International

20 Nov

WhatsApp launches new AI-powered chats’ feature for beta testers

Priyanka BhowmickBusiness, internationalBusiness, International

WhatsApp is reportedly all set to introduce an AI chatbot to its instant messaging platform, and the latest beta version of the app includes a special button for convenient access to the feature. As noted in the WABetaInfo report, the Chat tab now has a button above the icon to start a new chat. This button facilitates quick opening of AI-powered chats, increasing speed and convenience for users. The AI chatbot powered by Meta AI was unveiled by Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of WhatsApp's parent company Meta, in September. He revealed that the company is testing AI-powered chatbots for a specific…

18 Oct

X to charge $1-a-year from new users for basic features in hopes to curb bots

Priyanka BhowmickBusiness, internationalBusiness, International

X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, has begun testing $1-per-year subscription fees for new accounts on the web that want to post or interact with other users, saying this measure can reduce spam, automated bot accounts, and manipulation of its services. The test, called "Not a Bot," has been launched in New Zealand and the Philippines, X said in a blog post on Tuesday. New users who do not pay a fee cannot take certain actions, including writing, liking, replying or bookmarking posts on the site. "This will evaluate a potentially robust measure to help us combat bots…

08 Sep

Japan launches rocket carrying moon lander SLIM

Priyanka BhowmickInternational, internationalInternational, Japan

Japan on Thursday (September 7) launched a rocket that plans to become the country's first successful moon lander, as seen in live footage shared by the country's space agency. The H2-A rocket, carrying the precision "Moon Sniper" lander, blasted off at 8:42 a.m. (2342 GMT Wednesday) and is expected to land on the lunar surface in four to six months The rocket was launched from Tanegashima in southern Japan after being postponed three times due to bad weather and gathering nearly 35,000 online viewers. The rocket is also carrying a research satellite developed by NASA, the European Space Agency and…

05 Sep

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 safely returns to Earth after 186 days

Priyanka Bhowmickinternational, Tech Byte, TechnologyInternational

Four astronauts aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavor spacecraft that splashed off the coast of Florida on Monday morning have successfully returned to Earth after completing their Crew-6 mission from the International Space Station. US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoberg, United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedayev landed safely aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavor in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, at 12:17 am EDT after 186 days in space, the space agency informed. According to NASA, crew students have contributed to hundreds of experiments and technology demonstrations,…

19 Aug

Elon Musk will no longer allow users to block accounts on X

Priyanka BhowmickBusiness, InternationalBusiness, International

Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly known as Twitter), has announced that the platform will remove the blocking feature for its users, saying it "doesn't make sense." However, users will still have the ability to block others from sending direct messages. Musk's move is just one of many changes since the site was acquired in a $44 billion deal last year. Currently, when a user blocks an account, it prevents that account's posts from appearing in the blocker's timeline, and vice versa. In addition, a blocked account loses the ability to send messages to the blocker and view their…

17 Jun

China’s President Xi to meet with Bill Gates in Beijing

Priyanka BhowmickinternationalInternational

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with 'old friend' Bill Gates after many days. They met in Beijing on Friday. This is the first visit of Bill Gates, one of the world's richest men, to China after nearly three years of isolation from the rest of the world and the end of strict Covid controls. He took part in this visit with a group of Western business leaders. During the visit, a meeting was held between the Chinese President and Bill Gates. "You are the first American friend I have met in Beijing this year," Xi Jinping told Bill Gates during…

15 Jun

Google Doodle reminds Pakistan about its general elections

Priyanka BhowmickInternationalInternational

Google's new Doodle reminds the people of Pakistan that the country is going to hold elections this year. Pakistan's last elections were held in 2018 where former cricketer Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party secured a comfortable victory by winning 149 of the 342 seats in the National Assembly with a vote share of 31.82 percent. However, the Imran Khan government was ousted from the government last year and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took over. Khan blamed the then army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and the US for plotting his ouster. Pakistan's next general election is scheduled to be held…

13 May

Linda Yaccarino becomes the new Twitter CEO

Priyanka BhowmickBUSINESS, InternationalBusiness, International

Linda Yaccarino, widely publicized to become Twitter's new CEO, has resigned as head of advertising from NBCUniversal, effective immediately. Earlier on Friday, Musk said he had found a new chief executive for the social media site but did not name the person. NBC parent Comcast CMCSA. also said last month that NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell was leaving after admitting to an inappropriate relationship with a woman at the company, his departure another major blow to the company following an allegation that prompted an investigation. Advertising President Mark Marshall will step down as interim chairman of NBCUniversal's advertising and partnerships group.…

03 Apr

Japan’s business mood sours to 2-year low as global slowdown bites: Tankan

Priyanka BhowmickinternationalInternational

Japan's business sentiment hit its worst level in more than two years in January-March, a closely watched central bank survey showed on Monday, as slowing global growth clouded the outlook for the export-reliant economy. By contrast, service-sector sentiment, easing border controls and the end of COVID-19 restrictions boosted hopes for a return to tourism and consumption, the Bank of Japan's Tankan survey found. The central bank will scrutinize the survey as a key input in formulating new quarterly growth and inflation estimates at its next meeting on April 27-28 - the first to be chaired by incoming governor Kazuo Ueda.…

21 Jan

Facebook-Instagram allow naked breast pics for trans, non-binary people

Priyanka BhowmickInternationalInternational

Women can post naked photos on Facebook-Instagram. Can show 'open nipples'. These social media platforms have taken a big step by changing the strict rules for posting pictures of women. Before this, there were many restrictions on such pictures on Facebook and Instagram. If a woman posted a picture of 'Bare Breasts' it would be immediately blurred out. According to the new rules, Facebook and Instagram have moved away from that rules. It should be noted that a section of women in the western world has been carrying on the 'Free the Nipple Movement' for more than a decade. Among…