Washington, United States | AFP | Google has begun a new effort to block annoying ads on its Chrome browser, as part of an initiative aimed at improving the online advertising ecosystem that provides the bulk of its revenues. The new ad filtering system rolled out this week aims to …
Read More »Goodbye to romance: Indonesian cities ban Valentine’s Day
Jakarta, Indonesia | AFP | Valentine’s Day was banned in some Indonesian cities Wednesday as police rounded up amorous couples, giving the official kiss-off to a tradition which critics say doesn’t deserve any love in the Muslim-majority nation. The prohibitions come amid concerns that traditionally tolerant Indonesia is taking a …
Read More »Worsening Ethiopian drought threatens to end nomadic lifestyle
Dabafayed, Ethiopia | AFP | Down a sandy track past a desiccated animal carcass lies a cluster of half-built huts that Ethiopia’s government and aid agencies hope will blunt the worsening toll of repeated droughts. The soon-to-be village of Dabafayed is intended as a new, permanent home for once-nomadic herders made …
Read More »Record 2017 sales set up Puma to score at World Cup
Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | German sportswear firm Puma on Monday reported record revenues in 2017, with celebrity sparkle from Rihanna and the football World Cup set to maintain the leaping-cat brand’s appeal into 2018. Net profit at the Bavaria-based company more than doubled last year, reaching 135.8 …
Read More »Don’t wear expensive stuff in Rotterdam – unless you can prove you bought it!
Don’t wear expensive stuff in Rotterdam – unless you can prove you bought it! Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | `Fashion Police’ in the Dutch city of Rotterdam is rolling out a new and highly controversial pilot program aimed at reducing crime. The program will target young men wearing designer …
Read More »Twitter hits milestone with first-ever profit
Washington, United States | AFP | Twitter on Thursday reported its first-ever quarterly profit, a key milestone that sent shares soaring at the social network which has lagged for years behind fast-growing rivals. The San Francisco-based one-to-many microblogging service said it earned $91 million in the fourth quarter, the first …
Read More »At trial, former Uber CEO seeks to fend off conspiracy talk
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Former Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick appeared tense and tentative as he took the witness stand Tuesday seeking to counter allegations that his company stole autonomous driving secrets from former Google car unit Waymo. A key witness in the blockbuster trade secrets case, Kalanick …
Read More »Apple overtakes Samsung in shrinking smartphone market: survey
Washington, United States | AFP | Apple overtook Samsung in the fourth quarter as the largest smartphone producer in a declining global market for handsets, research firm IDC said Friday. A survey by IDC showed Apple — which reported its quarterly data Thursday — led all vendors with 77.3 million …
Read More »Apple delivers record profit, seeks to allay iPhone X fears
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Apple on Thursday said its earnings in the final three months of last year set new records, with sales of its flagship iPhone X topping its expectations. The California-based technology giant reported that profit climbed to $20 billion on revenue that increased 13 …
Read More »Google parent hit by higher costs, names new chairman
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Google parent company Alphabet on Thursday reported a quarterly loss to set aside funds to pay taxes on repatriated profits, and named a new chairman to replace outgoing Eric Schmidt. Shares in Alphabet slid 2.3 percent in after-hours trade on the results, highlighting …
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