Technology

Amazon.com Inc’s (AMZN.O) video game division has canceled an online role-playing game based on the fantasy series Lord of the Rings, which was announced in 2019, an Amazon spokeswoman said. The game had been in development at Amazon Game Studios alongside China-based Leyou Technologies Holdings, which was acquired by Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings (0700.HK) in December. The resulting contract …

In a major flaw, the online status feature of WhatsApp, one of the most used messaging app, has allowed third parties to stalk users, researchers have found. Cybersecurity firm Traced has discovered apps and services that could be used by cyber-stalkers to track when a user becomes active on WhatsApp. “You can enter any mobile phone number, and if that person …

ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan’s imports of cellphones swelled by 56.74 per cent to $1.54 billion in the first nine months of 2020-21 compared to $979.965 million over the corresponding period last year. Since July 1, 2019, the government has withdrawn the facility of duty-free mobile handset arrivals under the baggage rules from abroad. At the same time, the Federal Board of Revenue …

Nasa hopes to score a 21st-century Wright Brothers moment and make history on Monday as it attempts to send a miniature helicopter buzzing over the surface of Mars in what would be the first powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet. Landmark achievements in science and technology can seem humble by conventional measurements. The Wright Brothers’ first controlled …

Twitter said late on Friday that it was working on fixing an access issue after thousands of users reported problems with the platform. “Tweets may not be loading for some of you. We’re working on fixing a problem and you’ll be back on the timeline soon,” the company said in a tweet. Twitter grants academics full access to public data, …

The Dogecoin cryptocurrency surged more than 90% to a record high on Friday, putting its gain for the week at almost 300%. The latest rally in Dogecoin came two days after billionaire Elon Musk tweeted, “Doge Barking at the Moon”, accompanied by an image of Spanish artist Joan Miró’s painting, “Dog Barking at the Moon.” The Tesla chief executive has …

SAN RAMON: The Google Earth app is adding a new video feature that draws upon nearly four decades of satellite imagery to vividly illustrate how climate change has affected glaciers, beaches, forests and other places around the world. The tool unveiled on Thursday is rolling out in what is being billed as the biggest update to Google Earth in five …

ROME: Standing just as tall but weighing 10 times less, an exact replica of Michelangelo’s statue of David created using 3D printers is covered with marble dust in a workshop in Florence. Italy has commissioned the copy of the Renaissance masterpiece, which lives in the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, to represent the country at the Dubai Expo 2021 starting in …

The Ministry of Interior on Friday directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to temporarily block access to social media platforms — Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and Telegram — from 11am to 3pm. “It is requested that immediate action may be taken on the subject matter,” the ministry directed the PTA chairman. Shortly after, the PTA released an official statement saying: …

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil’s P1 coronavirus variant, behind a deadly COVID-19 surge in the Latin American country that has raised international alarm, is mutating in ways that could make it better able to evade antibodies, according to scientists studying the virus. Research conducted by the public health institute Fiocruz into the variants circulating in Brazil found mutations in the spike …