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Tech

421
Elon Musk’s rocket explodes after launch, scattering debris and disrupting several flights
A rocket launched by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company exploded shortly after lift-off, showering fiery debris through the air.
474
The number of cases of child sexual abuse through Grindr has increased in the United Kingdom
A dating app popular with the LGBTQ+ community has been linked to dozens of sex abuse cases including children under the age of 13.
594
Meta’s decision to drop professional factcheckers raises fears of increased radicalisation among older Facebook users
For middle-aged users, it will be ‘even harder to discern the truth’ among extremist content, expert says
456
Meta and Amazon are scaling back their diversity programs ahead of Trump’s inauguration
Facebook owner Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab and Amazon.com (AMZN.O), opens new tab are winding down diversity programs ahead of Republican Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency as conservative opposition to such initiatives grows louder.
611
Apple faces £1.5bn UK class action over alleged overcharging of iPhone users
A seven-week trial is set to begin later this month at the Competition Appeal Tribunal over a £1.5billion lawsuit claiming British iPhone users were overcharged.
627
‘Godfather of AI’ shortens odds of the technology wiping out humanity over next 30 years
Geoffrey Hinton says there is 10-20% chance AI will lead to human extinction in three decades, as change moves fast
453
NASA solar probe set for its closest-ever approach to the sun on Christmas Eve
Mission teams will lose direct contact with Parker probe while it passes 3.8 million miles from sun’s surface
418
Forensic technology aids Brazil’s fight against illegal Amazon gold trade
In July 2023, Harley Sandoval, an evangelical pastor who also worked as a real estate agent and mining entrepreneur, was arrested for the illegal export of 294 kilos of gold. The gold, sourced from Brazil’s Amazon, was smuggled to destinations including the United States, Dubai, and Italy.
597
Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp down as users report major Meta outage
Downdetector showed a large spike in people complaining that social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and other Meta applications were affected by an outage
385
The growth of AI-driven cloud storage threatens Ireland’s climate objectives
Friends of the Earth calls on government to rein in growth of datacentres for fear they could increase fossil fuel use
468
Google reveals ’mindboggling’ new quantum computing chip
Chip takes minutes to complete tasks that would otherwise take 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years
419
Iran announces successful space launch amid Western criticism of its program
The launch took place at Iran’s Imam Khomeini Spaceport in rural Semnan province.
657
Fortnite down for users, but exact time provided for gamers to return to play
Epic Games shuttered services this morning ahead of the highly anticipated first chapter of season six, which introduces a massive Japan-themed map and Japanese heroes
407
Google introduces an unexpected update impacting 2 billion Gmail users
Google appears to be introducing a new feature to help users improve the privacy and security of their Gmail account.
635
AI could trigger ‘social ruptures’ among those divided over its sentience
Leading philosopher says issue is ‘no longer one for sci-fi’ as dawn of AI consciousness is predicted for 2035
554
NASA astronaut hospitalized after returning from 235 days in space
Neither NASA nor its Russian counterpart agency ROSCOSMOS are yet to disclose why it was that the four astronauts were whisked to hospital after they touched down in Florida today
477
Intel wins battle to overturn $1.14 billion EU antitrust fine in ongoing case
The European Commission levied the record fine in 2009, saying the chip maker had abused its dominance in the market
427
Watchdog opens investigation into anti-immigrant posts on Facebook
Oversight Board says parent company Meta has ‘serious questions’ to answer over two posts allowed to remain online
522
‘Race science’ group claims to have accessed sensitive UK health data
Fringe network recorded boasting of securing data from UK Biobank trove donated by 500,000 volunteers
494
Three professors awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for their research on post-colonial wealth
British-born Simon Johnson and James A Robinson and Turkish-American Daron Acemoğlu share £810,000 prize
401
In an engineering marvel, mechanical SpaceX arms catch the Starship rocket booster upon its return to the launch pad
Elon Musk’s huge rocket sets off on test flight before upper stage splashdown and explosion in Indian Ocean
434
A "nuclear test" detected by satellite 45 years ago remains unclaimed, with no country taking responsibility
45 years ago to the day, an American satellite spotted something unusual in the Indian Ocean.
651
Microsoft has chosen a notorious former nuclear site to power its AI operations
America’s Three Mile Island energy plant, the site of the worst nuclear accident in US history, is preparing to reopen as Microsoft looks for ways to satisfy its growing energy needs.
493
Google warns the UK risks falling behind in the AI race without additional data centers
Tech company wants Labour to relax laws that prevent AI models being ‘trained’ on copyrighted materials
358
First image of the doomed Titan submersible on the ocean floor after its implosion, with the tragic final message from the crew revealed
The first image of the Titan submersible on the ocean floor has been released, showing the aftermath of its tragic implosion that resulted in the deaths of all on board.