Microsoft launches Metaverse rival, staking out uncanny valley territory before Facebook can build its own reality

Tech giant Microsoft has followed Facebook into the Metaverse – after a fashion. Users of its Teams collaborative software will be able to appear as virtual avatars in fantasy workspaces, a step toward Facebook’s immersive VR. … Read More >Microsoft launches Metaverse rival, staking out uncanny valley territory before Facebook can build its own reality

Ethiopia declares emergency over Tigray ‘rebels’ advancing towards capital, as US ‘strongly’ urges its citizens to leave country

Ethiopia has declared a state of emergency as forces of the northern Tigray region continued to gain ground. The deteriorating situation prompted the US to urge its citizens to leave, and to restrict embassy staff movement. … Read More >Ethiopia declares emergency over Tigray ‘rebels’ advancing towards capital, as US ‘strongly’ urges its citizens to leave country

Bahrain tells its citizens to leave Lebanon immediately after minister’s Yemen comments anger Gulf states

Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry has called on its citizens to leave Lebanon, warning their safety could be at risk if they remain, amid a deepening diplomatic rift between the states. Bahrain had already expelled Lebanon’s envoy. … Read More >Bahrain tells its citizens to leave Lebanon immediately after minister’s Yemen comments anger Gulf states

‘Hands off our META’: Facebook stole new name from left-wing Athens think tank, says ex-Greece finance minister Varoufakis

Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis waded into the hubbub around Facebook changing its corporate name to ‘Meta’, accusing Mark Zuckerberg of “borrowing” the new title from the moniker of an anti-capitalist think tank. … Read More >‘Hands off our META’: Facebook stole new name from left-wing Athens think tank, says ex-Greece finance minister Varoufakis

Multiple explosions near military hospital in Kabul as gunfire heard across Afghan capital – 19 dead

Two explosions have ripped through a district of the Afghan capital Kabul near a military hospital, killing 19 and wounding 50. Witnesses claim the explosions were followed by bursts of gunfire. … Read More >Multiple explosions near military hospital in Kabul as gunfire heard across Afghan capital – 19 dead

Wheelchair-bound Israeli minister misses out on COP26 climate summit as British organizers fail to provide proper transportation

A wheelchair-bound Israeli energy minister had to skip the UN’s COP26 climate summit in Glasgow on Monday, blaming the organizers for neglecting the needs of disabled people and calling such treatment “scandalous.” … Read More >Wheelchair-bound Israeli minister misses out on COP26 climate summit as British organizers fail to provide proper transportation

Knife-wielding attacker shot by Paris railway security after shouting ‘France is ruled by the Islamic State’ – media reports

Officers at France’s Saint-Lazare station have reportedly shot a knife-wielding man who ran at staff shouting, “Allahu Akbar! France is ruled by the Islamic State,” following a routine request to follow Covid safety protocols. … Read More >Knife-wielding attacker shot by Paris railway security after shouting ‘France is ruled by the Islamic State’ – media reports