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TESLA LAUNCHES IN THAILAND, VYING TO COMPETE WITH CHINA EVS

Tesla has launched sales in Thailand, offering its popular Model 3 and Model Y at prices aimed at competing with rivals like China's BYD.

CHINA EASES ANTI-COVID MEASURES FOLLOWING PROTESTS

China rolled back rules on isolating people with COVID-19 and dropped virus test requirements for some public places Wednesday in a dramatic change to a strategy that confined millions of people to their homes and sparked protests and demands for President Xi Jinping to resign.

MICROSOFT STRIKES 10-YEAR DEAL WITH NINTENDO ON CALL OF DUTY

Microsoft agreed this week to make the hit video game Call of Duty available on Nintendo for 10 years should its $69 billion purchase of game maker Activision Blizzard go through an apparent attempt to fend off objections from rival Sony.

MAN GOES TO TRIAL ON CHARGES HE RAN UNLICENSED BITCOIN BIZ

A New Hampshire man accused of running an unlicensed bitcoin exchange business catered to romance and imposter scammers who conned their victims into wiring him money that he shared as virtual currency with the criminals after taking his cut, a prosecutor alleged during opening statements in his trial Tuesday.

BIDEN VISITS ARIZONA COMPUTER CHIP SITE, HIGHLIGHTS JOBS

President Joe Biden on Tuesday visited the site for a new computer chip plant in Arizona, using it as a chance to emphasize how his policies are fostering job growth in what could be a challenge to the incoming Republican House majority.

US POLICE RARELY DEPLOY DEADLY ROBOTS TO CONFRONT SUSPECTS

The unabashedly liberal city of San Francisco became the unlikely proponent of weaponized police robots last week after supervisors approved limited use of the remote-controlled devices, addressing head-on an evolving technology that has become more widely available even if it is rarely deployed to confront suspects.

APPLE MUSIC OFFERS A CHANCE TO SING WITH YOUR FAVORITES

Apple Music wants to help you and your friends sing along to your favorite songs with a new feature it's rolling out just as people gather for end-of-year parties.

THE MIND BEHIND THE RUBIK'S CUBE CELEBRATES A LASTING PUZZLE

If you've ever had trouble solving a Rubik's Cube, a good piece of advice is to break it down into steps. It's worth a shot: That advice is from the man who invented it.

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CUBA'S INFORMAL MARKET FINDS NEW SPACE ON GROWING INTERNET

In the Telegram group chat, the messages roll in like waves.

UK WATERS DOWN ONLINE RESTRICTIONS AFTER FREE SPEECH OUTCRY

The British government abandoned a plan to force tech firms to remove internet content that is harmful but legal, after the proposal drew strong criticism from lawmakers and civil liberties groups.

4 REASONS FOR THRIFT STORE GIFTS THIS YEAR

Thrifting is hot, and Goodwill finds are cool again. But while we’re thrilled to find the perfect throwback tee for our own closet, gifting used goods still carries a stigma for some.

NETFLIX NIGHTS STILL COME WRAPPED IN RED-AND-WHITE ENVELOPES

Netflix’s trailblazing DVD-by-mail rental service has been relegated as a relic in the age of video streaming, but there is still a steady — albeit shrinking — audience of diehards like Amanda Konkle who are happily paying to receive those discs in the iconic red-and-white envelopes.

DRUG SLOWS ALZHEIMER'S BUT CAN IT MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE?

An experimental Alzheimer's drug modestly slowed the brain disease's inevitable worsening, researchers reported this week -- but it remains unclear how much difference that might make in people's lives.

'STRANGE WORLD' EXPLORES BIG THEMES IN BOLD COLORS

Is Searcher Clade the most millennial dad in all of animated moviedom? He has that telltale hipster beard. A sensitive voice sorta like Jake Gyllenhaal. And he feeds his kid avocado toast, with an egg on top.

MLB SELLS SHARE OF BAMTECH TO WALT DISNEY CO. FOR $900M

Major League Baseball has sold its remaining share of a streaming service technology company to the Walt Disney Co. for $900 million.

US FCC BANS SALES IMPORT OF CHINESE TECH FROM HUAWEI, ZTE

The U.S. is banning the sale of communications equipment made by Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE and restricting the use of some China-made video surveillance systems, citing an \"unacceptable risk\" to national security.

COMPETITORS CHIP AWAY AT TESLA'S US ELECTRIC VEHICLE SHARE

New electric vehicle models from multiple automakers are starting to chip away at Tesla's dominance of the U.S. EV market, according to national vehicle registration data.

TOYOTA RAV4 PRIME VS. HYUNDAI TUCSON PLUG-IN

Since its debut for the 2021 model year, the Toyota RAV4 Prime has served as a benchmark for what a small SUV with a plug-in hybrid powertrain can be. It's efficient, fast and nearly as practical as a regular RAV4. But now SUV shoppers have another choice to consider: the Hyundai Tucson PHEV. It too offers improved performance and efficiency over the standard gas-only Tucson.

BLOCKFI FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY, LATEST CRYPTO COMPANY TO FAIL

Cryptocurrency lender BlockFi filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the latest casualty of the collapse of crypto exchange FTX.

CENSUS BUREAU CHIEF DEFENDS NEW PRIVACY TOOL AGAINST CRITICS

The U.S. Census Bureau's chief is defending a new tool meant to protect the privacy of people participating in the statistical agency's questionnaires against calls to abandon it by prominent researchers who claim it jeopardizes the usefulness of numbers that are the foundation of the nation's data infrastructure.

CHINA LAUNCHES 3 ASTRONAUTS TO COMPLETE SPACE STATION

China launched a rocket Tuesday carrying three astronauts to complete construction of the country’s permanent orbiting space station, during which they will expand the facility to its maximum capacity of six crew aboard.

IN WHY ARE MAN UNITED AND LIVERPOOL SUDDENLY ON THE MARKET?

English soccer’s two most storied teams are suddenly in play.

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SOUTH DAKOTA GOV. NOEM BANS TIKTOK FROM STATE-OWNED DEVICES

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem issued an executive order banning state employees and contractors from accessing the video platform TikTok on state-owned devices, citing its ties to China.

STATES SETTLE WITH GOOGLE, IHEARTMEDIA OVER MISLEADING ADS

The Federal Trade Commission and a handful of states announced settlements with Google and iHeartMedia related to misleading radio advertisements about a Google cellphone.

VOLCANO KNOCKS MAUNA LOA CARBON MONITORING STATION OFFLINE

The eruption of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano has temporarily knocked off power to the world’s premier station that measures heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but officials say it won’t be a problem.

POWELL: FED TO KEEP RATES HIGHER FOR LONGER TO CUT INFLATION

The Federal Reserve will push rates higher than previously expected and keep them there for an extended period, Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday in remarks likely intended to underscore the Fed’s single-minded focus on combating stubborn inflation.

SAN FRANCISCO WILL ALLOW POLICE TO DEPLOY ROBOTS THAT KILL

Supervisors in San Francisco voted to give city police the ability to use potentially lethal, remote-controlled robots in emergency situations -- following an emotionally charged debate that reflected divisions on the politically liberal board over support for law enforcement.

GIVING TUESDAY RAISES $3.1B FOR CHARITIES IN TOUGH ECONOMY

GivingTuesday raised a record $3.1 billion in 24 hours for charitable causes in the U.S. earlier this week, as the event that started as a hashtag in 2012 celebrated its 10th anniversary and its status as a staple of fundraising for nonprofits, the group’s leader said Wednesday.