Tech News

TikTok sued in US after girls die in 'Blackout Challenge'

Video-sharing sensation TikTok is being sued in California after children died while taking part in a "Blackout Challenge" that makes a sport of choking oneself until passing out.. TikTok has featured and promoted an array of challenges in which users film themselves taking part in themed acts that are sometimes dangerous.

Using lasers and 'tow-trucks', Japanese firms target space debris

From laser beams and wooden satellites to galactic tow-truck services, start-ups in Japan are trying to imagine ways to deal with a growing environmental problem: space debris.. Some projects are further along, including Astroscale's space "tow-truck", which uses a magnet to collect out-of-service satellites.

Asian stocks extend global rally as recession fears ease for now

Asian markets rose Friday on easing recession fears, while there were growing hopes that Joe Biden will remove some Trump-era tariffs from Chinese goods.. Biden is also reported to be holding a meeting later Friday with top advisers to discuss whether or not to lift some of the Trump-era tariffs imposed on around $300 billion of Chinese imports.

Australia seeks end to trade rows in China meeting

Australia will press China to end trade "blockages" Friday as the two nations seek to defrost icy relations with their first foreign ministers' meeting since 2019.. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she aimed to "stabilise" relations when she meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi later in the day on the sidelines of a Group of 20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia.

US abortion ruling threatens access to arthritis drug

When Alabama nurse Melissa went to pick up her regular prescription for rheumatoid arthritis last week, she was told the drug was "on hold" while the pharmacist checked she wasn't going to use it to induce an abortion.. Melissa, the nurse, said she was incensed at the double standard that allowed one of her best friends, who is a man, to get his methotrexate prescription filled right away with no questions asked.

Back from the dead, VHS tapes trigger a new collecting frenzy

Long relegated to an obscure corner of the collectibles market, VHS tapes have been fetching eye-popping prices at auctions in recent months, thanks to nostalgia and an appetite for new investment opportunities.. - Nostalgia meets investment opportunity - Many long-time collectors are wondering about the sudden surge, 16 years after the last release of a film in this format ("A History of Violence").

Elon Musk deal to buy Twitter in danger: report

Twitter shares slid late Thursday after a Washington Post report that Elon Musk's $44 billion deal to buy the social media giant is in danger.. The chances of Musk buying Twitter as originally negotiated are slim, Ives said.

Watchdog to probe intensive audits of Trump foes who led FBI

The US tax authority said Thursday it had asked for an independent investigation into rare, intrusive audits of two ex-FBI heads who were prominent adversaries of former president Donald Trump.. - 'Political targeting' - The IRS confirmed in a statement that its head Chuck Rettig -- appointed by Trump in 2018 -- had personally asked a Treasury Inspector General for a review.

Canada posts largest trade surplus in 14 years

Canada posted in May its largest trade surplus since 2008, riding a surge in oil prices as Western nations imposed energy sanctions on Russia, the government statistical agency said Thursday.. As a result, Canada's trade surplus widened from Can$2.2 billion (US$1.7 billion) in April to Can$5.3 billion (US$4.1 billion) in May, Statistics Canada said.

Elizabeth Holmes ex-boyfriend convicted of Theranos fraud

A top aide and ex-boyfriend of fallen Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was convicted on Thursday of defrauding investors and patients at the failed blood testing startup.. Balwani was tried separately from one-time US biotech star Holmes, whose trial in the same courtroom ended in January with a guilty verdict for four counts of tricking investors into pouring money into what she claimed was a revolutionary blood testing system.