Tag: lifestyle

The pirarucu: the giant prized fish of the Amazon

by Maira RENOU RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Its white flesh is tender and tasty, it can measure up to three meters long and weigh more than 200 kilograms: meet the pirarucu, one of the world’s largest freshwater fish, and native to the Amazon. The enormous animal once threatened with extinction, is now on dinner plates in Rio de Janeiro’s fanciest restaurants, thanks to a number of chefs who have championed the delicacy, and […]

Zuckerberg defends Facebook’s hands-off policy for politicians

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday defended the huge social network’s policy of refraining from fact-checking politicians, saying it’s not the job of tech firms to “censor.” Speaking to students at Georgetown University in Washington, Zuckerberg responded to critics who argued that Facebook is enabling political leaders including President Donald Trump to propagate misinformation. Zuckerberg said the policy — which does not include the fact-checking of political speech or […]

First man to perform spacewalk dies

by Marina LAPENKOVA Agence France-Presse RUSSIA, Moscow (AFP) — Alexei Leonov, a legendary Soviet cosmonaut who was the first man to perform a spacewalk in 1965, died in Moscow on Friday aged 85 after a long illness. The Russian space agency Roscosmos said it was saddened to announce the death of “cosmonaut No 11” who was twice decorated with the country’s top honour, the Hero of the Soviet Union. Tributes poured in from across the […]

Twin-screen Duo puts Microsoft back in smartphone game

by Glenn CHAPMAN SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled new Surface devices with twin-screens that open like books, including a notepad-sized version that will put it back in the smartphone game next year. Surface Duo was touted as the first device in the lineup to fit into a pants pocket, with two “paper-thin” 5.6-inch screens that unfold and work in harmony with a specially tailored Android operating system. Described as a […]

Zuckerberg to ‘go to the mat’ to fight breakup: report

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to “go to the mat” to fight a government attempt to break up the social media giant, according to a report Tuesday based on a leaked audio recording. Tech news site The Verge released leaked comments from a meeting of Facebook employees in July in which Zuckerberg said he would challenge a breakup effort, repeating his argument that splitting the company would not […]

Facebook suspends ‘tens of thousands’ of apps in privacy review

by Glenn CHAPMAN © Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook said Friday it suspended “tens of thousands” of apps on its platform as a result of a privacy practices review launched following a scandal involving Cambridge Analytica. The review started in 2018 after revelations that the political consultancy hijacked personal data on millions of Facebook users, and it included attorneys, external investigators, data scientists, engineers, policy specialists and others, according to a […]

Huawei in public test as it unveils latest high-end smartphone with no Google apps

  by Daphne ROUSSEAU Agence France Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Chinese tech giant Huawei launches its latest high-end smartphone in Munich on Thursday, the first that could be void of popular Google apps because of US sanctions. Observers are asking whether a phone without the Silicon Valley software that users have come to depend on can succeed, or whether Huawei will have found a way for buyers to install popular apps despite the constraints. The […]

YouTube ‘creators’ fret over impact of new child protection rules

by Julie JAMMOT Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Samuel Rader quit his job three years ago to work full time on his YouTube channel, “Sam and Nia,” featuring videos of his family life. The channel created by the Texas-based couple — with videos of their Hawaii vacation, setting up their backyard pool and other content about “Christian family life” — has become one of the stars of the Google-owned video service […]

Coffee and quacks served up at Chengdu duck cafe

CHENGDU, China (AFP) — Crowds in a Chinese eatery ignore their drinks to gather adoringly around four fluffy white ducks, phones poised ready for pictures, at the latest addition to the country’s growing list of popular animal cafes. “Hey! We go”, a business in the center of the southwestern city of Chengdu is proving perfect fodder for the social media-savvy generation. The four call ducks — a domesticated breed imported from Europe — can retail […]

Report crowns Vienna ‘most liveable city’ for second year

  VIENNE, Austria (AFP) — The Austrian capital Vienna has retained its ranking as the world’s most liveable city, according to an annual report from the Economist. Vienna once again came ahead of Melbourne — which had held the top ranking for seven years until losing it to Vienna in 2018 — according to a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released Wednesday. The top two were followed by Sydney, Osaka and Calgary. Each […]

Twitter revamps website in bid to mimic mobile app

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — Twitter on Monday began rolling out an overhauled version of its website, making it more similar to the mobile version of the one-to-many messaging platform. The revamp to the Twitter page accessible on computer web browsers comes as the San Francisco-based company seeks to ramp up engagement while managing abusive content. “We are starting to roll out a new  Twitter.com — a refreshed and updated website that is faster, easier to navigate […]

Instagram moves on online bullying with pop-up warning

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Instagram on Monday announced new features aimed at curbing online bullying on its platform, including a warning to people as they are preparing to post abusive remarks. “It’s our responsibility to create a safe environment on Instagram,” said a statement from Adam Mosseri, head of the visually focused social platform owned by Facebook. “This has been an important priority for us for some time, and we are continuing to invest […]