Features

  Tokyo / AFP Tokyo businessman Randal Furudera isn’t about to swap his German-made BMW M5 for a “boring” Japanese car, although he’ll give them some grudging respect for their ho-hum dependability. Deep-pocketed buyers like Furudera are driving sales in Japan of high-end foreign brands, which dominate the niche sector in a car market long seen as all but shuttered to ...

  Amsterdam / Relaxnews European Union policy makers and European vehicle manufacturers have reached their first agreement on the future of self-driving cars and their place on the continent’s roads. The ‘Declaration of Amsterdam’ endorsed by the Informal Transport Council represents a first agreement among all parties regarding how potentially life-saving technologies are to be deployed on European roads. Tackling ...

  Relaxnews To celebrate National Parks’ Service 100th anniversary, from April 16 to April 24, everyone is enjoying free admission to all national parks in US these days. The National Park Service usually offers free entry to national parks on certain days of the year, including President’s Day weekend and Veteran’s Day, however in honour of their anniversary this year ...

  Bloomberg Apple Inc. has constructed a secret team to explore changes to the App Store, including a new strategy for charging developers to have their apps more prominently displayed, according to people familiar with the plans. Among the ideas being pursued, Apple is considering paid search, a Google-like model in which companies would pay to have their app shown ...

    Relaxnews The new H&M Conscious Exclusive collection debuting this month includes an array of whimsical wedding dresses made from sustainable materials and not hurting your pocket. Proof, if it were needed, of the retail giant’s fashion nous, because budget, off-the-rack bridal collections have never been hotter. We take a look at five designers shaking things up this season. ...

  Phnom Penh /AFP Packed passenger trains are rolling out of Cambodia’s capital for the first time in over a decade this week, as a railway service running down to the country’s southern coast resumes after years of suspension. The trains will be ferrying passengers from Phnom Penh to the southwestern seaport of Sihanoukville over a nine-day trial during the ...

  Havana / AP In the Old Havana neighbourhood Cubans call Angel Hill, a dramatic transformation is underway. Crumbling old buildings are being replaced with expensive, shiny new restaurants and restored buildings for wealthier Cubans and tourists. Here are the stories of five residents of Calle Habana on how the changes are impacting them financially. Pedro Alejandro Lopez, 83 Lopez and ...

Bloomberg Google’s YouTube is developing new musical talent as part of an initiative called Foundry, as the company aims to improve strained relations with the music industry and bring more exclusive programming to the world’s most popular video site. YouTube said it has already hosted workshops with more than two dozen artists at its production facilities in Los Angeles and ...

  Washington / AFP An artificial intelligence “chatbot” from Taco Bell now lets you order a meal in a smartphone text exchange that might look something like this: TacoBot: Hello there, I’m your TacoBot, I can help you order a meal for you or your team. You: Can I order one soft taco with beef? TacoBot: Sounds good… do you want ...

Rome / AFP One of Tuscany’s most famous villas is up for sale with its owners hoping to be smiling all the way to the bank thanks to its links to the Mona Lisa. The Villa Antinori was once owned by the family of silk merchant Francesco Del Giocondo, whose wife Lisa Gherardini is widely believed to have sat for Leonardo ...