Skype U-turns on Snapchat-like features after complaints
Microsoft has announced it will remove a number of Snapchat-style features from its Skype messenger service.
The software giant updated Skype in June 2017 but faced criticism from users who said it was "stupid" and the "worst ever update".
Microsoft said it accepted that the new features "got in the way" of the app's core uses: messaging and making phone calls
Many of the updates simply "didn't resonate" with most users, it said.
It will reduce the navigation options from five to three by removing the highlights and camera buttons.
When it announced the June 2017 updates, Microsoft told the BBC: "We know this was a big change and we welcome feedback along the way.
"We're confident that as we continue to listen to users and provide updates to the app... we'll be able to keep improving the experience."
And now, Skype design director Peter Skillman has written in a blog: "This past year we explored some design changes and heard from customers that we overcomplicated some of our core scenarios."
Released in 2003, Skype was bought by Microsoft in 2011.
But now, Facebook's Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp as well as Telegram and Snapchat all provide similar features, with many copying ideas from one another.
Most noticeably, Messenger and Instagram incorporate the "stories" features from Snapchat.
Brazil museum fire: Funding cuts blamed as icon is gutted
Officials in Brazil have blamed lack of funding for a huge fire that has ravaged the country's National Museum.
One of the largest anthropology and natural history collections in the Americas was almost totally destroyed in Sunday's fire in Rio de Janeiro.
There had been complaints about the dilapidated state of the museum. "We never had adequate support," its deputy director said after the fire.
Presidential candidate Marina Silva also criticised lack of investment.
"Given the financial straits of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and all the other public universities the last three years, this was a tragedy that could be seen coming," Ms Silva, a left-wing politician standing in next month's election, tweeted.
The fire started on Sunday evening, after the building - a 19th Century former royal palace - closed for the day.
The cause is not known, but Culture Minister Sergio Sa Leitao was quoted in Brazilian media as saying it may have been ignited by a small paper hot air balloon landing on the roof.
No injuries have been reported but most of the 20 million items the museum contained went up in flames.
Mr Sa Leitao said it was a "tragedy that could have been avoided" but a reconstruction effort would begin.
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS GOVERNMENT NOTICE: PRE–TENDER MEETING
The Turks and Caicos Islands Government would like to invite potential tenderers to a Pre-Tender Meeting for the following Contracts:
- Refurbishment of Ministry Infrastructure - Parade Grounds, Grand Turk, TR 18/11
- Reinstatement of Seawall Salt Cay, TR 18/13
- Schools Infrastructure Project Phase 2, TR 18/14
Lot 1: Mary Robinson Primary School
Lot 2: Clement Howell High School
- Reinstatement of Government Buildings All Islands, TR 18/15
Lot 1: Crown Land Building, Grand Turk
Lot 2: Ministry of Education, Grand Turk
- Shelters and Emergency Operations Center, TR 18/16
Lot 1: Community Centre, South Caicos
Lot 2: Antioch Adventist Church, Grand Turk
Lot 3: H. J. Robinson High School, Grand Turk
Lot 4: Club House, Salt Cay
Lot 5: Methodist Sunday School, Salt Cay
This meeting will be held on Friday, 7 September, 2018 at 9:00 A.M. at the Office of the Deputy Governor, Waterloo Plaza, Waterloo Road Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands.
All interested persons must RSVP via email to procurement@gov.tc by 4:00 P.M. on Tuesday, 4 September 2018
Additional information for these contracts may be obtained from the Turks and Caicos Islands Government’s website: https://www.gov.tc/government-tenders.
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS GOVERNMENT NOTICE: PRE–TENDER MEETING
The Turks and Caicos Islands Government would like to invite potential tenderers to a Pre-Tender Meeting for the following Contracts:
- Road Development Phase 4, TR 18/12
Lot 1: Blue Hills
Lot 2: Five Cays
- Schools Infrastructure Project Phase 2, TR 18/14
Lot 1: Mary Robinson Primary School
Lot 2: Clement Howell High School
This meeting will be held on Thursday, 6 September, 2018 at 10:00 A.M. at the PWD Conference Room, Butterfield Square, Downtown, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands.
All interested persons must RSVP via email to procurement@gov.tc by 4:00 P.M. on Tuesday, 4 September 2018
Additional information for these contracts may be obtained from the Turks and Caicos Islands Government’s website: https://www.gov.tc/government-tenders.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Government Tender Notice
The Turks and Caicos Islands Government invites open tenders for the following Contracts:
Ministry of Education, Youth, Culture and Library Services
- Schools Infrastructure Project Phase 2, TR 18/14
Lot 1: Mary Robinson Primary School
Lot 2: Clement Howell High School
Ministry of Health, Agriculture, Human Services and Sports
- Refurbishment of Ministry Infrastructure - Parade Grounds, Grand Turk, TR 18/11
Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Planning
- Road Development Phase 4, TR 18/12
Lot 1: Blue Hills
Lot 2: Five Cays
- Reinstatement of Seawall Salt Cay, TR 18/13
- Reinstatement of Government Buildings All Islands, TR 18/15
Lot 1: Crown Land Building, Grand Turk
Lot 2: Ministry of Education, Grand Turk
- Shelters and Emergency Operations Center, TR 18/16
Lot 1: Community Centre, South Caicos
Lot 2: Antioch Adventist Church, Grand Turk
Lot 3: H. J. Robinson High School, Grand Turk
Lot 4: Club House, Salt Cay
Lot 5: Methodist Sunday School, Salt Cay
Additional information for these Contracts may be obtained from the Turks and Caicos Islands Government’s website at http://www.gov.tc/government-tenders.
Tenders are to be submitted in a sealed envelope by 9:00 A.M. on Wednesday, 26 September 2018 directly to:
The Secretary to the Procurement Board
Office of the Deputy Governor
Waterloo Plaza (upstairs Scotiabank)
Waterloo Road
Grand Turk
Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands Government is not bound to accept any bid, and reserves the right to annul the tender process at any time prior to award of Contract.
Deputy Premier Hon. Astwood Response to Former Premier Hon. Ewing
Deputy Premier the Hon Sean Astwood says he cannot sit idly by and decided to respond today to Former Premier Dr.Rufus Ewing.
In his letter sent to RTC, the DP says and I quote:
I normally avoid referring to events of the past but since the failed former leader of the PNP, Hon. Rufus Ewing, accused the current PDM administration of either running scared or being incompetent, I will have to remind him of the PNP Government being both scared and incompetent under his leadership.
100% Service Charge
In April 2016, the Peoples Democratic Movement, the official opposition at the time, successfully brought a Private Members Motion to the House of Assembly asking for the reinstatement of 100% gratuity which was amended by the PNP Government in 2004 that allowed 40% of the gratuity paid by guest to be retained by the Hotel Resort. Members of the Rufus Ewing led PNP Government gave reason after reason why gratuity could not be reinstated. All Government Ministers abstained from voting for this motion and this included Hon. Rufus Ewing, Akierra Missick, Washington Misick, Portia Stubbs Smith, Norman Saunders, Ruth Blackman, and Hon. Donhue Gardiner. This is a matter of public record. All 8 members of the PDM opposition voted yes and the motion was carried. The PNP Government refused to implement it. This was a clear indication that the Rufus Ewing led PNP Government had no intention of ensuring that 100% service charge was received by the persons in tourism industry who rightfully deserved it.
PDM was the only Party that ran on reinstating 100% gratuity and the only Government to bring the Bill to the House of Assembly to ensure that this happens. History shows that the only party that was scared to restore the 100% to the hospitality workers was the Rufus Ewing led PNP Government." End quote.
In the just concluded HOA, leader of tge Opposition tried to present a motion on
Vehicle Policy to which Hon Astwood now responds.
Hon. Washington Misick brought a motion to the House for a vehicle policy and did not attached the reference document for his motion. Therefore Hon. Misick could not expect to debate this motion when the Government was not privy to information he wanted to reference. With all his years of legislative experience, Hon. Misick should have known better. Hon. Misick must accept fault for his failure to prepare a proper motion. If he is serious about his private member's motion, he should resubmit the motion with the reference document attached.
The former failed PNP leader refers to the Premier disrespecting the Leader of the Opposition. However, he neglected to mention the disrespect displayed by the Leader of the Opposition towards the Premier. After the Premier asked the Speaker of the House of Assembly to take a ten-minute break to allow the Leader of the Opposition to collect his thoughts, the Leader of the Opposition became irate and hurled disrespectful words towards the Premier and the Premier responded. The Premier apologized to the Leader of the Opposition, the HOA, and the Country for her response to the Leader of the Opposition, however the Leader of the Opposition has yet to apologize to the Premier.
Incompetence
The Rufus Ewing led PNP administration's premature firing of the former Attorney General which resulted in his Government being sued and ultimately having to settle costing taxpayers thousands of dollars in an undisclosed amount is just one example of incompetence under Rufus leadership. The Rufus Ewing led PNP Government also was sued by students that were entitled to scholarships that his Government refused to honour. The fact that Hon. Rufus Ewing called the wrong election date in 2016 which resulted in him going into an election like a deer in headlights magnified his level of incompetence.
However, the ultimate demonstration of incompetence and recklessness is when the former Premier and former member of the National Security Council in a press release, after Hurricane Irma, publicly stated that our radar station was damaged and needed to be repaired, thereby announcing to the world that our borders was open to be breached.
The former leader of the PNP was out of touch when he was Premier, and he continues to be out of touch and clueless as to what is transpiring in the HOA but if he wants to go down the road of being reminded of his lack luster performance as the former Premier of this country, I will oblige him."
EX-PREMIER'S STATEMENT: THE AUDACITY OF HOPELESSNESS, IGNORANCE AND INCOMPETENCE
Hon. Sean Astwood, will you ask the real PDM leader and the one who wrote this to please standup, because you are not "man enough" for the job or to have written that response without permission.
I never thought that you or any other from your team would bother to respond to my statement as you would be busy doing nothing, except for being on facebook, riding around in Tahoes or jet setting. But l guess if it hurts, you have to squeal and dash to try and defend the indefensible.
Your reference to the "failed PNP Leader" is a classic example of clueless, as you are unable recognize that you are "lying down" on a platform of success built by the former PNP administration and your government don't have a clue as to what to do other then demonstrating your incompetence.
In 1988 it was 11 to 2 and nothing to do, but now it is 10 to 5 and the people are barely alive, awaiting surpluses to be spent to the benefit of themselves and children. And don't even come back with we had surpluses and what did we do.
Because the people know of our restrictions and commitments beyond our control, which are now removed thanks to our Administration. We built the economy from austerity to rock solid prosperity. But all you have done so far is to execute a few projects of our conception, design and finance while others you stalled or terminate.
The removal of the former AG and the CFO by our administration should have made life easier for this government, but you have not capitalized on these successes claiming that your hands are tied. The least you should say for removal of the former AG is thank you, because you don't have the testicular fortitude to remove anyone other than take away earned contracts from well deserving Turks and Caicos Islanders.
Your stance with the British on the issue of the former AG and CFO is noted.
Your government was never known to be one where originality and innovativeness are key attributes but your copycat mentality is your signature. So no one would be surprised to note your tactics in the House of Assembly when it came to Motions. And for those who don't know and would be surprised and cry shame on you, let me enlighten them.
As an opposition you were very good at your job, that is why you should have stayed there, as it is obvious that you are not good at being the Government and she is not the "best man" for the job. Being good at your job as an opposition means that you were good at using inside operatives to gather information on what the government was doing from the conception stage, then use that information to form a motion to put before the House to deceive the public in thinking that it was your idea and you had to tell us what to do.
The consideration and plans to address the issue of Service Charge was conceptualized by my Government long before the "Hon. Selver's motion" (not the PDM Opposition's motion) came to the House. The then PDM Opposition reluctantly supported the Motion because of their obvious conflict of interest in trying to get campaign financing and their issue with Hon. Selver.
Our Government's position then as was reflected in our abstinence was that we would NOT pander to your tactics of deception and grand standing as we were advanced in addressing the issue of service charge. Even after we completed the survey and began to formulate options and all of the information of which you inherited, it still took your Government a year and a half to come up with a bill after all of the heavy lifting had been done.
Hon. Astwood, as Minister responsible for Immigration and Border Control you are desperately looking for someone to blame for your failure in securing our borders before and after Irma. You knew that the Radar parts needed scheduled replacement and you failed to get it fixed before Irma even after it was budgeted for by my Government. However, Irma presented you with an opportunity to get the parts during the period of state of emergency without need for tender but you failed to get that done and removed it from the supplementary budget thereby delaying the purchase of a critical radar part while illegal immigrants flooded our shores.
But no you did not care about the safety and well-being of the people in the constituency you now represent and the wider Turks and Caicos, so you had to be called out to get the problem fixed.
Hon. Astwood, you are the Government, act like the Government, it's no longer about what my government did or did not do, it's about you and your government and what you are not doing. One look in the rear view mirror to look back, you should be looking forward, not backwards. But then again that is where you are going and is taking this country, forward never, backward ever, and that is my concern. If you can't drive the vehicle then do the honorable thing and get out and let someone else who is certified competent as the best man for the job takeover.
I welcome and appreciate your reply to my posting, please do keep it up, at least you would now have something to do as you all are not doing anything else. But note that I will not be replying to any negative post in response to this by you, your government or your operatives, because unlike you I have important things to do that positively impact people's lives." End quote
Aretha Franklin funeral: Stars and fans gather to say goodbye
Musicians, politicians, friends and fans are saying goodbye to Aretha Franklin at her funeral in Detroit.
The gospel-infused service has featured performances from Ariana Grande, Chaka Khan and Faith Hill, with Stevie Wonder and Jennifer Hudson still due to play.
The atmosphere is both mournful and celebratory, with the crowd breaking into a spontaneous dance of praise at one point.
Franklin died earlier this month of pancreatic cancer. She was 76.
Her big send-off involves 100 pink Cadillacs, a gold-plated coffin, three presidential tributes and eulogies by more than a dozen preachers.
They remembered her not just as the Queen of Soul, but as an aunt, grandmother, friend, civil rights activist and icon of black womanhood.
"Thank you, Lord, for Aretha," a local pastor, EL Branch, said in an opening prayer. "She was first Detroit's, then America's, then the world's."
"One of my longest friends has gone home," said Franklin's fellow soul legend Smokey Robinson.
"You're going to be one of the future voices in the choir of angels," he told the singer, before breaking into an a capella rendition of his song Really Gonna Miss You.
Franklin's son Edward sang Marvin Gaye's Mercy, Mercy Me; while her niece Cristal remembered the aunt who "taught me bad shopping habits" and "chartered a bus so our family could go to President Obama's inauguration".
Ariana Grande sang one Franklin's signature songs (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman but elsewhere, the service was like a Who's Who of gospel with powerful and uplifting performances from The Williams Brothers, Vanessa Bell Armstrong and The Clark Sisters.
President Clinton remarked on Franklin's work ethic, saying: "Yeah, she had the voice of a generation, maybe the voice of the century... but she also worked for years when nobody was paying particular attention."
"She lived with courage - not without fear but overcoming her fears.
"She lived with faith - not without failure but overcoming her failures.
"She lived with power - not without weakness, but overcoming her weaknesses.
"I just loved her."
Colin Kaepernick's collusion case against NFL team owners can go to trial
Colin Kaepernick first started the kneeling protests in 2016
Colin Kaepernick's 'collusion' case against NFL team owners can go to trial after a request by the league to dismiss the complaint was rejected.
The ex-San Francisco 49ers quarterback believes owners are conspiring not to hire him because of his protests against racial injustice in the USA.
Kaepernick started protests by kneeling during the USA national anthem.
The 30-year-old has been without a team since opting out of his 49ers contract in March 2017.
Kaepernick's lawyer Mark Geragos has posted a statement from system arbitrator Stephen B Burbank denying the league's request to dismiss the case.
The ruling means there is sufficient evidence to allow the case to go to trial.
Kaepernick first protested by sitting during the national anthem in August 2016, before opting to kneel instead.
The US Open women's draw has lost its top two seeds
The US Open women's draw has lost its top two seeds after Caroline Wozniacki suffered a shock second-round loss to Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko.
The world number two from Denmark has reached the US Open final twice but lost 6-4 6-2 to the world number 36.
World number one Simona Halep lost in the first round while Australian Open champion Wozniacki's defeat by Tsurenko was her third early exit this month.
"She played the game I was supposed to play," said Wozniacki, 28.
"This part of the season is usually a part of the season I really look forward to, one where I really play well."
Meanwhile, fourth seed and former champion Angelique Kerber overcame a second-set wobble against Sweden's Johanna Larsson to make the last 32.
The German, who had never lost a set in three previous matches with Larsson, eventually won 6-2 5-7 6-4.