Month: May 2022
Demonstration Against abortion case in US
Thousands of people have attended rallies across the US in support of abortion rights. Rallies were also held in other major US cities like Los Angeles, Boston and Atlanta. According to a leaked Supreme Court document the US Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe vs Wade – a 1973 decision that legalised abortion nationwide.
Lockdown Gains
Lockdown measures imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic led to a surge in demand for online services. Stuck indoors, there was a boom in demand for takeaways, online shopping, streaming and online fitness. But as restrictions eased, some pandemic darlings are now finding life tougher. Netflix, Peloton and Boohoo have all seen the popularity they enjoyed
New transatlantic co-operation in tech
A command centre to scan the digital realm for global disinformation campaigns. Standardised plugs for electric cars that will work both in America and in the European Union (eu) and so lower the cost of building the infrastructure needed to decarbonise. A transatlantic team to scout for attempts by China and others to manipulate global
NATO Unity against Russia
Ukraine has forced America and its allies to bond. But the country’s future is still uncertain. Vladimir putin’s giant oval table in the Kremlin is as extreme as it is kitsch. Sitting far from foreign visitors may be his way of social distancing. On February 7th Mr Macron was the first heavyweight Western leader this
China’s homeless during pandemic
The pandemic has made life even harder for the millions of people who sleep on the streets of China’s cities. Most come from the countryside in search of work. Lacking a local hukou, or household-registration permit, they cannot obtain benefits. Officials see them as eyesores. Government shelters are obliged to “persuade” them to leave. Now
10 more languages on Google
Several other African languages were already available, including Amharic, Hausa and Somali. In the past, the software used to translate as well as learn how to improve the interpretation relied on being fed material that had already been translated. Google has said that these new additions rely on novel software which does not require reference
algae to power computer
Researchers have used algae to power a computer continuously for a year. The algae harvests energy from the sun through photosynthesis which generates an electrical current. The Internet of Things is a vast and growing network of electronic devices that each use a small amount of power that collect and share real-time data via the
Mocking Memes of George Floyd
A former police officer has admitted sharing racist memes on WhatsApp mocking the death of George Floyd. James Watts, a probationary officer with the West Mercia force at the time, posted them in a group that included colleagues at a Warwickshire prison. The 31-year-old who admitted 10 counts on Friday was warned by Birmingham magistrates
Twitter Deal on hold
Elon Musk has said his $44bn (£35bn) deal to buy Twitter is on hold after he queried the number of fake or spam accounts on the social media platform. He said he was waiting for information “supporting [the] calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of users”. Even before his comments, the
AI to cut traffic queues
Traffic lights have been developed with artificial intelligence, which researchers say could significantly cut queues. Developers built a traffic simulator to train the program, teaching it to handle different scenarios. They hope to begin testing on real roads later this year. The system is capable of learning, researchers said, allowing it to try different approaches