Facebook goes democratic in bid to appease users

Facebook is giving power to the people when it comes to deciding what to do with policies and products at the leading social-networking website.
Facebook yesterday said it hopes that by giving its more than 175 million users a voice in how the service is run it will avoid the backlash and controversy that have greeted changes implemented by the company.
"This is all about us trusting our users and that we are all on the same page about where we want to go," Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said in a telephone briefing with reporters.
Zuckerberg said Facebook is writing into its terms of service that it will notify each user to proposed changes at the online community and then open a forum for comments before deciding whether to proceed. Plans that trigger controversial feedback will be voted on by Facebook citizens.
"That is a pretty big move," Zuckerberg said.
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Why property developers in China accepting house payments in watermelons, wheat
Real estate firms in China have now started accepting payments for homes in watermelon, wheat, garlic and several other agricultural produce, Chinese daily The Global Times reported. Realtors in tier-3 and 4 cities are encouraging home buyers to pay part of the house payment with wheat and garlic. Experts say that China's economy, battered by multiple Covid-19 curbs, has shown slow post-lockdown recovery.
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Homes of 85,000 people at risk, but rain eases around Sydney
Floodwaters had inundated or were threatening the homes of 85,000 people around Sydney on Wednesday as rivers started to recede and the heavy rains tracked north of Australia's largest city. Emergency responders knocked on doors overnight in the towns of Singleton and Muswellbrook, in the Hunter Valley north of Sydney, to order residents to evacuate, Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said. “For many, it has been a sleepless night,” Cooke said.
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‘Will have to drag him kicking and screaming': UK PM Boris Johnson on the brink
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face questions in parliament followed by a grilling by senior lawmakers on Wednesday, with his premiership on the brink after a slew of resignations from ministers saying he was not fit to govern. A growing number of lawmakers in his ruling Conservative Party have said the game is up for Johnson.
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‘Cannot continue like this’: What Rishi Sunak said as he quit Johnson cabinet
British chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid quit the government on Tuesday amid mounting pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson for appointing a tarnished member of the Parliament to a key government position.
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US July 4 parade shooting suspect charged with seven murder counts
A 21-year-old man who allegedly opened fire on a July 4 parade in a wealthy Chicago suburb while disguised in women's clothing was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder on Tuesday, prosecutors said. Robert Crimo, 21, was arrested on Monday, several hours after the attack on a festive Independence Day crowd. More than 35 people were injured.