How the global wrangle for natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is fuelling one of the world's worst humanitarian crisesHello and welcome to The Long Wave. This week, after three months of fighting, a peace agreement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the works. I spoke to our east Africa correspondent, Carlos Mureithi, about the conflict, how quickly it escalated and the prospects for peace. Continue reading...
Vulcan device capable of grabbing three-quarters of items in warehouses' fuels fears of mass job lossesAmazon said it has made a fundamental leap forward in robotics" after developing a robot with a sense of touch that will be capable of grabbing about three-quarters of the items in its vast warehouses.Vulcan - which launches at the US firm's Delivering the Future" event in Dortmund, Germany, on Wednesday and is to be deployed around the world in the next few years - is designed to help humans sort items for storage and then prepare them for delivery as the latest in a suite of robots which have an ever-growing role in the online retailer's extensive operation. Continue reading...
It's a year since teachers in St Albans asked parents not to give younger children smartphones. How successful have they been? What do the kids think about it? And has it made the adults think about their own addiction'?At 3.12pm on a sunny spring afternoon in St Albans, Yasser Afghen reaches for the iPhone in his jeans pocket, hoping to use the three minutes before his son emerges from his year 1 primary class to scroll through his emails. As he lifts the phone to his face, Matthew Tavender, the head teacher of Cunningham Hill school, strides across the playground towards him. Afghen smiles apologetically, puts his phone away, and spends the remaining waiting time listening to the birdsong in the trees behind the school yard.A one-storey 1960s block with 14 classrooms backing on to a playing field, Cunningham Hill primary feels like an unlikely hub for a revolution. But a year ago, Tavender and the school's executive head, Justine Elbourne-Cload, began coordinating with the heads at other primary schools across the city, then sent a joint letter to parents and carers across St Albans: the highly addictive nature of smartphones was having a lasting effect on children's brains. The devices were robbing children of their childhood. Could parents, the letter asked, please avoid giving them smartphones until they turned 14? Continue reading...
Damages awarded after earlier ruling found NSO unlawfully exploited a bug in WhatsApp to spy on usersMeta Platforms won a $168m verdict against the Israeli surveillance firm NSO, the company said on Tuesday, capping a six-year arm-wrestling match between the US's biggest social-networking platform and the world's best-known spyware company.Meta had already won after a December ruling found that NSO had unlawfully exploited a bug in its messaging service WhatsApp to plant spy software on its users' phones. On Tuesday, a jury in California ruled that NSO owed Meta $444,719 in compensatory damages - and $167.3m in punitive damages, Meta said. Continue reading...
No matter how many system updates the Meta boss runs, there will always be something about him that screams creepy automaton'. And the $270m apocalypse shelter doesn't helpOver the past few years Mark Zuckerberg has been conducting a very expensive experiment. If he grows his hair and revamps his wardrobe, will it make him seem more relatable? If he takes up mixed martial arts, goes wild boar hunting, and tells manosphere-adjacent podcasters such as Joe Rogan that companies need more masculine energy", will red-blooded American males respect him? With the help of a small army of stylists, personal trainers and PR gurus, could Zuck transform himself from an unlikable dork into an alpha bro?For a brief moment, the answer to all that seemed to be a tentative yes". Zuck's shock of shaggy new hair made the billionaire seem less like three Lego figures in a trenchcoat and more like an adult human male. His gold chains and jazzy new outfits sparked excited chatter of a Zucknaissance". The Meta billionaire also had a lucky break, PR-wise, in 2023 when Elon Musk, the world's least self-aware man, challenged him to a cage brawl. Cue a flurry of articles about how Zuck was actually a skilled athlete who would annihilate Musk in a fight, leaving approximately 950 children without their father. Continue reading...
Documentary investigates the whereabouts of the model who played an influential corporate character, as well as the relationship between race and technologyBack when computers were still new, Mavis Beacon was an icon for generations of children learning IT skills. Her name, along with the accompanying image of a smiling, suited Black woman, graced countless editions of some popular software that taught typing through interactive lessons and games. For Black students, to see someone who looked like them in a position of authority and knowledge, inspired assurance and aspiration. Mavis Beacon, however, did not exist; she was a fictional character represented by a photograph of Renee L'Esperance, a Haitian model whose story is now lost to history. Eager to reclaim her legacy, film-maker Jazmin Jones and collaborator Olivia McKayla Ross embarked on a years-long quest to track down the woman behind the image.The resulting documentary is anything but conventional. Describing themselves as E-girl detectives", Jones and Ross draw on a wide variety of sources for their investigation. In addition to a physical headquarters - complete with an evidence board not unlike those seen in detective films of yore - there is a virtual dimension to their pursuit. We see what presumably is the cybersleuths' desktop screen, on which memes, Google maps and search results multiply like mushrooms after the rain. Continue reading...
CEO, Sam Altman, says decision to backtrack was made after hearing from civic leaders' and state attorneys generalOpenAI has reversed course in the process of transforming into a for-profit entity, announcing on Monday that its non-profit arm would continue to control the business that makes ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) products. Previously, the company had sought more independence for its for-profit division.We made the decision for the nonprofit to stay in control after hearing from civic leaders and having discussions with the offices of the Attorneys General of California and Delaware," said CEO Sam Altman in a letter to employees. Altman and the chair of OpenAI's non-profit board, Bret Taylor, said the board made the choice for the non-profit to retain control of OpenAI. Continue reading...
The billionaire fired thousands of workers, but savings are minimal and offset by degradation of services, critics sayAs Elon Musk steps back from his role heading the so-called department of government efficiency" (Doge), many experts on government operations complain that Doge has done nothing to improve the quality of services the government provides to the American people.Doge is not offering any solid claims that it has improved services in any way," said Donald Moynihan, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan. Rather, it has made the quality of some government services worse." Continue reading...
US health secretary claims data will be used for research but has not addressed privacy concerns and potential misuseAutism researchers and advocates are pushing back against the creation of an autism database - meant to track the health of autistic people in a major research study - and pointing to the ways such databases could be misused.While the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) denies it's a registry, the agency did confirm a sweeping database of autistic people will power a $50m study on autism. The health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, said last week that he plans to announce results from the study within months. Continue reading...
We gave you gardening tips, a spring fashion edit, the ultimate guide to anti-ageing and more. Here are the picks that inspired you most in AprilThe year always seems to pick up pace in spring, with the big house and garden tidy-up becoming all-consuming. The early spring sunshine has been wonderful (for those of us lucky enough to have seen some), though it does accelerate the pressure to ready your garden for the summer ahead.I spent winter trying not to look out of the window, fearing that most of the plants I'd optimistically bought last summer wouldn't make it. So it's a wonderful feeling to have the garden open up again - and many of you seem to agree. We were taken aback by the popularity of our pieces on how to get your garden ready for summer and the best secateurs to help you with the spring tidy. Continue reading...
Experts say online retailer has ethical responsibility to guard against chatbot-generated work on sensitive topicsAmazon is selling books marketed at people seeking techniques to manage their ADHD that claim to offer expert advice yet appear to be authored by a chatbot such as ChatGPT.Amazon's marketplace has been deluged with works produced by artificial intelligence that are easy and cheap to publish but include unhelpful or dangerous misinformation, such as shoddy travel guidebooks and mushroom foraging books that encourage risky tasting. Continue reading...
The end of civilisation might look less like a war, and more like a love story. Can we avoid being willing participants in our own downfall?Right now, most big AI labs have a team figuring out ways that rogue AIs might escape supervision, or secretly collude with each other against humans. But there's a more mundane way we could lose control of civilisation: we might simply become obsolete. This wouldn't require any hidden plots - if AI and robotics keep improving, it's what happens by default.How so? Well, AI developers are firmly on track to build better replacements for humans in almost every role we play: not just economically as workers and decision-makers, but culturally as artists and creators, and even socially as friends and romantic companions. What place will humans have when AI can do everything we do, only better? Continue reading...
Cryptocurrency mining facilities can blanket towns with constant' noise. They're likely to get louder under TrumpFirst came the dogs' balding - leathery pink patches on otherwise glossy fur coats.The veterinarian told Shenice Copenhaver it was genetic. But it wasn't long before one of the hairless puppies began stealing blankets to burrow beneath furniture and hide for long stretches. Continue reading...
How to beat the scam, from setting up new passwords and telling your bank exactly what you are doingHi mum," the first message starts, I've lost my phone." It carries on with a tale of woe: for some reason the sender has also been locked out of his or her bank account.Luckily a friend is often on hand to help - it's their phone that the message comes from, apparently - and if you could just transfer some money to their account that would be great. Alternatively, you might be asked to pay the rent, direct to a landlord, or foot some other urgent bill that has arrived at this time of crisis. Continue reading...
Recording concerts has become a compulsion for many. I'm resolving to put my device away and just dance: I hope others followI'm making a public vow, which I fear I may abandon the moment Lana Del Rey comes on stage at Wembley in July: to stop recording concerts on my phone. Last Sunday, producer and DJ Kaytranada responded to a fan on X who was frustrated at motionless concertgoers with their phones in the air, writing: I think we have come in this age where everybody's trying to catch a moment for their own social media presence. It shows their appreciation instead of them dancing and enjoying shows like we used to." Even though I wasn't at Kaytranada's show, he had me bang to rights.I have in the past incessantly recorded gigs, insisting to myself that there is no impairment of my enjoyment, or that determinedly rejigging the camera for a panoramic shot of the entire stage was all part of the concert experience. Lost in the spirit of a moment, it can be nice to snap yourself and friends singing along to your favourite artist, and to create a personal archive of a concert's best bits.Jason Okundaye is an assistant newsletter editor and writer at the Guardian Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#6X1HB)
Kaitlyn Regehr says parents worrying about their children need first to look at their own usageSwitching off the colours on your phone and spending half an hour a week pruning your algorithm can help consumers control and improve their online media diet, according to a professor turned digital nutritionist".These two measures, otherwise known as greyscaling and algorithmic resistance, are among a number of recommendations from Dr Kaitlyn Regehr, an associate professor at University College London and a leading expert in digital literacy. Continue reading...
After Google lost its first monopoly trial, government asks it to sell off units of its core internet ads businessGoogle on Friday faced a demand by the US government to break up its hugely profitable ad technology business. The request came after a judge found the tech giant was commanding an illegal monopoly for the second time in less than a year.We have a defendant who has found ways to defy" the law, US government lawyer Julia Tarver Wood told a federal court in Virginia, as she urged the judge to dismiss Google's assurance that it would change its behavior. Leaving a recidivist monopolist" intact was not appropriate to solve the issue, she added. Continue reading...
Readers respond to a piece by John Harris on how we are increasingly leaving navigation to our phonesJohn Harris's observations on the implications of using unsuitable phone apps for navigation when walking in the wilds resonated with me (We now leave navigation to our phones. The result: more of us are getting hopelessly lost, 27 April). In terms of practical advice, though, rather than using the Ordnance Survey app backed up with a paper map, I do it the other way round.Using a 1:25,000 OS paper map as the primary navigational aid conserves phone battery and allows you to keep an eye on the wider landscape for navigational clues all the time; and the scale is fixed, so after becoming accustomed to it, you have a feel for distances while on the move. Continue reading...
Ireland's Data Protection Commission found video app breached GDPR and had submitted erroneous information' to inquiryTikTok has been fined 530m (452m) by an Irish watchdog over a failure to guarantee that European user data sent to China would not be accessed by the Chinese government.Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) regulates TikTok across the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes all 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Continue reading...
Their tech may have been primitive, but for 80s schoolchildren of a certain kind they had a glamour to equal any modern iPhoneOver the last couple of weeks I have been tidying our attic, and while the general aim has been to prevent its contents from collapsing through the ceiling, I have a side-mission. My most valued possession when I was twelve was a Casio GD-8 Car Race watch - a digital timepiece that included a built-in racing game on its tiny monochrome LCD display. Two big buttons on the front let you steer left and right to avoid incoming vehicles and your aim was to stay alive as long as possible. I lost count of the number of times it was confiscated by teachers at my school. I used to lend it to the hardest boys in the year, thereby guaranteeing me protection against bullies. As a socially inept nerd, this was invaluable to my survival. I'm pretty sure I still have the watch somewhere, and my determination to find it has been augmented by a recent discovery: these things are valuable now.Casio started making digital watches in the mid-1970s, using technology it had developed in the calculator market to compete on price, but as the decade drew to a close, the market became saturated and the company started to explore new ways to entice buyers. Speaking to Polygon in 2015, Yuichi Masuda, senior executive managing officer and Casio board member, explained, Casio went back to its original thinking when it first entered the watch market; that is, a watch is not a mere tool to tell the time.' We started talking about a multifunction [approach], time display plus other things, such as telephone number memory and music alarms." Continue reading...
Company exceeds expectations for third quarter in a row as chief executive Andy Jassy admits uncertainty over tariffsAmazon reported strong first-quarter earnings for the 2025 fiscal year on Thursday after the New York stock exchange closed - results that will be seen in the context of consumer resilience in the face of Donald Trump's tariff wars.Amazon reported $1.59 in earnings per share (EPS) and revenue of $155.67bn. Analysts had estimated that the company's EPS would come in at $1.36 on revenue of $155bn. In particular focus: Amazon's advertising business, which grew 19% in the first quarter of 2025, handily exceeding analyst expectations as well. The company has exceeded Wall Street's expectations for the previous two quarters. Continue reading...
Trump said consumer electronics will be exempted from his soaring tariffs on China, though it is unclear for how longApple's second-quarter financials came in slightly higher than Wall Street's expectations on Thursday.The tech giant reported revenue of $95.4bn, up more than 4% over last year, and earnings per share of $1.65, up more than 7%. Analysts had predicted revenue of $94.5bn and earnings of $1.62. The company, worth $3.2tn, has beaten Wall Street's expectations for the previous four quarters. Continue reading...
Sony also raised PlayStation 5 price and Nintendo delayed Switch 2 pre-orders as Trump tariffs throw electronics manufacturing into chaosMicrosoft announced on Thursday that it will increase Xbox console prices worldwide, citing market conditions" just days after Sony made a similar move with its PlayStation 5.The tech giant also plans to raise prices for some new games developed by its video game subsidiaries. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent on (#6X06Q)
Phones dominate dining tables as parents struggle for conversation, research for The Week Junior revealsA quarter of British families no longer talk at dinner, with most bringing their phones to the table and 42% of parents saying they struggle to find a topic of conversation, a survey of 2,000 households shows.It found that just one in three families sit down to eat together every day and conversations are increasingly being replaced by scrolling and screens. Continue reading...
TV, tablets and smartphones hinder and alter brain development', open letter saysChildren under the age of six should not be exposed to screens, including television, to avoid permanent damage to their brain development, French medical experts have said.TV, tablets, computers, video games and smartphones have already had a heavy impact on a young generation sacrificed on the altar of ignorance", according to an open letter to the government from five leading health bodies - the societies of paediatrics, public health, ophthalmology, child and adolescent psychiatry, and health and environment. Continue reading...
From mass firings to unprecedented influence, Musk has left little of the federal government untouched in Doge roleOne hundred days after Elon Musk entered the White House as Donald Trump's senior adviser and the de facto leader of the so-called department of government efficiency" (Doge), the Tesla CEO has left little of the federal government unscathed. Over the course of just a few months, he has gutted agencies and public services that took decades to build while accumulating immense political power.Musk's role in the Trump administration is without modern precedent. Never before has the world's richest person been deputized by the US president to cull the very agencies that oversee his businesses. Musk's attempts to radically dismantle government bureaus have won him sprawling influence. His team has embedded its members in key roles across federal agencies, gained access to personal data on millions of Americans and fired tens of thousands of workers. SpaceX, where he is CEO, is now poised to take over potential government contracts worth billions. He has left a trail of chaos while seeding the government with his allies, who will probably help him profit and preserve his newfound power. Continue reading...
Wall Street Journal article saying headhunters were contacted is absolutely false', says company chairTesla has denied a report that its board sought to replace Elon Musk as its chief executive amid a backlash against his rightwing politics and declining car sales.Robyn Denholm, the chair of the board at the electric carmaker, said in a statement on Tesla's social media account on X: Earlier today, there was a media report erroneously claiming that the Tesla Board had contacted recruitment firms to initiate a CEO search at the company. Continue reading...
by Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor on (#6WZY5)
Latest satellite-free Sky TV is ready for primetime with better picture, sound and much-improved serviceThe latest version of Sky's Glass smart TV is faster and looks better than its predecessor and offers a level of all-in-one convenience that makes the satellite-free pay TV one of the best on the market.Sky Glass gen 2 is a straight replacement for the original model from 2021, which introduced Sky's TV-over-broadband service that ditched the need for a satellite dish. The new TV comes in three sizes and you can buy the smallest 43in version for a one-off payment of 699 or 14 a month spread over four years, after which you own it. Continue reading...
Cybersecurity expert says group are unusual but potently threatening' coalition of ransomware hackersIf there is one noticeable difference between some members of the Scattered Spider hacking community and their ransomware peers, it will be the accent.Scattered Spider has been linked to a cyber-attack on UK retailer Marks & Spencer. But unlike other ransomware assailants, its constituents appear to be native English speakers and are not from Russia or former Soviet states. Continue reading...
Judge says executive told outright lies' when he gave testimony in antitrust case from Fortnite maker Epic GamesApple violated a United States court order that required the iPhone maker to allow greater competition for app downloads and payment methods in its lucrative App Store and will be referred to federal prosecutors, a federal judge in California ruled on Wednesday.The US district judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland said in an 80-page ruling that Apple failed to comply with her prior injunction order, which was imposed in an antitrust lawsuit brought by Fortnite maker Epic Games. Continue reading...
We've had a strong start to an important year', Zuckerberg said as company posts $42.35bn in revenue for first quarterMeta reported earnings on Wednesday, beating Wall Street's expectations for yet another quarter even as it lavishes billions on artificial intelligence.Meta posted $42.32bn in revenue in the first quarter of 2025, beating both its own quarterly revenue goals of $41.8bn at the higher end and Wall Street expectations of $41.38bn. Continue reading...
Tech giant has committed to investing $80bn in artificial intelligence this fiscal year as it reveals revenue of $70.07bnMicrosoft released its quarterly earnings report on Wednesday after the New York stock market closed, beating Wall Street's expectations for the fourth quarter in a row amid a financial boom for artificial intelligence businesses.The company revealed revenue of $70.07bn and earnings of $3.46 per share. The result exceeded analyst predictions that revenue would grow to $68.42bn, or 10.6% year-over-year, and that earnings-per-share would come in at $3.22. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Government will promise to carry out an economic impact assessment of its proposalsMinisters have drawn up concessions on copyright changes in an attempt to appease artists and creators before a crucial vote in parliament next week, the Guardian has learned.The government will promise to carry out an economic impact assessment of its proposed copyright changes and to publish reports on issues including transparency, licensing and access to data for AI developers. Continue reading...
People share their experiences of Monday's massive power outage across Spain, Portugal and parts of France that upended modern lifeIt felt like chaos," said Inigo, a doctor at a hospital in northern Spain.With no electricity from noon on Monday, the building's emergency generators were kept for the critical areas, leaving staff without access to patient data, broken communications due to no telephone signal or email, and colleagues unable to carry out some of their duties, he said. Continue reading...
While the novel remains a high-status cultural form, video game writing is still seen as a throwaway art - despite some of the biggest names in fiction being involvedI've been working in games for a little more than 15 years, and the main thing I'd say about it at this point is that it's a pretty annoying job to explain at parties. People often say something like, Oh, I don't really play games," which is surely an odd thing to tell a game designer moments after you've been introduced; I don't really eat croissants, but that's not the first thing I bring up if I meet a patissier.So one of the joys of publishing my first novel last year was the option to sidestep all of that, and say: Oh, I'm a writer." I wrote a novel; I'm working on another one; job done, the conversation can move on. Nobody says, Oh, I don't really read books," even though that's at least as likely to be true. Continue reading...
Presenter is expanding his own business on the platform and likens change to when vinyl music went digitalThe media world is undergoing a sea change" in which some traditional titles disappear, Piers Morgan has predicted, as he said some YouTube channels would soon have as much power as traditional network television.The presenter and former newspaper editor, who is holding funding talks to expand his YouTube business, predicted more established media figures would soon follow him to the increasingly influential streaming service as audience habits continue to shift. Continue reading...
Using GPS in the wild | A toast to healthy hearts | Staffing self-checkouts | Digital assistance | Happy birthday, dear readersHaving rambled for 65 years with Ordnance Survey maps and a compass, I agree with John Harris about using GPS in the wild (We now leave navigation to our phones. The result: more of us are getting hopelessly lost, 27 April). A phone screen is too small to see the wider terrain. But having carried an emergency whistle and pocket heliograph, I have to admit that phones can be alifesaver in a real emergency.
Delivering barista-quality results in a stylishly compact machine, this manual espresso maker is a brilliant buy for those just starting out The best coffee machines for your home: your morning brew made easyThe Sage Bambino Plus is a 350 espresso machine that leaves the espresso brewing to you but automatically steams the milk at the press of a button. I don't want to spoil the surprise, but this is probably the best beginner's espresso machine on the market. Whether you're starting out or just want to upgrade from a more basic machine, such as the excellent De'Longhi Stilosa, it's a great choice.The simple design and ease of use are all part of the appeal and are among the reasons why I still enjoy using it as much as I do, despite far pricier machines dotting my household. To be clear, this isn't a fully assisted machine that holds your hand throughout the process. You still need to learn the manual espresso ropes by dialling in the correct grind size and dosage for the perfect shot. But the combination of the useful tools in the box and an informative, helpful manual means that even beginners will soon find their feet. Continue reading...
The EU has issued hundreds of millions in fines, but the US is hounding big tech much more harshly. Plus, Musk's Doge time is up amid abysmal Tesla earningsThe European Union fined Apple and Meta hundreds of millions of dollars last week.My colleague Jennifer Rankin reports:Goodbye, Skype. I'll never forget youHow space exploration can improve life on EarthOfcom announces new rules for tech firms to keep children safe onlineWhat are the Ofcom measures to protect children online - and will they work?Ofcom accused of prioritising interests of tech firms over child safety onlineElon Musk to pull back in Doge role starting May amid 71% dip in Tesla profitsElon Musk's xAI accused of pollution over Memphis supercomputerAI images of child sexual abuse getting significantly more realistic', says watchdogMeta faces Ghana lawsuits over impact of extreme content on moderatorsTrump's meme coin soars after he asks top 220 holders to dinnerApple aims to source all US iPhones from India', reducing reliance on ChinaUS food delivery app DoorDash offers to buy UK rival Deliveroo for $3.6bnWhat to do if your phone is lost or stolen: practical steps to restore peace of mind Continue reading...
British defence firms have reportedly warned staff not to connect their phones to Chinese-made EVsMobile phones and desktop computers are longstanding targets for cyber spies - but how vulnerable are electric cars?On Monday the i newspaper claimed that British defence firms working for the UK government have warned staff against connecting or pairing their phones with Chinese-made electric cars, due to fears that Beijing could extract sensitive data from the devices. Continue reading...
Committee calls figure a conservative estimate' and warns Musk may seek to use his influence to avoid legal liabilityElon Musk and his companies face at least $2.37bn in legal exposure from federal investigations, litigation and regulatory oversight, according to a new report from Senate Democrats. The report attempts to put a number to Musk's many conflicts of interest through his work with his so-called department of government efficiency" (Doge), warning that he may seek to use his influence to avoid legal liability.The report, which was published on Monday by Democratic members of the Senate homeland security committee's permanent subcommittee on investigations, looked at 65 actual or potential actions against Musk across 11 separate agencies. Investigators calculated the financial liabilities Musk and his companies, such as Tesla, SpaceX and Neuralink, may face in 45 of those actions. Continue reading...
Investing in space vital for sustaining quality of life amid volatile geopolitical' landscape, says Josef AschbacherDonald Trump's return to the White House has prompted a shift away from ties with America by European political leaders and a rapid increase in defence spending as the continent's security reaches a turning point". The ripples from Europe's newfound desire for self-reliance could go even further: as far as space.Europe's drive for more autonomy means it must also increase its invesment in space technology, according to Josef Aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency (Esa), the intergovernmental body tasked with overseeing the space exploration ambitions of European countries including much of the EU and the UK. Continue reading...
Technology | The Guardian