CATEGORIES

HIGH-TECH INDOOR FARMER APPHARVEST STARTS SHIPPING TOMATOES

AppHarvest — an indoor farming company backed by Martha Stewart — thinks the agriculture sector is ripe for disruption. And now, its tomatoes are ripe for eating.

US BLACKLISTS XIAOMI, CNOOC, SKYRIZON, RAISING HEAT ON CHINA

The U.S. government has blacklisted Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp. and China’s third-largest national oil company for alleged military links, heaping pressure on Beijing in President Donald Trump’s last week in office.

TALK SAFER: APPS TAKE PRIVACY FIGHT TO FACEBOOK AND GOOGLE

As messaging giant WhatsApp prepares to hand over more data to Facebook, users are flocking to rival services in protest, with Signal jumping from 250,000 downloads on the App Store a week to almost 10 million.

JACK'S BACK: CHINESE E-TYCOON ENDS SILENCE WITH ONLINE VIDEO

China’s highest-profile entrepreneur, Jack Ma, appeared this week in an online video, ending a 2 1/2-month absence from public view that prompted speculation about the future of the e-commerce billionaire and his Alibaba Group.

GOOGLE MUSCLES UP WITH FITBIT DEAL AMID ANTITRUST CONCERNS

Google has completed its $2.1 billion acquisition of fitness-gadget maker Fitbit, a deal that could help the internet company grow even stronger while U.S. government regulators pursue an antitrust case aimed at undermining its power.

GM TEAMS UP WITH MICROSOFT ON DRIVERLESS CARS

General Motors is teaming up with Microsoft to accelerate its rollout of electric, self-driving cars.

EU FINES VIDEO GAME FIRMS FOR BLOCKING CROSS-BORDER SALES

The European Union has issued fines to a U.S. video game platform and five game makers after they blocked players from buying cheaper copies of the games in other countries in the bloc.

CANADA OKS RETURN OF BOEING 737 MAX AIRCRAFT

The Boeing 737 Max can return to Canadian airspace beginning this week, officials said, concluding nearly two years of government review after the aircraft was involved in two deadly crashes that saw the planes grounded worldwide.

Volkswagen Triples Electric Car Sales Ahead Of Climate Rules

Europe’s push into electric cars is gathering speed — despite the pandemic.

Q&A: BITCOIN'S MASSIVE RISE AND WHAT COMES NEXT

The digital currency Bitcoin rocketed to a record high last week above $40,000 a coin.

UK INVESTIGATES GOOGLE'S PLAN TO REVAMP CHROME BROWSER

Britain’s competition watchdog said it launched an investigation into Google’s plan to overhaul its ad data system over worries it could leave even less room for rivals in the online ad industry.

RACE ON: THE LINEUP FOR THE REVOLUTION OF THE CAR INDUSTRY

Wherever you are in the world, it’s hard to deny that 2020 was a challenging year - not least the automotive sector. With car sales plummeting amidst stay-at-home orders, consumers had a chance to reflect on their environmental impact, and as a result, electric vehicles are now more desirable than ever.

SOME UBER, LYFT DRIVERS SUE OVER CALIFORNIA BALLOT MEASURE

Drivers for app-based ride-hailing and delivery services filed a lawsuit to overturn a California ballot initiative that makes them independent contractors instead of employees eligible for benefits and job protections.

TARGET CONTINUES TO THRIVE IN WHIRLWIND RETAIL ENVIRONMENT

Target’s strong sales streak extended through a pandemic-shrouded holiday season after a hard push online and an increased effort to provide alternatives to customers who are trying to minimize risk.

TIKTOK TIGHTENS PRIVACY FEATURES FOR YOUNGER USERS

A month after federal regulators ordered it to disclose how its practices affect children and teenagers, TikTok is tightening its privacy practices for the under-18 crowd.

NEW MERCEDES SCREEN TO STRETCH NEARLY FULL WIDTH OF CAR

Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a key interior component of its upcoming electric luxury sedan: a large, curved screen that sweeps across almost the entire width of the car in the place of a conventional dashboard.

ELECTRIC TRUCK MAKER HITS 100,000 ORDERS AHEAD OF FALL START

An upstart electric vehicle maker said that it now has more than 100,000 orders for its new pickup truck.

CHINA'S GEELY, BAIDU ANNOUNCE ELECTRIC CAR VENTURES

Chinese automaker Geely says it will form an electric car venture with tech giant Baidu, adding to a flurry of corporate tie-ups in the industry to share soaring technology development costs.

LATE SALES REBOUND HELPS US AUTOMAKERS AVOID 2020 DISASTER

Sales of new vehicles in the U.S. fell 14.6% last year, but a second-half rebound from a coronavirus-related plunge in the spring kindled optimism for a recovery later this year.

PIXAR'S ‘SOUL' JOINS MID-LIFE CRISIS, JAZZ FANTASIA

Pete Docter’s “Soul” features stairway-to-heaven visions of the afterlife, a pre-birth “before” realm where souls are glowing turquoise orbs and an in-between spiritual realm trafficked by some kind of psychedelic pirate. And yet, kind of magically, it’s about “just regular old living.”

FROM ZOOM TO QUIBI, THE TECH WINNERS AND LOSERS OF 2020

We streamed, we Zoomed, we ordered groceries and houseplants online, we created virtual villages while navigating laptop shortages to work and learn from home. In many ways, 2020’s pandemic-induced isolation threw our dependence on technology into overdrive, snipping away at our real-life connections while bringing digital relationships to the fore.

WATCH OUT LA: FEDS CALCULATE RISKIEST, SAFEST PLACES IN US

Spending her life in Los Angeles, Morgan Andersen knows natural disasters all too well. In college, an earthquake shook her home hard. Her grandfather was affected by recent wildfires in neighboring Orange County.

TOM HANKS IS DOGGEDLY HEROIC IN ‘NEWS OF THE WORLD'

Tom Hanks rides a horse and blasts a six-shooter in his new film, “News of the World.” Some of you might be thinking this must be his first cowboy role. To those, we respond: Have you forgotten about Woody so soon?

GREEN FUTURE: HOW TECH GIANTS CAN BE PART OF THE SOLUTION

With consumers encouraged to upgrade their smartphones on a near-annual basis and the throwaway culture of technology continuing apace, e-waste is fast-becoming one of the key environmental concerns. Less than 40% of our phones, tablets, and laptops are recycled, with the rest destined for landfill. The key to change lies with us - and our technology giants.

CIA'S NEW RECRUITMENT WEBSITE AIMS TO DIVERSIFY SPY AGENCY

Wanted: Spies from all backgrounds and walks of life.

CALIFORNIA BOARD URGES BIAS REVIEWS OF POLICE SOCIAL MEDIA

California police agencies should routinely review officers’ social media, cellphones and computers for racist, bigoted or other offensive content that contributes to disproportionate police stops of Black people, a state advisory board said Monday.

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN TO GET MY 2ND VACCINE SHOT?

As U.S. health officials try to get COVID-19 vaccines to people more quickly, it’s already time for some people to get their second shots.

AFTER TOP STAFF EXODUS, TEXAS AG SEEKS $43M FOR GOOGLE SUIT

The mass exodus of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s top staff over accusations of bribery against their former boss has left the Republican seeking $43 million in public funds to replace some of them with outside lawyers to lead a high-profile antitrust lawsuit against Google.

Back To School: Return To The Classroom Safely

Five months on from the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and policymakers and public health officials have decided it’s time to return to the classroom. Around the world, schools and colleges are preparing for a new semester, and though environments may be different, one thing is clear: teachers and students will be depending on technology more than ever.

CONTROL: WHY SHOULD BE KEPT LOCKED DOWN

Developers are quietly working on iOS 14 and its Mac and Watch counterparts, and many are wondering what the next-generation operating system will look like. A Bloomberg report has shed some light, and Apple looks set to loosen its grip on its privacy-focused ecosystem.