TECH NEWS

Washington, United States | AFP | US officials moved Friday to cut off Chinese tech giant Huawei from global chipmakers, ramping up sanctions on the company seen by Washington as a national security risk. The Commerce Department said it was broadening its sanctions enforcement to include semiconductor designs that are developed …

  Washington, United States | AFP | A coalition of consumer groups filed a complaint Thursday with US regulators claiming the popular video app TikTok has failed to live up to an agreement last year limiting data collection from children. The 20 organizations said in a Federal Trade Commission complaint that …

Paris, France | AFP | Telecoms and internet giants unveiled Thursday a mammoth project to lay a subsea cable around Africa to boost internet access to the underserved continent. The consortium, which includes China Mobile International, Facebook, Orange and Vodafone, said a cable 37,000 kilometres (23,000 miles) long will make landfall in 16 countries in …

Darmstadt, Germany | AFP |  The high-ceilinged workshop in Darmstadt is usually open to anyone — from hobbyists trying new machinery or techniques to high-tech startup workers tinkering with prototypes. During the coronavirus pandemic, it has been turned into a hub for dropping off plastic parts made at home by volunteers …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  Before entering coronavirus lockdown with the rest of Britain in March, 73-year-old Pamela Cox had never shopped or banked online. Zoom was something you did with a camera lens. Now the retiree is one of many in her generation finding a new IT proficiency later …

Washington, United States | AFP |  In a world suddenly fearful of touch, voice technology is getting a fresh look. Voice-activated systems such as Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Apple’s Siri have seen strong growth in recent years, and the virus pandemic could accelerate that, analysts say. Voice assistants are not …

  Innovate or wear your noose Kampala, Uganda | Michela Jjingo | Before 1990, working in the bank used be a nightmare! Even when they were opening at 9am and closing at 12pm, due to the manual processes, ledger cards, pass books and others, staff were going home at about 7pm. …

In 2016, the U.S. Embassy in Kampala installed the first air quality standard monitor in Uganda and has continuously worked with key stakeholders to improve Uganda’s air quality Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Although the Uganda government and its partners in the private sector have recently stepped up efforts …

Washington, United States | AFP |  “It’s so good to hear your voice.” “I was worried about you.” “What would you like to do today?” What sounds like ordinary banter between friends is in fact from a chatbot created with artificial intelligence. The custom-designed chatbots in this case come from California-based …

Rome, Italy | AFP |  A sleek new bridge in Genoa built in record time is being acclaimed in Italy as a model for rebuilding the economy by investing in major infrastructure projects. Such stimulus is sorely needed as the country slides towards its worst recession since World War II because …