San Francisco, United States | AFP | Authorities in the US state of Pennsylvania have given Uber the green light to resume testing self-driving cars, the ride-sharing giant said Tuesday, after a fatal crash in Arizona prompted a pause. Uber said it had received authorization to put autonomous cars back …
Read More »Google joins tech move east, to invest $1 bn in New York campus
Washington, United States | AFP | Google became the latest US tech giant to announce a major expansion plan, unveiling a $1 billion investment Monday to create a new campus that could double its New York City workforce to 14,000. The move by Google comes following Amazon’s announcement of new …
Read More »Miss Philippines wins 2018 Miss Universe crown
Bangkok, Thailand | AFP | Miss Philippines was crowned Miss Universe on Monday in Bangkok after a trailblazing ceremony praised for featuring its first transgender candidate but marred by gaffes about the English-speaking ability of two Asian contestants. Catriona Gray, 24, finished first ahead of the South African and Venezuelan …
Read More »New Facebook bug may have exposed unposted photos
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook apologized Friday for a “bug” that may have exposed unposted photos from as many as 6.8 million users over a 12-day period through third-party applications. In the latest in a string of incidents on data protection, the leading social network said using …
Read More »Apple unveils plan for $1 bn campus in Texas, US expansion
Washington, United States | AFP | Apple unveiled plans Thursday for a $1 billion campus in Texas that will create jobs for the tech giant outside Silicon Valley, a move made without the fanfare of the recent Amazon headquarters bidding war. The new campus — which will be used for …
Read More »Social media tops print as news source for Americans: study
Washington, United States | AFP | Social media has overtaken print newspapers as a news source for Americans, researchers said Monday, highlighting the growing importance of services such as Facebook and Twitter as well as the troubled state of legacy news organizations. The Pew Research Center report found 20 percent …
Read More »Facebook adds $9 billion to share buyback effort
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook said Friday it would add $9 billion to its stock buyback program, which could scoop up shares pummeled over the past few months by privacy scandals and a slump on Wall Street. In a regulatory filing, the leading social network said it …
Read More »British couple get happy ending to engagement ring disaster in US
New York, United States | AFP | For many visitors to New York, Times Square is a must-see. For one British man, it was where his romantic marriage proposal went horribly wrong — the diamond ring fell through a grate. But don’t worry, thanks to the power of the internet, …
Read More »Attack of the small screens: Africa eyes mobile gaming boom
Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | An army of humans laid waste to an alien colony as South African video game maker Simon Spreckley enthusiastically controlled the action using his phone’s touch screen. “The penetration of mobile devices in Africa is huge. People often have two or three phones, which …
Read More »The empire strikes back: Microsoft returns to the top of the world
Washington, United States | AFP | Microsoft is back at the top of the technology world following an extraordinary comeback to close the gap with Apple, some three years into a transformation of the onetime leader by chief executive Satya Nadella. Microsoft regained its title as the world’s most valuable …
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