ICT news

• Germany To Create 'Super-High-Tech Ministry' For Research, Technology and Aerospace

  11-04-2025 23:30 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Germany will get a new "super-high-tech ministry" responsible for research, technology, and aerospace, according to the coalition agreement published by the incoming government this week. From a report: The announcement is one of several nods to science in the 144-page agreement, unveiled on 9 April following weeks of negotiations between the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU) and its sister party, the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) -- who together won the most seats in February's f
  
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• Wi-Fi Giant TP-Link's US Future Hinges on Its Claimed Split From China

  11-04-2025 22:50 via slashdot.org
  
  The ubiquitous but often overlooked Wi-Fi router lies at the heart of one of Washington's biggest national security dilemmas -- and a rift between two brothers on opposite sides of the Pacific. From a report: US investigators are probing the China ties of TP-Link, the new American incarnation of a consumer Wi-Fi behemoth, following its rapid growth and a spate of cyber attacks by Chinese state-sponsored actors targeting many router brands. The inquiry is testing whether TP-Link's corporate makeo
  
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• Ubisoft Argues Players Don't Own Their Games in Wake of The Crew Lawsuit

  11-04-2025 20:09 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Ubisoft has triggered fresh debate over digital ownership by claiming in court that customers who purchased The Crew never truly owned the game. The legal battle began when California plaintiffs sued after Ubisoft deactivated servers for the 2014 racing title, rendering it unplayable beyond a restricted demo version.
  Unlike most delisted games where previously purchased copies remain accessible, Ubisoft completely removed The Crew from customers' libraries. The plaintiffs, who bought physical co
  
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• France To Tighten Mobile Phone Ban in Middle Schools

  11-04-2025 19:00 via mobile.slashdot.org
  
  France is to tighten its ban on the use of mobile phones in middle schools, making pupils at the ages of 11 to 15 shut away their devices in a locker or pouch at the start of the day and access them again only as they are leaving. A report adds: The education minister told the senate she wanted children to be fully separated from their phones throughout the school day in all French middle schools from September. Elisabeth Borne said: "At a time when the use of screens is being widely questioned
  
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• Chinese Electronics Firm Anker Starts Raising Prices on Amazon

  11-04-2025 18:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: China's Anker, one of Amazon's largest sellers offering products from power banks to phone cases, has raised prices on a fifth of its products on the U.S. platform since Thursday, in a sign that tariffs on Chinese goods are being passed on to U.S. shoppers.
  Some 127 Anker products have seen an average increase of 18% since Thursday last week, with the majority of those occurring after Monday, April 7, when U.S. President Donald Trump added an extra 50% import
  
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• James Cameron: AI Could Help Cut VFX Costs in Half, Saving Blockbuster Cinema

  11-04-2025 17:04 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  Director James Cameron argues that blockbuster filmmaking can only survive if the industry finds ways to "cut the cost of [VFX] in half," with AI potentially offering solutions that don't eliminate jobs.
  "If we want to continue to see the kinds of movies that I've always loved and that I like to make -- 'Dune,' 'Dune: Part Two,' or one of my films or big effects-heavy, CG-heavy films -- we've got to figure out how to cut the cost of that in half," Cameron said.
  Rather than staff reductions, Came
  
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• Study Finds Almost 200 Pesticides in European Homes

  11-04-2025 16:07 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Almost 200 pesticides have been found by a study examining dust in homes around Europe, as scientists say regulators need to take "toxic cocktails" of chemicals into account when banning or restricting the use of pesticides. From a report: Scientists say their research supports the idea that regulators should assess the risks posed by pesticides when they react with other chemicals, as well as individually. They say this should apply to substances already in use, as well as those yet to be appro
  
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• Pentagon Axes $5.1 Billion in IT and Consulting Contracts With Accenture, Deloitte

  11-04-2025 14:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the termination of multiple IT and consulting contracts with firms including Accenture, Deloitte, and Booz Allen Hamilton, describing them as "wasteful spending."
  A Department of Defense memo indicates the cuts target the Defense Health Agency's consulting services contract and the Air Force's agreement with Accenture to "re-sell third-party Enterprise Cloud IT Services," services the government can "already fulfill directly with existing procurement re
  
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• Fortinet Releases Advisory on New Post-Exploitation Technique for Known Vulnerabilities

  11-04-2025 14:00 via cisa.gov
  Fortinet is aware of a threat actor creating a malicious file from previously exploited Fortinet RCE vulnerabilities within FortiOS and FortiGate products. This malicious file could enable read-only access to files on the devices’ file system, which may include configurations. 
  See the following resource for more information:Analysis of Threat Actor Activity | Fortinet BlogCISA encourages administrators to review Fortinet’s advisory and:Upgrade to FortiOS versions 7.6.2, 7.4.7,
  
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• China Raises Tariffs on US Imports To 125%

  11-04-2025 10:41 via slashdot.org
  
  China responded to President Trump's tariffs on Friday, raising its own tariffs on American goods to 125%, from 84%. The New York Times: The announcement by China's State Council came after Trump administration officials clarified on Thursday that China was now facing a minimum tariff rate of 145% on all exports to United States. China said its new tariffs will take effect on Saturday. China said it plans to ignore any further increases announced by Washington from here. Bloomberg: In a statemen
  
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• FDA Plans To Phase Out Animal Testing Requirements

  11-04-2025 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  The Food and Drug Administration says it would begin phasing out animal testing requirements for antibody therapies and other drugs and move toward AI-based models and other tools it deems "human-relevant." Axios: The FDA said it would launch a pilot program over the next year allowing select developers of monoclonal antibodies to use a primarily non-animal-based testing strategy. Commissioner Marty Makary in a statement said the shift would improve drug safety, lower research and development co
  
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• AI Models Still Struggle To Debug Software, Microsoft Study Shows

  11-04-2025 07:20 via developers.slashdot.org
  
  Some of the best AI models today still struggle to resolve software bugs that wouldn't trip up experienced devs. TechCrunch: A new study from Microsoft Research, Microsoft's R&D division, reveals that models, including Anthropic's Claude 3.7 Sonnet and OpenAI's o3-mini, fail to debug many issues in a software development benchmark called SWE-bench Lite. The results are a sobering reminder that, despite bold pronouncements from companies like OpenAI, AI is still no match for human experts in
  
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• Russian Cable Attacks 'Threaten To Cut Off World's Internet'

  11-04-2025 05:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Military chiefs at Nato have been warned of global internet blackouts following a string of suspected Russian attacks on subsea cables. From a report: Telecoms companies including Vodafone, O2 owner Telefonica and Orange have written to UK, EU and Nato officials warning that a rise in sabotage incidents was putting critical services at risk. In an open letter, they wrote: "The repercussions of damage to subsea cables extend far beyond Europe, potentially affecting global internet and power infra
  
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• Microsoft is About To Launch Recall For Real This Time

  11-04-2025 03:45 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft is starting to gradually roll out a preview of Recall, its feature that captures screenshots of what you do on a Copilot Plus PC to find again later, to Windows Insiders. From a report: This new rollout could indicate that Microsoft is finally getting close to launching Recall more widely. Microsoft originally intended to launch Recall alongside Copilot Plus PCs last June, but the feature was delayed following concerns raised by security experts. The company then planned to launch it i
  
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• Fintech Founder Charged With Fraud After 'AI' Shopping App Found To Be Powered By Humans in the Philippines

  11-04-2025 02:18 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Albert Saniger, the founder and former CEO of Nate, an AI shopping app that promised a "universal" checkout experience, was charged with defrauding investors on Wednesday, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. From a report: Founded in 2018, Nate raised over $50 million from investors like Coatue and Forerunner Ventures, most recently raising a $38 million Series A in 2021 led by Renegade Partners. Nate said its app's users could buy from any e-commerce site with a si
  
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