GLOBAL SNAPSHOT
Help for famine
GENEVA: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres accused South Sudan’s government of refusing to express “any meaningful concern” about the plight of 100,000 people suffering from famine, 7.5 million in need of humanitarian aid and thousands more fleeing fighting. The UN chief delivered a sharp rebuke to the country’s president, Salva Kiir, saying most often the international community hears denials – “a refusal by the leadership to acknowledge the crisis”. He said the government “will spare no efforts to help address the situation and calls upon the international community to help.”
Cash for tweets
SAN FRANCISCO: Twitter is considering whether to build a premium version of its network aimed at professionals, raising the possibility it could collect subscription fees from some users. Like most other social media companies, Twitter has focused on building a huge user base for a free service supported by advertising. But, unlike Facebook, Twitter has failed to attract enough in advertising revenue to turn a profit.
Hacker to blame
JERUSALEM: A 19-YEAR-OLD American-Israeli Jew has been arrested as the prime suspect in a wave of bomb threats against US Jewish community centres. The arrest of the man, a hacker who holds dual Israeli and American citizenship, came after a trans-Atlantic investigation with the FBI and other international law enforcement agencies. Israeli police banned publication of his name, but said he would remain in custody until at least March 30.
Robots in charge
LONDON: Jobs will change rather than disappear over the next decade, as robots are increasingly used for work, a study says. Up to one-third of jobs could face automation by the early 2030s but new technologies could boost production and generate more jobs, PwC says. Its analysis found the UK has fewer jobs at potential risk of automation than other countries, including Germany, the US and Japan. Jobs in transportation and storage, manufacturing and retail are most likely to be automated, the report said.
Town for sale
HARRISBURG: Have $US1.5 million ($A2 million) to spare? If so, tiny Reduction, a one-time company town built to house workers at a long-vanished rubbish-processing plant in western Pennsylvania, could be yours for the asking. The aptly named town is home to 60 residents living in 19 brick houses, paying the Stawovy family, proprietors of the village for the past 70 years.