Exclusive: Genealogy website Ancestry.com explores sale: sources

Ancestry.com LLC, the world's largest family history website helping users trace their heritage, is exploring a sale that could value it at between $2.5 billion and $3 billion, including debt, according to people familiar with the matter. Permira Advisers LLC, the buyout firm that owns most of privately held Ancestry, has hired investment banks to run an auction for the company, the people said this week.

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U.S. Navy secretary says paying attention to cyber threats

By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Navy is working hard to improve the cyber security of its computer networks and weapon and communications systems, while bracing for potential attacks on power grids and fuel supplies, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said Wednesday. Mabus said cyber warfare was a clear threat given Russia’s use of cyber attacks before its physical invasions of Crimea and Georgia

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Alibaba’s Ma says Kering lawsuit ‘regrettable’

By Christine Kim SEOUL (Reuters) – The founder of Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd on Tuesday called “regrettable” a lawsuit by a group of luxury goods firms owned by Kering SA accusing the Chinese e-commerce giant of being a conduit for counterfeiters. Executive Chairman Jack Ma was speaking after Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and other brands owned by Kering sued Alibaba in the United States on Friday, accusing it of knowingly making it possible for counterfeiters to sell their products throughout the world. Ma also said Alibaba was interested in investing in U.S

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Obama tweets, and a million follow: ‘It’s Barack. Really!’

By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama sent his first tweet from his very own account on Twitter on Monday, quickly amassing a million followers in five hours, the latest of many White House efforts to amplify his message with social media. Really! Six years in, they're finally giving me my own account,” Obama tweeted from his verified @POTUS account.

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Thailand worried by blast of anti-migrant vitriol on social media

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand expressed concern on Monday at a wave of anti-migrant vitriol on social media, which the government said underlined why it cannot accept any more of the asylum seekers who have been arriving by boat on its shores.

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No sign hackers got info in attack on German parliament system: spokeswoman

The German Bundestag lower house of parliament is trying to repair its computer system after a hacking attack but there are no indications yet that hackers accessed information, a parliamentary spokeswoman said on Saturday. The Bundestag is analyzing what happened and experts from the Bundestag administration and the BSI (the German Federal Office for Information Security) are working to repair the system, the spokeswoman said.

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California man sues Uber claiming it stole ride-sharing idea

A California man has sued Uber Technologies Inc and its Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick, claiming they stole his idea for a cellphone-based car hailing service. Kevin Halpern sued Uber, Kalanick and several early investors in the company in San Francisco Superior Court on Thursday, accusing them of misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of contract

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Pandora to appeal court ruling that gives BMI higher royalties

(Reuters) – Internet radio service Pandora Media Inc said it will appeal a rate court ruling that could force the company to pay higher royalties to Broadcast Music Inc (BMI) for music licenses. BMI said on Thursday the New York Rate Court ruled in its favor and agreed that the royalty rate of 2.5 percent of revenue was “reasonable, and indeed at the low end of the range of fees of recent licenses.” Pandora said in an emailed statement the ruling could increase its content costs as a percentage of revenue by 80 basis points. The latest court decision comes close on the heels of a court ruling in favor of Pandora last week, rejecting an effort by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) to charge Pandora more to license its music from 2013 to 2015.

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