Dhaka, July 6: Two Bangladeshi teams which participated for the first time in the ‘International Blockchain Olympiad Award (IBCOL) 2020’ competition have won two out of six main awards.
Category: Technology
Huawei pilots 5G unmanned vehicle at Thai smart hospital
Huawei, together with Thailand National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Communication (NBTC) and Siriraj Hospital, has initiated ‘Unmanned Vehicle Pilot Project Driving Thai Healthcare to 5G Era’ to pioneer the use of the unmanned vehicle for the first time at smart hospital…
Global NGOs rap Google’s Fitbit buyout
An international group of consumer advocates and NGOs denounced Google’s bid for sports smartwatch-maker Fitbit Thursday, saying it would threaten privacy and grant Google unfair access to a new market.
Microsoft chief says EU ‘most influential’ on tech rules
Microsoft president Brad Smith on Tuesday said Europe was the global leader on setting rules for big tech, two years after the EU implemented the GDPR, its landmark data privacy law.
China launches final satellite to complete rival to GPS
China on Tuesday launched the final satellite in its homegrown geolocation system designed to rival the US GPS network, marking a major step in its race for market share in the lucrative sector.
Google boosts racial equity program pledge to $275 mn
Google on Wednesday announced a $175 million package to support black business owners, startup founders, job seekers and developers, along with an array of racial equity initiatives at the technology giant.
Facebook rejects call to share revenue with Australian media
Facebook on Monday rejected calls from the Australian government and news companies that it share advertising revenue with the media, suggesting it would rather cut news content from its platform.The US tech giant said in a submission to Australia’s competition…
NASA names first woman to head human spaceflight
The NASA official who managed the inaugural private crewed flight into space last month has been promoted to become the first female head of human spaceflight, the agency said Friday, as it prepares to return people to the Moon in…
First Arab mission to Mars designed to inspire youth
The first Arab space mission to Mars, armed with probes to study the Red Planet’s atmosphere, is designed to inspire the region’s youth and pave the way for scientific breakthroughs, officials said Wednesday .
Fintech Lending Industry to Hit $291bn Value in 2020
Recent years have witnessed a surge in the number of fintech loans as an appealing alternative to traditional banking services. Although the coronavirus outbreak has affected the fintech lending industry, the unified market is still expected to maintain steady growth.
Zoom earnings soar as video meets become pandemic norm
Zoom on Tuesday reported that its earnings soared as its video-meeting service became a popular way to work or socialize while hunkered down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
SpaceX’s historic encore: Astronauts arrive at space station
SpaceX delivered two astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA on Sunday, following up a historic liftoff with an equally smooth docking in yet another first for Elon Musk’s company.
‘No decision’ on next launch attempt for SpaceX-NASA mission
A final decision on a launch attempt for SpaceX’s milestone mission to the International Space Station on Saturday afternoon will take place after assessing the weather that morning, NASA chief Jim Bridenstine said Friday.
Google cautions EU on AI rule-making
Google warned on Thursday that the EU’s definition of artificial intelligence was too broad and that Brussels must refrain from over-regulating a crucial technology.
Facebook wallet for Libra digital coins renamed ‘Novi’
Facebook’s virtual wallet for yet-to-be-minted Libra digital coins was renamed “Novi” on Wednesday.
Astronauts arrive for NASA’s 1st home launch in decade
The two astronauts who will end a nine-year launch drought for NASA arrived at Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, exactly one week before their historic SpaceX flight.
Facebook launches ‘Shops’ to showcase online stores
Facebook on Tuesday reached out to businesses struggling to survive the pandemic with free tools for creating online “Shops” at the social network and Instagram.
Facebook chief wants EU not China to lead on tech rules
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on Monday urged the European Union to take the lead in setting global standards for tech regulation or risk seeing countries follow China as a model.
Huawei’s alliance to develop 5G automobile
Chinese technology giant, Huawei has teamed up with 18 automakers to build a 5G-enabled automobile ecosphere to accelerate commercial use of 5G technologies in the industry.
Walton ventilator, robot, disinfectant clinical trial
The clinical trial of ventilator, Medicart robot and remote control UV-C light disinfectant system, manufactured by Walton, started on Thursday. The company handed over the medical equipment to the ICT division for clinical trial in a videoconference, said a press…
‘Scarface’ reboot penned by Coen bros set in Los Angeles
A reboot of classic gangster movie “Scarface” scripted by the Coen brothers and set in Los Angeles is moving forward with a new director at Universal Pictures, a source familiar with the deal told AFP .
When machines think for us: Consequences for work and place
by Judith Clifton, Amy Glasmeier and Mia Gray on 14th May 2020 @_mia_gray The one sure way not to forecast the impact of artificial intelligence technologies is technological determinism.
Facebook to pay $52 mn settlement for trauma
Facebook has agreed to a $52 million court settlement to compensate content moderators who suffered mental trauma from the graphic and violent images they were required to review, plaintiff lawyers said Tuesday.
Virus delays early ice melt challenges Arctic science team
They prepared for icy cold and trained to be on the watch for polar bears, but a pandemic just wasn’t part of the program.
Google, Gates Foundation join digital payments initiative
A new nonprofit charity unveiled plans to promote digital payments for people outside the financial system, with support from Google and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
China to launch new spacecraft as it eyes moon trip
China said Wednesday it will launch a new spacecraft at 6pm (1000 GMT), in a test of its ambitions to operate a permanent space station and send astronauts to the Moon.
Huawei launches 5G-powered Wi-Fi 6 routers
Huawei launched ten all-new air engine Wi-Fi 6 series models for the Asia Pacific region which are ideal for laying a high-quality fully-wireless campus.
Robots, cameras: China’s sci-fi quarantine watch
Robots delivering meals, ghostly figures in hazmat suits and cameras pointed at front doors: China’s methods to enforce coronavirus quarantines have looked like a sci-fi dystopia for legions of people.
Musk, Bezos win NASA contracts for Moon lander
NASA on Thursday awarded almost $1 billion in contracts to three space companies including those owned by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to develop lunar landers as the United States seeks to return human beings to the Moon.
Zoom selects Oracle as cloud infrastructure provider
Oracle, an American multinational computer technology corporation, announced on Thursday that Zoom Video Communications, Inc is turning to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to support its growth and evolving business needs.