Associated Press

News Agency

Uber, Lyft team up on database to expose abusive drivers

Uber and Lyft have teamed up to create a database of drivers ousted from their ride-hailing services for complaints about sexual assault and other crimes that have raised passenger-safety concerns for years. The clearinghouse unveiled Thursday will initially list drivers expelled by the ride-hailing rivals in the U.S. But it will also be open to […]

Gig economy shifts: Spain makes delivery riders employees

The Spanish government on Thursday announced legislation that classifies food delivery riders as employees of the digital platforms they work for, not self-employed, in a legal change that could have far-reaching consequences for Spanish businesses. The legislation also includes a groundbreaking requirement for companies operating the platforms, such as Glovo and Deliveroo, to hand over […]

Fire at French cloud computing firm disrupts websites

Numerous companies and websites in France suffered outages and disruptions to services after a fire swept through a cloud computing provider’s facility. Disruption continued Thursday after OVH said the fire erupted early Wednesday in a room at one of its data centers in Strasbourg in eastern France. No one was injured in the blaze, which […]

GM partner LG to invest $4.5 billion in US battery operation

LG Energy Solution will invest more than $4.5 billion in U.S. battery production by 2025 as more automakers commit to churning electric vehicles sooner than anyone had expected. The Korean company, which has a joint venture with U.S. automaker General Motors, said the investment will help create 10,000 jobs, including subcontractors. GM and LG are […]

Digital art by Beeple sells for $69.4 million amid NFT boom

Christie’s says it has auctioned off a digital collage by an artist named Beeple for nearly $70 million, in an unprecedented sale of a digital artwork that fetched more money than physical works by many better known artists. The piece, titled “Everydays: The First 5,000 Days,” sold for $69.4 million in an online auction, “positioning […]

Security camera hack exposes hospitals, workplaces, schools

Hackers aiming to call attention to the dangers of mass surveillance say they were able to peer into hospitals, schools, factories, jails and corporate offices after they broke into the systems of a security-camera startup. That California startup, Verkada, said Wednesday it is investigating the scope of the breach, first reported by Bloomberg News, and […]

Honda of America plans to sell 2 fully electric SUVs in 2024

Honda has plans to sell two all-electric SUVs in the U.S. for the 2024 model year, and it soon will offer hybrid gas-electric versions of its top-selling models. The announcements Thursday come as the automaker acknowledges it has work to do to comply with emissions-reduction targets that will be coming from the Biden administration, and […]

Biden immediately begins selling virus aid plan to public

The White House began highlighting the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill immediately after it gained final congressional approval on Wednesday, wasting no time in selling the public on President Joe Biden’s first legislative victory. The West Wing began an ambitious campaign to showcase the bill’s contents while looking to build momentum for the next, perhaps […]

Why the pandemic left long-term scars on global job market

Esther Montanez’s housecleaning job at the Hilton Back Bay in Boston was a lifeline for her, a 31-year-old single mother with a 5-year-old son. The pay was steady and solid — enough to pay her bills and still have money left over to sock away savings for her child. But when the pandemic slammed the […]

Twitter sues Texas AG, claiming retaliation for Trump ban

Twitter has filed a lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, claiming the Republican used his office to retaliate against it for banning the account of former President Donald Trump following the riot at the U.S. Capitol. Days after the deadly January insurrection, Paxton announced an investigation into Twitter and four other major technology companies […]