The marking system which threatened to downgrade the exam results was not a “mutant algorithm” as claimed by the prime minister, but contained errors that were “predictable” and “could have been foreseen”, according to a leading statistician. Boris Johnson told a group of schoolchildren on Wednesday that “I’m afraid your grades were almost derailed by
Month: August 2020
Amazon is launching a wearable wellness band and app it claims can read someone’s emotions using their voice. Unlike other health gadgets from the likes of Apple, Fitbit and Samsung, Amazon‘s Halo does not have a screen – which the tech giant says means it “won’t interrupt or distract you”, and is “comfortable, secure and
The Home Office has admitted an advert attacking “activist lawyers” who represent people fighting deportation should not have been published – but has so far failed to remove it. The department’s top civil servant, permanent secretary Matthew Rycroft, upheld complaints against the video tweeted out on Wednesday. It sparked widespread condemnation from legal figures and
The real-life partners of the EastEnders cast will appear on screen to allow “moments of intimacy” amid social distancing measures, the crew have revealed. Kissing scenes will feature actors’ husbands, wives, boyfriends and girlfriends – but camera angles will be used to make them look like their on-screen partners, executive producer Jon Sen said. Perspex
Britney Spears is fighting for details about her conservatorship to be made public, despite her father’s efforts to keep the case sealed. Jamie Spears has had strict control over his daughter’s life since 2008, when the pop star’s very public breakdown led him to take charge of her personal and financial decisions. Britney, 38, is
Pret A Manger is cutting 2,800 jobs due to the economic downturn caused by coronavirus. The popular cafe chain said its sales are down to levels around what they were 10 years ago. It follows the announcement that 30 Pret shops across the UK will close permanently. CEO Pano Christou said: “I’m gutted that we’ve
LG has announced a new battery-powered face mask, which the tech giant describes as a “wearable air purifier”. The device, called the PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier, allows the person wearing it to breathe in clean air both inside and outside. With a battery life of eight hours on a single charge, the design features two
A third of mobile phone customers are still being charged the full price of their contract – even after paying off the cost of their handset, Which? has warned. The consumer rights group is calling for networks to end the “overpayments rip-off”, which costs an estimated £182m a year. It estimates some Britons could be
Sir Ed Davey has been elected the new Liberal Democrat leader following a month-long ballot of party members. The Lib Dems had been without a permanent leader since December’s general election, in which previous leader Jo Swinson lost her seat in the House of Commons. The election was a huge disappointment for the Lib Dems,
A number of chains and independent restaurants will continue to offer 50% off food when the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme ends. More than 64 million meals have been claimed since the scheme was introduced to help the struggling hospitality industry during the coronavirus pandemic. Diners have enjoyed a state-funded 50% discount on
An artificial intelligence algorithm has confirmed the existence of 50 new planets after it was used to analyse old NASA data. The algorithm, created by astronomers and scientists at the University of Warwick, was used to look at previous telescope missions. Data from NASA’s Kepler and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), missions investigating planets outside
A new guide to 5G has been published by the government, in an effort to dispel the growing conspiracy that the service harms people’s health. Some theories have emerged that suggest the emerging technology has links to the outbreak of the coronavirus, and that it can harm people by emitting dangerous levels of radiation –
A 166-million-year-old dinosaur fossil has been found by a scientist while out running along the beach of a Scottish island. Measuring around 50cm (19in) long, the ancient limb bone is thought to belong to a stegosaurian dinosaur, such as the recognisable stegosaurus, and dates to the Middle Jurassic period. Discovered on the Isle of Eigg,
A declassified video showing the detonation of the most powerful nuclear weapon ever built and tested, the Tsar Bomba, has been published. When the hydrogen bomb was tested over the Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya on 30 October 1961, it created the most powerful man-made explosion ever, equivalent to 50 megatons of TNT. Documentary footage
A coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Cambridge, which is delivered through a “single jet of air”, could enter clinical trials by autumn. The proposed vaccine, named DIOS-CoVax2, would be administered through a patient’s skin, eliminating the use of needles and making it pain-free. Development of this vaccine has involved looking at genetic sequences
Technological advances, particularly the discovery and use of fossil fuels, have contributed to climate change – but they have also allowed humanity to become aware of our impact on the planet and develop techniques to address global warming. Ahead of Climate After Covid: A Green Recovery? on Sky News on Thursday night, we look at