Amazon’s core e-commerce business may be struggling – but the profit-making parts of its business are delivering. Online sales were flat in the first three months of the year compared with the same period in 2022, the company said on Thursday. But it offset that with better-than-expected sales in its cloud services and advertising units. […]
Posted inTech
ChatGPT accessible again in Italy
Access to the ChatGPT chatbot has been restored in Italy. It was banned by the Italian data-protection authority at the start of April over privacy concerns. It maker, OpenAI, which is backed by Microsoft, said it had successfully “addressed or clarified” the issues raised. It said its privacy policy was now accessible to people before […]
Posted inTech
AI ‘godfather’ Geoffrey Hinton warns of dangers as he quits Google
A man widely seen as the godfather of artificial intelligence (AI) has quit his job, warning about the growing dangers from developments in the field. Geoffrey Hinton, 75, announced his resignation from Google in a statement to the New York Times, saying he now regretted his work. He told the BBC some of the dangers […]
Posted inTech
Air travel chaos looms as US keeps 5G altimeter refit deadline
The US will not delay a deadline for airlines to refit planes with new sensors to address possible 5G interference, despite concerns the cut-off date could cause travel disruption. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Tuesday that airlines were told the 1 July deadline remained in place. Airlines have warned that they will not be […]
Posted inInvestigations
Tinder swipes left on Russia a year after invasion
The owner of the dating apps Tinder and Hinge has announced it will stop operating in Russia, more than a year after the war in Ukraine broke out. Match Group said its brands were taking steps to “restrict access” to services and would withdraw from the Russian market completely by 30 June. The move comes […]
Posted inInvestigations
India’s Go First cancels flights after bankruptcy
Indian budget airline Go First has cancelled all of its flights for the next three days after filing for bankruptcy protection. The carrier says “a full refund will be issued” to affected customers. It is the first major airline in the country to file for bankruptcy since Jet Airways went bust in 2019. Go First blamed US […]
Posted inClimate
Climate change: How it’s endangering Australian wine
In 2008, the Brown family watched on helplessly as destructive bushfires ripped through the Victorian countryside. For them, it was a wakeup call. It was the third time in several years flames had come close to torching vineyards that five generations of their family had poured over a century of love and work into. Warming […]
Posted inPolitics
The Group That Searches for Missing Ukrainian Children
Save Ukraine’s mission includes reuniting families victimized by Russia’s deportations in occupied areas. WASHINGTON — When the Russian Army took Kherson in southern Ukraine, the occupation authorities offered 16-year-old Anastasia a chance to go to Crimea, a holiday away from war, the officials told her mother. But as days became weeks, Anastasia realized that she […]
Posted inPolitics
Russia-Ukraine War Russia Tightens Restrictions in Occupied Regions of Ukraine
The Russian authorities are imposing stricter measures on civilians under occupation, including on travel between towns, Ukrainian officials said. Here’s what we’re covering: Russia is increasing pressure on Ukrainians in occupied areas, Ukrainian officials say. Russia’s border region with Ukraine is shelled again, officials say. The U.S. estimates more than 100,000 Russian casualties in recent […]
Posted inPolitics
Discreetly, Berlin Confronts Russian Spies Hiding in Plain Sight
For years, Germany seemed to tolerate even flagrant Russian operations on its soil. But a new Cold War-like chill has now made the snooping difficult to ignore. BERLIN — Every day as he settles into his desk, Erhard Grundl, a German lawmaker, looks outside his office window into the embassy he knows may be spying […]