Technology

NASA’s Mars 2020 rover has successfully passed its first driving test, according to a release of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, on Wednesday. A preliminary assessment of the rover’s activities on Tuesday showed that it checked all the necessary boxes as it rolled forward and backward and pirouetted in a clean room at JPL. The next time ...

Britain’s competition watchdog said Tuesday it launched a formal inquiry into Google’s takeover of cloud data analytics company Looker Data Sciences, as it intensifies scrutiny of technology deals. The Competition and Markets Authority said it had notified the two companies on Monday that it was opening an initial inquiry and would decide on Feb. 13 whether to escalate it to ...

NASA’s Juno mission spotted a new cyclone the size of Texas during a close flyby of Jupiter in November. The gas giant is already home to several giant cyclones, and this newly discovered storm will offer even more insight into Jupiter’s atmosphere. Juno’s cameras spied giant cyclones gathered at Jupiter’s poles soon after its arrival in July 2016 — nine ...

North Korea said Saturday it successfully performed another “crucial test” at its long-range rocket launch site that would further strengthen its “reliable strategic nuclear deterrent.” The announcement comes as North Korea continues to pressure the Trump administration over an end-of-year deadline set by leader Kim Jong Un to salvage faltering nuclear negotiations. North Korea’s Academy of Defense Science did not ...

China reported accelerating shipments of 5G handsets in November as smartphone makers race to tap the emerging market. A total of 5.074 million 5G smartphones were shipped last month, exceeding the combined shipments of the previous 10 months, data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) showed. China’s 5G smartphone shipments reached 8.355 million sets in the ...

Facebook’s stock dropped almost 3% in regular trading after news reports suggested that the FTC may take antitrust action to prevent Facebook from integrating its disparate messaging apps. The reports said the Federal Trade Commission may seek a court injunction that would block Facebook’s “interoperability” plans for Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram, which involves revising them to use the same ...

The Australian government has released its proposed new online safety laws aimed at preventing the spread of harmful material. Paul Fletcher, the minister for Communications, unveiled the Online Safety Act in a speech to the National Press Club on Wednesday, urging technology giants such as Google and Facebook to “step up” in tackling the dangers of the internet. If passed ...

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine and the media got an up-close look Monday at a huge, newly completed rocket for the program aimed at putting a man and woman on the moon as early as 2024. Bridenstine was in New Orleans to see the first of the “core stage” rockets for NASA’s Space Launch System at the Michoud Assembly Center, where ...

Chinese consumers are much more likely than people in other major countries to purchase an electric vehicle or hybrid, showed a latest survey. There is gathering pace behind electric vehicle appetite with over 50 percent of respondents willing to consider an electric or hybrid vehicle next time they replace vehicles, according to the survey released this week by global consulting ...

The enhanced X-Ray Timing and Polarimetry mission (eXTP) could set an example of good cooperation between the Czech Republic and China, said Czech scientists attending an international workshop on Astronomical X-Ray Optics which closed here on Friday. The eXTP is a China-led cutting-edge satellite observatory that aims to explore still mysterious celestial bodies, such as black holes and neutron stars. ...