by Glenn Chapman Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Twitter on Thursday urged its more than 300 million users to change their passwords, saying they had been unintentionally “unmasked” inside the company by a software bug. The social media site said it found no sign that hackers accessed the exposed data, but advised users to change their passwords to be safe. Twitter practice is to store passwords encrypted, or “hashed,” so they are […]
Sci-Tech
Scientists shocked as NASA cuts only moon rover
by Kerry Sheridan Agence France Presse TAMPA, United States (AFP) — In a move that shocked lunar scientists, canceled the only robotic vehicle under development to explore the surface of the Moon, despite President Donald Trump’s vow to return people there. Scientists working on the Resource Prospector (RP) mission, a robotic rover that had been in development for about a decade to explore a polar region of the Moon, expressed astonishment at the decision. “We […]
Profits up at Facebook, no impact from privacy scandal
by Glenn Chapman Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook on Wednesday reported a sharp jump in profits in the past quarter, with gains in its user base and strong ad growth as the social network appeared to see no impact from a controversy over privacy. Profit in the first quarter of 2018 leapt 63 percent from a year ago to $5 billion, and total revenues increased 49 percent to $11.97 […]
Global carmakers show off SUVs, electrics as China pledges reforms
by Julien GIRAULT / Ryan MCMORROW Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — Global carmakers touted their latest electric and SUV models in Beijing on Wednesday as they warily welcomed China’s promise of better foreign access to the world’s largest auto market, where domestic vehicles are making major inroads. Industry behemoths like Volkswagen, Daimler, Toyota, Nissan, Ford and others are displaying more than 1,000 models and dozens of concept cars at the Beijing auto show. Thousands […]
NPC starts inquiry into data breach following April 1 attacks on gov’t websites, others
(Eagle News)–The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has begun its probe into a reported data breach following an attack on the websites of government organizations and others on April 1. In a statement on Tuesday, April 23, the NPC said it summoned on Monday officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) offices in Bacoor and Calamba, the province of Bulacan, Taguig City University, the Philippine Carabao Center, Republic Central Colleges in Angeles City and the Laguna State Polytechnic University. […]
Ants that ‘explode’ to fight foes discovered on Borneo
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — A species of ant that “explodes” and gives off a toxic, sticky liquid to fight off foes and keep its colony safe has been discovered in the jungles of Borneo island, scientists said Friday. The creatures, which have the scientific name Colobopsis explodes, were found by a team of researchers in the tiny state of Brunei, which inhabits a sliver of land in the north of the biodiverse island. When […]
Russia to probe Facebook after Telegram crackdown
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia’s telecoms watchdog plans to probe Facebook before the end of the year after blocking access in the country to the popular messaging app Telegram, its head said on Wednesday. “We will conduct a probe of the company before the end of 2018,” the head of state regulator Roskomnadzor, Alexander Zharov, told pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia. Russia’s telecoms regulator has repeatedly warned Facebook it could be banned this year unless it […]
SpaceX blasts off NASA’s new planet-hunter, TESS
by Kerry Sheridan Agence France Presse TAMPA, United States (AFP) — NASA on Wednesday blasted off its newest planet-hunting spacecraft, TESS, a $337 million satellite that aims to scan 85 percent of the skies for cosmic bodies where life may exist. “Three, two, one and liftoff!” said NASA commentator Mike Curie as the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) soared into the cloudless, blue sky atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida […]
SpaceX postpones launch of NASA’s planet-hunter spacecraft
by Kerry Sheridan Agence France Presse TAMPA, United States (AFP) — SpaceX postponed the launch of NASA’s new planet-hunting mission Monday in order to verify the Falcon 9 rocket’s navigation systems, the California-based company said. The next opportunity to blast off the $337 million satellite — which aims to advance the search for extraterrestrial life by scanning the skies for nearby, Earth-like planets — will be Wednesday. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, is […]
NASA’s new planet-hunter to seek closer, Earth-like worlds
by Kerry Sheridan © Agence France-Presse TAMPA, United States (AFP) — NASA is poised to launch a $337 million washing machine-sized spacecraft that aims to vastly expand mankind’s search for planets beyond our solar system, particularly closer, Earth-sized ones that might harbor life. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, is scheduled to launch Monday at 6:32 pm (2232 GMT) atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Its main goal over the […]
Russian court rules to block Telegram messaging app
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) – A Moscow court on Friday ruled to block the popular messaging app Telegram in Russia, after it refused to give state security services access to private conversations, an AFP reporter at the court said. The Roskomnadzor telecoms watchdog, which brought the case, had earlier demanded the service be blocked as soon as the verdict was announced. Telegram’s self-exiled Russian founder Pavel Durov has long said he will reject any attempt by […]
‘Footquakes’: Messi really does make the Earth tremble
by Marlowe Hood Agence France Presse VIENNA, Australia (AFP) — It’s a scientific fact: when living football legends Neymar or Lionel Messi scores a goal, the Earth moves and the ground shakes. Don’t believe it? Ask Jordi Diaz, a researcher at the Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera in Barcelona. He’s got the hard proof. “We put a seismometer inside a building in Barcelona,” he explained at a geosciences conference in Vienna, where he presented […]