Since Google launched its self-driving car project in 2009, the biggest challenge has been one of technology: can it be safe enough to deploy at scale? That dispute is over. Google’s project, now branded Waymo, has experienced only minor incidents — about once every 210,000 miles — since 2019 when it began operating a driverless service in Phoenix, Arizona. Cruise, its GM-backed rival, received a permit last month to begin commercial operations in its home city, San Francisco. Both… Source link

(Bloomberg) — Asian stocks and U.S. futures fell Monday on concerns about the impact of Covid-19 outbreaks and elevated inflation on economic prospects. Treasuries climbed and oil slipped after an OPEC+ supply deal. Shares fell across the region, with Japan and Hong Kong underperforming. China opened with more modest losses. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures dropped after the S&P 500 fell for the first week in four. The rally in Treasuries continued, sending 10-year yields further below… Source link

Euan Black Verizon Media has appointed Euan Black as Yahoo’s director of content for Australia and New Zealand. Black is currently head of news, sport and lifestyle at Yahoo Australia. In his new role, Black will lead all local editorial and video output for the Yahoo brands. In his nearly five-year tenure at Yahoo Australia, Black has achieved record growth for the news, sport and lifestyle brands with traffic up across all sites on average by 18% in the last year and the number of… Source link

(Bloomberg) — For two decades Chinese tech firms have flocked to the U.S. stock market, drawn by a friendly regulatory environment and a vast pool of capital eager to invest in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Now, the juggernaut behind hundreds of companies worth $2 trillion appears stopped in its tracks. Beijing’s July 10 announcement that almost all businesses trying to go public in another country will require approval from a newly empowered cybersecurity regulator… Source link

In a big week for pandemic relief, Americans just got $20 billion in new aid Though politicians, researchers, advocates and everyday Americans have been calling for additional direct payments for most Americans, the government already is providing additional support for people struggling to make ends meet and deal with debt as the effects of the pandemic linger. More than $20 billion in COVID relief was paid out in the last week alone. Some of that may be on its way to you. $15 billion from the… Source link

Authorities in Malaysia have destroyed 1,069 cryptocurrency rigs after they were confiscated in raids earlier this year. A steamroller was used to crush the hardware in the city of Sarawak, after the electric utility company of the Malaysian province accused the mining operators of stealing electricity for their activities. The operators allegedly stole RM8.4 million ($2-million) worth of energy from the company. Authorities say the operation was scattered across four locations and six… Source link

By David Lawder and Joel Schectman    WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers trying to salvage a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill have dropped a provision to beef up tax enforcement, Republican Senator Rob Portman said on Sunday, setting aside a significant revenue-raising measure.    The provision, aimed at increasing Internal Revenue Service (IRS) collections, will instead likely be added to a separate budget “reconciliation” bill being pushed by Democrats as a… Source link

For inexperienced hikers, smartphones are a multipurpose tool: a flashlight, an emergency beacon and a GPS, all in one device. But it can be ill-advised, and possibly life-threatening, for hikers to rely solely on their phones as they head into the wilderness, experts say. Apps and online maps have disoriented hikers on both sides of the Atlantic. In Scotland, mountaineers are warning visitors that Google Maps may direct them toward “potentially fatal” trails that would force them to trek… Source link

Just when we thought that COVID was starting to fade, the Delta variant has come our way. Is this the dreaded vaccine-resistant wave that will put economies back into lockdown? So far, at least, that doesn’t appear so – while this variant has shown the ability to infect people who are fully vaccinated, the vaccines have also shown efficacy in preventing serious illness, even from the Delta variant. What we’re looking at is an increase in cases, but a decrease in serious… Source link

This week, second-quarter earnings season will ramp up, offering investors a fuller picture of the extent of the rebound in corporate profits as social distancing standards eased. Data on the housing market will also be in focus. So far, companies have been topping already-elevated expectations for second-quarter results. About 8% of S&P 500 companies have reported results so far, mostly comprising banks. And of those reporting, 85% have topped estimates, according to FactSet data. One of the… Source link