Google is moving forward with plans to bring AI chat features to its core search engine as it works to keep pace with a wave of new artificial intelligence tools that could threaten the company's dominance online for the first time in decades.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 13, 2023--

Alphabet Inc. tentatively settled claims that Google Play abuses its control over Android mobile applications, potentially resolving complaints

Today’s Google Doodle is a reminder that some human beings are truly extraordinary. The design, which you’ll see if you head to the search engine’s homepage, is a celebration of Dr Mohamed “Mod” Helmy – a man who risked his life to save Jewish people during the Second World War. Dr Helmy was born in Khartoum, Sudan, on 25 July, 1901, to an Egyptian father and a German mother. At the age of 21, he moved to Germany to study medicine, swiftly proving his skills as a talented physician and becoming head of urology at Berlin’s Robert Koch Hospital (now known as Krankenhaus Moabit). Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter However, Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in 1933 was to turn his happy life upside down. Dr Helmy was forced to watch, powerless, as his Jewish colleagues were all fired from the hospital. And whilst he was initially kept on, he was soon subjected to discrimination and persecution for being a North African, and lost his job, too. He was also banned from marrying his German fiancée Annie Ernst (although, we’re pleased to say, he was able to do so some years later). In 1939 and again in 1940, the doctor was arrested along with other Egyptian nationals. And although the Nazis released him when he became gravely ill, he was under strict instruction to report to the police twice a day as proof he was unfit for internment. Despite being targeted by the regime himself, Dr Helmy continued to speak out against Nazi policies and, after being demoted to the role of doctor’s assistant, he made the most of his limited position by writing sick notes to help innocent people escape hard labour. He also repeatedly risked his life to help his Jewish friends. When Berlin’s deportation of the Jews began and his family friend Anna Boros was in need of a hiding place, Dr Helmy brought her to a cabin he owned in the neighbourhood of Buch. This became her safe haven until the end of the war, as Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Center, notes in its biography of the doctor. At times of danger, when he was under police investigation, Dr Helmy would arrange for Boros to hide elsewhere. “A good friend of our family, Dr Helmy…hid me in his cabin in Berlin-Buch from 10 March until the end of the war,” she wrote after the war. “As of 1942 I no longer had any contact [with] the outside world. The Gestapo knew that Dr Helmy was our family physician, and they knew that he owned a cabin in Berlin-Buch. “He managed to evade all their interrogations. In such cases he would bring me to friends where I would stay for several days, introducing me as his cousin from Dresden. When the danger would pass, I would return to his cabin. “Dr Helmy did everything for me out of the generosity of his heart and I will be grateful to him for eternity”. Dr Helmy also helped protect Boros’ mother, Julianna, her stepfather, Georg Wehr, and her grandmother, Cecilie Rudnik. Thanks to his courage and resourcefulness, all four of them survived the Holocaust. He remained in Berlin until his death in 1982. In 2013, Yad Vashem posthumously bestowed its Righteous Among the Nations award on Dr Helmy. He was the first Arab rescuer to be awarded the prestigious title. The Google Doodle artwork was created by Berlin-based artist Noa Snir to honour his Egyptian and German background and capture his open-hearted nature. Speaking about her work on the project, Snir told a Google Q&A: ": I found the story of Mod Helmy very moving. I come from a Jewish background, and the thought of individuals outside of the Jewish community risking their lives to help others during WW2 is something that personally gives me hope about humanity. "I think Helmy's case is an especially interesting one as he himself suffered persecution due to his background and ethnicity, and that still didn't stop him from helping as many people as he could. It's unfathomable to me, this type of courage and integrity." She added that she hoped people would view her Doodle and reflect on the fact that "even in one of the darkest moments in world history, there were truly remarkable people who made acts of extreme courage and solidarity". "I think we should all aspire to be the Mod Helmy's of the world, or ask ourselves how we can take example from him in whatever small way we can," she said. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Kai Cenat shared why he is still streaming on Twitch after signing with Rumble after reacting to Adin Ross criticizing his move to Rumble

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 14, 2023--

Meta Platforms Inc. is expanding its WhatsApp payment feature to India, letting users in the country purchase goods

TL;DR: As of July 7, you can get the Roomie Sophie Smart Body Scale and

Austria slashed its greenhouse gas pollution in 2022 despite producing more goods as its industrial economy responded to

Meta is revamping Facebook’s logo to a darker blue with a few small tweaks to create what it claims is a “bolder, electric and everlasting” design. The “subtle” logo change – which at first glance may seem barely noticeable – incorporates a “more confident expression of Facebook’s core blue color,” the social media company said in a blog post. Facebook says the logo change to the lowercase “f” is more visually accessible in the platform’s app with “stronger contrast for the ’f’ to stand apart”. “We wanted to ensure that the refreshed logo felt familiar, yet dynamic, polished and elegant in execution. These subtle, but significant changes allowed us to achieve optical balance with a sense of forward movement.” Dave N, director of design at Facebook said. The social media giant highlighted three “key drivers” behind the evolution of its logo, including a push to “elevate the most iconic elements” of the brand, and to create “an expansive set of colors” anchored in blue. Over the years, the social media platform’s logo has undergone a number of changes, starting from one that had square boundaries to the current circular design. The new logo, the company says, uses its custom typeface – Facebook Sans – and a redesigned wordmark and logo to “create a consistent treatment and improve overall legibility.” The new design has led to some being left puzzled on social media. Some users, however, described the design changes in a little more detail. Facebook says it has also developed a new colour palette with a new set of hues, tones and contrast ratios. “The deep tonal range of secondary blues allows for flexibility while providing balance as a single expression of our brand identity,” the company said. It said more changes to the platform’s “reactions, typography and iconography” are to be rolled out in the future. “All of these refinements will create a more consistent, personal and seamless experience for the billions of people who interact with Facebook daily,” the company said. Meta likely has more changes planned for the brand’s design in the coming days, with the company describing the latest tweaks on Wednesday’s blog as “the first phase of a refreshed identity system” for the app. Read More Meta’s encryption plans will create ‘safe haven’ for paedophiles, Braverman says Elon Musk warns of ‘civilisational risk’ posed by AI at historic gathering of tech giant chiefs Twitter rival Threads’ launch of much-anticipated feature did little to attract more users, data suggests What is ‘Rumble’, where Russell Brand is posting videos? Google sued after man drove off collapsed bridge while following map directions Google’s powerful ‘Bard’ AI can now get into your email

Conspiracy theories have taken over the internet since the "not real" American Airlines passenger, Tiffany Gomas, released an apology video in which she addresses the incident from 2 July. To recap, the 38-year-old marketing executive from Texas went viral for her rant on board, where she claimed a fellow passenger wasn't real. "That mother f**ker back there is not real," she said at the front of the plane while pointing towards her seat, which has since gone on to become an online phenomenon with TikTok trends, merch – and conspiracies. On Sunday (14 August), Gomas finally addressed the incident with a self-recorded video posted to her X account (formerly known as Twitter). And some conspiracy theorists online insist it's not really her. One person wrote, "Who actually believes that this is the crazy plane lady Tiffany Gomas speaking out? Who TF they trying to kid?" – though, he didn't clarify who "they" was. Another person made the claim: "Not only is this not the same person but someone ran a traceroute on her website, tiffanygomas(dot)ćom, and it runs through a Washington DC email. Her IP isn't your standard home internet IP address, mostly likely ran through a government server. This was government created." Meanwhile, a third wrote: "The mystery of whether this is really the person she claims to be can be easily solved if she produces a record of her flight receipt. Just as the lady on the plane did not believe that guy was real- I’m skeptical that this is the real person." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter In the clip, Gomas apologised for her language, before saying: "We all have our bad moments, um, some are far worse than others, and mine happened to be caught on camera for the whole world to see multiple times." She continued: "Sorry y’all. I hope that I can use this experience and do a little good in the world, and that is what I intend to do, I hope that you guys can accept my apology and I can begin to move on with my life." Gomas did not address her "not real" comment on the flight. One Twitter user hilariously hit back with the question on everyone's mind: "So was that motherf***er real, or no?" Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Someone made a mod with foul-mouthed flowers. Nintendo won't stand for it.