Record metals boom may threaten transition to green energy

Demand and prices are soaring for minerals essential to the construction of low-carbon infrastructureThe commodities boom ignited by China’s post-Covid recovery, and stoked by the global move to green energy, broke price records last week even as fears about inflation stalked the markets. But it also risks triggering a rush on metals and minerals that...

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Tesla in fatal California crash may have been in autopilot mode, officials say

Man, 35, was killed earlier this month when his Tesla Model 3 struck an overturned semi on a freewayA Tesla car involved in a fatal crash on a southern California freeway last week may have been operating on autopilot, according to the California highway patrol.The 5 May crash in Fontana, a city 50 miles east of Los Angeles, is also under investigation...

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Travel tech: the best gadgets to pack on your holiday this summer

Technology can help make your trip more fun. Here’s a guide to the most useful gearSummer is rapidly approaching and with it the possibility of getting away, whether within the UK or to one of the countries on the green list.It’s 2021 and holidays no longer mean leaving all your worldly possessions behind but your phone, tablet, e-reader, headphones...

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Privacy activists are winning fights with tech giants. Why does victory feel hollow? | Evgeny Morozov

Perhaps we wasted energy achieving privacy concessions, when we should have been building a more foundational critique of the power of big techFor privacy activists, 2021 brings one big victory after another. First, Alphabet, the parent company of Google, announced in March that it would stop tracking individual users as they roam from site to site....

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My pandemic comfort? Google reviews. They can be as compelling as any TV drama | Louise Benson

The comments aren’t just transactional – they can reveal more about how we connect than the curated feeds of social mediaHuman connection can often be found where you least expect it. Google Maps, started as a straightforward navigation tool, has become in recent years an unlikely treasure trove of humour and intrigue. With many businesses in my area...

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You should be worried about how much info WhatsApp shares with Facebook | Burcu Kilic and Sophia Crabbe-Field

Facebook is pushing a mysterious and aggressive ‘privacy update’ on WhatsApp users. Here’s whyIt’s the messaging app that connects a quarter of the world’s population, but many Americans still have haven’t heard of WhatsApp. That’s because most phone plans in the United States provide a standard flat rate for texting that allows people to communicate...

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‘The diversity of the industry will be hit’: NextUp founder on the impact of Covid on comedy

With comedy venues reopening in England and Scotland, Sarah Henley discusses the effect of the pandemic, online audiences and being a woman in male-dominated sectorsTelling jokes to live audiences over Zoom has offered an alternative for standup comics since comedy clubs shut last year.It has also presented them with a new set of occupational hazards,...

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Ransomware attack disrupts Irish health services

IT systems shut down and some medical appointments cancelled after attempt to access dataIreland’s state health services provider has shut all its IT systems and cancelled some medical appointments after what it described as a “significant ransomware attack” overnight caused widespread disruption.Paul Reid, the Health Service Executive chief executive,...

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WhatsApp to force users to accept changes to terms of service

Controversial changes aim to allow small firms to upload catalogues and let users buy without leaving the appWhatsApp’s new terms of service: what you need to knowOn Saturday, WhatsApp will finally begin to force users to accept its controversial new terms of service, almost half a year after it first announced plans to do so.Despite an immediate backlash...

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Global shortage of computer chips could last two years, says IBM boss

Tech industry struggles to keep up with demand brought on by the reopening of the world economyThe shortage of computer chips plaguing industries around the world and helping to fuel inflation could last another two years, the boss of IBM has said.With the global car industry estimated to lose $110bn this year thanks to the chip shortage, IBM’s president,...

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