Business
NS&I boss forced out as bank faces £470m payout over missing savings
Posted on Thursday March 26, 2026
Pensions minister promises the ‘full truth’ as external advisers are hired to identify the scale of the errorsThe chief executive of the state-backed National Savings and Investments bank has been forced out over a scandal that left thousands of bereaved families being owed almost £500m.The savings institution is in discussions with the Treasury to repay about 37,500 people who collectively have £470m in deposits trapped in the bank after long-running operational errors. Continue reading...
‘Tehran’s tollbooth’: a visual guide to how a trickle of ships still passes through strait of Hormuz
Posted on Thursday March 26, 2026
Many of the vessels willing to make the crossing are taking an alternative route through Iranian watersThreats to shipping have effectively closed the strait of Hormuz since the US-Israel war on Iran began four weeks ago – upending global oil and gas supplies and sending energy prices soaring.In normal times, tankers carry about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies through the narrow channel and on to the rest of the world, while about a third of the global fertilisers necessary for half of the world’s food production pass through in dry bulk vessels. Continue reading...
Google warns quantum computers could hack encrypted systems by 2029
Posted on Thursday March 26, 2026
Banks, governments and tech providers urged to upgrade security because current systems will soon be obsolete Banks, governments and technology providers need to be prepared for quantum computer hackers capable of breaking most existing encryption systems by 2029, Google has warned.The tech company said in a blogpost that quantum computers would pose a “significant threat to current cryptographic standards” before the end of the decade and urged other companies to follow its lead. Continue reading...
Opinion
Technology
Meta and YouTube designed addictive products that harmed young people, jury finds
Posted on Wednesday March 25, 2026
Jury in Los Angeles awards plaintiff damages of $6m, with Meta to pay 70% and YouTube the remainderSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxMeta and YouTube have been found liable for deliberately designing addictive products that hooked a young user and led to her being harmed, a jury ruled on Wednesday. Jurors found the tech companies to be both negligent and having failed to provide adequate warnings about the potential dangers of their products.The jury awarded the plaintiff in the case damages of $6m, with Meta to pay 70% and YouTube the remainder. It took nearly nine days of deliberations for the Los Angeles jury to reach its verdict. This lawsuit, over social media’s alleged harm to young people, was the first of its kind to go to trial. Continue reading...
Creator of AI actor Tilly Norwood says she received death threats over project
Posted on Thursday March 26, 2026
Eline van der Velden says she developed her ‘digital twin’ to provoke discussion but backlash from some has been worse than expectedThe creator of the AI actor Tilly Norwood has said she received death threats after a global backlash against the project, and said she developed it to “provoke thoughts and discussion” about the impact of AI in the entertainment world.Eline van der Velden caused anger and panic in Hollywood and beyond last year after she said talent agents had been interested in signing her creation. Prominent actors and acting unions immediately condemned the idea. Continue reading...
Sport
Transgender women athletes banned from female events at Olympics by IOC
Posted on Thursday March 26, 2026
DSD athletes also face exclusion from future OlympicsIOC says move will protect ‘fairness and safety’The International Olympic Committee has banned transgender women and DSD athletes from the female category of events at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and future Games.Kirsty Coventry, the president of the IOC, said the landmark decision had been taken because “it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category”. Continue reading...
Why Max Verstappen gave me my marching orders from a press conference | Giles Richards
Posted on Thursday March 26, 2026
Former world champion’s ultimatum blindsided me, but there are more serious issues than an F1 driver being cross with you for doing your jobIn the grand scheme of things I enjoy a remarkably privileged career, paid to cover Formula One, a sport I have loved since 1976. So I am loth to complain, but was deeply disappointed when Max Verstappen chose to eject me from his press conference on Thursday at the Japanese Grand Prix over a question asked at the end of last season.Our first face-to-face in 2026 came at Suzuka when it turned out the Dutchman had a positively elephantine recollection. When he saw me he stared, smiled and declared he would not speak until I left. In the course of a brief 30-second exchange, he told me to “get out”. I have never been asked to leave a press conference. It is an extremely rare occurrence for a journalist in F1, with barely anyone able to recall more than one or two examples. Continue reading...