WEATHER ALERT
Airbnb's second-quarter profit fell 15% despite its revenue rising 11% on stronger bookings
Read full article: Airbnb's second-quarter profit fell 15% despite its revenue rising 11% on stronger bookingsAirbnb says its profit fell 15% in the second quarter from a year earlier, as higher income taxes cut into the short-term rental giant’s bottom line even as bookings and revenue rose.
From back-to-school to Labor Day sales: What to buy in August to save big bucks
Read full article: From back-to-school to Labor Day sales: What to buy in August to save big bucksThose long summer days are getting shorter, but there’s some good news this time of year: end-of-season and other late summer sales.
This Apple Pencil can make drawing, writing, and sketching easier for $60
Read full article: This Apple Pencil can make drawing, writing, and sketching easier for $60If you’re an artist, student, or professional who values precision and creativity, having an Apple Pencil paired with your iPad is an indispensable tool.
YouTube blocks Hong Kong protest anthem after court injunction bans song in the city
Read full article: YouTube blocks Hong Kong protest anthem after court injunction bans song in the cityYouTube has blocked access to videos of a protest song in Hong Kong to comply with a removal order, days after a court approved an injunction to ban the song in the city.
Airbnb shares slide on lower revenue forecast despite a doubling of net income
Read full article: Airbnb shares slide on lower revenue forecast despite a doubling of net incomeAirbnb's profit more than doubled last quarter, but management's disappointing revenue forecast sparked a roughly 7% drop in its stock in after-market trading.
Airbnb is banning the use of indoor security cameras in the platform's listings worldwide
Read full article: Airbnb is banning the use of indoor security cameras in the platform's listings worldwideAirbnb says it’s banning the use of indoor security cameras in listings on its site around the world by the end of next month.
Airbnb loses $349 million on Italian tax dispute but posts revenue gain, sees strong demand ahead
Read full article: Airbnb loses $349 million on Italian tax dispute but posts revenue gain, sees strong demand aheadAirbnb says that it lost $349 million in the fourth quarter because of an income tax settlement with Italy.
Airbnb agrees to pay $621 million to settle a tax dispute in Italy
Read full article: Airbnb agrees to pay $621 million to settle a tax dispute in ItalyShort-term rental platform Airbnb has agreed to pay 576 million euros ($621 million) to settle a years-long dispute over unpaid taxes in Italy but won’t try to recover the money from its hosts.
YouTube creators will soon have to disclose use of gen AI in videos or risk suspension
Read full article: YouTube creators will soon have to disclose use of gen AI in videos or risk suspensionYouTube is rolling out new rules for AI content, including requiring creators to reveal whether they’ve used generative artificial intelligence to make realistic looking videos.
This $220 refurbished iPad bundle with Beats headphones and accessories is selling out fast!
Read full article: This $220 refurbished iPad bundle with Beats headphones and accessories is selling out fast!Get a near-mint refurbished 7th gen iPad with Beats Flex headphones and accessories for only $219.97. Sale ends November 26.
There's too much guesswork in renting an Airbnb. The short-term rental giant is trying to fix that
Read full article: There's too much guesswork in renting an Airbnb. The short-term rental giant is trying to fix thatAirbnb says the biggest reason it loses some bookings to hotels is that people never know exactly what their Airbnb rental will look like until they check in.
Amazon Prime Video will soon come with ads, or a $2.99 monthly charge to dodge them
Read full article: Amazon Prime Video will soon come with ads, or a $2.99 monthly charge to dodge themAmazon’s Prime Video will begin showing adds during shows and movies early next year, joining other streaming services that have added different tiers of subscriptions.
Safety concerns arise for sites like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist following shooting of man on Westside
Read full article: Safety concerns arise for sites like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist following shooting of man on WestsideA warning to anyone who purchases items through sites like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist; be careful and be safe when meeting up with a stranger you are buying or selling an item.
YouTube changes policy to allow false claims about past US presidential elections
Read full article: YouTube changes policy to allow false claims about past US presidential electionsYouTube says it will stop removing content that falsely claims the 2020 election and other past U.S. presidential elections were marred by widespread fraud, errors or glitches.
Money stored in Venmo and other payment apps could be vulnerable, financial watchdog warns
Read full article: Money stored in Venmo and other payment apps could be vulnerable, financial watchdog warnsCustomers of Venmo, PayPal and CashApp should not store their money with those apps for the long term because the funds may not be covered by deposit insurance.
The Snapchat AI feature makes me want to delete the app
Read full article: The Snapchat AI feature makes me want to delete the appI’m very much aware that I have no control over the decisions social media apps and organizations make, but it would have been nice to know that a strange little AI bot was going to show up as a Snapchat friend.
Facebook parent Meta threatens to remove news from platform
Read full article: Facebook parent Meta threatens to remove news from platformFacebook parent Meta Platforms says it will be forced to consider removing news content from its platform if Congress passes legislation that could require social media companies to pay news outlets.
YouTube to remove videos spreading abortion falsehoods
Read full article: YouTube to remove videos spreading abortion falsehoodsYouTube will begin removing misleading videos about abortion in response to falsehoods being spread about the procedure that is being banned or restricted across a broad swath of the U.S. The move announced Thursday by the Google-owned video site comes about a month after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the case that had protected the legality of abortion in the country for nearly 50 years.
Yelp to cover travel expenses for workers seeking abortions
Read full article: Yelp to cover travel expenses for workers seeking abortionsYelp will cover the travel expenses of employees who must travel out of state for abortions, joining the ranks of major employers trying to help workers affected by restrictions in Texas and other states.
Georgia deputy suspended over Facebook comment about Arbery
Read full article: Georgia deputy suspended over Facebook comment about ArberyA Georgia sheriff’s deputy has been suspended and faces being fired over comments posted on social media after a judge sentenced three white men to life imprisonment in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery.
Google fined $592 million in dispute with French publishers
Read full article: Google fined $592 million in dispute with French publishersFrance’s competition regulator has fined Google 500 million euros ($592 million) over a dispute with French publishers who want the company to pay for the use of their news.
Airbnb reports 1Q loss of nearly $1.2 billion, revenue rises
Read full article: Airbnb reports 1Q loss of nearly $1.2 billion, revenue risesAirbnb says it lost nearly $1.2 billion in the first quarter, about three times as much as it lost a year ago, as travel remains depressed because of the pandemic.
Chinese exports surge as global demand recovers from virus
Read full article: Chinese exports surge as global demand recovers from virus(AP Photo/Andy Wong)BEIJING – China’s exports surged 60.6% over a year earlier in the first two months of 2021, after factories reopened and global demand started to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. AdForecasters say the Chinese export surge should decelerate as demand for masks and other medical supplies eases and overseas competitors return to global markets. Then, global exports tumbled 17.2% in 2020's first two months from the previous year. This year, China’s global trade surplus for January and February was $103.3 billion, compared with a $7.1 billion deficit in the same period last year. China’s trade surplus with the United States narrowed by 17.7% from the same time last year to $20.9 billion.
YouTube cancels Myanmar military-run channels, pulls videos
Read full article: YouTube cancels Myanmar military-run channels, pulls videosProtests continue in Myanmar against the Feb 1 military coup that ousted the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi. (AP Photo)BANGKOK – YouTube has removed five channels run by Myanmar’s military for violating its community guidelines and terms of service. The company said Friday that it terminated channels of broadcasters Myawaddy Media, MRTV, WD Online Broadcasting, MWD Variety and MWD Myanmar. “We have terminated a number of channels and removed several videos from YouTube in accordance with our community guidelines and applicable laws,” YouTube said in an emailed statement. The decision by YouTube followed Facebook’s earlier announcement that it had removed all Myanmar military-linked pages from its site and from Instagram, which it also owns.
Facebook lifts ban on US political, social issue ads
Read full article: Facebook lifts ban on US political, social issue adsFacebook says it is lifting its ban on political and social-issue ads put in place after the 2020 U.S. presidential election. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)Facebook says it is lifting its ban on political and social-issue ads put in place after the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Political candidates, groups and others will be able to place ads on Facebook and Instagram beginning on Thursday. Facebook halted U.S. political ads when the polls closed on Nov. 3, an extension of an earlier restriction on new political ads in the week leading up to Election Day. “As a result, we plan to use the coming months to take a closer look at how these ads work on our service to see where further changes may be merited.”AdTwitter has banned political ads permanently.
Google ends sale of ads using individual web tracking data
Read full article: Google ends sale of ads using individual web tracking dataOn Wednesday, the company said it won't replace those cookies with another way of tracking individuals. Instead, Google proposes grouping together web users with similar interests and keeping web histories private on user devices. That safeguard is a change from Apple's long-held practice of requiring iPhone users to go into settings to block apps from tracking them. AdAnalysts say Facebook stands to lose billions of dollars if most iPhone users don’t grant the social network permission to track them. Ad“Apple and Amazon and Google have more diversified business models, where tracking is important but not central,” Sinnreich said.
'Reply All' podcast paused amid charges of toxic behavior
Read full article: 'Reply All' podcast paused amid charges of toxic behaviorFormer employees at Gimlet Media, the podcast’s publisher, charged that two people behind “Reply All” had exhibited behavior similar to what they were investigating at Bon Appetit. The editor of Bon Appetit, Adam Rapoport, resigned last year after an old photo of him and his wife dressed in stereotypical Puerto Rican costumes surfaced on social media. The “Reply All” series on Bon Appetit was reported over eight months. In the second episode of the podcast, Pinnamaneni confessed to regrets about her own past behavior and how she reacted to the union drive. Staffers want to tell what happened and the podcast is paused as they try to understand what went wrong, he said.
Chinese official calls for 'joint efforts' in China-US trade
Read full article: Chinese official calls for 'joint efforts' in China-US trade(AP Photo/Andy Wong)BEIJING – China’s commerce minister appealed to Washington for “joint efforts” to revive trade but gave no indication Wednesday when tariff war talks might resume or whether Beijing might offer concessions. Washington and Beijing have raised tariffs on billions of dollars of each other's goods, disrupting global trade. AdBeijing agreed to narrow its trade surplus with the United States by purchasing more American soybeans and other exports. It fell short of the targets set due to the coronavirus pandemic and bought about 55% of the promised goods. One focus will be markets in its “Belt and Road Initiative” to build ports, railways and other trade-related infrastructure.
Exhausted hospital chaplains bring solace to lonely, dying
Read full article: Exhausted hospital chaplains bring solace to lonely, dying"I have never seen this much of death and suffering," said Michealsen, who has been a chaplain for 13 years. "I often tell families that I'm holding their loved one's hand when they can't and that I am with them when they are dying when they can't be." Grieving families, unable to enter the hospital because of the deadly virus, watch through the iPad he’s carried into the room with him. Deegan and about a dozen other chaplains cover shifts that extend to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He was sure he'd eventually be infected as COVID-19 patients began pouring into the hospital every day.
YouTube suspends Trump’s channel for at least a week
Read full article: YouTube suspends Trump’s channel for at least a weekYouTube said it would be suspending U.S. President Donald Trumps channel for at least a week amid concerns around ongoing potential for violence, making it the latest platform to limit the presidents online activities. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)HONG KONG – YouTube suspended U.S. President Donald Trump’s channel for at least a week amid concerns over “ongoing potential for violence,” making it the latest platform to limit the president’s online activities. Under the suspension, Trump's channel is temporarily prevented from uploading new videos or live streams for at least seven days, although the channel remains live, YouTube said. Comments would be indefinitely disabled on the channel, YouTube said. ___ This story has been corrected to remove an incorrect assertion that Reddit banned President Donald Trump from its service and to fix the spelling of Jim Steyer's name.
Flight Attendant Says Southwest Pilots Livestreamed Video From Inside Plane Bathroom
Read full article: Flight Attendant Says Southwest Pilots Livestreamed Video From Inside Plane BathroomOne flight attendant is making a shocking claim about two airline pilots, saying they livestreamed video from a hidden camera in the plane's bathroom to an iPad in the cockpit. Renee Steinaker says it happened on a Southwest Airlines flight from Pittsburgh to Phoenix. She says when she went into the cockpit, she saw an iPad mounted to the windshield showing video of one of the pilots in the bathroom. Steinaker's husband is also a Southwest flight attendant. RELATED STORIESFlight Attendant Writes Kind Note to Deaf Teen Passenger Flying Alone for 1st TimeFlight Attendant Says You Shouldn't Drink Coffee on PlanesRussian Flight Attendant Who Died Trying to Save Others Is Hailed a Hero
Lawsuit: Southwest pilots streamed video from plane's bathroom
Read full article: Lawsuit: Southwest pilots streamed video from plane's bathroom(CNN) - A Southwest Airlines flight attendant says two pilots live streamed video from a hidden camera in a commercial airliner's lavatory to an iPad in the cockpit, a lawsuit says. Terry Graham asked for a flight attendant to come to the cockpit so that he could leave to use the restroom, the complaint says. After Steinaker arrived and Graham left, Steinaker spotted an iPad in the plane's cockpit that appeared to be streaming live video of the pilot inside an airplane lavatory, the lawsuit said. In its written response, Southwest denied Graham or Russell "intentionally invaded the privacy of Plaintiff Renee Steinaker on Southwest Airlines flight 1088 by installing, viewing, watching, recording and/or playing recordings of plaintiff while she was using the forward lavatory's toilet." When reached by CNN on Saturday, a spokesperson with Southwest Airlines declined to comment on the lawsuit but said the airline does not place cameras in the plane's lavatories.
iOS 13 is now on 55 percent of all iPhones
Read full article: iOS 13 is now on 55 percent of all iPhonesAndrew Burton/Getty Images(CNN) - Apple's call to action to get people to use iOS 13 is working: More than half of all iPhone models introduced in the past four years now use iOS 13. The 55% adoption rate is speedy considering the operation system was released just a month ago. In total, 50% of all iPhones now use iOS 13, according to data released from the company. Apple released iPad OS nearly a week after iOS 13 rolled out last month. Samsung announced earlier this week the operating system is slowly being rolled out to only some of its Galaxy phones for now.
Kourtney Kardashian Suspects She May Have Been Robbed by Someone in Her Entourage
Read full article: Kourtney Kardashian Suspects She May Have Been Robbed by Someone in Her EntourageSome things have gone missing in Kourtney Kardashian's home -- and she wants to get to the bottom of it. The revelation arrived when Kourtney was chatting with sister Khloe Kardashian. While Kourtney and her team faced this possible theft months ago, in recent days she's headed overseas for a trip to Armenia. While on the special trip, Kourtney and sister Kim Kardashian West even had dinner with Armen Sarkissian, the president of Armenia. | ET Style Feed Embed Code RestartKim and Kourtney Kardashian Have Dinner With Armenian President Armen SarkissianLamar Odom Explains the Current State of His Relationship With Khloe Kardashian (Exclusive)Watch Kanye West's Best Moments From Wife Kim Kardashian's 'True Hollywood Story'