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'High Risk of Biological Hazard' In Sudan After Fighters Seize Biolab, WHO Says Published on April 27, 2023 at 02:15AM The World Health Organization (WHO) said there's a "high risk of biological hazard" in Khartoum, the capitol of Sudan, after a biolab containing deadly pathogens was seized by fighters. From a report: There's a war in Sudan right now as two rival generals struggle for power. After a week of fighting, one of the factions has seized the National Public Health Laboratory which contains samples of measles, cholera, polio, and other diseases. Now, lab workers are unable to return to the facility and secure the hazardous materials. "This is the main concern: no accessibility to the lab technicians to go to the lab and safely contain the biological material and substances available," Nima Saeed Abid, the WHO's representative in Sudan, told reporters on Tuesday. According to the lab's website, it contains "reference laboratori...

Brazil Court Suspends Telegram Published on April 27, 2023 at 02:04AM Brazilian court has ordered the nationwide suspension of the Telegram messaging app due to its parent company's failure to provide data on neo-Nazis operating on the platform, imposing a daily fine of approximately $198,000 until compliance is met. The action was taken as part of an investigation into neo-Nazi activity on social networks. Agence France-Presse first reported the news. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

'Indiana Jones 5' Will Feature a De-Aged Harrison Ford for the First 25 Minutes Published on April 27, 2023 at 01:31AM An anonymous reader shares a report: A young Harrison Ford will grace cinema screens for 25 minutes this summer -- aided by some new Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) software. The news that LucasFilm's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny would feature a de-aged Ford came at the end of last year, but an interview with director James Mangold in Total Film just revealed it will be for almost a fifth of the film's running time. The fifth Indiana Jones iteration starts with an opening scene from 1944 -- about eight years after Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark took place. "My hope is that, although it will be talked about in terms of technology, you just watch it and go, 'Oh my God, they just found footage. This was a thing they shot 40 years ago," Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm and a producer, told Empire. The rest ...

SpaceX, Rogers Strike Deal for Satellite Phone Service in Canada Published on April 27, 2023 at 12:52AM SpaceX and Rogers Communications struck a deal for satellite phone service in Canada -- a bid to bring emergency service to remote areas of the vast country that can't be reached through conventional wireless networks. From a report: The companies will use SpaceX's Starlink low-earth orbit satellites and begin with text service before adding voice and data coverage later, Rogers said in a statement. It didn't give a launch date for the new service. "In the future, these investments will deliver wireless connectivity, including access to 911, to even the most remote areas," Rogers Chief Executive Officer Tony Staffieri said in a statement. Staffieri was due to speak about the arrangement during his speech at the company's annual meeting on Wednesday. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Amazon Starts Layoffs in HR and Cloud Units Published on April 27, 2023 at 12:11AM Amazon on Wednesday began laying off some employees in its cloud computing and human resources divisions. From a report: Amazon Web Services CEO Adam Selipsky and human resources head Beth Galetti sent notes to staffers in the U.S., Canada and Costa Rica informing them of the job cuts. "It is a tough day across our organization," Selipsky wrote in the memo. The layoffs are part of the previously announced job cuts that are expected to affect 9,000 employees. Last week, Amazon laid off some employees in its advertising unit, and it has let go of staffers in its video games and Twitch livestreaming units in recent weeks. Amazon wrapped up a separate round of cuts earlier this year that affected approximately 18,000 employees. Combined with the cuts this month, it marks the largest layoffs in Amazon's 29-year history. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has been aggressively slashing costs across the comp...

Google's Cloud Business Turns Profitable For the First Time Published on April 26, 2023 at 03:30AM Google's cloud business has turned profitable for the first time in the three years it's been reporting operating metrics. CNBC reports: The segment generated $191 million in operating income on $7.45 billion in revenue in the first quarter, according to Alphabet's earnings statement. In the year-ago quarter, the unit reported a $706 million loss on $5.82 billion in revenue. The cloud business includes the Google Cloud Platform, which rents out cloud infrastructure and services that companies can use to build and run their own applications, as well as Google Workspace productivity software subscriptions. Cloud customers include Deutsche Bank, Major League Baseball, PayPal and UPS. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

EU Names 19 Large Tech Platforms That Must Follow Europe's New Internet Rules Published on April 26, 2023 at 02:50AM An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The European Commission will require 19 large online platforms and search engines to comply with new online content regulations starting on August 25, European officials said. The EC specified which companies must comply with the rules for the first time, announcing today that it "adopted the first designation decisions under the Digital Services Act." Five of the 19 platforms are run by Google, specifically YouTube, Google Search, the Google Play app and digital media store, Google Maps, and Google Shopping. Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram are on the list, as are Amazon's online store, Apple's App Store, Microsoft's Bing search engine, TikTok, Twitter, and Wikipedia. These platforms were designated because they each reported having over 45 million active users in the EU as of February 1...