USA continues campaign against Huawei

LONDON -
The top US diplomat for the cybersecurity policy praised Germany's draft security standards for next-generation mobile networks, which he said could exclude the Chinese company Huawei.

Rob Strayer said Wednesday that the standards published last month were a "positive step".

These standards require mobile service providers to use "reliable" telecommunications equipment providers that comply with national security regulations on communications secrecy and data protection.

The United States has been pressuring European allies to ban Huawei's 5G network because China's communist leaders could force the company to use their equipment for cyber-espionage activities.

While no European country has issued general bans, Strayer said a "risk-based" approach to evaluating telecom providers, including its relationship with its national government, "would inevitably" lead to excluding Huawei.
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Uber: a lot is missing for autonomous vehicles

NEW YORK -
Uber Technologies Inc. believes that it will be a long time before the use of autonomous cars becomes popular, but that the technology will save lives, the head of the Uber unit of such vehicles said Monday.

Raquel Urtasun, chief scientist at Uber Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) and leads the group's unit in Toronto, spoke at a Reuters Newsmaker event in New York.

The company is preparing to debut on the Stock Exchange later this year and the progress of that unit is a key factor in Uber's plans.

Some analysts believe that Uber's ability to successfully navigate the transition to autonomous vehicles is crucial to the company's long-term prospects.

Uber opened ATG in Toronto in 2017 and appointed Urtasun, who is also an associate professor at the University of Toronto, as director of the organization in that Canadian city.

Uber said last year that it would invest millions of dollars in Toronto to expand its autonomous car operations.

The company had been considered a leader in new technology until one of its autonomous trucks ran over a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona, in March of last year.

Uber then removed his stolen cars, dismissed hundreds of test drivers and closed operations in Arizona, his autonomous test center. Uber resumed testing on public roads in December.


A group of investors led by SoftBank Group Corp and Toyota Motor Corp are in talks to invest $ 1 billion or more in Uber's automatic driving vehicle unit, Reuters reported last month.