Google exit from China a predictable gift: Baidu chief

SAN FRANCISCO: The head of China’s dominant Internet search engine said that Google’s retreat from the mainland was a predictable gift that came as no surprise to him.

Baidu chairman Robin Li said that when Google first launched its search service in China, his advice was that chief Eric Schmidt spend at least six months a year in that country to understand the market.

“Apparently, Eric did not take my advice,” Li said during an unprecedented on-stage chat at a Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco. “I knew that, eventually, he would hand me a gift and it happened.”

Schmidt had his turn on the Summit stage earlier in the day, but did not discuss Baidu.

Baidu reported in October that its net profit more than doubled in the third quarter, as rival Google continued to lose market share following its public spat with Beijing over censorship.

Baidu has

Facebook shrinks Web page fonts

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook set some users to squinting by shrinking text size on pages of the world’s most popular online social networking service.

“We are constantly testing new ways to make the site more efficient for people,” a Facebook spokesman said on Wednesday, in response to an AFP inquiry regarding the smaller font at the website.

“We listen to feedback and always try to incorporate it in future product updates, releases and features.”

The change was getting harpooned online, with forums featuring playful squawks about making reading tough on the eyes of Facebook fans. AGENCIES

Facebook shrinks Web page fonts

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook set some users to squinting by shrinking text size on pages of the world’s most popular online social networking service.

“We are constantly testing new ways to make the site more efficient for people,” a Facebook spokesman said on Wednesday, in response to an AFP inquiry regarding the smaller font at the website.

“We listen to feedback and always try to incorporate it in future product updates, releases and features.”

The change was getting harpooned online, with forums featuring playful squawks about making reading tough on the eyes of Facebook fans. AGENCIES

Yemeni police arrests two women in bomb plot

SAN’A: Yemeni police arrested two women on suspicion of mailing a pair of bombs powerful enough to take down airplanes, officials said Saturday as details emerged about a plot aimed at the U.S. that exploited security gaps in the worldwide shipping system.

Investigators were scouring Yemen for more suspects tied to al-Qaida’s affiliate in the country, and several U.S. officials identified the terrorist group’s top explosives expert in Yemen as the most likely bombmaker.

On Saturday, Yemeni officials announced the arrest of a woman and her mother in connection with the plot. The two were not identified but a defense lawyer who has been in contact with the family, Abdul Rahman Barham, said the younger woman was a 22-year-old engineering student in her fifth year at San’a University and that her mother was 45.

Yemen’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, said late

Obama to campaign for embattled U.S. Senate leader

SAN FRANCISCO: President Barack Obama will campaign on Friday for embattled Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, entering the fray of one of the most closely watched races in next month’s congressional elections.

In Nevada, a state with the nation’s highest unemployment rate and the highest rate of home foreclosures, Reid, a Democrat, is slightly trailing Republican Sharron Angle with just 11 days to go before the Nov. 2 elections.

A defeat for the Senate’s highest ranking Democrat would be a major blow for Obama, who worked closely with Reid and other congressional leaders to craft last year’s $814 billion economic stimulus package and reforms of the healthcare and financial regulatory systems.

“Senator Reid is somebody who has obviously done a lot to ensure our success in the United States Senate; (who) was a supporter, somebody who urged the president to run

Magnitude 5.9 quake hits near Costa Rican capital

SAN JOSE: A moderate 5.9 magnitude earthquake shook Costa Rica’s capital on Friday, startling residents and knocking items off shelves but causing no significant damage.

Some people fled their houses, alarmed by the quake that struck 30 miles (45 km) from San Jose. The tremor occurred at a depth of 60.9 miles (98 km), the U.S. Geological Survey said.

While earthquakes of that magnitude can cause significant destruction, there were no immediate reports of injuries or damaged buildings.

“We have no reports of damages,” Vanessa Rosales, the head of the country’s emergency services organization told Reuters.

Apple unveils social network, new iPod and TV tool

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple has launched a music-centered social network at iTunes and unveiled slick new iPod and Apple TV gadgets that promised to win the iconic company more devotees.

Ping was built into iTunes 10 software made available as a free download at itunes.com.

“It is sort of like Facebook and Twitter meet iTunes,” Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said, referring to the world’s top online social networking and microblogging services.

“It is not Facebook. It is not Twitter. It is something else we’ve come up with. It’s all about music,” he said.

Ping will automatically be available to the more than 160 million iTunes members worldwide when they update to the new version.

“Apple is now in the social networking game, but it is music centric which is really cool,” said analyst and Altimeter Group partner Michael Gartenberg.

“It is

Facebook launches Web page devoted to online safety

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook on Monday launched a Web page devoted to staying safe on the Internet.

The “Safety Page” will highlight news and initiatives focused on ways people can keep data secure at the world”s leading online social-networking community, Joe Sullivan of Facebook said in a blog post.

The new page was intended to augment a virtual Safety Center that Facebook introduced in April and was based on a “security page” that boasted more than 2.2 million “fans” as of Monday.

“Online safety is a shared responsibility,” Sullivan said. “We”ll continue to think of innovative ways to promote safety on our service and elsewhere on the Web.”

The number of people using Facebook topped the 500 million mark last week, meaning one in every 14 people on the planet has now signed up to the social netowork.

The launch of the Safety Page came in the wake of demands by privacy activists that Facebook give users of the booming social network more control over the use of their personal data.

A coalition of privacy groups, in an open letter to Facebook co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg last month, welcomed the social network”s recent overhaul of its privacy controls but said additional steps were needed.

Facebook membership hits 500 million mark

SAN FRANCISCO: The number of people using Facebook hit the 500 million mark on Wednesday, meaning one in every 14 people on the planet has now signed up to online social-networking service.

“As of this morning, 500 million people all around the world are actively using Facebook to stay connected with their friends and the people around them,” Facebook found Mark Zuckerberg said in a blog post.

“This is an important milestone for all of you who have helped spread Facebook around the world.”

To celebrate, the California firm introduced an application that lets members of the online community “tell the incredible stories of the moving and interesting ways they”ve used Facebook.”

Examples given by Zuckerberg included Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen jogging with Facebook fans during his term as Danish prime minister and a US woman using the service to battle breast cancer.

“Our mission at Facebook is to help make the world more open and connected,” Zuckerberg said.

“Stories like these are examples of that mission and are both humbling and inspiring. I could have never imagined all of the ways people would use Facebook when we were getting started 6 years ago.”

Earthquake measured at 5.7 shakes California

SAN DIEGO: The California-Mexico border region was rocked by a magnitude-5.

Read the original:
Earthquake measured at 5.7 shakes California

Next Page »