Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions

Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions


Windows 10 is going to be the last major revision of the operating system.

Jerry Nixon, a Microsoft development executive, said in a conference speech
 this week that Windows 10 would be the "last version" of the dominant desktop
 software.

His comments were echoed by Microsoft which said it would update Windows in
future in an "ongoing manner".

Instead of new stand-alone versions, Windows 10 would be improved in regular
 instalments, the firm said.

Mr Nixon made his comments during Microsoft's Ignite conference held in Chicago
 this week.

In a statement, Microsoft said Mr Nixon's comments reflected a change in the way
that it made its software.

"Windows will be delivered as a service bringing new innovations and updates
 in an ongoing manner," it said, adding that it expected there to be a "long future"
 for Windows.

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EU says Google cheated in shopping searches

The European Union accused Google Inc on Wednesday of cheating competitors by distorting Internet search results to favour its shopping service, and launched another antitrust investigation into its Android mobile operating system.

 

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Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the US tech giant, which dominates Internet search engines worldwide, had been sent a Statement of Objections - effectively a charge sheet - to which it can respond. She also said other probes into Google's business practices would continue.
"I am concerned that the company has given an unfair advantage to its own comparison shopping service, in breach of EU antitrust rules," she said. "If the investigation confirmed our concerns, Google would have to face the legal consequences and change the way it does business in Europe."
The Commission, whose control of antitrust matters across the wealthy 28-nation bloc gives it a major say in the fate of global corporations, can fine firms up to 10 percent of their annual sales, in Google's case up to $6.6 billion.
If it finds that companies are abusing a dominant market position, the EU regulator can also demand sweeping changes to their business practices, as it did with US software giant Microsoft in 2004 and chip-maker Intel in 2009. Its record antitrust fine was 1.09 billion euros on Intel.
Asked whether she was ready to go as far as fining Google, Vestager told a news conference: "It is very important that every road is open - first when it comes to commitments but also when it comes to the other road, at the end of which is a fine."
Google now had an opportunity to explain itself, she said, and the case might be settled by the company making further commitments to change its products.
Of the formal investigation into Android, used on smart phones and tablets, Vestager said: "I want to make sure the markets in this area can flourish without anticompetitive constraints imposed by any company."

In its first reaction, the Mountain View, California-based company said in a blog post that it strongly disagreed with the EU's statement of objections and would make the case that its products have fostered competition and benefited consumers.
"Android has been a key player in spurring this competition and choice, lowering prices and increasing choice for everyone (there are over 18,000 different devices available today)," it said of its free operating system for mobile devices.
Vestager, a Danish liberal who took over the politically charged EU competition policy dossier in November, announced the moves on the eve of a high-profile visit to the United States. Her findings following nearly five years of investigation and abortive efforts by her Spanish predecessor, Joaquin Almunia, to strike a deal with Google.
The focus on the ranking of searches for shopping sites - Google has its own service called Google Shopping - did not address all complaints lodged with the Commission by competitors, large and small, in Europe and the United States, which say Google has hurt their business.
Vestager stressed her antitrust staff would continue to investigate other areas of concern, including alleged "web scraping" to copy rivals' content, and restrictive practices on advertising.
She stressed the EU regulator did not seek to change Google's screen design nor the mathematical algorithms it uses.
Google initially has 10 weeks to respond to the charges and can demand a hearing. A final resolution - quite possibly involving court action if Google does not choose to settle - is likely to take many months and probably years.

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After 53-year run, Univision to end 'Sabado Gigante'

Univision Network will have a giant hole in its Saturday night line-up - "Sabado Gigante," its top-rated variety show, will be going off the air after a record-breaking 53 years, the broadcaster said on Friday.

 

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Created and hosted by Chile-born Don Francisco since 1962, "Sabado Gigante," or "Giant Saturday," is the No. 1 rated show on Saturday night among U.S. Hispanics and is the longest running TV variety show in the world, according to Guinness World Records.
With its mix of humor, talent contests, family reunions, celebrities and musical acts packed into a frenetically paced three-hour program, "Sabado Gigante" has been a staple of television throughout Latin America, as well as an object of scorn for intellectuals and comedians.
The last show will run on Sept 19 this year and Don Francisco, whose real name is Mario Kreutzberger, will host entertainment specials and help develop on-air talent at the Miami-based network, which took on "Sabado Gigante" 30 years ago.
No reason was given for the decision to end the show, which is broadcast in more than 40 countries.
Perhaps like no other variety show, the "Sabado Gigante" formula held up to the passing of time and changes in the media landscape.
"From the start we made sure to ask, 'What does the audience want?'" the 74-year-old Kreutzberger said in a statement. "And we have worked tirelessly for precisely that audience, with the utmost dedication, humility and deep respect."

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'Furious 7' outruns 'Paul Blart 2,' 'Unfriended'

Furious 7" ran laps around the competition, picking up $29.1 million in its third weekend of release, according to studio estimates.

 

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The fast cars sequel with the gravity-defying stunts is barrelling toward the $300 million mark Stateside, having already hurtled past the $1 billion mark globally.

Domestically, "Furious 7" has earned $294.4 million.

"This is how you build a record year," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Rentrak. "These are summer-style numbers in April."

Despite "Furious 7's" continued dominance, "Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2" did better than expected, pulling in a solid $24 million across 3,633 locations.

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Lancashire batsman hits world record 350 in 138 balls

Young Lancashire batsman Liam Livingstone has smashed a world record 350 in just 138 balls during a one-day match.

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The 21-year-old all-rounder bludgeoned 34 fours and 27 sixes for Nantwich in a Royal London National Club Championship game against Caldy.
Nantwich, a club based in the north-west of England, amassed 579 for seven in 45 overs and ended up winning by a remarkable margin of 500 runs.
Caldy's poor bowlers were hit to all parts. One registered figures of nought for 123 from nine overs and another finished with two for 124 in eight overs.
Caldy were then bowled out for 79 and Livingstone completed a memorable day by taking three catches.

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Video games to cure autism?

Non-violent video games which capitalise on engaging storytelling have pro-social benefits that could ultimately be helpful to clinical disorders such as autism, says a study.

 

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"The motivation to engage in and enjoy video games corresponds with principles that apply to human motivation in general," said lead researcher Daniel Bormann from University of Freiburg, Germany.

To test the role of in-game storytelling, the researchers randomly assigned participants to play one of two video games.

In the first game Gone Home, the player slips into the role of a female American college student, arriving home after a year abroad.

The player comes upon an empty house and has to use various clues to figure out what happened to her missing family members.

For the control condition, the game was against the Wall, in which the player has to climb up an infinite wall by interacting with the bricks, in surreal but human-made surroundings.

Apart from a brief description of the environment and goals, the game provided no narrative elements.

For the game rich in storytelling (Gone Home), researchers provided one group of participants the game developers' instructions and provided a second group of participants instructions to register, memorise, and evaluate various properties of the game.

After 20 minutes of gameplay, all participants completed a task in which they assessed facially expressed emotions.

The researchers found that narrative game elements contributed to a more immersive video game experience.

They also found that being immersed in a game's story supports players in perceiving opportunities for meaningful choices and relationships.

"The results suggest that in-game storytelling contributes to a more immersive and satisfying video game experience while also fostering skills that are useful to players on a day-to-day basis," Bormann said.

The researchers feel that long-term work on narration in video games could yield promising opportunities.

"If further research could reveal how exactly in-game storytelling affects theory of mind, clinicians and software developers could utilise this knowledge to develop tools to aid the treatment of disorders characterised by social-interaction impairments, like autistic disorders," Bormann concluded.

The study was published in Social Psychological and Personality Science.

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EU telecoms reform to address competition from WhatsApp, Skype

The European Commission will take into account increased competition from cable operators and alternative services such as WhatsApp when it overhauls Europe's telecoms rules next year, a move that will be cheered by the telecoms industry.

 

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A draft seen by Reuters of the Commission's strategy for creating a digital single market says telecom operators compete with "over-the-top" services "without being subject to the same regulatory regime".
"It is necessary to design a fair and future-proof regulatory environment for all services," the document says.
The bloc's telecom firms such as Orange and Deutsche Telekom have long called for lighter-touch regulation, after years of declining revenues and competition from new entrants, to enable them to invest in network upgrades.
Telecom companies point to increased competition from services such as Skype (owned by Microsoft) and online messaging as a reason for easing the regulatory burden.
Considering Skype, or any other "voice-over-IP" application, as a substitute for traditional phone services could lead to those companies being subject to the same obligations as traditional operators, such as offering emergency calls.
The new European executive, which took office in November, has made investment in superfast broadband a priority. But incumbent telecom operators say the current set of rules does not provide incentives to invest in their networks.
They argue they would be forced to give competitors access to those networks, an argument rejected by smaller alternative operators. Yet an evidence document backing up the strategy, also seen by Reuters, states that incumbents "appear to lack incentives to overbuild their own largely depreciated copper network assets."
The Commission will unveil its proposals for an overhaul of the telecoms framework in 2016, the document states. Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip is expected to unveil his digital single market strategy on May 6.

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China fines Alibaba $129,000 for pricing violations

China's e-commerce giant, Alibaba Group, has been fined 800,000 yuan ($129,000) by the price bureau in eastern Zhejiang province for violations by third-party sellers during promotions on its e-commerce platforms.

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Since Alibaba turned "Singles' Day", a November 11 Chinese response to Valentine's Day, into an online shopping festival in 2009, the event has grown to similar proportions as Cyber Monday and Black Friday in the United States.
Sales of more than $9 billion were achieved at last year's event, and the company has copyrighted the phrase "Double 11", a reference to the date (11/11), which in turn, refers to the status of single people.
"The company has been fined 500,000 yuan ($81,000) for matters related to Singles' Day pricing by third-party sellers on our Tmall marketplace in 2013 and 2014 and 300,000 yuan($48,000) for pricing in other promotions in 2013 and 2015," Alibaba Group said in a statement on Friday.
While pricing is handled by third parties, not directly by Alibaba, the group said, it would nevertheless reinforce pricing rules and regulations with sellers to protect consumers.
The 27,000 vendors featured on Alibaba's Singles' Day shopping sites hope to boost sales and gain customers, but some have complained that discounts and cut-throat corporate rivalry undercut the benefits.
Alibaba has had occasional difficulties regulating its sprawling e-commerce empire, which now includes online markets such as Taobao; Tmall, a platform for larger retailers linked to Taobao; group-buying site Juhuasuan and the original flagship platform Alibaba.com, which links exporters with foreign buyers.
In 2011, Alibaba.com was hit by a scandal when sales staff colluded with professional criminals to defraud foreign customers, leading to multiple arrests and the resignation of then Chief Executive David Wei.
Alibaba was also publicly chastised by regulators for failing to control the sale of counterfeit products on its platforms, an accusation echoed by trade groups and regulators in the U.S., where the company is listed.
In February Alibaba said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had sought more information about a reported talk between its executives and China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce regarding sales of counterfeit goods, which the company did not mention in its IPO prospectus prior to listing.
Alibaba shares have lost more than a fifth this year, with analysts citing concern about counterfeits along with lackluster third-quarter earnings and waning investor excitement after last September's record-setting $25-billion IPO.

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Master tactician Mourinho sets Chelsea apart

Chelsea have a squad brimming with world-class players but it is the tactical astuteness of manager Jose Mourinho that has given them a clear edge in the Premier League title race.

 

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Mourinho's side opened up a 10-point gap at the top of the table with a 1-0 win over a rejuvenated Manchester United on Saturday built on steely defensive resolve and lethal counter-attacking highlighted by Eden Hazard's goal.

It was a vastly improved United side who arrived in west London on a six-match winning run in the league but they were blunted by Mourinho's tactical nous.

Louis van Gaal's side enjoyed 70 percent possession and had 15 shots to Chelsea's seven but many were speculative long-range efforts and only two were on target.

Mourinho deployed defender Kurt Zouma -- rather than the attacking Willian -- alongside Nemanja Matic at the heart of his midfield.

The imposing pair nullified the attacking threat of Marouane Fellaini, one of the Premier League's most improved players this season, and the towering Belgian was a peripheral figure throughout.

Wayne Rooney, deployed in midfield, and Ashley Young were well marshalled by Chelsea's watertight defence and Radamel Falcao was physically dominated by John Terry.

"It was difficult, but less than you think," Mourinho told reporters. "Control their direct football to Marouane Fellaini and control the wingers from making crosses on the inside foot.

"When we know Wayne Rooney plays in midfield, we control his progression into the box. Control set-pieces and don't give away direct free-kicks as they have three specialists.

"Wait for a mistake and score a goal. We were able to make their important players disappear. Nobody saw them. They were in our pockets." Since Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge in 2013 Chelsea are unbeaten in 11 games against Arsenal, United and Manchester City, taking 23 points from a possible 33.

The 52-year-old, who relishes the relentless and punishing grind of a title race, said last week that people did not like Chelsea because they were boring.

Saturday's clean sheet was their 102nd in 190 matches under him in the Premier League.

While even the most ardent Chelsea fan would concede some sides play a more attractive, attacking brand of football, their relentless march towards a fourth Premier League title is brutally efficient.

"We prepared for it to be like this," Mourinho added. "It was the game we wanted and expected."

Chelsea need eight points from their last six games to win the title for the first time since 2010.

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South Africa's 'Rainbow Nation' turns dark as immigrant attacks rise

When he heard angry screams and the hammering of hatchets on the door of his shack last week, Malawian Folias Sakai thought he was about to become the eighth person to be killed in anti-immigrant attacks that have swept South Africa this month.

 

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Instead Sakai managed to escape the mob by scrambling over the metal rooftop of his shack in a Johannesburg slum into the safety of a nearby alleyway.

"They were going to kill us,” said Sakai’s Zimbabwean friend Tendayi Chimukako, who helped him escape.

Police say they have arrested more than 300 people in the last three weeks since influential Zulu king Goodwill Zwelithini, an ally of South African president Jacob Zuma, said foreigners should leave the country, local media reported.

Zwelithini's comments resonated with many poverty-stricken South Africans who say foreigners have taken advantage of lax immigration rules to flood the country and "steal" jobs.

TV stations across the country have broadcast scenes of angry mobs armed with machetes looting immigrant-owned shops.

According to census data, South Africa has an estimated 1.7 million foreigners living within its borders, though many claim the figure to be much higher.

Though it is one of the continent's economic power houses, the country is nonetheless grappling with high unemployment, poor services and crime.

Zwelithini has since said his words were taken out of context.

But the xenophobic violence they sparked is the worst in the country since 2008, when at least 67 people were killed.

As a result thousands of immigrants from countries like Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique have fled to refugee camps.

Some of them spoke to Reuters from a packed camp outside Johannesburg, where armed police patrolled the camp's razor wire fenced perimeter.

Chimukako explained that he had left his home country of Zimbabwe because of its economic collapse, blamed by many on nearly three decades of President Robert Mugabe's rule there.

"There are no jobs, even the food is hard to get," he said. “If I go back to Zimbabwe I will starve.

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