Sony has kicked off its PlayStation 5 launch event with a first look at Spider-Man: Miles Morales. The video game centres on the star of the firm s recent hit movie - Into the Spider-Verse - and briefly showed off some of the new console s graphics power. Racing game Grand Turismo 7 and an "enhanced" version of Grand Theft Auto 5 have also been announced. The games machine will compete against Microsoft s forthcoming Xbox Series X. Sony s forthcoming console is set to go on sale later this year, seven years after the PS4. In addition to being able to deliver improved visuals, the new machine also has a customised hard drive that will make it possible to radically reduce load times. Sony is building a library of launch titles that will only be available on its next-generation machine. This contrasts with Microsoft s approach, which is to initially release new first-party games on both its current and next-gen consoles. However, the coronavirus pandemic may pose a challenge to both companies. Although they have both said that production is on track for winter 2020 releases, it is unclear what level of demand there will be. "Console gaming has proven to be resilient to economic downturns because it continues to offer good per-hour entertainment value," Piers Harding-Rolls wrote in a research note for Ampere Analysis. "Even so, the recession and growing unemployment in key sales territories will undermine adoption - less so at launch [but] more significantly after mid-2021." Sony streamed a pre-recorded video rather than a hosted live event because of the virus. The video is being broadcast at 1080p resolution, much lower than the PS5 is capable of. The PS4 outsold the Xbox One globally by more than a 2:1 margin, but the gap has been much smaller in the UK. In advance of Thursday night s event, one industry insider said there were two things he was most excited about. "The first is the new controller - the adaptive triggers offer deeper and more meaningful feedback for gameplay," explained Robert Karp, development director at UK developer Codemasters. "The other is the super-fast loading. On PS5, waiting to get into the action is a thing of the past."

Google has removed video app Zynn from its Play Store amid accusations it has been stealing content from other apps. The TikTok-style app offers cash payouts to users who sign up and watch videos, and has became one of the most downloaded apps in the US. But it has sparked a number of complaints from social media influencers who claim their videos are being reposted without permission. Zynn said it had launched a new method for users to report plagiarism. Google takes down app that removes Chinese software Google deletes millions of negative TikTok reviews The popular video platform is funded by Kuaishou, the Chinese rival to TikTok owner ByteDance. Zynn was first made available officially to users at the beginning of May. However, according to Wired, many of the copycat accounts on the platform uploaded their first posts in February. Users earn money on the app by watching videos and inviting friends to sign up. Earnings can then be used to buy gift cards, or transferred via PayPal. Now a number of popular TikTok users, some with millions of followers, have come forward claiming that accounts pretending to be them have begun appearing on Zynn. “I feel that it s honestly sad that they are stealing creators content and impersonating people,” a TikTok influencer told Wired. The app s community guidelines ban users from posting "anything that you do not own or do not have permission from the owner to share". Google has removed the app from its Play Store amid the controversy, although the tech giant has yet to confirm its reason for doing so. The BBC has asked Zynn and Google for comment. A spokesman for Apple said the company is "investigating" the app, which is currently still available on its app store.

IBM is canceling its facial recognition programs and calling for an urgent public debate on whether the technology should be used in law enforcement. In a letter to Congress on Monday, IBM (IBM) CEO Arvind Krishna said the company wants to work with lawmakers to advance justice and racial equity through police reform, educational opportunities and the responsible use of technology."We believe now is the time to begin a national dialogue on whether and how facial recognition technology should be employed by domestic law enforcement agencies," he said, noting that the company no longer offers general purpose facial recognition or analysis software. "IBM firmly opposes and will not condone uses of any technology, including facial recognition technology offered by other vendors, for mass surveillance, racial profiling, violations of basic human rights and freedoms, or any purpose which is not consistent with our values," he added. Krishna is of Indian origin and IBM s first CEO of color. His predecessor, Ginni Rometty, was the company s first female CEO. An IBM spokesperson told CNN Business on Tuesday that the company will now limit its visual technology to "visual object detection," which could, for example, help manage manufacturing plants or assist farmers with crop care.Krishna s letter follows huge anti-racism protests in America and around the world in response to the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed while in police custody. Several American corporations have expressed solidarity with the protesters and the Black Lives Matter movement. But companies have been called on to take more concrete steps to combat racial injustice, such as hiring and promoting more black executives. IBM is a market leader in artificial intelligence. IBM Watson, its AI platform for businesses, is used by companies such as General Motors (GM), KPMG and ESPN Fantasy Football. And its fast talking AI machine, Project Debater, featured in a Cambridge University event last year on the dangers of artificial intelligence. The problem of algorithmic bias in data science has become more pronounced, and there s evidence that AI-powered algorithms display bias against women and black people. Federal researchers found widespread evidence of racial bias in nearly 200 facial recognition algorithms in an extensive US government study last year, highlighting the technology s potential for misuse. "Artificial Intelligence is a powerful tool that can help law enforcement keep citizens safe. But vendors and users of Al systems have a shared responsibility to ensure that Al is tested for bias, particularly when used in law enforcement, and that such bias testing is audited and reported," Krishna said. IBM has previously cautioned against blanket bans on facial recognition technology, advocating instead for "precision regulation" that would ensure it protects human rights. IBM CEO, Arvind Krishna IBM CEO, Arvind Krishna National policy should encourage the use of technology that brings greater transparency and accountability to policing, such as body cameras, Krishna added. He welcomed the Justice in Policing Act, a bill put forward by Democrats Monday aimed at cracking down on police brutality. The proposed legislation includes the creation of a National Police Misconduct Registry, a measure supported by Krishna, who said that Congress should adopt policies that encourage or compel states to review and update their use-of-force policies. Addressing the need to expand educational and economic opportunities for communities of color, Krishna urged Congress to consider increasing the reach of Pell Grants and Pathways in Technology (P-TECH). The P-TECH program, developed by IBM in 2011, enables students to earn both a high school diploma and associate s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) without incurring student debt. It has a focus on students of color in areas of the United States that are poorly served by education.Eligibility for Pell Grants should be expanded, including for incarcerated individuals, beyond traditional four-year degree programs, Krishna said. "Pell Grants are an important pathway for students of color to go to college. But there are virtually no Federal funds available for non-college skills training or job certification programs for in-demand New Collar jobs," he explained. "New Collar" jobs refer to those in fields such as cybersecurity and cloud computing. IBM sees an "urgent demand" for these skills, Krishna said.

Huawei launched a major public relations campaign in the United Kingdom on Monday in a bid to persuade British politicians and the public that it can be trusted to help build the country s 5G network. The Chinese telecom giant said it plans to take out a series of full page advertisements in most of the UK s national newspapers and online for the next three to four weeks in a campaign it s calling "The Commitment." It comes as the United Kingdom undertakes a new security review of the company, just four months after Prime Minister Boris Johnson shrugged off US objections and granted Huawei a limited role in building out the next generation of super-fast interconnected wireless networks. Johnson had announced a 35% cap on Huawei s involvement in Britain s 5G network, but he s under pressure from some lawmakers within his own party to ban the Chinese telecommunications company altogether.The Huawei ad takes the form of an open letter, addressed to the British people, highlighting that the company has been operating in the country for 20 years, but that "some now question our role in helping Britain lead the way in 5G.""We re also playing our part in creating jobs, training the engineers of tomorrow, investing in new technology and supporting universities," the letter says. With the letter, the company is making "its position very clear, in a very public way, at a critical time for the UK," a Huawei spokesperson told CNN Business. "It also allows people to read and take our message at face value, at a time when the debate around Huawei has become littered with unsubstantiated allegations, which are delivered as facts," the spokesperson added. The US Commerce Department said last month it was moving to restrict Huawei s ability to manufacture and obtain semiconductor chips using American-made software and technology. The new UK review is looking into any impact the US restrictions could have on UK networks, a government spokesperson told CNN Business. The Commerce Department move is the Trump administration s latest effort to crack down on the Chinese 5G supplier and smartphone maker, which has come under intense scrutiny from US national security officials. The Trump administration had been pressing the United Kingdom for a total ban on Huawei products, alleging that Beijing could use them for spying. Washington had warned that US-UK intelligence sharing could be put at risk.US Republican Senator Tom Cotton said last week that military cooperation could also be adversely affected if Britain goes ahead with its plan to allow Huawei to build part of the country s 5G network. And asked whether the issue could affect negotiations on a US-UK trade deal, Cotton told BBC radio: "That s possible because 5G technology is so vital — not just to our security, but also our prosperity." Under Chinese law, Chinese companies can be ordered to act under the direction of Beijing. Huawei has consistently denied that it would help the Chinese government to spy, and says it is "100% owned by employees."

An unprecedented fuel spill that has polluted huge stretches of Arctic rivers was caused by melting permafrost, Russian officials said Friday, ordering a review of infrastructure in vulnerable zones. The spill — which has colored remote tundra waterways with bright red patches visible from space — has highlighted the danger of climate change for Russia as areas locked by permafrost for centuries thaw amid warmer temperatures. News of the cause of the accident came amid a huge cleanup effort outside the Arctic city of Norilsk which President Vladimir Putin said should be bankrolled by metals giant Norilsk Nickel. A national-level state of emergency was announced after 21,000 tonnes of diesel fuel spilled from a reservoir that collapsed last Friday. Norilsk Nickel owns the reservoir through a subsidiary. Three criminal probes have been launched, and Russia’s prosecutor general’s office said in a statement that preliminary findings indicate sagging ground as the reason for the disaster. “To prevent a similar situation on especially hazardous structures on territories prone to melting of permafrost,” the prosecutor general has “ordered a comprehensive review of such objects,” it said. Norilsk, one of the country’s biggest industrial centers, lies above the Arctic circle and Norilsk Nickel had already said it suspects permafrost thawing. Other factors may be at play too: the country’s technical safety watchdog told TASS news agency that since 2016, it has been unable to check the condition of the 35-year-old reservoir, because the company said it was under repairs. The metals giant tried to contain the damage on its own for two days before specialists were called in from companies and agencies across Russia and managed to stop the spill from spreading further. Speaking with officials at the site by video call, Putin told Norilsk Nickel chief Vladimir Potanin he expected the company to pay for a comprehensive cleanup. “It’s necessary to carry out all the compensatory measures to restore biodiversity and the environment,” he said. Potanin estimated that the operations would cost about 10 billion rubles ($146 million), on top of any fines. “We will spend whatever is needed,” said Potanin. “We will return the ecosystem back to normal.” Russia’s environmental watchdog Svetlana Radionova said the damage was being calculated, and called the accident “unprecedented in scope”. – Worst spill in Arctic history – A vast Arctic state, Russia is warming 2.5 times faster than the world average. Sixty-five percent of the country is covered by permafrost and the environment ministry warned in 2018 that the melt threatens pipes and structures, as well as buried toxic waste, which can seep into waterways. Northern regions have also rung the alarm, with the eastern Arctic Yakutia area for years lobbying Moscow to pass legislation protecting permafrost. Environmentalists said the spill was the worst such accident ever in the Arctic region and the second worst in modern Russian history. The Ambarnaya River, which is affected by the spill, feeds into Lake Pyasino, a major body of water and the source of the Pyasina River that is vitally important to the entire Taimyr peninsula. Satellite images released by the European Space Agency and Russia’s Roscosmos show a large spot of reddish fuel had travelled over 20 kilometres (12 miles) toward the lake from the spill site. Russia’s fisheries agency and some environmentalists have said that the floating barriers erected on the river by responders are unable to stop the majority of the pollution, which can quickly dissolve or sink. The spill also polluted 180,000 square meters of land before reaching the river, regional prosecutors said. The area has been pummelled by decades of pollution from metals production and other industrial activity in Norilsk, Russia’s most polluted city. World Wildlife Fund expert Alexei Knizhnikov said local residents have long since stopped fishing in the river. He added that despite damage to permafrost, the disaster could have been avoided if the company followed the rules, such as erecting a barrier around its fuel reservoir to contain spillage.

After George Floyd s death at the hand of Minneapolis police, thousands took to the streets to protest, or opened their wallets to donate to help support the Black Lives Matter movement. But not everyone who wants to donate can afford to, and not everyone who wants to protest can leave their jobs to demonstrate. Zoe Amira, a 20-year-old YouTube creator, wanted to make it easier for those people to contribute to the cause simply by streaming a video. Her video, to be exact. Titled "how to financially help BLM with NO MONEY/leaving your house (Invest in the future for FREE)," the hourlong video opens with text that reads: "Hello and thank you for clicking this video project. This video and the series that will soon follow are to serve as a fundraiser." It goes on to note that 100% of the ad revenue will be donated to a list of organizations, including BlackLivesMatter.com, the ACLU, the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund, the Minnesota Freedom Fund, George Floyd s Family Gofundme and a handful of other nonprofits. The rest of the video features art made by black creators. Amira, who lives in the Chicago area, calls this form of activism "ad-tivism." Whatever it may be deemed, it s seemingly caught on: The video s amassed over 5 million views, and counting, so far. "I think it s opening the door for people-powered fundraising, and that s what s really exciting about it," Amira, who has about 56,000 subscribers to her channel, told CNN."It s a low barrier to entry -- you don t need much to support something you believe in." How ad-tivism works The idea came to Amira after she noticed many people posting about matching each other s donations on social media. She said she and her friends, who are younger, felt frustrated they couldn t partake in these donation trains. She also said she has chosen not to participate in protests in person, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. "I saw a lot of people especially young people that didn t have means to match even smaller donations," she said. While she has a smaller following on YouTube, she remembered that with even her videos -- which are mostly beauty-related -- had made $12 in ad revenue. "It made me think if Google could owe me $12 for some stupid videos about makeup and other things like that, then they could probably make a good deal more money for something more important," she said. YouTubers have traditionally relied on ads as a means for revenue. Through Google s AdSense program, creators are able to place ads in their videos, the views which Google tracks in real time. Viewers must disable any browser ad blockers and not skip the ads in the video to guarantee that the creator receives any compensation. Amira s unsure how much money the 2 million plus views translates to, as Google has not yet given her a revenue update. One more prominent YouTuber, whom she didn t name, estimated that one million views could translate to anywhere between $10,000 to $50,000. Some people questioned Amira s intentions. "I hope you re legit," one user tweeted at Amira, asking her to "show the receipts from the YouTube creator app/donations." The creator responded by sharing a screenshot of the video analytics to Twitter. The first count of estimated revenue is $473.44, according to Amira s tweet. RELATED: Why posting a black image with the Black Lives Matter hashtag could be doing more harm than good According to YouTube, the platform does not have a mechanism that enables creators to directly donate their AdSense proceeds from a specific video or channel to a charity. However, creators can of course decide to donate their proceeds on their own. The platform also has some features -- such as a donate button -- for creators who want to directly raise funds for eligible non-profits. Starting this week, YouTube said its Spotlight channel will provide an entry point to racial justice issues, including the latest insights from the black community on YouTube, alongside historical content and other educational videos. Google, YouTube s parent company, is also honoring Floyd. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, said in a statement that Google would hold an eight minute and 46 second moment of silence on Wednesday "to honor the memories of Black lives lost." The company is giving $12 million in funding to organizations working to address racial inequities, Pichai said. That s on top of the $2.5 million in employee donations that the company is matching. A growing trend Other creators have followed Amira s lead -- there are now several playlists on YouTube, ranging from six to 51 videos, gathering videos from creators who also say the money from their ads will go to various organizations. CNN was unable to independently confirm with each of the creators whether they have contributed to the organizations they have pledged to donate to. Carmie Sellitto, a 21-year-old from London, goes by touchdalight on YouTube and has 649,000 subscribers. He decided to donate the ad revenue from his last video to BlackLivesMatter.com, he told CNN. "Seeing everything that s happening in America right now, honestly it s so upsetting." Sellitto wasn t aware of Amira s video when he decided to fundraise on his account, he said. "I just did it like purely because I didn t feel comfortable just posting like my typical content and not raising awareness for this. So I thought I would just do a good thing. And then, obviously, I saw other creators doing it and it was just a sick thing to see." He earns an average of $400 to $500 per video, and he estimates his total views per video to be around 200,000. His latest video that will serve as a fundraiser for the Black Lives Matter cause, posted on Monday, has already hit over 175,000 views on the platform in just two days. "Hopefully, I can raise a lot of money," Sellitto told CNN. Amira, who is currently on a break from her university studies, said she has received a lot of positive feedback, including from some nonprofits she plans to donate to. "I m very glad to be able to have done something," she said, "especially because I felt not being in school, that I wasn t helping or contributing in any real way. It s about what s being done, not about me and a YouTube video." Demonetization and fundraising on YouTube YouTubers have tried this before. In October 2017, Casey Neistat -- who has over 12 million subscribers on his channel -- attempted to do the same thing to help victims in the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting. He later said in a tweet that the video had been demonetized, however. "Literally a video about charity," he tweeted, "where I state all Adsense is going to that charity. YouTube says NOT SUITABLE FOR ADVERTISERS." The video platform responded to his tweet, saying, "We what you re doing to help, but no matter the intent, our policy is to not run ads on videos about tragedies." Amira s video does not explicitly mention tragedy, and she does not appear in it discussing George Floyd s death. Instead, the video features various black artists -- including musicians -- and their work. RELATED: YouTubers bought thousands of toilet paper rolls a few months ago. They just gave them all away for free Other creators joining in the effort are also publishing videos that are in line with their usual style of content. Sellitto said he is not concerned about demonetization on his video. "Even if that was the case, I would just upload another video and then just get the AdSense from that again. Raising as much money as possible is obviously the best thing to do," he told CNN. According to YouTube, the videos they have seen so far have not been in violation of any of their policies that would result in demonetization, and they are in compliance with the platform s sensitive events policy. Using content from other YouTubers and artists in compilations, however, may expose creators to a potential risk of copyright claims, according to YouTube. Of course, the success of such ad-tivism -- like all fundraising efforts -- rests with the follow through of the donors, and in this case, with the viewers doing their part.

Google has removed an app that millions of Indians had downloaded hoping that it would help them boycott Chinese software. "Remove China Apps" was not available on the Google Play Store on Wednesday, a little over two weeks after it launched with the assurance that it could help Indians identify apps made by Chinese developers. Anti-Chinese sentiment has been rising in India in recent weeks as the two countries feud over a border dispute.One Touch App Labs, the developer of the app, billed it as a tool to help support "a self-reliant India" by identifying the origin of applications installed on mobile phones. The company could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Google (GOOGL) declined to comment on Wednesday about how it became aware that the app violated the Play Store s policies, which forbid products that "encourage or incentivize" people to delete or disable other apps.Remove China Apps was downloaded more than 4 million times before it was taken down, according to analytics company Sensor Tower. In India, nearly 160,000 users gave the app a 5-star rating on the Play Store before it was taken down. But it was not entirely successful in detecting apps from Chinese developers, according to some users. On Tuesday, user Sridhar Toopurani wrote in a review of the app that "while the concept is good ... it did not detect MI Video, Helo etc." Mi Video is a streaming app from Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, and Helo is social media platform developed by ByteDance, the Beijing-based startup behind TikTok. Other users said the app also failed to detect PUBG, a popular smartphone game from Tencent (TCEHY). The app did identify TikTok as a Chinese app, according to several reviews. India is one of TikTok s biggest markets, though it has run into some issues in the country. The app was temporarily banned in India last year, after a court ruled that TikTok could expose children to sexual predators, pornographic content and cyberbullying. TikTok appealed the decision, saying it had cracked down on inappropriate content, and the court reversed its ruling. At the time, Bytedance reportedly told the country s top court that it was losing $500,000 in revenue each day that TikTok was blocked.Remove China Apps was launched last month just days after a cross-border skirmish between Chinese and Indian forces resulted in minor injuries to troops. The incident, at a remote, mountainous crossing close to Tibet, was the latest in a long line of border flare-ups between the neighboring powers, and has fueled a fresh round of anti-China sentiment in India. Sonam Wangchuk, an education reformer who was also the inspiration for a popular movie character in India, asked fellow Indians to boycott all things Chinese in response to the border standoff. He shared a video on YouTube last week, urging Indian citizens to stop buying Chinese goods, to "use your wallet power ... and stop virtually financing the current military bullying." The video has been viewed more than 3.7 million times. Actor Arshad Warsi addressed his 2.2 million followers on Twitter, saying he is "consciously going to stop using everything that is Chinese.""As they are a part of most of the things we use, it will take time but I know, one day I ll be Chinese free. You should try it too," he added. The Remove China App caught the attention of Chinese state-run tabloid The Global Times. The Indian software is "likely to draw punishment from China," the tabloid wrote, adding that it "has drawn ridicule from Chinese netizens, who suggest Indians could throw away their Chinese-branded smartphones." Tensions between the two countries are escalating, but they also have a longstanding business relationship. In the first three months of this year, Chinese smartphone makers Xiaomi and Vivo were the top sellers in India, accounting for more than half the market, according to research firm Canalys. Samsung was third, and two other Chinese brands — Realme and Oppo — rounded out the top five. India has said it would allow Huawei to participate in some 5G trials, while other countries have been much more hesitant to to use the Chinese tech company s products. Chinese investors have also poured a lot of money into some of India s buzziest tech startups. Digital payments company Paytm is backed by Alibaba (BABA), food delivery platform Swiggy counts Tencent (TCEHY) among its investors, and car hailing platform Ola is backed by DiDi Chuxing.

Before a pandemic forced millions around the world into lockdown, the phrase "video conferencing" generally conjured up an image of stuffy corporate meetings with people unable to physically be in the boardroom. But the coronavirus, in a matter of weeks, turned a work tool into the backbone of our social lives. And as millions of people participate in virtual birthday parties, religious events, school and college classes, the tech industry is racing to win over a new and rapidly growing user base — even though it s unclear how long people will need or want to live out so much of their lives on camera. "We may have accelerated five to seven years worth of adoption behavior," said Wayne Kurtzman, research director for social and collaboration at IDC. "Everyone was forced to do a seven-year plan in two weeks." Zoom (ZM) has been an early frontrunner, reaching hundreds of millions of daily meeting participants and becoming the go-to service for people trying to stay connected during quarantine. The company will report earnings for the three months ending April 30 on Tuesday, where it is expected to give the first official indication of just how large its surge in usage has been during the pandemic -- and offer perhaps the clearest glimpse yet at the overnight potential for the market. It s also Zoom s first earnings report since freezing new feature rollouts to shore up its security and privacy after a series of controversies. More established rivals such as Cisco (CSCO) s Webex and Microsoft (MSFT) Teams have also seen a spike in growth, and Google (GOOGL) and Facebook (FB) are rejiggering their video offerings to meet the moment, with new services that mimic some of Zoom s most popular features. It s become the tech industry s next big battleground, and one where it isn t that lonely at the top. "I see room for multiple vendors at the top of the conferencing space," said Kurtzman. "They will each serve very real purposes in the market, but the winners will be whoever can be the easiest to use, the easiest to get value with, and the easiest to integrate to other applications needed in and outside the workplace." The prize appears to only be getting bigger. The video conferencing market was worth $14 billion in 2019 and is projected to grow to $50 billion by 2026, according to a report earlier this month from research firm Global Market Insights. "The video conferencing market is expected to witness high growth during the coronavirus outbreak," the report said. Google has not revealed how many businesses currently use Google Meet, but its G Suite, which includes the video conferencing service, is used by 6 million businesses around the world. The company made several of Meet s premium features free to use through the end of September. Facebook is touting its new video conferencing service, Messenger Rooms, as more of a consumer tool, but Kurtzman says it could also "be effectively used by small businesses who can t afford a stronger solution." The company also expanded video calling on its mobile messaging service, WhatsApp, touting the service s end-to-end encryption in an apparent swipe at Zoom s troubles on that front. Zoom carved out its place in a crowded market using a "freemium" model — with no fee for meetings up to 40 minutes and 100 participants — betting that users would convert to subscriptions thanks to its superior user experience. While that strategy has worked well so far, the free offerings from Google and Facebook could potentially siphon off some of the non-business user base. Several companies — including Facebook and Twitter (TWTR) — have suggested that remote working could become the permanent norm for many of their employees. But there are still question marks over whether the sudden video boom will outlast the pandemic, as countries and states gradually begin to emerge from lockdown. Many workers will likely either have to go back to offices or will choose to do so rather than living their entire lives on video, meaning demand for these services could drop. "Video is going to be used more, but it will also be overused more. The trade-offs of being always-on and connected apply just as much or more to video," said Adam Preset, senior analyst for digital workplace at research firm Gartner. "For some, a long day of video meetings at work is going to make video happy hour with friends much less enticing." And as Zoom has learned the hard way, having a product seen as versatile and easy to use may not be enough to keep users happy. A host of security issues emerged in early March, including controversies over the level of encryption it provides and the practice of "Zoombombing" — where trolls interrupt meetings to share profanity or pornography — prompting scrutiny from US authorities and temporary bans from schools in New York City and Singapore. Zoom responded by scrambling to make fixes, suspending all new features for a period of 90 days in order to focus on privacy and security measures. That 90-day period is set to conclude at the end of next month. "All video vendors ultimately have security issues they need to resolve," said Preset. "Short term fixes without the right motivation can be just damage control. There s really no rest if a vendor wants to retain its customer s trust and preserve its own reputation." While Zoom appears to be holding steady so far, Preset says the effects of new rivals with deep pockets may take a while to play out. "One signal will be your next colleague, friend or family member who invites you to meet in something other than Zoom," he said. But the uncertainty of how long the pandemic and lockdowns will last, and whether the video boom can outlast them, might give some companies pause before going all-in. "In enterprise, the video battle has been raging for some time between a few of the most well-known technology companies," said Preset. "Now what we re seeing is a spillover as video calls become more necessary and more prominent for consumers. It s risky to join this fray right now."

(Reuters) – Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.N) said on Monday it had started an early-stage trial to test its potential treatment for COVID-19, in the world’s first study of an antibody treatment against the disease. Lilly is one of the several drugmakers and research institutions that are working on vaccines, antivirals and other treatments to help those infected with the fast-spreading novel coronavirus, which has already killed over 370,000 worldwide. An antiviral drug from Gilead Sciences (GILD.O) called remdesivir has shown some promise against COVID-19 and is being given to patients by some countries under compassionate or emergency use rule. Lilly said its early stage study will assess safety and tolerability in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and results are anticipated by the end of June. The experimental treatment, LY-CoV555, has been developed through collaboration with privately held AbCellera Biologics, which Lilly partnered with in March. Lilly’s treatment is an antibody directed against the spike-shaped protein structures of the virus and is designed to block it from locking on to human cells, thus neutralizing the virus. The drugmaker said the antibody treatment was developed after it was identified from a blood sample taken from one of the first US patients who recovered from the lung illness caused by the new coronavirus. Lilly said it expects to move into the next phase of testing, studying the potential treatment in non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients, if the drug is shown to be safe. Rival Regeneron Pharmacuticals Inc (REGN.O) has said it plans to start clinical studies in June to test its antibody cocktail treatment for the new coronavirus and is aiming to have hundreds of thousands of preventative doses available by the end of August. Lilly’s shares were up 2.5 percent at $156.75 before the bell.

Egypt on Saturday signed an initiative from the World Health Organization (WHO) to launch an international coalition to share medical supplies and research against the coronavirus outbreak. The WHO has called for the joint ownership of vaccines, medicines and diagnostic tools to eradicate the pandemic, bypassing any patent laws that typically serve as an obstacle to sharing them. Egypt signed the initiative with 36 countries including Lebanon, Oman, Sudan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Mozambique, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Saint Vincent, Grenadine, South Africa, the Netherlands, East Timor and Uruguay. The Doctors Without Borders Organization praised the initiative, which includes various developing countries. The initiative aims to provide small and developing countries with vaccines that would otherwise be funneled towards richer countries once a drug is successfully produced. “Vaccines, tests, diagnostic tools and other major tools should be made available globally as global public goods,” said Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado. The WHO issued a “Solidarity Call to Action“, asking other stakeholders to join the initiative, as the WHO s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the “WHO realizes the important role that patents play in advancing innovations, but this is a time when people should take priority.” A coalition of pharmaceutical companies also inquired about expanding methods to manufacture coronavirus drugs through intellectual property sharing efforts. Experts predict that a safe and effective vaccine may take 12 to 18 months from the start of development.

Trading Standards officers are seeking to halt sales of a device that has been claimed to offer protection against the supposed dangers of 5G via use of quantum technology. Cyber-security experts say the £339 5GBioShield appears to no more than a basic USB drive. "We consider it to be a scam," Stephen Knight, operations director for London Trading Standards told the BBC. His said his team is working with City of London Police s Action Fraud squad. They are seeking a court order to take down the company s website. "People who are vulnerable need protection from this kind of unscrupulous trading," he added. The intervention follows an examination of the device, which was first reported by the BBC. The vendor - BioShield Distribution - had previously said the device was backed by "research", but has not responded to the latest development. Holographic nano-layer catalyser The rollout of the new 5G mobile networks began in the UK only last summer and has not yet reached outside urban areas. Yet across the country there is already a cottage industry offering protection against the supposed negative health effects, even though they have been dismissed by regulators and mainstream scientists. The 5GBioShield was recommended by a member of Glastonbury Town Council s 5G Advisory Committee, which has called for an inquiry into 5G. One of nine external members, Toby Hall, said: "We use this device and find it helpful," and provided a link to its website, which describes it as a USB key that "provides protection for your home and family, thanks to the wearable holographic nano-layer catalyser, which can be worn or placed near to a smartphone or any other electrical, radiation or EMF [electromagnetic field] emitting device". "Through a process of quantum oscillation, the 5GBioShield USB key balances and re-harmonises the disturbing frequencies arising from the electric fog induced by devices, such as laptops, cordless phones, wi-fi, tablets, et cetera," it adds. Each of these USB keys costs £339.60 including VAT, though there is a special offer of three for £958.80. But, at first sight, it seems to be just that - a USB key, with just 128MB of storage. "So what s different between it and a virtually identical crystal USB key available from various suppliers in Shenzhen, China, for around £5 per key?" asks Ken Munro, whose company, Pen Test Partners, specialises in taking apart consumer electronic products to spot security vulnerabilities. And the answer appears to be a circular sticker. "Now, we re not 5G quantum experts but said sticker looks remarkably like one available in sheets from stationery suppliers for less than a penny each," he says. Time dilation Mr Munro and his colleague Phil Eveleigh proceeded to dismantle the USB key to find out if there were any whizz-bang electronics inside. But all they found was an LED light on the circuit board, similar to those on any other USB key. Their conclusion was that trading standards bodies should carry out their own investigations. A search in Companies House shows the two directors of BioShield Distribution are Anna Grochowalska and Valerio Laghezza. Both of them appear to have been involved previously in a business called Immortalis, which sells a dietary supplement called Klotho Formula. Its website - rather similar in design to that of the BioShield - says Klotho Formula uses a "proprietary procedure that leads to relativistic time dilation and biological quantum entanglement at the DNA level". Sensitive information Ms Grochowalska told BBC News her company was the sole global distributor of the 5GBioShield - but it did not manufacture or own the product. "We are in possession of a great deal of technical information, with plenty of back-up historical research," she said. "As you can understand, we are not authorised to fully disclose all this sensitive information to third parties, for obvious reasons." And she rejected the suggestion selling a £5 product for more than £300 was unreasonable. "In regard to the costs analysis your research has produced, I believe that the lack of in-depth information will not drive you to the exact computation of our expenses and production costs, including the cost of IP [intellectual property rights], and so on," she said. "It is therefore hard to take your evaluation seriously, since you have evidently not researched the background facts in any meaningful way." More dreams Mr Hall said his remarks in Glastonbury Town Council s 5G Advisory Committee report should not be seen as a recommendation to buy the product. But he had no regrets about buying it and since plugging it in had felt beneficial effects, including being able to sleep through the night and having more dreams. "I also felt a calmer feel to the home," he told BBC News. And he had thought the company might be able to develop a system that could offer protection to the whole town of Glastonbury against the effects of radiation from electromagnetic fields. It s worth noting though that the regulator Ofcom has published the results of EMF measurements at 16 sites, which were taken following the launch of 5G. It said that in each case, emissions were "a small fraction" of the levels deemed safe under international guidelines.

Drone firm Zipline has been given the go-ahead to deliver medical supplies and personal protective equipment to hospitals in North Carolina. The firm will be allowed to use drones on two specified routes after the Federal Aviation Administration granted it an emergency waiver. It is the first time the FAA has allowed beyond-line-of-sight drone deliveries in the US. Experts say the pandemic could help ease some drone-flight regulations. Zipline, which has been negotiating with the FAA, wants to expand to other hospitals and eventually offer deliveries to people s homes. It has been granted a waiver for two routes involving round trips of up to 30 miles (48km). The drones will launch from a nearby fulfilment centre and drop off a box of medical products by parachute at a designated spots. The drones can carry up to almost 4lb (1.8kg) of cargo and can fly at up to 80mph, even in rain or wind. "The Covid-19 pandemic has tasked us with being even more nimble and innovative in how to solve complex challenges," said Angela Yochem, chief digital officer of Novant Health, which is the partner for the service. "Fast-tracking our medical drone transport capability is just one example of how we re pioneering in the health care industry, which is known for being resistant to change," Zipline has struggled to find a commercial foothold in the US market, but chief executive Keller Rinaudo said he hoped the North Carolina example could "provide the rest of the country with a blueprint" for future healthcare deliveries. The pandemic has prompted a handful of new drone deliveries. The Windracers Ultra fixed-wing drone has been delivering PPE from Hampshire to the Isle of Wight - a 10-minute journey - and in Ireland, Manna Aero is working with the health authority to deliver prescriptions and other essential supplies to a small rural town. Robotics expert Prof Noel Sharkey believes the pandemic could make drone deliveries more common. "In a global pandemic everything changes," he said. "Rules and laws need to be manipulated and restrictions lifted to enable the use of all possible technological advantages to save large numbers of lives. "The problem of course is how to wind back the clock on tech once we are out of the Covid-19 crisis."

The team developing Switzerland s coronavirus contact-tracing app says it has become the first to have launched a product incorporating a technology provided by Apple and Google. Members of the Swiss army, hospital workers and civil servants can now install the SwissCovid app ahead of a planned wider rollout. A Latvian coalition says it is running close behind. But the US tech firms face criticism for their prescriptive approach. Automated contact tracing involves using smartphones to detect when two people are close to each other for long enough that there is a significant risk of contagion, so that one can be warned if the other is later diagnosed with having the disease. To make use of their API (application programming interface) - a software tool that gives special access to some features of their iOS and Android mobile operating systems - the two companies have forbidden participants from gathering users location data, among other restrictions. That means that apps that pursue a rival "centralised" model will continue to face circumstances when iPhones fail to carry out the required Bluetooth-based "handshakes". "The use of digital technologies must be designed in such a way that we, as democratically elected governments, evaluate it and judge it acceptable to our citizens and in accordance with our European values," wrote digital affairs ministers from the German, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese governments in a joint letter published in the press. "We believe that challenging this right by imposing technical standards represents a misstep and a missed opportunity for open collaboration between governments and the private sector." The BBC has asked Apple and Google for their response. The Swiss team, however, has welcomed the two firms involvement. "Bluetooth was not developed for this kind of large-scale distance measurement," said Prof Srdjan Capkun from the ETH institute. "Making sure that we can use it in this way requires a lot of engineering skill and collaboration, including collaboration with Apple and Google." App stores Apple and Google said last week that 22 countries, as well as some US states, had requested access to its API. Some, like the UK, are testing it as a back-up to their own independent projects, while others are rushing to release apps based on it as soon as possible. In Switzerland s case, MPs must first debate and approve the scheme before it is offered to the general public. The government hopes this can be done by mid-June. Advocates have highlighted an opinion poll that suggests 70% of Swiss residents support the initiative. By contrast, the Latvian team - which has also incorporated the API - is able to proceed without a parliamentary vote, and hopes to offer its Apturi Covid app to the public as soon as Thursday. A spokeswoman told the BBC that Apple had already approved the software to appear on its App Store, but the developers were still waiting for permission to list it on the Google Play marketplace. "Of course we would be very happy to be the first [national launch], but the most important thing is to help our inhabitants fights the virus," she added. In other developments: health officials in the Chinese city of Hangzhou have said they are considering making locals use of a contact-tracing app a permanent fixture beyond the current pandemic fewer Australians are using a local contact-tracing app than officials had hoped, reports the Guardian. It says the government is still considering whether to switch to the Apple-Google system Israeli MPs have been told that smartphone surveillance tech used by the country s security agency Shin Bet helped identify more than 4,000 cases of Covid-19, according to the Ctech news site. However, the report says mistakes and malfunctions also occurred, which a panel of politicians will need to take into account as it weighs up whether to extend the controversial programme

The World Health Organization (WHO) launched two mobile apps on May 13 concerning the coronavirus; the WHO Academy app geared towards helping medical staff combat the disease, and the WHO Info app designed to inform the general public. The WHO Academy app provides medical workers with the knowledge they need to tackle the pandemic with tools, training tips and virtual workshops provided by the WHO to help medical workers protect themselves and their patients. The app was designed off the requested needs of 20,000 health workers worldwide through a WHO Academy survey conducted in March. Two-thirds of the participants expressed their need to be better prepared, particularly regarding infection prevention and control, case management, and risk communication. The WHO info app will provide laymen with real-time information regarding developments in the crisis, organized by country and timelines according to the official website. Both apps are readily available for free in different languages on the Apple and Google Play stores. The WHO earlier this year launched an official Android, iOS and online app called “WHO COVID-19” to keep people informed during the coronavirus pandemic and to combat misinformation, tech blog 9to5Google reported. The new app, which contains news, tips and alerts, was originally proposed by a team of volunteer experts calling themselves the “WHO COVID App Collective.” The team consists of former Google and Microsoft employees, as well as WHO advisors and ambassadors, and other industry experts. The WHO app is open source, and primarily consists of the same COVID-19-related advice found in the organization’s recently released WhatsApp chatbot.

In the beginning, everyone was skeptical. But Elon Musk’s SpaceX defied expectations — and on Wednesday hopes to make history by ferrying two NASA astronauts into space, the first crewed flight from US soil in nine long years. US President Donald Trump will be among the spectators at Kennedy Space Center in Florida to witness the launch, which has been given the green light despite months of shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic. The general public, in a nod to virus restrictions, has been told to watch via a livestream as Crew Dragon is launched by a Falcon 9 rocket toward the International Space Station. NASA’s Commercial Crew program, aimed at developing private spacecraft to transport American astronauts in to space, began under Barack Obama. But his successor sees it as a symbol of his strategy to reassert American domination of space, both military — with his creation of the Space Force — and civilian. He has ordered NASA to return to the moon in 2024, an unlikely timetable but one that has given the storied space agency a boost. In the 22 years since the first components of the ISS were launched, only spacecraft developed by NASA and by the Russian space agency have carried crews there. NASA used the illustrious shuttle program — huge, extremely complex, winged ships that carried dozens of astronauts into space for three decades. But their staggering cost — $200 billion for 135 flights — and two fatal accidents finally put an end to the program. The last shuttle, Atlantis, landed on July 21, 2011. After, NASA astronauts learned Russian and travelled to the ISS in the Russian Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan, in a partnership which survived political tensions between Washington and Moscow. But it was only ever meant to be a temporary arrangement. NASA had entrusted two private companies — aviation giant Boeing and upstart SpaceX — with the task of designing and building capsules that would replace the shuttles. Nine years later, SpaceX — founded by Musk, the outspoken South African entrepreneur who also built PayPal and Tesla, in 2002 — is ready to launch. – ‘Success story’ – At 4:33 pm (2033 GMT) on Wednesday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to take off from Launch Pad 39A with the Crew Dragon capsule at its top. NASA has awarded SpaceX more than three billion dollars in contracts since 2011 to build the spacecraft. The capsule will be crewed by Robert Behnken, 49, and Douglas Hurley, 53, both veteran space travelers — Hurley piloted Atlantis on its last trip. Nineteen hours later they will dock at the ISS, where two Russians and an American are waiting for them. The weather forecast remains unfavorable, with a 60 percent chance of bad conditions, according to Cape Canaveral forecasters. The next launch window is Saturday, May 30. The launch has taken five years longer than planned to come about, but even with the delays SpaceX has beaten Boeing to the punch. Boeing’s test flight of its Starliner failed due to serious software issues, and will have to be redone. “It’s been a real success story,” Scott Hubbard, former director of NASA’s Ames Center in Silicon Valley who now teaches at Stanford, told AFP. “There was huge skepticism,” Hubbard, who met Musk before the creation of SpaceX and also chairs a SpaceX safety advisory panel, recalled. “Senior people at the legacy companies, Lockheed, Boeing, would tell me at a conference that these SpaceX guys don’t know what they don’t know,” he told AFP. SpaceX finally came out on top with its cheaper Falcon 9 rocket, the first stage of which comes back to land vertically on a barge in the Atlantic. Since 2012, SpaceX has been resupplying the ISS for NASA, thanks to the cargo version of the Dragon capsule. The manned mission, called Demo-2, is crucial for Washington in two ways. The first is to break NASA’s dependence on the Russians. But the second is to catalyze a private “low Earth orbit” market open to tourists and businesses. “We envision a day in the future where we have a dozen space stations in low Earth orbit. All operated by commercial industry,” said NASA boss Jim Bridenstine. Musk is aiming higher: he is building a huge rocket, Starship, to circumnavigate the Moon — or even to travel to Mars and ultimately make humanity a “multi-planet species”. Image: SPACEX/AFP/File / – The Crew Dragon spacecraft and the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket are pictured at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 21, 2020

Doctors in Japan have successfully transplanted liver cells derived from embryonic stem cells into a newborn baby, in a world first that could provide new treatment options for infants. The newborn was suffering from urea cycle disorder, where the liver is not capable of breaking down toxic ammonia. But the six-day-old was too small to undergo a liver transplant, generally not considered safe until a child weighs around six kilogrammes (13 pounds) at around three to five months old. Doctors at the National Center for Child Health and Development decided to try a “bridge treatment” until the baby was big enough, injecting 190 million liver cells derived from embryonic stem cells (ES cells) into the blood vessels of the baby s liver. Following the treatment, “the patient did not see an increase in blood ammonia concentration and was able to successfully complete the next treatment”, namely a liver transplant, the institute said in a press release. The baby, whose sex has not been disclosed, received a liver transplant from its father and was discharged from the hospital six months after birth. “The success of this trial demonstrates safety in the world s first clinical trial using human ES cells for patients with liver disease,” the institute said. It noted that in Europe and the United States, liver cells are often available after being removed from brain-dead donors, but the supply in Japan is more limited. That has created difficulties in managing the health of small children as they wait to grow big enough for liver transplants. ES cells are harvested from fertilized eggs and using them in research has raised ethical issues because embryos are destroyed subsequently. The national institute is one of two organizations in Japan allowed to establish ES cells to study new medical treatments. It works with fertilized eggs whose use has been approved by both donors having already completed fertility treatment, according to the institute.

Apple and Google have released a software tool that will make it possible for nations to release coronavirus contact-tracing apps that adopt the firms privacy-centric model. It offers developers access to added Bluetooth functionality to solve a problem existing apps have of iPhones sometimes failing to detect each other. Android and iOS device owners will have to carry out system upgrades. But some countries - including the UK - are pursuing a different approach. "The release of these APIs [application programming interfaces] along with the operating-system updates will be a watershed moment for the development and adoption of proximity-tracing apps," said Marcel Salathé, an epidemiologist at the Swiss research institute EPFL. He added that apps that adopted the protocol should be able to be made "interoperable" - meaning that citizens can continue to be contact-traced as they cross from one region and/or country to another. That could potentially help reduce travel restrictions imposed because of the virus - at least for those using the apps involved. Apple and Google said public health agencies from 22 countries had already asked to test the system. The app was not "a silver bullet" - but "user adoption is key to success and we believe that these strong privacy protections are also the best way to encourage use". On-device matching Contact-tracing apps are designed to automatically log when two people come into proximity to each other for a significant amount of time. If one is later diagnosed with the coronavirus, the other can be given an alert, which might suggest they self-isolate and/or request a medical test of their own. But the authorities believe adoption has been hampered by two factors: concerns the technology poses a privacy risk restrictions Apple places on third-party apps use of Bluetooth in the background In theory, the new system should address both these issues. Its "decentralised" approach locates contact-matching on devices themselves rather than a centrally controlled computer server. And this aims to cut the risk of either hackers or the authorities using the database of who met whom and for how long for other purposes. But the UK s NHS and its counterparts in France, Norway and India say the centralised approach gives them greater insight, making it easier to tweak the risk model that decides who receives which type of alert. Apps that adopt Apple and Google s API can customise it within certain limits. But they will not be able to log, for example, a phone s global positioning system (GPS) coordinates. "Not collecting some kinds of data, such as location, is a policy decision, not an engineering one," technology consultant Benedict Evans said. "But Apple-Google have to build something for every phone on Earth, [potentially] including China and Iran, and think about how it could be abused. "How much you need the extra data and whether it s worth the privacy risks is a matter of opinion." RISK AT WORK: How exposed is your job? SCHOOLS: When will children be returning? EXERCISE: What are the guidelines on getting out? THE R NUMBER: What it means and why it matters LOOK-UP TOOL: How many cases in your area? GLOBAL SPREAD: Tracking the pandemic RECOVERY: How long does it take to get better? A SIMPLE GUIDE: What are the symptoms? Austria was the first country to roll out a decentralised contact-tracing app. Stopp Corona, operated by the Red Cross, has been downloaded more than 600,000 times. And its developers, Accenture, now intend to build in Apple and Google s API for a 10 June update so iPhone-users no longer have to bring the app on-screen for it to work effectively. But Stopp Corona currently gives users the option of manually controlling when matches occur - by pressing an on-screen button to trigger a Bluetooth "handshake" . And this is not currently possible within the Apple-Google model. So the developers plan to switch to using ultrasonic audio pings in this situation. Apple and Google s API is also currently incompatible with the way Stopp Corona triggers different types of notification. The app first serves a yellow alert if a contact self-diagnoses as having the virus and then follows up with a red or green alert depending on whether a medical test confirms it. Security flaws found in NHS contact-tracing app Isle of Wight contact-tracing app trial - a mixed verdict so far World split between two types of app And the developers are working with Apple and Google to try to retain this functionality. "There s really good collaboration on both sides," Christian Winhelhofer, the Accenture executive involved, told BBC News. "They re really interested in working on solutions that fit our needs." Couple hugging Germany s forthcoming Corona-Warn-App is also set to adopt the Apple-Google protocol. But its developers have complained handsets not in use are limited to listening out for a Bluetooth signal only once every five minutes for a duration of about four seconds. So, in theory, a couple hugging for three minutes, for example, might not be logged, while another merely brushing past each other at the right time would be. Apple and Google are aware of this issue. By contrast, the NHS s app listens out for a match roughly once every eight seconds. The NHS has also developed its own workaround to the iPhone Bluetooth issue. But it is still exploring the Apple-Google system as a back-up plan.

EasyJet has admitted that a "highly sophisticated cyber-attack" has affected approximately nine million customers. It said email addresses and travel details had been stolen and that 2,208 customers had also had their credit card details "accessed". The firm has informed the UK s Information Commissioner s Office while it investigates the breach. EasyJet first became aware of the attack in January. It told the BBC that it was only able to notify customers whose credit card details were stolen in early April. "This was a highly sophisticated attacker. It took time to understand the scope of the attack and to identify who had been impacted," the airline told the BBC. "We could only inform people once the investigation had progressed enough that we were able to identify whether any individuals have been affected, then who had been impacted and what information had been accessed." Stolen credit card data included the three digital security code - known as the CVV number - on the back of the card itself. EasyJet added that it had gone public now in order to warn the nine million customers whose email addresses had been stolen to be wary of phishing attacks. It said that it would notify everyone affected by 26 May. It did not provide details about the nature of the attack or the motives, but said its investigation suggested hackers were targeting "company intellectual property" rather than information that could be used in identity theft. "There is no evidence that any personal information of any nature has been misused, however, on the recommendation of the ICO, we are communicating with the approximately nine million customers whose travel details were accessed to advise them of protective steps to minimise any risk of potential phishing. "We are advising customers to be cautious of any communications purporting to come from EasyJet or EasyJet Holidays." In response to the breach, the ICO said that it was investigating. "People have a right to expect that organisations will handle their personal information securely and responsibly. When that doesn t happen, we will investigate and take robust action where necessary." It also warned people to be on the lookout for phishing attacks and directed them to its advice on its website on how to spot such scams. Phishing Phishing attempts - which see criminals sending emails with links to fake web pages that steal personal data - have risen exponentially during the coronavirus crisis. Google is blocking more than 100 million phishing emails every day to Gmail users. It is likely that hackers will take advantage of the fact people are cancelling flights because of the uncertainty related to the spread of Covid-19, said Ray Walsh, a digital privacy expert at ProPrivacy. "Anybody who has ever purchased an EasyJet flight is advised to be extremely wary when opening emails from now on," he said. "Phishing emails that leverage data stolen during the attack could be used as an attack vector at any point in the future. "As a result, it is important for customers to be vigilant whenever they receive unsolicited emails or emails that appear to be from EasyJet, as these could be fake emails which link to cloned websites designed to steal your data." Turbulent times The coronavirus pandemic has meant an end to much global travel, leaving airlines struggling financially. "These are already turbulent times for all companies within the aviation industry but the situation has just got significantly worse for EasyJet," said Mike Fenton, chief executive of threat detection firm Redscan. "To add to the company s woes, it is now has to explain how the personal records of nine million customers were able to be accessed. "When it comes to cyber security, the airline industry doesn t have a great record. The British Airways breach in 2018 should have been a wake-up call and passenger confidence is likely to be at an all-time low after this." British Airways announced that the personal details of more than half a million of its customers had been harvested by hackers in September 2018. Initially it said that only 380,000 transactions were affected and that the data did not include travel or passport details. The ICO later issued a record £183m fine over the breach. Compensation pay-outs to customers could see that reach £3bn. Under GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), if EasyJet is found to have mishandled customer data, it could face fines of up to 4% of its annual worldwide turnover. "It is impossible to determine yet whether or not there has been negligence but, if so, consumers could be eligible to claim compensation, raising the financial penalty imposed on the airline significantly," said lawyer Aman Johal. Millions of EasyJet customers details of some sort or another have been accessed by hackers - but even more people now need to be vigilant. Generally, personal details can be used by fraudsters to access bank accounts, open accounts and take out loans in the innocent victims names, make fraudulent purchases, or sell on to other criminals. The risks to those whose card details have been compromised are clear. Their provider should already have stopped the card, a new one will be issued, and they will need to sort out any regular payments coming from that card. Following a similar data breach at British Airways in 2018, some found this a frustrating and time-consuming task. Millions of people whose email addresses and travel details have been accessed will need to change passwords, and be wary of any unexpected transactions. Everyone else, particularly EasyJet customers whose details have not been affected, must be alert to other unsolicited emails and messages. Fraudsters will no doubt pose as EasyJet, banks, or the authorities and claim to be dealing with this latest breach. They are simply trying to steal personal details themselves.

American jazz singer Melody Gardot is inviting musicians around the world to play along digitally on her new album to overcome the solitude and financial strain of coronavirus lockdowns. For the song “From Paris with Love” on her new album, Gardot is asking orchestra musicians worldwide - strings, woodwinds or harp - to contribute remotely by playing along to a score and a backing track. Producers will assemble the performances into what she calls a “digital global orchestra” to make it sound as if all musicians are playing together in the same room. The chosen musicians will be paid professional studio rates and royalties will be donated to charities benefiting healthcare workers. Confined in her home in Paris, Gardot had been set to record part of her new album with the London Symphony Orchestra just before a Europe-wide coronavirus lockdown put an end to all music production. For the video clip of the song, Gardot has invited fans to contribute short video portraits of themselves from wherever they are in the world with a sign “From (their city) with Love”. “We all worry about contagion now, but a smile is one of the contagious issues that I would like to have,” Gardot told Reuters. “It can make us feel a little more connected despite what is going on. We cannot touch each other, we cannot travel, this is kind of a postcard,” she said. Participating musicians will receive instructions on how to record and film themselves performing the piece at home and can file their contributions till May 18 at midnight. Gardot, who sells more records in Europe than in the United States and is very popular in France, is one of many musicians worldwide who have tried to break the barriers of lockdown by using social media for live or recorded performances. The Grammy-nominated singer said the lockdown had knocked her out of her rhythm of constant touring, often playing several days a week, 11 months a year, but she said the isolation had been relatively bearable compared to being in hospital for a year after being knocked off her bike by a car when she was 19. “(the lockdown) is heartbreaking in a fraternal way, but for myself I have seen rainier days,” she said.

Tests on hamsters reveal the widespread use of facemasks reduces transmission of the deadly coronavirus, a team of leading experts in Hong Kong said Sunday. The research by the University of Hong Kong is some of the first to specifically investigate whether masks can stop symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers from infecting others. Led by Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, one of the world s top coronavirus experts, the team placed hamsters that were artificially infected with the disease next to healthy animals. Surgical masks were placed between the two cages with air flow travelling from the infected animals to the healthy ones. The researchers found non-contact transmission of the virus could be reduced by more than 60 percent when the masks were used. Two thirds of the healthy hamsters were infected within a week if no masks were applied. The infection rate plunged to just over 15 percent when surgical masks were put on the cage of the infected animals and by about 35 percent when placed on the cage with the healthy hamsters. Those that did become infected were also found to have less of the virus within their bodies than those infected without a mask. “It s very clear that the effect of masking the infected, especially when they are asymptomatic — or symptomatic — it s much more important than anything else,” Yuen told reporters Sunday. “It also explained why universal masking is important because we now have known that a large number of those infected have no symptom.” Yuen was one of the microbiologists who discovered the SARS virus — a predecessor of the current coronavirus — when it emerged in 2003, killing some 300 people in Hong Kong. Armed with knowledge from that fight, he advised Hong Kongers early in the current pandemic to adopt universal masking, something embraced by the city s residents. At the time the World Health Organisation and many other foreign health authorities dismissed using masks widely among the public, saying they should instead go to frontline medical workers. Four months after its first COVID-19 case was detected, Hong Kong has largely managed to contain the disease with just over 1,000 infections and four deaths. Experts have credited widespread mask use as well as efficient testing, tracing and treatment in the city of 7.5 million for the relatively low numbers.

Substances used for air conditioning in almost all new cars are building up in the environment and may pose a threat to human health, researchers say. These "ozone friendly" chemicals have been introduced to replace products that were damaging the ozone layer. Now widely used across industry, these alternatives do not break down in the environment. Scientists have now found increasing levels of these chemicals in Arctic ice samples dating back to the 1990s. The Montreal Protocol is regarded as one of the most successful environmental treaties ever adopted. Signed back in 1987, it committed countries to regulate their use of chlorofluorocarbon chemicals (CFCs) that had recently been found to be depleting the ozone layer. A growing hole in the ozone over Antarctica had been detected in the mid-1980s and there was serious concern about the threat it posed to human health. CFCs were then widely used in refrigeration, in air conditioning, as solvents and in aerosol sprays. In the intervening decades, alternative products that are less harmful to the ozone layer were introduced. As a result, researchers have reported progress in reducing the size of the hole. However, there are now concerns that the solution may be inadvertently damaging the environment and threatening human health. Canadian researchers, studying ice samples from the Arctic dating back to the 1990s, have found "dramatically" increasing levels of ozone replacements called short chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (scPFCAs). "We re seeing much, much larger levels, on the order of 10 times higher now than we saw before the Montreal Protocol," said Prof Cora Young, from York University in Toronto, the study s corresponding author. "We don t know a lot about them and their potential toxicity, but we do know that we are committing the environment to a great deal of contamination." The compounds being detected in the Arctic are in the same class as perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, sometimes called the "forever chemicals". These long-lasting chemicals are found in everything, from furniture to clothing to food wrapping to drinking water. There is growing concern about the role of PFAS in serious health conditions including cancer, liver damage and decreased fertility. The related products, found in the Arctic ice samples, do not break down in the environment and current water filtration technology is unable to remove them. The scientists expect levels of scPFCAS to increase markedly in the future. Car trouble ahead? As part of the efforts to replace CFCs, car manufacturers around the world agreed to use a different coolant in air conditioning called HFC-134a which was introduced in 1992. While HFC-134a was less damaging to the ozone layer, it was unfortunately a very powerful greenhouse gas, around 1,400 times more warming that CO2. So manufacturers in the US and Europe agreed to phase out HFC-134a and by 2017 all new cars had to use a different coolant for air conditioning called HFO-1234yf. While this chemical doesn t damage ozone, and is not a greenhouse gas, it does unfortunately break down to produce short chain PFCAs. "It has a very low global warming potential, but has a much higher propensity to form these persistent products," said Prof Young. "It will be again another shift, where we see an even more dramatic increase." According to the researchers, these chemicals can travel a long distance in the atmosphere and often end up in lakes and rivers. They cause "irreversible contamination" and can impact the health of freshwater creatures including crustaceans and worms. There is growing concern that these compounds may impact human health as well. "They ve been found in the bodies of people in China, so it is likely to be found in the bodies of people around the world," said Prof Young. "We have done a good job in trying to save the ozone layer but the unintended consequences are the release of these other chemicals, which have some concerns." "They re toxic, and then they don t get filtered out in various ways." The study has been published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.