TECH NEWS

Paris, France | AFP | Saudi Arabia’s global investment reach is impressive, stretching from stakes in Twitter and Uber to AccorHotels and Virgin Galactic — but the Khashoggi affair has thrown a harsh spotlight on its economic footprint. The following is a synopsis of the Kingdom’s investment portfolio. A 2017 …

  PLANTATION, United States | AFP | Cesar Altieri Sayoc, the Florida man accused of sending pipe bombs to critics of Donald Trump, had plastered his social media accounts and the van where he was living with signs of his devotion to the Republican president and his hatred for Democrats. …

Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | Africa is being increasingly targeted by hackers and must invest in cyber security, industry leaders said at the third Africa Cyber Security Conference closing Friday in Ivory Coast. Although Africa is not a prime target, “cyber threats have no more borders” and data pirates …

Washington, United States | AFP | Twitter reported Thursday stronger-than-expected profits and revenues in the third quarter, igniting a strong rally in shares of the key social network. The San Francisco group delivered a $789 million profit, including one-time gains, compared to a net loss of $21 million in the …

Rome, Italy | AFP | Italy’s competition authority on Wednesday said it was fining Apple and Samsung 10 and five million euros ($11.5 and $5.7 million) respectively for the so-called “planned obsolescence” of their smartphones. The ruling is believed to be the first against the manufacturers following accusations worldwide that …

San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook on Tuesday announced an overhaul of its Messenger smartphone app in an effort to simplify the service for its 1.3 billion monthly global users. The social network began rolling out a redesigned version featuring three tabs instead of nine, saying it was …

Tororo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has this afternoon commissioned the first phase of the China-Uganda Free Zone at Sukulu, a $620 million investment, in Tororo, Uganda. The investment, by Chinese company Guangzhou Dongsong Energy Group Uganda Limited, will have a fertilizer plant, steel mill and supporting power …

Paris, France | AFP | Salty water just below the surface of Mars could hold enough oxygen to support the kind of microbial life that emerged and flourished on Earth billions of years ago, researchers reported Monday. In some locations, the amount of oxygen available could even keep alive a …

Tokyo, Japan | AFP | The Japanese government on Monday ordered Facebook to improve protection of users’ personal information following data breaches affecting tens of millions of people worldwide. Facebook said early this month that hackers accessed the personal data of 29 million users in a breach at the world’s …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | British former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, a leading anti-Brexit advocate, said on Friday he would be starting a job at Facebook, as the US giant faces up to regulatory pressures. “I am delighted to be joining Facebook. After almost 20 years in European …