Month: February 2022
Volunteer robot interaction
A De Montfort University team, in Leicester, created the artificial intelligence programme which can judge an onlooker’s mood. Named PLEA, its uses cameras and microphones to monitor a subject and their immediate environment and responds via a projected face. The team are looking for people to interact with the robot so it can learn subtler
OnlyFans Conspiracy
OnlyFans has been accused of conspiring to blacklist the social media accounts of adult performers working for rival websites, It is alleged that OnlyFans representatives paid bribes to the firm’s employees to facilitate the practice. OnlyFans says it is aware of the legal claim and it has “no merit”. OnlyFans – best known for hosting
Lifting Covid-19 Sanctions
The move to lift all restrictions and end free testing from next week could fuel a sharp rise in Covid infections, scientific advisers to the government have warned. The decision to scale back Covid interventions has drawn sharp criticism from scientists and health officials alike, who have said there is a lack of compelling scientific
Tinder Swindler Business
Simon Leviev, aka the Tinder Swindler, has revealed that he gained his wealth through bitcoin. Leviev is alleged to have swindled at least three women out of hundreds of thousands of dollars after becoming romantically involved with them. But now, Leviev has claimed that he’s a “legit businessman” and his wealth was acquired through an
Russia -Ukraine Invasion
The meeting Vladimir Putin convened of Russia’s security council started when there was fresh hope that diplomacy may yet prevail to avert a war in Europe. Emmanuel Macron had a telephone call with the Russian president which was said to be positive, meetings were due between Sergei Lavrov and the US secretary of state Antony
Truth Social Goes Live
After being ousted from social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, in January 2021, the former US president took matters in his hands and announced last October that he planned to launch his own platform. Mr Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr shared a screenshot of the site featuring his father promoting its anticipated
China Biodiversity
The country is alert to the importance of global norms on mitigating climate change. Even when in dispute on other matters, America and China have shown co-operation on limiting emissions. But, with a Senate that has a poor record for ratifying environmental treaties, America is not a party to the un’s convention on biodiversity, which
China to Insulate itself against Western Sanctions
A strikingly harsh appraisal of China’s ongoing technological battle with America appeared on the website of a prestigious Beijing-based think-tank on January 30th.China is likely to be the bigger loser from the technological and economic decoupling under way between the two world powers. China lacks control over core computing systems, the paper stated, and is
Ukraine cyber invasion
“BE AFRAID AND prepare for the worst,” read a coded warning left by hackers after they targeted Ukrainian state databases on January 14th. A month later, a powerful cyber-attack paralysed services at two big banks and on the defence ministry’s website. On both occasions, Russia denied involvement. But the messaging was unsubtle, coinciding as it
Tech Groomed Children
Young children are now more exposed to being groomed online due to a reliance on tech devices in lockdown, a charity has claimed. Grooming is when someone builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them. In some cases, children are groomed, deceived or extorted into