Warning that South Africa’s digital competitiveness is in retreat
South Africa ranks second globally for education spending but near the bottom for digital skills and outcomes.
Science/Tech
South Africa’s biggest banks are lining up behind Optasia
FirstRand lifted its stake to 26.1% in late March. Now Standard Bank has led a $330-million debt refinancing.
Artemis II crew to end record-setting mission with Pacific Ocean splashdown
The four astronauts are set to touch down on Earth and conclude the 10-day mission after completing moon flyby
The number of human beings who have travelled to the moon and returned safely to Earth will grow to 28 on Friday night when Nasa’s Orion capsule containing four Artemis II astronauts will glide gently to a Pacific Ocean splashdown beneath three giant parachutes.
The scheduled 5.07pm PT...
Week in wildlife: an ostrich on the lam, a tortoise crossing a road and surfing seals
This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world
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Software rout deepens as AI fears grip investors
Anthropic’s Mythos AI model has reignited fears that legacy software is dangerously exposed to disruption.
US officials warn banks over powerful new Anthropic model
An AI model capable of exploiting every major operating system has the US government and major banks on alert.
Anthropic mulls building its own AI chips
Claude maker Anthropic is exploring custom chip design as AI demand outstrips the supply of available hardware.
White House staff told not to place bets on prediction markets
The gambling platforms have grown in popularity, with some users making wagers on conflicts.
Artemis II crew on inspiring the next generation and unifying humanity – video
As the Artemis II mission enters flight day nine, the crew spoke about inspiring the next generation and ‘working on something big for the good of everyone’ ahead of their return to earth. The crew, made up of three US astronauts and a Canadian, embarked on humanity’s first crewed lunar voyage in more than half a century. The 10-day flight around the moon and back will mark the second mission...
Artemis II crew to return home as Nasa lays out steps for safe splashdown
Astronauts prepare for re-entry several miles off coast of southern California after 10-day lunar fly-by mission
The crew of Artemis II is set to return to earth on Friday following its historic 10-day lunar flyby mission, and Nasa leaders have described the precise logistics needed to get them home.
The return will see the Orion capsule traveling at nearly 24,000mph before making a final...
OpenAI pauses UK data centre deal over energy costs and regulation
The project was part of a package of tech investment promising the UK could become an AI superpower.
Mayor warns of London ‘disinformation blizzard’
Sir Sadiq Khan claims London is being targeted with disinformation portraying it as a city “in decline”.
Wild chimpanzees recorded waging ‘civil war’ with coordinated attacks between two groups
New study describes what may be the first case of a unified community of chimps, in Uganda, turning on itself
On a June day in 2015, primatologist Aaron Sandel was quietly observing a small cluster of the Ngogo chimpanzee group in Uganda’s Kibale national park when he noticed something strange. As other members of the chimpanzees’ wider group moved closer through the forest, the chimpanzees...
Volkswagen to End E.V. Production at Tennessee Plant
The German carmaker is the latest to scale back plans for electric vehicles in favor of gasoline models.
Is space exploration worth the money and effort? | Letters
Readers respond to an article by Zoe Williams in which she argued the space race was pointless
Zoe Williams speaks for many of us when she notes that the US space mission is pointless (Let’s stop going into space. There’s nothing to see and no one to talk to, 7 April). Unfortunately, it is worse than that. With a $100bn budget, the Artemis programme represents a truly spectacular...
Woman with three deadly diseases has ‘remarkable’ recovery after cell therapy
Treatment reset wayward immune system of patient with life-threatening conditions, say scientists, in a world first
A woman who lived with three life-threatening autoimmune diseases for more than a decade has returned to a near-normal life after a cell therapy reset her wayward immune system.
The 47-year-old had had nine different treatments, none of which had a lasting impact, before receiving...
Stephen Lillie on the return of the Artemis II crew – cartoon
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Amazon to end support for older Kindles, prompting user outcry
The move means owners of Kindles released before 2013 will be unable to download new e-books.
Space: the ultimate wardrobe challenge – in pictures
As the Artemis II astronauts return from the moon, we celebrate the science, suits and spirit of endeavour that took them there, all brought together in a colourful new book called Space Journal
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Nasa meteorologists trialling model to produce ultra local, short-term forecasts
Improved short-term forecasts could be a lifesaver for Nasa and important for organisers of events such as Wimbledon
Meteorologists are working on ever longer-range predictions, but they have not neglected ultra local, ultra short-term forecasts for specific purposes.
This month, meteorologists at Nasa’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia announced trials with a high-resolution weather...
Everything you need to know about Artemis II so far – podcast
This week Artemis II’s four-astronaut crew broke Apollo 13’s distance record, becoming the humans to travel the farthest from Earth. Now on their way home, the team has experienced tech malfunctions, views like no other and moments of intense emotion, all in under 10 days. To find out about all the highs and lows of the mission, Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian’s science editor,...