International and Arab News
Technology
Softbank Drops Operating Profit Measure
SoftBank Group Corp on Tuesday broke with tradition on Tuesday by not reporting operating profit, saying it was “not useful” as a measure of investment performance, and pointed to a first-quarter Vision Fund investment gain of $2.8 billion. Chief Executive Masayoshi Son has long pointed to the to
New Machine Learning System That Designs Its Own Code
A team of US researchers is currently working on developing computer programs that develop other programs without human intervention, the German News Agency reported on Saturday. According to the Phys.org website, Justin Gottschlich, director of the machine programming research group at Intel, an
Facebook, Microsoft Gripes with Apple's App Store on EU's Antitrust Radar
Facebook and Microsoft’s grievances over how their gaming apps appear on Apple’s App Store may feed into an EU investigation into the iPhone maker’s business as EU antitrust regulators said such concerns are on their radar. The European Commission in June opened four probes into Apple, three of w
Are They Any Use? With Europe's Black-Box Coronavirus Apps it's Hard to Tell
Europe's experiment in using technology to fight coronavirus has achieved some early successes: millions of people have downloaded smartphone tracker apps and hundreds have uploaded the results of positive COVID-19 tests. Yet most European countries so far lack solid evidence that their apps - wh
Britain’s National Grid Plans to Test Hydrogen Heating for Homes
Britain’s National Grid is planning a 10 million-pound ($13 million) project in the north west of England to test how hydrogen could be used to heat homes and bring down greenhouse gas emissions from industry, it said on Wednesday. Britain has a target to reach net zero emissions by 2050, which w
Pizza Restaurant Launches Spain's First Virtual Waiter App
A restaurant on Spain’s northeastern Mediterranean coast is pioneering a dining experience that allows customers to avoid most face-to-face contact with staff and minimize the risk of coronavirus contagion. Customers at Funky Pizza, in Palafrugell on the Costa Brava popular with tourists, can bro
Singapore Scientists Create Artificial Skin Able to Feel
Singapore researchers have developed "electronic skin" capable of recreating a sense of touch, an innovation they hope will allow people with prosthetic limbs to detect objects, as well as feel texture, or even temperature and pain. The device, dubbed ACES, or Asynchronous Coded Electronic Skin,