• China fights back on chip war

    China has hit back against the sweeping rules passed by the US Department of Commerce in October, severely restricting the country's access to advanced semiconductor technology.  “China takes legal actions within the WTO framework as a necessary way to address our concerns and to defend our legitimate interests,” said China's commerce ministry.  He added that the US curbs “threatened the stability of the global industrial supply chains”. The complaint is the first step in a WTO mediation process. The next step would usually see the case being put before the Appellate Body. However, that body has been recently suspended due to disagreements among member states, meaning China’s complaint is unlikely to create any legal effect. "We have received a request for consultations from the PRC…

  • Scottish homes face blackouts as winter power cuts loom

    The temperature at Braemar in Aberdeenshire dropped to -17.3°C over night making it the coldest place in the UK for the second night in a row. In Shetland, thousands of homes are still left without power following significant snowfall, although power has been restored to more than 2,500 properties. Some 3,800 homes in Voe, Whalsay, Brae, Tumblin, Yell and Unst are still not connected, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has said, warning that it may take until the end of the week to restore power due to the extent of damage, significant travel restrictions and continued issues accessing fault locations. UK Power Networks (UKPN), which maintains electricity networks across London, the South East and East of England, has encouraged people to prepare a personal power cut plan…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • London Luton found to be the worst UK airport for accessibility

    The regulator has released a new report where it assessed performance for 16 of the largest UK airports over a seven-month period between 1 April and 31 October 2022. Earlier this year, the regulator wrote to airports informing them that the experience passengers received was unacceptable and told those who were underperforming that it expected them to do more to improve the quality of assistance throughout the rest of the summer. It required several airports to put in place action plans, together with airlines, which saw marked improvements in performance. The regulator ranked London Luton as the worst-performing airport as it had failed to reach performance targets and for failing to make significant improvements to the assistance it provided. Only Aberdeen, Belfast International…

  • Musk’s Twitter dissolves Trust and Safety Council

    The company formed the council in 2016 to address hate speech, child exploitation, suicide, self-harm and other problems on the platform. The council had been scheduled to meet with Twitter representatives on Monday night. However, Twitter informed the group via email that it was disbanding it shortly before the meeting was to take place, according to multiple members. The council members, who provided images of the email from Twitter to The Associated Press (AP), spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity due to fears of retaliation. “Our work to make Twitter a safe, informative place will be moving faster and more aggressively than ever before and we will continue to welcome your ideas going forward about how to achieve this goal,” said the email, which was anonymously signed as simply…

  • National Grid to harness space technology to boost energy resilience

    The organisation has trialled using satellite imagery and data analytics across more than 1,700 miles of the energy network in its initial discovery phase. The initiative is being funded by Ofgem and Innovate UK’s  Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), with a view towards improving the monitorisation of the condition of key electricity and gas infrastructure around the clock to enable the National Grid to respond to issues more quickly. National Grid claims the project, which will commence ‘alpha’ testing in August 2023, could deliver up to £22m in cost savings over the next decade. “Eye in the Sky is exploring the really exciting prospect of using satellites to monitor grid infrastructure and the surrounding area, helping us understand how and why networks are being affected,” said Sean Coleman…

  • European banks continue fossil fuel funding despite climate pledges, report finds

    A report looking into Europe’s top 25 banks from ShareAction identified some improvements in their climate and biodiversity strategies since the previous survey in 2020. But they still have “a long way to go” to meet internationally agreed standards to deal with climate change, cut emissions and safeguard nature, the report found. All 25 banks have said their businesses will be net-zero by 2050, but ShareAction said that a lack of transparency is leading to an underreporting of their support for high-carbon sectors. While most banks now have at least one decarbonisation target in place, these often fail to capture the bulk of their financing to high-carbon sectors and do not always lead to absolute reductions of emissions, the report says. Fossil fuel policies are often full of loopholes…

  • MIT engineers build portable, paper-thin solar cells

    These durable,  flexible solar cells , are much thinner than a human hair but can generate  18 times more power per kilogram than a conventional solar panel.  The cells are made from semiconducting inks that can be easily printed. They are then glued to a strong, lightweight fabric, making them easy to install on any fixed surface, providing energy on the go as a wearable power fabric or even being rapidly deployed in remote locations for assistance in emergencies. From boats to drones and mountain tents, the cells developed at the MIT could power almost any device in any location, with minimal installation needs.  "The metrics used to evaluate a new solar cell technology are typically limited to their power conversion efficiency and their cost in dollars-per-watt. Just as important is…

  • Nasa’s Orion spacecraft lands on earth after completing journey around the moon

    Orion is a partially reusable spacecraft which is designed to be capable of supporting a crew of six beyond low Earth orbit. The spacecraft was blasted into space using Nasa’s Space Launch System (SLS) on November 16 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Over the course of 25.5 days, the space agency tested Orion in the harsh environment of deep space before flying astronauts on Artemis II. “The splashdown of the Orion spacecraft – which occurred 50 years to the day of the Apollo 17 Moon landing – is the crowning achievement of Artemis I. From the launch of the world’s most powerful rocket to the exceptional journey around the Moon and back to Earth, this flight test is a major step forward in the Artemis Generation of lunar exploration,” said Nasa administrator Bill Nelson. During…

  • US scientists achieve major fusion energy breakthrough

    The fusion energy that produced a 120 per cent net energy gain took place in the federal Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California in the past two weeks, the newspaper said, citing three people with knowledge of the matter. That would represent the first time that researchers have successfully produced more energy in a fusion reaction than was consumed during the process.  To achieve this, the scientists used a process called inertial confinement fusion, which involves bombarding a tiny pellet of hydrogen plasma with the world’s biggest laser.  Energy Department and LLNL spokespeople refused to comment or provide confirmation regarding the FT report, but said US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm would "announce a major scientific breakthrough" on Tuesday. The Washington…

  • UK manufacturers face harsh recession, industry body warns

    The body, which represents UK manufacturers, blamed the forecast on increasing costs across the board, tighter fiscal and monetary policy and weakening consumer demand. The results, which were based on a survey of 330 firms, suggest the UK’s manufacturers are headed for “a perfect storm” the body said. Manufacturing is forecast to contract by -3.2 per cent in 2023, which comes on the back of a forecast -4.5 per cent contraction this year. The number for this year is relative to a very strong 2021, which reflected the pandemic bounceback. Make UK has consistently been revising down its forecasts for manufacturing growth in 2022 throughout this year from 3 per cent in March to 1.7 per cent in July, 0.6 per cent in September and now, a contraction of -4.5 per cent. It highlights the extent…

  • GB warms up two coal plants due to temperature drops

    Two coal plants have been put on standby in Britain in preparation for an increase in the energy demand as the UK cranks up the heating to stay warm.  National Grid ESO said it had a sked Drax, which owns Britain's biggest power station, to prepare two coal-fired units. The company will also continue testing its blackout prevention scheme, which offers discounts on bills for households who cut peak-time electricity use on Monday evening. The ESO (electricity system operator) said the move means the coal-fired stations can be used as “tools for additional contingency” as needed to allow the network to run as usual, and stressed that people “should continue to use energy as normal”. The announcement comes as the UK faces  freezing temperatures and snow in many areas – ramping up demand…

  • View from India: A year of progress on many fronts

    Matters of Space Aerospace manufacturing is soaring high as the India’s defence exports were estimated at 13,000 crore rupees (INR130bn, £1.3bn) in fiscal 2021-2022. The figures are impressive. A lot can be attributed to India’s BrahMos deal with the Philippines. As per this deal, India will export the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile to the Philippines. Over the last five years, the biggest beneficiary of India’s defence exports has been Myanmar. What is also impressive is that the private sector has contributed towards aerospace manufacturing, taking stride in the manned and unmanned aircraft categories. Fuselage and other parts of the aero engine are being manufactured in India for the world.   Since the last two years, the pandemic had caused a lull in the missions executed by the Indian…

  • Retrofitting electrical systems can save energy and cut carbon

    Last month’s COP27 climate talks in Egypt focused on practical solutions for delivering COP26 commitments made by participating governments in Glasgow last year. These include the decarbonisation of key industries - including manufacturing, food, cloud computing and energy - by investing in new technologies, making older equipment more energy efficient and changing management practices. While we’ve been talking about retrofitting facilities for years, the urgency to do so has never been more imperative. From Europe’s hottest heatwaves to severe flooding in Pakistan, 2022 has seen some of the worst impacts of climate change hitting home. And unless we accelerate decarbonisation now to stop global temperatures rising more than 1.5°C, there will be much worse to come. On top of this, many…

  • Book review: ‘Connected in Isolation’ by Eszter Hargittai

    Uniqueness of circumstance isn’t always the best environment for scientific research. As Eszter Hargittai suggests in the introduction to ‘Connected in Isolation: Digital Privilege in Unsettled Times’ (The MIT Press, £22, ISBN 9780262047371), events that have journalists scrambling to deploy that much-overused epithet ‘unprecedented’ inevitably tend to produce ‘unreproducible’ observations, which is something scientists like to avoid where possible. And yet, there are events such as the Covid lockdowns (9/11 is another) in which “capturing the uniqueness of the moment is itself an important contribution”, not least because times were – especially at the beginning of the pandemic – ‘unusual’. With ‘Connected in Isolation’ the author’s goals are threefold. First is to “document people’s digital…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Is Iceland the coolest location for data centres?

    Life on the North Atlantic island is chilly, foggy, and windy all year round. And while they may have to wrap up warm, and are unlikely to get a tan, Icelanders have acknowledged that their natural cold climate is ideal for one particular industry: data. Iceland’s data-centre industry is booming, and there are many reasons why this may be seen as a favourable location. Not only does the country’s cool climate help drive energy costs down, but Iceland’s sustainable mix of geothermal and hydroelectric power generation could help businesses to minimise their carbon footprint, says Data Centers by Iceland , a public-private partnership established between the Association of Icelandic Data Centers (DCI) and other stakeholders to promote and improve the competitiveness of data-centre development…

  • Infrared light beam could be used to detect malaria

    The new tool could help save hundreds of thousands of lives annually. Malaria is usually detected by a blood test, but scientists have devised a method using a device that shines a beam of harmless infrared light on a person’s ear or finger for between five and 10 seconds. The tool then collects an infrared signature that is processed by a computer algorithm. Dr Maggy Lord, the i nternational team leader from UQ’s  School of Biological Sciences , said the technology would revolutionise how malaria is fought globally. “Currently it’s incredibly challenging to test large groups of people, such as the population of a village or town. You have to take blood from everyone and mix it with a reagent to get a result,” she said. “With this tool, we can find out very quickly whether a whole village…

  • Hands-on review: OneOdio Focus A10 Hybrid Bluetooth ANC headphones

    We recently reviewed OneOdio's dedicated studio-oriented wired headphones, the Monitor 60 . They were strictly for listening to audio in the old-school way. The Focus A10s on review here are a return to the thoroughly modern world of Bluetooth 5.0, true wireless, active noise-cancelling headphones. This is the Silver, 'Hybrid', version, which distinguishes it from last year's Black model. This Silver iteration (actually more of a blue-grey) is described as 'upgraded' by the company, although there's no obvious indication on the website as to what exactly this upgrade amounts to. Still, seeing as OneOdio has been operating as an audio manufacturer for over a decade, it's probably safe to assume it knows what it's doing when it comes to iterating and refining a product. The silver highlights…

  • Laser-based communication system enables HD video from space probes

    Researchers have reported new results from Nasa’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) technology demonstration project, which develops and tests new advanced laser sources for deep-space optical communication. Nasa currently relies on radio communication systems to communicate with Mars rovers and probes. However, this incurs average delays of around 20 minutes between the Earth and Mars. The ability to perform free-space optical communication throughout the solar system would go beyond current capabilities and allow for high-definition images and video as well as a much more responsive way to control probes. The demonstration system consists of a flight laser transceiver, a ground laser transmitter and a ground laser receiver. The downlink transmitter has been installed on the Psyche…

  • Ofgem decision adds to fears that grid will not be ready for net zero

    Ofgem published its final determinations for DNOs last week. The regulator allowed the networks a total of £22.2bn investment between 2023 and 2028, claiming this amount would allow for the scale of investment required without adding to customers’ bills. However, the DNOs had initially asked for £3.16bn of ‘load-related expenditure’ – the portion of investment that covers network reinforcement. Experts say reinforcing the UK’s ageing electricity network will be vital with millions of electric vehicles and heat pumps due to be rolled out in the coming years. Ofgem had proposed allowing DNOs £2.83bn of load-related expenditure in their draft determination this summer, but the regulator’s final decision was £2.62bn. This decision came just months after an analysis from E&T revealed a potentially…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • UK, Italy and Japan join forces to build next-generation fighter jets

    UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is due to visit an RAF base today (Friday December 9) to launch the first major phase of the programme, which aims to develop the next generation of combat aircrafts in collaboration with Italy and Japan.  Downing Street is hoping that the jets, called Tempest in the UK, will take to the skies by 2035 and serve as a successor to the RAF Typhoon. By leveraging new technologies such as advanced sensors and innovative data systems, the aircrafts of the future are set to ensure the UK and allies are “outpacing and out-manoeuvring those who seek to do us harm”, Sunak said.  Artist impression of a fighter jet over UK Parliament Image credit: PA Media The programme will build on the substantial progress already made in the UK by BAE Systems…

  • Cash usage halved in 2021 as debit card fees pile more pressure onto retailers

    The British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) annual Payments Survey found that cash usage fell to just 15 per cent of all transactions that year compared to 30 per cent in 2020. Some 90 per cent of retail spending, and 82 per cent of transactions, were carried out using either debit or credit card payments, forcing retailers to spend a total of £1.3bn to accept payments from customers in 2021. The BRC said that the costs associated with accepting these payments have also been rising. Debit card fees increased by an estimated 28 per cent compared to 2020, and total Merchant Service charges increased by 12 per cent. This translated into an additional £141m in costs imposed by card firms onto retailers just to process debit card transactions. More than four-in-five card transactions were made using…

    E+T Magazine
    E+T Magazine

  • Rail fares could rise if Hitachi takeover of Thales is approved, CMA warns

    Signalling systems are used across mainline rail and urban metro routes – such as the London Underground – to control the movement of trains and maintain reliable services. The rail arms of both Hitachi and Thales are major global suppliers of signalling systems for mainline and urban tracks. In August 2021, Hitachi announced a €1.7bn deal to acquire the Thales Ground Transportation Business. A recent market study carried out by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) found that supply of mainline signalling in Great Britain suffered from a lack of competition, with the market essentially being limited to only two suppliers – Siemens and Alstom. The body made a number of recommendations intended to increase competition from alternative suppliers, such as Hitachi and Thales. The principal…

  • Australia aiming to become ‘most cyber-secure country’ by 2030

    Australia is a ssembling an offensive cyber team with a view towards becoming the world's "most cyber-secure country" by the end of the decade, a government minister has revealed. The announcement of the strategy comes on the heels of the Optus and Medibank Private cyber attacks, which Claire O’Neil, the country’s home affairs minister, described as “the worst in Australian history”. The two attacks occurred within three weeks of each other in September and October 2022. In response to these attacks - and an overall increase in cyber-security incidents across the globe - the Australian government has launched a programme to develop a new cyber-security strategy that will replace the one designed in 2020.  Speaking at the National Press Club, O’Neil said the strategy will be led by cyber…

  • How AR can make sure automakers keep up with electric vehicle demand

    Electric vehicle (EV) ownership in the UK passed a significant milestone in September 2022, with the registration of the nation’s one millionth plug-in car, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). But while the appetite for EVs among car buyers is evident, what is less clear is whether UK automakers will be able to keep pace with demand, both at home and abroad. On the one hand, registrations of new EVs have seen far less impact from Covid-19 and the subsequent economic downturn when compared to registrations of new petrol and diesel cars, the SMMT notes. Of more than 225,200 new cars registered in September, almost 17 per cent were pure-electric models and 18 per cent hybrid-electric. At the same time, EVs still comprise just a fraction of the total car population…

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