GoKawiil
Tech News
Spotify is broadening its podcast partner program this fall to 35 additional regions, including Italy, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Poland, Chile, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. Podcasters in these markets will be able to earn revenue from both ad and Premium subscriber activity across video and audio formats, while retaining sponsorship income and freedom to distribute elsewhere.
Apple is adding Apple TV and Arcade, plus some ad-free Apple Music Select radio stations, to its base-tier iCloud+ subscriptions in more than 100 countries. The entry-level iCloud+ plan, which costs roughly $1 a month, will now include these extras without requiring customers to buy the pricier Apple One bundle. The US is not part of this rollout, but markets like India, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Türkiye and the UAE are included, and Apple TV itself is expanding to 59 new countries as a result.
Apple has begun bundling Apple TV and Apple Arcade subscriptions into its 50GB iCloud+ plan at no extra cost across more than 100 countries, mostly smaller and price-sensitive markets. Some regions will also gain an 'Apple Music Select' tier with ad-free radio stations, with an option to upgrade to full Apple Music at a discount. Notably, the United States is not among the eligible countries.
Governments are increasingly stepping in to curb youth social media use after years of relying on parents, schools and platform self-regulation, which proved insufficient. Australia became the first country to enact a nationwide ban on social media accounts for children under 16, covering ten platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube, while exempting messaging and gaming services like WhatsApp, Discord and Roblox. The law requires platforms to take reasonable steps to verify age and prevent account creation, though it does not restrict viewing public content without logging in.
At the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, President Xi Jinping said China would spearhead artificial-intelligence cooperation among the bloc's developing economies, including creating an open-source AI community, sharing large language model development, and running training seminars. He also proposed a digital ecosystem cloud platform, an engineer cultivation alliance, and a youth exchange program focused on scientific innovation.
Researchers tracked children in five countries using baseline and endline phone surveys to measure whether mobile education programmes helped maintain learning during disruptions like COVID-19 lockdowns. The assessments, adapted from the ASER numeracy test, measured math skills alongside child wellbeing and parental engagement, with strict quality checks like time limits and requiring children to explain their answers to prevent parental assistance. Data collection methods varied by country, including a partial baseline in Nepal and administrative data in Kenya.
Two recent reports—the World Inequality Lab's Global Justice Report and a UN High-Level Expert Group's Beyond GDP recommendations—have reignited debate over whether nations should deprioritize economic growth in favor of other measures of well-being. A commentary argues both reports miss the real issue: whether governments are leaving future generations richer or poorer, not simply how fast economies grow or how well-being is measured.
Apple announced App Store tax updates taking effect immediately in Morocco, the Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania, reflecting new or increased VAT and digital sales taxes. Starting September 14, Apple will also update app and in-app purchase prices in Israel, Indonesia, Morocco, and the Republic of the Congo for developers who haven't set those regions as their base storefront.
A developer launched a free beta retirement simulator that tests a user's savings and withdrawal plan against actual historical market returns spanning 125 years and 25 countries, rather than relying on average statistical projections. Users can input portfolio value, withdrawal rate, and time horizon to get a quick estimate of whether their money will last, with a more detailed plan builder also available. Paid plans are expected to follow after the beta period.