Science and Tech

George Matthew George Matthew moved into cocoa production to keep his farm going If it hadn’t been for the squirrels, George Matthew’s attempt to become a cocoa bean producer might have failed. His farming career began in the 1970s when he inherited a rubber plantation in the the southern Indian state of Kerala , which he managed alongside his career …

A Russian software company has invited a seven-year-old coding prodigy to join its management team, as soon as he is old enough to take up paid employment. Sergey from the Russian city of St Petersburg has built a name for himself, uploading videos that explain how to write software since he was five. On the strength of those videos, the …

Sony Bot of Award: Astro Bot has seven nominations this year This year’s Game Awards shortlist has been announced, with Astro Bot and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth picking up the most nominations. Dubbed “the Oscars of gaming” by some and written off as an advertising marathon by others, it’s the most-watched ceremony celebrating the industry. Host Geoff Keighley also revealed …

US President-elect Donald Trump has named “big tech” critic Brendan Carr to lead the US communications regulator, after he takes office in January 2025. Carr has attacked what he sees as the censorship of conservative viewpoints by top social media firms other than X, a site owned by his ally and fellow Trump backer, Elon Musk. He authored a chapter …

Getty Images Roblox has announced it will block under-13s from messaging others on the online gaming platform as part of new efforts to safeguard children. Child users will not be able to send direct messages by default unless a verified parent or guardian gives them permission. Parents will also be able to view and manage their child’s account, including seeing …

Getty Images Netflix says 60 million households worldwide tuned in live to see Mike Tyson take on Jake Paul, in the streaming giant’s first foray into live boxing. The event, which was free for subscribers, is being hailed by the tech giant as a “record breaking night”. However, fans hoping to watch have expressed their anger and disappointment after some …

Reuters A Secret Service robot dog patrols US President-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence A robotic dog named “Spot” made by Boston Dynamics is the latest tool in the arsenal of the US Secret Service. The device has lately been spotted patrolling the perimeter of President-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. They do not have weapons – and …

Getty Images Elon Musk has stepped up his ongoing feud with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI with a revived lawsuit against the firm, adding Microsoft as a defendant. Mr Musk, a co-founder of the artificial intelligence (AI) company, accused it and the tech giant of operating a monopoly in an amended legal complaint on Thursday. It follows previous lawsuits accusing the firm of …

Getty Images You may have seen the word “Bluesky” popping up on your social media pages recently and wondered what people are talking about. It is an alternative platform to Elon Musk’s X and in terms of its colour and logo, it looks quite similar. Bluesky is growing rapidly and is currently picking up around one million new sign-ups a …

A hacker has been sentenced to five years in a US prison for laundering the proceeds of one of the biggest ever cryptocurrency thefts. Ilya Lichtenstein pleaded guilty last year in the case involving the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange being hacked in 2016 and the theft of almost 120,000 bitcoin. He laundered the stolen cryptocurrency with the help of his wife …