| N. Korean envoy blasts Malaysians, calls for joint probe Posted: 20 Feb 2017 04:10 PM PST  KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — North Korea's ambassador to Malaysia denounced the country's investigation into the death of the exiled half brother of North Korea's ruler, calling it politically motivated and demanding a joint probe amid increasingly bitter exchanges between the once-friendly nations.
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| First-Grade Teacher Suspended Over 'Illegal Aliens' Post: School District Posted: 20 Feb 2017 05:45 PM PST  The elementary school teacher advocated reporting undocumented immigrants, according to school district officials, who suspended her.
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| Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin dead at 64 Posted: 20 Feb 2017 06:46 PM PST  Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, who for years fended off Western criticism and defended Moscow's actions in Ukraine and Syria, has died in New York. Churkin collapsed while at work at the Russian mission to the United Nations Monday morning and was rushed to a Manhattan hospital, apparently suffering from heart problems, diplomatic sources said. In a statement announcing his death, the foreign ministry in Moscow described him as an "outstanding diplomat." There was no information on the cause of death.
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| Philippines: framework of South China Sea pact possible soon Posted: 21 Feb 2017 05:30 AM PST  BORACAY, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines' top diplomat said Tuesday it remains to be seen whether China will cooperate fully in ongoing efforts to craft a legally binding pact designed to prevent aggressive behavior in the disputed South China Sea.
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| Bye Bye, Bao Bao: Beloved Panda Cub Travels Back to China Posted: 21 Feb 2017 02:06 PM PST  He was even given a farewell cake.
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| The Great Cheese Scare Posted: 21 Feb 2017 04:14 AM PST  "We deeply regret any inconvenience or concern this issue has caused," Sargento Foods Chief Executive Officer Louie Gentine said in a statement.
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| Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos resigns after controversial pedophilia comments Posted: 21 Feb 2017 02:17 PM PST  On Feb. 21, 2017, Milo Yiannopoulos announced his resignation as an editor at Breitbart News. The writer and commentator has been facing backlash since a video of him making controversial comments about pedophilia surfaced.
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| Iraqi forces on Mosul hilltop gird for fierce fight ahead Posted: 21 Feb 2017 09:16 AM PST  ABU SAIF, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi troops worked to secure a strategic hilltop overlooking Mosul's international airport and a nearby military base on Tuesday, fearing the Islamic State group, which still holds both facilities, may launch another wave of nighttime counterattacks.
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| Ex-cop says Duterte paid him, others to kill crime suspects Posted: 20 Feb 2017 01:51 AM PST  MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A retired Philippine police officer said Monday that President Rodrigo Duterte, when he was a mayor, ordered and paid him and other members of a so-called liquidation squad to kill criminals and opponents, including a kidnapping suspect, his family and a critical radio commentator.
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| Iceland's President said he would ban pineapple on pizza if he could Posted: 21 Feb 2017 09:00 AM PST  Pineapple on pizza: you love it, or you hate it so much you use your power as president of a small country to make it literally illegal. In what's being called a "political bombshell" by Iceland Magazine, President of Iceland Guðni Th. Jóhannesson said he would ban pineapple as a topping on pizzas— if he were allowed to pass laws on his own. SEE ALSO: Trump thinks something terrible happened in Sweden, so here come the IKEA and ABBA jokes The incendiary comments were in response to questions from students about where he stood on the concept of pineapple as a topping while visiting a local high school. Word of his controversial opinion quickly spread across the internet, where it began trending on Twitter. With a debate as contentious as this one, everybody had to get a word in. not only does iceland use entirely renewable energy but their president is also a WOKE BAE pic.twitter.com/EkGbjmwHL1 — eva (@myIoveiscooI) February 21, 2017 Emotions flared. you can all stay in Iceland as well so us pineapple on pizza lovers can live in peace and tastiness pic.twitter.com/UOZ3g5shNp — Luke Brooks (@luke_brooks) February 21, 2017 Brands are even taking to Twitter to make their stance on the issue known. No ban here pic.twitter.com/vmSJw5F1ew — DiGiorno Pizza (@DiGiornoPizza) February 21, 2017 Long after the last pineapple is thrown into the Icelandic sea, DiGiorno Pizza's Last Stand will be remembered: "No ban here ." BONUS: Snap's Spectacles
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| ‘A Serbian Trap’: Freezing conditions in Belgrade are not the biggest problem for refugees in Belgrade Posted: 21 Feb 2017 09:35 AM PST !['A Serbian Trap': Freezing conditions in Belgrade are not the biggest problem for refugees in Belgrade]( "'A Serbian Trap': Freezing conditions in Belgrade are not the biggest problem for refugees in Belgrade") A trip along the refugee track within Serbia reveals that the old route through the Balkans is still being used despite strong border control, harsh conditions and frozen temperatures. Despite the existence of camps built by the Serbian state, the migrants are here trying to make their way into European Union countries illegally.
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| Samsung Gear VR To Come With Own Controller Posted: 20 Feb 2017 08:23 PM PST  The Samsung Gear VR 2 and the new controller are expected to be announced alongside the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus.
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| Woman Rescues Cop By Jumping on Attacker's Back: 'This Is a True Hero Right Here' Posted: 20 Feb 2017 04:35 PM PST  Vickie Williams-Tillman jumped on the back of a man beating a cop, authorities.
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| Here’s how badly the Galaxy Note 7 destroyed Samsung’s reputation in the US Posted: 20 Feb 2017 12:28 PM PST 
It goes without saying that the spontaneous combustion of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 was a big deal, but rarely do we get an opportunity to see the impact of tech gaffes on public sentiment quantified. A new Harris Poll ranking the "reputation quotient" of the 100 most recognizable brands in the United States provides just that, and the picture isn't good one for Samsung. In fact, it's pretty dire.
In last year's reputation ratings, Samsung landed in the seventh position out of 100 companies, beaten only by Amazon, Apple, and Google on the tech side of things. Fast forward to today, and Samsung has found itself barely squeezing into the top half of the chart with the number 49 spot on the rankings. 
As big of a drop in the charts as it has taken, it's interesting to note that Samsung's actual reputation rating only actually dropped from 80.44 to 75.17. Harris considers a rating of 80+ to be "Excellent," and groups ratings of 75 to 79 into the "Very Good" category. Additionally, both Apple and Google took hits in their ratings as well, though not nearly as drastic — Apple fell from 83.03 to 82.07 and Google dipped from 82.97 to 82.00. The study is conducted via interviews with US adults, each of which are asked to rate companies that they are familiar with. According to the methodology of the research, each company received a rating from approximately 300 respondents. The timing of the study wasn't particularly favorable to Samsung, having been conducted from late November to mid December of 2016, which was precisely when Samsung was in the midst devising a way to remotely kill off the Note 7s that were still in the hands of owners.
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| Iraqi forces battling Islamic State about to reach Mosul airport Posted: 20 Feb 2017 10:22 AM PST ![Iraqi forces battling Islamic State about to reach Mosul airport]( "Iraqi forces battling Islamic State about to reach Mosul airport") By Stephen Kalin and Maher Chmaytelli SOUTH OF MOSUL/BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S.-backed Iraqi forces battling Islamic State fighters have fought their way close to Mosul's airport on the second day of a ground offensive on the jihadists' remaining stronghold in the western side of the city, military statements said on Monday. Federal police and elite interior ministry units known as Rapid Response are leading the charge toward the airport on the southern outskirts of Mosul and plan to turn it into a close support base for the push into western Mosul, commanders have said. The militants are essentially under siege in western Mosul, along with an estimated 750,000 civilians, after they were forced out of the eastern part of the city in the first phase of the campaign that ended last month, after 100 days of fighting.
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| Dozens of headstones toppled at Jewish cemetery in Missouri Posted: 21 Feb 2017 02:25 PM PST  UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. (AP) — Vandals have damaged or tipped over as many as 200 headstones at a Jewish cemetery in suburban St. Louis, leaving the region's Jewish community shaken and anxious.
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| Draft DHS guidelines sharpen focus on those here illegally Posted: 20 Feb 2017 12:36 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Homeland Security Department has drafted sweeping new guidelines aimed at aggressively detaining and deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, according to a pair of memoranda signed by DHS Secretary John Kelly.
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| Le Pen in Lebanon holds first head of state meeting Posted: 20 Feb 2017 09:44 AM PST  France's far-right leader and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen on Monday met a foreign head of state for the first time, holding talks in Beirut with Lebanon's President Michel Aoun. "We discussed the long and fruitful friendship between our two countries," the National Front (FN) leader said after her 30-minute encounter at the presidential palace in the hilltop suburb of Baabda with Aoun, the Middle East's only Christian president. Le Pen, who is leading polls of voters' intentions for the first round of France's presidential election on April 23, said they also discussed the refugee crisis in Lebanon, where more than one million Syrians have fled their country's conflict and now make up one in four of the population.
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| Elderly woman finds £5 note worth £50,000, donates the money to young people Posted: 20 Feb 2017 05:05 AM PST  Finding out that the fiver in your wallet is worth thousands of pounds is a dream-come-true for some — but not everyone. A Northern Irish woman who discovered a rare £5 note worth £50,000 ($62,317) has given the note to charity because she says she has no use for the money. SEE ALSO: Some lucky duck got a £5 note 'worth £50,000' in a Christmas card The note is one of just four ultra-rare notes worth £50,000 in circulation in the UK. The note — which is engraved with a special Jane Austen inscription — is the third one to be snapped up, leaving just one left. The woman who discovered the note contacted the gallery founded by Graham Short — the artist who engraved the notes — stating her wish to donate the note to charity. "£5 note enclosed, I don't need it at my time of life. Please use it to help young people," reads the letter sent to the gallery by the donor, who prefers to remain anonymous. Image: graham short "The lady who found the note has surprised us all by sending it to the gallery and asking that it be used to help young people," reads a blog post on Short's website. According to the post, the proceeds from the note will be donated to children's charity Children in Need. "Currently contacting outlets connected to Children in Need to try and give this to a good cause so we honour the request of the lucky woman who originally discovered the note," the post continues. BONUS: This keychain can take away that annoying jingle your keys make
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| Brazil's race to save drought-hit city Posted: 21 Feb 2017 08:36 AM PST ![Brazil's race to save drought-hit city]( "Brazil's race to save drought-hit city") The shrunken carcasses of cows lie in scorched fields outside the city of Campina Grande in northeast Brazil, and hungry goats search for food on the cracked-earth floor of the Boqueirao reservoir that serves the desperate town. After five years of drought, farmer Edivaldo Brito says he cannot remember when the Boqueirão reservoir was last full. Brazil's arid northeast is weathering its worst drought on record and Campina Grande, which has 400,000 residents that depend on the reservoir, is running out of water.
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| Philippine minister stands by call to shut mines as review begins Posted: 20 Feb 2017 04:54 AM PST ![Philippine minister stands by call to shut mines as review begins]( "Philippine minister stands by call to shut mines as review begins") By Manolo Serapio Jr MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines' environment minister said on Monday she stands by her decision to shut more than half the country's operating mines and bar mining in watershed zones as an inter-agency panel began a review of her actions. Members of the government's Mining Industry Coordinating Council will scrutinize the affected mines to ensure due process was followed and consider the impact on jobs and the economy after an outcry by the mining industry in the world's top nickel ore supplier. The council cannot overturn her orders, but its findings could feed into a decision by President Rodrigo Duterte, who has said he will review the planned closures after initially throwing his support behind his environment minister.
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| Drunken driver gets 12 years plus in death of police officer Posted: 21 Feb 2017 09:43 AM PST  GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A man was sentenced Tuesday to at least 12 years in prison on third-degree murder, drunken driving and other charges for a wrong-way crash that killed a western Pennsylvania police officer.
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| Iran Launches ‘Advanced’ Rockets In Military Exercise Posted: 20 Feb 2017 02:52 AM PST  The launches during the annual three-day military exercise took place a day after U.S. senators indicated they could impose further sanctions against Tehran.
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| Testosterone gel shows no benefit for older men's memories Posted: 21 Feb 2017 01:54 PM PST  CHICAGO (AP) — Testosterone treatment did not improve older men's memory or mental function in the latest results from landmark government research that challenges the anti-aging claims of popular supplements.
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| Death toll rises to 39 in Mogadishu bombing Posted: 19 Feb 2017 11:25 PM PST  The toll has climbed to 39 dead in an unusually deadly suicide bombing at the weekend in the Somali capital Mogadishu, rescue workers said Monday, the first since a new president was chosen this month. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but suicide bombings are commonly carried out by Somalia's Shabaab jihadists who have threatened a "vicious war" against the new government. "Thirty-nine people died and 27 others were wounded," Abdukadir Abdurahman Adem head of Mogadishu's Amin Ambulance service, said on Monday.
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| China wields stick with North Korea, but is still pushing for talks Posted: 20 Feb 2017 03:52 AM PST ![China wields stick with North Korea, but is still pushing for talks]( "China wields stick with North Korea, but is still pushing for talks") By Ben Blanchard and Philip Wen BEIJING (Reuters) - With the suspension of all North Korean coal imports, China has wielded a big stick against its reclusive neighbor, but there is no sign it will cut off all critical links and Beijing is still promoting talks to solve the dispute over Pyongyang's program to develop nuclear weapons. China has been getting increasingly fed up with what it sees as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's recalcitrance and unwillingness to show any sign of wanting to seek a peaceful resolution to the nuclear weapons issue, according to Chinese experts on North Korea.
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| Beta Shows Off New Trials Models Posted: 20 Feb 2017 08:45 AM PST ![Beta Shows Off New Trials Models]( "Beta Shows Off New Trials Models") Beta Shows Off New Trials Models Italian off-road manufacturer Beta has unveiled a number of new and updated Evo Factory range of Trials models. The new line-up features two-stroke 125, 250 and 300cc engines and a 300cc 4-stroke. Beta says the Factory
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| The Latest: Crowd holds vigil for slain Whittier officer Posted: 20 Feb 2017 10:09 PM PST  WHITTIER, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on the shooting of two California police officers as they responded to a traffic accident (all times local):
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| UPS has a functioning drone delivery concept, and it makes more sense than Amazon’s Posted: 21 Feb 2017 03:32 PM PST 
Companies like Amazon are going all-in on drone deliveries and have already shown off warehouses that send packages out to customers exclusively via drone. For delivery companies like UPS, the idea of converting operations to rely exclusively on drones is laughable, but that doesn't mean they won't find a way to utilize the new technology to streamline the delivery process. This week, UPS tested out a delivery drone concept that doesn't so much do away with its iconic brown box trucks as augment them.
The test was conducted using a specially equipped UPS delivery truck which has a drone compartment built right into its roof. When the driver stops to deliver a package, the drone can be sent out to deliver one to a nearby location as well. UPS used the example of a rural delivery where sending a driver and truck down a long, winding road would be less efficient than sending the drone to deliver the package instead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx9_6OyjJrQ Once the drone has completed its delivery it automatically docks with the truck once again, and long arms grab and situate the device so that it can be recharged for the next stop. The drone is capable of carrying packages as heavy as ten pounds, which is double the five pound weight limit of Amazon's initial drone delivery tests. Due to current FAA regulations which require drones to remain within visual of its operator — and avoid flying over buildings or people — even UPS's modest drone ambitions have some serious limitations. However, there's hope that those restrictions will be made a bit more workable in the future.
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| AP Exclusive" Malnutrition killing inmates in Haiti jails Posted: 20 Feb 2017 08:13 AM PST  PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Dozens of emaciated men with sunken cheeks and protruding ribs lie silently in an infirmary at Haiti's largest prison, most too weak to stand. The corpse of an inmate who died miserably of malnutrition is shrouded beneath a plastic tarp.
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| Syrian army pounds rebels in pre-talks shelling Posted: 20 Feb 2017 12:11 PM PST  Syrian government forces Monday escalated their bombing campaign around Damascus, raining shells down on rebel territory and sending out a "bloody message" just days before renewed peace talks in Geneva. Representatives from the opposition and of President Bashar al-Assad's regime are to head to Switzerland on Thursday for another attempt to end their country's brutal six-year war. "The toll in regime air strikes on (northern rebel district of Damascus) Barzeh has increased to seven people, including a woman and child," the Observatory said, adding that 12 more had been wounded.
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| Iran summons Turkish envoy over comments by president, foreign minister Posted: 20 Feb 2017 10:34 AM PST ![Iran summons Turkish envoy over comments by president, foreign minister]( "Iran summons Turkish envoy over comments by president, foreign minister") BEIRUT/ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran summoned the Turkish ambassador in Tehran on Monday over comments made by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and President Tayyip Erdogan accusing the Islamic Republic of destabilizing the region. Tehran and Ankara support opposite sides in the conflict in Syria with mostly Shi'ite Iran backing the government of President Bashar al-Assad while Turkey, which is majority Sunni, has backed elements of the Syrian opposition.
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| Cop Helps Girl, 10, With Math Homework After She Messaged Police Department on Facebook Posted: 20 Feb 2017 01:59 PM PST  "I'm having trouble with my homework. Could you help me?" 10-year-old Lena wrote in a Facebook message to the Marion, Ohio Police Department.
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| Ski resort razed by the Taliban lifts Pakistan's domestic tourism Posted: 20 Feb 2017 03:25 PM PST ![Ski resort razed by the Taliban lifts Pakistan's domestic tourism]( "Ski resort razed by the Taliban lifts Pakistan's domestic tourism") By Drazen Jorgic MALAM JABBA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Atop the piste of Malam Jabba in Pakistan's once dangerous Swat Valley skiers schuss downhill, a new Chinese-built chairlift ferries tourists to the peak, and a luxury hotel is under construction to replace one torched by the Taliban. The Taliban declared skiing "un-Islamic" during their 2007-2009 reign of terror over Swat, but improved security in recent years has allowed ski tourism to re-emerge on Malam Jabba, a hill station in the Hindu Kush mountain range. Locals tout Swat as "the Switzerland of Pakistan", with an international ski tournament held there in January.
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| 6 Ways to Take Control of Your Retirement Posted: 21 Feb 2017 07:45 AM PST ![6 Ways to Take Control of Your Retirement]( "6 Ways to Take Control of Your Retirement") One of the most unsettling aspects of retirement is that you give up a lot of control in life. Your kids are growing up, becoming independent and ignoring your best advice, and your friends may be slipping away due to illness, infirmity or perhaps they're moving to a retirement mecca. Here are six key areas where you can take steps to improve your retirement.
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| Duck boats face increasing calls for improvements, bans Posted: 20 Feb 2017 10:20 AM PST  BOSTON (AP) — With their festive, party-like ambiance and ability to travel on land and in water, duck boats have long been tourist attractions for sightseers around the U.S. But a string of deadly accidents has left the industry reeling, forced safety improvements and led some advocates to call for a total ban on the vehicles.
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| Pence reassures Europe, demands NATO pay up Posted: 20 Feb 2017 11:50 AM PST  US Vice President Mike Pence told nervous Europeans Monday that Donald Trump will remain committed to transatlantic ties, but warned NATO allies they must boost their defence spending in return. Capping a European trip aimed at allaying fears about the new administration's support, Pence said Washington's backing for the EU remained "steadfast and enduring". "Today it is my privilege on behalf of President Trump to express the strong commitment of the United States to continued cooperation and partnership with the European Union," Pence said after talks with EU president Donald Tusk in Brussels.
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| New free iPhone app lets you instantly unshare photos you’ve sent through iMessage Posted: 21 Feb 2017 09:51 AM PST 
When your relationship with someone is going well, you're often liable to send photos that may be a bit, err, compromising. That's all well and good, until things turn south and your relationship comes to an end. In the moment, it's not always easy to think about that uncomfortable possibility, but the fact of the matter is that no matter how close you might feel to your partner now, romantic relationships begin and end all the time. And if and when your current relationship does end, you're left in the compromising position of having an ex out there who is armed with plenty of photos that you would rather keep private. Well, now there's a free app that helps you plan ahead. It's not foolproof by any means, but it sports a nifty feature that allows you to grant and revoke access to any photos you share easily remotely, in real time. ON/OFF Photo by iOS app developer hong kijong is a free iPhone app available now on the App Store. Using the app, you can quickly and easily share any photo in your camera roll through Apple's standard Messages app. The beauty, however, isn't in the sharing of photos — it's in the fact that at any point in time, you can unshare photos with a single tap. This quick video with a hauntingly eerie computer voice narrating it explains how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq-iWIPCnTg Here's the app's full description, followed by a link to download it for free: You Can Delete Sent Pictures on Chat! It's a must have app in selfie age. ON/OFF Photo allows users to hide, delete, and manage photos already sent to friends, chat about the photos and get notified when somebody views the photo, all in real time. Fast and efficient!
ON/OFF Photo combines control with flexibility, with a simple on/off switch! Auto Picture Hiding Timer!
A feature that automatically hides a photo after a set period of time after it has been exposed to a friend. This is a very convenient function because you can hide the picture sent to your friends automatically without any special operation.
[Features]
- Real-time Hiding/Unhiding and Deletion of a Photo
- Instant Notifications when Someone is Looking at Your Photo
- Ability to Chat about Your Photos with your Friends
- Automatic Exposure Prevention
- Fast and Simple
Download ON/OFF Photo
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| LG's new G6 smartphone to offer dual back and front cameras Posted: 20 Feb 2017 03:40 AM PST  LG's upcoming G6 smartphone will offer users both front and back cameras for a wider angle and improved shot reports The Verge. According to the site LG confirmed the news in a (Korean language) blog post. The front camera will offer a 100-degree field of view, while the addition of two cameras on the back of the smartphone will offer a 125-degree angle, allowing for wider images to fit inside a square 1:1 ratio.
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| Le Pen refuses headscarf, nixes talks with Lebanon cleric Posted: 21 Feb 2017 09:48 AM PST  BEIRUT (AP) — France's far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen refused to don a headscarf for a meeting with Lebanon's top Sunni Muslim cleric on Tuesday and walked away from the scheduled appointment after a brief squabble at the entrance.
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