Daily Archives: 06/11/2020


Apple Removes Podcast Apps in China

A popular podcasting platform, Pocket Casts, has been removed from Apple’s app store in China at Beijing’s request, according to the company’s Twitter thread. Pocket Casts confirmed Wednesday on Twitter that the request was made by the Cyberspace Administration of China …


Ocean Depths Figure Prominently in This Week’s Space News

NASA continues marking milestones more than a week after the first manned launch from U.S. soil in nearly a decade.  An astronaut made a historic visit to the depths of the ocean floor, while the space agency unveiled this year’s …


Thousands Sick from COVID-19 in Homes for Disabled

Neil Sullivan was angry, frustrated and crushed with guilt. His brother Joe had been rushed by ambulance from his home for the developmentally disabled to the emergency room with a possible case of the coronavirus. Neil had known the people …


Microsoft Joins Amazon, IBM in Pausing Face Scans for Police

Microsoft has become the third big tech company this week to say it won’t sell its facial recognition software to police, following similar moves by Amazon and IBM.Microsoft’s president and chief counsel, Brad Smith, announced the decision and called on …


NASA Awards Contract to Deliver Robot Rover to Moon

The U.S. space agency, NASA, has announced it has awarded a $199 million contract to a city of Pittsburgh company to launch its robot lunar rover to the moon in 2023. The agency made the announcement in an online release …


US Officially Tops 2 Million Total Coronavirus Cases

The United States has officially gone over the 2 million mark in total cases of novel coronavirus infections.According to figures published Thursday on the website of Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus resource center, the U.S. now has 2,000,464 confirmed cases of …


Stolen Banksy Honoring Bataclan Victims Found in Italy

Italian authorities on Thursday unveiled a stolen artwork by British artist Banksy that was painted as a tribute to the victims of the 2015 terror attacks at the Bataclan music hall in Paris.L’Aquila prosecutors said the work was recovered on …


Amazon Bans Police Use of its Face Recognition for a Year

Amazon on Wednesday banned police use of its face-recognition technology for a year, making it the latest tech giant to step back from law-enforcement use of systems that have faced criticism for incorrectly identifying people with darker skin.   The Seattle-based company …


Oscars Board Elects ‘Selma’ Director as Diversity Increases

The organization behind the Oscar awards elected “Selma” director Ava DuVernay on Wednesday as it slightly increased its number of female and black governors.The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has repeatedly been hit with criticism in recent years …