Facebook will lift its ban on political ads on Thursday, ending a self-imposed prohibition that began immediately after the November 2020 general election and remained active for months. Politico reports: Facebook informed top political advertisers of its decision by phone and email on Wednesday, according to sources with knowledge of the announcement. The social media giant banned political and social issue-related…
Tag: ending
Best Buy Lays Off 5,000 Workers, Will Close More Stores
Best Buy said it laid off 5,000 workers this month and is planning to close more stores this year as more consumers buy electronics online. From a report: The news comes at a time when big chains face growing competition from Amazon and other sites that sell items like TVs and laptops. Fry’s Electronics said Wednesday that it would abruptly close…
Bitcoin Jumps To $50,000 as Record-Breaking Rally Accelerates
Bitcoin blew through another milestone, surging past $50,000 for the first time as the blistering rally in the largest cryptocurrency continues to captivate investors worldwide. From a report: The world’s largest cryptocurrency jumped as much as 4.9% to $50,548 and is now up about 70% so far this year. Bitcoin pared its gain after setting the record high. Ether, a rival…
As new probes reach Mars, here’s what we know so far from trips to the red planet
Three new spacecraft are due to arrive at Mars this month, ending their seven-month journey through space. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-probes-mars-red-planet.html…
Top 12 brightest objects in the solar system
Can you name the top 12 brightest objects in the solar system? How many have you seen without the aid of binoculars or a telescope? Source: https://earthsky.org/space/what-are-the-brightest-objects-in-our-solar-system…
Dropping WhatsApp? Despite Privacy Concerns, Nostalgia Drives Users to ICQ
Here’s an interesting tidbit from The Wall Street Journal:
ICQ was a pioneering, mid-1990s internet messaging service then used on bulky PCs on dial-up. It was a precursor to AOL Instant Messenger, and was last in vogue when the TV show “Friends” was in its prime and PalmPilots were cutting edge. It’s been modernized over the years, and now is an app…
China Plans Online Payment Rules That May Hit Ant, Tencent
hackingbear writes: People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank, said on Wednesday that any non-bank payment company with half of the market in online transactions or two entities with a combined two-thirds share could be subject to antitrust probes, potentially dealing another blow to financial technology giant Ant Group Co. and its biggest rival Tencent Holdings Ltd. Ant’s Alipay accounts…
Zookeepers mourn death of world’s oldest orangutan
The world’s oldest known orangutan, a 61-year-old Sumatran female called Inji, has died at Oregon Zoo, ending a lifetime of inspiring visitors to care about her kind. Source: https://www.livescience.com/worlds-oldest-orangutan-dies.html
EPA Finalizes Rule Limiting Research Used for Public Health, Environmental Policy
The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a rule that limits scientific research used in the crafting of public health and environmental policy. From a report: Researchers argue the rule that prioritizes studies with all data available publicly “essentially blocks” research that uses personal information and confidential medical records that can’t be released because of privacy conditions, per the New York Times,…
Adult fish sizes have shrunk over 50 years of sea temperature rises
Fish in the North Sea are growing faster as juveniles but ending up smaller as adults. The pattern seems to be linked to rising sea temperatures Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2263658-adult-fish-sizes-have-shrunk-over-50-years-of-sea-temperature-rises/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…