Reuters Technology Report: December 28, 2016

Click to View in Browser Wednesday, December 28, 2016 Xiaomi-backed online bank to launch services soon - bank investor BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese online bank backed by smartphones and home appliances maker Xiaomi Inc [XTC.UL] is set to launch services soon, after being officially established and rebranded recently, according to one of the venture's investors. Amazon calls 2016 holiday season its best ever; shares rise (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said it shipped more than 1 billion items worldwide this holiday season, which the top online retailer called its best ever, and its shares rose 1.6 percent in afternoon trade. Writedown fears wipe $5 billion off Toshiba's value as it weighs options TOKYO (Reuters) - A looming writedown at Japanese conglomerate Toshiba Corp has wiped almost $5 billion off its value in two days and prompted a credit rating downgrade on Wednesday, as the company grapples to plug a potential multi-billion dollar hole. South Korea fines Qualcomm $854 million for violating competition laws SEJONG, South Korea/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - South Korea's antitrust regulator fined Qualcomm Inc 1.03 trillion won ($854 million) for what it called unfair business practices in patent licensing and modem chip sales, a decision the U.S. chipmaker said it will challenge in court. Flight booking systems lack basic privacy safeguards, researchers say HAMBURG (Reuters) - Major travel booking systems lack a proper way to authenticate air travelers, making it easy to hack the short code used on many boarding passes to alter flight details or steal sensitive personal data, security researchers warned on Tuesday. U.S. accuses Chinese citizens of hacking law firms, insider trading NEW YORK (Reuters) - Three Chinese citizens have been criminally charged in the United States with trading on confidential corporate information obtained by hacking into networks and servers of law firms working on mergers, U.S. prosecutors said on Tuesday. Panasonic to invest over $256 million in Tesla's U.S. plant for solar cells TOKYO (Reuters) - Panasonic Corp will invest more than 30 billion yen ($256 million) in a New York production facility of Elon Musk's Tesla Motors to make photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules, deepening a partnership of the two companies. Sony Music's Twitter hacked, fake Britney Spears death tweets sent NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sony Music Entertainment's Twitter account was hacked on Monday, publishing fake statements that pop music icon Britney Spears had died. Snapchat buying Israeli augmented reality start-up Cimagine: report TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Messaging app Snapchat is buying Israeli augmented reality startup Cimagine Media for an estimated $30-$40 million, marking Snapchat's first acquisition in Israel, the Calcalist financial daily reported on Sunday. China renews calls for tighter cyberspace security: CAC BEIJING (Reuters) - China's top cybersecurity body reaffirmed its commitment to heightened cybersecurity surveillance on Tuesday, calling for increased scrutiny of local and foreign technology used in industries deemed critical to the national interest. Related Video Delft team seeks Hyperloop prize Winter run better for the body, say scientists Mediafile How about Hightail-ing it? On Twitter, dubious health claims from e-cigarette bots A daily digest of breaking business news, coverage of the US economy, major corporate news and the financial markets. Register Today A quick-fix on the day's news delivered when you want it. Register Today » » MORE NEWSLETTERS - 3 Times Square New York, NY 10036 USA © Copyright 2016 Thomson Reuters Ensure delivery of Reuters Newsmails, add newsletters@email.reuters.com to your address book. Subscribe to other Reuters newsletters. Unsubscribe from this newsletter. Follow us on Twitter Friend us on Facebook