Twitter Inc&nbsp;said on Wednesday that Chief Operating Officer Adam Bain, widely credited with building a robust advertising business at the company even as it struggled with user growth, is leaving to explore other opportunities.

&quot;Mr. Bain will remain at Twitter in the coming weeks to assist with the transition of the chief operating officer role,&quot; the company said.

The move is a blow for struggling Twitter, which has hired bankers to field acquisition offers but has seen a dearth of potential bidders. The company said last month it would cut 9 per cent of its global workforce to keep costs down.

Twitter shares were down 4.3 per cent in after-hours trading.

Bain will be replaced by Chief Financial Officer Anthony Noto, the company said, adding it would begin a search for a new CFO.

Noto, who became the finance chief in 2014, will continue to manage the live content business as well as Twitter&#39;s global advertising sales, data and mobile ad exchange MoPub.

Bain joined Twitter in 2010 when it had almost no revenue and built an advertising sales machine that generated some $2.2 billion last year. A popular executive who was once considered a possible chief executive for the company, Bain was named COO in October last year.

&quot;I think Adam Bain is the most competent person at Twitter,&quot; said Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter. &quot;The one part of the business that actually worked was the part he works on, which is advertising.&quot;

In announcing his departure on Twitter, Bain heaped praise on CEO Jack Dorsey and added: &quot;I&#39;m excited to take with me everything I&#39;ve experienced at Twitter &amp; do something totally different and new outside the company. Stay tuned!&quot;

Twitter has assumed a central role in public conversations around the world and US&nbsp;President-elect Donald Trump made it a centrepiece of his controversial election campaign.

But the company has struggled to make the service appealing to a broad audience and has been unable to address problems with abuse and harassment on the platform, which unlike rival Facebook allows people to remain anonymous.

With user growth stagnant at a little over 300 million compared to 1.7 billion for Facebook, Twitter has seen its stock price plunge to below $18 from a peak of $69 in early 2014. The company went public at $26 in 2013.

Companies including Salesforce.com Inc, Walt Disney Co&nbsp;and Alphabet Inc&nbsp;considered an acquisition of Twitter earlier this year, sources said, but all three decided not to pursue a deal.

Twitter has long had turmoil in the executive suite and a number of executives have departed since Dorsey returned as permanent CEO last year.

Pachter said he believed the latest moves were part of Twitter&#39;s efforts to sell itself. Noto is highly regarded on Wall Street, he noted.

(Reuters)

The move is a blow for the struggling company, which has hired bankers to field acquisition offers

Twitter Inc said on Wednesday that Chief Operating Officer Adam Bain, widely credited with building a robust advertising business at the company even as it struggled with user growth, is leaving to explore other opportunities. "Mr. Bain will remain at Twitter in the coming weeks to assist with the transition of the chief operating officer role," the company said. The move is a blow for struggling Twitter, which has hired bankers to field acquisition offers but has seen a dearth of potential bidders. The company said last month it would cut 9 per cent of its global workforce to keep costs down. Twitter shares were down 4.3 per cent in after-hours trading. Bain will be replaced by Chief Financial Officer Anthony Noto, the company said, adding it would begin a search for a new CFO. Noto, who became the finance chief in 2014, will continue to manage the live content business as well as Twitter's global advertising sales, data and mobile ad exchange MoPub. Bain joined Twitter in 2010 when it had almost no revenue and built an advertising sales machine that generated some $2.2 billion last year. A popular executive who was once considered a possible chief executive for the company, Bain was named COO in October last year. "I think Adam Bain is the most competent person at Twitter," said Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter. "The one part of the business that actually worked was the part he works on, which is advertising." In announcing his departure on Twitter, Bain heaped praise on CEO Jack Dorsey and added: "I'm excited to take with me everything I've experienced at Twitter & do something totally different and new outside the company. Stay tuned!" Twitter has assumed a central role in public conversations around the world and US President-elect Donald Trump made it a centrepiece of his controversial election campaign. But the company has struggled to make the service appealing to a broad audience and has been unable to address problems with abuse and harassment on the platform, which unlike rival Facebook allows people to remain anonymous. With user growth stagnant at a little over 300 million compared to 1.7 billion for Facebook, Twitter has seen its stock price plunge to below $18 from a peak of $69 in early 2014. The company went public at $26 in 2013. Companies including Salesforce.com Inc, Walt Disney Co and Alphabet Inc considered an acquisition of Twitter earlier this year, sources said, but all three decided not to pursue a deal. Twitter has long had turmoil in the executive suite and a number of executives have departed since Dorsey returned as permanent CEO last year. Pachter said he believed the latest moves were part of Twitter's efforts to sell itself. Noto is highly regarded on Wall Street, he noted. (Reuters)

Twitter says COO Adam Bain to leave company

<a href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/07/us/politics/donald-trump-presidential-race.html">The New York Times</a> published an account of the final days of Donald Trump&#39;s 2016 presidential campaign.

The theme was that his aides were keeping him under tighter leash, to keep on message and&nbsp;prevent another&nbsp;meltdown from sabotaging his chances to become the next president so close to the November 8 election.

One of the most noteworthy things was the report&#39;s claim that Trump&nbsp;no longer has&nbsp;control of his Twitter account. So often over the last 16 months, sometimes in the very dead of night, Trump&nbsp;used Twitter to bully opponents, peddle conspiracy theories, and basically to vent rage.&nbsp;

It is easy to see the contrast in his tweets of the last few days, compared to his earlier unfiltered ones.

The recent ones are generically about the campaign, and highly uncontroversial:

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Thank you Reno, Nevada. 
NOTHING will stop us in our quest to MAKE AMERICA SAFE AND GREAT AGAIN! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmericaFirst?src=hash">#AmericaFirst</a><a href="https://t.co/N8EFAQDhnt">https://t.co/N8EFAQDhnt</a> <a href="https://t.co/OoM3hsDWS1">pic.twitter.com/OoM3hsDWS1</a>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/795084117192810496">November 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Contrast that with one from a few months ago, still during the campaign:&nbsp;

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Dwyane Wade&#39;s cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/769571710924263424">August 27, 2016</a></blockquote>
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There is a lot wrong with this tweet: it suggests Trump sees African Americans as props to benefit his campaign, not as people to be comforted in a time of grief. There is more to be said of this, and there are many other tweets that could have been sampled as examples of a man who needs to be controlled, but&nbsp;rather than dissect it further&nbsp;the point here is to appreciate the new discipline and focus.&nbsp;

The New York Times writes: &quot;Aides to Mr Trump have finally wrested away the Twitter account that he used to colourfully -- and often counterproductively -- savage his rivals. But offline, Mr Trump still privately muses about all o the ways he will punish his enemies after Election Day, including a threat to fund a &quot;super PAC&quot; with vengeance as its core mission.&quot;

The New York Times report paints a picture of an unchanged man struggling to operate&nbsp;under tighter control. No presidential candidate runs a campaign completely unfiltered, to say the least. There are polling companies consulted and other experts guide the campaign in various ways. Trump appeared to challenge that, but no longer does.

From the above quote, it appears his urge for instant revenge has not diminished just because it doesn&#39;t have immediate expression on social media.

In a couple days, the voters will decide if it is wise to&nbsp;empower&nbsp;a man with weapons that can wipe out countries when his&nbsp;aides do not trust him to post on his&nbsp;own Twitter account.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(WION)

The New York Times reports that the man who may soon be trusted with the nuclear codes cannot be trusted to run his own Twitter account

The New York Times published an account of the final days of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. The theme was that his aides were keeping him under tighter leash, to keep on message and prevent another meltdown from sabotaging his chances to become the next president so close to the November 8 election. One of the most noteworthy things was the report's claim that Trump no longer has control of his Twitter account. So often over the last 16 months, sometimes in the very dead of night, Trump used Twitter to bully opponents, peddle conspiracy theories, and basically to vent rage. It is easy to see the contrast in his tweets of the last few days, compared to his earlier unfiltered ones. The recent ones are generically about the campaign, and highly uncontroversial: Thank you Reno, Nevada. NOTHING will stop us in our quest to MAKE AMERICA SAFE AND GREAT AGAIN! #AmericaFirsthttps://t.co/N8EFAQDhnt pic.twitter.com/OoM3hsDWS1 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2016 × Contrast that with one from a few months ago, still during the campaign: Dwyane Wade's cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2016 × There is a lot wrong with this tweet: it suggests Trump sees African Americans as props to benefit his campaign, not as people to be comforted in a time of grief. There is more to be said of this, and there are many other tweets that could have been sampled as examples of a man who needs to be controlled, but rather than dissect it further the point here is to appreciate the new discipline and focus. The New York Times writes: "Aides to Mr Trump have finally wrested away the Twitter account that he used to colourfully -- and often counterproductively -- savage his rivals. But offline, Mr Trump still privately muses about all o the ways he will punish his enemies after Election Day, including a threat to fund a "super PAC" with vengeance as its core mission." The New York Times report paints a picture of an unchanged man struggling to operate under tighter control. No presidential candidate runs a campaign completely unfiltered, to say the least. There are polling companies consulted and other experts guide the campaign in various ways. Trump appeared to challenge that, but no longer does. From the above quote, it appears his urge for instant revenge has not diminished just because it doesn't have immediate expression on social media. In a couple days, the voters will decide if it is wise to empower a man with weapons that can wipe out countries when his aides do not trust him to post on his own Twitter account. (WION)

Trump campaign unwilling to let presidential candidate Tweet unfiltered: NYT

Twitter India head Rishi Jaitly has quit the company after spending four years at the popular social media platform. 
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 
Jaitly took to Twitter to announce his exit from the company. His tweet reads: &quot;Today, after 4 years of user/business momentum in India &amp; the region, I&#39;m sharing my intention to move on to new opportunities, same mission.&quot;

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Today, after 4 years of user/business momentum in India &amp; the region, I&rsquo;m sharing my intention to move on to new opportunities, same mission
&mdash; Rishi Jaitly (@rsjaitly) <a href="https://twitter.com/rsjaitly/status/793271684987965441">November 1, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Jaitly, who played a key role in expanding the company&#39;s operations in India, further said, &ldquo;Leading Twitter India and expanding @TwitterMedia across Asia Pacific and Middle East was &quot;leadership experience of a lifetime&quot;.

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Building/leading <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterIndia">@TwitterIndia</a>, and expanding <a href="https://twitter.com/twittermedia">@TwitterMedia</a> across Asia Pacific &amp; Middle East, was the leadership experience of a lifetime.
&mdash; Rishi Jaitly (@rsjaitly) <a href="https://twitter.com/rsjaitly/status/793271607926018048">November 1, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Jaitly has not revealed as to where he is heading next. He only said, &quot;a personal/civic calling takes me to Chicago, I&#39;ll spend significant time in India/Asia, drawing on my past to further tech&#39;s promise&quot;.

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While a personal/civic calling takes me to Chicago, I&rsquo;ll spend significant time in India/Asia, drawing on my past to further tech&#39;s promise.
&mdash; Rishi Jaitly (@rsjaitly) <a href="https://twitter.com/rsjaitly/status/793271957139525632">November 1, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The former Google executive added that he intends to devote himself to &quot;building bridges in service of my mission&quot;. 
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 
Jaitly has also been associated with Knight Foundation and College Summit and was co-founder and CEO of Michigan Corps. 
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 
When contacted, a Twitter India spokesperson said: &quot;We thank Rishi Jaitly for his contributions, entrepreneurship and leadership over the past four years at Twitter. He was our first person on the ground to bring Twitter into the high-growth Indian market&quot;. 
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 
&quot;There will be a smooth transition as his last day is in late November after which he will move back to the US,&quot; the spokesperson added.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

&nbsp;

Rishi Jaitly took to Twitter to announce his exit from the company

Twitter India head Rishi Jaitly has quit the company after spending four years at the popular social media platform. Jaitly took to Twitter to announce his exit from the company. His tweet reads: "Today, after 4 years of user/business momentum in India & the region, I'm sharing my intention to move on to new opportunities, same mission." Today, after 4 years of user/business momentum in India & the region, I’m sharing my intention to move on to new opportunities, same mission — Rishi Jaitly (@rsjaitly) November 1, 2016 × Jaitly, who played a key role in expanding the company's operations in India, further said, “Leading Twitter India and expanding @TwitterMedia across Asia Pacific and Middle East was "leadership experience of a lifetime". Building/leading @TwitterIndia, and expanding @TwitterMedia across Asia Pacific & Middle East, was the leadership experience of a lifetime. — Rishi Jaitly (@rsjaitly) November 1, 2016 × Jaitly has not revealed as to where he is heading next. He only said, "a personal/civic calling takes me to Chicago, I'll spend significant time in India/Asia, drawing on my past to further tech's promise". While a personal/civic calling takes me to Chicago, I’ll spend significant time in India/Asia, drawing on my past to further tech's promise. — Rishi Jaitly (@rsjaitly) November 1, 2016 × The former Google executive added that he intends to devote himself to "building bridges in service of my mission". Jaitly has also been associated with Knight Foundation and College Summit and was co-founder and CEO of Michigan Corps. When contacted, a Twitter India spokesperson said: "We thank Rishi Jaitly for his contributions, entrepreneurship and leadership over the past four years at Twitter. He was our first person on the ground to bring Twitter into the high-growth Indian market". "There will be a smooth transition as his last day is in late November after which he will move back to the US," the spokesperson added. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Twitter India head Rishi Jaitly leaves company after four years

Microblogging service Twitter announced on Thursday that it would cut about 9 per cent of its workforce after reporting a sharp slowdown in quarterly revenue growth.

Twitter has been struggling to sign up new users amid competition from nimbler rivals such as Instagram and Snapchat.

The microblogging service said its user base grew by 3 per cent to 317 million average monthly active users in the third quarter from $313 million in the second quarter. This was a little more than the $316.3 million that analysts had expected, AFP reported.

Revenue rose about 8 per cent to $616 million, beating its own forecast of $590 million to $610 million.

Revenue grew by 20 per cent in the previous quarter. Revenue rose nearly 58 per cent last year. The company had hired bankers last month to field acquisition offers but major companies did not bid, AFP reported.

Twitter had earlier said it would discontinue its &nbsp;video app Vine next month, clarifying that users would still be able to access and download their videos.

On Thursday, Vine confirmed the news with a post on their site and said the application would be discontinued in the coming months. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

Twitter has been struggling to sign up new users amid competition from rivals Instagram and Snapchat

Microblogging service Twitter announced on Thursday that it would cut about 9 per cent of its workforce after reporting a sharp slowdown in quarterly revenue growth. Twitter has been struggling to sign up new users amid competition from nimbler rivals such as Instagram and Snapchat. The microblogging service said its user base grew by 3 per cent to 317 million average monthly active users in the third quarter from $313 million in the second quarter. This was a little more than the $316.3 million that analysts had expected, AFP reported. Revenue rose about 8 per cent to $616 million, beating its own forecast of $590 million to $610 million. Revenue grew by 20 per cent in the previous quarter. Revenue rose nearly 58 per cent last year. The company had hired bankers last month to field acquisition offers but major companies did not bid, AFP reported. Twitter had earlier said it would discontinue its video app Vine next month, clarifying that users would still be able to access and download their videos. On Thursday, Vine confirmed the news with a post on their site and said the application would be discontinued in the coming months. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Twitter slashes 9% of its workforce with eye on 2017 profit

Vine&rsquo;s parent company Twitter announced today it will be discontinuing the video sharing mobile app in the coming month.

The statement said the website will still exist and&nbsp;users will be able to access and download their Vines, adding users will be notified about any changes in the website or app.

Vine, a short-form video sharing service, was founded in 2012. &quot;Team Vine &amp; Twitter&quot;&nbsp;just posted a <a href="https://medium.com/@vine/important-news-about-vine-909c5f4ae7a7#.wgdrsa4sx">message </a>to Vine&nbsp;users, thanking them and vaguely addressing the question many are&nbsp;wondering about the app: What&#39;s next?&nbsp;

Further details are awaited.

Here&#39;s a sample of what vines look like.

&nbsp;

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Best Halloween Vine Compilation of October 2016 (Others)
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(WION)

The statement said the website will still exist and?users will be able to access and download their Vines

Vine’s parent company Twitter announced today it will be discontinuing the video sharing mobile app in the coming month. The statement said the website will still exist and users will be able to access and download their Vines, adding users will be notified about any changes in the website or app. Vine, a short-form video sharing service, was founded in 2012. "Team Vine & Twitter" just posted a message to Vine users, thanking them and vaguely addressing the question many are wondering about the app: What's next? Further details are awaited. Here's a sample of what vines look like. Best Halloween Vine Compilation of October 2016 (Others) × (WION)

Vine mobile app to be discontinued in coming months: Twitter

Twitter is planning to trim 8 per cent of its workforce,&nbsp;Bloomberg reported, citing&nbsp;people familiar with the matter.&nbsp;

That means at least 300 of its employees are set to lose their jobs.

Twitter, however, is yet to come out with an official statement.

The company had laid off 336 people last year when Jack Dorsey, who had been serving as the interim chief executive, took over as the permanent CEO of the company.&nbsp;

Till June, the company had 3,860 employees on its payroll.

The company had issued a warning in September when it had said that it will pare down its workforce and halt its engineering work at one of its development centres in Bengaluru, India&#39;s technological hub.&nbsp;

However, the number of jobs affected could change, Bloomberg said. The job cuts would be announced&nbsp;before the social media company reports its third-quarter earnings&nbsp;on Thursday.&nbsp;

The social media giant has had a tough time finding a buyer as most prospective suitors have baulked at acquiring a company with a market cap of $12.76 billion and losses running at $400 million every year.

Salesforce.com, an American cloud computing company, had shown interest in buying Twitter last month but&nbsp;declined to make a bid citing its losses.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Twitter had earlier said it would lay off some employees and halt engineering work at one of its development centres in India's Bengaluru

Twitter is planning to trim 8 per cent of its workforce, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. That means at least 300 of its employees are set to lose their jobs. Twitter, however, is yet to come out with an official statement. The company had laid off 336 people last year when Jack Dorsey, who had been serving as the interim chief executive, took over as the permanent CEO of the company. Till June, the company had 3,860 employees on its payroll. The company had issued a warning in September when it had said that it will pare down its workforce and halt its engineering work at one of its development centres in Bengaluru, India's technological hub. However, the number of jobs affected could change, Bloomberg said. The job cuts would be announced before the social media company reports its third-quarter earnings on Thursday. The social media giant has had a tough time finding a buyer as most prospective suitors have baulked at acquiring a company with a market cap of $12.76 billion and losses running at $400 million every year. Salesforce.com, an American cloud computing company, had shown interest in buying Twitter last month but declined to make a bid citing its losses. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Twitter to lay off over 300 people: Bloomberg

Cyber attacks targeting a little-known internet infrastructure company, Dynamic Network Services Inc (Dyn), disrupted access to dozens of websites on Friday, rendering major companies including Twitter and Netflix inaccessible to millions of users in the United States and elsewhere.

Successive cyber attacks and service outages made it difficult to identify all the victims. But technology news site Gizmodo named some five dozen sites that were affected by the attack.&nbsp;

Dyn, which routes and manages internet traffic, said it did not know who was responsible for the outages that began in the eastern United States, and later spread to other parts of the country and overseas.&nbsp;

The company claimed to have resolved the matter within about two hours but was again responding to an attack, within no time. &quot;Our engineers are continuing to investigate and mitigate several attacks aimed at the Dyn managed DNS infrastructure,&quot; the company said on its website.

It also commanded the attention of top US security agencies including the department of homeland security. &quot;DHS and the FBI are aware and are investigating all potential causes&quot; of the outages, a spokeswoman said.

Affected websites included Reddit, the crafts marketplace Etsy and the software developer site Github, according to media reports. Others reportedly affected include CNN, The Guardian, Wired, HBO and People as well as the money transfer service PayPal.

The incident underscored the inter-dependencies of large portions of the internet and their vulnerabilities, with multiple users affected by an attack on a single company.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs agencies) 
&nbsp;

US security agencies, including homeland security and FBI, are probing 'all potential causes' of attack on internet provider Dyn

Cyber attacks targeting a little-known internet infrastructure company, Dynamic Network Services Inc (Dyn), disrupted access to dozens of websites on Friday, rendering major companies including Twitter and Netflix inaccessible to millions of users in the United States and elsewhere. Successive cyber attacks and service outages made it difficult to identify all the victims. But technology news site Gizmodo named some five dozen sites that were affected by the attack. Dyn, which routes and manages internet traffic, said it did not know who was responsible for the outages that began in the eastern United States, and later spread to other parts of the country and overseas. The company claimed to have resolved the matter within about two hours but was again responding to an attack, within no time. "Our engineers are continuing to investigate and mitigate several attacks aimed at the Dyn managed DNS infrastructure," the company said on its website. It also commanded the attention of top US security agencies including the department of homeland security. "DHS and the FBI are aware and are investigating all potential causes" of the outages, a spokeswoman said. Affected websites included Reddit, the crafts marketplace Etsy and the software developer site Github, according to media reports. Others reportedly affected include CNN, The Guardian, Wired, HBO and People as well as the money transfer service PayPal. The incident underscored the inter-dependencies of large portions of the internet and their vulnerabilities, with multiple users affected by an attack on a single company. (WION with inputs agencies)

Twitter, Amazon, other top websites temporarily shut after US cyber attacks

Twitter shares dove in after-hours trades on Wednesday on the heels of a report that Google does not plan to bid for the culture-changing but unprofitable one-to-many messaging service.

The technology news website Recode cited unnamed sources close to the situation as saying Google will not be among those in the running to buy San Francisco-based Twitter.

Other sources said that Twitter should have &quot;low expectations&quot; of Apple being among those vying to buy the company, Recode reported.

Twitter shares, which had taken flight on the New York Stock Exchange early in the day and ended formal trading up nearly six per cent, dove more than nine per cent in after-market trades to $22.58.

Long-simmering speculation that Twitter is putting itself up for sale has boiled over in recent weeks, with the share price buoyed by unconfirmed talk that business-cloud software titan Salesforce, Google and other Silicon Valley titans were expected to be suitors.

Twitter and Google did not respond to AFP requests for comment.

Twitter, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, has yet to make a profit. Co-founder Jack Dorsey returned as chief executive last year but has yet to ignite growth, with the number of users stagnating at slightly more than 300 million for several quarters.

After falling to its lowest point ever earlier this year, Twitter shares were boosted recently on hopes the company will gain traction or a make a promising match with a suitor.

Twitter was expected to begin accepting bids this week.

The social messaging platform would be a big-ticket item, with its value based on the share price topping $17 billion on Wednesday, and the company likely to want a premium to be paid.

No suitors have declared interest in Twitter publicly, however.

The list of companies that may still seek to buy Twitter includes entertainment giant Disney, Microsoft, and the US telecom service Verizon.

(AFP)

The company's shares dove more than nine per cent following reports saying Google will not plan to bid for the social media app

Twitter shares dove in after-hours trades on Wednesday on the heels of a report that Google does not plan to bid for the culture-changing but unprofitable one-to-many messaging service. The technology news website Recode cited unnamed sources close to the situation as saying Google will not be among those in the running to buy San Francisco-based Twitter. Other sources said that Twitter should have "low expectations" of Apple being among those vying to buy the company, Recode reported. Twitter shares, which had taken flight on the New York Stock Exchange early in the day and ended formal trading up nearly six per cent, dove more than nine per cent in after-market trades to $22.58. Long-simmering speculation that Twitter is putting itself up for sale has boiled over in recent weeks, with the share price buoyed by unconfirmed talk that business-cloud software titan Salesforce, Google and other Silicon Valley titans were expected to be suitors. Twitter and Google did not respond to AFP requests for comment. Twitter, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, has yet to make a profit. Co-founder Jack Dorsey returned as chief executive last year but has yet to ignite growth, with the number of users stagnating at slightly more than 300 million for several quarters. After falling to its lowest point ever earlier this year, Twitter shares were boosted recently on hopes the company will gain traction or a make a promising match with a suitor. Twitter was expected to begin accepting bids this week. The social messaging platform would be a big-ticket item, with its value based on the share price topping $17 billion on Wednesday, and the company likely to want a premium to be paid. No suitors have declared interest in Twitter publicly, however. The list of companies that may still seek to buy Twitter includes entertainment giant Disney, Microsoft, and the US telecom service Verizon. (AFP)

Twitter shares dive after Google rules out bid

Walt Disney Co is in talks with a financial adviser over a possible bid for Twitter, Bloomberg reported today.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The social media giant,&nbsp;however,&nbsp;is reportedly&nbsp;discussing a potential deal with Alphabet Inc and might soon get a formal bid offer. &nbsp;Meanwhile,&nbsp;Salesforce.com Inc is also planning a bid, according to Reuters.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Bloomberg has&nbsp;said in its report that Disney chairman and cheif executive officer Bob Iger has invested in technology-related media businesses because of losing viewevers on cable TV, which is the company&#39;s largest business.

&nbsp;

Iger has also sought to increase Disney&rsquo;s new media proficiency by&nbsp;adding Twitter chief Jack Dorsey and Facebook Inc. Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg to his board in the past few years.

&nbsp;

Twitter has around 300 million active users since 2015 and according to reports, the microblogging site&nbsp;is having trouble in&nbsp;keeping pace with&nbsp;their growing social networking smartphone apps.

&nbsp;

Twitter&#39;s September results had shown the company weighing ways to cut costs, ramp up revenue or maximise shareholder value by selling itself. 
&nbsp;

(WION)

According to media reports, Twitter is already discussing a potential deal with Alphabet Inc and might soon get a formal bid offer

Walt Disney Co is in talks with a financial adviser over a possible bid for Twitter, Bloomberg reported today. The social media giant, however, is reportedly discussing a potential deal with Alphabet Inc and might soon get a formal bid offer. Meanwhile, Salesforce.com Inc is also planning a bid, according to Reuters. Bloomberg has said in its report that Disney chairman and cheif executive officer Bob Iger has invested in technology-related media businesses because of losing viewevers on cable TV, which is the company's largest business. Iger has also sought to increase Disney’s new media proficiency by adding Twitter chief Jack Dorsey and Facebook Inc. Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg to his board in the past few years. Twitter has around 300 million active users since 2015 and according to reports, the microblogging site is having trouble in keeping pace with their growing social networking smartphone apps. Twitter's September results had shown the company weighing ways to cut costs, ramp up revenue or maximise shareholder value by selling itself. (WION)

Walt Disney planning Twitter bid: Bloomberg

Facebook and Twitter have signed up to a coalition of news and technology companies to tackle fake news and improve the quality of information on social media. 
 
First Draft Coalition was formed in June 2015 and its members include the New York Times, BuzzFeed News, CNN, Washington Post and AFP. 
 
The coalition was formed with the backing of Alphabet Inc&#39;s Google. 
 
It said it would create a voluntary code of practice, promote news literacy among social media users, and launch a platform where members can verify questionable news stories. 
 
The platform will be launched by the end of October, Jenni Sargent, managing director of the coalition, said in an email. 
 
There have been growing concerns about Facebook&rsquo;s role in spreading fake stories and its approach to what can and can&rsquo;t be posted on its platform.&nbsp; 
 
In August, Facebook increased the use of automation to select the most-talked about topics of the day for its popular &quot;Trending&quot; feature, as a way to reduce human bias.&nbsp; 
 
Twitter in July swiftly removed posts from Islamic extremists glorifying a truck attack in Nice, France, winning a rare round of praise from watchdog groups for a platform that has often struggled to contain violent propaganda 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters)

First Draft Coalition was formed in 2015 to create a voluntary code of practice and promote news literacy among social media users

Facebook and Twitter have signed up to a coalition of news and technology companies to tackle fake news and improve the quality of information on social media. First Draft Coalition was formed in June 2015 and its members include the New York Times, BuzzFeed News, CNN, Washington Post and AFP. The coalition was formed with the backing of Alphabet Inc's Google. It said it would create a voluntary code of practice, promote news literacy among social media users, and launch a platform where members can verify questionable news stories. The platform will be launched by the end of October, Jenni Sargent, managing director of the coalition, said in an email. There have been growing concerns about Facebook’s role in spreading fake stories and its approach to what can and can’t be posted on its platform. In August, Facebook increased the use of automation to select the most-talked about topics of the day for its popular "Trending" feature, as a way to reduce human bias. Twitter in July swiftly removed posts from Islamic extremists glorifying a truck attack in Nice, France, winning a rare round of praise from watchdog groups for a platform that has often struggled to contain violent propaganda (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Facebook, Twitter join First Draft Coalition to tackle fake news

Facebook-owned photo-sharing app, Instagram, launched a keyword moderation tool on Monday which will allow users to monitor the comments posted on their pictures.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Today we&rsquo;re rolling out improvements to make comments safer for everyone. Read a letter from Kevin Systrom here: <a href="https://t.co/DpUN0Z3Lmk">https://t.co/DpUN0Z3Lmk</a>
&mdash; Instagram (@instagram) <a href="https://twitter.com/instagram/status/775348514335420417">September 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
 
The users will now be able to list words that they find offensive or obscene and those words will be hidden from user&#39;s posts. Either they can use their own list or use the default list provided by the app, Reuters reported. 
 
Instagram users can delete comments by swiping, reporting the comment as offensive and block accounts.&nbsp; 
 
Social media has become an active platform for abusive comments and trolling, celebrities and common people alike are being harassed. 
 
Last month, Justin Bieber deactivated his account on Instagram following hateful comments on a picture he posted. Ghostbuster actor Leslie Jones quit Twitter after she was harassed by users. Twitter permanently suspended a number of user accounts involved in abusing her.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters) 
 
&nbsp;

Instagram users will now be able to list words that they find offensive or obscene to hide them from the users' posts

Facebook-owned photo-sharing app, Instagram, launched a keyword moderation tool on Monday which will allow users to monitor the comments posted on their pictures. Today we’re rolling out improvements to make comments safer for everyone. Read a letter from Kevin Systrom here: https://t.co/DpUN0Z3Lmk — Instagram (@instagram) September 12, 2016 The users will now be able to list words that they find offensive or obscene and those words will be hidden from user's posts. Either they can use their own list or use the default list provided by the app, Reuters reported. Instagram users can delete comments by swiping, reporting the comment as offensive and block accounts. Social media has become an active platform for abusive comments and trolling, celebrities and common people alike are being harassed. Last month, Justin Bieber deactivated his account on Instagram following hateful comments on a picture he posted. Ghostbuster actor Leslie Jones quit Twitter after she was harassed by users. Twitter permanently suspended a number of user accounts involved in abusing her. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Instagram introduces new feature to moderate comments

As the hashtag #RIPSelena trended briefly on Twitter, paying tribute to American singer Selena Quantanilla who was murdered 21 years ago, many on Twitter mistook her for pop star Selena Gomez.
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en">
People thought <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ripselena?src=hash">#ripselena</a> was for <a href="https://twitter.com/selenagomez">@selenagomez</a> omg. It&#39;s for Selena Quintanilla, AKA the &quot;Selena&quot; SG is named after. <a href="https://t.co/BNYKEg15Ej">pic.twitter.com/BNYKEg15Ej</a>
&mdash; Labanya (@lalalalabanya) <a href="https://twitter.com/lalalalabanya/status/772988890323886081">September 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en">
Y&#39;all just scared me so much rn I thought it was about my Selena smh <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPSelena?src=hash">#RIPSelena</a> <a href="https://t.co/T3MoFdkwdT">pic.twitter.com/T3MoFdkwdT</a>
&mdash; #WELOVEYOUSELENA ?? (@ILoveThatGomez) <a href="https://twitter.com/ILoveThatGomez/status/772987886798983168">September 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

&nbsp;

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en">
Raise your hand if you thought this was about Selena Gomez 
Selena stans: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPSelena?src=hash">#RIPSelena</a> <a href="https://t.co/FfNvgAaB3H">pic.twitter.com/FfNvgAaB3H</a>
&mdash; Bethany Grills (@BethanyGlazier) <a href="https://twitter.com/BethanyGlazier/status/772996761665298432">September 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

 
Selena Quantanilla&#39;s fans found the relief disrespectful.

&nbsp;

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPSelena?src=hash">#RIPSelena</a> this is about SELENA QUINTANILLA, have some respect, not everything is about gomez??
&mdash; mariana? // -18 (@brxdscurlyhair) <a href="https://twitter.com/brxdscurlyhair/status/772993624636137472">September 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

&nbsp;

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en">
Everybody is relieved that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPSelena?src=hash">#RIPSelena</a> wasn&#39;t about Selena Gomez but nobody cares who it really was about ?? <a href="https://t.co/xV96durGUZ">pic.twitter.com/xV96durGUZ</a>
&mdash; dak mv-me (@catrachodm) <a href="https://twitter.com/catrachodm/status/772968243208257536">September 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

 
Here&#39;s how Selena Quintanilla&#39;s fans paid tribute to her

&nbsp;

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en">
we are still dreaming of you <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPSelena?src=hash">#RIPSelena</a> <a href="https://t.co/KvCtmZH1sx">pic.twitter.com/KvCtmZH1sx</a>
&mdash; Dreaming Of Selena (@missingmyselena) <a href="https://twitter.com/missingmyselena/status/773005758334136320">September 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

&nbsp;

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en">
Her death was so tragic and it seriously should not have happened. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIPSelena?src=hash">#RIPSelena</a> <a href="https://t.co/DVzt6CfxYi">pic.twitter.com/DVzt6CfxYi</a>
&mdash; Captain Swan (@once_cs_fan) <a href="https://twitter.com/once_cs_fan/status/773004063105511424">September 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

&nbsp;

Selena Quintanilla, who was among the leading Mexican-American stars through the nineties and known as the Queen of Tejano music, was shot dead in 1995 by a friend and former employee. 
 
Selena Gomez, 24, rose to fame with her role in the TV series Wizards of Waverly Place, is the voice behind&nbsp; 
hits such as Stars Dance (Come &amp; Get It), Slow Down (Stars Dance) and Falling Down (Kiss &amp; Tell).

Selena Quintanilla, who was among the leading Mexican-American stars through the nineties was shot dead in 1995

As the hashtag #RIPSelena trended briefly on Twitter, paying tribute to American singer Selena Quantanilla who was murdered 21 years ago, many on Twitter mistook her for pop star Selena Gomez. People thought #ripselena was for @selenagomez omg. It's for Selena Quintanilla, AKA the "Selena" SG is named after. pic.twitter.com/BNYKEg15Ej — Labanya (@lalalalabanya) September 6, 2016 Y'all just scared me so much rn I thought it was about my Selena smh #RIPSelena pic.twitter.com/T3MoFdkwdT — #WELOVEYOUSELENA ?? (@ILoveThatGomez) September 6, 2016 Raise your hand if you thought this was about Selena Gomez Selena stans: #RIPSelena pic.twitter.com/FfNvgAaB3H — Bethany Grills (@BethanyGlazier) September 6, 2016 Selena Quantanilla's fans found the relief disrespectful. #RIPSelena this is about SELENA QUINTANILLA, have some respect, not everything is about gomez?? — mariana? // -18 (@brxdscurlyhair) September 6, 2016 Everybody is relieved that #RIPSelena wasn't about Selena Gomez but nobody cares who it really was about ?? pic.twitter.com/xV96durGUZ — dak mv-me (@catrachodm) September 6, 2016 Here's how Selena Quintanilla's fans paid tribute to her we are still dreaming of you #RIPSelena pic.twitter.com/KvCtmZH1sx — Dreaming Of Selena (@missingmyselena) September 6, 2016 Her death was so tragic and it seriously should not have happened. #RIPSelena pic.twitter.com/DVzt6CfxYi — Captain Swan (@once_cs_fan) September 6, 2016 Selena Quintanilla, who was among the leading Mexican-American stars through the nineties and known as the Queen of Tejano music, was shot dead in 1995 by a friend and former employee. Selena Gomez, 24, rose to fame with her role in the TV series Wizards of Waverly Place, is the voice behind hits such as Stars Dance (Come & Get It), Slow Down (Stars Dance) and Falling Down (Kiss & Tell).

#RIPSelena trends on Twitter, fans mistake it for Selena Gomez

Here is what Dr Kumar Vishwas tweeted:
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Off to Mother Teresa&#39;s Canonization. Feeling blessed to be a part of invited attendees! <a href="https://t.co/rbNTBXBw0G">pic.twitter.com/rbNTBXBw0G</a>
&mdash; Dr Kumar Vishvas (@DrKumarVishwas) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrKumarVishwas/status/771637105550200832">September 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
 
The two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders were flying to the Vatican City for Mother Teresa&#39;s canonization. 
 
The name of the four-year-old political party - Aam Aadmi - loosely translates into the Common Man&#39;s Party. 
 
On the eve of the 19th anniversary of her death, Mother Teresa will be canonized with a mass led by Pope Francis at the Vatican&#39;s St Peter&#39;s Square. 
 
(WION)

Dr Kumar Vishwas, the national executive for India's Aam Aadmi Party, posted this picture on Twitter today

Here is what Dr Kumar Vishwas tweeted: Off to Mother Teresa's Canonization. Feeling blessed to be a part of invited attendees! pic.twitter.com/rbNTBXBw0G — Dr Kumar Vishvas (@DrKumarVishwas) September 2, 2016 The two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders were flying to the Vatican City for Mother Teresa's canonization. The name of the four-year-old political party - Aam Aadmi - loosely translates into the Common Man's Party. On the eve of the 19th anniversary of her death, Mother Teresa will be canonized with a mass led by Pope Francis at the Vatican's St Peter's Square. (WION)

India: Aam Aadmi Party leaders do not fly 'cattle class'

Twitter announced on Thursday&nbsp;that it had cut off 360,000 accounts during the past six months in a heightened crackdown on use of the global messaging service to promote violent extremist causes. 
 
The suspensions raised to 360,000 the total number of accounts sidelined since the middle of 2015 and was helping &quot;drive meaningful results&quot; in curbing the activity, according to the San Francisco-based company.&nbsp;Twitter has been striving to balance protecting free speech at the one-to-many messaging service with not providing a stage for extremist groups to spread violent messages and enlist people to their causes. 
 
In February, Twitter said that it had neutralised 125,000 accounts for violating rules against violent threats and promotion of terrorism.&nbsp;&quot;Since that announcement, the world has witnessed a further wave of deadly, abhorrent terror attacks across the globe,&quot; Twitter said in a blog post.&nbsp;&quot;We strongly condemn these acts and remain committed to eliminating the promotion of violence or terrorism on our platform.&quot; 
 
Daily suspensions of accounts are up more than 80 per cent since last year, and spike in the immediate aftermath of terror attacks, according to Twitter.&nbsp; 
 
Twitter said that it is getting quicker at identifying extremist content and shutting down accounts involved, resulting in dramatic decreases in the number of followers attracted while posts are active.&nbsp;Moves have been made to make it tougher for people behind suspended accounts to immediately return to Twitter, and teams reviewing reports of suspected terror content have been expanded. 
 
Like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube rely heavily on users to point out posts that violate standards or policies.&nbsp;Tech titans have been increasingly dabbling with enlisting software to battle extremist propaganda. 
 
&quot;There is no one &#39;magic algorithm&#39; for identifying terrorist content on the Internet,&quot; Twitter said in the post.&nbsp;&quot;But, we continue to utilise other forms of technology, like proprietary spam-fighting tools, to supplement reports from our users and help identify repeat account abuse.&quot; 
 
During the past six months, automated tools have helped Twitter identify more than a third of the accounts suspended for promoting terrorism, according to the company.&nbsp; 
 
Twitter said that it collaborates with other online social platforms in the fight against terror content.&nbsp;Since dreadful attacks in Paris and the city of San Bernardino in California, pressure has been growing for online social networks to thwart extremist groups from taking advantage of their platforms. 
 
A US judge last week tossed out a lawsuit accusing Twitter of abetting terrorism by allowing Islamic State (IS) group propaganda to be broadcast using the messaging platform.&nbsp;District Court Judge William Orrick granted a motion by Twitter to dismiss the case, reasoning that providing a platform for speech is within the law and that the company did not create the content. 
 
The Communications Decency Act (CDA) protects online platforms from being held responsible for what users post.&nbsp;The suit was filed in San Francisco federal court by the families of two government contractors killed late last year while working at a police training center run by the United States in Amman, according to court documents. 
 
A Jordanian police captain studying at the center fatally shot the two men, and IS later claimed the captain was a &quot;lone wolf&quot; working for the group&#39;s cause, the judge recounted in his ruling.&nbsp;&quot;As horrific as these deaths were, under the CDA Twitter cannot be treated as a publisher or speaker of ISIS&#39;s hateful rhetoric and is not liable under the facts alleged,&quot; Orrick said in the decision, using another name for IS. 
 
The suit accused Twitter of providing &quot;material support&quot; by letting accounts spread the message of the extremist group.&nbsp;The judge left open the option of refiling an amended version of the suit. 
 
(AFP)

In February, Twitter had blocked 360,000 accounts for violating rules against violent threats and promotion of terrorism

Twitter announced on Thursday that it had cut off 360,000 accounts during the past six months in a heightened crackdown on use of the global messaging service to promote violent extremist causes. The suspensions raised to 360,000 the total number of accounts sidelined since the middle of 2015 and was helping "drive meaningful results" in curbing the activity, according to the San Francisco-based company. Twitter has been striving to balance protecting free speech at the one-to-many messaging service with not providing a stage for extremist groups to spread violent messages and enlist people to their causes. In February, Twitter said that it had neutralised 125,000 accounts for violating rules against violent threats and promotion of terrorism. "Since that announcement, the world has witnessed a further wave of deadly, abhorrent terror attacks across the globe," Twitter said in a blog post. "We strongly condemn these acts and remain committed to eliminating the promotion of violence or terrorism on our platform." Daily suspensions of accounts are up more than 80 per cent since last year, and spike in the immediate aftermath of terror attacks, according to Twitter. Twitter said that it is getting quicker at identifying extremist content and shutting down accounts involved, resulting in dramatic decreases in the number of followers attracted while posts are active. Moves have been made to make it tougher for people behind suspended accounts to immediately return to Twitter, and teams reviewing reports of suspected terror content have been expanded. Like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube rely heavily on users to point out posts that violate standards or policies. Tech titans have been increasingly dabbling with enlisting software to battle extremist propaganda. "There is no one 'magic algorithm' for identifying terrorist content on the Internet," Twitter said in the post. "But, we continue to utilise other forms of technology, like proprietary spam-fighting tools, to supplement reports from our users and help identify repeat account abuse." During the past six months, automated tools have helped Twitter identify more than a third of the accounts suspended for promoting terrorism, according to the company. Twitter said that it collaborates with other online social platforms in the fight against terror content. Since dreadful attacks in Paris and the city of San Bernardino in California, pressure has been growing for online social networks to thwart extremist groups from taking advantage of their platforms. A US judge last week tossed out a lawsuit accusing Twitter of abetting terrorism by allowing Islamic State (IS) group propaganda to be broadcast using the messaging platform. District Court Judge William Orrick granted a motion by Twitter to dismiss the case, reasoning that providing a platform for speech is within the law and that the company did not create the content. The Communications Decency Act (CDA) protects online platforms from being held responsible for what users post. The suit was filed in San Francisco federal court by the families of two government contractors killed late last year while working at a police training center run by the United States in Amman, according to court documents. A Jordanian police captain studying at the center fatally shot the two men, and IS later claimed the captain was a "lone wolf" working for the group's cause, the judge recounted in his ruling. "As horrific as these deaths were, under the CDA Twitter cannot be treated as a publisher or speaker of ISIS's hateful rhetoric and is not liable under the facts alleged," Orrick said in the decision, using another name for IS. The suit accused Twitter of providing "material support" by letting accounts spread the message of the extremist group. The judge left open the option of refiling an amended version of the suit. (AFP)

Twitter neutralises 360,000 accounts in crackdown on extremism

How have Barack Obama&#39;s musical tastes changed in his last year in the White House? Judging from his playlists, he is getting into more indie rock.

Obama&nbsp;on Thursday&nbsp;for the second year in a row released summer playlists on streaming service Spotify, revealing what&#39;s on his speakers as he relaxes with his family on an annual holiday to tony Martha&#39;s Vineyard.&nbsp;Like the previous year, Obama&#39;s two playlists,&nbsp;one for daytime and one for nighttime listening,&nbsp;have plenty of classics including songs from Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Miles Davis and The Beach Boys.

But he also showed a taste for indie rock this year. He listed &quot;Elevator Operator&quot; by Courtney Barnett, the Australian songwriter who has recently built a strong if niche following with her droll lyricism.&nbsp;Obama also picked &quot;Home&quot; by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, indie rockers who incidentally were prominent campaigners for former Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders. 
 
&nbsp;

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Been waiting to drop this: summer playlist, the encore. What&#39;s everybody listening to? <a href="https://t.co/mqh1YVrycj">pic.twitter.com/mqh1YVrycj</a>
&mdash; President Obama (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/763744742072913920">August 11, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

 
While most of Obama&#39;s musical choices steered clear of politics, an exception was &quot;Forever Begins&quot; by the Chicago rapper Common, a track produced by Kanye West that delves into the civil rights struggle and touches on gun violence.&nbsp;The president also chose Fiona Apple&#39;s 1997 hit &quot;Criminal&quot;, a song often interpreted as feminist with its theme of male fragility in the face of female sexuality.

Obama did not confine his selections to US artists. He chose a track by Caetano Veloso, a prominent figure in Brazil&#39;s tropicalia movement and outspoken critic of the country&#39;s former military dictatorship.

Obama chose Veloso&#39;s version of &quot;Cucurrucucu Paloma&quot;, an often-covered Mexican song of longing that was popularised in part by Harry Belafonte, the US singer also active in leftist politics.&nbsp;Also on one of Obama&#39;s playlists was &quot;Me Gustas Tu&quot; by Manu Chao, the Parisian singer of Spanish descent known for his attacks on globalisation.

Other prominent artists whose tracks have Obama&#39;s ear include pop superstar Janet Jackson, reclusive R&amp;B sensation D&#39;Angelo, soul singer Janelle Monae and blues rocker Gary Clark Jr.&nbsp;Obama has often spoken of his love of discovering music and has invited artists to the White House, including the late pop icon Prince and politically conscious rapper Kendrick Lamar. 
 
 
Here are the playlists in full:&nbsp;

Obama&#39;s Summer Playlist: Daytime

&ldquo;LoveHate Thing&rdquo; &ndash; Wale

&ldquo;Smooth Sailin&#39;&rdquo; &ndash; Leon Bridges

&ldquo;Elevator Operator&rdquo; &ndash; Courtney Barnett

&ldquo;Home&rdquo; &ndash; Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

&ldquo;Many the Miles&rdquo; &ndash; Sara Bareilles

&ldquo;Tightrope&rdquo; &ndash; Janelle Mon?e

&ldquo;Classic Man&rdquo; &ndash; Jidenna

&ldquo;So Ambitious&rdquo; &ndash; Jay Z feat. Pharrell

&ldquo;Me Gustas Tu&rdquo; &ndash; Manu Chao

&ldquo;Forever Begins&rdquo; &ndash; Common

&ldquo;The Man&rdquo; &ndash; Aloe Blacc

&ldquo;As We Enter&rdquo; &ndash; Nas &amp; Damian &ldquo;Jr. Gong&rdquo; Marley

&ldquo;Sinnerman&rdquo; &ndash; Nina Simone

&ldquo;U Got the Look&rdquo; &ndash; Prince

&ldquo;Rock Steady&rdquo; &ndash; Aretha Franklin

&ldquo;Good Vibrations&rdquo; &ndash; Beach Boys

&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t Owe You A Thang&rdquo; &ndash; Gary Clark Jr.

&ldquo;Man Like That&rdquo; &ndash; Gin Wigmore

&ldquo;II B.S. (edit)&rdquo; &ndash; Charles Mingus 
 
 
Obama&#39;s Summer Playlist: Night 
&nbsp;

&ldquo;If I Have My Way&rdquo; &ndash; Chrisette Michele

&ldquo;Espera&rdquo; &ndash; Esperanza Spalding

&ldquo;Tell It Like It Is&rdquo; &ndash; Aaron Neville

&ldquo;Alright&rdquo; &ndash; Ledisi

&ldquo;Trapped By A Thing Called Love&rdquo; &ndash; Denise LaSalle

&ldquo;Lady&rdquo; &ndash; D&rsquo;Angelo

&ldquo;So Very Hard to Go&rdquo; &ndash; Tower of Power

&ldquo;Midnight Sun&rdquo; &ndash; Carmen McCrae

&ldquo;Cucurrucuc? ?Paloma&rdquo; &ndash; Caetano Veloso

&ldquo;Green Aphrodisiac&rdquo; &ndash; Corinne Bailey Rae

&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll Be There for You / You&rsquo;re All I Need&rdquo; &ndash; Mary J. Blige / Method Man

&ldquo;Lover Man&rdquo; &ndash; Billie Holiday

&ldquo;Criminal&rdquo; &ndash; Fiona Apple

&ldquo;Acid Rain&rdquo; &ndash; Chance the Rapper

&ldquo;My Funny Valentine&rdquo; &ndash; Miles Davis

&ldquo;Do You Feel Me&rdquo; &ndash; Anthony Hamilton

&ldquo;I Get Lonely&rdquo; &ndash; Janet Jackson

&ldquo;Lean In&rdquo; &ndash; Lizz Wright

&ldquo;All Day Music&rdquo; &ndash; War

&ldquo;Say Yes&rdquo; &ndash; Floetry 
 
(AFP)

The US president listens to indie rock and classics like Nina Simone. Dabbles in politically conscious music like Chicago's Common and Kanye

How have Barack Obama's musical tastes changed in his last year in the White House? Judging from his playlists, he is getting into more indie rock. Obama on Thursday for the second year in a row released summer playlists on streaming service Spotify, revealing what's on his speakers as he relaxes with his family on an annual holiday to tony Martha's Vineyard. Like the previous year, Obama's two playlists, one for daytime and one for nighttime listening, have plenty of classics including songs from Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Miles Davis and The Beach Boys. But he also showed a taste for indie rock this year. He listed "Elevator Operator" by Courtney Barnett, the Australian songwriter who has recently built a strong if niche following with her droll lyricism. Obama also picked "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, indie rockers who incidentally were prominent campaigners for former Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders. Been waiting to drop this: summer playlist, the encore. What's everybody listening to? pic.twitter.com/mqh1YVrycj — President Obama (@POTUS) August 11, 2016 While most of Obama's musical choices steered clear of politics, an exception was "Forever Begins" by the Chicago rapper Common, a track produced by Kanye West that delves into the civil rights struggle and touches on gun violence. The president also chose Fiona Apple's 1997 hit "Criminal", a song often interpreted as feminist with its theme of male fragility in the face of female sexuality. Obama did not confine his selections to US artists. He chose a track by Caetano Veloso, a prominent figure in Brazil's tropicalia movement and outspoken critic of the country's former military dictatorship. Obama chose Veloso's version of "Cucurrucucu Paloma", an often-covered Mexican song of longing that was popularised in part by Harry Belafonte, the US singer also active in leftist politics. Also on one of Obama's playlists was "Me Gustas Tu" by Manu Chao, the Parisian singer of Spanish descent known for his attacks on globalisation. Other prominent artists whose tracks have Obama's ear include pop superstar Janet Jackson, reclusive R&B sensation D'Angelo, soul singer Janelle Monae and blues rocker Gary Clark Jr. Obama has often spoken of his love of discovering music and has invited artists to the White House, including the late pop icon Prince and politically conscious rapper Kendrick Lamar. Here are the playlists in full: Obama's Summer Playlist: Daytime “LoveHate Thing” – Wale “Smooth Sailin'” – Leon Bridges “Elevator Operator” – Courtney Barnett “Home” – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros “Many the Miles” – Sara Bareilles “Tightrope” – Janelle Mon?e “Classic Man” – Jidenna “So Ambitious” – Jay Z feat. Pharrell “Me Gustas Tu” – Manu Chao “Forever Begins” – Common “The Man” – Aloe Blacc “As We Enter” – Nas & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley “Sinnerman” – Nina Simone “U Got the Look” – Prince “Rock Steady” – Aretha Franklin “Good Vibrations” – Beach Boys “Don’t Owe You A Thang” – Gary Clark Jr. “Man Like That” – Gin Wigmore “II B.S. (edit)” – Charles Mingus Obama's Summer Playlist: Night “If I Have My Way” – Chrisette Michele “Espera” – Esperanza Spalding “Tell It Like It Is” – Aaron Neville “Alright” – Ledisi “Trapped By A Thing Called Love” – Denise LaSalle “Lady” – D’Angelo “So Very Hard to Go” – Tower of Power “Midnight Sun” – Carmen McCrae “Cucurrucuc? ?Paloma” – Caetano Veloso “Green Aphrodisiac” – Corinne Bailey Rae “I’ll Be There for You / You’re All I Need” – Mary J. Blige / Method Man “Lover Man” – Billie Holiday “Criminal” – Fiona Apple “Acid Rain” – Chance the Rapper “My Funny Valentine” – Miles Davis “Do You Feel Me” – Anthony Hamilton “I Get Lonely” – Janet Jackson “Lean In” – Lizz Wright “All Day Music” – War “Say Yes” – Floetry (AFP)

Obama releases summer playlists on Spotify via Twitter

Spain go into Friday&#39;s EURO 2016 game against Turkey determined to be more efficient in front of goal and no fan is more eager for that to happen than Antonio Banderas. 
 
The 55-year-old Spanish actor and director, a fervent supporter of his home club Malaga and of the national team, posted a photograph on his Twitter feed on Friday of himself in the Spanish team kit and ready to volley a football. 
 
The caption read: &quot;Ready for today&#39;s game. Do you think they will call me in?&quot; 
 
Spain, winners of Euro 2008 and 2012, began their title defence with a 1-0 victory over the Czech Republic on Monday. After Friday&#39;s game against Turkey in Nice, they end Group D against Croatia in Bordeaux next Tuesday. 
(Reuters)

Spanish actor and director Antonio Banderas displayed his support for Spain at EURO 2016 via twitter

Spain go into Friday's EURO 2016 game against Turkey determined to be more efficient in front of goal and no fan is more eager for that to happen than Antonio Banderas. The 55-year-old Spanish actor and director, a fervent supporter of his home club Malaga and of the national team, posted a photograph on his Twitter feed on Friday of himself in the Spanish team kit and ready to volley a football. The caption read: "Ready for today's game. Do you think they will call me in?" Spain, winners of Euro 2008 and 2012, began their title defence with a 1-0 victory over the Czech Republic on Monday. After Friday's game against Turkey in Nice, they end Group D against Croatia in Bordeaux next Tuesday. (Reuters)

Banderas offers his services to Spain

An editor at the conservative American website, Breitbart has been banned from Twitter following targeted racial slurs that drove &quot;Ghostbusters&quot; star Leslie Jones to abandon the social media platform in disgust. 
 
Twitter Inc said Tuesday it had moved to permanently suspend a number of user accounts for abuse and harassment after Jones drew renewed attention to the issue and announced she would quit the social media site. 
 
&quot;Your account has been permanently suspended for repeated violations of the Twitter rules ... specifically our rules prohibiting or participating in or inciting targeted abuse of individuals,&quot; the Twitter notification posted by Breitbart said. 
 
Among those banned Tuesday was Breitbart tech editor Milo Yiannopoulos, who has been a controversial figure on the site and helped lead the abuse against Jones.&nbsp; 
 
Yiannopoulos, was quoted by Breitbart late Tuesday as calling his suspension &quot;cowardly&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
The suspension came a day after Jones, who is African American, said she was leaving Twitter after being bombarded by Internet trolls likening her to an ape and making other racist insults.&nbsp; 
 
Jones retweeted and shared several abusive tweets she received Monday before telling her 250,000 followers: &quot;I leave Twitter tonight with tears and a very sad heart. All this cause I did a movie. You can hate the movie but the shit I got today...wrong.&quot; 
 
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey responded with a tweet back to Jones saying he was &quot;following&quot; and asking her to contact him directly.Yiannopoulos Twitter account, which had more than 388,000 followers, was blocked sometime later. 
 
Twitter has long come under criticism for not doing enough to police abusive behavior on the often-freewheeling messaging service. 
 
Other celebrities have taken issue with abuse on the site, including writer and actress Lena Dunham, who said in September she had hired someone to tweet on her behalf because it was no longer a &quot;safe space&quot; for her. 
 
Supporters started a #LoveForLeslieJ hashtag, encouraging Jones to &quot;stay strong&quot; and return to Twitter, while celebrities including actors John Boyega and Jada Pinkett Smith publicly offered their support. 
 
&quot;Ghostbusters&quot; director Paul Feig tweeted: &quot;Leslie Jones is one of the greatest people I know. Any personal attacks against her are attacks against us all.&quot; 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

"Ghostbusters'' star Leslie Jones quits Twitter after being bombarded by Internet trolls, Twitter announces crackdown

An editor at the conservative American website, Breitbart has been banned from Twitter following targeted racial slurs that drove "Ghostbusters" star Leslie Jones to abandon the social media platform in disgust. Twitter Inc said Tuesday it had moved to permanently suspend a number of user accounts for abuse and harassment after Jones drew renewed attention to the issue and announced she would quit the social media site. "Your account has been permanently suspended for repeated violations of the Twitter rules ... specifically our rules prohibiting or participating in or inciting targeted abuse of individuals," the Twitter notification posted by Breitbart said. Among those banned Tuesday was Breitbart tech editor Milo Yiannopoulos, who has been a controversial figure on the site and helped lead the abuse against Jones. Yiannopoulos, was quoted by Breitbart late Tuesday as calling his suspension "cowardly". The suspension came a day after Jones, who is African American, said she was leaving Twitter after being bombarded by Internet trolls likening her to an ape and making other racist insults. Jones retweeted and shared several abusive tweets she received Monday before telling her 250,000 followers: "I leave Twitter tonight with tears and a very sad heart. All this cause I did a movie. You can hate the movie but the shit I got today...wrong." Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey responded with a tweet back to Jones saying he was "following" and asking her to contact him directly.Yiannopoulos Twitter account, which had more than 388,000 followers, was blocked sometime later. Twitter has long come under criticism for not doing enough to police abusive behavior on the often-freewheeling messaging service. Other celebrities have taken issue with abuse on the site, including writer and actress Lena Dunham, who said in September she had hired someone to tweet on her behalf because it was no longer a "safe space" for her. Supporters started a #LoveForLeslieJ hashtag, encouraging Jones to "stay strong" and return to Twitter, while celebrities including actors John Boyega and Jada Pinkett Smith publicly offered their support. "Ghostbusters" director Paul Feig tweeted: "Leslie Jones is one of the greatest people I know. Any personal attacks against her are attacks against us all." (Reuters)

Breitbart editor banned from Twitter over racial abuse

Twitter on Thursday announced a deal to stream US college sports matches, boosting its live television offerings as it tries to lure more users and revenue. 
 
Twitter will be the top streaming partner for PAC-12 Plus, a broadband network of live events produced by the dozen universities in the conference, according to the organisation. 
 
At least 150 games are to be streamed on Twitter during the coming academic year. 
 
&quot;Twitter is the fastest way to find out what is happening in live sports,&quot; Twitter chief financial officer Anthony Noto said in a joint release. 
 
&quot;Our partnership with the Pac-12 Networks will give sports fans a great way to view live sporting events along with the live Twitter conversation they are already accustomed to.&quot; 
 
The alliance promised to raise the exposure of PAC-12 games, making the events easily available on a service many fans already use, according to PAC-12 Networks president Lydia Murphy-Stephans. 
 
A roster of school-produced events focused on Olympic sports was to include soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, baseball, ice hockey, swimming, track, tennis and water polo. 
 
Matches will continue to be streamed online at pac-12.com. 
 
The two most followed sports, basketball and US football, were not mentioned as part of the streaming partnership. Those college sports typically generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from cable or television broadcast contracts. 
 
Twitter has been beefing up its live streaming offerings. Earlier this week it announced that it will livestream Bloomberg financial news offerings and has a deal with CBS to livestream the upcoming Republican and Democratic party conventions. 
 
Twitter collaborated with cable sports powerhouse ESPN on a Wimbledon tennis tournament finals stream last week. 
 
The San Francisco-based company announced a $10-million deal in April with the National Football League to stream professional US football games on Thursday nights. 
 
Twitter is diving deeper into streaming as it strives to boost active user ranks, which stagnated at the start of this year. The company has yet to make a profit. 
 
(AFP) 
 
&nbsp;

As a partner of PAC-12 Plus, at least 150 games are to be streamed on Twitter during the coming academic year

Twitter on Thursday announced a deal to stream US college sports matches, boosting its live television offerings as it tries to lure more users and revenue. Twitter will be the top streaming partner for PAC-12 Plus, a broadband network of live events produced by the dozen universities in the conference, according to the organisation. At least 150 games are to be streamed on Twitter during the coming academic year. "Twitter is the fastest way to find out what is happening in live sports," Twitter chief financial officer Anthony Noto said in a joint release. "Our partnership with the Pac-12 Networks will give sports fans a great way to view live sporting events along with the live Twitter conversation they are already accustomed to." The alliance promised to raise the exposure of PAC-12 games, making the events easily available on a service many fans already use, according to PAC-12 Networks president Lydia Murphy-Stephans. A roster of school-produced events focused on Olympic sports was to include soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, baseball, ice hockey, swimming, track, tennis and water polo. Matches will continue to be streamed online at pac-12.com. The two most followed sports, basketball and US football, were not mentioned as part of the streaming partnership. Those college sports typically generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from cable or television broadcast contracts. Twitter has been beefing up its live streaming offerings. Earlier this week it announced that it will livestream Bloomberg financial news offerings and has a deal with CBS to livestream the upcoming Republican and Democratic party conventions. Twitter collaborated with cable sports powerhouse ESPN on a Wimbledon tennis tournament finals stream last week. The San Francisco-based company announced a $10-million deal in April with the National Football League to stream professional US football games on Thursday nights. Twitter is diving deeper into streaming as it strives to boost active user ranks, which stagnated at the start of this year. The company has yet to make a profit. (AFP)

Twitter to stream US college sports

Algerian internet users flocked back to social media&nbsp;on Friday&nbsp;following several days of blackout as the government sought to prevent a repeat of leaks of high school test papers. 
 
A leak of the papers on social media meant 555,000 out of 800,000 high school leavers who took their final exams at the start of June had to retake them between&nbsp;Sunday&nbsp;and&nbsp;Thursday. 
 
Djamila, 45, a sales executive, said she was delighted to be able to connect &quot;normally&quot; at last. Social networks allow her, like many Algerians, to stay in touch with relatives overseas. 
 
From&nbsp;Saturday&nbsp;to&nbsp;Thursday, Algerians were blocked from accessing Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. 
 
Fraud in the exams &quot;cannot justify what happened,&quot; Ali Kahlane, an expert on information technology and communication, told AFP. 
 
&quot;This caused the blocking of a whole country,&quot; he said. 
 
Many tech-savvy Algerians were able to get around the block, connecting via VPN, a type of &quot;secure tunnel&quot; in the internet that allows users to appear to be connecting from a different country. 
 
As well as the social media block, internet access in general was slow and faced interruptions. The government denied having disrupted the country&#39;s entire internet service. 
 
But the cuts also hurt businesses. Hassen Khelifati, chief of an insurance company, said he had lost 50 per cent of his turnover for the week due to difficulties getting online. 
 
&quot;The problem is the surprise. We weren&#39;t prepared for the internet to be cut. The two first days, there was a total blackout,&quot; he said. 
 
Algeria has around 20 million internet users including 16 million who use mobile services. Sharing of messages, photos and video has become wildly popular since the launch of 3G services in 2013. 
 
(AFP)

Social media sites were blocked in Algeria after cheats uploaded baccalaureate exam papers online forcing half the students to retake exams

Algerian internet users flocked back to social media on Friday following several days of blackout as the government sought to prevent a repeat of leaks of high school test papers. A leak of the papers on social media meant 555,000 out of 800,000 high school leavers who took their final exams at the start of June had to retake them between Sunday and Thursday. Djamila, 45, a sales executive, said she was delighted to be able to connect "normally" at last. Social networks allow her, like many Algerians, to stay in touch with relatives overseas. From Saturday to Thursday, Algerians were blocked from accessing Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. Fraud in the exams "cannot justify what happened," Ali Kahlane, an expert on information technology and communication, told AFP. "This caused the blocking of a whole country," he said. Many tech-savvy Algerians were able to get around the block, connecting via VPN, a type of "secure tunnel" in the internet that allows users to appear to be connecting from a different country. As well as the social media block, internet access in general was slow and faced interruptions. The government denied having disrupted the country's entire internet service. But the cuts also hurt businesses. Hassen Khelifati, chief of an insurance company, said he had lost 50 per cent of his turnover for the week due to difficulties getting online. "The problem is the surprise. We weren't prepared for the internet to be cut. The two first days, there was a total blackout," he said. Algeria has around 20 million internet users including 16 million who use mobile services. Sharing of messages, photos and video has become wildly popular since the launch of 3G services in 2013. (AFP)

Algerians celebrate return of social media after blackout

Actor Bryan Cranston has been roped in to play Zordon in the &quot;Power Rangers&quot; remake. 
 
The 60-year-old six-time Emmy winner broke the news on Twitter. 
 
&quot;Excited to play #Zordon in the #PowerRangersMovie! T or F: #BlueRanger Billy Cranston was named after what actor?,&quot; he wrote, noting that Billy Cranston, the Blue Ranger, was named after him. 
 
The &quot;Breaking Bad&quot; alum has worked with the Power Rangers franchise previously as well, voicing Snizard and Twin Man on the &quot;Mighty Morphin Power Rangers&quot; series in the early &#39;90s. 
 
The film will chronicle the adventures of five high school students who must save the planet, which includes their town of Angel Grove, from alien destruction. 
 
Elizabeth Banks is playing the villain, Rita Repulsa, while the young cast includes Becky G as Yellow Ranger Trini, Ludi Lin as Black Ranger Zack, Dacre Montgomery as Red Ranger Jason, Naomi Scott as Pink Ranger Kimberly, and RJ Cyler as Blue Ranger Billy. 
The film is scheduled to release in March 2017. 
 
(PTI)

The 60-year-old six-time Emmy winner broke the news that he'd be playing 'Zordon' on Twitter

Actor Bryan Cranston has been roped in to play Zordon in the "Power Rangers" remake. The 60-year-old six-time Emmy winner broke the news on Twitter. "Excited to play #Zordon in the #PowerRangersMovie! T or F: #BlueRanger Billy Cranston was named after what actor?," he wrote, noting that Billy Cranston, the Blue Ranger, was named after him. The "Breaking Bad" alum has worked with the Power Rangers franchise previously as well, voicing Snizard and Twin Man on the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" series in the early '90s. The film will chronicle the adventures of five high school students who must save the planet, which includes their town of Angel Grove, from alien destruction. Elizabeth Banks is playing the villain, Rita Repulsa, while the young cast includes Becky G as Yellow Ranger Trini, Ludi Lin as Black Ranger Zack, Dacre Montgomery as Red Ranger Jason, Naomi Scott as Pink Ranger Kimberly, and RJ Cyler as Blue Ranger Billy. The film is scheduled to release in March 2017. (PTI)

Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston to star in Power Rangers reboot

Algerian authorities have temporarily blocked access to Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites to try to stop cheats posting high school exam papers online, state media reported on Sunday. 
 
Tens of thousands of high school students were retaking part of their baccalaureate exams after details were shared over social media. 
 
&quot;The cut in social media is directly related to the partial baccalaureate exams that are taking place on Sunday,&quot; an official source told the APS state news agency. 
 
&quot;This is to protect students from the publication of false papers for these exams.&quot; 
 
Access to the internet through 3G mobile network also appeared to be disrupted on Sunday. 
 
Earlier this month, authorities said police arrested dozens of people, including officials working in national education offices and printers, as part of an investigation into how parts of the 2016 high school exams were leaked onto social media. 
(Reuters)

Tens of thousands of students need to retake part of their exams after details were shared over social media

Algerian authorities have temporarily blocked access to Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites to try to stop cheats posting high school exam papers online, state media reported on Sunday. Tens of thousands of high school students were retaking part of their baccalaureate exams after details were shared over social media. "The cut in social media is directly related to the partial baccalaureate exams that are taking place on Sunday," an official source told the APS state news agency. "This is to protect students from the publication of false papers for these exams." Access to the internet through 3G mobile network also appeared to be disrupted on Sunday. Earlier this month, authorities said police arrested dozens of people, including officials working in national education offices and printers, as part of an investigation into how parts of the 2016 high school exams were leaked onto social media. (Reuters)

Algeria blocks Facebook and Twitter to keep cheats from posting high school exam papers online

&nbsp;Advertising agencies are for the first time turning to Instagram more frequently than Twitter for social media ad campaigns, a survey released Thursday showed, a further indication of weakness in an ad sales operation that has been one of the few bright spots for Twitter.

The survey, from a unit of Comcast called Strata, came the same week Twitter Inc said its head of product, who took over the team in September, was leaving. The research firm eMarketer said earlier this month that Snapchat was on pace to surpass Twitter in the US&nbsp;active users, highlighting the threat Twitter faces from faster-growing competitors.

Amid Twitter&#39;s ongoing struggles with stagnant user growth, management turmoil and a tumbling stock price, the advertising operations under chief operating office Adam Bain had been a relative oasis of stability. Bain, who joined the company in 2010, helped build Twitter from scratch to more than $1 billion revenue in just over three years.

But cracks in the ad business began to emerge in the company&#39;s first-quarter earnings report, in which it missed its numbers due to weaker-than-expected spending by big advertisers and provided a weak revenue forecast. The stock has fallen 15 per cent since the April earnings announcement and closed Wednesday at $14.60 - far below its $26 IPO price in November of 2013.

The Strata survey asked 83 advertising agencies which social platform their clients preferred for social media campaigns. Sixty three&nbsp;per cent of advertisers said they were most likely to use photo-sharing app Instagram, compared with 56 per cent who said they would use social network Twitter. Facebook dominated, with 96 per cent of advertisers saying they were likely to use it.

Twitter rejected the survey results, pointing to a 2015 study by Advertiser Perceptions that showed 37 per cent of advertisers intended to buy ads on Twitter, compared with 28 per cent on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook. The same study showed that 46 per cent were considering buying ads on Twitter compared with 41 per cent on Instagram.

&quot;The data presented in this survey couldn&#39;t be farther from the truth,&quot; a Twitter spokesperson said. &quot;We have close relationships with our agency clients and continue to hear that Twitter offers the most powerful creative canvas.&quot;

Still, the survey shows the growing power of Instagram, which has the benefit of using Facebook&#39;s advertising technology and has been rolling out features that make it more useful for sharing news and activity updates that are the bread and butter of Twitter. Instagram has more than 200,000 advertisers compared with Twitter&#39;s 130,000.

&quot;We&#39;re seeing almost all of our clients shifting if not all of their budgets, then most of their budgets from Twitter to Instagram,&quot; said Chris Gilbert, senior social strategist at digital agency Kettle, which works mostly with fashion brands. &quot;Marketers typically want to be where the audience is.&quot;

Some ad agencies said their clients are shifting more of their budgets to Instagram because it has more users - more than 400 million compared with 310 million on Twitter - and because Facebook&#39;s ad technology allows them to target highly specific audiences.

&quot;We&#39;ve had more emphasis on Instagram for the last year,&quot; said Jason Peterson, chief creative officer at ad agency Havas Worldwide North America.

Instagram declined to comment on the Strata survey.

Sixty three per cent of advertisers chose Instagram, compared to 56% who chose Twitter

Advertising agencies are for the first time turning to Instagram more frequently than Twitter for social media ad campaigns, a survey released Thursday showed, a further indication of weakness in an ad sales operation that has been one of the few bright spots for Twitter. The survey, from a unit of Comcast called Strata, came the same week Twitter Inc said its head of product, who took over the team in September, was leaving. The research firm eMarketer said earlier this month that Snapchat was on pace to surpass Twitter in the US active users, highlighting the threat Twitter faces from faster-growing competitors. Amid Twitter's ongoing struggles with stagnant user growth, management turmoil and a tumbling stock price, the advertising operations under chief operating office Adam Bain had been a relative oasis of stability. Bain, who joined the company in 2010, helped build Twitter from scratch to more than $1 billion revenue in just over three years. But cracks in the ad business began to emerge in the company's first-quarter earnings report, in which it missed its numbers due to weaker-than-expected spending by big advertisers and provided a weak revenue forecast. The stock has fallen 15 per cent since the April earnings announcement and closed Wednesday at $14.60 - far below its $26 IPO price in November of 2013. The Strata survey asked 83 advertising agencies which social platform their clients preferred for social media campaigns. Sixty three per cent of advertisers said they were most likely to use photo-sharing app Instagram, compared with 56 per cent who said they would use social network Twitter. Facebook dominated, with 96 per cent of advertisers saying they were likely to use it. Twitter rejected the survey results, pointing to a 2015 study by Advertiser Perceptions that showed 37 per cent of advertisers intended to buy ads on Twitter, compared with 28 per cent on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook. The same study showed that 46 per cent were considering buying ads on Twitter compared with 41 per cent on Instagram. "The data presented in this survey couldn't be farther from the truth," a Twitter spokesperson said. "We have close relationships with our agency clients and continue to hear that Twitter offers the most powerful creative canvas." Still, the survey shows the growing power of Instagram, which has the benefit of using Facebook's advertising technology and has been rolling out features that make it more useful for sharing news and activity updates that are the bread and butter of Twitter. Instagram has more than 200,000 advertisers compared with Twitter's 130,000. "We're seeing almost all of our clients shifting if not all of their budgets, then most of their budgets from Twitter to Instagram," said Chris Gilbert, senior social strategist at digital agency Kettle, which works mostly with fashion brands. "Marketers typically want to be where the audience is." Some ad agencies said their clients are shifting more of their budgets to Instagram because it has more users - more than 400 million compared with 310 million on Twitter - and because Facebook's ad technology allows them to target highly specific audiences. "We've had more emphasis on Instagram for the last year," said Jason Peterson, chief creative officer at ad agency Havas Worldwide North America. Instagram declined to comment on the Strata survey.

Instagram attracting more advertising than Twitter: Survey

The National Football League&#39;s&nbsp;Twitter&nbsp;account was hacked on Tuesday and a false tweet was sent that Commissioner Roger Goodell had died, an NFL spokesman said on his&nbsp;Twitter&nbsp;account.

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL">@nfl</a> Twitter account was hacked. <a href="https://twitter.com/nflcommish">@nflcommish</a> is alive and well.
&mdash; Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLprguy/status/740223398584946688">June 7, 2016</a></blockquote>
</div>

McCarthy confirmed to Reuters that the account had been hacked.

&quot;We are reviewing and strengthening our cyber security measures,&quot; McCarthy said in an email.

He said the NFL had contacted law enforcement about the hacking but declined further comment.

The NFL&#39;s official&nbsp;Twitter&nbsp;handle sent a tweet at 12:36 p.m. ET that read, &quot;We regret to inform our fans that our commissioner, Roger Goodell, has passed away. He was 57. #RIP.&quot;

The tweet was promptly deleted, only to be followed by another rogue message, this time seemingly mocking the league.

&quot;Oi, I said Roger Goodell has died,&quot; the tweet read. &quot;Don&#39;t delete that tweet.&quot;

A&nbsp;Twitter&nbsp;spokesman declined to comment and directed inquiries to the NFL.

&quot;Roger Goodell&quot; quickly began to trend on&nbsp;Twitter, with some social media users cracking jokes.

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Fans across the nation devastated after hearing Roger Goodell was found alive this morning in his office at <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL">@NFL</a> HQ. He is 57.
&mdash; Henry McNamara (@HenryLMcNamara) <a href="https://twitter.com/HenryLMcNamara/status/740226236216188928">June 7, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

The NFL was not the only high-profile account hacked this week.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg&#39;s&nbsp;Twitter&nbsp;and Pinterest accounts were hacked on Sunday.

A series of rogue messages kept social media abuzz about "Roger Goodell's death"

The National Football League's Twitter account was hacked on Tuesday and a false tweet was sent that Commissioner Roger Goodell had died, an NFL spokesman said on his Twitter account. The @nfl Twitter account was hacked. @nflcommish is alive and well. — Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) June 7, 2016 McCarthy confirmed to Reuters that the account had been hacked. "We are reviewing and strengthening our cyber security measures," McCarthy said in an email. He said the NFL had contacted law enforcement about the hacking but declined further comment. The NFL's official Twitter handle sent a tweet at 12:36 p.m. ET that read, "We regret to inform our fans that our commissioner, Roger Goodell, has passed away. He was 57. #RIP." The tweet was promptly deleted, only to be followed by another rogue message, this time seemingly mocking the league. "Oi, I said Roger Goodell has died," the tweet read. "Don't delete that tweet." A Twitter spokesman declined to comment and directed inquiries to the NFL. "Roger Goodell" quickly began to trend on Twitter, with some social media users cracking jokes. Fans across the nation devastated after hearing Roger Goodell was found alive this morning in his office at @NFL HQ. He is 57. — Henry McNamara (@HenryLMcNamara) June 7, 2016 The NFL was not the only high-profile account hacked this week. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's Twitter and Pinterest accounts were hacked on Sunday.

Twitter account hacked, news of commissioner's death false, says NFL

A month-old Bactrian camel named Alexander Camelton at Chicago&#39;s Lincoln Park Zoo has become a social media star.

The gangly brown camel has Twitter abuzz over his name, a play on Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the United States and the inspiration for the smash Broadway&nbsp;musical &quot;Hamilton.&quot;

&quot;We&#39;ve been very surprised with the reaction we&#39;ve gotten on social media,&quot; Lincoln Park Zoological Manager Dan Boehm said on Tuesday.

Boehm described Alexander Camelton, the first Bactrian camel born at the zoo since 1998, as very precocious and said he was adjusting very well.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote and stars in &quot;Hamilton,&quot; posted an emoji of a camel and a blushing face on Twitter in recognition of baby Camelton.

Other social media users had fun with the camel&#39;s name.

&quot;It&#39;s going to be really awkward when Alexander Camelton dies in a duel with Aaron Brrrr the Penguin,&quot; tweeted Mike Sager (@msager) on Monday, referring to Aaron Burr, who mortally wounded Alexander Hamilton in a duel 1804.

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Soon all the zoo animals will have &lsquo;Hamilton&#39; names. Alexander Camelton. Salamander Hamilton. Alexander Lambilton. Lin-Manuel the Panda
&mdash; Jason O. Gilbert (@gilbertjasono) <a href="https://twitter.com/gilbertjasono/status/739894758684794880">June 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
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A month-old Bactrian camel named Alexander Camelton has Twitter abuzz over his name

A month-old Bactrian camel named Alexander Camelton at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo has become a social media star. The gangly brown camel has Twitter abuzz over his name, a play on Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the United States and the inspiration for the smash Broadway musical "Hamilton." "We've been very surprised with the reaction we've gotten on social media," Lincoln Park Zoological Manager Dan Boehm said on Tuesday. Boehm described Alexander Camelton, the first Bactrian camel born at the zoo since 1998, as very precocious and said he was adjusting very well. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote and stars in "Hamilton," posted an emoji of a camel and a blushing face on Twitter in recognition of baby Camelton. Other social media users had fun with the camel's name. "It's going to be really awkward when Alexander Camelton dies in a duel with Aaron Brrrr the Penguin," tweeted Mike Sager (@msager) on Monday, referring to Aaron Burr, who mortally wounded Alexander Hamilton in a duel 1804. Soon all the zoo animals will have ‘Hamilton' names. Alexander Camelton. Salamander Hamilton. Alexander Lambilton. Lin-Manuel the Panda — Jason O. Gilbert (@gilbertjasono) June 6, 2016

Chicago zoo's baby camel a social media star

The statue in the town square of a Houston suburb depicting two young&nbsp;women&nbsp;posing for a selfie was meant to be a sign of the times. It has unleashed another sign of the times - a heated social media debate. 
 
The statue in Sugar Land, just outside of City Hall, was part of an installation of pieces donated to the city. Residents have been quick to weigh in on social media. 
 
&quot;Selfie Statue, Seriously? Sugarland what are your officials thinking,&quot; one Twitter comment read. Said another: &quot;I hope someone demolishes that disgrace of culture and an eye sore.&quot; 
 
Others defended the selfie statue. &quot;Let&rsquo;s Be Honest: The #SelfieStatue in #SugarLand, TX is a Perfect Sign of the Times,&quot; said one commentator. Added another: &quot;Unpopular Opinion: The Sugar Land, TX, selfie statue everyone is talking about is both art and good art.&quot; 
 
The statue in question is part of a group donated from a local resident. Others in the group include a statue of a man playing a guitar, and one of an alligator, installed near a pond. 
 
Some fans of the selfie statue have posed for selfies in front of it, while others praised the work but slammed the artist for depicting the&nbsp;women&nbsp;using what appears to be an outdated phone. 
 
Sugar Land city spokesman Doug Adolph said the selfie statue depicts something seen every day and yet &quot;it has upset some people.&quot; 
 
&quot;You can&#39;t please everyone,&quot; he said.

The statue in the town square of a Houston suburb depicting two young?women?posing for a selfie has sparked off a heated social media debate

The statue in the town square of a Houston suburb depicting two young women posing for a selfie was meant to be a sign of the times. It has unleashed another sign of the times - a heated social media debate. The statue in Sugar Land, just outside of City Hall, was part of an installation of pieces donated to the city. Residents have been quick to weigh in on social media. "Selfie Statue, Seriously? Sugarland what are your officials thinking," one Twitter comment read. Said another: "I hope someone demolishes that disgrace of culture and an eye sore." Others defended the selfie statue. "Let’s Be Honest: The #SelfieStatue in #SugarLand, TX is a Perfect Sign of the Times," said one commentator. Added another: "Unpopular Opinion: The Sugar Land, TX, selfie statue everyone is talking about is both art and good art." The statue in question is part of a group donated from a local resident. Others in the group include a statue of a man playing a guitar, and one of an alligator, installed near a pond. Some fans of the selfie statue have posed for selfies in front of it, while others praised the work but slammed the artist for depicting the women using what appears to be an outdated phone. Sugar Land city spokesman Doug Adolph said the selfie statue depicts something seen every day and yet "it has upset some people." "You can't please everyone," he said.

Selfie statue fails to click with some in Houston suburb

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft have unveiled a code of conduct with the European Commission that pledges to combat online hate speech.

In a press release, the EU Commissioners for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality pointed out the need for increased monitoring following the spate of terror attacks that have rocked Europe. 
 
&quot;The recent terror attacks have reminded us of the urgent need to address illegal online hate speech,&quot; said Vera Jourova in a statement.

&quot;Social media is unfortunately one of the tools that terrorist groups use to radicalize young people, and racists use to spread violence and hatred. This agreement is an important step forward to ensure that the internet remains a place of free and democratic expression, where European values and laws are respected.&quot;

The code of conduct outlines a raft of measures the IT companies have agreed to respect, including the commitment to remove illegal hate speech in less than 24 hours after being notified.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube & Microsoft have signed an agreement to battle hate speech online.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft have unveiled a code of conduct with the European Commission that pledges to combat online hate speech. In a press release, the EU Commissioners for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality pointed out the need for increased monitoring following the spate of terror attacks that have rocked Europe. "The recent terror attacks have reminded us of the urgent need to address illegal online hate speech," said Vera Jourova in a statement. "Social media is unfortunately one of the tools that terrorist groups use to radicalize young people, and racists use to spread violence and hatred. This agreement is an important step forward to ensure that the internet remains a place of free and democratic expression, where European values and laws are respected." The code of conduct outlines a raft of measures the IT companies have agreed to respect, including the commitment to remove illegal hate speech in less than 24 hours after being notified.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube & Microsoft join hands to fight hate speech

Facebook, Twitter, Google&#39;s YouTube and Microsoft today agreed to an EU code of conduct to tackle online hate speech within 24 hours in Europe.

EU governments have been trying in recent months to get social platforms to crack down on rising online racism following the refugee crisis and terror attacks, with some even threatening action against the companies.

As part of the pledge agreed with the European Commission, the web giants will review the majority of valid requests for removal of illegal hate speech in less than 24 hours and remove or disable access to the content if necessary.

They will also strengthen their cooperation with civil society organisations who help flag hateful content when it goes online and promote &quot;counter-narratives&quot; to hate speech.

&quot;The recent terror attacks have reminded us of the urgent need to address illegal online hate speech. Social media is unfortunately one of the tools that terrorist groups use to radicalise young people,&quot; EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said.

Germany got Google, Facebook and Twitter to agree to delete hate speech from their websites within 24 hours last year and even launched an investigation into the European head of Facebook over its alleged failure to remove racist hate speech.

&quot;There&#39;s no place for hate speech on Facebook,&quot; said Monika Bickert, Head of Global Policy Management at Facebook.

&quot;With a global community of 1.6 billion people,&nbsp;we work hard to balance giving people the power to express themselves whilst ensuring we provide a respectful environment.&quot;

The code of conduct is largely a continuation of efforts that the companies already take to counter hate speech on their websites, such as developing tools for people to report hateful content and training staff to handle such requests.

Twitter has suspended over 125,000 accounts since the middle of 2015 for threatening or promoting terror acts, primarily related to Islamic State.

The United States has undertaken similar efforts to entice the cooperation of tech companies in combating online radicalisation, focusing on promoting &quot;counter-narratives&quot; to extremist content.

EU ministers had called for cooperation with tech companies to be stepped up after the Brussels attacks in March.

Jewish lobbyists, frequently the target of hate speech, welcomed the code of conduct.

&quot;This a historic agreement that could not arrive at a better time,&rdquo; said Dr. Moshe Kantor, President of the European Jewish Congress.

Following migrant refugee crisis and terror attacks, governments have been trying to crack down on inflammatory online content.

Facebook, Twitter, Google's YouTube and Microsoft today agreed to an EU code of conduct to tackle online hate speech within 24 hours in Europe. EU governments have been trying in recent months to get social platforms to crack down on rising online racism following the refugee crisis and terror attacks, with some even threatening action against the companies. As part of the pledge agreed with the European Commission, the web giants will review the majority of valid requests for removal of illegal hate speech in less than 24 hours and remove or disable access to the content if necessary. They will also strengthen their cooperation with civil society organisations who help flag hateful content when it goes online and promote "counter-narratives" to hate speech. "The recent terror attacks have reminded us of the urgent need to address illegal online hate speech. Social media is unfortunately one of the tools that terrorist groups use to radicalise young people," EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said. Germany got Google, Facebook and Twitter to agree to delete hate speech from their websites within 24 hours last year and even launched an investigation into the European head of Facebook over its alleged failure to remove racist hate speech. "There's no place for hate speech on Facebook," said Monika Bickert, Head of Global Policy Management at Facebook. "With a global community of 1.6 billion people, we work hard to balance giving people the power to express themselves whilst ensuring we provide a respectful environment." The code of conduct is largely a continuation of efforts that the companies already take to counter hate speech on their websites, such as developing tools for people to report hateful content and training staff to handle such requests. Twitter has suspended over 125,000 accounts since the middle of 2015 for threatening or promoting terror acts, primarily related to Islamic State. The United States has undertaken similar efforts to entice the cooperation of tech companies in combating online radicalisation, focusing on promoting "counter-narratives" to extremist content. EU ministers had called for cooperation with tech companies to be stepped up after the Brussels attacks in March. Jewish lobbyists, frequently the target of hate speech, welcomed the code of conduct. "This a historic agreement that could not arrive at a better time,” said Dr. Moshe Kantor, President of the European Jewish Congress.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Microsoft back EU hate speech rules

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