Bloomberg A few months ago, senior executives at Vodafone’s Irish division sat down with a 16-year-old boy to ask him about his daily routine and, specifically, how he uses his smartphone. The kid told them that the first thing he does in the morning is check Snapchat. On the way to school, Snapchat. On the way home, Snapchat. Sometimes …

  Relaxnews Consumers in the US, UK, China and Germany will be actively seeking active safety systems and connected technology when they come to buy their next car. The results of the fourth annual IHS Markit study show that Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) such as autonomous emergency braking, traffic jam assist and blind spot monitoring now top car buyers’ …

Relaxnews The global smartwatch market took a sharp downward turn in the second quarter on falling sales of the industry-leading Apple Watch, a survey showed. Research firm IDC said global sales of smartwatches tumbled 32 percent from a year ago to 3.5 million units. Apple remained the market leader with an estimated 47 percent market share, but sales fell by …

  Relaxnews Facebook is working on a means of delivering high-speed internet to remote areas via laser beams. The project has now taken a step forward, after a first test delivered connection speeds over 2Gbps, according to an article penned by four members of the social network’s “Connectivity Lab,” published in the scientific journal Optica. The social network plans to …

  Bloomberg Kamleshkunwar, a mother of three living in a village in central India, first used cooking gas to prepare a meal about a month ago. Her family struggled for years with the ash and smoke that comes from burning wood, until they received a free gas connection from the government as it tries to change how India’s poor cook. …

  AFP From Jakarta to Bali and Yogyakarta, the Indonesian art world is flourishing. Buoyed by a growing, affluent middle class at home as well as interest from international buyers, numerous boutique galleries and artists’ communities have sprung up, while events such as the Jakarta Biennale, the annual ArtJog fair, and Bazaar Art Jakarta have fuelled interest. But critics warn …

  KUALA LUMPUR / WAM The Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) and the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) signed on Monday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for an initial period of three years, to establish and implement a non-exclusive framework for the cooperation and collaboration to promote programmes and initiatives that foster the development of the Islamic …

  Aleppo / AFP Syria’s regime intensified air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo province Monday as a UN envoy prepared to meet US and Russian officials to try to revive peace talks. France called for an immediate humanitarian truce in Aleppo city after civilian deaths in the provincial capital and after four hospitals were bombed there on Sunday. On …

  Jerusalem / AFP Israeli authorities have advanced plans for 770 new settlement homes in annexed east Jerusalem, officials and rights groups said on Monday, drawing condemnation from Palestinian leaders and the United Nations. The homes would expand the Gilo settlement on the southern perimeter of east Jerusalem. They are part of a larger plan for around 1,200 units approved some …

  Antananarivo / AFP A house fire during a party in central Madagascar killed 38 people including 16 children as the blaze ripped through a thatched roof, police said Monday. The victims—the youngest only six months old—were trapped inside the house in Ambalavato village of Ikalamavony district in the rural centre of the island. The party-goers, including several relatives of the …