• Competition authority investigating alleged anti-competitive behaviour by Amazon

    While some of the products on Amazon’s Marketplace are supplied through its own retail business, a large proportion are supplied by third-party sellers. Amazon provides services to these sellers, including those that are essential to make sales, such as matching sellers with consumers or handling some of the logistics. The CMA investigation will consider whether Amazon is abusing its position as an e-retailer and distorting competition by giving an unfair advantage to its own retail business or sellers that use its services, compared to other third-party sellers on the Amazon UK Marketplace. It will look at how Amazon collects and uses third-party seller data as well as how it sets criteria for who gains its preferred 'Buy Box' or 'Prime' labels. Sarah Cardell, general counsel at the…

  • UK plans to boost domestic energy security with focus on low-carbon tech

    The package will include extra support for the deployment of low-carbon technologies at scale such as carbon capture, usage and storage, and hydrogen. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said the plan would allow Britain to secure a ‘first mover advantage’ in capturing some of the global market share for these technologies and could help prop up the UK’s flagging economy. The Energy Security Bill also includes measures to further the deployment of heat networks and drive down the cost of electric heat pumps. Heat network consumers typically pay a lower price for their heat than those on an individual gas boiler, while replacing a gas boiler with a heat pump can reduce a home’s energy use by well over 50 per cent. Ofgem will also be appointed to oversee regulation…

  • Hacker claims to have stolen data on one billion Chinese citizens

    An anonymous internet user, identified as 'ChinaDan', posted on the hacker forum Breach Forums last week offering to sell more than 23 terabytes of stolen data from the Shanghai police database, including names, addresses, birthplaces, national IDs, phone numbers and criminal case information regarding one billion Chinese residents. In an anonymous post, the hacker asked for 10 bitcoin, worth around $200,000 (£168,000) for the complete file. "In 2022, the Shanghai National Police (SHGA) database was leaked. This database contains many TB of data and information on Billions of Chinese citizen," the post said. The Shanghai government and police department did not respond to requests for comment on Monday, and news outlets have been unable to check the veracity of the post, or contact the…

  • Plans for UK's first Plastic Park approved

    It is expected that the £165m park will recycle 367,500 tonnes of plastic, helping to slash carbon emissions on the road to net zero. Peel NRE, part of Peel L&P, are behind the blueprint, which will feature innovative processing and treatment technologies to make the most of up to 367,500 tonnes of mixed recyclables and plastic every year. The consent will also see a hydrogen refuelling station developed at the Plastic Park, with the overall scheme set to create 147 new jobs. Richard Barker, development director at Peel NRE, said: “It’s great to get unanimous backing for the Plastic Park – a UK first that will underpin the circular economy in the North West. “It’s imperative we deliver creative solutions to the UK’s plastic problem. This project clusters recycling technologies in one…

  • EU approves ‘global first’ digital legislation

    The European Parliament has given its stamp of approval to two landmark rules that aim to rein in the power of tech giants such as Alphabet unit Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft.  With the passing of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU is creating what it describes as  a "rulebook" for online platforms, with the goal of creating "a safer and more open digital space, grounded in respect for fundamental rights". While the DSA focuses on targeting content deemed illegal in Europe, making platforms responsible for its removal, the DMA aims to curb anticompetitive behaviour and keep "gatekeepers" from suppressing market competition.  The fines for non-compliance can reach up to 6 per cent of annual global turnover for DSA breaches, and as much as…

  • Twitter sues Indian government over content removal orders

    Twitter has filed a suit in the Karnataka High Court in Bangalore, India, challenging a recent government order for the company to remove content and block dozens of accounts. The decision has escalated the social media company’s fight against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's drive to acquire more control over the content published on social media platforms.  Twitter complied with the order, made under India's information technology law, but immediately sought judicial relief. According to the lawsuit paperwork, Twitter has alleged that New Delhi had abused its power by ordering it to arbitrarily and disproportionately remove several tweets from its platform, some of which “pertain to political content that is posted by official handles of political parties”, the social media giant stated…

  • Hands-on review: Ebo Air smart home companion robot

    Ebo Air from Enabot is pitched as a "family companion robot", a mobile, self-charging, family-friendly robotic companion, designed to help people connect with loved ones at all times, from any location. Of course, we can already connect with our loved ones via the medium of telephone, message or video chat, but what this little robotic friend will do is propel itself around your home at programmed intervals, chattering away to itself, filming and taking photos (saving either to its 16GB external memory or a card up to 256GB), entertaining pets and children as it goes, monitoring your home for unknown intruders, and generally being a helpful little soul. In its core functionality, Ebo Air is reminiscent of Kuri , the home companion robot created by Mayfield Robotics, whose cute appeal famously…

  • Hands-on review: Honor Earbuds Pro 3

    Since being sold off by Huawei in 2020, Honor has been carving out a niche for itself releasing solid if unexceptional mid-range smartphones as well as accessories like earbuds. First impressions of the Earbuds Pro 3 are positive; the diminutive case feels solidly built, with a durable opening mechanism that snaps shut satisfyingly. It also comes with a handy charging light on the front and a sync button for quickly pairing with new devices. While hardly a revelation, the sync button is often absent from cheaper buds, which can make syncing an awkward experience. The buds themselves look relatively sleek, with a shiny, faux-aluminium design that fit comfortably in the ear without sticking out too much – unlike some of Honor’s previous efforts . Sound quality is excellent. While buds will…

  • How the future of healthcare innovation puts medics at the centre

    Medics are often the pioneers of new solutions – they have the knowledge and ambition to make things better for patients. Yet when it comes to the adoption of medical innovation in healthcare settings their views are often ignored, and purchasing decisions left to management and procurement teams who lack understanding of how technologies and products will be used, or any direct experience of working in a clinical environment. The misalignment between a product’s promise and its clinical reality ultimately hinders patient care, with doctors and nurses having to find workarounds for the product’s shortcomings in high-pressure, high-risk environments, such as an operating theatre. Over time, the lack of trust can undermine the successful adoption of new, efficient, lifesaving technologies in…

  • AI ‘predicts crime with 90 per cent accuracy’

    Scientists from the University of Chicago have developed a new algorithm that they claim can predict future crimes one week in advance with about 90 per cent accuracy. The AI, which has been taught to identify patterns in time and geographic locations using public data on violent and property crimes in the city of Chicago from 2014 to the end of 2016, was able to accurately predict crime levels several weeks in advance. The model was also trained and tested on data for seven other major US cities, with a similar level of performance. However, the AI's conclusions also suggested the existence of bias in police responses across the city, associated with race.  According to the research, published in the journal   Nature Human Behavior , crime in wealthier areas of Chicago resulted in more…

  • Firefighters issue lithium battery warning after huge London blaze

    At its height, the blaze, which began in a 12th-floor flat in Shepherd’s Bush on 22 June, was tackled by 60 firefighters. Fire crews led six people to safety and one man was taken to hospital. According to London Fire Brigade investigators, the fire was caused by the failure of an e-bike’s lithium-ion battery. The Brigade said it has seen a significant spike in e-bike and e-scooter incidents, which have become more popular in recent years. Just this year, fire crews have already attended 32 fires involving e-bikes and another seven involving e-scooters. So far in 2022, there have been a further 17 fires involving other lithium-ion batteries. Last year there were more than 100 fires in the capital involving lithium-ion batteries. The Brigade’s assistant commissioner for fire safety,…

  • Online Safety Bill amendments target state-backed disinformation

    The UK government is expected to present its amendments to the Online Safety Bill, which will make “foreign interference” a designated priority offence.  The proposed change will impose a legal duty on social media companies, video streaming platforms and search engines to proactively identify and remove state-sponsored or state-linked disinformation . This would include tackling material from fake accounts set up by individuals or groups acting on behalf of a foreign state which is designed to influence or disrupt democratic or legal processes, the government said. This amendment will also require platforms to tackle the spread of hacked information designed to undermine democratic institutions. The changes to the Online Safety Bill come in part as a response to Russia’s activity around…

  • Five areas in Celtic Sea identified for floating offshore wind farms

    The areas were selected following technical analysis and discussions between the Crown Estate and the UK and Welsh governments. They will be offered to the market via competitive tender, a process to be launched in mid-2023. It is intended that the facilities could deliver around 4GW of floating offshore wind power by 2035 and could kick-start the fledgling industry. The UK is one of the world leaders in offshore wind power and harnessing that energy is considered to be a key component in meeting global net-zero carbon emissions targets by 2050. The Crown Estate will also be tendering larger, 1GW-scale projects which may be developed in a phased or ‘stepping stone’ approach. Research commissioned by the body indicates that the Celtic Sea has the economic potential to accommodate up to…

  • Rail freight growth explored to cut UK carbon emissions from goods transport

    The Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT), which is a public body, is calling for a broad range of views on how to expand rail freight. It is estimated rail freight currently accounts for just 10 per cent of surface freight although it generates about 76 per cent less carbon emissions compared to HGVs per tonne of goods transported. GBRTT has called for a freight growth target to boost investment in the sector by setting a clear government ambition for growth. It said such a target would help the UK meet its legally binding greenhouse gas reduction targets. If rail freight volumes treble by 2050, as modelling indicates could be required to meet the net-zero targets, then there would be about 14 million fewer road lorry movements a year than today. Rail minister Wendy Morton…

  • Large Hadron Collider project discovers three new exotic particles

    The international LHCb collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has observed three never-before-seen particles: a new kind of 'pentaquark' and the first-ever pair of 'tetraquarks', which includes a new type of tetraquark. The findings, presented today (July 5) at a CERN seminar, add three new exotic members to the growing list of new hadrons found at the LHC. They will help physicists better understand how quarks bind together into these composite particles. Exotic particles, such as those now discovered, had only been theorised but not observed until recently. These exotic particles are built out of quarks. Quarks are elementary particles and come in six flavours: up, down, charm, strange, top and bottom. They usually combine together in groups of twos and threes to form hadrons…

  • NHS to trial drone delivery of chemotherapy drugs

    The NHS has revealed it is planning to trial the use of drone technology to enable doctors to make “same-day delivery” orders for drugs and medical equipment from anywhere in the country. The trial will see a drone deliver chemotherapy drugs from the pharmacy at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust to St Mary’s Hospital on the Isle of Wight. The journey is expected to take 30 minutes, eliminating the need for patients to travel three to four hours by car, ferry or hovercraft to collect life-saving medication. If successful, the technology might be used for similar drops elsewhere in the nation.  The trial was presented by Amanda Pritchard, NHS England’s chief executive, as part of the celebrations of the 74th anniversary of the health service’s creation by the postwar Labour government…

  • View from India: Dark Sky Reserve, tourism with a difference

    The Indian Institute of Astrophysics, the Ladakh Union Territory Administration and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council have entered into a tripartite agreement for setting up a Dark Sky Reserve at Hanle. The Hanle Dark Sky Reserve (HDSR) will come under the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, which is part of the Hindu Kush Himalaya, nature’s bounty. The altitude of the sanctuary varies from 4,300m to 5,800m (14,000ft to 19,000ft). Light pollution can alter the natural light levels of the outdoors, so a dark sky reserve is an area devoid of light pollution. Its starry nights are protected and preserved for scientific studies; the only environmental resource is the galaxy of stars. Barring that, there is a natural darkness which makes it worthwhile for astro research or even just viewing…

  • Energy dense batteries developed that operate at extreme temperatures

    The researchers say the key to their battery is a newly developed electrolyte that is more versatile and robust than traditional materials throughout a wide temperature range. It is also compatible with a high-energy anode and cathode. Such batteries could allow electric vehicles in cold climates to travel farther on a single charge and they could also reduce the need for cooling systems to keep the vehicles’ battery packs from overheating in hot climates. Zheng Chen, senior author of the study, said: “You need high temperature operation in areas where the ambient temperature can reach the triple digits [i.e. above 100°F] and the roads get even hotter. “In electric vehicles, the battery packs are typically under the floor, close to these hot roads. Also, batteries warm up just from having…

  • Thermal drones seek survivors of Italian Alps glacier collapse

    Recuers are using any means at their disposal – including thermal drones – to search for over a dozen climbers that may have become trapped under the ice after a glacier gave way on Marmolada, the highest mountain in the Italian Dolomites. Authories said they do not know how many people were victim to the avalanche, which has already claimed at least six lives and injured eight people. "We found bodies torn apart, in a shapeless tide of ice and debris stretching over 1,000 metres (3,280 feet)," Gino Comelli from the Alpine Rescue Service told the Corriere della Sera daily. The disaster struck one day after a record-high temperature of 10°C was recorded at the glacier's summit. Emergency services spokeswoman Michela Canova told AFP an "avalanche of snow, ice and rock" hit an access path…

  • UK firms plan further automation as staff shortages bite

    The UK is currently suffering from an acute shortage of staff for key positions following the reopening of the economy after the Covid pandemic and the impact of Brexit. The poll of 670 firms found that a record number of vacancies and a shrinking labour force has led some 40 per cent to say they feel negatively about their staffing numbers. A study from Arden University last week found that nearly a third of jobs in the UK could become redundant due to automation by 2030. In 2018, another study anticipated that just a fifth of jobs were threatened within the same time period. Fears have also been stoked that Brexit could hasten the automation of British jobs specifically or they could be moved offshore due to immigration curbs and more difficult trading environments. The HSBC study found…

  • NASA wants to use swimming robots to detect alien life

    NASA and its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have awarded Ethan Schaler a Phase II funding grant for a project that aims to build a swarm of small swimming robots that could be sent to places that humans and massive robots cannot reach, such as Jupiter’s moon Europa or Saturn’s moon Enceladus.  Packed inside a narrow ice-melting probe that would tunnel through the frozen crust, the tiny robots would be released underwater, swimming far from their mothercraft to look for signs of alien life.  “My idea is, where can we take miniaturised robotics and apply them in interesting new ways for exploring our solar system?” said Schaler, a robotics mechanical engineer at JPL and the leader of the project.  “With a swarm of small swimming robots, we are able to explore a much larger volume of ocean…

  • Nasa satellite heads towards Moon after breaking free from Earth orbit

    The planned course of action is the latest step in Nasa’s ambition to land astronauts on the lunar surface again. It has been an unusual journey already for the Capstone satellite. It was launched six days ago from New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula by the company Rocket Lab in one of its small Electron rockets. It will take another four months for the satellite to reach the Moon, as it cruises along using minimal energy. Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck said it was hard to put his excitement into words: “It’s probably going to take a while to sink in. It’s been a project that has taken us two, two-and-a-half years and is just incredibly, incredibly difficult to execute. “To see it all come together tonight and see that spacecraft on its way to the Moon, it’s just absolutely epic.” Beck said…

  • 4G comes to rural Scotland as infrastructure plan marks halfway point

    The £28.75m 'Scottish 4G Infill' (S4GI) programme has been designed to improve digital connectivity from the Shetland Islands to the Borders. The programme has reached its milestone halfway point, building and activating 28 phone masts, with the remaining 27 on track to be connected by 2023. Residents and businesses in Bogton, in Turriff, Aberdeenshire, were the latest to benefit from the programme. Mobile network operator EE is providing 4G services across all bar one of the new sites, including the new Bogton mast, but all sites are capable of supporting multiple operators in the future. Scottish economy secretary Kate Forbes said: “The Scottish Government is helping more residents and workers get online and tackling some of Scotland’s longest-standing mobile phone signal black spots…

  • Environment Agency chief criticises greenwashing ‘deception’

    In one of her final speeches before leaving the leadership of the Environment Agency, Emma Howard Boyd is expected to warn about the need for more transparency regarding organisations' environmental policies. Speaking at the UK Centre for Greening Finance and Investment Annual Forum at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Howard Boyd will warn that businesses are embedding liability by giving the false impression that infrastructure and buildings they own or are developing are resilient to climate change.  As a result, nearly £650bn of public and private infrastructure investment planned by 2030 is reportedly at considerable risk unless urgent action is taken.  The danger, she plans to say, is that people “won’t realise this deception until it is too late”. Her warning comes after the…

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