Reuters - Technology Report

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Monday, August 26, 2019

French, U.S. officials strike draft compromise on French digital tax

French and U.S. negotiators have reached a compromise agreement on France's digital tax, a levy which prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to threaten a separate tax on French wine imports, a source close to the negotiations said.

Tesla's Musk, Alibaba's Ma to talk at Shanghai tech event this week

Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd chairman Jack Ma will speak at a conference on artificial intelligence (AI) to be held this week in Shanghai, an Alibaba spokeswoman said on Monday.

Trump says possible French wine levy depends on digital tax talks

President Donald Trump said on Monday upcoming talks about France's tax on the revenues of big technology firms would determine whether the United States imposes its own tax on French wine.

Tesla to raise prices in China on August 30, may increase again in December: sources

U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc will raise prices in China on Friday, earlier than planned, and is considering increasing prices again in December should Chinese tariffs on U.S.-made cars take effect, people familiar with the matter said.

Exclusive: Ride-hailing firm Grab plans major investment in Vietnam - top executive

Singapore-based ride-hailing firm Grab is set to invest "several hundred million dollars" in Vietnam where the company sees its next major growth market, just weeks after it unveiled a $2 billion plan in Indonesia.

Chinese AI start-up Megvii files for Hong Kong IPO of at least $500 million

Chinese AI firm Megvii Technology Ltd, backed by Alibaba, has filed in Hong Kong to conduct an IPO targeting proceeds of at least $500 million, two people said, just as the city faces political unrest and its first recession in a decade.

Nissan's Infiniti names new design chief as another non-Japanese executive exits

Nissan Motor Co's premium brand Infiniti said it has named Taisuke Nakamura as its new design chief, replacing Karim Habib who resigned from the post.

U.S. lawmaker says still concerned about Facebook cryptocurrency after Swiss meetings

The chair of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee said on Sunday she remained concerned about Facebook's plans for a digital currency after meeting the government officials in Switzerland that Facebook has said will regulate it.

Trump, UK's Johnson discuss Huawei on G7 sidelines

U.S. President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed Huawei and 5G technology at a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a G7 summit in France on Sunday, the White House said.

France says social media platforms will still sign hate speech pledge

France said it was optimistic that U.S.-based social media platforms including Facebook and Snapchat would still sign a pledge to fight online hate speech despite a last-minute delay.