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Showing posts from January, 2020

Union Budget 2020: Tech highlights

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Why living in The Good Place would actually drive you mad

The build-up to The Good Place finale raises questions about the long-term mental health implications of living in paradise from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2GHCdAT

Netflix’s Ragnarok pits the climate crisis against every TV cliche

A new six-part series smashes together the superhero tropes (and soundtrack) of the 2010s with the rising climate anxiety of the new decade from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/3b0xW9w

Every Studio Ghibli film, ranked from worst to best

All but one of Studio Ghibli's 22 films are coming to Netflix. To help prioritise your animation binge, we've ranked every single one from worst to best from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2RLXbVh

Life and death inside China's coronavirus lockdown

In China, over 45 million people are under lockdown in an attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus. This is what life looks like in the city at the heart of the outbreak from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2S7hknZ

How Nike broke running

While Nike’s Vaporfly Next% has survived a ban from the 2020 Olympics, any future versions of the shoe will be outlawed. And the trainers have changed running forever from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2uSgiUK

Got slime? Using regenerative biology to restore mucus production

Let's talk about slime. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2UdKFQi

Skymind Global Ventures launches $800M fund and London office to back AI startups

Skymind Global Ventures (SGV) appeared last year in Asia/US as a vehicle for the previous founders of a YC-backed open-source AI platform to invest in companies that used the platform. Today it announces the launch of an $800 million fund to back promising new AI companies and academic research. It will consequently be opening a London office as an extension to its original Hong Kong base. SGV Founder and CEO Shawn Tan said in a statement: “Having our operations in the UK capital is a strategic move for us. London has all the key factors to help us grow our business, such as access to diverse talent and investment, favorable regulation, and a strong and well-established technology hub. The city is also the AI growth capital of Europe with the added competitive advantage of boasting a global friendly time zone that overlaps with business hours in Asia, Europe and the rest of the world.” SGV will use its London base to back research and development and generate business opportunities

Emergency declared for bushfire-threatened Canberra

Authorities in Canberra on Friday declared the first state of emergency in almost two decades as a bushfire bore down on the Australian capital. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2S8OlQJ

Release contaminated Fukushima water into sea: Japan panel

Radioactive water from the stricken nuclear plant in Fukushima should be released into the ocean or vaporised into the air, an expert panel advised the Japanese government on Friday. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2S0g6L6

As forests burn around the world, drinking water is at risk

Fabric curtains stretch across the huge Warragamba Dam to trap ash and sediment expected to wash off wildfire-scorched slopes and into the reservoir that holds 80% of untreated drinking water for the Greater Sydney area. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2tiCFlW

Robotic submarine snaps first-ever images at foundation of notorious Antarctic glacier

During an unprecedented scientific campaign on an Antarctic glacier notorious for contributions to sea-level, researchers took first-ever images at the glacier's foundations on the ocean floor. The area is key to Thwaites Glacier's potential to become more dangerous, and in the coming months, the research team hopes to give the world a clearer picture of its condition. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2S51rhJ

Study provides first look at sperm microbiome using RNA sequencing

A new collaborative study published by a research team from the Wayne State University School of Medicine, the CReATe Fertility Centre and the University of Massachusetts Amherst provides the first in-depth look at the microbiome of human sperm utilizing RNA sequencing with sufficient sensitivity to identify contamination and pathogenic bacterial colonization. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2RIv2P7

National survey: Students' feelings about high school are mostly negative

Ask a high school student how he or she typically feels at school, and the answer you'll likely hear is "tired," closely followed by "stressed" and "bored." from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2U81jkh

Zoo improvements should benefit all animals

Zoo improvements should benefit all animals and include a wide range of "enrichment" techniques, researchers say. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/3aRgunI

Twitter, Pinterest crack down on voter misinformation

Twitter and Pinterest are taking new steps to root out voting misinformation designed to suppress participation in the November elections. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2RGqzMJ

Avast to close down Jumpshot after data privacy scandal

British cybersecurity company Avast will close the Jumpshot analytics business at the centre of a data privacy scandal, it said on Thursday, putting hundreds of jobs at risk and deepening a slide in its shares. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2RGt8yr

Amazon joins $1 trillion club with Apple, Microsoft after robust Q4 results

For the full calendar year 2019, the net sales increased 20 per cent to $280.5 billion -- compared with $232.9 billion in 2018. Net income increased to $11.6 billion in 2019, compared with net income of $10.1 billion in 2018. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/37L2utV

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' data would have been safe with Telegram, claims founder

Private instant messaging app Telegram's founder Pavel Durov has said Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos' data may not have been hacked if he had relied on Telegram instead of Facebook-owned WhatsApp which is full of malicious "backdoor" bugs. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/3aXa9ah

Apple HomePod vs Google Home vs Amazon Echo Studio: How the three smart speakers compare

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Indian smartphone makers fear supply disruptions due to corona virus

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Amazon holiday sales jump as one-day shipping pays dividends, stock up 13%

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Google, Microsoft and strange world of corporate greenwashing

Astrazeneca, Google, Microsoft, VW and even Sainsbury’s have unveiled net-zero targets. But how seriously should we take them? from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2OhHTWq

This is the year a major European city will ban cars from its centre

E-scooters and e-bikes are making traffic-free cities a reality from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/31eW6IL

From Casper to Eve, all mattress companies are basically doomed

2020 was meant to kick off with a blockbuster mattress IPO. Instead, Casper's downgrade has exposed the sleep market's biggest flaws from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2GD5U5M

This is what Facebook CEO has to say about India's UPI system

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IBM names India-born Arvind Krishna as CEO

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Microsoft will now pay up to $20k for Xbox Live security exploits

Think you’ve found a glaring security hole in Xbox Live? Microsoft is interested. The company announced a new bug bounty program today, focused specifically on its Xbox Live network and services. Depending on how serious the exploit is and how complete your report is, they’re paying up to $20,000. Like most bug bounty programs, Microsoft is looking for pretty specific/serious security flaws here. Found a way to execute unauthorized code on Microsoft’s servers? They’ll pay for that. Keep getting disconnected from Live when you play as a certain legend in Apex? Not quite the kind of bug they’re looking for. Microsoft also specifically rules out a few types of vulnerabilities as out-of-scope, including DDoS attacks, anything that involves phishing Microsoft employees or Xbox customers, or getting servers to cough up basic info like server name or internal IP. You can find the full breakdown here. This is by no means Microsoft’s first foray into bounty programs; they’ve got similar pr

Amazon quietly publishes its latest transparency report

Just as Amazon was basking in the news of a massive earnings win , the tech giant quietly published — as it always does — its latest transparency report, revealing a slight dip in the number of government demands for user data. It’s a rarely seen decline in the number of demands received by a tech company during a year where almost every other tech giant — including Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter — all saw an increase in the number of demands they receive. Only Apple reported a decline in the number of demands it received. Amazon said it received 1,841 subpoenas, 440 search warrants and 114 other court orders for user data — such as its Echo and Fire devices — during the six-month period ending 2019. That’s about a 4% decline on the first six months of the year. The company’s cloud unit, Amazon Web Services, also saw a decline in the number of demands for data stored by customers, down by about 10%. Amazon also said it received between 0 and 249 national security reque

Researchers discover a genetic mechanism that affects birth defects, some cancers

Scientists have understood for some time that proper embryonic development depends in large part on transcriptional repressors, proteins that prevent genes from being expressed at inappropriate times. Steven Vokes, associate professor of molecular biosciences at the University of Texas at Austin, and his team focus on a set of proteins called GLI (glioma-associated oncogene) and how they control gene expression in response to what is known as the Hedgehog pathway. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/36Dt86r

Australia heatwave renews bushfire worries

Australia was bracing for a heatwave to sweep across the country's fire-ravaged southeast in the coming days, with the forecast stoking fears the soaring temperatures could inflame bushfires. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2GE108A

G20 funds fossil fuels $30 bn a year under the radar: analysis

Rich nations are funnelling cash through government-backed financial institutions to provide $30 billion to fossil fuel projects each year that "run counter to the Paris Agreement", a new analysis showed Thursday. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2GCuQdY

Microscopic partners could help plants survive stressful environments

Tiny, symbiotic fungi play an outsized role in helping plants survive stresses like drought and extreme temperatures, which could help feed a planet experiencing climate change, report scientists at Washington State University. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/37HaWdI

Antibiotic-resistance in Tanzania is an environmental problem

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are prevalent in people, wildlife and the water in northeastern Tanzania, but it's not antibiotic use alone driving resistance. Instead, researchers at Washington State University found transmission of bacteria in the environment is the most important factor. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2vzHd8f

Cells' springy coils pump bursts of RNA

In your cells, it's almost always spring. Or at least springy. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/3aWkvan

Emerging organic contaminant levels greatly influenced by stream flows, seasons

Flow rates and time of year must be taken into account to better understand the potential risks posed by emerging organic contaminants in rivers and streams, according to Penn State researchers who studied contaminant concentrations and flow characteristics at six locations near drinking water intakes in the Susquehanna River basin. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2uICdh5

Meteorites reveal high carbon dioxide levels on early Earth

Tiny meteorites no larger than grains of sand hold new clues about the atmosphere on ancient Earth, according to scientists. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2U8glWZ

Google launches TikTok rival, Tangi: 9 things to know before you download

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Microsoft cloud revenue regains momentum, sending profit above Street estimates

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Investors sound out Tesla ahead of earnings report

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Europe wants single data market to break US tech giants' dominance

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PayPal forecasts 2020 profit below estimates, shares fall

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Millions of Macs are hit by this malware every year

The Shlayer Trojan accounts for nearly a third of all malware detections on Macs – and it's relatively crude from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/38PaERX

We need to radically rethink our approach to Alzheimer’s research

Targeted immune modulation will usher in an era of effective neurodegenerative disease therapies from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2uL6hsi

Samsung Electronics sees gradual chip rebound in 2020 after fourth-quarter profit plunge

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Facebook to pay $550 million to settle facial recognition lawsuit

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Lyft lays off 90 employees on journey to profitability

Lyft Inc said on Wednesday it had cut about 2% of its workforce, or 90 jobs, as the ride-hailing company seeks to achieve its goal of profitability by the end of 2021. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2vAXGsZ

KPCB has already blown through much of the $600 million it raised last year

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Kleiner Perkins , one of the most storied franchises in venture capital, has already invested much of the $600 million it raised last year and is now going back out to the market to raise its 19th fund, according to multiple sources. The firm, which underwent a significant restructuring over the last two years, went on an investment tear over the course of 2019 as new partners went out to build up a new portfolio for the firm — almost of a whole cloth. Kleiner Perkins gets back to early-stage with its $600M 18th fund A spokesperson for KPCB declined to comment on the firm’s fundraising plans citing SEC regulations. The quick turnaround for KPCB is indicative of a broader industry trend, which has investors pulling the trigger on term sheets for new startups in days rather than weeks. Speaking onstage at the Upfront Summit, an event at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. organized by the Los Angeles-based venture firm Upfront Ventures as a showcase for technology and investmen

All eyes are on the next liquidity event when it comes to space startups

At the FAA’s 23rd Annual Commercial Commercial Space Transportation Conference in Washington, DC on Wednesday, a panel dedicated to the topic of trends in VC around space startups touched on public vs. private funding, the right kinds of space companies that should even be considering venture funding, and, perhaps most notably, the big L: Liquidity. Moderator Tess Hatch, Vice President at Bessemer Venture Partners, addressed the topic in response to an audience question that noted while we’ve heard a lot about how much money will flow into space-related startups from the VC community, we haven’t actually et seen much in the way of liquidity events that prove out the validity of these investments. “In 2008, a company called Skybox was created and a handful of years later Google acquired the company for $500 million,” Hatch said. “Every venture capitalist’s ears perked up and they thought ‘Hey, that’s pretty good ROI in a short amount of time – maybe the space thing is an investable

Tesla closes Shanghai factory over coronavirus concerns

Tesla was ordered by the Chinese government to shut down its Shanghai factory over concerns about the coronavirus, a closure that will delay Model 3 production and ultimately put slight downward pressure on profits in the first quarter, the automaker’s finance chief Zach Kirkhorn said during an earnings call Wednesday. Prior to the call, Tesla reported Wednesday $105 million in net income, or 56 cents a diluted share, compared with $140 million, or 78 cents a share, in the same year-ago period. Tesla earned $386 million, or $2.14 a share, in the fourth quarter when adjusted for one-time items. Tesla generated revenue of $7.38 billion in fourth quarter, just 1% higher than the $7.2 billion generated in the same period in 2018. Model 3 production will be delayed by a week and a half, Kirkhorn said. Novel coronavirus , a new form of the family of viruses known as coronavirus first cropped up in Wuhan in late December 2019. Since then,  thousands of people have contracted the virus, ca

Facebook will pay $550 million to settle class action lawsuit over privacy violations

Facebook will pay over half a billion dollars to settle a class action lawsuit that alleged systematic violation of an Illinois consumer privacy law. The settlement amount is large indeed, but a small fraction of the $35 billion maximum the company could have faced. Class members — basically Illinois Facebook users from mid-2011 to mid-2015 — may expect as much as $200 each, but that depends on several factors. If you’re one of them you should receive some notification once the settlement is approved by the court and the formalities are worked out. The proposed settlement would require Facebook to obtain consent in the future from Illinois users for such purposes as face analysis for automatic tagging. This is the second major settlement from Facebook in six months; an seemingly enormous $5 billion settlement of FTC violations was announced over the summer, but it’s actually a bit of a joke . 9 reasons the Facebook FTC settlement is a joke The Illinois suit was filed in 2015

Scientists develop a concept of a hybrid thorium reactor

Russian scientists have proposed a concept of a thorium hybrid reactor in that obtains additional neutrons using high-temperature plasma held in a long magnetic trap. This project was applied in close collaboration between Tomsk Polytechnic University, All-Russian Scientific Research Institute Of Technical Physics (VNIITF), and Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics of SB RAS. The proposed thorium hybrid reactor is distinguished from today's nuclear reactors by moderate power, relatively compact size, high operational safety, and a low level of radioactive waste. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2S6AWbU

'Off-Facebook Activity': How to use this new Facebook feature

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RIL approaches NHAI for offering waste plastic-to-road technology

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Amazon-owned Ring app sending users' data to 3rd parties, investigation reveals

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Branding in a hyperconnected world

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, UNC-Chapel Hill, University of Wisconsin, and Columbia University published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines the changing role and management of brands in a hyperconnected world. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/37D88hp

Does news coverage of crashes affect perceived blame?

Despite an ever-rising number of pedestrian and bicyclist deaths on U.S. roads each year, there's no widespread public pressure to improve road safety—a situation influenced by how news articles about auto-pedestrian/bicyclist crashes are written, said Tara Goddard, Texas A&M assistant professor of urban planning. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/37CZxLI

First release of genetically engineered moth could herald new era of crop protection

A newly published study reports a successful, first-ever open-field release of a self-limiting, genetically engineered diamondback moth, stating that it paves the way for an effective and sustainable approach to pest control. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/310n4nx

Screening sweet peppers for organic farming

A study conducted out of The University of Georgia delved into the comparative yields of sweet pepper varieties produced under organic farming conditions. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2uIYb3q

Praise, rather than punish, to see up to 30% greater focus in the classroom

To improve behavior in class, teachers should focus on praising children for good behavior, rather than telling them off for being disruptive, according to a new study published in Educational Psychology. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2uKBnAg

Perdoo adds free tier to its OKR service, adding a fresh wrinkle to an accelerating market

Perdoo , a Berlin-based OKR-focused software startup, has decided to make its basic service free, potentially shaking up its growing, and somewhat crowded, market. “Objectives and Key Results,” a planning and management technique usually shortened to “OKRs,” is a hot space for software startups, with several raising in recent months. WorkBoard and Gtmhub , for example, each raised capital for their OKR products in the last two months. WorkBoard raised $30 million , while Gtmhub added $9 million to its coffers . So many companies are operating in the space that TechCrunch created a compendium of sorts listing the players, simply to get our mind around who is active in the space as a partial, or pure participant. Perdoo is a different animal than its rivals. The company, instead of tapping into an obviously interested venture capital pool, is a largely bootstrapped affair, it told TechCrunch. That makes its decision all the more curious. Why would a company with, theoretically, at l

10 ways government wants Facebook, Google to help in its porn fight

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Looking to new products, Bev adds strategic investors and redoubles focus on women entrepreneurs

Looking for fellow travelers to join in on its mission to transform the beverage business, the Los Angeles-based startup  Bev has taken on fresh capital from a slew of strategic investors.  The company has added Erin and Sara Foster, creative heads of Bumble BFF and Bumble Biz, to their investor and creative talent pool along with other notable names like Rich Paul, Simon Tikhman, Keith Sheldon and Chief Zaruk. The new capital will help support the launch of Bev’s new ‘Made By Chicks’ media platform and podcast, which will be hosted by the Foster sisters in their first official partnership with any brand, according to a statement from the company. In addition to the new media platform, Bev is also planning to launch two new beverages into its boozy stable of canned wines. Expect two white wines to join the company’s Rose on store shelves within the year, according to company founder and chief executive, Alix Peabody. “We’re partnering with Bev because we’re comfortable buying th

Mini Electric first drive: a great electric car for the masses

The new flagship EV from BMW has arrived. It looks set to be one of the most sought-after cars for 2020, and it's a mighty fine electric addition to the Mini family from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/36zlSIV

Dyson's Lightcycle Morph smart lamp is all kinds of odd

Dyson's at it again with a smart light that aims to tweak its brightness and colour temperature according to the light around you from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2tXXbZn

The battle between regulators and e-scooters is about to heat up

E-scooters are appearing in our cities in ever greater numbers, and they're outpacing legislation from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2SaRW0H

Kenyan logistics startup Sendy raises $20M round backed by Toyota

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Africa’s logistics startup space has gained another multi-million dollar round with global backing. Kenyan company Sendy — with an on-demand platform that connects clients to drivers and vehicles for goods delivery — has raised a $20 million Series B led by Atlantica Ventures. Toyota Tsusho Corporation, a trade and investment arm of Japanese automotive company Toyota, also joined the round. Sendy’s raise comes within six months of Nigerian trucking logistics startup Kobo360’s $20 million Series A backed by Goldman Sachs. In November, East African on-demand delivery venture Lori Systems hauled in $30 million supported by Chinese investors. Those companies have plotted Africa expansions into each other’s markets and broader Africa. With its latest round, Sendy ups its competitive stance in the continent’s startup logistics space. The company plans to expand to West Africa in 2020, CEO Mesh Alloys told TechCrunch on a call. Alloys co-founded Sendy in 2015 with Kenyans Evanson Bi

AMD revenue forecast disappoints on weak console demand

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Facebook VP of engineering Jay Parikh says he is leaving company

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Foxconn says plans in place to meet production obligations after coronavirus outbreak

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Huawei snatched market share from Apple, local rivals in China in 2019: Report

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Commerce ministry puts Bharti Airtel in denied entry list

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How Facebook thinks its independent oversight board should work

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Government may restore 2% additional duty incentive on mobile phones export: Sources

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Apple sets new sales record: iPhone, Apple Watch hit ‘all-time’ high and more

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Seeds of hope: Young volunteers replant Tunisia forests

Around 40 young Tunisian volunteers gather on a bare hill in the central region of Siliana. Their weekend mission—revive a burned forest by planting Aleppo pine shoots. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2UdDWG7

Glass frogs reappear in Bolivia after 18 years

A rare species of frog native to the eastern slopes of the Bolivian Andes has been spotted in the South American country for the first time in 18 years, the investigation team that made the discovery told AFP. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/3aII5aN

Sorry, 5G is not going to save falling smartphone sales in the UK

Speedy 5G was meant to be the saviour of slumping smartphone sales. It isn't from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/3aNHl4a

Trump’s travel ban could extend to Africa’s top tech country, Nigeria

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The Trump administration is poised to add several African countries to a U.S. travel ban list, including Africa’s top tech hub, Nigeria. Politico first reported the White House is considering Tanzania, Eritrea, Sudan and Nigeria for new travel restrictions, to coincide with the three-year anniversary of Trump’s original executive order, that targeted majority Muslim nations. Of the possible additions, including Nigeria could prove the most problematic to U.S. commercial relations . In addition to boasting Africa’s largest population and economy, the country of 200 million has become a magnet for VC and a strategic entry point for Silicon Valley . Why Africa, why Nigeria? The Department of State would not comment on a TechCrunch request to confirm an extension of the travel ban to Nigeria or other African countries. TechCrunch has an open inquiry on the matter to the National Security Council’s Senior Director for African affairs, Elizabeth Erin Walsh . The Trump administration

India beats US, is now the second-biggest smartphone market: Top gainers and losers

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Twitter says several NFL teams' accounts hacked

The social media company said it had locked the compromised accounts and was investigating the situation. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2O5HSEP

Philips to sell domestic appliances business

Philips said it would carve out the business in the coming 12 to 18 months, while it reviewed its future options. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2RTAXjb

Method detects defects in 2-D materials for future electronics, sensors

To further shrink electronic devices and to lower energy consumption, the semiconductor industry is interested in using 2-D materials, but manufacturers need a quick and accurate method for detecting defects in these materials to determine if the material is suitable for device manufacture. Now a team of researchers has developed a technique to quickly and sensitively characterize defects in 2-D materials. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/37KbSh6

Airborne measurements point to low EPA methane estimates in south central US

Approximately twice as much methane is seeping into the atmosphere than the Environmental Protection Agency estimates from oil and gas facilities in the south central U.S., according to a series of measurements taken by meteorologists using NASA aircraft. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2uHnjYh

Nanoparticle chomps away plaques that cause heart attacks

Michigan State University and Stanford University scientists have invented a nanoparticle that eats away—from the inside out—portions of plaques that cause heart attacks. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/3aN9Bnx

New study shows why women have to be likeable, and men don't

A new study in The Economic Journal finds that likeability is an influencing factor in interactions between women, as well as interactions between men and women, but not in all-male interactions. from Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories https://ift.tt/2Ry9QeE

InterviewBit secures $20M to grow its advanced online computer science program in India

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InterviewBit, a Bangalore-based startup that runs an advanced online computer science program for college graduates and young professional engineers, has raised $20 million in one of the largest Series A financing rounds in the education sector. The nine-month-old startup’s Series A round was led by Sequoia India, Tiger Global and Global Founders Capital among others, it said. The startup said it is also rebranding its online coding program, earlier called InterviewBit Academy, to Scaler Academy. InterviewBit operates on an income-sharing model, where students have the option to pay after they have landed a job. The concept, also known as human capital contract, has been around for decades but is beginning to see some traction now . The startup said more than 2,000 students have enrolled in its six-month program to date. It had received over 200,000 applications. And “several hundred” of those who enrolled in the program have landed jobs at tech companies such Google, Amazon, an

How anime hit Weathering with You nails Japan's climate crisis apathy

The anime blockbuster pins weird weather events on the supernatural. It echoes a curious apathy towards the climate among Japan's youth from WIRED UK https://ift.tt/2RYZrHG

How Vodafone-idea's loss may become Jio's gain

Reliance Jio became the country's largest telecom player in terms of subscribers at the cost of loss in Vodafone Idea's customer base, India Ratings and Research said in report on Monday. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2vsKnuu

ManoMano raises $139 million for its home improvement e-commerce platform

French startup ManoMano is raising another mega round of funding. The company operates an e-commerce website for DIY, home improvement and gardening products. This time, ManoMano is raising $139 million (€125 million) with Temasek leading the round. General Atlantic, Eurazeo, Piton Capital, Bpifrance and Kismet Holdings are also participating. The company announced another significant funding round back in April 2019. At the time, ManoMano raised $125 million (€110 million). Overall, ManoMano has raised $344 million (€310 million) over the past six years. In 2019 alone, the company grew by 50% with $666 million (€600 million) in gross merchandise value. While the company is still mostly active in France, its other markets (Spain, Italy, Germany and the U.K.) now represent a third of sales figures. ManoMano is betting on three different pillars to differentiate its e-commerce platform from other, more generalist platforms. First, the company works directly with third-party retaile

Facebook Inc:Profits of $2.53 per share anticipated for fourth quarter

Facebook Inc is expected to show an increase in its fourth quarter earnings to $2.53 per share according to the mean Refinitiv estimate from forty four analysts. Wall Street expects results to range from $2.04 to $2.78 per share. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/38HKbFW

Jailed Portuguese hacker is 'whistleblower' behind Luanda Leaks: Lawyers

A Portuguese hacker has taken responsibility for disclosing hundreds of thousands of files revealing how billionaire Isabel dos Santos, daughter of Angola's former president, built her vast business empire, his lawyers said. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/38LvCRU

Facebook asks employees to put off non-essential travel to China

The company also told employees who had travelled to China to work from home. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2U1tscD

Britain seeks Huawei 'solution' as US pressure mounts

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will meet senior ministers on Tuesday to decide whether to allow the use of equipment made by China's Huawei in Britain's future 5G mobile network. from Gadgets Now https://ift.tt/2O2xBJs

These 'Google search mistakes' may cost you a lot

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Practice Fusion, backed by top VCs before selling in 2018, pushed doctors to prescribe opioids in kickback scheme

Practice Fusion, a medical records startup that attracted more than $150 million from VCs, including at Founders Fund, Kleiner Perkins, and Artis Ventures, has received no shortage of negative press coverage since selling to its older and publicly traded rival Allscripts in a $100 million cash deal in early 2018. Yet it appears that Practice Fusion, founded in 2005, was run even more poorly than has been reported. In fact, the company was just tied to same drug overdose epidemic that has killed tens of thousands of Americans in just the last few years alone. How is it possible that a venture-backed, San Francisco-based medical records startup could have that kind of impact? In a word: kickbacks. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Practice Fusion solicited and received pay from a major (unnamed for now) opioid company in exchange for using its EHR software to influence doctors in the act of prescribing opioid pain medications. Specifically, according to court documents rel

H1 Insights is giving the healthcare industry the ultimate professional database

“ I want to build a business which profiles every single researcher and healthcare professional in the world and I want to sell it to industry,” says Ariel Katz, the co-founder and chief executive of H1 Insights.  With the healthcare industry on a mission to digitize and analyze every conceivable datapoint it can to wring more efficiencies out of its incredibly fragmented and broken system, for Katz, there’s no opportunity that seems more obvious than giving the industry data on its own professionals. The idea may sound like nothing more than creating a LinkedIn for healthcare professionals, but building an accurate account of the professional ecosystem could be a huge help to businesses as diverse as pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, insurers, and, eventually, consumers. For Katz, it’s the continuation of a longstanding mission to create transparency for datasets that were previously opaque. Katz sold his first company, Research Connection (which became LabSpot ), three years a