Illinois bill banning eavesdropping by IoT devices defanged by tech lobby

Lobbyists: Bill would punish even if failure to disclose was "accidental."
On April 10, the Illinois State Senate passed the "Keep Internet Devices Safe Act," a bill that would ban Internet device manufacturers from collecting audio from Internet-connected devices without disclosing it to consumers. But the bill was substantially neutered after a fierce lobbying effort by an industry association backed by Amazon and Google.

We can admit it—we’re dazzled by the controlled fury of the Falcon Heavy

This very tall image of 27 engines firing is worth checking out.
Sometimes, you've just got to pause for a moment to appreciate great feats of engineering.

Notre-Dame cathedral on fire in Paris

A fire has broken out at the famous Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.
The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear, but officials say that it could be linked to renovation work.

Eight dead after tornadoes rip across US South

At least eight people have died and dozens were injured after storms triggered tornadoes and flooding across several southern US states.
At least eight people have died and dozens were injured after storms triggered tornadoes and flooding across several southern US states.

Fortnite’s new update lets you pet dogs (and other animals)

With its latest update, Fortnite has added a very significant feature
You can finally pet dogs. The battle royale game introduced pets — which include not only dogs, but also dragons, chameleons, and other cuddly creatures — as part of season 6 back in September. But until now, you haven’t been able to interact with them.

Bug in French government’s WhatsApp replacement let anyone join Élysée chats

Researcher found bug in email validation that let him log in and join "rooms" in Tchap app.
On April 17, the French government introduced an Android application meant to be used by government employees as an internal secure channel for communications. Called Tchap, it was touted as a replacement for WhatsApp and Telegram, providing (in theory) both group and private messaging channels to which only people with government email addresses could join.

Blocking social networks after terrorist attacks can do more harm than good

We should be suspicious when governments crack down on speech in the name of safety
Imagine for a moment that you run a small country prone to outbreaks of sectarian violence.

US election 2020: Joe Biden launches presidential bid, joining crowded field

Former US Vice-President Joe Biden has declared a presidential bid, putting an end to months of speculation.

In a video announcement, Mr Biden argued that the "core values of the nation... our very democracy, everything that has made America America, is at stake".

Burger King is rolling out meatless Impossible Whoppers nationwide

Plant-based patties are coming to a BK near you
Burger King is rolling out the Impossible Whopper nationwide, after a successful trial run testing the meatless burger in St. Louis.

Sigourney Weaver surprises high school cast of Alien: The Play

Ellen Ripley herself visits a New Jersey school to praise the teen actors for their DIY sci-fi play.
If you plan on putting on a high school play based on 1979 sci-fi film Alien, don't be too surprised if actress Sigourney Weaver stops by to give you a high-five.

US attorney general faces contempt vote over Mueller report

Democrats in the US House of Representatives have decided to launch contempt proceedings against Attorney General William Barr.

They took action after he failed to comply with a House Judiciary Committee subpoena to submit an unredacted version of the Mueller report.

Denver to hold referendum on magic mushroom use

The US city of Denver is set to vote in a referendum that could in effect approve the use of magic mushrooms.

If passed, the measure would bar officials from "spending resources to impose criminal penalties" for personal use and possession of the drug.

UK power plants just went five days without burning any coal

Wind picks up as coal declines
UK power plants have just gone over five days without burning any coal, their longest coal-free streak since the Industrial Revolution, Bloomberg reports.

International outcry over Istanbul election re-run

The EU and leading member states have sharply criticised a decision in Turkey to re-run Istanbul's mayoral election, after a shock opposition win.

An EU spokesperson called on Turkey's electoral body to explain the controversial decision "without delay".

Ohio school closes after radioactive chemicals detected

A US middle school has closed for the remainder of the school year after authorities found it was contaminated with radioactive chemicals.

Officials say a nearby air monitor detected enriched uranium and neptunium-237 at Zahn's Corner Middle School in Piketon, southern Ohio.

Huawei: ARM memo tells staff to stop working with China’s tech giant

UK-based chip designer ARM has told staff it must suspend business with Huawei, according to internal documents obtained by the BBC.

ARM instructed employees to halt "all active contracts, support entitlements, and any pending engagements” with Huawei and its subsidiaries to comply with a recent US trade clampdown.

The 2019 Roomba gets an all-new design, companion mop-bot

Roomba gets a D-shaped design, and iRobot finally makes a modern mopping robot.
Robot recently announced its yearly cleaning robot upgrades, and as usual, there is a new Roomba robo-vac, the Roomba S9+.

Pentagon tells White House not to politicise the military

The Pentagon has warned the White House not to politicise the military, amid a row over a ship bearing the same name as late Senator John McCain.

Last week, the White House asked for the USS John S McCain to be hidden during his speech in Japan.

The United States won the Women's World Cup

The United States won the Women's World Cup for a record fourth time as they eventually overpowered the Netherlands in Lyon.
Megan Rapinoe's penalty and Rose Lavelle's fine run and finish gave the defending champions victory in the second half, after resilient first-half defending from the Dutch.

OneWeb’s low-Earth satellites hit 400Mbps and 32ms latency in new test

OneWeb's first six satellites pass test as company moves closer to real service.
OneWeb says a test of its low-Earth orbit satellites has delivered broadband speeds of more than 400Mbps with average latency of 32ms.