Here are some of the stories making headlines today.
Harris and Biden talk shared bond with Beau Biden during first appearance together as Democratic ticket
California Sen. Kamala Harris talked in deeply personal terms about her relationship with Joe Biden’s late son Beau during their first appearance Wednesday as the Democratic 2020 ticket.
Fox News stars go on a Kamala Harris bash-fest
Fox News was in full attack mode Tuesday night, throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Kamala Harris.
Analysis: After TikTok and WeChat, Alibaba could be the next target in Trump’s tech war
The United States has taken aim at some of China’s biggest tech champions, from Huawei and ByteDance’s TikTok to Tencent’s WeChat. Alibaba, one of the world’s largest retail and internet conglomerates, could be next.
Arecibo Observatory featured in James Bond film “Goldeneye” shut down
The famous observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, featured in the James Bond movie “GoldenEye,” has been forced to temporarily close after a broken cable smashed through the side of its massive dish.
Microsoft’s first Android phone and first foldable is coming in September
Microsoft’s first Android phone, the Surface Duo, is coming on September 10, the company announced Wednesday.
Apple, Facebook and other major companies denounce Trump visa restrictions
Apple, Facebook and Microsoft are among the 52 companies and organizations in a court filing denouncing Trump administration restrictions on employment-based visas, saying that the action “fundamentally disserves the interests of the United States by stifling the ability of U.S. businesses to attract the world’s best talent, drive innovation, and further American economic prosperity.”
Police find Netherlands’ biggest-ever cocaine lab
Police in the Netherlands have arrested 17 people following a raid on a massive cocaine lab, which they say is the biggest ever found in the country.
Prince Harry and Meghan purchase home in Santa Barbara
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have set down roots in Santa Barbara, California.
The futuristic yacht that’s designed from the inside out
(CNN) – Whether it’s a luxury superyacht or a more modest vessel, yacht designs tend to be all about the exterior, while the interior can feel like something of an afterthought. However, UK-based studio Gresham Yacht Design has turned this notion on its head completely with its latest mega yacht concept Thor Explore, which is designed from the inside out.
This hydrogen-powered supercar can drive 1,000 miles on a single tank
Hyperion, a California-based hydrogen fuel cell company, has unveiled a hydrogen-powered supercar the company hopes will pique interest in the fuel.
Harris to join Biden in first event as running mates
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will make their first joint appearance as running mates in Delaware later on Wednesday. Mr Biden, who will face President Donald Trump in the election on 3 November, named Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential pick on Tuesday.
Why the Mauritius oil spill is so serious
The amount of oil spilled from the Japanese-owned ship nearby the lagoons and coastal areas of south-east Mauritius is relatively low compared to the big oil spills the world has seen in the past, but the damage it will do is going to be huge, experts say.
Trump says low-pressure shower heads won’t wash
The US government has proposed changing the definition of a showerhead to allow increased water flow, following complaints from President Donald Trump about his hair routine. Under a 1992 law, showerheads in the US are not allowed to produce more than 2.5 gallons (9.5l) of water per minute.
Coronavirus updates: India records more than 47,000 fatalities – BBC News
As mentioned in our opening summary, India has become the country with the fourth highest number of deaths linked to Covid-19 in the world. Its fatalities jumped by 942 on Thursday, taking its total to 47,033. The rise in deaths pushed India’s toll past that of the UK, which had recorded 46,791 fatalities to date, according to data collated by Johns Hopkins University.
Barcelona player tests positive for Covid-19
Barcelona say an unnamed squad member has tested positive for Covid-19. He was one of nine reporting for pre-season training, showed no symptoms and has been quarantined at his home. Also on Wednesday fellow La Liga side Athletic Bilbao said six players had tested positive as they returned for pre-season training.
China’s Tencent downplays Trump’s WeChat app ban
Tencent has played down Donald Trump’s ban on its WeChat app, believing it will only affect its US operations. The tech giant runs an equivalent messaging platform in China called Weixin which it hopes will be unaffected. The bigger fallout may be Apple’s sales in China if its iPhones aren’t allowed to download Chinese messaging apps.
Twitter and the porn apocalypse that could reshape the industry as we know it
August 8 is International Female Orgasm Day, and we’re celebrating with an entire week dedicated to exploring the business and pleasure of porn. The adult entertainment industry lives in perpetual fear not of anti-porn activists or conservative legislation, but of a crackdown on their accounts by Twitter – a move many of them believe is imminent and will be apocalyptic for them.
Lyft and Uber threaten to stop operating in CA if forced to make drivers employees
Lyft’s “good guy” image keeps slipping. The ride-hailing app joined its rival Uber in an employee classification fight in California Wednesday. During Lyft’s second quarter earnings call, co-founder John Zimmer responded to a California judge’s ruling that orders the two companies to classify drivers as full-time employees.
No, of course Joe Biden doesn’t own antifa.com
Supporters of President Donald Trump went nuts online Wednesday after they discovered that the domain name antifa.com redirects to Joe Biden’s website. Things really took off when a reporter with the far-right cable news network OANN asked Trump about antifa.com redirecting to Biden’s page during a press conference.
QAnon hits the mainstream and Trump is on board
If, by some strange good fortune, you remain unfamiliar with QAnon, that’s about to change. The conspiracy theory has finally gone 100 percent mainstream and is about to be fully unavoidable. It’s nearly certain there will soon be a QAnon supporter in congress, Fox News is running ads that wink at the conspiracy, and, hell, President Donald Trump is sorta backing it now too.
Microsoft’s Surface Duo is a dual-screen ‘risk’ that might pay off. Just don’t call it a phone.
Microsoft is nervous. That much was clear from an early morning (virtual) briefing which saw the company trot out select team members to discuss the upcoming not-a-phone, not-a-tablet, definitely-not-a-foldable Surface Duo. The dual-screened device, a stark departure from the Lumia phones that tried and failed to pave the way before it, is clearly a gamble for Microsoft and the Surface line.
