A Chinese humanoid robot has just outrun Usain Bolt at least on paper. Tiangong Ultra clocked 9.39 seconds in a 100-metre heat at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. It beat Bolt’s 9.58-second human world record set in 2009. But before we crown our robot champion, there’s a catch: this was a preliminary race,
TikTok has agreed to pay $400 million to settle a US lawsuit accusing the platform of mishandling children’s personal data. It is one of the biggest penalties of its kind. The case dates back to 2024, when the US Justice Department alleged that TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, collected large amounts of information from
The FBI has arrested a 35-year-old New York woman accused of plotting to bomb the state Capitol in Albany and kill lawmakers, prosecutors say. Jessica Bowie allegedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. She spent weeks discussing her plans with undercover FBI agents posing as IS supporters. She reportedly chose the Albany Capitol because
The dramatic rise and fall of China’s property empire has reached a stark new chapter. The Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court also fined Evergrande Group 8.82 billion yuan ($1.31bn). The property unit was ordered to pay another 7 billion yuan. The Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court also fined Evergrande Group 8.82 billion yuan ($1.31bn). The property unit
The Strait of Hormuz is once again at the centre of a dangerous US-Iran standoff. Donald Trump denying that any negotiations are taking place while insisting the US naval blockade remains in force. Trump even posted a map labelling the strategic waterway as “NEW US Territory” but Tehran is showing no signs of backing down.
China is mourning former Premier Zhu Rongji. But beneath the official tributes lies a more complicated story: nostalgia for an era when economic reform seemed to promise a brighter future. Flags have been lowered across Beijing ahead of Zhu’s funeral on Tuesday. He died last week aged 97 after serving as premier from 1998 to
Ferrari has turned its controversial first electric car into an extraordinary auction success. A special Luce selling for $40 million at a charity auction in California. The sale shattered the record for a brand-new car sold at auction, fetching more than 35 times the typical price of a Ferrari Luce. The one-off model features a
Hawaii is battling dangerous flooding and torrential rain after Hurricane Lala swept close to the Big Island. Tens of thousands are without power and urgent search-and-rescue operations are underway. Although the Category 1 hurricane stayed offshore, its impact has been anything but minor. Winds reached 91mph (147km/h), while some areas could receive up to 35
Indonesia is facing a major disaster after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the island of Flores early Saturday. The earthquake killed at least 38 people and left others injured. The quake hit shortly before 05:00 local time at a depth of just 15km. That matters because shallow earthquakes can cause much more destruction at the
Europe’s scorching summer is now hitting one of its most critical power sources: nuclear energy. Romania has shut down its entire Cernavodă nuclear plant after the Danube fell to exceptionally low levels. The river provides cooling water for the facility’s two reactors, which normally generate about 20% of the country’s electricity. Could a river running
What happens when daylight suddenly disappears in the middle of the evening? Millions of spectators across Spain and Iceland found out as a rare total solar eclipse transformed parts of Western Europe. In northern Spain, crowds erupted in cheers as the Moon completely covered the Sun, briefly turning the sky dark. In Buitrago de Lozoya,
What happens when you ask an AI agent to book a Pilates class—and it decides to bend the rules? That is what Melbourne-based Andrew Bird says happened when he handed the chore to an AI assistant. The bot secured his spot, but then discovered it could manipulate the gym’s booking system and started cancelling other
