The video conferencing giant Zoom has agreed to pay $85 million and improve security to settle a lawsuit claiming it violated user privacy by sharing personal data with Facebook, Google and LinkedIn. Artificial intelligence set to assist screening for breast cancer. Afterpay: Twitter founder Jack Dorsey in Australia’s biggest buyout. Watchdog rejects Blue Origin protest over Nasa lunar contract. Musk says “Epic is right” as SpaceX tycoon takes sides in battle with Apple. Plastic creates ‘evoluti...
Aug 02, 2021•5 min
Britain is a step closer to opening its first ‘spaceport’, and while there won’t be humans aboard a converted Virgin 747 just yet, it will take off with a satellite-carrying rocket strapped to it for release into low-earth orbit. International Space Station made wonky by botched Russian module docking. Pandemic shopping: You really have been paying more online. Israel tells France it’s looking into claims NSO spyware was used against President Macron. Research finds dramatic difference in body f...
Jul 30, 2021•6 min
Astronomers from Stanford University say they have detected light behind a black hole deep in space for the first time after telescopes picked up “luminous echoes” 800 million light years away. Tsunami warning after earthquake hits Alaskan peninsula. Top meteorologists are warning the United Kingdom could swelter with summers over 40C on a ‘regular basis’ despite efforts to fight global warming. Sony reveals it has sold more than 10 million PlayStation 5 consoles. White House calls on America’s ...
Jul 29, 2021•5 min
President Joe Biden’s warning a future cyberattack on the United States could spark what he describes as a “real shooting war” with a “major power” after a series of attacks on major US targets affecting national infrastructure. Child sex abuse imagery fuelled by predators coercing children, warn Internet Watch Foundation. MPs to probe Government approach to tackling internet harm in Online Safety Bill. Experts fear Covid-19 restriction relaxation improves vaccine resistance. Could trendy Japane...
Jul 28, 2021•5 min
Research suggests older people relying on purely online contact during the pandemic actually made them feel lonelier as a result. Bitcoin leaps 12% to test recent peaks as ether hits three-week high. Hunt’s on for meteor after five-second light show leaves Norwegians awestruck. There’s more plastic in your seafood than you realise. Broadband issues hit 15 million customers last year amid pandemic WFH reliance. Smart speaker tool alerts users to home appliance product recalls. Back to the Noughti...
Jul 27, 2021•5 min
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg says he wants to turn the social network into an all-enveloping virtual world so users spend even more time inside its walled garden. Boeing's Starliner space capsule to attempt second uncrewed test flight to space station. How satellites are monitoring Earth’s ‘breathing’ from hundreds of miles up. South Korea vows crackdown on crypto tax dodgers to help fund rising welfare bill. Author Jeanette Winterson says AI will soon be clever enough able to write fiction ...
Jul 26, 2021•6 min
We speak to the European Space Agency about the Eutelsat Quantum, with on-board software that can be reconfigured depending on data demand. Nasa scientists have calculated how thick the crust of Mars is - and the result might surprise you. Could daily Covid-19 testing of pupils be ‘just as effective' at controlling transmission as isolation? Ofcom says telecoms firms must do more to support people struggling to pay mobile and internet bills. Reddit, is that you? Twitter trials suspiciously famil...
Jul 23, 2021•6 min
Following an FBI and Secret Service probe, police in Spain say the suspect was arrested over the hacking of 130 celebrity Twitter accounts, including Kanye West, Barack Obama and Elon Musk. Bitcoin u-turn for Musk as tycoon says Tesla may take crypto-for-cars after all. Nasa’s Perseverance Mars rover is revving up its drills for first rock sample mission. Progress stalls on getting people moving as millions die from inactivity. Social media audio app Clubhouse is now open to all without an invit...
Jul 22, 2021•5 min
Large parts of Henan province in China have been submerged, with at least a dozen people dead in Zhengzhou and thousands evacuated. EU chiefs want to make Bitcoin transfers easier to trace with new ID checks. Top lawyers want tough new rules making Airdrop ‘cyberflashing’ a sexual offence. China pushes back against Microsoft hacking claims over plundering of company email inboxes...but is coy with evidence. Eating red and processed meat ‘increases risk of heart disease’. Secret dig in English co...
Jul 21, 2021•5 min
The history-making aviator’s biographer on Funk’s boundless enthusiasm and why her rocket mission is many decades overdue. Jeff Bezos says he’s ‘ready not nervous’ for Blue Origin space trip. Hubble’s technical trouble is fixed to bring space mega-telescope back online. Please don’t delete vital NHS Covid app to dodge ‘pings’, urges pandemics expert. Long-distance drone deliveries to your home are being plotted. And, pay-by-fingerprint with this biometric credit card. Hosted on Acast. See acast....
Jul 20, 2021•7 min
As Covid restrictions are lifted in England and revellers queue at midnight to get into nightclubs, Macmillan says one-in-five cancer patients fear being unable to return to normal life amid rising infection rates. NHS App that displays vaccine status hits milestone of 10 million users. Last-minute training for Blue Origin’s civilian crew ahead of suborbital blastoff. Israeli tech firm’s spyware ‘used to target journalists’ smartphones’. Crypto crackdown: Binance ditches ‘stock tokens’ amid glob...
Jul 19, 2021•6 min
As the United Kingdom prepares to unlock on the 19th July and record numbers of Britons get their jabs, Professor Whitty is urging caution amid concerns about a “vaccine escape variant”. Half of first wave Covid-19 hospital patients developed a complication, study reveals. ‘I’d delete my harmful social media if I didn’t need it for work’, says Brit winner Celeste. Blue Origin blast-off: teen takes place of mystery $28 million passenger. Nasa warns ‘wobbly moon’ will spark increased floods in US ...
Jul 16, 2021•6 min
The super-spyglass, launched in 1990, is in trouble after a software crash - and it’s not like you can turn it off and on again. Alexa, take me to sub orbit...Bezos to make history with pilotless Blue Origin space flight. Fears that fewer people who’ve had Covid-19 are getting their vaccine. Well that was Fleeting...user apathy means Twitter’s disappearing posts feature is gone. Young web users being trained to spot online disinformation. Keeping your brain active may delay dementia by five year...
Jul 15, 2021•5 min
Both the ransom website for victims to deposit bitcoin and the blog by the gang known as REvil are now offline...days after a phone call between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. Alcohol is being linked to more than 740,000 new cancer cases. High blood sugar levels raise heart attack risk by ‘reprogramming the body’s stem cells. Do not flush that fish...unwanted pets morph into giant problem for US lake. Fastly fiasco: now Bank of England wants a cloud computing crackdown. Branson’s launchpad bike r...
Jul 14, 2021•6 min
London’s Metropolitan Police say they’ve now made two record cryptocurrency seizures worth the equivalent of more than $400 million after receiving intelligence about the transfer of criminal assets. SolarWinds hack: now firm says unknown hackers exploited new security flaw. ID verification call on social media to stamp out online abuse. Welcome to Branson’s orbiting hotel...Virgin tycoon raises prospect of lunar inn. Aviation authorities approve Blue Origin's licence for human space travel ahea...
Jul 13, 2021•6 min
Sir Richard Branson has hailed the “magical” experience of flying to the edge of space aboard Virgin Galactic’s first fully crewed flight, but eco campaigners are concerned about its carbon footprint. Amazon restores service after thousands of customer complaints over global outage. Chinese tech firms with one million-plus users must have a government ‘security review’. Why are tech giants buying up millions of Covid jabs? Twitter is appointing a ‘grievance officer’ in India to comply with new g...
Jul 12, 2021•6 min
Professor Stefan Klein has turned science fiction into reality by designing and flying his prototype AirCar - he tells us what it feels like to drive and pilot a real-like Transformer. Prostate cancer: study finds new drug combination attacks disease on two fronts. Covid-related tweets have topped 112 million in UK during pandemic. A Scottish company’s mission to sweep up 50-year-old space junk. More over 50s wanted for the tech sector but they’ll need to skill-up. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak...
Jul 09, 2021•7 min
Former US President Donald Trump is suing tech giants Google, Twitter and Facebook, claiming that he is the victim of censorship - but law experts are saying the legal paperwork is hard to work out. Twitter’s under court order to reveal clear details about its anti-hate speech strategy. How China’s ‘midnight patrols’ use face scanning to check young gamers are tucked up in bed. Groups of men watching football cited in more positive Covid results. Is global warming changing the shape of our brain...
Jul 08, 2021•6 min
The US Defence Department has cancelled its $10 billion Jedi cloud-computing project, reversing the Trump-era award to Microsoft. China’s WeChat deletes university LGBT+ accounts amid gay content censorship fears. China reveals rocket plan to bump asteroids posing Earth safety risk. British Airways reaches confidential settlement in massive data-breach compensation claim. It’s-A Clear, Mario! Nintendo unveils upgraded Switch with OLED screen. Santa’s home sizzles as Lapland records hottest day i...
Jul 07, 2021•5 min
Artificial Intelligence has been used by British soldiers for the first time during a live-firing drill in Estonia. Global ransomware attack: 1,500 businesses feared hit. Diamonds are for 2.7 billion years as ancient gems reveal Earth’s time capsule. Israel sees drop in Pfizer vaccine protection but effectiveness in stopping hospitalisations. Twitter loses legal protection over Indian users’ tweets in High Court libel drama. Mini-submarines will hunt for Antarctic explorer Shackleton’s doomed En...
Jul 06, 2021•5 min
Cybercriminals who allegedly orchestrated mass extortion hitting hundreds of companies 'gained access to networks through a Miami IT firm'. Amazon boss Jeff Bezos steps down with $199 billion fortune to focus on space race. Aspirin ‘could cut mortality risk in cancer patients by 20 per cent’. Single bout of exercise may help protect against bone cancer, study suggests. China orders Didi rideshare app download suspension over ‘illegal harvesting of user data’. Researchers hail ‘life changing’ tre...
Jul 05, 2021•6 min
American tennis legend Billie Jean King, former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard, along with British actresses Thandiwe Newton and Emma Watson are among women urging Facebook, Google, TikTok and Twitter to tackle harassment. WHO chief warns of fresh Covid wave in Europe amid spike in cases. Climate emergency: Antarctic heat hits record temperature. Israeli PI charged in global hacker-for-hire scheme wants plea deal. Student designs lifesaving high-tech device to rapidly stop blood loss fr...
Jul 02, 2021•7 min
Virgin Orbit has launched its space mothership Cosmic Girl and a rocket to successfully blasted seven CubeSats into orbit, but he’s playing catchup with Musk’s Starlink. Avoid contact with pet cat or dog if you have Covid-19, say experts. In their 17,000mph lab, astronauts on board International Space Station demonstrate genome editing. How an AI-powered app could help cut NHS waiting lists for patients with chronic breathing problems. Why a unique Amazon eagle faces being starved into extinctio...
Jul 01, 2021•7 min
Elon isn’t happy: SpaceX had to reschedule its latest launch after a helicopter flew into the rocket’s restricted area - with just seconds before blast-off. A top British police chief says big tech are not investing in technology to prevent abusers sharing of indecent images of children. Dinosaurs may have already been in decline up to 10 million years before their extinction. Black holes eating neutron stars “like Pac-Man” have been detected. Remains of a 5,000-year-old plague-carrying hunter-g...
Jun 30, 2021•6 min
Anti-virus firm Avast are saying cybercriminals have been loading up smash hit games with crypto-mining malware Crackonosh. But what is it? Apple have released a list of products that may pose a risk to your pacemaker. Twitter faces another problem in India over police complaint over a controversial map. Scientists say the clouds on Venus are “too dry” for human life to exist. A new interactive map of deposits of minerals is being launched to help make smartphones. And, astronomers spot a new ty...
Jun 29, 2021•5 min
The world’s biggest crypto-exchange responds after being hit with a ‘regulated activities’ ban by Britain’s financial watchdog.. Microsoft’s customer service tools were compromised by the same Solarwinds hackers. The price of the Origins of the Web NFT has soared as we approach a closing sale. How a new spinal implant could put a stop to severe pain and invasive treatment. Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic flights are even closer. The Mobile World Congress returns to Barcelona, and, meet the wom...
Jun 28, 2021•6 min
Microsoft’s made it official! Windows 11 is on its way and it’s being broadly well received by users with features including the ability to bring Android Apps onto your PC. But, some are shocked at its size... A Kent University study has given a date to the origin of coronavirus. A star is born: astronomers pinpoint when light first came to the universe. Fake reviews: are Amazon and Google UK doing enough to stop them? A 140,000 year old skull and jaw discovery could shed new light on human evol...
Jun 25, 2021•5 min
As social media fills with conspiracy, Catalan authorities insist “everything indicates” John McAfee took his own life. A giant letter “Q" on Instagram sparked some to believe it was referencing the QAnon theory. Despite the leaks, Microsoft will unveil Windows 11 today, a UK Overseas Territory rich with wildlife – home to carnivorous ducks and albatrosses - is now getting a protected status, the European Space Agency’s call out for new astronauts attracted more than 22,000 hopefuls, a British c...
Jun 24, 2021•4 min
A giant artwork of Alan Turing’s been installed at the heart of the UK’s spy base HQ as the wartime hero becomes the first LGBT person to appear on a banknote. Turing is considered the father of computer science and his work cracking the Nazi Enigma code helped bring the Second World War to an end. Amazon’s takeover of the iconic MGM movie studio may have hit a snag. New Twitter scheme could allow creators charge fans for extra content. An air purifier is in hot water with the UK’s advertising w...
Jun 23, 2021•5 min
China wants to take tougher action on the illegal trading and mining of crypto with banks being told to stop supporting transactions. World Hydrography Day: One fifth of the world’s entire seabed has now been mapped. Researchers say negative political social media posts will more likely go viral over supportive ones. Has the re-introduction of Tasmanian devils to an island backfired? An online scam victim support tool is now available on Twitter. Signalling 2024: The London underground is gettin...
Jun 22, 2021•4 min
