The Tribune

• Baidu Inc., which operates China’s most popular Internet search engine, said Tuesday it has hired a former Microsoft executive and artificial intelligence specialist to improve its competitiveness in the field.

The Beijing-based company said Qi Lu was named group president and chief operating officer in charge of products, technology and sales. Qi, who has a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University, previously was Microsoft Corp.’s global executive vice president.

“With Dr. Lu on board, we are confident that our strategy will be executed smoothly and Baidu will become a world-class technology company and global leader in Ai,” said Baidu chairman Robin Li in a statement.

• Facebook says it’s introducing measures to tackle the spread of fake news in Germany, months before the country holds a national election.

The social network said Sunday the investigative media group Correctiv will be its first outside fact-checker in Germany and it’s working to bring aboard other media organisations. It said updates to make it easier to report fake news will be introduced shortly in Germany.

Facebook last month launched plans to focus on the “worst of the worst” offenders and partner with outside fact-checkers and news organisations, including The Associated Press, to sort out true news reports from made-up stories.

• There’s a new thrill on the streets of downtown Las Vegas, where high- and low-rollers alike are climbing aboard what officials call the first driverless electric shuttle operating on a public U.S. street. The oval-shaped shuttle began running last week as part of a 10-day pilot programme, carrying up to 12 passengers for free along a short stretch of the Fremont Street East entertainment district.

The vehicle has a human attendant and computer monitor, but no steering wheel and no brake pedals. Passengers push a button at a marked stop to board it.

The shuttle uses GPS, electronic curb sensors and other technology, and doesn’t require lane lines to make its way.

• The waste from discarded electronic gadgets and electrical appliances has reached severe levels in East Asia, posing a growing threat to health and the environment unless safe disposal becomes the norm.

China was the biggest culprit with its electronic waste more than doubling, according to a new study by the United Nations University. But nearly every country in the region had massive increases between 2010 and 2015, including those least equipped to deal with the growing mountain of discarded smartphones, computers, TVs, air conditioners and other goods.

On average, electronic waste in the 12 countries in the study had increased by nearly two thirds in the five years, totaling 12.3 million tons in 2015 alone.