Nepal Revives TikTok, Tasks It With Boosting Tourism and Education
August 23, 2024 – According to a report by Kathmandu Post, the Nepalese government has lifted the ban on TikTok, which had been in place for nearly nine months. Prithvi Subba Gurun, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Nepal, stated, “The government has decided to allow TikTok to resume operations, subject to certain…
Global New Energy Vehicle Sales Hit 3.769 Million in Q2, Up 24.2% Year-on-Year: BYD Claims Second Spot in Pure Electric and First in Plug-in Hybrid Markets
August 22, 2024 – According to a recent report released by market research firm TrendForce, global sales of new energy vehicles (including pure electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles) reached 3.769 million in the second quarter of 2024. This represents a nearly 30% increase compared to the previous quarter and…
BMW Recalls 720,000 Vehicles in US Over Fire Risk
August 22, 2024 – BMW has initiated a massive recall in the United States, affecting over 720,000 vehicles equipped with faulty water pumps. These automobiles were manufactured between 2012 and 2018. According to a recall notice issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), fluids from the positive crankcase ventilation system may accumulate on…
Swedish EV Drivers Clock More Long-Distance Miles than Gasoline Car Owners, Study Finds
August 22, 2024 – A study conducted by Sifo, a Swedish social research company, and Zaptec, a charging station company, has revealed that electric vehicle (EV) owners actually drive longer distances than their gasoline-powered counterparts. The research, which surveyed 1082 individuals driving fossil fuel-powered cars and 1032 people operating electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids, encompassed…
Apple iPhone Dominates with 51% Share in Global Mobile Programmatic Ads, Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi Strive to Catch Up
August 22, 2024 – According to a report released by market research firm Pixalate on August 21st, Apple has secured the top spot in the global mobile programmatic advertising market, capturing a significant 51% share of voice (SOV). Programmatic advertising, a term explained in the report, refers to the utilization of advertising technology for the…
HMD Embarks on a Retro Revival: Second Nokia N9-Inspired Smartphone Renders Unveiled
August 22, 2024 – HMD News dropped a bombshell yesterday, August 21st, unveiling plans by HMD Corporation to unleash a fresh smartphone tailored for the mid-range segment, its aesthetic blueprint drawn from the iconic Nokia N9. This latest development marks the potential second “retro-inspired” rendition of the Nokia N9 by HMD, following the successful footsteps…
iCloud Tops Apple Subscriptions in the US, Used by Nearly 2/3 of Users
August 22, 2024 – According to a recent report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), paid iCloud storage remains the most popular Apple subscription service in the United States. The report indicates that nearly two-thirds (64%) of American Apple users have opted for paid iCloud storage, surpassing other services such as Apple Music, Apple TV+,…
Tesla Quietly Lifts Resale Ban, Allowing Free Trade of Cybertruck
August 21, 2024 – Tesla has apparently removed a resale restriction policy from the sales agreement of its Cybertruck. This week, some X users have noticed that Tesla quietly deleted the provision that prohibited buyers from selling their Foundation Series Cybertruck within a year of purchase, which was previously subject to a penalty of $50,000…
U.S. Mayor Candidate Banned by OpenAI Over Plan to Use ChatGPT for City Governance
August 21, 2024 – According to a report by The Guardian, Victor Miller, a mayoral candidate in Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA, intends to utilize an AI-driven robot named Vic (Virtual Integrated Citizen) to oversee the local government if elected. Vic, powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, is touted as capable of handling vast amounts of data and rendering…
Meta Launches New Web Crawler to Bolster AI Data Collection
August 21, 2024 – Recently, Meta has quietly unleashed a new web crawler designed to scour the internet and amass vast amounts of data, bolstering its artificial intelligence models. This new crawler, dubbed Meta External Agent, was launched last month, as reported by three companies tracking web scrapers. Resembling OpenAI’s GPTBot, Meta’s new crawler is…