Facebook has announced that it is pausing its Instagram Kids project following criticism from child protection authorities and legislators. Instagram’s parent company said that building the new app, meant for children aged under 13, was “the right thing to do” but that it is now going to re-evaluate the project. It follows a series of
Technology
Elon Musk and Grimes have split up after three years together, according to reports. Musk, who is the founder of SpaceX and Tesla, confirmed to Page Six that he and the Canadian singer are semi-separate but on good terms. The 50-year-old added that they will continue to co-parent their one-year-old son, X Æ A-Xii Musk.
Delays were expected, but nothing like this. For months, airport bosses have been warning that the need to check passengers’ coronavirus documents would cause long queues at UK borders. In response, the Home Office said it was doing everything it could to minimise disruption, including rolling out an upgrade to e-gates so that documents could
A “human logjam” has formed at Heathrow as crowds of people struggle to get through customs after e-gates failed, with some being left stuck on their planes. The unspecified technical problem has been confirmed to have hit other airports including Edinburgh and Manchester. In a statement to Sky News, Heathrow said the issue has impacted
The Chinese authorities have long made clear their misgivings about cryptocurrency. None of that stopped it from becoming the world capital for crypto. As far back as 2013, the government banned banks from using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. In 2017, domestic exchanges and initial coin offerings were also proscribed. And this year, it banned mining
The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has announced that all cryptocurrency-related financial activities are illegal, including transactions, providing pricing services, and launching new tokens. According to a notice published on the central bank’s website, it will be illegal for Chinese residents to purchase cryptocurrencies from overseas and even be involved in marketing or technical support
Scientists have examined the mysteries of a distant galaxy made visible not just by the Hubble Space Telescope but also a deep-space optical phenomenon known as an “Einstein Ring”. Hubble is one of the largest astronomy tools ever put into space. It has been orbiting the Earth since 1990 at an altitude of around 540km,
Fossilised footprints found in the US could hold the answer to a question that has intrigued scientists for many years: When did the first people arrive in the Americas after dispersing from Africa and Asia? The footprints were found in White Sands National Park, New Mexico, by researchers who dug a trench in the gypsum
For years, EA’s FIFA games have been the uncontested king of the football castle. However, Konami’s new disruptive title eFootball could be the game to draw EA’s loyal following away. Konami says it’s a football simulator, placing emphasis on ball control and strategy. It plays like a brand new £60 release – while also being
Apple has hit back at the European Union’s plans to make all mobile phones have the same charger in a bid to crackdown on electronic waste. An 18-page directive released by the European Commission today included proposals for all devices to use USB-C ports, which are currently used by Android phones. This would force Apple
Microplastics, tiny fragments of plastic less than 5mm in size, are a hidden form of pollution known to be contaminating waterways and the world’s oceans – and now, scientists say, the human digestive system. And according to a new pilot study, infants’ stools contain up to 10 times higher concentrations of a microplastic called polyethylene
The Lithuanian Ministry of Defence has urged people to stop buying Chinese phones and throw away the ones they already possess after discovering censorship software. It followed a report from the country’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) which found that Xiaomi devices were censoring terms deemed to be offensive to Beijing. According to an analysis
Llamas produce a unique kind of antibody which scientists believe could offer a new frontline treatment against COVID-19, administered via a nasal spray. Nanobodies, a smaller and simpler form of antibody produced by llamas and camels, can effectively target the novel coronavirus, new research published in the journal Nature Communication has found. Scientists at the
A new museum dedicated to the history of the mobile phone will launch online next month. The Mobile Phone Museum will chart the evolution of the technology from 1984 to the present day, showcasing more than 2,000 handsets from 200 different manufacturers. Ben Wood, who is chief analyst at technology research firm CCS Insight, has
NASA has announced the landing site for its robotic lunar rover which is planned to reach the moon in 2023. The VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) will land near the Nobile Crater at the moon’s south pole where it will explore and map both the surface and the subsurface to identify water and other
An ongoing volcanic eruption in Iceland is now the longest the country has seen for more than 50 years, as Sunday marked the sixth month lava has been erupting from a fissure near Mount Fagradalsfjall. The eruption near the capital Reykjavik began on 19 March and has continued ever since. Sometimes the volcano has thrown