Recag/C4_35 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 10 95.7k
The committee's inheritance equality proposal has stirred heated debate in the Muslim-majority country, along with a separate recommendation for the decriminalisation of homosexuality.
The COLIBE report also called for the freedom of conscience, the abolition of capital punishment, the right to take the mother's last name as well as the right of Tunisian women to pass on citizenship to their foreign husbands.
On Saturday, thousands of protesters gathered outside parliament in the capital, Tunis, to denounce the committee's proposals, which they said - if passed - would amount to anti-Muslim legislation.
The demonstration was organised by the National Coordination for the Defence of the Quran, the Constitution and Equitable Development, a conservative group whose director, Noureddine Khadmi, was a former religious affairs minister.
Protesters carried signs saying that COLIBE's recommendations constituted an affront to God's word and described them as a threat to the country's Islamic identity.
But Bochra Belhaj Hmida, the committee's head, complained last week that a number of preachers had manipulated and distorted some of her body's recommendations.
Hmida, a member of parliament and lifelong human rights advocate, emphasised that COLIBE was not looking to legalise gay marriage, nor did it seek to ban the call to prayer or circumcision.
She also stated her committee's immediate goal was to start a debate about the state of individual freedoms in the country.
The Muslim Democrat Ennahda party - one of the country's foremost political forces - expressed its support for some of the committee's recommendations, such as the revocation of the death penalty, while steering clear of the more controversial issues.
Experts said that while Essebsi may be genuine in his pursuit of reforms, there might also other factors in play.
"By elevating 'culture war' issues and reactivating the secular-Islamist cleavage, Essebsi is able to distract attention away from the poor economic situation and help re-unify the 'secular' or 'modernist' forces ahead [of] the 2019 elections," Sharan Grewal, a PhD candidate in politics at Princeton University, told Al Jazeera.
"Ennahda has worked hard to present itself internationally as a moderate, even progressive, Muslim Democratic party open to gender equality. Publicly opposing the COLIBE report, especially equal inheritance, would undermine this international reputation."
The other issue, related to my point about the President using COLIBE against Ennahda, is that this is reawakening the polarization between secularism and Islamism in the country, in preparation for 2019. Ignorant and poor masses will be the cannon fodder for this battle.
Observers also note Essebsi's ideological proximity to Tunisia's founding father, Habib Bourguiba, who spoke vociferously in favour of women's emancipation.
Having served as one of Bourguiba's close advisers, the president would be looking to emulate Tunisia's first post-independence leader by creating a legacy for himself and coincidentally also championing women's rights, argued Grewal.
"Given his age, that desire for a legacy is I think his primary motivation," he added.
A New York Yankees fan got a little too involved in the action Tuesday night.
A fan sitting behind home plate at Yankee Stadium was ejected in the eighth inning during the middle of New York catcher Gary Sanchez’s at-bat. The reason? According to Sanchez and Rays catcher Wilson Ramos, the fan was yelling out pitch locations to Sanchez as Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Austin Pruitt threw home.
Video of the fan yelling can be found here.
“You could definitely hear the guy scream, ‘Outside, outside!'” Sanchez said through an interpreter after the game, via the New York Post. Ramos confirmed Sanchez’s account, and that the fan’s shouts were accurate.
Home plate umpire Dan Bellino stopped play after the count ran full on Sanchez, walking to the backstop to speak with a security guard about having the fan removed. Play resumed after a 90-second delay while the fan was being ejected, and Sanchez followed with a bloop RBI single to plate the Yankees’ fifth run in an eventual 6-1 win.
Apparently, the fan wasn’t very subtle about his methods, as Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he heard the yells from the dugout.
New York gained a game in the American League East standings after the Red Sox’s loss Tuesday night and now trails first-place Boston by three games.
LOS ANGELES ? Occupy Wall Street protesters who defied a deadline to remove their weeks-old encampment on the Los Angeles City Hall lawn stood their ground today as they faced uncertainty over when or if police would push them out of the park ? and if an eviction could happen without the kind of violence that has engulfed the removal of protest sites in other cities.
LOS ANGELES — Occupy Wall Street protesters who defied a deadline to remove their weeks-old encampment on the Los Angeles City Hall lawn stood their ground today as they faced uncertainty over when or if police would push them out of the park — and if an eviction could happen without the kind of violence that has engulfed the removal of protest sites in other cities.
Protesters in the nation's second largest city have turned to the federal courts to keep officers away after disobeying a city-imposed 12:01 a.m. deadline Monday to take down their camp. They argue that the city council passed a resolution in support of the movement and that the city's mayor and police did not have the authority to evict them.
The chances that protesters will get an injunction appear slim, experts say.
Meanwhile, city officials said they will only move in on the camp when conditions are safest not just for protesters and officers but also the roughly 100 homeless people who had joined the encampment.
"There is no concrete deadline," LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said after hundreds of officers withdrew without moving in.
The effort should come "with as little drama as possible," Beck told reporters.
Police and protesters have clashed elsewhere in recent weeks, most notably in Oakland, Calif., as officers cleared away camps that officials say have grown more dangerous for public health and safety.
Marine Corps veteran Scott Olsen, whose skull was fractured during an Oct. 25 clash between police and Occupy Oakland protesters, said in his first interview since being injured that he has trouble speaking but expects to recover completely.
"I am doing much better than when I look at myself a month ago, which was two days after the attack," Olsen said "I was not doing good. But now I'm doing a lot better."
In Olympia, Wash., police used Tasers on three people in a skirmish as a large crowd refused to leave the Capitol building after a day of protests. Earlier, a group shouted down lawmakers during the first day of a 30-day special session over $2 billion in budget cuts. Protest chants favored taxes for the wealthy.
Nine people were arrested in Maine after protesters at an encampment took down their tents and packed their gear after being told to get a permit or move their shelters. Some of the encampments had been in use almost since the movement against economic disparity and perceived corporate greed began with Occupy Wall Street in Manhattan two months ago.
With each passing week, it seems a city moves in to close a camp. Like Los Angeles, Philadelphia officials imposed their own deadline for protesters to move to make way for a construction project.
On Monday, however, the camp was still standing.
In Los Angeles, protesters had prepared for police action Monday since city leaders announced last week that the camp would be cleared. Campers had packed up about half of the nearly 500 tents.
Protesters chanted "we won, we won" as police left after only four arrests during a largely peaceful, six-hour demonstration against the eviction. The arrests were on charges of failure to disperse.
Instead of moving in to clear the camp, as had been expected, police concentrated on clearing several hundred protesters who had spilled into the street so morning rush-hour traffic would not be affected.
Hours later, several demonstrators asked a federal judge for an injunction against the city.
The civil rights complaint contends that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa usurped the City Council's authority when he set a deadline of 12:01 a.m. Monday for the tent-dwellers to disband.
The council passed a resolution of support for the occupiers in October that effectively allowed them to remain on the lawn despite a city ban on overnight camping, the complaint argued.
The city attorney's spokesman John Franklin said the city was prepared to oppose any injunction.
Mulvihill reported from Philadelphia. Associated Press writers Shaya Tayefe Mohajer, John Rogers and Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles, Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia, and Glenn Adams in Augusta, Maine, contributed to this report.
People came out in large numbers in Uri (Baramulla), Lar (Ganderbal), Wavoora (Kupwara), Nagam (Badgam) and Pahloo (Kulgam) blocks of the Kashmir Valley to make their choice despite the cold and rainy weather.
According to an electoral official, Uri recorded 86.95 percent voting, followed by Wavoora (85), Lar (82.60), Nagam (72) and Pahloo (81.48).The overall voter turnout was 81.62 percent in these blocks, he said.The turn out was equally impressive in the other three blocks of Chenani (78 percent), Vijaypur (84) and RS Pura (83).
The polling started at 8 a.m. and ended at 2 p.m.Votes are being counted at the various polling stations.
The multi-phased panchayat elections, the first after a gap of ten years, are being held in Jammu and Kashmir on a non-party basis.
Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani had called for a boycott of the elections while other separatist leaders remained silent over the people's participation in the elections.
A woman candidate was killed in Pakharpora area of central Badgam district Friday, but the polling there was not affected, recording over 70 percent turnout.
The woman's murder was believed to be a message killing by the guerrillas to dissuade voters from participating in these elections, but Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said the incident could be unconnected with her decision to contest.
Instead of the electronic voting machines (EVMs), paper ballots are being used for the elections.
Hundreds of local police, as also Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers, were deployed across the voting blocks.
No untoward incident occurred during the day, police here said.The first round of the 16-phase local elections was held April 13.
VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Messages of hate were spray painted on walls at Skyview High School early Wednesday morning. The The Clark County Sheriff's Office is trying to track down a man who called the graffiti in at 1:30, to ask him about how he found the graffiti on campus at that time of day. The vandalism was removed by a custodian before students arrived, according to district spokesperson Pat Nuzzo.
Nuzzo said the hate messages were spray painted on two exterior walls at the school. The messages targeted subjects of race, religion and gender. The Clark County Sheriff's Office is investigating the vandalism.
Skyview administrators spent Wednesday reassuring students and families that the school is a safe, welcoming place. The school held an assembly and Principal James Gray sent a message to Skyview families through email and automated calls.
Students who spoke to KGW appreciated the school's response, but not the graffiti.
"We are one big school they’re handling it really calmly and it’s just one of those things that’s it’s just like, what the heck," said Chelsea Gardner.
"I think it’s really immature what they’re doing, the way they express themselves it’s really wrong," said Hunter Davenport.
The Southern Poverty Law Center said these type of incidents of hateful intimidation and harassment are spiking since the election of Donald Trump as President. The organization has collected more than 400 reports since the election through Monday, November 9th.
A Washington State University Vancouver sociology professor said President-elect Donald Trump's rhetoric paved the way for a spike in hate.
“There’s a certain amount of enabling going on here that I think people feel enabled by the comments he’s made and there’s a lot of sort of incipient racism in the is county that was waiting to come out,” said Clay Mosher, who specializes in criminology.
Skyview is a special place where we embrace our diversity and celebrate our successes regardless of political ideology, race, heritage, gender identity or family background.
This week we were the targets of hate speech on our outside walls. We have removed it and are in the process of repainting. While this deeply saddens us, we know that it does not define us. It is imperative that we, as a school, recommit to each member of the Skyview community our paramount duty to provide a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students.
I wanted to take a moment to share, again, our covenants that represent our core values in action as an educational community: Trust- We commit to an environment in which all children are physically and emotionally safe to learn. Integrity- We commit to holding our students accountable for academic requirements and Skyview's policies. Commitment to Excellence- We commit to being reflective in our practice as a means to getting better every day.
While acknowledging that many people in our community- children and adults- are experiencing a broad range of emotions, we will serve them all by staying laser focused on these commitments.
I love this school and these kids. I will do everything in my power to protect them from harm and prepare them for a successful future.
And if the list is already sent, these might be a few ideas for the January sales.
The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are being released today.
Be the hostess with the mostest.
Tablets are handy devices, but if you’re undecided on whether your family needs one or not, here’s what you should be asking.
One thousand… one thousand and one!
It’s not cheap but might be nice for the runner in your life this Christmas.
Technologies also cause problems for regulators as they try to decide where to draw the line.
The new guidelines will allow passengers to keep their gadgets switched on throughout their flight.
Mobile phones still cannot be used for voice calls while in flight says the Federal Aviation Administration.
“We still have a lot to cover,” said the tech firm.
Review: Is the iPhone 5S worth buying?
From the fingerprint unlock to the unexpectedly amazing slow-motion videos, Niall Harbison assesses whether the iPhone 5S is worth the hype or style over substance.
Are they trying to make us – gasp! – Christmas shop already?
Open thread: What's on your Christmas tech wishlist?
The web giant is aiming to turn televisions into second screens for Google-powered devices, starting with the remarkably cheap Chromecast.
Stuffing a naggin in your sock is for amateurs.
Mobile phones, email, Facebook and Twitter can make us more anti-social, writes Ciara Conlon – but that doesn’t mean we should ditch them.
Open thread: What high-tech functions would you like in your home?
What kind of tech developments would make it easier to run your home? Add your thoughts to this open thread.
Meanwhile, research study says that sales of dedicated e-readers peaked last year.
While the new move may anger Apple users, accessory manufacturers are preparing for a sales boom after the phone’s release.
21st Century Gadgets. Which are the most important so far?
Yeah, Apple features quite heavily.
Latest development in the tech battle over alleged patent infringement.
The 7-inch device will run Google Wallet and Android Beam, according to training documents seen by Gizmodo Australia.
PCWorld tests show it’s no worse than Android tablets, and possibly not as hot as some laptops.
Time to ditch your smartphone? The high-tech specs will display graphics directly in front of your eyes – and they’re said to be coming this year.
Here’s a bunch of stuff you wish you had.
Who would live in an armoured, transforming house like this?
For very private people: a house which turns itself, at the touch of a button, into a seamless concrete bunker.
Fire started in a dorm.

The committee's inheritance equality proposal has stirred heated debate in the Muslim-majority country, along with a separate recommendation for the decriminalisation of homosexuality.

The COLIBE report also called for the freedom of conscience, the abolition of capital punishment, the right to take the mother's last name as well as the right of Tunisian women to pass on citizenship to their foreign husbands.

On Saturday, thousands of protesters gathered outside parliament in the capital, Tunis, to denounce the committee's proposals, which they said - if passed - would amount to anti-Muslim legislation.

The demonstration was organised by the National Coordination for the Defence of the Quran, the Constitution and Equitable Development, a conservative group whose director, Noureddine Khadmi, was a former religious affairs minister.

Protesters carried signs saying that COLIBE's recommendations constituted an affront to God's word and described them as a threat to the country's Islamic identity.

But Bochra Belhaj Hmida, the committee's head, complained last week that a number of preachers had manipulated and distorted some of her body's recommendations.

Hmida, a member of parliament and lifelong human rights advocate, emphasised that COLIBE was not looking to legalise gay marriage, nor did it seek to ban the call to prayer or circumcision.

She also stated her committee's immediate goal was to start a debate about the state of individual freedoms in the country.

The Muslim Democrat Ennahda party - one of the country's foremost political forces - expressed its support for some of the committee's recommendations, such as the revocation of the death penalty, while steering clear of the more controversial issues.

Experts said that while Essebsi may be genuine in his pursuit of reforms, there might also other factors in play.

"By elevating 'culture war' issues and reactivating the secular-Islamist cleavage, Essebsi is able to distract attention away from the poor economic situation and help re-unify the 'secular' or 'modernist' forces ahead [of] the 2019 elections," Sharan Grewal, a PhD candidate in politics at Princeton University, told Al Jazeera.

"Ennahda has worked hard to present itself internationally as a moderate, even progressive, Muslim Democratic party open to gender equality. Publicly opposing the COLIBE report, especially equal inheritance, would undermine this international reputation."

The other issue, related to my point about the President using COLIBE against Ennahda, is that this is reawakening the polarization between secularism and Islamism in the country, in preparation for 2019. Ignorant and poor masses will be the cannon fodder for this battle.

Observers also note Essebsi's ideological proximity to Tunisia's founding father, Habib Bourguiba, who spoke vociferously in favour of women's emancipation.

Having served as one of Bourguiba's close advisers, the president would be looking to emulate Tunisia's first post-independence leader by creating a legacy for himself and coincidentally also championing women's rights, argued Grewal.

"Given his age, that desire for a legacy is I think his primary motivation," he added.

A New York Yankees fan got a little too involved in the action Tuesday night.

A fan sitting behind home plate at Yankee Stadium was ejected in the eighth inning during the middle of New York catcher Gary Sanchez’s at-bat. The reason? According to Sanchez and Rays catcher Wilson Ramos, the fan was yelling out pitch locations to Sanchez as Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Austin Pruitt threw home.

Video of the fan yelling can be found here.

“You could definitely hear the guy scream, ‘Outside, outside!'” Sanchez said through an interpreter after the game, via the New York Post. Ramos confirmed Sanchez’s account, and that the fan’s shouts were accurate.

Home plate umpire Dan Bellino stopped play after the count ran full on Sanchez, walking to the backstop to speak with a security guard about having the fan removed. Play resumed after a 90-second delay while the fan was being ejected, and Sanchez followed with a bloop RBI single to plate the Yankees’ fifth run in an eventual 6-1 win.

Apparently, the fan wasn’t very subtle about his methods, as Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he heard the yells from the dugout.

New York gained a game in the American League East standings after the Red Sox’s loss Tuesday night and now trails first-place Boston by three games.

LOS ANGELES ? Occupy Wall Street protesters who defied a deadline to remove their weeks-old encampment on the Los Angeles City Hall lawn stood their ground today as they faced uncertainty over when or if police would push them out of the park ? and if an eviction could happen without the kind of violence that has engulfed the removal of protest sites in other cities.

LOS ANGELES — Occupy Wall Street protesters who defied a deadline to remove their weeks-old encampment on the Los Angeles City Hall lawn stood their ground today as they faced uncertainty over when or if police would push them out of the park — and if an eviction could happen without the kind of violence that has engulfed the removal of protest sites in other cities.

Protesters in the nation's second largest city have turned to the federal courts to keep officers away after disobeying a city-imposed 12:01 a.m. deadline Monday to take down their camp. They argue that the city council passed a resolution in support of the movement and that the city's mayor and police did not have the authority to evict them.

The chances that protesters will get an injunction appear slim, experts say.

Meanwhile, city officials said they will only move in on the camp when conditions are safest not just for protesters and officers but also the roughly 100 homeless people who had joined the encampment.

"There is no concrete deadline," LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said after hundreds of officers withdrew without moving in.

The effort should come "with as little drama as possible," Beck told reporters.

Police and protesters have clashed elsewhere in recent weeks, most notably in Oakland, Calif., as officers cleared away camps that officials say have grown more dangerous for public health and safety.

Marine Corps veteran Scott Olsen, whose skull was fractured during an Oct. 25 clash between police and Occupy Oakland protesters, said in his first interview since being injured that he has trouble speaking but expects to recover completely.

"I am doing much better than when I look at myself a month ago, which was two days after the attack," Olsen said "I was not doing good. But now I'm doing a lot better."

In Olympia, Wash., police used Tasers on three people in a skirmish as a large crowd refused to leave the Capitol building after a day of protests. Earlier, a group shouted down lawmakers during the first day of a 30-day special session over $2 billion in budget cuts. Protest chants favored taxes for the wealthy.

Nine people were arrested in Maine after protesters at an encampment took down their tents and packed their gear after being told to get a permit or move their shelters. Some of the encampments had been in use almost since the movement against economic disparity and perceived corporate greed began with Occupy Wall Street in Manhattan two months ago.

With each passing week, it seems a city moves in to close a camp. Like Los Angeles, Philadelphia officials imposed their own deadline for protesters to move to make way for a construction project.

On Monday, however, the camp was still standing.

In Los Angeles, protesters had prepared for police action Monday since city leaders announced last week that the camp would be cleared. Campers had packed up about half of the nearly 500 tents.

Protesters chanted "we won, we won" as police left after only four arrests during a largely peaceful, six-hour demonstration against the eviction. The arrests were on charges of failure to disperse.

Instead of moving in to clear the camp, as had been expected, police concentrated on clearing several hundred protesters who had spilled into the street so morning rush-hour traffic would not be affected.

Hours later, several demonstrators asked a federal judge for an injunction against the city.

The civil rights complaint contends that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa usurped the City Council's authority when he set a deadline of 12:01 a.m. Monday for the tent-dwellers to disband.

The council passed a resolution of support for the occupiers in October that effectively allowed them to remain on the lawn despite a city ban on overnight camping, the complaint argued.

The city attorney's spokesman John Franklin said the city was prepared to oppose any injunction.

Mulvihill reported from Philadelphia. Associated Press writers Shaya Tayefe Mohajer, John Rogers and Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles, Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia, and Glenn Adams in Augusta, Maine, contributed to this report.

People came out in large numbers in Uri (Baramulla), Lar (Ganderbal), Wavoora (Kupwara), Nagam (Badgam) and Pahloo (Kulgam) blocks of the Kashmir Valley to make their choice despite the cold and rainy weather.

According to an electoral official, Uri recorded 86.95 percent voting, followed by Wavoora (85), Lar (82.60), Nagam (72) and Pahloo (81.48).The overall voter turnout was 81.62 percent in these blocks, he said.The turn out was equally impressive in the other three blocks of Chenani (78 percent), Vijaypur (84) and RS Pura (83).

The polling started at 8 a.m. and ended at 2 p.m.Votes are being counted at the various polling stations.

The multi-phased panchayat elections, the first after a gap of ten years, are being held in Jammu and Kashmir on a non-party basis.

Hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani had called for a boycott of the elections while other separatist leaders remained silent over the people's participation in the elections.

A woman candidate was killed in Pakharpora area of central Badgam district Friday, but the polling there was not affected, recording over 70 percent turnout.

The woman's murder was believed to be a message killing by the guerrillas to dissuade voters from participating in these elections, but Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said the incident could be unconnected with her decision to contest.

Instead of the electronic voting machines (EVMs), paper ballots are being used for the elections.

Hundreds of local police, as also Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers, were deployed across the voting blocks.

No untoward incident occurred during the day, police here said.The first round of the 16-phase local elections was held April 13.

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Messages of hate were spray painted on walls at Skyview High School early Wednesday morning. The The Clark County Sheriff's Office is trying to track down a man who called the graffiti in at 1:30, to ask him about how he found the graffiti on campus at that time of day. The vandalism was removed by a custodian before students arrived, according to district spokesperson Pat Nuzzo.

Nuzzo said the hate messages were spray painted on two exterior walls at the school. The messages targeted subjects of race, religion and gender. The Clark County Sheriff's Office is investigating the vandalism.

Skyview administrators spent Wednesday reassuring students and families that the school is a safe, welcoming place. The school held an assembly and Principal James Gray sent a message to Skyview families through email and automated calls.

Students who spoke to KGW appreciated the school's response, but not the graffiti.

"We are one big school they’re handling it really calmly and it’s just one of those things that’s it’s just like, what the heck," said Chelsea Gardner.

"I think it’s really immature what they’re doing, the way they express themselves it’s really wrong," said Hunter Davenport.

The Southern Poverty Law Center said these type of incidents of hateful intimidation and harassment are spiking since the election of Donald Trump as President. The organization has collected more than 400 reports since the election through Monday, November 9th.

A Washington State University Vancouver sociology professor said President-elect Donald Trump's rhetoric paved the way for a spike in hate.

“There’s a certain amount of enabling going on here that I think people feel enabled by the comments he’s made and there’s a lot of sort of incipient racism in the is county that was waiting to come out,” said Clay Mosher, who specializes in criminology.

Skyview is a special place where we embrace our diversity and celebrate our successes regardless of political ideology, race, heritage, gender identity or family background.

This week we were the targets of hate speech on our outside walls. We have removed it and are in the process of repainting. While this deeply saddens us, we know that it does not define us. It is imperative that we, as a school, recommit to each member of the Skyview community our paramount duty to provide a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students.

I wanted to take a moment to share, again, our covenants that represent our core values in action as an educational community: Trust- We commit to an environment in which all children are physically and emotionally safe to learn. Integrity- We commit to holding our students accountable for academic requirements and Skyview's policies. Commitment to Excellence- We commit to being reflective in our practice as a means to getting better every day.

While acknowledging that many people in our community- children and adults- are experiencing a broad range of emotions, we will serve them all by staying laser focused on these commitments.

I love this school and these kids. I will do everything in my power to protect them from harm and prepare them for a successful future.

And if the list is already sent, these might be a few ideas for the January sales.

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are being released today.

Be the hostess with the mostest.

Tablets are handy devices, but if you’re undecided on whether your family needs one or not, here’s what you should be asking.

One thousand… one thousand and one!

It’s not cheap but might be nice for the runner in your life this Christmas.

Technologies also cause problems for regulators as they try to decide where to draw the line.

The new guidelines will allow passengers to keep their gadgets switched on throughout their flight.

Mobile phones still cannot be used for voice calls while in flight says the Federal Aviation Administration.

“We still have a lot to cover,” said the tech firm.

Review: Is the iPhone 5S worth buying?

From the fingerprint unlock to the unexpectedly amazing slow-motion videos, Niall Harbison assesses whether the iPhone 5S is worth the hype or style over substance.

Are they trying to make us – gasp! – Christmas shop already?

Open thread: What's on your Christmas tech wishlist?

The web giant is aiming to turn televisions into second screens for Google-powered devices, starting with the remarkably cheap Chromecast.

Stuffing a naggin in your sock is for amateurs.

Mobile phones, email, Facebook and Twitter can make us more anti-social, writes Ciara Conlon – but that doesn’t mean we should ditch them.

Open thread: What high-tech functions would you like in your home?

What kind of tech developments would make it easier to run your home? Add your thoughts to this open thread.

Meanwhile, research study says that sales of dedicated e-readers peaked last year.

While the new move may anger Apple users, accessory manufacturers are preparing for a sales boom after the phone’s release.

21st Century Gadgets. Which are the most important so far?

Yeah, Apple features quite heavily.

Latest development in the tech battle over alleged patent infringement.

The 7-inch device will run Google Wallet and Android Beam, according to training documents seen by Gizmodo Australia.

PCWorld tests show it’s no worse than Android tablets, and possibly not as hot as some laptops.

Time to ditch your smartphone? The high-tech specs will display graphics directly in front of your eyes – and they’re said to be coming this year.

Here’s a bunch of stuff you wish you had.

Who would live in an armoured, transforming house like this?

For very private people: a house which turns itself, at the touch of a button, into a seamless concrete bunker.

Fire started in a dorm.