Tag: concerns

technology

Zoom’s Revenue Forecast Tops Estimates Amid 2021 Concerns

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Zoom’s projected slowing revenue expansion in the current period highlights investors’ concerns that 2021 won’t be as favorable for the software maker as this year, when the company gained customers forced to work and go to school remotely. Zoom’s stock has jumped sevenfold thus far in 2020, heightening questions about whether the company is overvalued. Wall Street has fawned over the company for its accelerating sales growth, but analysts have raised questions about how long it might last.

In the fiscal third quarter, Zoom said sales increased 367% to $777.2 million from a year earlier. Profit, excluding some items, was 99 cents a share. Analysts projected revenue of $693.4 million and adjusted profit of 75 cents.

Zoom’s stock has become a barometer of the pandemic economy, rising when Covid-19 lockdowns emerge and falling on good news about vaccines. Chief Executive Officer Eric Yuan has tried to diversify Zoom’s capabilities for

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technology

Elite runners brave Delhi race despite COVID-19 surge, pollution concerns

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Muktar Edris et al. playing football in a parking lot: Airtel Delhi Half Marathon in New Delhi, India

© Reuters/ANUSHREE FADNAVIS
Airtel Delhi Half Marathon in New Delhi, India

By Anushree Fadnavis and Manoj Kumar

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Some of the world’s leading long-distance runners participated in a half-marathon in New Delhi on Sunday, even as India’s capital grapples with a surge in COVID-19 cases and air pollution that has recently been among the world’s worst.



a group of people riding on the back of a motorcycle: Airtel Delhi Half Marathon in New Delhi, India

© Reuters/ANUSHREE FADNAVIS
Airtel Delhi Half Marathon in New Delhi, India

More than 60 professional runners participated in the race, while several hundred enthusiasts ran in other cities on routes of their choice, using a mobile app to post race timings, said the event organisers.

Although air quality was poor on Sunday, the runners got a bit of a reprieve, as pollution levels in the capital were dramatically better than those of recent weeks.

New Delhi’s Air Quality Index was at 252 on a scale of 500, registering at “poor” levels,

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technology articles

Australia central bank raises concerns over bourse trading systems

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A man looks at an electronic board displaying stock information at the Australian Securities Exchange, operated by ASX Ltd. on March 16, 2020 in Sydney, Australia.

Brendon Thorne | Getty Images

Australia’s central bank voiced concerns on Friday over recent issues with the stock exchange’s trading systems after nearly an entire session was lost earlier this week and as investors faced a number of other operational issues.

The payments system board of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said it would be looking into whether there were underlying issues at those trading systems operated by the ASX Ltd.

“The Board is concerned about the recent operational issues affecting CHESS and ASX’s trading systems,” the RBA’s payments board said in a statement after a meeting on Friday.

The ASX is planning to do away with CHESS, the computer system it uses to manage settlement of transactions, by 2023 and the payments

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new technology

Tech stocks lead the market higher as traders weigh vaccine progress against virus concerns

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a person sitting in front of a laptop computer: Lucas Jackson/Reuters

© Lucas Jackson/Reuters
Lucas Jackson/Reuters
  • Technology stocks led the market higher on Thursday, even as COVID-19 concerns lingered following New York City’s decision to transfer its school system to remote learning. 
  • A rise in daily COVID-19 cases led to an infection rate of more than 3% in New York City, which spurred Mayor Bill DeBlasio to shut down physical learning at schools on Wednesday.
  • On the economic data front, 742,000 more Americans filed for unemployment last week, more than experts had forecast. 
  • Watch major indexes update live here.

Technology stocks led the market higher on Thursday even as concerns over a surge in daily COVID-19 cases and partial lockdowns lingered.

Investors were reminded of the threat COVID-19 still poses to the US economy after New York City transitioned its school system to remote learning on Wednesday.

A continued rise in daily COVID-19 cases led to a seven-day average infection rate

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science

NSF plans to decommission Arecibo Observatory’s 305m telescope due to safety concerns

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NSF plans to decommission Arecibo Observatory's 305m telescope due to safety concerns
Arecibo Observatory’s 305-meter telescope in November of 2020. Credit: University of Central Florida

Following a review of engineering assessments that found damage to the Arecibo Observatory cannot be stabilized without risk to construction workers and staff at the facility, the U.S. National Science Foundation will begin plans to decommission the 305-meter telescope, which for 57 years has served as a world-class resource for radio astronomy, planetary, solar system and geospace research.


The decision comes after NSF evaluated multiple assessments by independent engineering companies that found the telescope structure is in danger of a catastrophic failure and its cables may no longer be capable of carrying the loads they were designed to support. Furthermore, several assessments stated that any attempts at repairs could put workers in potentially life-threatening danger. Even in the event of repairs going forward, engineers found that the structure would likely present long-term stability issues.

“NSF prioritizes the

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new technology

Twitter slows the rollout of its disappearing message feature, Fleets, amid tech issues and privacy concerns

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Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey REUTERS/Anushree Fadnav

© Provided by Business Insider
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey REUTERS/Anushree Fadnav
  • Twitter on Wednesday said its launch of Fleets, a disappearing-message feature, was having performance and stability problems.
  • Many users won’t get Fleets “for a few more days,” the company said.
  • Users have raised privacy concerns, saying the feature encouraged harassment. Some Twitter users were able to send Fleets to people whose direct messages were closed.
  • A Twitter spokeswoman told Bloomberg on Thursday that the company was working to fix privacy issues. 
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Twitter on Wednesday said it was slowing down its rollout of Fleets, a 24-hours-and-its-gone messaging feature announced Tuesday, because of tech issues. 

Disappearing posts like Fleets, named for “fleeting thoughts,” aren’t a new concept. Snapchat pioneered them when it launched in 2011. In the years since, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn have all introduced similar

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latest technology

Twitter slows Fleets rollout amid tech issues, privacy concerns

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  • Twitter on Wednesday said its launch of Fleets, a disappearing-message feature, was having performance and stability problems.
  • Many users won’t get Fleets “for a few more days,” the company said.
  • Users have raised privacy concerns, saying the feature encouraged harassment. Some Twitter users were able to send Fleets to people whose direct messages were closed.
  • A Twitter spokeswoman told Bloomberg on Thursday that the company was working to fix privacy issues. 
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Twitter on Wednesday said it was slowing down its rollout of Fleets, a 24-hours-and-its-gone messaging feature announced Tuesday, because of tech issues. 

Disappearing posts like Fleets, named for “fleeting thoughts,” aren’t a new concept. Snapchat pioneered them when it launched in 2011. In the years since, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn have all introduced similar features called “stories.”

Twitter has been testing its feature in some

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science

GM recalls 68,000 electric Chevy Bolts over battery fire concerns

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General Motors issued a recall for 68,667 Chevy Bolts after several battery fires were reported, according to The Detroit News. The vehicles affected by the recall were manufactured between 2017 and 2019. The automaker is working with US auto regulators to identify the causes of the fires, the report states.

There have been at least five incidents of fires involving Bolts with fully charged or almost fully charged batteries, the News reports. Three of those fires are under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which oversees vehicle defects. GM has found two reports of injuries due to smoke inhalation. The batteries are manufactured by LG Chem at the South Korean company’s facility in Ochang.

According to NHTSA, 50,932 of the affected vehicles are based in the US. “The affected vehicles’ cell packs have the potential to smoke and ignite internally, which could spread to the rest of

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technology

Apple might appease antitrust concerns by suggesting third-party apps to new iPhone owners

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Apple has been staring down the barrel of numerous antitrust investigations this past year, after app developers like Spotify and Rakuten accused the company of unfairly advantaging Apple’s own apps ahead of theirs. But Apple is apparently working on a new feature that might address at least one of the common concerns, by proactively suggesting third-party apps (apps that Apple doesn’t make) to iPhone and iPad users when they first set up their devices. Will Apple suggest Spotify alongside Apple Music? That could be on the table.

9to5Mac spotted the feature in the new iOS 14.3 beta, and it seems pretty clear from the accompanying text that the feature is designed to satisfy countries who take a dim view of Apple’s current stance. “In compliance with regional legal requirements, continue to view available apps to download,” reads part of the code, suggesting that it’ll only be rolled out in regions

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technology articles

Oklahoma plans to use Rekor’s AI to track down uninsured drivers, despite discrimination concerns

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Rekor, a controversial startup providing license plate-scanning technology, today announced that the state of Oklahoma will use its software to spot uninsured motorists on the road. As a part of an Oklahoma program (the Uninsured Vehicle Enforcement Diversion Program) that encourages cited uninsured drivers to avoid court appearances by acquiring insurance and paying a $174 fee, Rekor will identify the make, model, and color of vehicles and regularly update the insurance database connected to the state’s various enforcement programs.

Oklahoma’s program, which launched in November 2018, was created after the state ranked number one in the nation for uninsured motorists, with 2016 statistics showing that one out of four drivers in Oklahoma were operating vehicles without insurance. But while Oklahoma motorists must by law have coverage, it’s not a realistic proposition for some residents. Studies have found evidence of structural racism in auto insurance leading to higher premiums and subsequently

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