TECH NEWS

Tbilisi, Georgia | AFP | Georgia is immensely proud of its ancient wine-making tradition, claiming to have been the first nation to make wine. Now it wants to be the first to grow grapes on Mars. Nestling between the Great Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, Georgia has a mild climate …

Paris, France | AFP |  French lawmakers on Monday began debating a new tax on digital giants such as Facebook and Apple that has angered the United States, with Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire boasting that France was proud to be in the vanguard of such a move. The United …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Airlines, the national carrier of Uganda, has firmed up its order for two A330-800 airliners, the latest version of the most popular A330 widebody airliner. They become only the second airline to own the new aircraft. Kuwait Airways is the only other customer …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Messaging app Snapchat, which is widely popular among younger users but has struggled to turn a profit since its creation in 2011, on Thursday unveiled new features including an integrated gaming platform, an expansion of its original series and new partnerships with developers. “Friendship …

  Why news organization strategists must not allow themselves to be swept up by every new tech trend Project Syndicate | ALEXANDRA BORCHARDT | Technology was supposed to solve some of the world’s biggest problems. Connect everyone to the Internet, it was once assumed, and democracy would follow. Collect enough …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | The crew of the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed last month killing 157 people, repeatedly followed procedures recommended by Boeing, but were unable to regain control of the jet, the Ethiopian transport minister said Thursday. “The crew performed all the procedures repeatedly provided by …

One of the most important aspects of planning a trip into remote locations is to calculate your expected fuel usage, your vehicle’s range and how much extra fuel you’ll need to carry. Here’s how… Calculating a vehicle’s fuel consumption is not difficult. Simply note down the distance travelled since the …

  Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | “It’s not because you don’t have the means that you don’t dream,” says Guy-Serge Namane, a director at the second Bushman Film Festival, a cornucopia of global smartphone cinema. “Action!,” his assistant director calls. Namane asks actress Berenice Irie, in full make-up, to …

Washington, United States | AFP |  The United States and China are in a virtual deadlock in the race for 5G, or fifth-generation wireless networks expected to unlock new services, an industry survey showed Tuesday. The report shows the United States has closed the gap with China in “readiness” for …

New York, United States | AFP | Boeing must perform more work on a proposed fix to its 737 MAX aircraft before it can be submitted for review, US officials said Monday, suggesting the planes could stay grounded a while longer. Additional work is needed “to ensure that Boeing has identified …