India is hoping to engage directly with the European Union for leeway on its proposed carbon tax instead

Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg will deliver the keynote speech at the tech company’s annual Connect conference. Zuckerberg and guests are expected to unveil the new Meta Quest 3 VR headset and, the company says, reveal how Meta is bringing mixed reality to life. Zuckerburg will speak about how AI can help people connect and express themselves in new ways, according to the company. And he will showcase Meta’s latest products and updates that will help developers build the future of human connection. This year’s Connect is being billed as a two-day virtual event focused on AI and virtual, mixed and augmented realities, as it seeks to put its mark on these emerging technologies. The highlight of the two-day event event will likely be the keynote, where Meta is expected to announce its much-hyped Quest 3 mixed-reality headset. Zuckerberg is expected reveal the Quest 3’s features, pricing, and availability. Read More ‘Shocking’ rise in number of children falling victim to sextortion, charity says Elon Musk warns of ‘civilisational risk’ posed by AI at historic gathering ChatGPT boss says he’s achieved human-level AI, then says he’s ‘just memeing’

Those watching the Women's World Cup online this year have noticed something pretty irritating. Their feeds have lagged behind those watching the action unfold on TV, meaning they often find out about goals and big events on social media before they play out on screen. The online lag has been up to two minutes for some, so it is very frustrating. But this is just life, unfortunately. Online streaming content has a longer way to travel than that of live television broadcasts. A game playing on BBC iPlayer needs to come from the venue, to the broadcaster, then to the content delivery network, a system of distributed computer servers that deliver web pages and other online content to internet users, and then to the home. On the other hand, TV broadcasts skip the content delivery network part of the process and so it is faster. So is there any hope for those of us doomed to watch TV online? Maybe. A BBC spokesperson told The Independent, the issue may soon be a thing of the past. "Currently, live broadcast coverage is quicker to get to people’s homes than coverage streamed live over the internet," the spokesperson said. "There are many factors that affect this but, at the moment, live online video goes through a process that introduces greater latency when compared to the more direct TV broadcast. While this is normal today, innovation in online streaming technology is driving continuing improvements, including reducing the delay.” The Lionesses will play Spain on Sunday, marking the first time an England team has got into a World Cup final since 1966. It is all to play for - even if it will take a bit longer for online viewers to see if it comes home or not. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Elon Musk is “purging” old accounts on Twitter, he has said, in yet another controversial change to the service. He said that accounts with “no activity at all for several years” would be removed from the platform. He noted that the result is likely to be a decrease in people’s follower account. But the move has already led to widespread criticism from users who say that it could remove important personal and social history from the site, as well as being yet another ill-explained move from Mr Musk. Much remains unclear about the plan. Mr Musk did not clarify what would mark an active account, for instance – whether it would need its owner to sign in, or if they might have to post – and gave no information about the timescale of the “purging”. But here’s everything we do know about what will be happening to those old Twitter accounts. Why would Elon Musk do this? Mr Musk suggested that the focus is on “free[ing] up abandoned handles”. Many Twitter users who joined the site in its early years were able to claim much-desired usernames – such as those with only three characters – and have not used them since. Even before the purge, people have gone to considerable lengths in order to get those accounts. Those holding particularly valuable handles have spoken about being subject both to hacking attacks and considerable monetary offers to get access to them. It also has the benefit of giving an indication that staying as an active member of Twitter is valuable – or, at least, that it might be problematic not to use an account at all. That in turn could mean that more people log in to more Twitter accounts more regularly, which is a key metric at advertising-driven companies such as Twitter. Why is it being criticised? Many users have suggested that getting rid of those old, inactive accounts will mean deleting history. That might mean deleting accounts that were run by dead loved ones, or simply removing posts that have had a substantial impact on the world. In response, Mr Musk has indicated that the accounts will be “archived”, in a tweet replying to one such critic. He did not give any information about what this might mean, but other comments suggested that the posts may stay available on Twitter but not at the old handle. Many also suggested that the plan had not been fully thought through when it was announced, noting that Mr Musk had given no information to those who might have accounts removed, such as those that use them only to follow developments on Twitter and not post their own tweets. Read More Elon Musk threatens to reassign inactive Twitter accounts Elon Musk says Twitter will let media outlets charge users per article view Jack Dorsey says Twitter ‘went south’ after its sale to Elon Musk Bluesky might be the hottest and most controversial app in the world Apple finally launches two professional apps on the iPad AI robots figure out how to play football in shambolic footage

The co-creator of the popular fighting games has discussed why he thinks they continue to attract larger numbers after more than three decades.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he would attend the United Nations COP28 climate change conference in the

SpaceX has hinted that flight tests of its Mars-bound Starship rocket system could begin to occur on a more frequent basis following a successful launch on Saturday. The tallest and most powerful rocket ever built lifted off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, on Saturday, seven months after the first launch attempt. Unlike the first attempt, both parts of the rocket were able to separate in mid-air without immediately exploding, while the newly-built launch pad was also able to withstand the force of the 33 Raptor engines firing simultaneously. “Just inspected the Starship launch pad and it is in great condition,” SpaceX boss Elon Musk posted on X on Sunday. “No refurbishment needed to the water-cooled steel plate for next launch. Congrats to SpaceX team and contractors for engineering and building such a robust system so rapidly!” The second flight test of the fully-stacked Starship rocket was beset by delays due to the high levels of debris from the destroyed launchpad and exploded rocket following the failed first attempt. Regulators said they would be working with SpaceX before a third flight test takes place, with the US Federal Aviation Administration confirming that no injuries or property damage was reported following Saturday’s launch. The fully-stacked Starship rocket system was the first to successfully perform a hot-stage separation, which saw the upper second stage launch away from the Super Heavy Booster mid-flight. Both parts of the rocket were destroyed shortly after they achieved separation, however SpaceX already has two Super Heavy boosters and three upper-stage vehicles currently undergoing preliminary testing, according to Next Spaceflight. Mr Musk has previously outlined his plans to build a fleet of hundreds of Starship rockets, with the hope of using them to establish a permanent human colony on Mars by 2050. SpaceX has already secured a multi-billion dollar contract with Nasa to develop Starship for the US space agency’s Artemis program, which will return humans to the surface of the Moon for the first time in 50 years. Read More SpaceX launches ‘zero fuel’ engine into space SpaceX Starship rocket loses contact after reaching space: Live updates Air Force officer breaks silence over ‘red, glowing’ UFO sighting: ‘Not a joke’

Our canine companions could soon be enjoying much longer lifespans, if a drug which claims it can extend dogs’ lives eventually gets approved. The drug, made by a tech firm in California, just cleared a vital hurdle to doing just that, after it got partial approval by regulators in the US. Loyal, a San Francisco-based company founded in 2020, has been researching how it can increase dogs’ lifespans – in particular larger breeds, which tend to die younger. Large and “giant” breeds tend to live to between eight and 12 years. Smaller dogs, such as Chihuahuas, can keep going to the ripe old age of 20. Loyal’s main product, the catchily-titled LOY-001, is designed not only to extend dogs’ lives but also maintain their quality of life. Now, it has passed the “reasonable expectation of effectiveness” test, set by regulators at the US’ Food and Drug Administration. Loyal’s chief executive, Celine Halioua, said: "Loyal was founded with the ambitious goal of developing the first drugs to extend healthy lifespan in dogs. "This milestone is the result of years of careful work by the team. We'll continue to work just as diligently to bring this and our other longevity programs through to FDA approval." Selective breeding of dogs has caused higher levels of hormones which help the animals grow faster. That is also believed to reduce their lifespan, the company said. Big dogs tend to have more of this hormone than their smaller counterparts. Animal rights activists are not yet convinced. Some experts fear it will only serve to extend animals’ suffering. Loyal, on the other hand, says the drug aims to treat doggy diseases which are associated with ageing through preventing them, rather than waiting for the animals to get sick before treating them. The company said that the drug could be available to US customers as early as 2026. So that’s plenty of time for walkies between now and then. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

New York City banned access to TikTok on government-owned phones, the latest in a string of US states

Instagram posts are appearing elsewhere – without the knowledge of the people posting them, and with no way for them to stop it once they do find out. Users of the company’s new Instagram Threads app are finding that their posts are being automatically pushed into their Facebook feeds. The company said that it was “listening” to complaints from users who did not want their posts appearing on Facebook. But it does not appear to be offering a way for people to stop it happening. Meta has often used its various platforms to promote other ones. New apps and features have often been shown in the Facebook news feed especially, as the company looks to introduce them to other users. Facebook has long shown posts from Instagram Reels, for instance. And companies on WhatsApp can buy ads that show on Facebook. The new behaviour means that people loading up their Facebook news feed may see posts that their friends have put on Instagram Threads. Users complained that the behaviour was unwanted, however. “How do I keep my Threads from showing up on Facebook? I want [them] separate and I don’t want my Threads randomly showing up on Facebook in someone’s “for you” or any place else,” one user wrote in response to the company. In response, it confirmed that it had made the change but did not appear to suggest it would be changed. The update was intended “to make it easier for people to see the latest content from Threads directly on Facebook and Instagram”, it said, but it is “listening to feedback like yours as we continue to build on this”. Author and YouTuber Hank Green was one of many who pleaded with the company to go back to keeping posts on the various apps separate. “It’s really true that threads and Facebook have very different cultures and I choose specifically what I want to go where. For other people, that can actually be a little unsafe. Let people opt out. Next time, build that first. Move slow, fix things. We’re doing good here,” he wrote in response to the official Threads account. Read More Google and Meta withdraw from upcoming Web Summit Mark Zuckerberg uses Meta’s new AI Ray-Bans to braid daughter’s hair WhatsApp update will change how you log in forever

Alphabet Inc.’s Google will face a scaled-down antitrust suit over its search business after a federal judge threw

'I have no idea why but seeing a beautiful woman say thank you to everything is super hot. Any theories why?' asked Andrew Tate