Tech
Japan space probe on its way back after asteroid mission
A Japanese space probe is heading home from an asteroid 250 million km (155 million miles) from Earth after collecting sub-surface samples that could help scientists seeking the origins of life, Japan's space agency said on Monday. Asteroids are believed to have formed at the dawn of the solar system… Read
Interpol plans to condemn encryption spread, citing predators, sources say
The international police organization Interpol plans to condemn the spread of strong encryption, saying it protects child sex predators, three people briefed on the matter told Reuters. At the group’s conference in Lyon, France on Friday, an Interpol official said a version of the resolution introduced by the U.S. Federal… Read
Yahoo Japan, messaging app Line to merge to form online giant
Online services Yahoo Japan and Line Corp have announced they are merging. Z Holdings Corp, which owns SoftBank Corp that operates Yahoo Japan, and Naver Corp of South Korea, which owns a majority stake in Line, said Monday they are aiming for a final agreement by next month. The combination… Read
Google enters battle for cloud gaming market
Ever-expanding Google becomes a gaming company Tuesday with the launch of its Stadia cloud service that lets people play console-quality video games on a web browser or smartphone. The internet giant hopes to break into the growing $135 billion global video game industry with cloud technology that could broaden audiences… Read
Apple Watch detects irregular heartbeats in U.S. study
Apple Inc's Heart study, the largest yet to explore the role of wearable devices in identifying potential heart problems, found the device could accurately detect atrial fibrillation, the most common type of irregular heartbeat, U.S. researchers report. The results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), come as… Read
Boeing brings back humans after automation problems on 777 assembly
Boeing Co has scaled back use of automation to make fuselage sections for its 777 jetliners amid reports of reliability issues and returned to having mechanics do some of the work, the planemaker said. The company began to build 777 fuselages in 2015 in an upright orientation, with robots drilling… Read
Huawei sells folding smartphone with no Google after U.S. ban
Chinese tech giant Huawei is selling its first folding smartphone without Google apps or U.S.-made processor chips following sanctions imposed by Washington. The Mate X, which unfolds to 14.6 centimeters (5.8 inches) wide, went on sale Friday on Huawei’s online store in China priced at 16,999 yuan ($2,422). It competes… Read
Personal? Private? No such thing in data-hungry world
Personal data reveals a slew of secrets about friends and family so regulators should stop fixating on individual privacy and safeguard society instead, data experts say. From friends' shopping habits to family health, one person's data can shed light on a far wider network, with tech firms using individual information… Read
'Digital revolution' excluding the most vulnerable, world leaders told
From tackling diseases to improving transport, technology like data and artificial intelligence has unleashed a wave of opportunities, but those still exclude society's most vulnerable citizens, according to a leading human rights researcher. The "digitisation of information" impacts every sector in society but not everyone benefits equally, said Carly Kind,… Read
Be more transparent about algorithms, Berners-Lee tells tech giants
Tech companies should be more transparent about how computer algorithms make decisions that affect people's lives, the inventor of the World Wide Web Tim Berners-Lee says. From selecting job candidates to assessing whether inmates are likely to offend again, data-driven artificial intelligence(AI) programs are being deployed in an growing number… Read
