A group of concerned Zimbabweans has started an anti-alcohol and drug campaign, targeting communities in which unemployed young people resort to drinking and using narcotics to alleviate the stress of not having work. As Columbus Mavhunga reports from Harare, those involved in the campaign say the solution lies largely with improving the country’s moribund economy.
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From: MeNeedIt
The CES 2019 gadget show opened its doors Tuesday, with tech companies from giants to tiny startups showing off their latest products and services.
In recent years, CES’s influence has declined as Apple, Google and other major companies throw their own events to launch new wares. Still, more than 180,000 people from about 150 countries are expected to attend. The sprawling event spans 11 official venues, plus scores of unofficial ones throughout Las Vegas. The four-day show in Las Vegas opened after two days of media previews.
Here are the latest findings and observations from Associated Press reporters on the ground.
Cutting through the babel
Google has transformed CES into a Disney-like theme park – complete with singing animatronic macarons – to showcase new features of its voice-enabled digital assistant.
This includes an “interpreter mode” that enables some of Google’s smart home devices to work as a translator. It’s being piloted at a hotel concierge desk near the Las Vegas tech conference and rolls out to consumer devices in several weeks.
Voice assistants are getting pretty good at translating speech into text, but it’s a thornier challenge in artificial intelligence to enable real-time translation across different languages. Google’s new feature expands upon real-time translation services it’s rolled out to Android phones and headphones over the past year.
This is the second year that Google Assistant had made a huge splash at CES in an effort to outbid Amazon’s Alexa as the voice assistant of choice.
Google this year has an amusement park ride that resembles Disney’s “It’s a Small World,” though on a roller-coaster-like train at slow speeds. Talking and singing characters showcase Google’s various voice-assistant features as visitors ride along.
Google isn’t the only CES exhibitor promising the next generation of instant translation. Chinese AI firm iFlytek has been showing of its translation apps and devices that are already popular among Chinese travelers. And at least two startups, New York-based Waverly Labs and China-based TimeKettle, are promoting their earbuds that work as in-ear translation devices.
Bring that umbrella
IBM is expanding its side job as the world’s meteorologist.
IBM CEO Ginni Rometty used a keynote address Tuesday to unveil a new global forecasting system that promises more accurate local weather reports in places that never had them before.
The computing giant owns The Weather Company, which runs popular weather services including weather.com and the Weather Channel and Weather Underground apps (though not the Weather Channel television network). Those apps provide precise and constantly updating forecasts in places like the U.S. and parts of Europe and Japan, but not in most of the world.
IBM says its new forecasting model relies in part on “crowd-sourced” data – barometric pressure readings from millions of smartphones and sensor readings from passing airplanes.
Weather Company CEO Cameron Clayton says the new system is intended to aid IBM’s business providing critical weather data to airlines, energy firms and other industries. But he says it will also have societal benefits, such as helping small farmers in India or parts of Africa yield better crops.
IBM may have trouble persuading some users to agree to transmit atmospheric data to IBM after the city of Los Angeles sued last week to stop the Weather Channel’s data-collection practices. The lawsuit alleges that the company uses location information not just to personalize weather but also to track users’ every step and profit off that information. The company has denied any impropriety with sharing location data collected from users, saying it does disclose what it does.
Samsung wants to bring robots home
Up next for Samsung: a robot that can keep its eye on grandma and grandpa.
The rolling robot, which talks and has two digital eyes on a black screen, can track medicines they take, measure blood pressure and call 911 if it detects a fall.
The company didn’t not say when Samsung Bot Care would be available, but brought the robot out on stage Monday at a presentation at CES. Samsung also said it is working on a robot for stores and another for testing and purifying the air in homes.
Samsung also unveiled TVs, appliances and other high-tech gizmos – but not a foldable phone it hinted at in November. But a startup called Royole did. The Royole FlexPai smartphone was first shown in November but the California-based company has more details. The phone will have a 7.8-inch display that can be folded like a wallet, priced at more than $1,300.
Star delight
Sony brought some star power to CES with a visit from musician Pharrell Williams, straight from trip to Anguilla.
The star of hit songs such as “Happy” came to talk about a mostly secret project that he and Sony are supposedly undertaking. But in the end, it was clearly an attempt by Sony to sprinkle some stardust on launches for TVs and other products.
“I was a little bit worried that he was still on holiday, but he is here,” Sony Music head Rob Stringer told the crowd.
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From: MeNeedIt
The trappings of success continue to arrive for K-pop sensation BTS, the latest a contract with the toy company Mattel which secured rights to produce dolls of the boy band.
And Mattel is not beyond riding those K-pop coattails. Shares of Mattel Inc. spiked almost 9 percent Monday, a day after the toymaker announced a global licensing agreement that also includes collectible figures and games.
The South Korean boy band, made up of members RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook, last year became the first Korean pop group to reach No. 1 on the Billboard top 200.
BTS is an acronym of Bangtan Sonyeondan or “Beyond the Scene.” The band debuted in June 2013.
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From: MeNeedIt
Former “House of Cards” star Kevin Spacey on Monday pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting an 18-year-old man at a bar in Nantucket more than two years ago, while a judge ordered the man to preserve his mobile phone data from the time.
Dressed in a gray suit and tie, Spacey did not speak during a brief hearing Nantucket District Court to face one count of felony indecent assault and battery, though a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf by the court.
Spacey’s lawyer Alan Jackson persuaded Judge Thomas Barrett to order Spacey’s alleged victim to keep all data from his cell phone for six months following the July 7, 2016, incident.
Jackson said the data was “likely exculpatory.”
Videos show Spacey at club
Jackson said in court papers that police reports showed the 18-year-old busboy exchanged numerous text messages and Snapchat videos with his then-girlfriend about his interactions with Spacey at the Club Car bar on the beach resort island off the coast of Massachusetts but never mentioned the alleged sexual assault.
Spacey could face up to five years in prison if convicted.
His appearance in a crowded courthouse surrounded by television trucks came at what is normally a quiet time of year the island, a former whaling hub.
The 59-year-old actor is one of dozens of men in entertainment, business and politics who have been accused of sexual misconduct since accusations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017 sparked the #MeToo movement.
Spacey became embroiled in controversy in October 2017 when actor Anthony Rapp accused him of trying to seduce him in 1986 when Rapp was 14.
Spacey apologized for inappropriate conduct with Rapp. The controversy led to Spacey being dropped from the Netflix television series “House of Cards” and erased from the film “All the Money in the World.”
‘Let’s get drunk’
The Nantucket allegations were first raised in 2017 by former Boston television journalist Heather Unruh, who told reporters Spacey groped her teenage son.
The victim told police Spacey had bought him several rounds of beer and whiskey and said at one point, “Let’s get drunk,” according to charging documents.
As they stood next to a piano, Spacey groped Unruh’s son, the bus boy told investigators.
Reuters is not identifying Unruh’s son because he is an alleged victim of sex assault.
“My client is a determined and encouraging voice for those victims not yet ready to report being sexually assaulted,” attorney Mitchell Garabedian said in an email.
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From: MeNeedIt
Here’s a simple statistic: by 2030, the number of knee replacement surgeries in the U.S. alone is expected to rise over 600 percent. But researchers at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center are now offering an alternative that can relieve the pain and slow the osteoarthritis that most often leads to the need for knee replacement. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports.
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From: MeNeedIt
For some, castlelike mansions in Los Angeles are just pretty to look at and an unattainable dream. But for designer Chris Toledo, they are an inspiration. He makes exact, yet miniature copies of these magnificent houses. They have it all — in bathrooms, electricity, fireplaces and chandeliers. One day, Toledo hopes to sell his miniature creations and earn enough to buy a real-life house of his dreams. Angelina Bagdasaryan reports from Los Angeles on this story narrated by Anna Rice.
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From: MeNeedIt
Every January, tech insiders head to Las Vegas, Nevada where the biggest tech companies show off their latest devices at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Smaller start-ups also vie for attention at one of the largest tech gatherings of the year. Tina Trinh meets with a Brooklyn startup as they prepare to head west.
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From: MeNeedIt
Thousands of Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, now have safe drinking water thanks to a combination of green technology and sunlight.
Cox’s Bazar has plenty of refugees. More than 900,000. Most have arrived in Bangladesh since August 2017, when violence and persecution by the Myanmar military triggered a mass exodus of Rohingya refugees.
The refugees are living in squalid conditions across 36 different locations in Cox’s Bazar. Water is scarce in most locations. But sunshine is plentiful. Over the past six months, the U.N. refugee agency and partners have been putting into operation solar-powered safe water systems.
The UNHCR reports the first five systems are now running at full capacity. It says the new safe water systems run entirely on electricity generated through solar panels. UNHCR spokesman, Andrej Mahecic, says this new network is providing safe water to more than 40,000 refugees.
“Using the solar energy has allowed the humanitarian community to reduce the energy costs and emissions,” said Mahecic. “So, there is a clear environmental impact of this. Chlorination is also a life-saver in refugee sites of this scale. The recent tests revealed that most contamination of drinking water occurs during collection, transport and storage at the household level.”
Mahecic notes chlorinated water is safe for drinking and also eliminates the risk of the spread of disease.
The UNHCR along with its partner agencies are hoping to install nine more solar-powered water networks across the refugee camp in the coming year. The project, which is funded by the agency, will cost $10 million. It will benefit an additional 55,000 Rohingya refugees.
The UNHCR says its ultimate aim is to provide 20 liters of safe water to every single refugee on a daily basis. It says this will be done by piping in the solar powered water to collective taps strategically installed throughout the Kutupalog-Balukhali refugee site.
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From: MeNeedIt
For the past 50 years, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington has been telling America’s story with images of people who helped shape the history and culture of the United States. It recently added 28 pictures in an effort to tell a more diverse and more complete story of U.S. society. The display features well-known people like baseball player Alex Rodriguez and former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy — and sheds light on some “hidden figures.” VOA’s Julie Taboh has more.
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From: MeNeedIt
There are a number of reasons why Americans like to have a live tree for their Christmas centerpiece It just smells like Christmas, they grew up with a real tree, they feel it’s better for the environment than an artificial one. And although trees can be chipped into mulch after the holiday, there are other ways to environmentally dispose of a Christmas tree that’s passed its prime. Faith Lapidus reports.
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From: MeNeedIt
The Golden Globes kick off the show business awards season on Sunday with Hollywood apparently in the mood for a party, and with plenty to celebrate.
After a record $41.7 billion global movie box-office in 2018, crowd-pleasers like “A Star is Born,” “Black Panther,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Mary Poppins Returns” are competing for Golden Globe honors.
This year, the boozy, informal dinner in Beverly Hills, organized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, is expected to leave politics behind.
‘Time to laugh’
Golden Globe hosts Andy Samberg and “Killing Eve” nominated actress Sandra Oh say they are aiming for a fun evening.
“Everyone is depressed and maybe that’s as good a reason as any that everyone could use a little time to laugh and celebrate,” Samberg told the Hollywood Reporter.
Oh said she is “not interested at all” in talking about U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been a focus of attacks at award shows since his 2016 election campaign.
Last year’s Golden Globes were marked by celebrities turning out en masse in black in solidarity with the #MeToo sexual harassment scandal that was roiling Hollywood.
“After Trump’s election and #MeToo, people felt like they had to speak up,” said Tim Gray, awards editor at Hollywood publication Variety.
“This year it’s, ‘let’s celebrate the work’. They are looking forward to the fun of the Globes,” Gray added.
‘Vice’ leads with six nominations
Lady Gaga, Idris Elba, Bradley Cooper and veteran Dick Van Dyke will be among dozens of famous faces turning out on Sunday.
Scathing comedy “Vice,” about former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, has a leading six nominations, including for actors Christian Bale, Sam Rockwell and Amy Adams.
But competition is strong for the best comedy or musical statuette, with historical romp “The Favourite,” romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians,” 1960s road trip “Green Book” and “Mary Poppins Returns” all vying for honors.
“‘Vice’ director Adam McKay really takes chances with that movie. Sometimes he goes too far, and some people love it and some people are having a hard time with it,” said Gray.
Pop star Gaga and actor-director Cooper are seen taking home statuettes for “A Star is Born,” with Gaga’s version of “Shallow” widely viewed as a shoo-in for best original song.
Musicals vie for top drama
Despite being musicals, both “A Star is Born” and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” starring Rami Malek as the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, will compete in the more prestigious best movie drama category. They will face off against three films focusing on racial issues — superhero movie “Black Panther,” “BlacKkKlansman” and “If Beale Street Could Talk.”
Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron’s lovingly shot “Roma” is expected to win the Golden Globe for best foreign language film.
The Golden Globes ceremony will be televised live on NBC on Sunday, starting at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.
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From: MeNeedIt