MICROSOFT WEATHERS PANDEMIC, BEATS WALL STREET EXPECTATIONS

Microsoft said the coronavirus pandemic has increased demand for its flagship products, reporting quarterly earnings Wednesday that beat Wall Street expectations.

SLACK FILES ANTICOMPETITIVE COMPLAINT VS. MICROSOFT IN EU

Workplace chatting service Slack has filed a complaint in the European Union against Microsoft, accusing the software company of anti-competitive behavior.

VIRUS SURGE INTERRUPTS HOPES FOR A SWIFT ECONOMIC RECOVERY

The worsening COVID pandemic risks choking off the U.S. economy’s fragile recovery and turn what some investors hoped would be a sprint back to normal into a long hard slog.

DAIMLER LOST $2.2 BILLION IN Q2, SEES SIGNS OF RECOVERY

Daimler, the maker of Mercedes-Benz luxury cars and Freightliner trucks, lost 1.91 billion euros ($2.21 billion) in the second quarter as the coronavirus outbreak slashed sales of the company’s cars, vans, buses and trucks by about a third.

TESLA PICKS TEXAS SITE FOR SECOND US VEHICLE ASSEMBLY PLANT

Electric car maker Tesla Inc. has picked the Austin, Texas, area as the site for its largest auto assembly plant employing at least 5,000 workers.

AMERICAN, SOUTHWEST ADD TO US AIRLINE INDUSTRY'S 2Q LOSSES

Two major airlines reported huge second-quarter losses Thursday and warned that the recovery in air travel seen in April has stalled as coronavirus cases surge in the U.S.

WHY ARE COINS HARD TO FIND DURING THE PANDEMIC?

Why are coins hard to find during the pandemic?

A WORLD IN ISOLATION, A SURGE OF NEW USERS FOR TWITTER

The global pandemic and U.S. protests are forcing a pullback by advertisers on Twitter, but it’s also led to an unprecedented surge of users.

Tesla 2Q Deliveries Rse Over 1Q Despite Factory Shutdown

Tesla says it delivered more electric vehicles worldwide in the second quarter than it did in the first.

WHITE HOUSE-BACKED CAMPAIGN PUSHES ALTERNATE CAREER PATHS

Presidential adviser Ivanka Trump unveiled a White House-backed national ad campaign highlighting alternative ways to start a career, an initiative targeting students, mid-career workers and the millions of people who are now unemployed because of the coronavirus.

WALMART LATEST RETAILER TO REQUIRE CUSTOMERS TO WEAR MASKS

Walmart will require customers to wear face coverings at all of its namesake and Sam’s Club stores, making it the largest retailer to introduce such a policy that has otherwise proven difficult to enforce without state and federal requirements.

EU COURT CANCELS US DATA-SHARING PACT OVER SNOOPING CONCERNS

The European Union’s top court ruled Thursday that an agreement that allows thousands of companies — from tech giants to small financial firms — to transfer data to the United States is invalid because the American government can snoop on people’s data.

FACEBOOK'S SOFTWARE KIT TO BLAME FOR POPULAR APPS CRASHING

Last friday’s widespread crashes of popular apps running on the iPhone’s iOS operating system — including Tinder, Spotify and Pinterest — serve as a reminder that Facebook is still tracking you through your phone using sophisticated software, even if you’re not browsing the social network.

LOOK OUT, MARS: HERE WE COME WITH A FLEET OF SPACECRAFT

Mars is about to be invaded by planet Earth — big time.

SPACECRAFT SNAPS CLOSEST PICTURES OF SUN, ‘CAMPFIRES' ABOUND

A European and NASA spacecraft has snapped the closest pictures ever taken of the sun, revealing countless little “campfires” flaring everywhere.

EXPERTS SAY TWITTER BREACH TROUBLING, UNDERMINES TRUST

A breach in Twitter’s security that allowed hackers to break into the accounts of leaders and technology moguls is one of the worst attacks in recent years and may shake trust in a platform politicians and CEOs use to communicate with the public, experts said Thursday.

GAMES MAKER UBISOFT SHAKES UP STAFF AMID MISCONDUCT PROBE

French gaming giant Ubisoft is parting ways with its creative director and two other executives and promising zero tolerance for “toxic” staff behavior following an internal investigation of misconduct and media reports of sexual harassment and other workplace abuse.

CHINA BECOMES FIRST ECONOMY TO GROW SINCE VIRUS PANDEMIC

China became the first major economy to grow since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, recording an unexpectedly strong 3.2% expansion in the latest quarter after antivirus lockdowns were lifted and factories and stores reopened.

CAN A PREGNANT WOMAN SPREAD THE CORONAVIRUS TO HER FETUS?

Can a pregnant woman spread the coronavirus to her fetus?

Virus Visitors Bans Renew Interest In Nursing Home Cameras

Visitation bans at nursing homes have renewed interest in legislation that would allow families to put remote cameras inside the facilities to help see how loved ones are doing.

California Sues Cisco For Bias Based On Indian Caste System

California regulators have sued Cisco Systems, saying an engineer faced discrimination at the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters because he is a Dalit Indian.

A Pinch Where It Hurts: Can Facebook Weather The Ad Boycott?

This week, more than 500 companies officially kicked off an advertising boycott intended to pressure Facebook into taking a stronger stand against hate speech. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to meet with its organizers early next week.

WINDS OF CHANGE? COMPANY LOOKS AT WEATHER'S EFFECT ON BALL

The wind blowing out at Wrigley Field. The tricky breeze in San Francisco. The heat in Los Angeles.

UBER BUYS POSTMATES, UPS DELIVERY GAME IN $2.65 BILLION DEAL

Uber has widened its reach in the fiercely competitive delivery market by acquiring Postmates in a $2.65 billion all-stock deal, the company said.

SCHOOLS OR BARS? OPENING CLASSROOMS MAY MEAN HARD CHOICES

President Donald Trump insists that schools reopen this fall. Many parents, educators, doctors and economists want the same thing. But getting children back to school safely could mean keeping high-risk spots like bars and gyms closed.

EU COURT: NO NEED TO REVEAL IP ADDRESSES IN UPLOADING CASES

The European Union’s highest court ruled Thursday that online platforms don’t have to disclose the full personal data including email addresses, telephone numbers or IP addresses of users who illegally upload movies and copyright material.

DISTRICTS CAN CHOOSE MIX OF ONLINE, INSCHOOL CLASSES

Missouri school districts will be allowed to have students attend every other day and learn remotely on alternating days, helping schools avoid fund penalties related to attendance.

IS IT SAFE TO VISIT THE DENTIST DURING THE PANDEMIC?

Is it safe to visit the dentist during the COVID-19 pandemic?

BROOKS BROTHERS, WORN BY LINCOLN AND KENNEDY, GOES BANKRUPT

Brooks Brothers, the 200-year-old company that dressed nearly every U.S. president, filed for bankruptcy protection Wednesday, the latest major clothing seller to be toppled by the coronavirus pandemic.

Bars, Restaurants Pay Price For California Virus Surge

California took a big step back in reopening its economy on Wednesday as Gov. Gavin Newsom shut down bars, wineries, museums, movie theaters, and inside restaurant dining across most of the state for three weeks amid troubling increases in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.