Associated Press

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New German government to revamp incentives for electric cars

Germany’s new government said Monday it is extending the country’s current incentive payments for buyers of electric and hybrid cars for a year but then plans to impose tougher requirements for vehicles to qualify for the support. The economy and climate ministry that was set up when Germany’s new government took office last week said […]

UK antitrust watchdog investigates Microsoft's Nuance deal

British antitrust regulators are opening an investigation into Microsoft’s $16 billion acquisition of speech recognition company Nuance in the latest sign they’re tightening scrutiny of big technology deals. The Competition and Markets Authority said in a brief statement Monday that it’s looking into the purchase because of concerns that it could result in a “substantial […]

Report urges UK government to beef up online safety measure

Proposed British rules aimed at cracking down on harmful online content should be beefed up with tougher measures like making it illegal to send unsolicited graphic images, requiring porn sites to ensure children can’t gain access and moving faster to hold tech executives criminally liable for failing to uphold the regulations, lawmakers said in a […]

New Australian plant could make 100 million vaccines a year

Australia’s government said Tuesday it plans to start making mRNA vaccines at home with a new plant that could produce up to 100 million doses each year. The announcement came as coronavirus cases in Sydney and surrounding areas jumped, driven in part by the omicron variant. The new factory would be built in Victoria state […]

Amazon, OSHA promise review after tornado wrecks warehouse

The federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration said Monday it has opened an investigation into the collapse of an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, after it was struck by a tornado on Friday, leaving six people dead and another hospitalized. OSHA inspectors, who have been at the site since Saturday, will look into whether workplace […]

Japan's Nintendo game console pioneer Uemura dies at 78

Masayuki Uemura, a Japanese home computer game pioneer whose Nintendo consoles sold millions of units worldwide, has died, according to the university in Kyoto where he taught. He was 78. Uemura, the lead architect behind Nintendo Co.’s trailblazing home game consoles, died Monday, Ritsumeikan University said in a statement. The cause of his death was […]

France: 400 investigations into fake COVID-19 health passes

France has opened 400 investigations into networks providing fake COVID-19 health passes, the interior minister said Sunday, as virus-related hospitalizations rise sharply across the country. The case of a woman with the virus who died in a Paris regional hospital after showing a false vaccine certificate has drawn attention in French media in recent days. […]

'The internet's on fire' as techs race to fix software flaw

A critical vulnerability in a widely used software tool — one quickly exploited in the online game Minecraft — is rapidly emerging as a major threat to organizations around the world. “The internet’s on fire right now,” said Adam Meyers, senior vice president of intelligence at the cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike. “People are scrambling to patch,” […]

GM venture picks Michigan for 3rd US-based EV battery plant

General Motors and a joint-venture partner plan to build an electric vehicle battery factory in Lansing, Michigan, their third such factory in the U.S. The companies’ plans were revealed Friday in documents posted on the city’s website. They say the plant would cost up to $2.5 billion and employ as many as 1,700 workers. The […]

Stocks end higher, closing out best week since February

Technology companies led a rally on Wall Street that powered the S&P 500 to an all-time high and gave the index its best weekly gain since February. The S&P 500 rose 1%, enough to recoup its losses from a day earlier. The benchmark index closed higher four of the last five days, finishing 3.8% higher […]