An unknown number of pupils have been abducted by armed men from a Catholic school in central Nigeria, marking the second school kidnapping in less than a week. The latest attack targeted St Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger state, where authorities had already ordered the temporary closure of all boarding schools due to rising security…
On September 19, 1982, Carnegie Mellon University computer science research assistant professor Scott Fahlman posted a message to the university’s bulletin board software that would later come to shape how people communicate online. His proposal: use 🙂 and 🙁 as markers to distinguish jokes from serious comments. While Fahlman describes himself as “the inventor ……
A pilot has died after an Indian fighter jet crashed while performing a display at an airshow in Dubai, officials have said. The Indian Air Force said in a statement: “IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief. “A court of inquiry is being…
As sentences go, “Apple Intelligence now works in Apple Shortcuts” isn’t the most likely to inspire a lot of people to click a link. And that’s too bad: This change, one of the more overlooked new features in macOS 26, means you can use Apple’s on-board AI to do all kinds of things while designing…
It turns out that when an AI-friendly super PAC with $100 million in backing from Silicon Valley bigwigs identifies you as its first target, it ends up generating a lot of attention. “I want to thank [the PAC] for their partnership in raising up the issue of how we regulate an incredibly powerful technology so…
Elevated levels of CO2 lead to reduced cognitive ability and facilitate transmission of airborne viruses, which can linger in poorly ventilated spaces for hours. The more CO2 in the air, the more virus-friendly the air becomes, making CO2 data a handy proxy for tracing pathogens. In fact, the Australian Academy of Science described the pollution…
Someone needs to say it. Someone has to speak up in defense of being mid. I am a mid runner. Most of us are, as that is the definition of being mid. I work out every day, but I have a full-time job, two kids, a dog, and a spouse. I volunteer, and I have…
2 hours ago Lucy WilliamsonMiddle East correspondent, Jerusalem Yasser Abu Shabab/Facebook One of the largest militia, the Popular Forces, operates near the southern city of Rafah Urgent questions are being raised over a patchwork of armed groups that have emerged to fight Hamas in Gaza over recent months. They include groups based around family clans,…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been careful not to criticise or reject this US draft peace deal – even though it appears to heavily reflect many of Moscow’s demands. On Thursday, the White House pushed back on claims Ukraine was not involved in the drafting of the plan, which emerged after meetings between the US…
Forget coffee, you can now stay alert by strapping on a wristband that lightly zaps you awake. That’s what eCoffee Energyband, a Chinese gadget that sells for just over $100, is claiming to do. First released in late 2023, the product is a lightweight wearable with two electrode pads that sit against the inner wrist.…