Ashraf Ghani-and against each other. Before the political situation in Kabul completely breaks down and American troops get caught in a multi-sided civil war-which perversely might not even include the Taliban-we must quickly and methodically withdraw our troops.

The first
The first 'Apex Legends' map is returning for a weekend-long event

If it's been a while since you played Apex Legends, you may want to take some time to return to the game this weekend. Starting today through to February 24th, Respawn Entertainment is bringing back Kings Canyon, Apex's original map, as part of a separate playlist. What's more, the Kings

Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna buried in unmarked grave
Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna buried in unmarked grave

"We ask that the public respect the privacy of the family," a cemetery worker said.

Dear Sophie: I need the latest details on the new H-1B registration process
Dear Sophie: I need the latest details on the new H-1B registration process

Today we bring you another edition of "Dear Sophie," an advice column that answers readers' questions about immigration for tech. "Your questions are vital to the spread of knowledge that allows people all over the world to rise above borders and pursue their dreams," says Sophie Alcorn, Silicon Valley

iHeart will turn podcasts into books starting with
iHeart will turn podcasts into books starting with 'Stuff You Should know'

Plenty of people listen to podcasts on their commute and during work, but iHeartMedia is hoping they can squeeze even more podcast consumption into their days -- possibly before they nod off. The company partnered with Flatiron Books to create a series of titles based on popular podcasts. The first iHeart

Minuscule ID chips could help spot even the smallest counterfeits
Minuscule ID chips could help spot even the smallest counterfeits

There are times when something is simply too small to tag it with existing technology, and that can be a serious problem when you're trying to fight counterfeits. MIT researchers might have a way to tag even the tiniest devices, though. They've created a very small (0.002 square inches) ID

Police: Couple forced boys off road, angered by Trump flags
Police: Couple forced boys off road, angered by Trump flags

A northwestern Indiana couple allegedly used a car to force two teenage boys off a road, angered that the twin brothers were riding bicycles adorned with flags supporting President Donald Trump, before ripping one of the sibling's flag from his bike, police said Friday. Hobart police said Snapchat videos helped officers secure charges against Kyren Gregory Perry-Jones, 23, and Cailyn Marie Smith, 18, in connection with a July 22 incident. Police Capt. James Gonzales said the Hobart couple are accused of driving in their car, running the 14-year-old boys off of the road, and making threats toward them.

Facebook plans to clarify when pro-Bloomberg posts come from staffers
Facebook plans to clarify when pro-Bloomberg posts come from staffers

Thanks to Mike Bloomberg, Facebook wants to make it more obvious when paid campaign staffers share posts promoting candidates, CNBC reports. This is a direct response to Bloomberg paying organizers to post on social media, but it could apply to any campaign staffers sharing political views on Facebook

Pre-order the Galaxy S20 from Amazon and get free Galaxy Buds+
Pre-order the Galaxy S20 from Amazon and get free Galaxy Buds+

Now that Samsung has officially detailed the new Galaxy S20 series and the phones are two weeks away from hitting store shelves, retailers like Amazon are trying to entice consumers to buy the devices ahead of time with pre-order promotions. As has become something of an annual tradition for Samsung,

Flying Car Mode and other secrets of the 2020 Corvette Stingray
Flying Car Mode and other secrets of the 2020 Corvette Stingray

Evading helicopters and channeling the spirit of the godfather of the Corvette were business as usual for engineers developing the super sports car.

Twitch built a tool to help new players understand
Twitch built a tool to help new players understand 'League of Legends'

Jumping into a game like League of Legends is not for the faint of heart. Between a notoriously toxic community and the almost endless complexity of the game itself, there are a lot of hurdles new players have to conquer before they can start enjoying the MOBA. But Twitch hopes it can help solve at least

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip review: Admire it, don
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip review: Admire it, don't buy it

To date, every foldable you could buy has been the subject of at least some drama. Royole's FlexPai felt barely finished. The original Galaxy Fold wasn't much more than a prototype, with glaring design issues that were fixed in later production runs. Huawei's Mate X stole the show at last

Toronto rejects some of Sidewalk Labs
Toronto rejects some of Sidewalk Labs' smart neighborhood ideas

Sidewalk Labs will have to cede a little more ground on its vision for Quayside, a planned smart neighborhood in Toronto. The company, which is owned by Google-parent Alphabet, published a draft version of its Master Innovation and Development Plan (MIDP) last June. The technical document, which spans

DSP Concepts raises $14.5M for its Audio Weaver platform
DSP Concepts raises $14.5M for its Audio Weaver platform

DSP Concepts - a startup whose Audio Weaver software is used by companies as varied as Tesla, Porsche, GoPro and Braun Audio - is announcing that it has raised $14.5 million in Series B funding. The startup goal, as explained to me by CEO Chin Beckmann and CTO Paul Beckmann (yep, they're a husband-and-wife

Amazon is removing listings for products that claim to cure coronavirus
Amazon is removing listings for products that claim to cure coronavirus

Amazon is removing listings for any products that claim to prevent, treat or cure the coronavirus, CNBC reports. The company began notifying third-party merchants of the change this week, and it says it will consider reinstating flagged listings if sellers remove the "prohibited medical claims.&

Shopify joins Facebook
Shopify joins Facebook's cryptocurrency Libra Association

After eBay, Visa, Stripe, and other high-profile partners ditched the Facebook -backed cryptocurrency collective, Libra scored a win today with the addition of Shopify. The ecommerce platform will become a member of Libra Association, contributing at least $10 million and operating a node that processes

Tesla receives permission to continue working on its German Gigafactory
Tesla receives permission to continue working on its German Gigafactory

Work on Tesla's German Gigafactory is back on. The company received permission from the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg to continue clearing 91 hectares of forest in preparation for its fourth factory, where it plans to build batteries, powertrains and vehicles, starting with the

Ignore 737 and Coronavirus Concerns, and Stick With General Electric Stock
Ignore 737 and Coronavirus Concerns, and Stick With General Electric Stock

Once labeled as a struggling industrial conglomerate whose growth outlook was uncertain and which had too much debt, General Electric (NYSE:GE) has turned things around in a big way over the past six months. During that stretch, GE stock has risen about 45% as the company's new management has taken all the right steps to increase the certainty of its long-term growth outlook and reduce its debt load.Source: testing / Shutterstock.com To be sure, the shares have been choppy over the past few weeks, mostly because investors are concerned that the continued production delays of Boeing's (NYSE:BA) 737 MAX planes, as well as the coronavirus of China outbreak, will weigh on General Electric's...

Nio Stock Is a Coiled Spring
Nio Stock Is a Coiled Spring

Nio (NASDAQ:NIO) stock has a lot going for it so far this year. It finally saw a strong response to an earnings report and sports a bullish chart that has momentum traders salivating. Today we will analyze the ongoing recovery, with an emphasis on the increasingly constructive price action.Source: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com December's earnings announcement ahead of the New Year provided just the jolt needed to breathe new life into what was recently a stock on life support. Plunging from $10.64 to $1.19 in seven months is no small feat. It reflects just how rapidly the Street turned on the Shanghai-based automotive company known for its development of autonomous...

Top News: Economy

© Copyright Daily Magazine