• Social media firms and search engines to face new penalties for scam adverts

    The latest draft of the Online Safety Bill will give regulators greater powers to tackle harmful, offensive and misleading adverts. It could also see tougher penalties places on influencers who fail to declare payment for promoting products on their social media channels. The latest changes to the bill follow calls from a coalition of 17 consumer and business groups last year for the government to include scams within the scope of the much-delayed bill. In December, the Joint Committee responsible for reviewing the bill concluded that serious changes are needed to “call time on the Wild West online”. Peers and MPs said the draft bill, which was published last May, must be clearer about what content is illegal. The latest additions are designed to improve protections for internet users…

  • Antimicrobial air filters could drastically cut Covid spread on trains

    The technology can kill an array of bacteria, fungi and viruses in seconds including providing a potential solution to prevent the spread of airborne infections. The air filters, which are coated with a chemical biocide called chlorhexidine digluconate (CHDG), were rigorously tested and compared to commonly used standard ‘control’ filters in the laboratory, in industrial air condensing units, and in a trial onboard trains operating on the UK’s railways. In the laboratory, Covid-19 cells were added to the surface of both the treated and control filters and measured at intervals over a period of more than an hour.  The results showed that, while much of the virus remained on the surface of the control filter for an hour, all the Covid cells were killed within 60 seconds on the treated filter…

  • Hands-on review: Intelli ScoutPro multi-device powerbank

    We've all been there. We're away from home, or even just away from wall sockets, and our devices are dying on us. Maybe it's because of an unplanned overnight stay or simply because you forgot to charge everything last night, being caught short electrically is a common modern-day malaise. Many of us already have a portable recharging powerbank or two lying around, good for a phone boost. The problem is that these powerbanks are usually a one-hit wonder, good enough to get us home, but only for one device and only for one time. If you're away from wall power for any greater stretch of time, you'll probably wind up carrying around two dead devices. Perhaps what you need is a heavy-duty charging brick, such as this ScoutPro chonk, positively bristling with enough sockets and wireless charging…

  • View from Brussels: Unbound and untethered

    EU countries import 90 per cent of their fossil gas needs and more than 40 per cent of that is from Russia. As Vladimir Putin continues his internationally-denounced invasion of Ukraine, those imports have become an extremely contentious issue. The situation has already prompted the German government to nix the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would have connected Russian gas to northeast Germany via the Baltic Sea. Berlin is also preparing for the likelihood that Moscow cuts deliveries via the parallel Nord Stream 1 pipe. According to best estimates and current gas prices, EU countries send Russia more than €600 million every day to cover gas purchases. It does not take a geopolitical expert to see that other economic sanctions on the Kremlin are undermined by this status quo. On Tuesday…

  • Motorway fast-charger operator scraps exclusivity rights over competition concerns

    Gridserve has signed a legally binding commitment that competitors will be able to join it in providing infrastructure from November 2026. The agreement will see it reducing the length of the exclusive rights in the current contracts with motorway service providers MOTO and Roadchef by around 2 and 4 years respectively, while the contract with the third operator, Extra, is due to end in 2026. Ann Pope, the CMA’s senior director of antitrust, said: “We need a combination of investment now and healthy competition going forward to make sure chargepoints are installed at scale where people need them, for a fair price. “Today’s commitments strike the right balance. Gridserve will continue to invest in the much needed roll-out of chargepoints across the country but the exclusivity linked to…

  • GP video calls only offer ‘minimal’ benefits, study finds

    In 2017, private firm Babylon Health launched an app that allowed patients to launch video calls with a GP at any time of the day. But current figures show that just 0.5 per cent of GP appointments in England are actually being made via video or online. Academics from the University of Oxford interviewed 121 people, including patients and 55 GPs, to look at the possible benefits of the technology. Some patients were quite positive about the technology, with those living in remote areas in particular praising its convenience. But doctors found that it was “unsuited” to some of their patients, especially those with mental impairments or the elderly. Many doctors also said that telephone calls were “familiar and dependable” technology that almost everyone knows how to use. “The relative…

  • Electric vehicles dominate Car Of The Year 2022 awards

    The overall best car award went to Hyundai's latest electric vehicle, the Ioniq 5, which was also the winner in the Best Family Car category. Second place for Car Of The Year went to another EV: Skoda’s Enyaq. Two more EVs tied for third place: BMW’s iX and Porsche's Taycan. The judges - motoring journalists and industry experts - noted the Ioniq 5's design and interior space in their praise, but crucially also highlighted the car's electric driving range. 'Range anxiety' has dogged EVs in recent years, potentially hampering broader take-up amongst consumers. As battery technology improves, bringing with it the reassurance of EVs reliably covering greater distances, these fears are dissipating. The 29-strong judging panel were fulsome in their praise of the Ioniq 5. Top Gear’s Tom Ford…

  • Sponsored: Bosch powers the automotive sector towards an electrified future

    Just as tourists in Paris are drawn to the Louvre, visitors to Stuttgart, Germany, also flock to museums displaying the great works of the city. Stuttgart may not boast of Degas or Monet, but its prominent names are perhaps even more famous than Paris’ painters: Mercedes–Benz and Porsche. Each of these iconic automakers maintains a museum in the southwestern German city they call home. Their gleaming galleries feature many historic and influential cars, almost all of them powered by petroleum-fueled internal combustion (IC) engines. Looking ahead, Stuttgart will likely continue to be the heart of the German auto industry, but how long will the IC engine remain the heart of the automobile? Even the most successful manufacturers must adapt to changing conditions. The German automotive sector…

  • Cyber-security training offered gratis for minority-owned Midlands businesses

    Businesses will be able to attend the sessions during March and April 2022 at locations across the Midlands: Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Coventry, Derby, Leicester and Nottingham. The region previously hosted the launch, in Birmingham, of the UK Government’s National Cyber Strategy ' in December 2021. Attendees of the National Cyber-Security Council (NCSC) certified training course in Cybersecurity & Privacy Essentials (CSPE) will have the opportunity to learn: how to protect their business from cyber criminals and ransomware attacks what are 'Cyber Essentials' and why it's important and relevant for every business in the UK how to ensure they don’t get fined by the privacy regulator. Each training session will be followed by a Q&A exchange with the cyber-security expert, with…

  • Cable laying expected this year for UK-German power link

    Prysmian, a leader in the energy and telecom cable systems industry, has been awarded a contract worth around €1.2bn (£990m) for the turnkey design, manufacturing, installation, testing and commissioning of the 725km submarine interconnector, which will directly link the German and UK electricity grids for the first time. This 1400MW submarine and land cable system will connect two of Europe’s largest energy markets, promoting the efficient use and integration of renewable energy generation resources in both Germany and the UK. The cable will run through UK, Dutch and German waters between converter stations on the Isle of Grain in Kent and Wilhelmshaven in Lower Saxony. Contracts for the converter station works are expected to be signed in the coming weeks. Prysmian will provide the…

  • Bacteria converting sunlight into electricity via 3D-printed ‘skyscrapers’

    The University of Cambridge team said the structures help the sun-loving bacteria to grow quickly, whereupon their waste electrons left over from photosynthesis can be harvested to power small electronics. While similar projects have been trialled by other researchers, the Cambridge team believe that providing them with the right kind of home increases the amount of energy they can extract by an order of magnitude. The approach is competitive with traditional methods of renewable bioenergy generation and has already reached solar conversion efficiencies that can outcompete many current methods of biofuel generation. The project also suggests that ‘biohybrid’ sources of solar energy could be an important component in the zero-carbon energy mix while having a lower carbon and environmental…

  • Solid-state batteries could reach commercialisation with liquid electrolyte

    SSBs are typically made with technology that uses solid electrodes and a solid electrolyte, instead of the liquid or polymer gel electrolytes found in lithium-ion or lithium polymer batteries. While the batteries can already be produced, their low energy density has so far dissuaded manufacturers from embracing the technology. But a new study led by Sandia National Laboratories in the US is tackling the long-held assumption that adding some liquid electrolyte to improve performance would make solid-state batteries unsafe. Instead, the research team found that in many cases SSBs with a little liquid electrolyte were safer than their lithium-ion counterparts (pictured). They also found that if the battery were to short-circuit, releasing all its stored energy, the theoretically super-safe…

  • Is battery swapping a viable solution for e-mobility?

    Venture-backed international company Better Place was famous for attempting to pioneer battery-swapping technology in electric vehicles (EVs). The company went bankrupt in 2013 and its fate might cast a dim verdict on the viability of battery swapping. However, nearly a decade later and the technology has made significant progress. Could battery swapping be back on the agenda after all? Better Place may have failed in its attempt to make battery-swapping technology commercially viable, but this experience didn’t put others off entirely. The idea has always worked well in theory and now there are many projects around the world where it is being put into action. From a sustainability perspective, battery swapping has considerable appeal. Fast charging degrades the battery at a much faster…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Covid deaths surpass six million (at least)

    The latest stats for the global death underscores that the pandemic, now in its third year, is far from finished. The milestone is the latest reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic even as people are shedding masks, travel is resuming and businesses are reopening around the globe. The most recent million deaths were recorded over the last four months, according to the tally compiled by Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, US. This rise was slightly slower than the previous million, but highlights that many countries are still struggling with the virus. Remote Pacific islands, long protected from the pandemic due to their isolation, are only now grappling with their first outbreaks and deaths, fuelled by the highly contagious Omicron variant. Hong Kong, which is seeing…

  • TikTok blocks new content uploads in Russia after launch of ‘fake news’ law

    In a series of tweets, TikTok confirmed that while users in the country would be able to access older content, new uploads would be unavailable for the time being. Older content made by users outside Russia would also be unavailable to stream. Russia has already blocked Facebook and Twitter after they restricted the country’s state-backed media on their platforms for spreading propaganda related to the war in Ukraine. The country recently passed new legislation - quickly rubber-stamped by both houses of the Kremlin-controlled parliament - that imposes prison sentences of up to 15 years for those spreading information that goes against the Russian government’s preferred narrative on the war in Ukraine. “TikTok is an outlet for creativity and entertainment that can provide a source of relief…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • UK deaths from extreme heat could soar under 2°C global warming

    Temperature-related mortality, defined as when death is directly linked to climate temperature, could soar by up to 42 per cent in England and Wales during the hottest days of the year. This means an increase from present-day levels of around 117 deaths per day, averaged over the 10 hottest days of the year, to around 166 deaths per day. The current level of global warming – which is around 1.21°C – actually sees a slight decrease in temperature-related mortality in winter and a minimal net effect in summer for an overall slight decrease in temperature-related mortality. The paper finds that the rate of increase particularly speeds up at 2°C of warming, with a much higher risk appearing beyond 2.5°C. The researchers say that 3°C warming could lead to a 75 per cent increase in mortality…

  • Gas prices explode as prices soar 70 per cent to record high

    Prices are now more than 20 times higher than they were just two years ago, increasing on Monday from what were already record highs last week. The price of a therm of gas, the commonly used measure, shot up to around 800p during the morning. It had been at around 460p on Friday. It is likely to lead to an even bigger squeeze on households. Energy prices are already set to increase by more than 50 per cent to close to £2,000 for the average household on 1 April this year. Last week, when gas was trading at much lower levels than on Monday, experts predicted the price cap will rise by around £1,000 to more than £2,900 in October when it is next changed. However, the rise could come sooner if industry regulator Ofgem decides the market cannot handle the pressure. Earlier this year, the…

  • View from India: Mantra for Mobility

    A Preply study has revealed just how long people across the globe spend waiting in traffic across various parts of the globe. With a population of 23 million, it’s no surprise that New Delhi in India tops the list. The Delhites spend 57.37 minutes per day stuck in traffic, followed by the people of Manila, Philippines, who clock 54.02 minutes per day. London occupies the 10 th slot, with Londoners enduring an average of 43 minutes per day. The average UK driver spends almost four years behind the wheel in their lifetime, with eight months of this spent waiting in traffic. The typical driver also clocks up 592,920 miles in their lifetime: enough to travel to the Moon and back or go around the globe 24 times. The Preply report also researched the cities across the globe which work the most…

  • Gravity-charging battery train to be developed for Australian mining firm

    The regenerating battery-electric iron-ore train will use gravitational energy to recharge its battery electric systems without any additional charging requirements for the return trip to reload. Fortescue has significant iron-ore mining operations in Western Australia. The company says the jointly developed technology will reduce emissions in the hard-to-abate heavy industry sector and that there will be significant opportunities to commercialise it globally. Fortescue chief executive officer Elizabeth Gaines explained: “The Infinity Train is an important project to be developed together with WAE, as we work to deliver on our target to decarbonise our mining operations by 2030. “The Infinity Train has the capacity to be the world’s most efficient battery electric locomotive. The regeneration…

  • Ukraine-Russia conflict: nuclear watchdog offers to travel to Ukraine to broker a deal

    In the early hours of Friday morning, Ukrainian authorities reported a Russian projectile hit its Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, which sparked a fire. After burning for at least four hours amid reports Russian troops had prevented emergency teams from attending to the blaze, Ukrainian emergency services confirmed they extinguished the blaze at 6:20am local time. Despite growing fears of a nuclear disaster following the news, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi assured there has been no release of radiation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant following the shelling and that while there was damage to the reactor compartment, the safety of the unit was not affected. “All the safety systems of the six reactors…

  • Pilot scheme using AI could transform cervical cancer screening

    University Hospital Monklands in Airdrie said it has become the first hospital in the UK and one of the first in the world to pilot the technology as part of its cervical screening programme. According to health experts, the new technology could help to ensure earlier detection of pre-cancerous cells and cancer cells and has the potential to save lives. The pilot is using a digital cytology system, the Genius Digital Diagnostics System, from women’s health company Hologic. This will create digital images of cervical smear slides from samples that have tested positive for human papilloma virus (HPV). Screeners can rapidly review these images of test slides using an advanced algorithm, which assesses the cervical cells in the sample and provides the screener with an image gallery of the…

  • Wellingborough ‘smart’ prison not a ‘soft touch’, says Raab

    On a visit to HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said inmates at the category C prison needed to be given “a sense of what life on the outside looks like” because “we are not going to lock everyone up for life”. The 1,700-capacity prison does not have bars on its windows and will provide prisoners with access to a gym, snooker table, table tennis table and a smart tablet to gain new qualifications. Prison staff have also said they will describe cells as “rooms” and prisoners as “residents” to assist in their rehabilitation. Speaking to reporters at the jail on Thursday, ahead of the facility's official opening on Friday, Raab said: “I’m interested in punishment, because that’s what the public expect, but I’m not really interested in stigmatising…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Money & Markets: Conflict hits energy prices, but engineers will have the answer

    Europe is caught between the greens and the reds. We can’t have nuclear, we can’t have coal, now we are going to have to pay through the nose for oil and gas. This is going to prove tricky for Europe, which relies so much on Russian gas and which is already suffering from a lack of supply, with prices for energy rocketing. With Russia heading for isolation because of its Ukrainian aggression, unless some peace miracle happens there will be an energy crisis in Europe and another spurt of energy price hikes feeding into an inflationary spiral already underway. If the current situation turns into a Cold War-style stalemate we are in for a long period of extreme energy prices. It will, however, be engineers to the rescue. Obviously, it won’t be a quick fix, and obviously the greens will…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Nokia ignores smartphone spec ‘arms race’

    Adam Ferguson, global head of product marketing at Finnish company HMD Global, the exclusive licensee of the Nokia brand for phones and tablets, said its new C21 Plus and C2 smartphones were not about making headlines with price tags or high specifications, but were more focused on providing reliability to users. The phones start at £100 and £75 respectively and HMD claims they have long battery life and a durable design to encourage users to keep their phones for longer, whilst still offering the typical appointments of a modern smartphone, such as a good-quality screen and camera set-up. The new C-series phones run Android, with quarterly security updates planned for two years, and offer battery sizes of 4000mAh or 5050mAh, depending on the model. Built around a robust inner metal chassis…

Community Rules & Guidelines