STORY: From a landmark court case to a base on the moon... this is Tech Weekly. :: Tech Weekly Meta and Google lost a landmark court case in the U.S over youth addiction to social media. The tech giants were found liable for designing platforms dangerous to children and teens. The case focused on a 20-year-old woman who said she became addicted to YouTube and Instagram at a young age because of th...
STORY: From a landmark court case to a base on the moon... this is Tech Weekly. :: Tech Weekly Meta and Google lost a landmark court case in the U.S over youth addiction to social media. The tech giants were found liable for designing platforms dangerous to children and teens. The case focused on a 20-year-old woman who said she became addicted to YouTube and Instagram at a young age because of their attention-grabbing design. Both companies were hit with damages of a combined total of $6 million but each plans to appeal. The Pentagon was temporarily blocked from blacklisting AI company Anthropic by a U.S. judge. The fallout began when Anthropic didn't allow its AI system, Claude, to be used for domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the company a national security supply-chain risk - and it was blocked from certain mliitary contracts. It led Anthropic to sue in California federal court - where the judge said the administration's actions appeared aimed at punishing the firm, rather than protecting national security. The head of NASA said the U.S. 'will never again give up the moon'. Jared Isaacman further announced plans for a lunar base. "But this time the goal is not flags and footprints. This time the goal is to stay. Today, we are providing a demand signal for frequent crewed missions well beyond Artemis V." U.S. astronauts are due to fly to the moon and back without landing on the lunar surface in April as part of the Artemis program. An unusual guest joined U.S. first lady Melania Trump at a summit in Washington. A robot walked to the podium with her as other first spouses from around the world looked on. The robot introduced itself to attendees as a 'humanoid' called 'Figure 3' and said it was built in the U.S. The appearance was part of the Fostering the Future Together Global Coalition summit. And sources told Reuters customer testing of Huawei's new AI chip went well. The new 950PR is designed to challenge Nvidia...
mesh cube/iStock via Getty Images South Korea has sufficient helium reserves until at least June, Reuters reported, citing two people with knowledge of the matter. Meanwhile, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan told President Lee Jae Myung during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that disruptions in helium supply were not likely during the first half. He did not elaborate but put to rest concerns over th...
mesh cube/iStock via Getty Images South Korea has sufficient helium reserves until at least June, Reuters reported, citing two people with knowledge of the matter. Meanwhile, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan told President Lee Jae Myung during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that disruptions in helium supply were not likely during the first half. He did not elaborate but put to rest concerns over the Iran war's impact on supplies of the gas crucial for chipmaking, the report added . Prices of helium, a by-product of natural gas processing, have increased following the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, which disrupted such operations in Qatar, the world's largest supplier of liquified natural gas, or LNG. However, South Korea, home to some of the chipmakers, including Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF ) and SK hynix ( HXSCL ), has enough helium inventory to ride out the first half, a government official told the news agency. The companies are also paying premiums to secure inventory, mainly from top producer the U.S., he said, noting that "price aside, securing the stock right now is the top priority." Samsung and SK hynix have four to six months worth of helium inventory, the second source, who is employed by a helium supplier to Samsung, told the news agency. Shares of Samsung fell about 5%, while SK hynix tumbled nearly 8% in South Korea on Tuesday. Samsung and SK hynix did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha. The supplier sources helium from both the U.S. and Qatar, cushioning the impact of disruption in Qatar, he added, according to the report. Last week Taiwan said its helium supplies were stable. However, some companies in the chipmaking supply chain have noted some impact was starting to be felt on production, the report added. Earlier this month, South Korean lawmaker Kim Young-bae said that South Korean companies source key chipmaking materials from the Middle East, like helium, and any supply disruption will impact chip production. SK ...
After threatening to escalate American attacks on Iran, Donald Trump has wavered, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The US president had sent more troops to the region and floated the idea of targeting energy and water assets. But now he is considering exiting the war without the Strait of Hormuz reopening, and is willing to pressure Tehran diplomatically instead, the report said, ...
After threatening to escalate American attacks on Iran, Donald Trump has wavered, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The US president had sent more troops to the region and floated the idea of targeting energy and water assets. But now he is considering exiting the war without the Strait of Hormuz reopening, and is willing to pressure Tehran diplomatically instead, the report said, citing administration officials. Since the start of the war more than a month ago, Trump has repeatedly vacillated between saying a deal with Iran is imminent and warning he’s prepared to intensify the US military campaign.—Emma Clark What You Need to Know Today An Iranian drone hit a fully laden Kuwaiti oil tanker off Dubai in one of the most significant attacks on a vessel in the war, heightening tension around the vital Strait of Hormuz. The tanker attack pushed oil prices higher, with West Texas Intermediate futures jumping almost 4% toward $107 a barrel, before paring gains with the help of the WSJ report. Tehran has targeted ships and energy infrastructure on several occasions, but attacks on vessels in and around the strait appeared to have eased in recent days. Meanwhile, Malaysia said Tehran would allow its tankers to sail through toll free. South Korean stocks slumped as rising Middle East tensions drove oil prices higher, fueling inflation concerns and damping risk appetite in the tech-heavy market. By far the world’s best-performing market until the Iran war, Korean equities have been among the hardest hit in March as fears of quicker inflation and higher interest rates led to doubts about the durability of the Artificial Intelligence boom. Keep track of the twists and turns — and the global fallout — of the war with Iran here. Just Three Firms Are Driving Europe’s €420 Billion Stock Rout Three former market darlings have accounted for over half of the €420 billion ($481 billion) wiped off European stocks this quarter. Read more US gasoline climbed above an aver...
Something shocking is happening to the world’s most powerful stocks. One month into the Iran war, six of the Magnificent Seven have entered bear market territory. Amazon.com Inc. is trading at its lowest forward price-to-earnings multiple since November 2008 — a key metric that measures the stock against expected earnings over the next 12 months. Meanwhile, Microsoft Corp. has slipped to valuation...
Something shocking is happening to the world’s most powerful stocks. One month into the Iran war, six of the Magnificent Seven have entered bear market territory. Amazon.com Inc. is trading at its lowest forward price-to-earnings multiple since November 2008 — a key metric that measures the stock against expected earnings over the next 12 months. Meanwhile, Microsoft Corp. has slipped to valuation levels last seen in December 2016 — before the cloud era fully took hold and before Azure emerged a
Many Americans are worried that Social Security benefits are going to disappear because the retirement trust fund is in trouble. This fear has some basis in reality because the trust fund is scheduled to run dry as early as 2032. However, even if that occurs, seniors will still get somewhere around three-fourths of their promised benefit because benefits can still be paid from revenue collected by...
Many Americans are worried that Social Security benefits are going to disappear because the retirement trust fund is in trouble. This fear has some basis in reality because the trust fund is scheduled to run dry as early as 2032. However, even if that occurs, seniors will still get somewhere around three-fourths of their promised benefit because benefits can still be paid from revenue collected by current workers. And, due to Social Security's extreme popularity, there's virtually no way Congress will fail to take action to stop cuts. Unfortunately, with the focus on the trust fund, many people are missing a hidden threat to their retirement checks, which could actually end up being a much bigger issue. Here's what the problem is. Continue reading
A new season of Netflix’s dating show about neurodivergent singletons is a welcome antidote to grim reality TV headlines Logan is a big fan of Hannah Montana and Spongebob Squarepants. He loves model trains and watches videos of them crashing, because that way he knows that no one was hurt. His favourite desert is cheesecake. These are touchingly pure interests from a 25-year-old man who lives in ...
A new season of Netflix’s dating show about neurodivergent singletons is a welcome antidote to grim reality TV headlines Logan is a big fan of Hannah Montana and Spongebob Squarepants. He loves model trains and watches videos of them crashing, because that way he knows that no one was hurt. His favourite desert is cheesecake. These are touchingly pure interests from a 25-year-old man who lives in the hedonistic capital of Las Vegas. “I describe myself as trying to be well-groomed, very patient, not lazy and always punctual,” he says. “Classy, fancy, romantic – wait, romantic? Is that the word?” Logan is one of the new participants on Netflix’s Love on the Spectrum : a series that follows a group of neurodivergent young people as they search for a romantic connection, which returns this week for its fourth season. Unlike other dating shows, such as Love is Blind and Love Island, the stars of this show don’t seem to be motivated by fame and the promise of a Boohoo discount code in their name. In fact, Love on the Spectrum is the antidote to the reality TV of today, which often revolves around controversy and conflict. Watching these young people and their families navigate their search for love isn’t merely wholesome, it makes for life-affirming TV. Continue reading...
As Cesar Chavez Day becomes Farmworkers Day, we must remember that the hero is the movement The way we commemorate history is often – too often – by celebrating an individual with a statue, a place name, a holiday. While some have been torn down – statues of Gen Robert E Lee have given way in some parts of the US to statues of Harriet Tubman – Republicans are trying to reverse the shift in statuar...
As Cesar Chavez Day becomes Farmworkers Day, we must remember that the hero is the movement The way we commemorate history is often – too often – by celebrating an individual with a statue, a place name, a holiday. While some have been torn down – statues of Gen Robert E Lee have given way in some parts of the US to statues of Harriet Tubman – Republicans are trying to reverse the shift in statuary. To that end, the Trump administration recently plunked down a Columbus statue on the White House grounds, a replica of one thrown into the harbor in Baltimore in 2020 as the Black Lives Matter protests addressed racism and colonialism. Still, maybe the age of individual heroes is fading. This year, Jon Wiener, a retired history professor and current Nation magazine editor, nominated Minneapolis for the Nobel peace prize for its residents’ valor and solidarity in opposing ICE and defending their neighbors. The magazine’s editors wrote: “Through countless acts of courage and solidarity, the people of Minneapolis have challenged the culture of fear, hate, and brutality that has gripped the United States and too many other countries. Their nonviolent resistance has captured the imagination of the nation and the world.” The Nobel is a longshot, but the Twin Cities – both Minneapolis and St Paul – got the John F Kennedy Profile in Courage award “for risking their lives to protect their neighbors and immigrant community members ... with extraordinary courage and resolve”. Continue reading...
A woman’s confession on the eve of her nuptials causes uproar in this insouciantly offensive provocation from the director of Dream Scenario • This review contains spoilers How much of your past should you reveal to your adorable fiance before the big day? Very tricky issues are probably best avoided in the run-up to the ceremony, but can still be recklessly raised by attractively naive young peop...
A woman’s confession on the eve of her nuptials causes uproar in this insouciantly offensive provocation from the director of Dream Scenario • This review contains spoilers How much of your past should you reveal to your adorable fiance before the big day? Very tricky issues are probably best avoided in the run-up to the ceremony, but can still be recklessly raised by attractively naive young people who assume the worms surely can’t be that big or plentiful – or difficult to get back into the can. Such a situation is the centre of this contrived but amusing high-concept, high-anxiety movie from Norwegian director Kristoffer Borgli; a Euro-satire of American bourgeois aspiration that sets out to discomfit and excruciate in the spirit of Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure or Thomas Vinterberg’s Festen. Continue reading...
A death rate of up to 90%, attributed to warming seas, is threatening the trade in Hiroshima prefecture, which produces most of the country’s farmed oysters The Kure oyster festival is doing a brisk trade in beer and grilled meat on sticks. But the longest queues are in front of the oyster stalls, where chefs shuffle piles of mottled shellfish across griddles, waiting for their hinges to ease and ...
A death rate of up to 90%, attributed to warming seas, is threatening the trade in Hiroshima prefecture, which produces most of the country’s farmed oysters The Kure oyster festival is doing a brisk trade in beer and grilled meat on sticks. But the longest queues are in front of the oyster stalls, where chefs shuffle piles of mottled shellfish across griddles, waiting for their hinges to ease and reveal their fleshy interiors. Nobuyuki Miyaoka, who is attending the festival with his son, daughter-in-law and their young children, likes his oysters steamed with sake and served with a few drops of tangy ponzu sauce. “The local oysters were fine until this year,” he says. “They used to be a lot bigger … look how small they are.” Chefs prepare oysters at the Kure oyster festival. This year, local businesses and consumers say the shellfish have been scarce and smaller than usual Continue reading...
Apple’s accidental roll-out on Tuesday of its highly anticipated Apple Intelligence feature in mainland China – which has yet to receive regulatory approval – before swiftly pulling it could raise the ire of regulators and expose the US tech giant to potential penalties, an industry expert warned. The brief release could have violated local rules on artificial intelligence security evaluations, al...
Apple’s accidental roll-out on Tuesday of its highly anticipated Apple Intelligence feature in mainland China – which has yet to receive regulatory approval – before swiftly pulling it could raise the ire of regulators and expose the US tech giant to potential penalties, an industry expert warned. The brief release could have violated local rules on artificial intelligence security evaluations, algorithm filings and data protection, according to You Yunting, a Shanghai-based intellectual...
Before electricity, central heating, and down quilts, winter in ancient China was not simply a season but a test of class. Cold was shared by everyone, but warmth was usually not. During the Han dynasty (206 BC-220), emperors used specially designed “Warm Chambers” to protect themselves from the winter cold. The walls were plastered with a mixture of mud and Sichuan peppercorns, thought to preserv...
Before electricity, central heating, and down quilts, winter in ancient China was not simply a season but a test of class. Cold was shared by everyone, but warmth was usually not. During the Han dynasty (206 BC-220), emperors used specially designed “Warm Chambers” to protect themselves from the winter cold. The walls were plastered with a mixture of mud and Sichuan peppercorns, thought to preserve heat while resisting dampness and insects; curtains and screens helped keep out draughts. These...
Whoop Inc. , the maker of popular screenless fitness bands, is now valued at $10.1 billion after raising an additional $575 million, a new milestone on its way to an initial public offering. The company, which now has more than 2.5 million members, was cash flow positive in 2025 and saw subscriptions increase 103% over the same period, it told Bloomberg News. The Series G round was led by Collabor...
Whoop Inc. , the maker of popular screenless fitness bands, is now valued at $10.1 billion after raising an additional $575 million, a new milestone on its way to an initial public offering. The company, which now has more than 2.5 million members, was cash flow positive in 2025 and saw subscriptions increase 103% over the same period, it told Bloomberg News. The Series G round was led by Collaborative Fund, with participation from investors including Qatar Investment Authority, Mubadala Investment Co., Abbott Laboratories and GP Bullhound. Several high-profile individual investors also joined the round, including professional athletes Cristiano Ronaldo , LeBron James , Rory McIlroy and Reggie Miller . Boston-based Whoop was previously valued at $3.6 billion after a $200 million funding round in 2021. To date, the company has raised over $950 million. “This new raise allows us to really strengthen our balance sheet and ultimately invest more in areas of the business that are already working,” founder and Chief Executive Officer Will Ahmed said in an interview. “We’ve had a very ambitious research and development road map that we’re going to continue to invest behind.” The company will also use the funding to increase its marketing efforts; expand third-party sales; add to its wholesale and retail offerings; and continue its international push, he added. Whoop is part of a growing cohort of consumer hardware brands that take a broader approach to fitness beyond just tracking workout stats. The company, along with competitors such as smart ring maker Oura Health Oy , is increasingly focused on proactively monitoring users’ health and offering insights on how they might improve. Oura last fall completed a funding round of its own that brought its valuation to a similar figure of $11 billion. Ahmed has said he envisions Whoop evolving into a “health operating system” using its own artificial intelligence models to analyze health data continuously and one day be able to ...