ISIL fighters seal off Mosul mosque for last stand | Iraq News

ISIL fighters have closed the streets around Mosul’s Grand al-Nuri Mosque, residents said, apparently in preparation for a final showdown in the battle against Iraqi forces over their last major stronghold in the country. Dozens of fighters were seen by residents taking up positions in the past 48 hours around the medieval mosque, the site where ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a

Adobe Unveils Free ‘Adobe Scan’ Optical Character Recognition App

Adobe today announced the launch of Adobe Scan, a new Optical Character Recognition (OCR) app that’s able to scan documents and convert printed text into digital text in a matter of seconds. Unlike most OCR apps on the market, Adobe Scan is free to use, with no watermarks or page limits, and it’s optimized for capturing multi-page documents. The app works by capturing a picture of what a user

Bristol Crane Opens for B&B

US Defense Contractor left Sensitive Files on Amazon Server Without Password

Sensitive files linked to the United States intelligence agency were reportedly left on a public Amazon server by one of the nation’s top intelligence contractor without a password, according to a new report. UpGuard cyber risk analyst Chris Vickery discovered tens of thousands of documents from a US military project for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) left unsecured on Amazon

Study suggests last-mile drone delivery could lower carbon footprint

There’s always been talk about how drones could improve the emissions situation produced by our truck-based delivery infrastructure. But you have to look into these things. A new study from University of Washington researchers indicates that drone delivery may indeed lead to a lower carbon footprint — if it’s done properly. “I was amazed at how energy-efficient drones are in some contexts,” said

Android Pay expands to Canada

Android Pay launched in Canada on Wednesday, with support for a number of major banks at launch, and additional banks to be added soon. The Android Pay debut in Canada was teased at Google’s I/O developer conference keynote earlier this month, and reported as imminent last week by MobileSyrup. The launch today includes support for Visa and MasterCard credit, as well as Interac debit cards (

Samsung’s elusive Bixby voice assistant is reportedly still weeks away from launching

In the battle of the voice assistants, one entrant still appears to be staying rather quiet. Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant was initially supposed to launch alongside the company’s Galaxy S8 smartphone, but after a series of delays the English-language version may not be reaching U.S. customers until late June, the WSJ reports. Sources tell the WSJ that Bixby isn’t quite ready for prime time:

Kabul blast felt like an earthquake, say witnesses | Afghanistan News

Witnesses described scenes of panic, confusion and destruction following a devastating bomb blast at Kabul’s diplomatic quarter that killed scores of people and wounded hundreds. “[I have] not heard something this big before”, Fatima Faizi, a Kabul resident, told Al Jazeera, minutes after the blast on Wednesday. READ MORE: Scenes of carnage in Afghan capital At the Wazir Akhbar Khan hospital,

Reports: Trump expected to quit Paris climate deal | Trump News

President Donald Trump is reportedly set to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord, according to several US news reports, dealing a giant setback to efforts aimed at cutting global emissions. Multiple sources confirmed to news agencies and US broadcasters on Wednesday the decision of the American leader, who later posted on social media that he would make an announcement this

Your windows become powerful with SolarGaps

If you’re about to replace your roof, Tesla has you covered, but roofs have a long life span, and besides, not all of us have the luxury/misery of having a roof to replace in the first place. Most of us have walls with glass in them, however, and that’s the window of opportunity SolarGaps is reaching for, with a Kickstarter campaign for its solar panel window blinds. At first glimpse, this

Venezuela: Why I oppose Nicolas Maduro | Human Rights

Why are people protesting? Economic policies Justice system Extreme poverty Social division   Over the past two months, Venezuela has seen near daily demonstrations – with anti- and pro-government protesters taking to the streets. More than 50 people have been killed. The political roots of the protests extend back to January 2016, when the Supreme Court suspended the election of four

Wacom Announces $80 ‘Bamboo Sketch’ Stylus for Drawing and Writing on iPhone and iPad

Wacom today announced the Bamboo Sketch, a new precision stylus for drawing and sketching on both iPad and iPhone devices through a Bluetooth connection. The company said that the stylus mimics a traditional pen-and-paper writing and drawing experience thanks to two customizable shortcut buttons and two interchangeable pen nibs, in both soft and firm. The Bamboo Sketch can be used within apps

Top Defense Contractor Left Sensitive Pentagon Files On Amazon Server With No Password

Sensitive files tied to a US military project were leaked by a multi-billion dollar firm once described as the world’s most profitable spy operation, Gizmodo has confirmed. A cache of more than 60,000 files were discovered last week on a publicly accessible Amazon server, including passwords to a US government system containing sensitive information, and the security credentials of a lead senior

LinkedIn Hacker, Wanted by US & Russian, Can be Extradited to Either State

The alleged Russian hacker, who was arrested by the Czech police in Prague last October on suspicion of massive 2012 data breach at LinkedIn, can be extradited to either the United States or Russia, a Czech court ruled on Tuesday. Yevgeniy Aleksandrovich Nikulin, a 29-years-old Russian national, is accused of allegedly hacking not just LinkedIn, but also the online cloud storage platform

Smartphone screens find their size sweet spot

The joke in the smartphone space in years past was how screens just kept getting bigger — stretching palms and making you look ridiculous when held up to the head to talk. How times change. Talking into phones? Why, how 2005 of you! Phablets have long been the new normal as the telephone icon lost out in the war to capture our attention via finger-flicking touchscreen fun — losing out to all the

US declares success in key test of missile defence | North Korea News

The US military scored an important success in a test of its oft-criticised missile-defence programme, destroying a mock warhead over the Pacific Ocean with an interceptor that is key to protecting US territory from a North Korean attack. Vice Admiral Jim Syring, director of the Pentagon agency in charge of developing the missile-defence system, called the test result “an incredible

UN demands more ambition as US weighs climate pullout | News

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the world to raise its ambition in implementing the Paris climate agreement as the United States weighed pulling out of the landmark emissions-cutting deal.     Making his first address on climate since taking the UN helm five months ago, Guterres said it was “absolutely essential” the world implements the 2015 agreement “with increased ambition”.    

Apple’s ‘Carpool Karaoke’ TV Series to Debut on August 8

Apple today announced that its first original television show, “Carpool Karaoke: The Series,” will debut on Apple Music on Tuesday, August 8. “Carpool Karaoke: The Series” is based on the popular Carpool Karaoke segment from “The Late Late Show with James Corden.” Apple purchased rights to the show back in mid-2016 and showed off the first trailer in February. The show was originally supposed to

Here’s What It Looks Like to Get Attacked by a Bear

Syrian rebels: US sends more arms against Iran threat | Syria News

Syrian rebels say the United States and its allies are sending them more arms to try to fend off a new push into the southeast by Iran-backed militias aiming to open an overland supply route between Iraq and Syria. Tensions escalated in the southeastern region of Syria, known as the Badia, this month when government forces supported by Iraqi militias deployed in a challenge to rebels backed by

Ex-Apple designer & former Twitter engineer launch Halide, a premium iPhone camera app

An ex-Apple designer and former Twitter engineer have teamed up for a new take on iPhone photography, with today’s launch of their iOS camera app called Halide. The idea is to offer a variety of high-end tools for taking quality photographs, but packaged in a way where accessing those controls via gestures becomes like muscle memory – similar to using the dials on a camera. Explains the app’s

Intel Will Sell a New 18-Core Processor for £2,000 Because Why Not

Apple went full dad joke with the names of this year’s secret WWDC panels

[somewhere in Cupertino, probably] “Hey Rick?” “Yeah, Bill?” “We need a bunch of placeholder names for sessions at WWDC. The ones about… you know. That stuff we’re not really allowed to talk about yet. People tear these names apart looking for clues on what’s coming, so can you name them all ‘SESSION NAME TBD’ and throw them online?” “Sure! But… how about we use puns instead? We’ll even use

Epic! raises $8 million to keep kids reading in a digital age

The makers of Epic!, one of many apps jockeying to become a “Netflix for books,” have raised $8 million in a round led by Reach Capital, the education-specialized venture firm. Additional investors in the Series C included TransLink Capital, Rakuten Ventures, Menlo Ventures, WI Harper, Brighteye Ventures and Innovation Endeavors. Epic! at its core is an on-demand digital library that includes

Apple’s Domination of Component Supply Chain Said to Be Constraining Nintendo Switch Production

A new article by The Wall Street Journal today has taken a look into the increased pressure put on suppliers of NAND flash memory units, as well as other smartphone components, and how Apple might be indirectly affecting the supply of the Nintendo Switch. According to people in the industry, smartphone makers — namely Apple — and their increasing ramp-up on component manufacturing for high-end

Intel’s super portable Compute Card could be your real pocket PC

Smartphones are already computers in our pockets, but Intel’s new Compute Card turns an actual PC into something you can take with you wherever you go. Equipped with a range of processor options, including an ultra-efficient Celeron, and notebook-class Core i5s, this slab that looks like a USB backup battery is attracting a range of interest from Intel OEM partners hoping to use it for

Samsung adds the S Pen to the Notebook 9 Pro, making its best Surface Book impression

Samsung’s favorite pen tool, the S Pen — with a 0.7mm tip, Windows Ink support, the capability to detect more than 4,000 levels of pressure and which hasn’t been featured since the Note 7 — has found its next host, a Surface Book competitor: the Samsung Notebook 9 Pro. It’s not exactly similar in design approach to the Surface Book; the Notebook 9 Pro has a 360 degree hinge, but you still get

Sudan approves farm imports ban from Egypt | Sudan News

Sudan’s cabinet has approved a ban on importing agricultural and animal products from Egypt, according to Sudan’s state news agency SUNA. The cabinet on Tuesday urged the private sector to import products directly from countries of origin, bypassing Egypt. A reason for the move was not publicised. Sudan: Soaring food prices hurting the poor Ahmed Abu Zeid, the spokesman for Egypt’s

UN warns of mass displacement in war-torn CAR | News

Resurgent fighting between rival militia in Central African Republic has displaced at least 88,000 people in the month of May alone, amid further deterioration of security conditions in the country, the UN Agency for Refugees (UNHCR) has said. The agency said on Tuesday that 68,000 people were internally displaced while more than 20,000 were forced to flee into the neighbouring Democratic

Intel’s Upcoming Coffee Lake Processors Up to 30% Faster Than Kaby Lake Chips Coming to Mac Notebooks

Intel today said one of its eighth-generation “Coffee Lake” processors delivered more than a 30 percent performance boost over an equivalent seventh-generation “Kaby Lake” processor in recent testing. Both generations of chips are suitable for Apple notebooks, such as the 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro. “We will have more to say about the 8th Gen Intel Core processor in the future but it’s

UN appoints team to probe crackdown against Rohingyas | Myanmar News

The UN on Tuesday appointed a three-member team to investigate alleged abuses by security forces against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. The fact-finding mission will be led by prominent Indian lawyer Indira Jaising, Sri Lankan lawyer Radhika Coomaraswamy, and Australian human rights consultant Christopher Dominic Sidoti, according to a statement from the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) on Tuesday.

Shadow Brokers Launches 0-Day Exploit Subscriptions for $21,000 Per Month

As promised to release more zero-days exploits and hacking tools for various platforms starting from June 2017, the infamous hacking group Shadow Brokers is back with more information on how to subscribe and become a private member for receiving exclusive access to the future leaks. The Shadow Brokers is the same hacking group who leaked NSA’s built Windows hacking tools and zero-day exploits

Trudeau invites pope to Canada for apology to natives | News

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Pope Francis to visit Canada to apologise to indigenous peoples for the Catholic Church’s treatment of aboriginal children in schools it ran there. Starting in the late 19th century, about 30 percent of children of Canada’s native peoples, or about 150,000 children, were placed in what were known as “residential schools” in a government attempt to

Venezuela opposition leaders wounded in protest march | News

Two Venezuelan opposition leaders were among more than a dozen people wounded by security forces dispersing protests in the capital Caracas against President Nicolas Maduro. Maduro’s adversaries have for two months been blocking highways and setting up barricades in protests demanding he call early elections and address an increasingly severe economic crisis that has left millions struggling to

Foreign fighters killed in battle for Philippine city | Philippines News

The Philippine military chief says three Malaysians, an Indonesian, and possibly Arab fighters have been killed in a southern city that armed groups planned to burn entirely in an audacious plot to project the lethal influence of ISIL. General Eduardo Ano told The Associated Press in an interview on Tuesday the military has made advances in containing the week-long siege of Marawi city. He said

Apple Shares Three New Ads in ‘Switch to iPhone’ Campaign

Apple today shared a new “Contacts” ad on its YouTube channel as part of its ongoing “Switch to iPhone” campaign. The 15-second spot shows people jumping from “your phone” to “iPhone,” with the tagline “it’s that easy” and a link to Apple’s new Switch website. The overhauled webpage promotes how easy it is for Android users to switch to iPhone using the free Move to iOS app on the Google

Car bombing in Baghdad kills 13, wounds 30 | News

A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at a popular Baghdad ice cream shop early on Tuesday, killing 13 people. The attack in Karrada district in central Baghdad also wounded at least 30 people, officials said. Videos posted to social media showed chaotic scenes on the streets surrounding the blast. A number of wounded lay on the ground, others propped themselves up on the

15-Inch MacBook Pro Delivery Estimates Slip Ahead of New Models Expected Next Week

Apple has updated its online store to indicate that 15-inch MacBook Pro orders placed today are now estimated for free delivery between June 6-8 in the United States, coinciding with its Worldwide Developers Conference next week. The delivery estimates lend credence to a report claiming Apple plans to announce new MacBook Pro and 12-inch MacBook models at the WWDC keynote on June 5. The notebooks

Linguistic Analysis Suggests WannaCry Hackers Could be From Southern China

It’s been almost four weeks since the outcry of WannaCry ransomware, but the hackers behind the self-spread ransomware threat have not been identified yet. However, two weeks ago researchers at Google, Kaspersky Lab, Intezer and Symantec linked WannaCry to ‘Lazarus Group,’ a state-sponsored hacking group believed to work for the North Korean government. Now, new research from dark web

Paris mayor calls for black-feminist festival ban | France News

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has sparked outrage by calling for a ban on a black feminist festival in the French capital, saying it was “prohibited to white people”. The first edition of the Nyansapo Festival, due to run from July 28 to 30 at a cultural centre in Paris, billed itself as “an event rooted in black feminism”, and reserved four-fifths of the festival area for black women, according to

Lightning and thunderstorms kill 29 in India’s Bihar | India News

Lightning and thunderstorms have killed 29 people and injured dozens of others in India’s eastern state of Bihar, disaster management officials said.  The deaths took place in villages across the districts of Jamui, Champaran, Vaishali and Samastipur on Sunday. “Twenty-six people died due to being struck by the lightning and six more casualties occurred due to the collapsing of walls and homes,”

Indian police arrest three over sex assault video | India News

Three men have been arrested after a video emerged showing them assaulting two women in broad daylight as a dozen others looked on and ignored their screams for help, police said on Monday. The blurry video aired by Indian television showed the men groping and pushing the women in Uttar Pradesh state as onlookers laughed and filmed the assault, later posting it on social media. The incident took

South Africa’s Zuma survives renewed calls to resign | South Africa News

South African President Jacob Zuma survived fresh calls within the ruling African National Congress party for him to resign, party officials said on Monday, as they acknowledged support was “drifting away” from the movement. Senior figures in the ANC met over the weekend after Zuma endured months of criticism over his sacking of respected finance minister Pravin Gordhan. “There was a call made

Sorry Folks, Luke and Leia’s The Last Jedi Reunion Is Still a Mystery

U.S. Could Expand Tablet and Laptop Ban to All International Flights

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is considering expanding its carry-on restrictions for electronic devices to include flights departing from the United States, according to CNN. In March, restrictions were announced that prevented U.S.-bound passengers from eight Middle Eastern countries from carrying certain electronic devices in the passenger cabin. The TSA order, which does not have a

Morocco arrests Rif protest leader Nasser Zefzafi | Morocco News

The fugitive leader of a protest movement that has shaken Morocco’s northern Rif region for months was arrested on Monday. Nasser Zefzafi, 39, who had been on the run since Friday, had been taken into custody “along with other individuals” and transferred to Casablanca, according to the general prosecutor of the northern city of Al-Hoceima. The prosecutor’s statement said on Monday that those

Asus skips robots at this year’s Computex event and flaunts super-thin laptops instead

Remember Zenbo, the cute humanoid robot that stole the show at Asus’ Computex press conference last year? Zenbo was absent from the stage this year, as were ZenFones. Instead, in an unusual departure for the event, which took place today in Taipei, Taiwan, the focus was solely on Asus’ new laptops, with the spotlight shining on the newest additions to its ZenBook line: the ZenBook Flip S and the

Apple Maps Now Shows Apple Park 3D Models, Campus Walkways

Apple has quietly updated its Maps app to include additional 3D coverage of the new Apple Park campus location in Cupertino, California. The enhanced detail includes a “Map” view with 3D building models as well as access roads running in and out of the campus. Traffic directions, pedestrian walkways, and other information can also be found when searching the area. In addition, the company has

Russian Hackers Made ‘Tainted Leaks’ a Thing — Phishing to Propaganda

We came across so many revelations of sensitive government and corporate data on the Internet these days, but what’s the accuracy of that information leaked by unknown actors? How much real are that information that you completely trust upon? Security researchers have discovered new evidence of one such sophisticated global espionage and disinformation campaign with suspected ties to the

When will Mosul be liberated? | Iraq

Iraqi government forces say they are closing in on the last remaining parts of western Mosul still held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS). The western part of Iraq’s second city is ISIL’s last remaining Iraqi stronghold. The latest phase of the battle for Mosul – launched last October – was announced on Saturday. The fighting is focussed on three western