THE NEWS WRAP: Uber ramps up efforts against regulators

Uber is ramping up its efforts to lobby regulators in the US by mobilising its users as well as a team of powerful lobbyists, The Washington Post reports.

After being told by the Virginia state government its services were illegal and the company needed to stop operating in the state, Uber struck back by enlisting an army of supporters to email the bureaucrat in charge of the decision.

Uber won a reprieve from the state transportation department and is now working on a long-term solution to get around industry regulation.

The ride-sharing service recently completed a $US1.2 billion raise, valuing the company at $US40 billion.

Spanish media doesn’t want to break up with Google News

Less than a week after Google News announced it was shutting down its Spanish arm, local media have pleaded for the decision to be reversed, according to Tech Crunch.

Google announced it was closing Google News in Spain last week due to new legislation which would require publications to charge services like Google News for showing their content – no matter how little – regardless of whether the media company wanted to or not.

The Spanish Newspaper Publishers’ Association has released a statement saying the closure of Google News Spain will “undoubtedly have a negative impact on citizens and Spanish businesses”.

Tinder competitor raises $12 million

Dating app Hinge has raised $12 million in Series A funding led by Shasta Ventures in order to fast-track its international expansion, Tech Crunch reports.

Described as a competitor of Tinder, Hinge is an iOS and Android dating app that uses a so-called romance graph algorithm to predict whether a user will get along with a potential match.

The app is currently available in 28 cities in the US.

Overnight

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 315.51 points or 1.79% to 17,280.83. The Aussie dollar is currently trading at US82 cents.

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