Aircraft engineers in Germany have successfully tested the world’s first four-seater plane that uses emission-free hybrid fuel cells to fly. The 10-minute test flight Thursday at Stuttgart Airport in southwestern Germany involved two pilots and two dummy passengers. The twin-cabin plane, known as HY4, was developed by aircraft maker Pipistrel, fuel cell specialist Hydrogenics, the…
Survey: Cyber Attacks Against Smart City Services May Pose Public Safety Threat
Tripwire, Inc., a leading global provider of security and compliance solutions for enterprises and industrial organizations, today announced the results of a survey conducted on behalf of Tripwire by Dimensional Research. The June survey assessed cyber security challenges associated with smart city technologies. Survey respondents included over 200 IT professionals working for state and local governments. When…
UK Judge Bans Publication of Hacked Pippa Middleton Photos
A British judge on Wednesday banned the publication of stolen photographs of Pippa Middleton after allegations that 3,000 personal images were taken in a hacking attack on her iCloud account. High Court justice Philippa Whipple made the order after Middleton, sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, and her fiancé James Matthews went to court against…
Germany Orders End to Facebook/WhatsApp Data Sharing Project
German data protection authorities have ordered Facebook to delete data, such as phone numbers, it has received from its subsidiary WhatsApp. Facebook acquired the global messaging service two years ago and announced this summer that WhatsApp would begin sharing the phone numbers of its users with the social network as part of a program to…
Hubble Spies Possible Water Plumes Spewing from Jupiter Moon
The Hubble Space Telescope has spotted possible water plumes spewing from one of Jupiter’s icy moons. NASA said Monday the workhorse telescope detected the activity in the south pole of Europa where an ocean is thought to exist beneath its icy crust. If the finding is confirmed, Europa would be the second moon in the…
India to Ratify Paris Agreement on Climate Change
India’s prime minister said Sunday that his country will ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change early next month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government will ratify the agreement Oct. 2, coinciding with the birth anniversary of India’s independence leader Mohandas Gandhi, who believed in a minimum carbon footprint. Modi made the announcement at…
Israeli Military Indicts Palestinians for Online Incitement
The Israeli military says it has indicted more than 145 Palestinians so far this year for incitement over social media. Sunday’s announcement comes amid an Israeli campaign to stamp out the online incitement it says has fueled a yearlong campaign of Palestinian attacks. The Palestinians say the violence is a result of nearly 50 years…
UK Police Arrest Man in Hacking of Pippa Middleton’s Phone
London police say they have arrested a 35-year-old man suspected of hacking the iCloud account of Pippa Middleton, the younger sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, and stealing 3,000 photographs. The Sun newspaper said Saturday it was contacted by a purported hacker seeking to sell the images for a minimum of 50,000 pounds ($65,000). It…
Iran Begins First Web-Based Nationwide Census
Iran’s state TV is saying the country has started its first web-based national general census. The Saturday report says people can visit a dedicated website, www.sarshomari95.ir, to fill out forms in the first phase of the survey. This is the first time that Iran is using the internet to gather data for the census it…
University Cited for Safety Violations After Lab Explosion
University of Hawaii faces more than $100,000 in fines in connection with a lab explosion earlier this year that resulted in a researcher losing her arm. The university was cited this week for 15 violations by the Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Office related to the March 16 incident. UH officials are set to meet…
Suspected Russian Cyberattack Targets German Parties, Media
German security officials say a cyberattack believed to be directed by Russia targeted journalists and lawmakers in recent weeks. The domestic intelligence agency BfV says the German Parliament, at least two political parties and an unidentified media company were targeted in a sophisticated email phishing attempt between Aug. 15 and Sept. 15. A warning bulletin…
Foreign Hacker Who Aided Islamic State to be Sentenced in U.S.
A computer hacker who helped the Islamic State by providing names of more than 1,000 U.S. government and military workers as potential targets could be sentenced to 25 years in prison. Twenty-year-old Ardit Ferizi, a native of Kosovo arrested last year in Malaysia, will be sentenced Friday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. Earlier this…
Detroit Police Station Evacuated After Grenade Drop-off
A Detroit police precinct has been evacuated and surrounding roads blocked as bomb squad members prepare to dispose of a live grenade delivered by a resident trying to be helpful. Officer Jennifer Moreno says the resident had no “ill intent” Thursday when the person brought the grenade into the 5th precinct station on the city’s…
Dutch Brothers in Court for Bitcoin Mining with Stolen Power
Prosecutors in the Netherlands are seeking prison sentences for two brothers who they say used stolen electricity to power computers they used to mine bitcoins worth an estimated 200,000 euros ($223,500). Prosecutors said in a statement Wednesday that powerful computers used to “mine” the electronic currency were found in a building in the port city…
New Rules To Help Public Learn Results Of Medical Research
The Obama administration is publishing new rules that promise to help doctors and patients learn if clinical trials of treatments worked or not. At issue is how to help people find medical studies that may be appropriate for them — and then to make the results public so that successes can reach patients more quickly…
Zuckerberg’s ‘Compound’ Raises Red Flags for Housing Board
An advisory board recommended a California city refuse Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s plans to demolish and rebuild four homes around his property because of privacy concerns, saying it won’t support the building of a “compound.” Zuckerberg bought the Palo Alto homes in 2013 for $30 million after learning that a developer planned to build a…
Russia Delays Manned Launch to Space Station
Russia’s space agency says a manned launch to the International Space Station that had been scheduled for next week has been postponed. A brief statement from Roscosmos on Saturday said the Sept. 23 launch was postponed due to unspecified technical concerns. The launch from Russia’s space complex in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, was to carry Russians Sergei…
Judge Oks Extradition of British Man on U.S. Hacking Charges
A British man accused of hacking into U.S. government computer systems and stealing confidential information should be extradited to the United States to face trial, a judge ruled Friday. Judge Nina Tempia said Lauri Love faces “extremely serious charges,” and his extradition would not be disproportionate. At Westminster Magistrates’ Court, the judge said “I am…
China Launches Second Space Station, Tiangong 2
China has launched its second space station in a sign of the growing sophistication of its military-backed program that intends to send a mission to Mars in the coming years. The Tiangong 2 was carried into space on Thursday night atop a Long March 7 rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge…
Slovenian Airline Bans Use of Galaxy Note 7s on Its Flights
Slovenian airline Adria Airways has banned the use of Samsung’s latest mobile phone on its flights due to safety concerns. The carrier said Thursday the Galaxy Note 7 devices need to be turned off during the entire flight, cannot be charged on board and should not be put into checked luggage. The airline says this…
New Jersey School to be Renamed for Alum Buzz Aldrin
Officials are renaming a school in New Jersey after the second man to walk on the moon. Montclair’s Mt. Hebron Middle School on Friday will become the Buzz Aldrin Middle School. Aldrin has credited his experience at the school with fueling his interest in science and math. The West Point and MIT graduate followed Neil…
NYC to Pull Plug on Sidewalk Internet After Porn Complaints
The web-browsing feature of New York City’s sidewalk Wi-Fi kiosks will be disabled after critics complained that homeless people were monopolizing them and using them to watch porn, officials said Wednesday. The consortium that installed 400 LinkNYC kiosks across the city said it will remove web browsing from the kiosks while it works with city…
EU Court Backs Wi-Fi Providers in German Copyright Case
The European Union’s highest court has ruled that the manager of a business offering free Wi-Fi to customers can’t be held liable for copyright infringements by users. A Munich court sought a judgment from the European Court of Justice in a dispute between the manager of a sound-system shop and Sony’s German branch. It centers…
Slow Train Coming: Spanish Engineer Strands Passengers
A Spanish bullet train stranded 109 passengers in a small town after the engineer said his shift had ended for the night and refused to go any further. State rail company Renfe said in a statement Wednesday that the Santander to Madrid express train stopped at the station in Osorno less than halfway to the…
Space Agency Starts to Unfold Atlas of 1 Billion Stars in 3D
If space is the final frontier, it will help to have an accurate map, and the European Space Agency said Wednesday its mission to chart more than 1 billion stars in the Milky Way is on track for completion in a year’s time. The agency released the first data from its ongoing effort, called the…