TECH NEWS

Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | It’s serendipity: from America to Viagra, history is full of great discoveries helped along by chance, as more than a century of Nobel prizes can attest. Among the chance discoveries that have been honoured with the prestigious prize are X-rays (physics, 1901), penicillin (medicine, 1945), …

Washington, United States | AFP |  Samsung is in discussions about “potential safety issues” concerning some of its washing machines after a class-action lawsuit complained the appliances were exploding, the company said Wednesday. The news comes after the South Korean electronics giant recalled millions of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones …

Ottawa, Canada | AFP | BlackBerry announced Wednesday it would halt in-house production of smartphones, marking the end of an era for the once-dominant Canadian tech firm. Ontario-based BlackBerry said it had reached a deal to outsource production of its phones to an Indonesian partner, and would instead concentrate on …

Aviation bodies in the East African region are considering shifting the airport control systems to a cheaper, more efficient, and safer satellite navigation system. The satellite-based system will be supported by the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (Egos). In the recent meeting held in Kigali, Rwanda the East African Community …

Dakar, Senegal | AFP | When farmer Isaac Tondo fell on lean times in Liberia’s long rainy season, his brother in the capital sent 8,000 Liberian dollars (US$87) to his Lonestar mobile money account, ensuring his children’s school fees would still be paid. Across Africa more and more people — …

Internet users around Kampala and Entebbe will save money on buying data as government introduces free Internet starting next month. Leonah Mbonimpa, the corporate communication officer at the National Information Technology Authority–Uganda (NITA-U’s) said the free-Wi-Fi will be available for users from 6pm to 6am on weekdays and on weekends  – Saturday starting …

Berlin, Germany | AFP |  German data protection authorities on Tuesday said they had blocked Facebook from collecting subscriber data from its subsidiary WhatsApp, citing privacy concerns. Facebook and WhatsApp promised in the wake of the Silicon Valley giant’s 2014 acquisition of the messaging app that they would not share …

Wellington, New Zealand | AFP |  New Zealand researchers said Monday they have restored the first recording of computer-generated music, created in 1951 on a gigantic contraption built by British genius Alan Turing. The aural artefact, which paved the way for everything from synthesizers to modern electronica, opens with a …

Foreigners could take lion’s share of oil and gas jobs as Uganda lags behind in building local capacity The government recently issued eight production licences to Tullow Uganda Operations Pty Ltd and Total E&P Uganda BV, a development that gives the oil companies the green light to finally proceed with …

Beijing, China | AFP |  The world’s largest radio telescope began operating in southwestern China Sunday, a project which Beijing says will help humanity search for alien life. The Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), nestled between hills in the mountainous region of Guizhou, began working around noon, the official …