May12019 by BusmanNo Comments

US, China Reportedly Near Deal to End Some Tariffs

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The United States and China are nearing a trade deal that would roll back a portion of the $250 billion in U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, Politico reported on Wednesday after U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the two countries completed "productive" talks in Beijing. Mnuchin, along with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, held a day of discussions with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, aimed at ending a trade war. The talks are to resume next week in Washington, where some observers say a deal announcement is possible. "Ambassador Lighthizer and I just concluded productive meetings with China's Vice Premier Liu He. We will continue our talks in Washington, D.C. next week," Mnuchin wrote on his Twitter account. He gave no details. The three appeared before cameras at the end…


May12019 by BusmanNo Comments

May Day Around the Globe: Workers Demand Rights, Respect

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Higher salaries, better working conditions, maternity leave, minimum wage and an end to discrimination against temporary or foreign workers: These were among the concerns as hundreds of thousands of union members and labor activists rallied around the world to mark May Day. The tradition of May Day marches for workers’ rights began in the United States in the 1880s. It quickly spread to other countries at a time when industrialization pitted poorly paid employees who had few protections and little power against increasingly dominant factory employers and landowners. Over the decades, the May Day protests have also become an opportunity to air general economic grievances or political demands. Here’s a look at Wednesday’s protests : VIOLENT RADICALS DISRUPT MAY DAY IN FRANCE French police clashed with stone-throwing protesters who set…


May12019 by BusmanNo Comments

May Day 2019: Workers Demand Rights, Respect

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Higher salaries, better working conditions, maternity leave, minimum wage and an end to discrimination against temporary or foreign workers: These were among the concerns as hundreds of thousands of union members and labor activists rallied around the world to mark May Day. The tradition of May Day marches for workers' rights began in the United States in the 1880s. It quickly spread to other countries at a time when industrialization pitted poorly paid employees who had few protections and little power against increasingly dominant factory employers and landowners.  Over the decades, the May Day protests have also become an opportunity to air general economic grievances or political demands. Here's a look at Wednesday's protests: Puerto Rico Thousands of Puerto Ricans marched to traditional music while protesting austerity measures, with many…


May12019 by TechmanNo Comments

Facebook CEO Says Company Will Focus on Privacy

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For years, Facebook said it wanted to be the world’s digital town square. Now Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, has a more intimate vision, the digital living room, enabling private conversations between people and groups. The company spelled out how it is changing at its annual developer event in San Jose, California. Michelle Quinn reports. ...


May12019 by TechmanNo Comments

In Streaming Wars, Apple Says It Can Coexist With Netflix

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Far from being a Netflix killer, Apple envisions its forthcoming Apple TV+ streaming service as one that could sit alongside other services that viewers buy, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said on Tuesday. Apple in March said it will launch a streaming service with original content from big names including Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg. It plans to spend $2 billion on programming but has not said how much the service will cost. Investors are keeping a close eye on Apple's television efforts because subscription services are an increasingly important part of its financial results as iPhone sales decline. Apple is entering a crowded field, including Walt Disney Co.'s $6.99 per month service launching this fall. At the other end of the price spectrum, Alphabet's YouTube this month said that…


May12019 by TechmanNo Comments

Report: US Cyber Spies Unmasked Many More American Identities in 2018

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U.S. cyber spies last year unmasked the identities of nearly 17,000 U.S. citizens or residents who were in contact with foreign intelligence targets, a sharp increase from previous years attributed partly to hacking and other malicious cyber activity, according to a U.S. government report released on Tuesday. The unmasking of American citizens' identities swept up in U.S. electronic espionage became a sensitive issue after U.S. government spying on communications traffic expanded sharply following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and started sweeping up Americans' data. The report by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) said that in 2018 cyber spies at the National Security Agency (NSA) unmasked the identities of 16,721 "U.S. persons," compared to 9,529 unmaskings in 2017 and 9,217 between September 2015 and August 2016. According to U.S.…


May12019 by TechmanNo Comments

Dreams of Ubiquitous Social Robots Still Not Coming True

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Hopes that the tech industry was on the cusp of rolling personal robots into homes are dimming now that several once-promising consumer robotics companies have shut down. The latest casualty was San Francisco startup Anki, maker of the playful toy robot Cozmo, which upon its release in 2016 seemed like the start of a new wave of sociable machines.   That dream ended this week when Anki CEO and co-founder Boris Sofman gathered many of the company's nearly 200 employees to deliver the news that all of them would be laid off Wednesday. The bad news soon spread to fans and owners of Cozmo and its newer cousin Vector, unveiled last year in an effort to appeal to grown-ups.  "Cozmo was the first robot that felt almost alive," said David…