French top lawmakers have refused to single out Chinese-owned TikTok and instead encouraged fellow MPs to “limit” their use of social media apps and messaging services in an internal email seen by Politico. Fellow French apps, Russian-based Telegram and Signal are also included as potentially risk-laden alternatives. This is in contrast with the Dutch government […]
TikTok, a video-sharing app owned by China, is becoming a battleground as the US and China fight for technological leadership. The app has faced scrutiny from US officials over concerns about national security and censorship. The Trump administration issued an executive order that effectively bans TikTok in the US unless it agrees to be acquired […]
Geoscientists at Virginia Tech have uncovered evidence of a key time in evolution of life on Earth. Findings published in Science Advances point to a rise in biologically available nitrogen occurring in step with the dominance of marine eukaryotes. Complex eukaryotic cells evolved into multicellular organisms, giving star to life such as animals, plants and […]
The Chinese government has opposed possible US plans to compel ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, to sell the popular short-video app, warning that such a move would harm investor confidence in the US. Several governments have expressed concern that ByteDance might provide China’s government with user browsing data or use the app to promote […]
The European Union’s (EU) top two countries are bringing their domestic issues to a summit in Brussels that could overshadow discussions about areas such as trade, foreign policy and the economy. Germany is looking to derail a plan to phase out combustion engines for traditional cars by 2035, putting in place an 11th-hour attempt to […]
Ford’s electric vehicle unit, Model e, has incurred pre-tax losses of $3bn over the past two years and is expected to lose the same amount again this year as the company invests heavily in the technology, according to a new reporting structure. Company officials said the unit will become profitable before taxes by late 2026 […]
The Institut de France is offering a $1m prize to anyone able to accurately decipher an unopened Herculaneum scroll. The scrolls, which were found at the Herculaneum site near Pompeii in the 18th century, were fused together by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Their condition, described as resembling flaky ash, renders the […]
A team of researchers, scientists, industry, and an astrophysicist worked to develop low-cost, easy-to-manufacture ventilators domestically in Canada during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the efforts included a Montreal-based competition that brought in global competitors and involved scientists and engineers around Nobel Prize co-winner Art McDonald. McDonald’s Italian colleague Cristiano Galbiati […]
A coalition of US high-tech industry groups is urging President Joe Biden to take a stand against Canada’s approach to digital services. They argue that Ottawa’s proposed digital services tax unfairly targets US companies and is incompatible with international efforts to establish a global standard. The group also complains about two federal bills: the Online […]
NPR is set to lay off 10% of its workforce this week in order to cover the network’s anticipated $30m budget shortfall, according to The Verge’s podcasting newsletter Hot Pod. The email noted that many employees had taken to Twitter to offer support to their colleagues, while some urged public radio fans to donate to […]