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Showing posts from January, 2020

Sonos CEO quickly backtracks on plan to end support for older speakers

Patrick Spence is like totally, seriously, sorry. He knows he screwed up, guys, OK? Can't you maybe, just possibly, cut him a little slack? The CEO of Sonos issued a lengthy apology on Thursday following his company's decision to end support for older models of speakers. It turns out, and who would have thought, that customers weren't stoked that their expensive speakers — some for sale as recently as 2015 — would no longer receive updates after May 2020.  To make matters worse, Sonos initially explained, if you had newer speakers connected to older models then even your hot newness would stop receiving updates. But that was then — a time before Spence wised up to the scores of customers complaining about his company's terrible decision.  Read more... More about Sonos , Smart Speakers , Tech , and Consumer Tech from Mashable https://ift.tt/37sL98U

'Mulan' cast is introduced in a 'sharp' set of new character posters

Disney's live-action Mulan is almost here, but there's no wait at all to check out these new looks. The fresh collection of "character posters" that Disney released on Saturday highlights six of the movie's stars. And in a fun twist, everyone gets a blade!  If you were worried that the upcoming remake would fall short on the action front, then... well, you probably haven't seen any of the trailers . But these posters gives sharp weapons central billing alongside each of the stars, in case you still had concerns. The posters showcase Yifei Liu (Mulan), Donnie Yen (Commander Tung), Gong Li (Xian Lang), Jason Scott Lee (Bori Khan), Jet Li (The Emperor), and Yoson An (Chen Honghui). Check them out for yourself right here. Read more... More about Disney , Mulan , Entertainment , and Movies Tv Shows from Mashable https://ift.tt/2RrAV36

Tesla leaks suggest the Model S and Model X could receive some helpful updates

While not many of us are in the market for a Tesla, it's still always interesting to see all the new features being added to the cars. Or, well, potentially being added. According to Greentheonly (h/t Engadget ), who is known for his Tesla-specific leaks on both Reddit and Twitter, upgrades on both the Model S and Model X might include a built-in wireless Qi charger, two new battery types, a new charge port type, some kind of change to the suspension, and maybe upgraded seats. New hardware incoming. Integrated inductive phone charger (Qi) for S/X cars. Two new S/X battery types in several configs (not yet sure of the capacity - TBD) new lumbar (so new seats?) New charge port type. New suspension version. I would speculate all these are imminent 1/ — green (@greentheonly) January 25, 2020 Read more... More about Tesla , Tech , and Consumer Tech from Mashable https://ift.tt/3aCjEf7

We could all learn from this excited little puppy who just can't

Yeah, you still have the capacity to feel excited. But when was the last time you were faced with something so delightful that you straight up lost your balance? Eight-week-old Jake, on the left, is here to meet his cousin Oakley for the first time. And the enormity of Jake's expanding world is so overwhelming and awesome that he just... tips over. There was a time when we felt happiness this hard, right? It's a messy world out there, folks. Whatever you believe, wherever your politics fall – unless you're a racist, you all can screw off – remember to be like Jake and indulge in the good stuff when it comes your way Read more... More about Dogs , Puppy , Culture , Web Culture , and Animals from Mashable https://ift.tt/2NWBIXs

Android users might finally be closer to getting an AirDrop-like feature

While it's taken a very long time, Google might finally release its own version of Apple's Airdrop soon. Called Nearby Sharing, the feature will allow users to quickly send and receive content between devices with the tap of a "Share" button, XDA Developers reports . Reports have been surfacing for a while now , but in a hands-on video with XDA Developers' Mishaal Rahman, we get to see it in action.  The feature is demonstrated between a Google Pixel 2 XL and Pixel 4 running Android 10. But, he points out that it's also been used between a Pixel 2 XL and OnePlus 7T Pro.  So, that means the feature isn't locked in to Pixel devices. It might be available on any Android device that comes with Google Pixel Services pre-installed on the phone.  Read more... More about Iphone , Samsung , Airdrop , Google Pixel , and Tech from Mashable https://ift.tt/2TV6sMh

Former GOP senator warns if witnesses are 'suppressed,' it could cause 'lasting damage to the Senate'

Former Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) is encouraging Republican senators to vote in favor of calling witnesses in President Trump's impeachment trial.Warner, 92, served in the Senate for 30 years. He said in a statement Thursday night he is "mindful of the difficult responsibilities those currently serving now shoulder. I believe, as I am sure you do, that not only is the president on trial, but in many ways so is the Senate itself. As such, I am strongly supportive of the efforts of my former Republican Senate colleagues who are considering that the Senate accept the introduction of additional evidence that they deem relevant."It wasn't so long ago that "senators of both major parties always worked to accommodate fellow colleagues with differing points of view to arrive at outcomes that would best serve the nation's interests," Warner said. "If witnesses are suppressed in this trial and a majority of Americans are left believing the trial was a sham, I c...

Putin Frees Israeli Backpacker, Helping Embattled Netanyahu

(Bloomberg) -- President Vladimir Putin’s pardon of an Israeli woman imprisoned in Russia on drug-smuggling charges gave a much-needed electoral gift to visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Naama Issachar, 26, was released Thursday from a prison outside of Moscow, according to Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service. She was arrested in April and sentenced in October to 7 1/2 years for carrying a small amount of hashish on a transit flight via Moscow after a backpacking trip to India.Putin pardoned Issachar late Wednesday. He had previously rebuffed Netanyahu’s appeals for her release and his about-face couldn’t have been timed better for the premier, who’s battling fraud and bribery charges ahead of March elections. The Israeli leader flew to Moscow from Washington, where he attended the unveiling of the U.S. Middle East peace plan, whose heavy tilt in Israel’s direction also favored his campaign.Netanyahu said Russian-Israeli relations were the strongest in history as he ...

Colombia rejects Venezuelan proposal to resume diplomatic relations

Colombia rejected Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's proposal that the two countries resume diplomatic relations on Thursday, amid a dispute over a fugitive former Colombian congresswoman who was captured in Venezuela. Maduro abruptly cut diplomatic relations with neighboring Colombia last February after Colombian President Ivan Duque helped Venezuelan opposition politicians deliver humanitarian aid to their crisis-stricken country. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2uJc5CN

Lori Vallow didn't meet the Thursday deadline to turn her kids over to the state. Their grandma believes the 'monster' will face consequences.

Vallow had until Thursday to turn her children over to the state of Idaho. She missed it and is believed to still be in Hawaii. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/38V69W1

Thai holiday over, Chinese visitors fly home to Wuhan

The holiday was over for almost 80 Chinese visitors to Thailand. Wuhan has been under tight lockdown as Chinese authorities seek to contain further spread of the virus. The virus outbreak has attached a measure of fear and loathing to the city's name, as was demonstrated Friday when another group of Chinese tourists at the airport was asked whether they were the ones waiting for the flight to Wuhan. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2GSEadT

The U.S. Interior Department Grounds All of Its Chinese-Made Drones

If it was made in China—or uses Chinese parts—it ain't flying. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2GDpJtP

Delta, American, and United just suspended all China flights, a red flag as the unprecedented coronavirus wreaks havoc on the airline industry

Demand has plummeted because of the coronavirus outbreak, putting airline profits and China's economy at risk. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/36MARPQ

Remain in Mexico: 80% of migrants in Trump policy are victims of violence

Asylum seekers sent to Mexico to wait US court hearings under Trump scheme routinely targeted for abduction, survey findsA staggering 80% of asylum seekers sent to Mexico to await US court hearings report being victims of violence, according a survey by Doctors Without Borders (MSF).In one month – October – three-quarters of asylum seekers seen by MSF physicians in Nuevo Laredo reported having been kidnapped for ransom, according to the figures released on Wednesday.Some 44% of MSF patients also reported having been victims of violence in the week leading up to their consultations.Wednesday marked the first anniversary of a scheme officially known as Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), under which migrants seeking asylum in the United States are sent to Mexico to wait as their cases wind their way through US courts.Under the scheme, also known as “remain in Mexico”, more than 57,000 non-Mexican asylum seekers have been sent to wait in cities along the border – many of which have been p...

What’s Impeachable? Nothing, Republicans Seem to Say

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Get Jonathan Bernstein’s newsletter every morning in your inbox. Click here to subscribe.The impeachment trial of President Donald Trump moved to questions from senators on Wednesday. It wasn’t an encouraging day.The president’s lawyers moved closer than ever to simply embracing the idea that the president can do whatever he wants. Alan Dershowitz even went so far as to argue that since presidents always think that their re-election is in the national interest, they cannot be legitimately impeached for any use of their powers of office to aid that re-election. This would have been good news for President Richard Nixon. And surprising news to pretty much everyone throughout U.S. history. It appears more and more that even if the House managers serving as the impeachment prosecutors are eventually allowed to call one or more witnesses, the trial will end after establishing the principles that the president may use the powers of the office any way he or she...

U.S. declares coronavirus public health emergency after imposing quarantines

The Trump administration, while insisting the risk to Americans from coronavirus is low, nevertheless declared a public health emergency on Friday and announced the extraordinary step of barring entry to the United States of foreign nationals who have traveled to China. In addition, starting on Sunday U.S. citizens who have traveled within the past two weeks to China's Hubei Province - epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic - will be subject to a mandatory quarantine of 14 days: the incubation period of the virus, officials said. The emergency measures were unveiled by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar at a White House briefing, shortly before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health authorities announced a seventh U.S. coronavirus case had been confirmed in Northern California. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2OwyLxl

7,000 People Trapped on Mediterranean Cruise in Italy Over Suspected Coronavirus Case

ROME—More than 7,000 people were quarantined on an Italian cruise ship in the Mediterranean port of Civitavecchia outside of Rome after a Chinese woman from Hong Kong came down with a fever and symptoms that mimic the coronavirus. Initial tests seemed to exclude the deadly virus, according to Italian media, but passengers were expected to be kept onboard overnight as a precaution. A second round of tests late Thursday completely excluded contagion, and Italy’s health authorities gave the green light for passengers to disembark. But as of Thursday evening, the mayor of Civitavecchia refused to authorize any passengers to get off the ship. Tourism operators, suddenly confronted with a new nightmare scenario tied to the virus, scrambled to address fears of an outbreak on a cruise ship. “We have no information, the internet inside the ship isn’t working, and we can’t get news. But above all we take meals together in the common areas, and we don’t know if someone is infected,” Liborio Iervo...

Alibaba billionaire Jack Ma, China's richest man, pledged $14.5 million to fight the coronavirus

The money will be donated through Ma's charitable foundation, which will use it to help medical research efforts and disease prevention. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/318gYSb

Trump impeachment: John Bolton defends officials who testified against president in inquiry

A former top Trump official has defended leading witnesses who have testified against the US president in his impeachment inquiry, according to local media.John Bolton reportedly said the ex-members of the Trump administration “acted in the best interest of the country as they saw it” as Democrats push to hear his own testimony. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2GINtgh

U.S. envoy warns Palestinians against raising opposition to U.S. peace plan at U.N.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will speak in the U.N. Security Council in the next two weeks about the plan, Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour said on Wednesday, adding that he hoped the 15-member council would also vote on a draft resolution on the issue. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/37O502j

Pakistan: No immediate plans to evacuate citizens from China

A top Pakistani health official said Thursday that Islamabad had no immediate plan to evacuate any of some 30,000 nationals living in China to study and work, despite the new coronavirus that surfaced there. Zafar Mirza, who advises Prime Minister Imran Khan on health issues, told a news conference that so far only four Pakistani students in China have been diagnosed with the new virus and their conditions are listed as stable. China has been largely praised for its response to the outbreak. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2GEO3vA

Photos of stores in Wuhan show what life is like under the coronavirus lockdown

The quarantine and fears of coronavirus have made Wuhan a ghost city. Residents only occasionally go out to stock up on supplies. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2S7kPL1

Mayor Pete’s South Bend Awarded No Major Contracts to Black-Owned Firms for Three Years

DES MOINES, Iowa—Of the many pledges that Pete Buttigieg has made in his as-yet unfruitful quest to earn the support of black voters, his guarantee that a quarter out of every federal contracting dollar will be awarded to minority- and women-owned businesses is one of his most ambitious. “Look at what it would be like if we were co-investing in promising businesses led by black entrepreneurs, start-ups and other kinds of businesses that have the best track record of creating the kind of employment that can help lift people up economically,” Buttigieg told BET in September. But an analysis of such spending during Buttigieg’s tenure as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, shows that the presidential hopeful fell dramatically short of that goal. According to a 2019 study analyzing the city’s contract data conducted by Colette Holt & Associates, a national law and consulting firm specializing in disparity studies, the city of South Bend did not award a major contract to a black-owned...

Hungary to build more prisons to tackle overcrowding, halt inmates' lawsuits

Hungary will begin an ambitious prison-building program in an attempt to stem a tide of costly lawsuits by inmates complaining of overcrowding and inhumane conditions, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday. Orban accused "business-savvy lawyers" of exploiting the conditions to launch 12,000 lawsuits against the Hungarian state for breaking EU prison standards, leading to penalties of 10 billion forints ($33 million) in total. Orban, who has often come under fire from the European Union and rights groups over his perceived erosion of the rule of law since he took power in 2010, announced plans for more prisons to reduce the prison overcrowding and disarm "malignant lawyers". from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2uajlrj

The Wuhan coronavirus has officially spread to every region in China

Health officials have confirmed a case of the coronavirus in the frontier region of Tibet — the last of China's 34 regions to see an infection. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/3197sOl

A man whose 7-year-old golden retriever was saved from cancer is thanking his vet with a $6 million Super Bowl ad

David MacNeil, the CEO of Weather Tech, bought the ad after the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine cared for his dog Scout. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2uF1Mjh

Former Trump Aide Carter Page Sues DNC over Commissioning of Steele Dossier

Former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page is suing the Democratic National Committee over its commissioning of the infamous and largely discredited Steele dossier, which the FBI used to obtain warrants to surveil him during the 2016 election cycle.Page filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court in Illinois against the DNC as well as the law firm Perkins Coie and its partners, who contracted opposition research firm Fusion GPS to compile the the dossier on the DNC's behalf. The suit accuses the defendants of pursuing a "political agenda" by using “false information, misrepresentations and other misconduct to direct the power of the international intelligence apparatus and the media industry against” Page.“This is a first step to ensure that the full extent of the FISA abuse that has occurred during the last few years is exposed and remedied,” Page's attorney John Pierce said Thursday. “Defendants and those they worked with inside the federal government did not and will ...

Nintendo's special 'Animal Crossing' Switch is coming March 13th

The first new Animal Crossing game on consoles in several years is almost here, and Nintendo is rolling out a special edition of its Switch to mark the occasion. This $300 Switch will arrive on March 13th, a week before the launch of Animal Crossing:... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2Ot55Bd

Netflix is turning One Piece into a live-action series and I’m worried

In the world of anime and manga, there’s no franchise more enduring than Eichiro Oda‘s One Piece. Both show and comic have been running for over twenty years, maintaining remarkably consistent quality throughout. To that point, the story’s current arc is one of the series’ very best. So when Netflix announced it was adapting the story into a live-action series yesterday I was a little concerned. The history of live-action anime adaptations is… not good. The fact that the series has avoided one so far is something I considered a blessing, not a curse. BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: A One Piece live… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Netflix from The Next Web https://ift.tt/2uROMGP

SC OKs rape-accused MP’s parole for oath

Kalakshetra ‘no’ to TM Krishna’s book launch

8 surprising things I learned after testing an electric bike for a year

For a little over 12 months, I've been testing the same model of the same $4,000 electric bike, the Gazelle CityZen Speed T10. This may seem an excessive amount of time; normally, bike reviewers might spend a few hours or a day or a week in the saddle. But nothing about this review is normal.  For one thing, it is completely non-technical. I'm not one of those gear-heads who knows or cares about drivetrains or derailleurs or torque. I'm the customer who goes glassy-eyed when the bike shop clerk starts talking about the advantages of each model. Like many a casual cyclist weighing whether to drop a considerable chunk of cash on an electric bike, I cared only about these basic questions:  Read more... More about E Bikes , Tech , Sports , and Health from Mashable https://ift.tt/2tSX01z

Following review of attack that killed 3 Americans, Pentagon finds 'potential vulnerabilities' at bases in Africa

A military review of security for U.S. forces deployed to Africa has found “potential vulnerabilities” in multiple locations, the head of U.S. Africa Command told reporters Thursday. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/38TEPaE

Q4 GDP: US economy grows by a better than expected 2.1%, but personal consumption growth slows

The Bureau of Economic Analysis released the fourth-quarter U.S. GDP reported Thursday. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2UfnQM9

British officials: Tanker on fire in Gulf off Sharjah in UAE

The United Kingdom’s Maritime Trade Operations said the fire struck the vessel northwest of Sharjah, an Emirati sheikhdom. Emirati officials said they were working to put out the blaze some 21 miles (34 kilometers) off the coast of Sharjah. The blaze comes amid heightened tensions in the region after the U.S. killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad and Iran fired ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/36DUBFg

Russia is closing its 2,600-mile border with China amid fears about the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak

Russian officials announced Thursday that 16 of 25 crossing points along the 2,600-mile Russia-China border will close by midnight on Friday. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/37IJ4Wi

Trump, trying to head off testimony, says Bolton would have started 'World War Six'

As pressure mounts on senators to allow John Bolton’s testimony in President Trump’s impeachment trial, the president used Twitter to trash his former national security adviser. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/36Cnx04

No hot meals, blankets, magazines as airlines step up fight on virus

Passengers on some flights to China will have to make do without hot meals, blankets and newspapers, as airlines step up measures to protect crew and travellers from a new virus that has killed more than 130 in the country. Seeking to contain the spread of the coronavirus by reducing personal contact, Taiwan's China Airlines said it was encouraging passengers to bring their own drinks bottles and would limit re-usable items by replacing them with disposables. The airline and its regional arm Mandarin Airlines stopped from Monday serving hot meals and have replaced tablecloths and napkins with paper towels on cross-strait and Hong Kong flights. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2tbU6Vi

Biden Says He's Getting Old—So His VP Should Be 'Capable of Immediately Being a President'

'I'm an old guy,' Biden admitted. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/316mHIb

Schiff responds to Trump Lawyer Dershowitz's 'very odd argument'

House Manager Adam Schiff responded to President Trump's lawyer Alan Dershowitz on Wednesday. Dershowitz said that "If a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment." from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2uIixtJ

US hits Iran with new sanctions, keeps some waivers in place

The Trump administration said Thursday that it will continue — at least for now — its policy of not sanctioning foreign companies that work with Iran's civilian nuclear program. Brian Hook, U.S. envoy to Iran, said the U.S. would renew for 60 days sanctions waivers that permit Russian, European and Chinese companies to continue to work on Iran's civilian nuclear facilities without running afoul of U.S. sanctions. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2UaFmkk

Remain in Mexico: 80% of migrants in Trump policy are victims of violence

Asylum seekers sent to Mexico to wait US court hearings under Trump scheme routinely targeted for abduction, survey findsA staggering 80% of asylum seekers sent to Mexico to await US court hearings report being victims of violence, according a survey by Doctors Without Borders (MSF).In one month – October – three-quarters of asylum seekers seen by MSF physicians in Nuevo Laredo reported having been kidnapped for ransom, according to the figures released on Wednesday.Some 44% of MSF patients also reported having been victims of violence in the week leading up to their consultations.Wednesday marked the first anniversary of a scheme officially known as Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), under which migrants seeking asylum in the United States are sent to Mexico to wait as their cases wind their way through US courts.Under the scheme, also known as “remain in Mexico”, more than 57,000 non-Mexican asylum seekers have been sent to wait in cities along the border – many of which have been p...

Japan Issues Warrants for Taylor, Others Aiding Ghosn Flight

(Bloomberg) -- Prosecutors in Tokyo issued a fresh warrant on Thursday for the arrest of ex-Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who jumped bail and fled the country last month to escape trial for alleged financial crimes.The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office issued the warrant on Ghosn for illegally departing Japan, where the former auto executive was charged with failing to fully report his compensation and using company money for personal gain.Ghosn, 65, who made his way in a private jet to Lebanon at the end of December, held a news conference the week after he arrived, lashing out at Japan’s prosecutors for what he called a “rigged” criminal justice system. The Justice Ministry has pushed back, issuing government statements and using news conferences and interviews to defend the country. Japan Sees Nothing Wrong With Justice System Ghosn Called Rigged“Without obtaining permission to travel abroad, suspect Ghosn boarded a private jet at Kansai International Airport at aro...

Trump impeachment: Key GOP senators show some cards as questioning starts

Senators – including three key Republicans – began peppering House Democrats and Donald Trump's legal team with question in his impeachment trial about the president's motives towards Ukraine and the bar the prosecution's case must clear to remove him from office.The three GOP politicians, who will have a major say in the shape of the trial, after another day of questioning showed some of their cards right off the bat, with one of Mr Trump's attorneys telling them the premise of their query should lead them to acquit the president. from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/38P49P5

3 years ago, Alan Dershowitz said Trump would be a corrupt president. Now he's part of his impeachment defense team.

In a book, Dershowitz called Trump a "destabilizing and unpredictable candidate" who "embraces fringe conspiracy theories peddled by extremists." from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/36BEkRb

India urges Israel, Palestine to consider Trump’s peace plan

How Lady Rosetta helped Gujarat family earn Rs 25 crore a year