TECH NEWS

Rome, Italy | AFP | Italy’s competition authority on Wednesday said it was fining Apple and Samsung 10 and five million euros ($11.5 and $5.7 million) respectively for the so-called “planned obsolescence” of their smartphones. The ruling is believed to be the first against the manufacturers following accusations worldwide that …

San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook on Tuesday announced an overhaul of its Messenger smartphone app in an effort to simplify the service for its 1.3 billion monthly global users. The social network began rolling out a redesigned version featuring three tabs instead of nine, saying it was …

Tororo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has this afternoon commissioned the first phase of the China-Uganda Free Zone at Sukulu, a $620 million investment, in Tororo, Uganda. The investment, by Chinese company Guangzhou Dongsong Energy Group Uganda Limited, will have a fertilizer plant, steel mill and supporting power …

Paris, France | AFP | Salty water just below the surface of Mars could hold enough oxygen to support the kind of microbial life that emerged and flourished on Earth billions of years ago, researchers reported Monday. In some locations, the amount of oxygen available could even keep alive a …

Tokyo, Japan | AFP | The Japanese government on Monday ordered Facebook to improve protection of users’ personal information following data breaches affecting tens of millions of people worldwide. Facebook said early this month that hackers accessed the personal data of 29 million users in a breach at the world’s …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | British former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, a leading anti-Brexit advocate, said on Friday he would be starting a job at Facebook, as the US giant faces up to regulatory pressures. “I am delighted to be joining Facebook. After almost 20 years in European …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | MTN Uganda starts their “20 years in Uganda” celebrations with a futuristic expo at Kololo on Friday. “Celebrating the past, inspiring the future”, is the theme of a six-month-long celebration campaign to mark the double decade milestone of MTN’s existence in Uganda. The expo …

San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook said Friday that hackers accessed personal data of 29 million users in a breach at the world’s leading social network disclosed late last month. The company had originally said up to 50 million accounts were affected in a cyberattack that exploited a …

San Francisco, United States | AFP | Instagram on Tuesday added more weapons to battle cyber bullying, using artificial intelligence to scan photos for abusive content at the Facebook-owned service. The move comes after Facebook also increased anti-harassment measures, following a survey which said young victims of online abuse feel …

Washington, United States | AFP | Google was supposed to be focusing Tuesday on its launch of a new smartphone and other devices, but the event was being overshadowed by a firestorm over a privacy glitch that forced it to shut down its struggling social network. The Silicon Valley giant …