CATEGORIES

HIGH DEMAND FOR FLU SHOTS? EXPERTS HOPE TO AVOID ‘TWINDEMIC'

October is prime time for flu vaccinations, and the U.S. and Europe are gearing up for what experts hope is high demand as countries seek to avoid a “twindemic” with COVID-19.

WALMART LOOKS TO AIRPORTS AS INSPIRATION OF NEW STORE LAYOUT

Walmart is getting inspiration from the airport terminal as it revamps the layout and signage of its stores to speed up shopping and better cater to smartphone-armed customers.

US LAYOFFS REMAIN ELEVATED AS 837,000 SEEK JOBLESS AID

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits declined last week to a still-high 837,000, evidence that the economy is struggling to sustain a tentative recovery that began this summer.

FAA CHIEF TESTS CHANGES TO BOEING'S GROUNDED 737 MAX

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration, a former military and airline pilot, said Wednesday that he liked what he saw during a two-hour test flight of Boeing’s revamped 737 Max jetliner, a key step as the agency considers whether to let the plane return to flight after two deadly crashes.

JUSTICE DEPT. EXPECTED TO FILE ANTITRUST ACTION VS. GOOGLE

The Justice Department is expected to bring an antitrust action against Google in coming weeks, focusing on its dominance in online search and whether it was used to stifle competition and hurt consumers, a person familiar with the matter told.

FACEBOOK TIGHTENS POLITICAL AD BANS AS US ELECTION NEARS

With just over a month to go before Americans head en masse to the polls in an extraordinarily contentious election, Facebook is expanding restrictions on political advertising, including new bans on messages claiming widespread voter fraud.

AMAZON SEES BROAD AUDIENCE FOR ITS PALM RECOGNITION TECH

Amazon has introduced new palm recognition technology in a pair of Seattle stores and sees a broader potential audience in stadiums, offices and other gated or secured locations.

Finland Deploys Coronavirus Sniffing Dogs At Main Airport

Finland has deployed coronavirus-sniffing dogs at the Nordic country’s main international airport in a four-month trial of an alternative testing method that could become a cost-friendly and quick way to identify infected travelers.

BYU Students Make Glasses to Help Autistic Kid's Eye Contact

Heidi Kershaw was sitting in on a therapy session with her 7-year-old son, who has autism, when she noticed he kept getting distracted from the therapy exercises.

eBay Workers Who Sent Spiders to Couple to Plead Guilty

Four former eBay Inc. employees have agreed to plead guilty to their roles in a campaign of intimidation that included sending live spiders and cockroaches to the home of a Massachusetts couple who ran an online newsletter critical of the auction site, federal prosecutors said.

TESLA CEO ELON MUSK'S NEXT BIG BET RIDES ON BETTER BATTERIES

Tesla is working on new battery technology that CEO Elon Musk says will enable the company within the next three years to make sleeker, more affordable cars that can travel dramatically longer distances on a single charge.

SCIENTISTS COMBAT ANTISEMITISM WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

An international team of scientists said it had joined forces to combat the spread of anti-Semitism online with the help of artificial intelligence.

TIKTOK'S OWNER APPLIES FOR CHINESE LICENSE TO CLOSE US DEAL

TikTok’s owner said Thursday it has applied for a Chinese technology export license as it tries to complete a deal with Oracle and Walmart to keep the popular video app operating in the United States.

MICROSOFT WILL BUY VIDEO GAME MAKER ZENIMAX FOR $7.5 BILLION

Microsoft is buying the company behind popular video games The Elder Scrolls, Doom and Fallout.

NEW MEXICO UTILITY, LAB PARTNER TO MAKE GRID MORE RESILIENT

New Mexico’s largest electric utility and one of the nation’s premiere federal research laboratories will team up on a series of projects aimed at making the electric grid more resilient as the state prepares to add more renewable energy to the mix, officials said.

FACEBOOK OVERSIGHT BOARD TO START OPERATING IN OCTOBER

Facebook’s long-awaited oversight board that will act as a referee on whether specific content is allowed on the tech giant’s platforms is set to launch in October.

AMERICANS LOAD UP ON CANDY, TRICK OR TREAT - OR NOT

Americans may not know if trick or treating will happen this year because of the pandemic, but they’re buying a lot of Halloween candy while they wait to find out.

WHEN CAN I SHRED THIS CHECK? ANSWERS TO ONLINE BANKING FAQ

As the COVID-19 pandemic leads banking customers to lean into online technology to manage their money, those trying online banking for the first time may find themselves with questions about how to handle things previously done in person or with paper documents.

WHAT ARE THE RULES ON MASKS IN SCHOOLS?

What are the rules on masks in schools?

US GOVT: UPCOMING WECHAT ‘BAN' WON'T TARGET ITS USERS

A looming U.S. ban on the Chinese app WeChat won’t target people who use the app to communicate, according to a government court filing Wednesday.

SONY'S NEW $500 PLAYSTATION 5 WILL LAUNCH NOV. 12

Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 5 video game console will cost $500 and launch Nov. 12, the company said Wednesday, setting up a holiday battle with Microsoft’s Xbox Series X over whose new console will turn up under more trees this year.

Q&A: T-MOBILE PUSHES INTERNET FOR VIRTUAL SCHOOL

T-Mobile is pushing to offer internet service to schools that are doing online learning with a program aimed at low-income students who don’t have access. In the U.S., millions of students don’t have high-speed internet or computers at home — a difficult enough situation when it was just about trying to get homework done, but a much bigger problem when many school districts have moved part or all of the school day online during the coronavirus pandemic.

NVIDIA TO BUY UK'S ARM, SPARKING FEARS OF CHIP DOMINANCE

U.S. graphics chip maker Nvidia said it plans to buy U.K.-based Arm Holdings in a deal worth up to $40 billion, in a move that would create a global powerhouse in the industry.

EUROPE TESTS GATEWAY FOR TRACING APPS TO WORK ACROSS BORDERS

Six European Union countries and the bloc’s executive Commission have begun testing a virtual “gateway” to ensure national coronavirus tracing apps can work across borders.

GOOGLE RECEIVES $25M TAX BREAK FROM NEVADA TO BUILD FACILITY

Google will receive more than $25 million in tax breaks after pledging an additional $600 million for a new data center in southern Nevada, state officials said.

AUSTRALIA TO AMEND LAW MAKING FACEBOOK, GOOGLE PAY FOR NEWS

The author of proposed Australian laws to make Facebook and Google pay for journalism said Thursday his draft legislation will be altered to allay some of the digital giants’ concerns, but remain fundamentally unchanged.

AI ROBOTS SERVE RESTAURANT CUSTOMERS IN SOUTH KOREA

A burger shop in the South Korean capital is a bit different from typical fast food restaurants: Its key staff are robots.

American Airlines Will Drop Flights to 15 Cities in October

American Airlines will drop flights to 15 smaller U.S. cities in October when a federal requirement to serve those communities ends.

SAMSUNG WINS $6.6 BILLION CONTRACT FROM VERIZON TO CREATE 5G

Samsung Electronics Co. will develop 5G network infrastructure for Verizon Communications under a $6.65 billion deal announced this week.

CHINA'S FIRST REUSABLE SPACECRAFT LANDS AFTER 2-DAY FLIGHT

China’s first reusable spacecraft landed last Sunday after two days in orbit, a possible step toward lower-cost space flight, the government announced.