Cuban-American fighter Erislandy Lara tonight gets a chance to avenge his 2014 split-decision defeat to Canelo Alvarez - this time with a square-off against his older brother Ramon. With a title up from grabs, it should be a compelling fight, so be sure to follow our Lara vs Alvarez live stream guide carefully.
As well as the WBA Super Welterweight belt being up for grabs, tonight's showdown will also see the winner get to face WBA "gold" champion Michel Soro.
Originally from Guantanamo, Cuba and now living and training in Houston, Erislandy "The American Dream" Lara comes into tonight's fight off the back of a frustrating draw against then-WBA ‘regular’ titleholder Brian Castano back in March.
That fight came after a split-decision defeat for the southpaw against Jarrett Hurd in a clash for the WBA, IBF and IBO junior middleweight belts in April last year.
His opponent tonight is Mexico-based 33-year-old Ramon Alvarez who has a mediocre record of 28-7-3 going into tonights fight, and is some way short of the calibre of his brother Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Having only won five of his last nine fights, any sort of result here against Lara will be regarded as a shock.
Among the night's undercard action is middleweight Kyrone "Shut It Down" Davis (13-2, 5 taking on Alexis Gaytán while unbeaten Cuban prospect Joahnys Argilagos takes on Julio García in a super flyweight battle.
To catch everything online, you've come to the right place. Read on to find out how to stream Lara vs Alvarez live anywhere in the world.
Keep scrolling to see how to watch the boxing in the US. But if you're worried about being away from your country and missing your domestic coverage of the Lara vs Alvarez fight, then fear not, there's a way to watch that doesn't involve trying to find a grainy, illegal feed.
Windows 10 May 2019 Update has been having a pretty smooth – and speedy – rollout thus far, with only relatively minor niggles, although there have been some more persistent issues remaining unsolved. But the good news is Microsoft has finally cured some of these with a new cumulative update.
The main thorny problems which have been hanging around include an error that has been preventing Windows Sandbox from running in certain cases (Microsoft’s solution that lets Windows 10 Pro users run suspicious apps in a sandbox away from the rest of the system). This has been fixed with cumulative update KB4512941.
And another sigh of relief can be breathed by those who were affected by compatibility issues caused by certain Intel Rapid Storage Technology drivers and the May 2019 Update. This issue appeared over a month ago now, but Microsoft says it’s resolved with KB4512941 (although the safeguarding block won’t be removed until early September – so presumably next week).
The cumulative update also deals with an issue whereby a black screen is displayed when using Remote Desktop to connect to a machine running Windows 10 May 2019 Update.
Microsoft further promises that the latest cumulative update improves the “user experience and app compatibility so that more Win32 apps will work with Windows Mixed Reality”, which is good news for those who have invested in one of those headsets.
There are a raft of other fixes which Microsoft has detailed in a long list here, but they also include resolving an issue preventing certain games from using Spatial Audio capabilities, and a problem where no cursor appears when selecting text input on a touchscreen.
As we mentioned at the outset, the May 2019 Update rollout appears to have accelerated to a very speedy pace, with the upgrade now on 33% of Windows 10 machines according to one set of stats – that figure having tripled since the previous month, showing Microsoft has definitely opened up the floodgates.
Most of the folks upgrading are doing so from the April 2018 Update, with prodding from Microsoft because the end-of-service date for that particular update isn’t that far off now (November 12).
Via Wccftech
Apple says it has identified a problem that "under very rare circumstances" can lead to cracking around the edge of the screen on aluminum Series 2 and Series 3 versions of the Apple Watch – and if you're affected, you can have a free replacement.
"Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider will replace the screen on eligible Apple Watch units that exhibit this type of crack, free of charge," Apple says on the official support page for the issue.
What we don't know is what's causing this cracking, but it's possible that some sort of manufacturing defect is to blame. That the issue only happens under "very rare circumstances" is encouraging for Series 2 and Series 3 owners.
"The crack may begin on one side and then may continue around the screen as shown in the images below," Apple says.
If you have noticed this sort of cracking on the display of your Apple Watch, first head to the support page on Apple's website and check that your model matches one of the case size, color, and date sold combinations listed.
You can then take it into an Apple Store or an approved repair shop, or post it off to Apple, to get the screen replaced free of charge. According to Apple you'll be without your wearable for about five business days.
These official repair programs are now reasonably common for Apple, though usually only a few devices are affected. The Apple Watch cracking certainly doesn't seem to be on the scale of the MacBook Pro keyboard breaking.
In the meantime we're waiting for the Apple Watch Series 5 to make an appearance: we're expecting it to be unveiled on September 10, alongside some new iPhones, with some new casing options in tow.
Via TechCrunch
Its a big night for Australian fight fans as compatriots Jeff Horn and Michael Zerafa go to toe-to-toe in Victoria. Former WBO welterweight title holder Horn will be putting his WBA Oceania Middleweight belt on the line for tonight's fight, and will be facing a fellow Aussie that's far from the journeyman usually placed in front of a fighter with an eye on a world title fight.
You can watch all of the action from the comfort of your own sofa from anywhere in the world with our Horn vs Zerafa live stream guide below.
Horn, a domestic boxing hero, is probably best know worldwide for his controversial points win over Manny Pacquiao back in 2017 which saw him unseat the then WBO welterweight champ. Having lost his title to Terence Crawford a year later, Horn has since moved to middleweight, and will have his eye on a late December title fight with WBA middleweight champion Ryoto Murata in Japan that has been agreed in principle.
Zerafa, an Olympic gold medal winner at London 2012, has a strong pedigree, having only lost to top draw opposition (e.g. Peter Quillin, Kell Brook, Arif Magomedov) and will be hoping for complacency from his opponent.
To ensure you can see the whole thing in real time so you don't miss any of the action, we've put together this guide to help you watch a Horn vs Zerafa live stream. As with most boxing, it's not always available in every country so you may find a VPN is the best way to stream the fight, which you'll find out all about below.
But if you're abroad this weekend then you'll need another way to watch and avoid possible geo-blocking. That's where using a VPN comes in, as it's a legitimate way to watch the coverage without having to resort to some dodgy illegal stream you found on Reddit that may leave your laptop or mobile unsafe.
Apple has announced an extended replacement program for Apple Watch Series 2 and Series 3 models with an aluminium casing.
According to Apple's support page on the issue, "in very rare instances", aluminium models of the above Watches can develop cracks around on the curved edges of the glass, which can extend to all around the screen.
The program extends to three years from date of purchase or one year from the start of the program.
Affected devices can be brought into an Apple Store, to a certified professional, or you can contact Apple Support online.
If the device is eligible, Apple will replace the screen or Watch for free as needed.
The program is valid for three years since the date of first retail purchase or one year from the start of the replacement program, whichever is longer.
Apple has also provided guidelines on how to prepare the Watch before sending it in for repair or replacement.
This is not an extension of the warranty and only covers the screen if damaged in the manner described by Apple.
Cracks can apparently form on the curved edges of some Apple Watch Series 3 models.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is a prolific tweeter, but just an hour ago, his account was seeing a lot of activity. Most of the tweets were single line tweets with some of the tweets having blatantly racist language. It seemed far from drunk tweeting.
Yes, Twitter CEO's Twitter account was hacked for a while. Dorsey has around 4.2 million followers.
Twitter's communications team confirmed that Dorsey's account was indeed compromised and they were investigating the matter.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. Image: Reuters
A group going by the name Chuckle Squad was tweeting anti-Semitic and racist tweets, retweeting accounts and even asking for some handles to be unsuspended. The tweets were live for a good 20 mins (even more) before the Twitter security team got into action.
Looks like @twitter CEO @jack's account has been hacked pic.twitter.com/QfKx3n20w6
— Nimish (@nimsaw) August 30, 2019
The tweetstorm from the hacker began with a tweet which had a link to a Discord chat group. According to Buzzfeed, Discord took down the server which was hosting these chats.
.@Jack’s account has been hacked.
The Tweets are coming from a source called Cloudhopper. Cloudhopper was the name of the company Twitter acquired a long time ago to help bolster their SMS service.
Looks like the hackers are Tweeting via the old SMS service... pic.twitter.com/YcU3DTn9wS
— Sam (@Hooray) August 30, 2019
According to The Verge, the attackers seem to be the same group that recently attacked many YouTubers and influencers on Twitter. Some influencers who were attacked, claimed that their accounts were breached after a SIM swap that was done by AT&T.
Twitter keeps talking about the measures it is taking to contain abuse and hate on the platform. But it was rather ironic to see the platform's CEO's handle itself tweeting racist and anti-Semitic tweets. While things are under control now, it is certainly a huge embarrassment for Twitter. I mean, if the Twitter CEO himself can be hacked, that puts a big question mark on the company's security practices. The matter is still under investigation, and Twitter should put out an official statement of what exactly went down, as tomorrow it could be anyone's account.
Update 1: As expected, it appears that Dorsey was a victim of SIM swap fraud. Twitter has confirmed that a phone number associated with the account was compromised "due to a security oversight by a mobile provider." Twitter itself wasn't hacked and no data was stolen. The hacker sent tweets via SMS.
The phone number associated with the account was compromised due to a security oversight by the mobile provider. This allowed an unauthorized person to compose and send tweets via text message from the phone number. That issue is now resolved.
— Twitter Comms (@TwitterComms) August 31, 2019
The story is developing. We will update the story as the updates come through.
How would you like a side of MMA with your breakfast? UFC returns with Fight Night 157 in the early hours of Saturday morning beaming all the way from China.
The event will be held in Shenzen for the very first time as UFC continues its quest for global ultimate fighting dominance. That means this one kicks off earlier for MMA fans in the US with the main card starting at 6am ET, 3am PT on ESPN+. We’ll explain how much it costs and how it works below so that you're completely clued up on how to live stream UFC 157.
There are five matches on the main Fight Night 157 card (following six in the prelims) with plenty of local interest across the men's and women's divisions. China meets Brazil as welterweights Li Jingliang and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos go head-to-head in the Octagon, while Jamahal 'Sweet Dreams' Hill represents American interests with a light-heavyweight match-up against Da Un Jung.
But undeniably the main attraction is the match in the main event spot - a Women's Strawweight Championship bout where the awesome Jessica Andrade puts her belt on the line against the Chinese Weili Zhang. If you know anything about Andrade then you know just how dangerous she can be, and she is looking like a mighty champion after winning the belt from Rose Namajunas back in May. But Zhang is currently on a 19 fight win streak and shouldn't be underestimated as a challenger.
UFC Fight Night China is set to be a real stunner and you can watch it in its entirety. All the fights can be watched in the US exclusively online via the ESPN+ subscription service. So keep reading to see your viewing options to get a UFC live stream, whether or not you're in the US this weekend.
Worry not if you're a huge UFC fan but aren't in the US to watch that ESPN+ coverage this weekend. If you've got your subscription sorted but then find the coverage is geo-blocked, you can try using a VPN to change your IP address to a US server and watch as if you were back at home.
Google has now expanded its bug bounty program to include the most popular apps on the Play Store. These are apps with 100+ mn installs to their name. Bounties of up to $20,000 can be claimed.
Google had initially launched the Google Play Security Rewards Program (GPSRP) as a way for hackers and security researchers to report vulnerabilities in eight top apps on the Play Store. The expanded scope now makes the program more useful for hunting out security vulnerabilities in apps.
As per the rules, researchers must first disclose the vulnerabilities to the app developer. They can then report it to Google, which will then evaluate and offer the additional bounty as it sees fit.
In partnership with HackerOne, a bug bounty platform started by hackers and security researchers, Google is also offering a Developer Data Protection Reward Program, reports Engadget.
The program will provide security researchers with an incentive (worth up to $50,000) for hunting down “data abuse issues” in Android apps, Chrome extensions, etc.
Google will pay researchers up to $20,000 for finding bugs in the top Play Store apps.
Scientists reported Thursday they had picked up human-like electrical activity in lab-grown brains for the first time, paving the way to model neurological conditions and answer fundamental questions on how our gray matter develops.
It's not clear whether the pea-sized brains are conscious: the team behind the breakthrough suspect they're not because the activity resembles that of preterm babies, but they cannot say for certain, opening up a new ethical dimension to this area of research.
So-called "cerebral organoids" derived from adult stem cells have been around for a decade or so but have never previously developed functional neural networks.
"If you had asked me five years ago 'Would you think that a brain organoid would ever have a sophisticated network able to generate a brain oscillation?' I would say no," Alysson Muotri, a biologist at the University of California San Diego, told AFP.
A paper published by Muotri and his colleagues in the journal Cell Press said that two factors were responsible for the breakthrough. The first was a better procedure to grow stem cells, including optimizing the culture medium formula.
The second was initially surprising, but also intuitive when the researchers thought about it: simply allowing the neurons adequate time to develop, just as babies' brains develop in the womb.
Many processes in the human brain remain a mystery to neuroscientists.
"The very early stages of human neurodevelopment are encoded in our genome," explained Muotri.
The team began to detect bursts of brain waves from organoids from about two months.
The signals were sparse at first and all at the same frequency, a pattern seen in very immature human brains. But as they grew, they produced waves at different frequencies, and the signals appeared more regularly, suggesting further development of their neural networks.
Researchers then compared the brain wave patterns with those of human brains in early development, by training a machine learning algorithm with the activity recorded from 39 prematurely born babies.
The program was successful in predicting how many weeks the organoids had been developing in their dishes, suggesting they shared a similar growth trajectory to brains in their natural setting.
The point at which newborn babies attain consciousness, and the definition of consciousness itself, are both contested among scientists.
A French study in 2013 that looked at the brain activity of babies found they began to think about images of faces they were shown from the age of five months, appearing to store the visuals in their temporary "working memory" — a faculty they linked to perceptual consciousness.
Representational image. Image courtesy: NCL UK
Earlier, less sophisticated organoids were used to model what happens when the brain is exposed to diseases like the Zika virus which causes physical malformations.
But there are also a host of neurological conditions such as autism, epilepsy, and even psychiatric conditions where problems arise from how the brain network is wired, not from malformations.
By creating brain organoids from the stem cells of individuals with these conditions, scientists could better model them and perhaps one day find cures.
They also hope to answer more fundamental questions. Muotri said the organoids development plateaued around nine to 10 months, for reasons that aren't yet clear.
"I'm curious about that. I wonder if it's because we don't have a vascularization system to allow the nutrients to get inside, or it could be that we are just lacking stimulation" in the form of sensory input.
He hopes to test both hypotheses.
About whether the brain organoids are conscious, Muotri said he suspects not because of its early stage of development.
"But if you ask me, 'How do you know?' I would say I have no evidence either way, because we don't even know how to detect consciousness in other systems," he said.
"As we get closer to the human brain, all of these ethical questions will appear," he admitted, proposing that the field be subject to agreed-upon limits and regulation.
Expected to come with 5G connectivity, Vivo Nex 3 is reported to be launched sometime in September. The company has confirmed that the smartphone will have a Waterfall display and also a 3.5 mm headphone jack. We should know more about the device soon.
A promo video of Vivo Nex 3 was also shared online a few days back.
Confirming a few key specs of the smartphone, a new unboxing video has popped online. As per this video, Nex 3 will come with a waterfall display with really thin bezels.
Vivo Nex 3 is expected to come with 5G connectivity and 64 MP camera. Image: Weibo
The video shows off a phone with a heavily curved display (at the edges), and buttonless design. A headphone jack is at the top. Since there was no notch on the front, it was being speculated that it might come with a pop-up selfie camera or an under-display camera, now that companies like Oppo are working on such tech. The video confirms that the phone comes with a pop-up selfie camera.
Instead of buttons, the sides feature a ribbed surface that gives haptic feedback when pressure is applied. Apparently, the feedback is so good it feels like a real button.
Looking at the back of the device, Nex 3 will feature a glass back with a circular camera module. As per previous leaks, the smartphone might come with a 64 MP camera at the back.
Vivo has also launched a 4,000 mAh battery that supports 120 W charging (Yes, as much as a laptop) and charges in barely 13 minutes. It is being speculated that Nex 3 might house this battery.
Such rapid charging must have a detrimental effect on battery life and it remains to be seen how Vivo has implemented the tech in the Nex 3.
India's second moon mission Chandrayaan 2 is expected to carry out its final orbit-lowering manoeuvre around the moon this evening. The lunar-bound manoeuvre is planned between 6-7 am on 30 August using the spacecraft's onboard propulsion system. This fourth and final manoeuvre will move Chandrayaan 2 from its current 179 x 1411 km (nearest x farthest distance) elliptical orbit to a near-circular orbit of 126 x 168 km.
The Chandrayaan 2 composite has carried out three successful in-orbit manoeuvres since it entered lunar orbit — all in an attempt to lower its altitude in preparation for landing. If successful, the final manoeuvre today will put the spacecraft on a circular path that passes over the lunar poles at a distance of about 100 km from the surface. Entering this circular orbit is the mission's final milestone before the Vikram lander separates from the orbiter to make its planned soft-landing on the moon's surface on 7 September.
Chandrayaan 2 composite orbiting the moon before the lander's separation. Image: ISRO
The approximately 100 x 100 km circular orbit is close enough for the Vikram lander, which is currently bound to the orbiter in a 'composite', to separate. The separation and landing sequences are planned for 2 September and 7 September at 1.40 am, respectively. Between these two important days, the first maps of the landing site will be created (planned for 3 and 4 September) to ensure the landing site is as safe as previously thought to make a soft-landing. This is a crucial step in the mission since ISRO's mission engineers won't be operating the spacecraft remotely. The orbiter will also be surveilling its year-long home for the first time, ensuring that no damage was caused to its instruments on the journey thus far, and conducting a thorough examination of the Vikram lander's landing site at the moon's South Polar region.
Chandrayaan 2 is expected to make its long-awaited powered descent and landing on 7 September at 1.40 am IST in a landing sequence that the ISRO Chief describes as '15 minutes of terror'.
While subsequent events in the mission won't be streamed live, you can catch live updates on the mission on our dedicated Chandrayaan 2 domain, our Twitter page, ISRO's website, or Twitter page.
A rare genetic mutation that causes a form of muscular dystrophy affecting the limbs also protects against HIV infection, Spanish scientists reported Thursday.
The breakthrough comes a decade after American Timothy Brown, known as the "Berlin Patient," became the first person cured of HIV after a bone marrow transplant from a donor with a mutation of the CCR5 gene.
The newly-discovered mutation concerns the Transportin 3 gene (TNPO3) and is far more rare. It was identified several years ago among members of a family in Spain who were suffering from type 1F limb-girdle muscular dystrophy.
Doctors studying the family learned that HIV researchers were interested in the same gene because it plays a role in transporting the virus inside cells.
Representational image
They then got in touch with geneticists in Madrid, who took blood samples from those family members and infected the blood with HIV — revealing a welcome surprise.
The lymphocytes — white blood cells that are an important part of the immune system — of people with the rare muscular illness were naturally resistant to HIV, it emerged.
"This helps us to understand much better the transport of the virus in the cell," Jose Alcami, a virologist at the Carlos III Health Institute and co-author of a paper published in US journal PLOS Pathogens on the subject, told AFP.
HIV is among the most studied viruses, he said, adding however that much remained to be learned, such as why five percent of patients who are infected do not develop AIDS. "There are mechanisms of resistance to infection that are very poorly understood," he said.
The WHO announced Thursday it will create a global registry to track research into human genetic manipulation, after a call to halt all work on germline genome editing — used in China last year to genetically modify twin baby girls.
"New genome editing technologies hold great promise and hope for those who suffer from diseases we once thought untreatable," the World Health Organization's Director-General for told the body's genome editing oversight committee meeting in Geneva. "But some uses of these technologies also pose unique and unprecedented challenges — ethical, social, regulatory and technical,” he added.
Chinese scientist He Jiankui's announcement last November that he had altered the DNA of twins girls in southern China by using molecular scissors -- ostensibly to prevent them from contracting HIV.
Representational image.
He was then fired from his university, put under police investigation and ordered to halt his work.
But his announcement provoked a global backlash from scientists saying the untested procedure was unethical and potentially dangerous and in December the WHO set up an expert committee to look into the matter.
About 30 nations currently have legislation directly or indirectly barring all clinical use of germline editing.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasised that countries should not allow any further work on human germline genome editing "until the technical and ethical implications have been properly considered", the WHO said in a statement.
Accepting the recommendation of its 18-member expert committee, WHO announced plans for an initial phase of the registry to include both germline and somatic clinical trials
Somatic mutations occur in a single body cell and cannot be inherited while germline mutations can be passed onto offspring.
Results from its India website included sleeping pills, pesticides and a book entitled 'How To Commit Suicide.'
The largest study of its kind found new evidence that genes contribute to same-sex sexual behavior, but it echoes research that says there are no specific genes that make people gay.
The genome-wide research on DNA from nearly half a million US and UK adults identified five genetic variants not previously linked with gay or lesbian sexuality. The variants were more common in people who reported ever having had a same-sex sexual partner. That includes people whose partners were exclusively of the same sex and those who mostly reported heterosexual behavior.
The researchers said thousands more genetic variants likely are involved and interact with factors that aren’t inherited, but that none of them cause the behavior nor can predict whether someone will be gay.
The research “provides the clearest glimpse yet into the genetic underpinnings of same-sex sexual behavior,” said co-author Benjamin Neale, a psychiatric geneticist at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
There could be not a single factor, multiple genes linked to same-sex sexuality, suggests genetics.
“We also found that it’s effectively impossible to predict an individual’s sexual behavior from their genome. Genetics is less than half of this story for sexual behavior but it’s still a very important contributing factor,” Neale said.
The study was released Thursday by the journal Science. Results are based on genetic testing and survey responses.
Some of the genetic variants found were present in both men and women. Two in men were located near genes involved in male-pattern baldness and sense of smell, raising intriguing questions about how regulation of sex hormones and smell may influence same-sex behavior.
Importantly, most participants were asked about the frequency of same-sex sexual behavior but not if they self-identified as gay or lesbian. Fewer than 5 percent of UK participants and about 19 percent of US participants reported ever having a same-sex sexual experience.
The researchers acknowledged that limitation and emphasized that the study’s focus was on behavior, not sexual identity or orientation. They also note that the study only involved people of European ancestry and can’t answer whether similar results would be found in other groups.
Origins of same-sex behavior are uncertain. Some of the strongest evidence of a genetic link comes from studies in identical twins. Many scientists believe that social, cultural, family and other biological factors are also involved, while some religious groups and skeptics consider it a choice or behavior that can be changed.
A Science commentary notes that the five identified variants had such a weak effect on behavior that using the results “for prediction, intervention or a supposed ‘cure’ is wholly and unreservedly impossible.”
“Future work should investigate how genetic predispositions are altered by environmental factors,” University of Oxford sociologist Melinda Mills said in the commentary.
Other experts not involved in the study had varied reactions.
Dr Kenneth Kendler a specialist in psychiatric genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University, called it “a very important paper that advances the study of the genetics of human sexual preference substantially. The results are broadly consistent with those obtained from the earlier technologies of twin and family studies suggesting that sexual orientation runs in families and is moderately heritable.”
Former National Institutes of Health geneticist Dean Hamer said the study confirms “that sexuality is complex and there are a lot of genes involved,” but it isn’t really about gay people. “Having just a single same-sex experience is completely different than actually being gay or lesbian,” Hamer said. His research in the 1990s linked a marker on the X chromosome with male homosexuality. Some subsequent studies had similar results but the new one found no such link.
Doug Vanderlaan, a University of Toronto psychologist who studies sexual orientation, said the absence of information on sexual orientation is a drawback and makes it unclear what the identified genetic links might signify. They “might be links to other traits, like openness to experience,” Vanderlaan said.
The study was a collaboration among scientists including psychologists, sociologists and statisticians from the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Australia. They did entire human genome scanning, using blood samples from the UK Biobank and saliva samples from customers of the US-based ancestry and biotech company 23andMe who had agreed to participate in research.
The Motorola One Action, which had been announced in India on 24 August, will be going on its first sale today. The smartphone has been launched for a price of Rs 13,999 for the single 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage variant. The smartphone will be available for purchase in the country through Flipkart starting from 12.00 pm onwards.
Moto One Action.
The device has a 6.3-inch full-HD+ screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio as seen on the Moto One Vision smartphone. There is also a punch-hole cutout in the display for the camera. The phone is powered by an Exynos 9609 SoC along with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. The Moto One Action is an Android One smartphone and runs on Android 9.0 Pie.
As far as optics go, the Moto One Action has a triple rear camera setup with a 16 MP action sensor which uses pixel binning to produce 4-in-1 4 MP shots. It is supported by a 12 MP primary sensor and a 5 MP depth sensor. On the front, the device has a 12 MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture.
Connectivity options for the device include dual-SIM 4G VoLTE support, Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS, NFC, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The entire setup is powered by a 3,500 mAh battery which has 10 W charging. The phone measures1 60.1x71.2x9.15 mm and weighs 160 grams.
The next iPhones, new software across all product line-ups as well as the Apple TV service are expected.
For those of us using 2-in-1s that run the Windows 10 operating system, such as the popular Surface range, Microsoft is looking to improve the overall experience in the coming months.
The latest version of the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build (18970) has included a change to how the user interface is displayed when using a 2-in-1 in tablet mode – when you fold back the keyboard or remove it entirely.
Specifically, the interface will retain more of its desktop-like aesthetics when switching to tablet mode – instead of displaying a full-screen start menu packed with tiles and hiding the taskbar icons, the desktop will remain visible and some other tablet-friendly tweaks will occur.
This includes retaining the taskbar icons but spacing them further apart for easy finger-tapping, as well as collapsing the search bar into an icon, bringing up the touch keyboard via an icon or when tapping on a text field, and optimizing File Explorer for a touch interface.
When these changes roll out publicly, you will no longer be prompted to enter tablet mode when your device deems it necessary, although the mode will still exist as an option for the time being.
At the moment, the change is only available to people using 2-in-1 devices on the Windows Insider program (Windows tablets retain the old interface), and only a select few have access while Microsoft assesses the quality of the changes.
It’s currently marked as a beta feature, but as with any features rolled out to the Insiders program, a public release shouldn’t be too far away, albeit after some finetuning and tweaks are made.
While reports on the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 are already gracing the internet, the beleaguered original folding smartphone from the South Korean manufacturer is yet to make its (second) official debut. In July, Samsung promise to relaunch the Galaxy Fold in September but didn’t disclose a specific date at the time.
However, a new report from a Korean media outlet suggests Samsung has chosen September 6 for an official announcement.
That’s the same date Europe’s largest trade show kicks off in Berlin, so it wouldn’t surprise us in the least of Samsung chooses to use IFA 2019 as a launch platform.
Although the Samsung Galaxy Fold was initially set to launch in April this year, several design flaws saw the exciting handset go back to the drawing board, with the company canceling all pre-orders.
By June, company execs claimed that “most” of the Fold’s issues had been fixed, with a potential launch date set for July. That timeline, too, was off the table soon after. And in the meantime, Samsung whet our appetites by putting the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus on shelves while we waited patiently for one of the most exciting phones to arrive… again.
According to the Korean report, the Galaxy Fold was initially slated for a late September launch, but the company seems to have decided to bring the date forward, with South Korea getting the new folding phone first. The US and China will also get a September arrival, although an exact date hasn’t been revealed.
Availability in other markets is as yet unclear, but we’re sure to learn more next week if Samsung does follow through with this September 6 announcement date.
Xiaomi is hosting an event in China today to launch the Redmi Note 8, Redmi Note 8 Pro, Redmi TV, and the RedmiBook 14 Refresh laptop. The event will be held at the company's headquarters in Beijing and will begin at 2 pm CST Asia, which is 11:30 am IST.
Xiaomi will be live streaming the event on its Weibo page and on its official website. However, going by all of Xiaomi's events in China, the event will be in Chinese, and the live stream videos will most likely not include any English subtitles.
Redmi Note 7 Pro. Image: Tech2.
The Redmi Note 8 series is believed to compete with the recently-announced Realme XT that sports a 64 MP quad-camera setup. Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro are also believed to feature a quad-camera setup with a primary 64 MP sensor.
A recent leak about the Redmi Note 8 Pro also revealed that the device will feature a 6.53-inch IPS LCD with 1080 x 2340 resolution. Something which the company has already confirmed is the MediaTek Helio G90T chipset on the device and the leak adds that the phone will have 6 GB/8 GB of RAM and 64 GB/128 GB of storage variants.
In terms of optics, the phone is said to have a quad-camera setup 64 MP primary sensor, an 8 MP ultra-wide, a 2 MP macro lens, and a 2 MP depth sensor. On the front, the device is said to have a 20 MP selfie snapper. Battery-wise the phone is said to have a 4,500 mAh capacity battery which supports 18W fast charging. The phone also includes other features such as NFC, IR blaster, 3.5mm audio jack, superlinear speaker and smart PA.
Xiaomi recently also confirmed that Redmi Note 8 will come with better cameras, better battery life and a higher screen-to-body ratio than the Note 7 series. It is also expected that the Redmi Note 8 will be accompanied by the Redmi 8 and Redmi 8A as well.
Mi TV 4a pro
As of now, all we know for sure about the Redmi TV is that at least one model of the TV will have a 70-inch screen. This was confirmed by Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun. We could also expect other variants of the TV with smaller displays. Teasers have also revealed that the Redmi TV may feature a pop-up camera for video calls.
As for the RedmiBook 14 laptop, it is expected to be powered by 10th-generation Intel Core processors. The laptop is believed to be a refreshed version of the existing RedmiBook 14, and besides the chipset will apparently feature the same specifications such as a 14-inch full-HD screen, Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics, and 8 GB of RAM.
Climate change activist Greta Thunberg has finally set foot on American soil.
After a two-week journey across the Atlantic on a sailing boat — Malizia II, Thunberg was greeted by hundreds of fans and media personnel on her arrival in New York. Chants of "Greta... Greta... Greta... " could be heard from the barricades set up for crowds along the port.
As she passed the Statue of Liberty, her boat was met by a flotilla of 17 sailboats sent by the United Nations. Each boat represented one of its sustainable development goals to end poverty, preserve the environment and prevent climate change by 2030.
She then headed up the Hudson River before docking at North Cove Marina near the World Trade Center, New York.
Greta Thunberg stands at the helm of the Malizia II as she approaches New York. image credit: Twitter
Thunberg spoke to the media as soon as she got off the boat. She started her speech by saying, “Well, this is all overwhelming and the ground is still shaking.”
Supporters lined the Manhattan waterfront on Wednesday to welcome @gretathunberg to NYC!
We look forward to seeing Greta & other young people from around the 🌍 at UNHQ for next month's Youth #ClimateAction Summit. https://t.co/HyIMsTCIY4 pic.twitter.com/OslsW015KW
— United Nations (@UN) August 29, 2019
She went on to say “The climate and ecological crisis is a global crisis, the biggest crisis that humanity has ever faced, and if we don’t manage to work together and to cooperate and to work together despite our differences, then we will fail.”
The teenager undertook a 3,000-nautical mile voyage from the UK to America because she refuses to take an aeroplane. She lives a carbon-neutral life and the greenhouse gases that are emitted from planes do not sit well with her. She is in New York to attend and speak at the United Nations Climate Action Summit next month.
During her address to the media, Greta spoke about Trump. When asked if she has a message for him, she said, “My message for him is just: listen to the science. And he obviously doesn’t do that. So as I always say to this question: If no one has been able to convince him about the climate crisis, the urgency, then why should I be able to do that? So I am just going to focus on spreading awareness.”
She also pokes fun at him by saying she was "pretty sure" windmills don't cause cancer, in reference to a comment Trump made at a Republican fundraising event in April.
On a previous occasion, when asked if she would be meeting Trump during her trip to America, her answer was very matter of fact. She said, “Why should I waste time talking to him when he, of course, is not going to listen to me?"
Thunberg was offered a ride on the Malizia II, a racing yacht owned by Pierre Casiraghi, the grandson of the late Prince of Monaco and Hollywood actress Grace Kelly.
The voyage sparked controversy after a spokesman for co-skipper Boris Herrmann told Berlin newspaper TAZ that two people would fly into New York to help take the yacht back to Europe. Hermann himself will also return by plane, according to the spokesman.
Team Malizia's manager insisted, though, that the young activist's journey would be climate neutral, as the flights would "be offset: and that there is no “perfect solution” with regard to sailing across the Atlantic Ocean.
Greta Thunberg poses for a picture aboard the Malizia II. Image credit: Twitter
During the two week voyage, Thunberg endured rough seas and cramped conditions but said she never felt seasick once. She ate freeze-dried food and used a bucket as a toilet.
"It's insane that a 16-year-old has to cross the Atlantic Ocean to make a stand. This, of course, is not something that I want everyone to do," she said, smiling.
The Malizia II yacht left Plymouth in southern England on 14 August, and the teenager marked the first anniversary of the start of her school strike on 20 August.
The 18-meter yacht is very environment-friendly. It has solar panels built on its deck and sides. It also has two hydro-generators that power all the instruments and gadgets on the boat.
Thunberg has been accompanied by her father, Swedish author Svante Thunberg and a cameraman/documentary filmmaker Nathan Grossman. She said her father did not want to take this journey but, “He had to, because I had made up my mind I was going to go and he has to take care of me. He didn’t want to, but I sort of forced him to do it and I think he’s happy he did it.”
Thunberg does not know how she will go back home. But that is still a long way off. She has taken a one-year sabbatical from school to travel and spread awareness about climate change.
A selfie of the crew aboard the Malizia II. Image credit: Twitter
Currently, her plans include getting some rest and taking a shower. She is also looking forward to eating fresh vegetables and not freeze-dried food. She will then join other youngsters striking outside the UN on Friday.
She then plans on visiting other states and countries across America. She will be heading to Canada, Mexico and then to Chile for another UN conference in December.
With input from agencies
Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old climate change activist and arguably, the most prominent voice in climate action today, has just completed a gruelling trans-Atlantic journey from Plymouth, England to New York, USA. After two weeks of sailing, she and her father Svante Thunberg arrived in New York on Wednesday. Thunberg isn't in the Big Apple to enjoy the cheesecake but to attend the UN Climate Action Summit 2019 and the COP25 in Chile.
The Swedish teen caught the attention of news media when she started protesting the inaction of her country's government on climate change a year ago. She stepped out on a Friday with a handmade sign "Skolstrejk för climate" (School Strike for the Climate), standing outside the Swedish Parliament demanding urgent action to protect the futures of school-going kids everywhere. A vegan and advocate of a carbon-neutral lifestyle, Thunberg vowed to never fly in an airplane owing to the large carbon footprint.
A year ago, Greta Thunberg stood outside the Swedish parliament with this sign. Image credit: Twitter
Greta Thunberg's online presence is substantial and has spread far and wide since her solo protest in August 2018. Her physical presence, though, has been limited to areas she can travel to by public transport (road or rail). Her insistence on using only carbon-neutral public transport has influenced fellow Swedes to coin and popularise the term "Flygskam" which translates to "shame of flying." This trend has gained momentum on social media, with many people far and wide opting out of flying considering its footprint.
Thunberg hoped to attend the UN Climate Change Summit, to which was extended an invitation this year, but had turned it down because flying or travelling on a cruise ship was the only foreseeable option. She did not want to go down that road, though. In a video interview with The Associated Press during a Fridays for Future protest (an organization she started that encourages students to skip school on Fridays to protest climate change), she said, "sailing will be the best option."
Greta Thunberg at the school strike for climate. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
Thunberg admits that taking a boat to North America is difficult — almost impossible. She spent several months finding an alternative, an "optimal" option. While a lot of people reached out to help, nothing seemed quite right.
Along came Malizia II. According to AFP, Thunberg was offered a ride to the US aboard the Malizia II racing sailboat by its owner, German property developer Gerhard Senft. Senft came upon Thunberg's trans-Atlantic problem online and offered help. So did the founder of the Malizia, Pierre Casiraghi.
A selfie of the crew aboard the Malizia II. Image credit: Twitter
Thunberg was no short of company on the trip — accompanied by her father, Swedish author Svante Thunberg, Swedish documentary filmmaker Nathan Grossman who filmed their journey, the boat's captain and navigator Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia II founder Casiraghi.
A map showing the journey Malizia II took to New York.
Thunberg and her crew started the long traverse across the Atlantic on 14 August and was expected to reach New York by 28 August. They had a distance of 3,000 nautical miles (~5550 kilometres) to cover from the UK to New York in two weeks. Despite it being hurricane season in the Atlantic, it was smooth sailing all the way (no pun intended), except for a spot of foul weather in the last leg of their journey.
We are on our way!
Leaving Plymouth and heading for New York. Follow our journey here https://t.co/qJn5ShWQbB pic.twitter.com/U2Lbv3Xgzs— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) August 14, 2019
The entire duration of her journey has been documented online for her followers to see with daily updates and images on her social feed.
The Malizia is a racing sailboat that's been used in multiple different races all over the world. It even emerged victorious in a few of them. The 60-foot-long sailboat uses the wind to propel it forward. While the boat does have a combustion engine on board, it won't be used in the duration of the journey. It was officially sealed-off for use in emergencies.
The engine is otherwise also used to dock and leave the port, however, in keeping with the carbon-neutral spirit of the journey, that won't be done either. When the yacht reaches the port, they will have electric boats that accompany them and help them in docking.
The Malizia II yacht that got Greta Thunberg to New YOrk. Image credit: Twitter
Malizia II has a website, which claims the boat could reach speeds of up to 16 knots (~30 kmph). A tweet from Thunberg, however, suggested they had crossed that limit, reaching 25-30 knots on Day 12 of the journey. For electricity, the boat is fitted with hydro-generators and solar panels. These are permanent fittings in Malizia II, attached to the hull of the boat. Between the two, the boat is supplied with more than enough energy to power the motor and all the other equipment on board, the website states.
The sails of the boat are covered with the slogans "Unite behind the science", "A race we must win" and "Climate Action now."
In light of Thunberg's voyage to sail to NY, there weren't any major changes made to Malizia II, according to the team’s official website. The main aim of the trip was to travel to another continent in a carbon-neutral manner. The boat, crafted to race, is designed keeping speed at the heart of its slender, skeleton outline.
The yacht has four beds and mattresses that were added to make it better suited for someone unaccustomed to life on the sea. Both skippers, Herrmann and Casiraghi, have been alternating and sharing a bed between them for the journey. Thunberg, her father and the filmmaker have been assigned a bed each. For whatever use curtains would be out at sea, those, too, provided some privacy when it came time for sleep.
Borris Herrmann along with Greta Thunberg aboard the Malizia II. Image credit: Team Malizia
The food onboard is nothing to write home about — along the lines of astronaut-food while at the space station. Being vegan, Thunberg feels strongly against the carbon-intensive meat habit. The food was "freeze-dried and vacuum-packed".
The interior of the yacht. image credit: Twitter-
For all its beauty and engineering, Malizia II has no bathroom, toilet or running water. Talking to CNN, Thunberg said, "we all have to do it in a bucket and that is fine". She has said that the journey won’t be easy but "that I can live with."
After her visit to New York, Thunberg intends to travel to the annual UN climate conference in December, which will be held in Chile this year. She also plans to stop in Canada, Mexico and other countries along the way, traveling by train and bus while there. However, Thunberg has said that she does not know how she is going to go back home. The boat will be going back to Europe after dropping Thunberg and her father in New York. Their filmmaker companian, Nathan Grossman, will also be accompanying Thunberg during her trip.
A spokesperson for Herrmann, the boat's captain, said that team Malizia will be flying two of their crewmembers to the US to return the yacht to Europe. This carbon-intensive step was necessary since the journey was a last-minute plan, and Malizia only had one boat to spare for it. Herrmann, too, will be flying back in a few days' time.
Malizia II near the shore. Image credit: Team Malizia
The manager of team Malizia II, Holly Cova, shared an oddly specific bunch of words about Thunberg's "journey" being "carbon neutral" in a statement. Flights that the crew will take will be offset (somehow). She also acknowledged that they do not have a perfect solution to sail across the ocean without leaving a carbon footprint. At least not as yet.
In a tie-up with Max-Planck Institute—Germany, Malizia II has taken on the 'The Malizia Ocean Challenge'. The team has equipment on board to study the ocean and help study the acidification of oceans around the world. The study looks at the impact of climate change, while also measuring carbon dioxide levels in the ocean. The boat has an onboard laboratory to facilitate this. During her voyage, Thunberg, too, got to be a part of this experience.
Also Read: How Greta Thunberg mobilised millions to act on climate emergency in just a year
