San Diego, United States | AFP | San Diego State University psychology professor Jean Twenge sees smartphones and social media as raising an unhappy, compliant “iGen.” QUESTION: What is the iGen? ANSWER: The iGen is the generation born in 1995 and later, and they’re the first generation to spend their …
Read More »Smartphones: a double-edged sword for terrorists
Paris, France | AFP | Bombs and guns aside, a smartphone can be a powerful weapon in the hands of a terrorist — but it can also provide intelligence services with the tools to track them down. Three years ago to the day, the Paris attacks of November 13, 2015 …
Read More »Fighting wars and disease, smartphones on the frontlines
Paris, France | AFP | At the sharp end of conflict in Syria, in a schoolchild’s bag in Kenya, whether fighting deadly diseases or studying forestry, the smartphone has become ubiquitous in just over a decade. This year, the number of users is expected to pass three billion, and AFP …
Read More »ICT Ministry, Microsoft sign MOU to support innovations
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) has signed a memorandum of understanding with global technology firm, Microsoft for supporting innovations in Uganda. The MOU was signed at ICT Ministry office on morning. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of ICT Vincent Bagiire signed …
Read More »Facebook stops requiring arbitration of sexual harassment claims
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook on Friday said it will no longer require employees to resolve sexual harassment claims via arbitration, mirroring a move by Google. The change of workplace rules at the world’s leading social network will allow complaints of such improprieties to be aired openly …
Read More »Conjoined Bhutanese twins undergo separation surgery
Melbourne, Australia | AFP | Australian surgeons began operating early Friday to separate 15-month-old Bhutanese twins joined at the torso. Nima and Dawa, and their mother Bhumchu Zangmo, arrived in Australia a month ago with the help of an Australian charity but doctors had delayed the surgery until Friday to …
Read More »Google outlines steps to tackle workplace harassment
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Google on Thursday outlined changes to its handling of sexual misconduct complaints, hoping to calm outrage that triggered a worldwide walkout of workers last week. “We recognize that we have not always gotten everything right in the past and we are sincerely sorry …
Read More »Samsung folding screen lets smartphone open into tablet
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Samsung on Wednesday showed off a folding screen that lets a smartphone open into a tablet, heralding it as the future for portable devices. Senior vice president of mobile product marketing Justin Denison pulled a prototype foldable smartphone from a suit jacket inner …
Read More »A machine makes water out of air – Watergen’s atmospheric water generator
Hanoi, Vietnam | AFP-Services (text stories) | Imagine you could quench your thirst with water that doesn’t originate from a river, spring or lake, but comes directly out of the blue sky, from the air that surrounds you. What sounds like a science fiction movie is already a reality, and …
Read More »Facebook blocks 30 accounts ahead of US midterm elections
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook said Monday it had blocked some 30 accounts on its platform and 85 accounts on photo-sharing social network Instagram over concerns they may be linked to foreign entities and aimed at interfering in US midterm elections. The announcement came shortly after US …
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