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By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Apple said on Thursday that it had removed ICEBlock, the most popular ICE-tracking app, and other similar apps from its App Store after it was contacted by President Donald Trump's administration. The app alerts users to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in their area. ICE has been a central part of Trump's hardline immigration agenda and its agents have regularly raided and arrested migrants. The Justice Department says the app could increase the risk of assault on U.S. agents. "Based on information we've received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store," Apple said in an emailed statement. Since Trump took office, ICE has raided multiple facilities with immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. The agency has also arrested visa holders and permanent U.S. residents targeted by the Trump administration over pro-Palestinian advocacy. Rights advocates have raised concerns that rights to free speech and due process are often being infringed as the government pushes ahead with its deportation drive. Fox Business first reported the app's removal on Thursday, citing a statement by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi who said the Justice Department contacted Apple to pull the app on Thursday and that the company complied. "ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed," Bondi said in her statement to Fox Business. Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem have previously warned Joshua Aaron, the Texas-based creator of ICEBlock, that he is "not protected" under the Constitution and that they are looking at prosecuting him. Apple's actions may also lead to further scrutiny over the warm ties that tech firms have tried to build with the Trump administration during his second term. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

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(Reuters) -A multibillion-dollar deal to send Nvidia's artificial-intelligence chips to the United Arab Emirates is stuck in neutral nearly five months after it was signed, frustrating CEO Jensen Huang and some senior administration officials, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. (Reporting by Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)

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(Reuters) -A multibillion-dollar deal to send Nvidia's artificial-intelligence chips to the United Arab Emirates is stuck in neutral nearly five months after it was signed, frustrating CEO Jensen Huang and some senior administration officials, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. (Reporting by Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday they would investigate the collisions of two Amazon Prime Air delivery drones with the boom of a crane in Tolleson, Arizona, a day earlier. Amazon began drone deliveries in the Phoenix metro area's West Valley from its same-day site in Tolleson in November 2024, allowing customers to purchase an eligible item weighing 5 pounds (2.3 kg) or less and receive it by drone in under an hour. The online retailer, which paused drone deliveries in Arizona on Thursday, said they would resume on Friday. "Safety is our top priority, and we've completed our own internal review of this incident and are confident that there wasn't an issue with the drones or the technology that supports them," Amazon spokesperson Terrence Clark said. "Nonetheless, we've introduced additional processes like enhanced visual landscape inspections to better monitor for moving obstructions such as cranes," he added. Amazon has a goal of delivering 500 million packages annually by drone by the end of 2030. In 2023, it began delivering prescription medications by drone in partnership with Amazon Pharmacy to customers in College Station, Texas. In August, the U.S. Transportation Department proposed new rules to speed deployment of drones beyond the visual line of sight of operators, a key change needed to advance commercial uses like package deliveries. "It's going to change the way that people and products move throughout our airspace… so you may change the way you get your Amazon package, you may get a Starbucks cup of coffee from a drone," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at the time. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Aurora Ellis and Jamie Freed)

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(Reuters) -Alphabet's Google and Comcast-owned NBCUniversal have reached a multi-year agreement to keep NBC shows such as "Sunday Night Football" and "America's Got Talent" on YouTube TV, wrapping up a difficult negotiation. YouTube TV, one of the biggest pay-TV distributors in the U.S., will carry NBCUniversal's full portfolio of networks such as NBC and CNBC under the deal, according to a statement from the companies on Thursday. YouTube, which is also a unit of Alphabet, will also offer NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service through its Primetime Channels, a marketplace where users can subscribe to third-party streaming services through the YouTube app. “This deal builds on our longstanding partnership with NBCU while addressing the evolving media landscape and recognizing the importance of making content available where and how viewers want to watch it,” said Justin Connolly, global head of media and sports at YouTube. The agreement includes a multi-year extension of Peacock's availability across Google's Android platforms, including Google Play and Google TV. YouTube now accounts for the largest share of TV viewing in the U.S., ahead of streaming rival Netflix and traditional media companies such as Disney, according to analytics firm Nielsen. Talks with NBCUniversal had stalled earlier over the rates that YouTube TV will pay to carry its shows. The two companies agreed to a short-term contract extension on Wednesday, averting a blackout and ensuring YouTube TV subscribers retained access to NBCUniversal programming while negotiations continued. YouTube TV ranks among the four largest U.S. pay-TV distributors, and Alphabet's deep pockets have recently given the video platform leverage over Paramount Skydance and Fox Corp in carriage talks, according to media firms and analysts. (Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City and Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Editing by Alan Barona, Devika Syamnath and Bill Berkrot)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Reuters) -Chip equipment maker Applied Materials forecast a $600 million hit to fiscal 2026 revenue after the U.S. expanded its restricted export list in a blow to sectors such as semiconductors, aircraft and medical equipment. Shares of Applied Materials fell about 3% in extended trading on Thursday after the company said in a filing the new rule would make it more difficult to export some products and supply specific parts and services to select China-based customers without a license. The U.S. Department of Commerce on Monday widened the export blacklist to include majority-owned subsidiaries of listed companies, cracking down on companies in China and other countries that use units and affiliates to circumvent certain U.S. export curbs. Applied Materials also expects an impact of about $110 million on fourth-quarter revenue. The company and rivals such as ASML Holding were already under pressure from weakness in China and U.S. tariffs. In August, Applied Materials provided dour sales and profit forecasts for the fourth quarter. The new rule is likely to disrupt supply chains even more and will greatly increase the number of companies that need licenses to receive American goods and services. To boost domestic production of the chips and reduce reliance on Taiwan, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told NewsNation that Washington's pitch to the Asian chip powerhouse would be a 50-50 manufacturing split. Applied Materials reported third-quarter revenue rose 8% to $7.30 billion from a year ago, beating estimates of $7.22 billion, per data compiled by LSEG. The Santa Clara, California-based company's revenue rose 2.5% to $27.18 billion for fiscal 2024. (Reporting by Anuja Bharat Mistry in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Blake Brittain (Reuters) -OpenAI asked a federal judge on Thursday to dismiss a lawsuit alleging it lured employees away from Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI to steal its trade secrets, calling the case part of Musk's "ongoing harassment" of the company. OpenAI denied xAI's allegations and said its claims were false and unsubstantiated. "Under Musk’s leadership, talented xAI employees are leaving in droves, and some are coming to OpenAI to help advance OpenAI’s mission," the filing said. "Those employees have every right to go where they choose, and OpenAI has the right to hire them." Spokespeople and an attorney for xAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the filings. A spokesperson for OpenAI declined to comment.  xAI's lawsuit, filed last week in federal court in San Francisco, alleged that OpenAI engaged in a "deeply troubling pattern" of hiring away former xAI employees to gain access to trade secrets related to its AI chatbot Grok, which it said was more advanced than OpenAI's ChatGPT. The lawsuit is part of a broader legal battle between Musk and OpenAI, which he co-founded alongside OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, amid a high-stakes race in Silicon Valley for talent and to gain market share in the burgeoning AI industry.  xAI has separately sued Apple for allegedly conspiring with OpenAI to suppress rival platforms. Apple and OpenAI denied the allegations and asked the court to dismiss that case on Tuesday. Musk is also suing OpenAI over its conversion to a for-profit company, while OpenAI has countersued Musk for harassment. OpenAI on Thursday called xAI's trade-secret lawsuit an attempt to intimidate OpenAI and "distract from the failures of [Musk's] own competitive AI effort." "The truth is that xAI is hemorrhaging talent to other competitors, including OpenAI," OpenAI said. (Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Blake Brittain (Reuters) -OpenAI asked a federal judge on Thursday to dismiss a lawsuit alleging it lured employees away from Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI to steal its trade secrets, calling the case part of Musk's "ongoing harassment" of the company. OpenAI denied xAI's allegations and said its claims were false and unsubstantiated. "Under Musk’s leadership, talented xAI employees are leaving in droves, and some are coming to OpenAI to help advance OpenAI’s mission," the filing said. "Those employees have every right to go where they choose, and OpenAI has the right to hire them." Spokespeople and an attorney for xAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the filings. A spokesperson for OpenAI declined to comment.  xAI's lawsuit, filed last week in federal court in San Francisco, alleged that OpenAI engaged in a "deeply troubling pattern" of hiring away former xAI employees to gain access to trade secrets related to its AI chatbot Grok, which it said was more advanced than OpenAI's ChatGPT. The lawsuit is part of a broader legal battle between Musk and OpenAI, which he co-founded alongside OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, amid a high-stakes race in Silicon Valley for talent and to gain market share in the burgeoning AI industry.  xAI has separately sued Apple for allegedly conspiring with OpenAI to suppress rival platforms. Apple and OpenAI denied the allegations and asked the court to dismiss that case on Tuesday. Musk is also suing OpenAI over its conversion to a for-profit company, while OpenAI has countersued Musk for harassment. OpenAI on Thursday called xAI's trade-secret lawsuit an attempt to intimidate OpenAI and "distract from the failures of [Musk's] own competitive AI effort." "The truth is that xAI is hemorrhaging talent to other competitors, including OpenAI," OpenAI said. (Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Blake Brittain (Reuters) -OpenAI asked a federal judge on Thursday to dismiss a lawsuit alleging it lured employees away from Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI to steal its trade secrets, calling the case part of Musk's "ongoing harassment" of the company. OpenAI denied xAI's allegations and said its claims were false and unsubstantiated. "Under Musk’s leadership, talented xAI employees are leaving in droves, and some are coming to OpenAI to help advance OpenAI’s mission," the filing said. "Those employees have every right to go where they choose, and OpenAI has the right to hire them." Spokespeople and an attorney for xAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the filings. A spokesperson for OpenAI declined to comment.  xAI's lawsuit, filed last week in federal court in San Francisco, alleged that OpenAI engaged in a "deeply troubling pattern" of hiring away former xAI employees to gain access to trade secrets related to its AI chatbot Grok, which it said was more advanced than OpenAI's ChatGPT. The lawsuit is part of a broader legal battle between Musk and OpenAI, which he co-founded alongside OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, amid a high-stakes race in Silicon Valley for talent and to gain market share in the burgeoning AI industry.  xAI has separately sued Apple for allegedly conspiring with OpenAI to suppress rival platforms. Apple and OpenAI denied the allegations and asked the court to dismiss that case on Tuesday. Musk is also suing OpenAI over its conversion to a for-profit company, while OpenAI has countersued Musk for harassment. OpenAI on Thursday called xAI's trade-secret lawsuit an attempt to intimidate OpenAI and "distract from the failures of [Musk's] own competitive AI effort." "The truth is that xAI is hemorrhaging talent to other competitors, including OpenAI," OpenAI said. (Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Reuters) -Chip equipment maker Applied Materials forecast a $600 million hit to fiscal 2026 revenue after the U.S. expanded its restricted export list in a blow to sectors such as semiconductors, aircraft and medical equipment. Shares of Applied Materials fell about 3% in extended trading on Thursday after the company said in a filing the new rule would make it more difficult to export some products and supply specific parts and services to select China-based customers without a license. The U.S. Department of Commerce on Monday widened the export blacklist to include majority-owned subsidiaries of listed companies, cracking down on companies in China and other countries that use units and affiliates to circumvent certain U.S. export curbs. Applied Materials also expects an impact of about $110 million on fourth-quarter revenue. The company and rivals such as ASML Holding were already under pressure from weakness in China and U.S. tariffs. In August, Applied Materials provided dour sales and profit forecasts for the fourth quarter. The new rule is likely to disrupt supply chains even more and will greatly increase the number of companies that need licenses to receive American goods and services. To boost domestic production of the chips and reduce reliance on Taiwan, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told NewsNation that Washington's pitch to the Asian chip powerhouse would be a 50-50 manufacturing split. Applied Materials reported third-quarter revenue rose 8% to $7.30 billion from a year ago, beating estimates of $7.22 billion, per data compiled by LSEG. The Santa Clara, California-based company's revenue rose 2.5% to $27.18 billion for fiscal 2024. (Reporting by Anuja Bharat Mistry in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)