People wearing face masks in Beijing. Mark Schiefelbein / ASSOCIATED PRESS OPEC said Wednesday it expects global oil demand to fall by 0.5 million barrels a day in 2022. The group also lowered its 2023 forecast, citing new COVID-19 curbs in China in its monthly report. OPEC+ last week cut its oil output by 2…
Russian soldiers stand near a Topol-M ICBM while participating in a rehearsal for the nation’s Victory Day parade outside Moscow. ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images Putin has repeatedly made nuclear threats since he launched Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Experts say the immediate risk of a nuclear attack is low, but they are growing increasingly concerned….
A customer shops at a supermarket on September 13, 2022 in San Mateo County, California. Liu Guanguan/China News Service via Getty Images The Consumer Price Index rose 8.2% in the year through September, the government said Thursday. That landed above economist forecasts and marked a very small slowdown from the August pace. Core inflation —…
Sony and Honda have announced (PDF) that they’re planning to start accepting pre-orders for their first electric vehicle model in the first half of 2025. Their joint venture, which they’ve simply named Sony Honda Mobility Inc. (SHM), is hoping to start deliveries in the United States by spring of 2026. In Japan, deliveries are expected…
Researchers have taught lab-grown brain cells how to play Pong. Scientists at Australian company Cortical Labs, which which conducts research into the use of biology in AI, reported their findings yesterday in Neuron, a peer-reviewed neuroscience journal. Their paper, titled “In vitro neurons learn and exhibit sentience when embodied in a simulated game-world”, claimed the…
Esports will not feature in the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which are due to be held in Victoria, Australia. The surprising U-turn comes after esports were piloted at the 2022 Games held in Birmingham. The pilot was co-funded by the Commonwealth Games Federation (GF) and the Global Esports Federation (GEF). At the time, the CGF called…
Another sexual harassment lawsuit has been filed against Activision Blizzard. This latest complaint, filed in Los Angeles by a former employee of the company referred to as Jane Doe, targets both the Call of Duty maker itself and the employee’s former manager, Miguel Vega. Doe is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages against the company…
Sony’s PlayStation Stars customer reward program is now live in the UK, following its earlier launches in both Asia and America. Details of its rewards are now live on PlayStation’s UK site, and mirror those available elsewhere. This includes the fact some users will “randomly” be placed in a queue for up to two months…
Love classical music? Maybe you even dream of becoming a conductor one day. Well, now you can experience the role for yourself in Real Orchestra, a new VR music game. Designed for Meta Quest2, this game puts you in the conductor’s shoes, letting you lead via gesture, just like a real conductor. Let’s check it…
Ever had back-to-back Teams calls and thought, “I just need a quick second to ____”? The PauseMe Microsoft Teams gives you the freedom you need. Easily step away from your laptop with this Bluetooth button. With just one click, you can mute or unmute your audio or show or hide your video in your MS…