EU seeks to spur fast broadband roll-out with telecoms reform

Here is the latest Tech News from Reuters.

EU seeks to spur fast broadband roll-out with telecoms reform
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union aims to spur the roll-out of fast broadband across the 28-nation bloc by relaxing rules that force telecom companies to open up their networks to competitors.

Daimler explores to use drones in new van business model
STUTTGART (Reuters) – Daimler is spending about 500 million euros ($562 million) over the next five years on developing new business models for its vans segment, including last mile delivery services by drone.

Amazon to start restaurant deliveries in London
LONDON (Reuters) – Amazon said it would start delivering meals from restaurants direct to customers in some parts of London, the newest entrant to an increasingly competitive market which includes Just East, UberEats and Deliveroo.

U.S. personnel management hack preventable, congressional probe finds
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) did not follow rudimentary cyber security recommendations that could have mitigated or even prevented major attacks that compromised sensitive data belonging to more than 22 million people, a congressional investigation being released on Wednesday has found.

Apple sets stage for iPhone 7, many already waiting for 8
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The iPhone 7 is expected to make its global debut on Wednesday, but many consumers and investors are already setting their sights on Apple Inc’s 2017 version of the popular gadget, hoping for more significant advances.

LG Electronics seeks mobile spark from new V20 smartphone
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc, reeling from continued losses from its smartphone business, unveiled its new V20 premium smartphone on Wednesday, hoping for a pick-up in the second half.

China’s online chatter muted ahead of Apple iPhone 7 launch
SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) – Judging by the volume of online chatter, there’s a lot less buzz in China ahead of this week’s expected launch of the new Apple Inc iPhone, and people on the street say they’re more likely to “wait and see” what the latest device offers than rush out to buy.

Hong Kong regulator says banking fintech ‘sandbox’ to start September 6
HONG KONG (Reuters) – A special regulatory regime that would allow Hong Kong banks to test out innovative new financial technologies will start as of Tuesday, Hong Kong’s banking regulator said.

Europe’s mobile payment players braced for battle as U.S. rivals move in
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – European mobile payment providers iZettle and SumUp are among a handful of start-ups that have encouraged European small businesses to kick their cash-only habits.

Geely’s Volvo and Autoliv team up in autonomous driving
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Chinese-owned Volvo Car Group and auto safety group Autoliv said on Tuesday they would form a joint venture to develop autonomous driving software as automotive firms across the industry race to embrace the emerging technology.

PayPal reaches deal with MasterCard for store payments: WSJ
(Reuters) – PayPal Holdings Inc has entered into a deal with MasterCard Inc that will allow payments in stores, the Wall Street Journal reported.

GE to buy SLM, Arcam for $1.4 billion in 3D printing push
FRANKFURT/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – General Electric announced plans on Tuesday to buy two European 3D printing groups – Sweden’s Arcam and Germany’s SLM Solutions – for a total of $1.4 billion to tap into manufacturers’ growing demand for digital technologies.

Hong Kong to launch fintech ‘sandbox’ as rivals pull ahead
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong on Tuesday said it would establish a regulatory regime known as a “sandbox” for financial technology innovation in the banking sector, amid fears the city is losing ground to China, Australia and Singapore in the fintech race.

Samsung trips on quality control in rush to pip Apple
SEOUL (Reuters) – In its rush to beat rival products to market, notably Apple’s new iPhone, Samsung Electronics has accelerated new phone launch cycles, but its haste is raising concerns that it fell short on quality testing.

Ubisoft says Guillemot Brothers in deal to buy 4 million Ubisoft shares
PARIS (Reuters) – Ubisoft said on Monday that Guillemot Brothers SE and a bank had entered into an agreement related to the purchase of up to 4,000,008 shares in the French video game maker, representing 3.5 percent of Ubisoft’s total share capital.

Japan, Israel upgrade relations as Arab oil influence wanes
TEL AVIV (Reuters) – Japanese executives say they are increasingly drawn to investments in Israel as the price of oil falls and, with it, the influence Arab oil suppliers have on Japan’s decision-making.

ABB names Nokia executive Jouret first chief digital officer
ZURICH (Reuters) – ABB has appointed Guido Jouret as its first chief digital officer, a move designed to ramp up the Swiss power and automation company’s efforts in digital technology and the internet of things.

Satellite owner says SpaceX owes it $50 million or a free flight
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla./JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s Space Communication Ltd said on Sunday it could seek $50 million or a free flight from Elon Musk’s SpaceX after a Spacecom communications satellite was destroyed last week by an explosion at SpaceX’s Florida launch site.

EU’s Juncker says Apple tax decision is clearly based on facts, rules
HANGZHOU, China (Reuters) – The EU’s ruling that Apple Inc must pay a huge tax bill to Ireland was clearly based on facts and existing rules and was not a decision aimed against the United States, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Sunday.

LG Electronics says to invest in robot technology
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc said on Sunday it will aggressively invest in robots, seeking to capitalize on advancing artificial intelligence that may eventually lead to sophisticated machines performing everyday human tasks.

Daimler plans at least six electric car models: source
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German carmaker Daimler plans to roll out at least six, and possibly as many as nine, electric car models as part of its push to compete with Tesla and Volkswagen’s Audi, a person familiar with Daimler’s plans told Reuters.

China passes bill to slash customs duties on 201 IT products
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China will gradually eliminate customs duties for 201 information technology products covered by a $1.3 trillion World Trade Organization (WTO) deal under a bill passed on Saturday by its legislature, state news agency Xinhua reported.