Uber wants to attract a million drivers in India over the next two years, a challenge in a country where many people are unfamiliar with smartphones or GPS. A Wall Street Journal article today explains how the company aims to reach its goal. Click above to watch one driver describe his Uber training. (via WSJ)
BEIJING China on Thursday dismissed accusations from Taiwan that it engaged in “dollar diplomacy” to get Sao Tome and Principe to ditch ties with the self-ruled island, saying a petty Taiwan was besmirching China’s good name. The tiny West African state’s decision this week has angered Taiwan, which says the move will not help already strained relations with China. Taiwan says China took advantage of Sao Tome’s […]
AP Images A new European Court of Justice ruling has made it more difficult for Britain to seal a major trade deal with the European Union post-Brexit. The European Court of Justice’s Advocate General Eleanor Sharpston published a legal opinion saying that all 38 national and regional parliaments, around five regional and linguistic parliaments in Belgium, and at least five upper chambers in Europe have to approve […]
2016 was fact-checking’s finest year [1]. No it wasn’t, it was the year of “post-truth” [2] — some preferred “post-fact” [3] — and fact-checking is a fool’s errand. The discussion about facts in journalism worldwide has rarely been as fractured and animated as it has been in 2016, so we collected 366 links, one for each day of the year, to try and make sense of what […]
Perth’s Quantify Technology is developing technology to create intelligent buildings, with the same technology aiming to provide a foundation to enable the creation of secure Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Although Quantify is in the business of power points and light switches, founder and managing director Mark Lapins said there is more to his company than just that. “IoT is big and confusing and we’re trying to […]
BEIJING China’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday it welcomed an announcement from the small west African country of Sao Tome to end diplomatic relations with self-ruled Taiwan. “We have noted the statement from the government of Sao Tome and Principe on the 20th to break so-called ‘diplomat’ ties with Taiwan. China expresses appreciation of this, and welcomes Sao Tome back onto the correct path of the ‘one […]
Short takes and quick hits for the week of December 19-25, 2016. EFF launches “In defense of users” initiative with strong anti-Trump message Posted Dec 20, 2016, 12:30 PST The EFF isn’t pulling any punches in its new campaign The Electronic Frontier Foundation isn’t waiting for the Presidential inauguration on January 20, 2017, to express their opposition to incomping President Donald J. Trump. In a full-page ad […]
By Steve Scherer | ROME ROME Three days after resigning as Italian prime minister and before his successor took office, Matteo Renzi typed a late-night Facebook post from his family home near Florence that seemed to cast doubt on his future. “I have no seat in parliament, no salary, no pension… I’m starting over,” he wrote. Since stepping down on Dec. 7 after a crushing referendum defeat […]
EDINBURGH Scotland wants to stay in the European Union’s single market after the United Kingdom leaves the bloc and will push for more powers to protect its interests, the head of its pro-independence government said on Tuesday. “We are determined to maintain Scotland’s current position in the European single market,” First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in a paper setting out Scotland’s views about Brexit. Sturgeon said the […]
BEIJING China said it will not change its position on opposing the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to people it considers criminals, even though Beijing and Norway had now normalised ties frozen since 2010 when a prominent Chinese dissident won. Liu Xiaobo, 59, was jailed by a Chinese court for 11 years in 2009 on subversion charges for organising a petition urging an end to one-party […]
It’s a hot July day in Bethlehem, and white-robed pilgrims from Nigeria stand in the courtyard entrance to the ancient church, singing and beating drums. They’ve travelled more than 3,500 kilometres to enter the church’s low wooden door, pass through a nave under restoration and down one of the staircases in the sprawling church, to the grotto. There, they will kneel in prayer and devotion at the […]
First preliminary investigation into the killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa and fellow inmate Raul Yap filed by the National Bureau of Investigation. TETCH TORRES-TUPAS Two of the police officers accused in the death of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa and fellow inmate Raul Yap were at a loss as to why they were included as respondents while another police officer was already AWOL prior to the […]
Peek into a tide pool along the shore and you may see a starfish clinging quietly to a rock. But that secure adulthood comes at the expense of a harrowing larval journey. Tiny starfish larvae — each smaller than a grain of rice — spend 60 days and 60 nights paddling the open ocean, feeding to accumulate the energy needed to metamorphose into the familiar star shape. […]
By Michelle Nichols | UNITED NATIONS UNITED NATIONS United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday he feared genocide was about to start in South Sudan unless immediate action is taken, renewing his plea for the Security Council to impose an arms embargo on the world’s newest country. “If we fail to act, South Sudan will be on a trajectory towards mass atrocities,” Ban told the 15-member […]
Christine Lagarde was found guilty of negligence in public office by a special Paris court on Monday in a ruling that will cast a cloud over her position as managing director of the International Monetary Fund. Within hours, however, the former French finance minister won the support of her board, clearing the way for her to continue on at the head of the fund. The board’s decision came […]
(Image: file photo) People buying new computers and devices in South Carolina would be blocked from accessing porn under a newly proposed law. A bill, pre-filed earlier this month by state lawmaker Bill Chumley, is called the Human Trafficking Prevention Act, and would require computer makers and sellers to install filters that would prevent users from accessing porn and other sexual material. The aim is to prevent […]
As we celebrate the completion of another trip around the sun, and prepare to start the next one, the festive television season is shifting into high gear. Grab your remote – we’ve got more than enough TV treats to enjoy as you relax on the sofa after all the preparation and socialising. Pop that gourmet corn, rip open a box of chocolate and enjoy a wide range […]
About nine months before George W. Bush became president I, along with about 70 others, were asked to join an independent tech advisory board to help Bush, then governor of Texas, understand the role of tech in the new decade and help craft a tech policy should he become president. Our first meeting took place in Austin, and from that came various subcommittees to research […]
We’ve heard a lot about Microsoft’s plan to compete with Amazon Echo and Google Home without ever having to create and sell a device. Apparently, the company is planning to transform every Windows 10 device into what is called a Home Hub, but what about those who are not interested in Windows 10? That’s an easy question to answer. You see, Microsoft is planning to release the SDK […]
Jayant Bhandari warns “there are clear signs that in a very convoluted way, possession of gold for investment purposes will be made illegal” as he discusses India’s attempts to create a cashless society (and consequences of it) and why precious metals and geographical diversification are the most viable options investors around the world, not just India, should be taking. “The situation is getting worse by the day… […]
By Brenda Goh, Allison Lampert and Brad Haynes | SHANGHAI/MONTREAL/SAO PAULO SHANGHAI/MONTREAL/SAO PAULO New rules governing Chinese airline startups are fueling hopes at Embraer SA (EMBR3.SA), Bombardier Inc (BBDb.TO) and other regional jet makers for a spike in orders next year, but local competition and doubts about size restrictions still loom as major obstacles. The new policy is aimed at encouraging fledgling carriers to boost domestic flights […]
Not everyone has the time or budget to keep up a gym membership, so having a fitness tracker, smart wearable device, or even simply a fitness application in your smartphone are all good ways to keep one’s health in check. Luckily, there are many available apps that offer basic to customized fitness plans and allow us to reach our goals. Since it is already the middle of […]
LONDON Leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage said on Sunday he wanted to be a bridge between the British government and the new U.S. administration. Last month U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Farage – the former leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) – would be great as Britain’s envoy to Washington, but the British government dismissed the suggestion. “I can help to be a bridge between […]
War has completely gripped the once majestic Syria, taking more than 300,000 innocent lives. The silent witnesses to the violence and death are the many sites that once made Syria a top destination, blessed with its many well-kept and preserved heritage sites. The buildings and structures that once witnessed monumental, historical events have now been reduced to a wartorn landscape as many of its previously bustling citizens […]
