Author: News Desk

London: Owners of large sport utility vehicles (SUVs) could face new charges to drive in London as authorities review the risks posed by bigger and heavier cars on city roads. The move comes as Transport for London (TfL) and the office of Sadiq Khan examine the growing safety concerns linked to oversized vehicles. Proposals targeting the largest cars could be introduced later this year as part of wider efforts to reduce road deaths in the capital. A report warned that SUVs present increased dangers to pedestrians and other road users, with children facing a particularly high risk of fatal injuries…

London: The UK’s data protection watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and communications regulator Ofcom have written to several major social media platforms demanding stronger safeguards for children. Ofcom has contacted platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Roblox, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, giving them until the end of April to explain what actions they are taking to improve age-verification checks and prevent online grooming. The regulator has also asked the companies to outline how they are addressing potentially harmful algorithms and how product updates are introduced to users. Ofcom said that it expects an ‘end to product testing on children.’ At the…

California: Joby Aviation has announced that it has commenced flying its first aircraft that will undergo federal certification testing, a critical milestone toward receiving type inspection authorization (TIA), a key step for commercial operations. Pilots at Joby’s Marina, California, facility have begun initial test flights of the air taxi. These flights serve as a precursor to evaluations by US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pilots scheduled later this year. The company has spent several years working closely with regulators to approve the aircraft’s design, construction plans, and components. Joby test pilots have already logged more than 50,000 miles (80,500 km) in…

San Francisco: OpenAI plans to integrate Sora in ChatGPT to expand AI video creation tools amid rising competition in generative AI, according to a report. Sora represents an expansion of OpenAI’s efforts in multimodal artificial intelligence technologies. The tool allows users to generate videos from text prompts and competes with text-to-video technologies developed by companies such as Meta and Google, which operates under Alphabet. While AI models focused on text generation have already been widely adopted in homes and workplaces, tools capable of producing videos and images are increasingly seen as the next frontier in artificial intelligence and its potential…

London: Patients taking Wegovy may face nearly five times the risk of sudden vision loss compared with those using Ozempic, according to a large-scale study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. Medicines known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, including semaglutide treatments such as Wegovy, Ozempic, and Rybelsus, as well as tirzepatide-based Mounjaro, are widely used to manage blood sugar levels, slow digestion, and reduce appetite. These drugs are commonly prescribed for type 2 diabetes and obesity and have also been associated with health benefits such as reduced risks of heart attacks and fewer drug overdoses. However, the study found that…

London: Thousands of writers, including Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory, and Richard Osman, have released an unusual ‘empty’ book to protest against artificial intelligence companies using their works without permission. The publication, titled ‘Don’t Steal This Book,’ contains no written content apart from a list of the names of around 10,000 contributing authors. Copies are being distributed to attendees at the London Book Fair, shortly before the UK government is scheduled to release an economic assessment of proposed changes to copyright law affecting creative industries. Under the current timeline, ministers must deliver an economic impact assessment by March 18, along with…

California: Uber has introduced a nationwide feature in the US that matches female riders and drivers, expanding a pilot program intended to address safety concerns on its platform. The rollout comes even as Uber faces a class-action lawsuit in California, filed by drivers who argue the policy discriminates against men. Similarly, rival Lyft is confronting a discrimination lawsuit over its comparable ‘women+connect’ feature, which launched nationwide in 2024. The feature, announced in a blog post, lets passengers request a female driver through a ‘women drivers’ option in the app. Riders can opt for another trip if the wait for a…

Bucharest: Romania has introduced major changes to its gambling regulations through an emergency decree that allows municipalities to restrict or completely ban betting shops and slot machine halls. The reform represents one of the most significant regulatory shifts in the country’s gambling sector. Under the new framework, gambling operators must obtain both a national licence and local authorisation before opening a venue. This gives mayors and local councils the authority to approve or reject establishments within their jurisdictions. Officials estimate that more than 200 localities could potentially impose full bans on gambling venues. Rapid expansion of the gambling sector The…

Jerusalem: Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of Iran’s late leader Ali Khamenei, has been selected as the country’s new supreme leader, according to reports carried by Iranian state media. The appointment follows the death of Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed on the first day of the conflict launched by the United States and Israel against Iran. The strike on his compound in Tehran also killed the elder Khamenei’s wife, mother, and one of his daughters. Mojtaba Khamenei was not present at the site at the time and survived the attack despite the ongoing heavy bombardment across the country. Iran’s…

Northern Territory, Australia: Residents in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) have been warned to stay out of floodwaters as tropical lows continue to bring heavy rainfall and major flood warnings across the Top End and parts of Queensland. Authorities have stressed that crocodiles are present throughout the flooded areas, making the waters extremely dangerous. Hundreds of people were evacuated over the weekend, including the entire town of Nauiyu/Daly River, confirmed NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro. The Katherine River peaked at 19.2 metres at 10:45 pm on March 7, marking its highest level since the 1998 floods, which claimed three lives. The Daly…