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What makes digital wallets safer than physical ones?
Digital wallets such as Apple Wallet and Google Wallet are often more secure than the physical cards they replace, thanks to layered protections including biometric authentication, tokenisation and remote deactivation. These features make it far harder for someone to use stolen card details, and mean that even a lost or stolen phone rarely puts payment…
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Cheap solar forces global shift away from centralised utilities
Cheap, Chinese-made solar panels are transforming energy systems worldwide, giving businesses and households the ability to generate their own power and undercutting the traditional model of centralised utilities. In Pakistan, cement maker Bestway is rapidly expanding rooftop solar capacity because, as one executive put it, “it’s the only way we can compete,” reflecting a broader…
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Government moves to nationalise Speciality Steel UK to protect 1,300 jobs
The UK government has announced it will move towards nationalising Speciality Steel UK (SSUK), the Yorkshire-based steelmaker, in a bid to safeguard 1,300 jobs after the company failed to find a private buyer. Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said officials would “work towards” public acquisition, having judged that a proposed takeover by Norwegian firm Blastr Green…
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Growing AI systems raise concerns over employment and inequality
This BBC explainer sets out what artificial intelligence is, how it works and why its rapid growth is causing concern. AI enables computers to process vast amounts of data and spot patterns, powering everyday tools such as social media feeds, virtual assistants, streaming recommendations and medical diagnostics, alongside newer “generative AI” systems like ChatGPT and…
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Cyberattack forces International Meteor Organization offline for weeks
The International Meteor Organization (IMO), a Belgium-based nonprofit that coordinates meteor observations by amateur and professional astronomers worldwide, has had much of its website taken offline following a cyberattack. The organisation says the incident dealt a “critical blow” to its ageing infrastructure and warns that several weeks of partial downtime will follow as it transitions…
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Clear cache to resolve Outlook message display error
Outlook users occasionally encounter a “Your message can’t be displayed right now” error, which can be frustrating during important communication but is usually straightforward to fix. The issue is typically linked to a corrupted or overloaded cache, and the solution differs slightly depending on whether the user is running the desktop client or a web…
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Engineering puzzles reveal how real-world design involves inevitable trade-offs
The Guardian’s puzzle columnist published the solutions to four engineering-themed brainteasers set earlier in the day, each illustrating how real-world design involves trade-offs rather than perfect solutions. The puzzles, adapted from Alex Davies’s book *How to Keep a Plane in the Sky*, covered cranberry sorting, child-resistant medicine caps, the Golden Gate Bridge’s handrail redesign, and…
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Second refresh keeps Volvo XC40 competitive into 2028
Volvo has revealed a second facelift for its XC40 small SUV, an unusual move that gives the model, first launched in 2017 and already updated once in 2023, a further refresh for model year 2028. Rather than replacing the popular crossover with an all-new generation, Volvo has opted to refine its design, technology and safety…
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Phones are the new cigarettes: why restaurants are discouraging and even banning them
Restaurants and bars are increasingly treating smartphones the way venues once treated cigarettes, encouraging or outright banning their use at the table in an effort to boost genuine conversation and restore focus on food and company. The trend marks a reversal from a decade ago, when many fine-dining establishments relaxed phone rules because customers wanted…
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Historic synagogue ‘attacked with fireworks’ during Jewish New Year, just days after Miliband unveils Israel sanctions
A group of five youths reportedly set off fireworks towards the Lauderdale Road Synagogue in Maida Vale, north-west London, on Sunday afternoon as the Jewish community celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Security footage is said to show the youths, described as wearing hoodies, with one keeping watch as two others threw the fireworks,…