(Reuters) – Like many Japanese, Kogoro Kurata grew up watching futuristic robots in movies and animation, wishing that he could bring them to life and pilot one himself. Unlike most other Japanese, he has actually done it. His 4-tonne, 4-meter (13 feet) tall Kuratas robot is a grey behemoth with a built-in pilot’s seat and […]
Genetically engineered cow makes anti-allergy milk
(Reuters) – Researchers in New Zealand have genetically engineered a cow to produce milk with very little of a protein that causes an allergic reaction in some children. They hope the technique, which uses a process called RNA interference that reduces the activity of certain genes without eliminating it completely, can be used to control […]
Swiss railway weighs challenge to Apple over trademark clock
(Reuters) – Swiss railway operator SBB and a Swiss watchmaker are considering challenging Apple over the striking similarity between the country’s trademark station clocks and the clock on a new operating system for the iPad. “We now have to agree on the legal framework between SBB and Apple,” SBB spokesman Reto Kormann said, adding that […]
EU says Microsoft pledged to meet antitrust requests on browsers
(Reuters) – Software giant Microsoft is ready to introduce measures that would address the European Union’s antitrust concerns about users’ ability to chose between different browsers, European Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said on Saturday. EU antitrust regulators are investigating whether Microsoft blocks computer makers from installing rival web browsers on its upcoming Windows 8 operating system, […]
German consumer group sets Facebook privacy ultimatum
(Reuters) – Germany’s biggest consumer lobby group believes Facebook is violating privacy laws with its new app centre and has set a deadline for the social network operator to fix it, or potentially face legal action. The German federation of consumer organizations said on Monday the social network was giving away customer data via its […]
Australia fighter jets first to get hi-tech U.S. jammers
(Reuters) – Australia will upgrade half of its frontline warplanes with sophisticated American jammers to become the first nation outside of the United States to use the system, the country’s defense minister said on Thursday. Australia is a close U.S. ally and last year agreed to host 2,500 U.S. Marines in the northern city of […]
Medvedev says space failures cost Russia prestige and cash
Moscow is losing prestige and money due to botched space projects, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday after Russia junked two satellites in the latest launch failure to dog the once-pioneering industry. The failure of a workhorse Proton rocket after launch on Monday caused the multimillion-dollar loss of Indonesia’s Telkom-3 and Russia’s Express-MD2 satellites, […]
Reuters Twitter account hacked, false tweets about Syria sent
(Reuters) – Reuters News said one of its Twitter accounts was hacked on Sunday and false tweets were posted, mainly related to the current armed struggle in Syria. “Earlier today @ReutersTech was hacked and changed to @ReutersME,” said a spokesperson for Reuters, which is owned by Thomson Reuters CorpTO>. “The account has been suspended and […]
Apple and Samsung take Australian legal battle to the “hot tub”
(Reuters) – Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd are embroiled in a high-stakes patent battle in several countries around the world, but only in Australia are they also engaged in “hot tubbing.” Rather than a gaggle of lawyers hammering out their differences in the jacuzzi, the term refers to expert witnesses giving evidence in […]
Reuters blogging platform hacked, false Syria blog posted
(Reuters) – Thomson Reuters said the blogging platform of the Reuters News website was compromised on Friday and a false posting purporting to carry an interview with a Syrian rebel leader was illegally posted on a Reuters’ journalist’s blog. “Reuters.com was a target of a hack on Friday,” the company said in a statement. “Our […]