Here are some of today’s top headlines.
Trump spinning virus failure as a win again
Every time President Donald Trump and his political team claim great progress in the pandemic it’s a dangerous sign: things are likely about to get worse.
Leaked police bodycam video shows new details of George Floyd’s fatal arrest
In partial footage obtained by the Daily Mail from the body cameras worn by two of the now-former Minneapolis police officers involved in the arrest of George Floyd, a panicked Floyd can be seen struggling with officers while in the back of a squad car in the minutes before his death, saying, “I can’t breathe.”
Trump’s real goal is for TikTok to disappear entirely, ByteDance CEO says
The Trump administration may want to do even more than just ban TikTok, the CEO of the popular app’s parent company wrote in a memo to employees Tuesday.
Amazon was selling shoes using the N-word until a UK lawmaker complained
Amazon has removed a post selling shoes described as “n***er brown” after a British lawmaker discovered the listing while shopping online, prompting calls for tighter controls on Amazon’s item descriptions.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is part of the team buying XFL for $15 million
Can you smell what The Rock is buying? Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the former WWE wrestling star who has since become one of Hollywood’s most bankable action heroes, is teaming up with his ex-wife and a top sports management company to buy the XFL.
Apple is the world’s most valuable public company. $2 trillion beckons
Apple has lapped Saudi Aramco to become the most valuable public company on Earth – and don’t expect the rankings to flip again any time soon.
Penis microbes may contribute to a common yet serious vaginal infection, study finds
A common and serious bacterial infection in women called bacterial vaginosis may be linked to microbes in the male penis, a new study has found.
This Japanese face mask translates into eight languages
Japanese startup Donut Robotics has created a smart mask designed to make communication and social distancing easier.
Teams set for the world’s most lucrative football match, worth a possible $346 million
London clubs Brentford and Fulham will contest what’s been dubbed the world’s most valuable football match on Tuesday as they battle it out in the Championship play-off final.
Spain puzzles over former king’s whereabouts
There is intense speculation in the Spanish media about the whereabouts of embattled ex-King Juan Carlos, after his shock announcement on Monday that he was leaving the country. The 82-year-old, who is targeted by a corruption probe, announced the move in a letter posted on the royal website.
US Treasury should get cut of TikTok deal – Trump
Donald Trump has said the US should get a cut from the sale of TikTok’s US unit if it is bought by an American firm. The US president said he made a demand for a “substantial portion” of the purchase price in a phone call at the weekend with Microsoft’s boss.
EU launches major probe into Google-Fitbit deal
The European Commission will carry out a full-scale probe into Google’s takeover of Fitbit. The announcement follows a preliminary review, and threatens to derail the purchase of the fitness-tracking firm. It comes despite Google’s offer last month to not use Fitbit’s health data for ad targeting.
Boeing’s 737 Max moves closer to flying again
A wide-ranging list of changes to Boeing’s ill-fated 737 Max planes has been put forward by US regulators. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) document details actions it wants to be made before the planes can fly again commercially. The 737 Max has been grounded since March 2019 following two fatal crashes which killed 346 people.
Virtual house hunting gets a pandemic boost
It’s Saturday evening in London, and I’m house shopping in Dublin, thanks to a virtual-reality headset. Temporarily forgetting she is sitting beside me, I shout to my wife: “I’m in the children’s bedroom.” We can’t go to the Republic of Ireland ourselves to do this.
Twitter may have to pay hundreds of millions in fines for privacy screw-up
As far as mistakes go, Twitter’s notorious two-factor authentication boondoggle could end being a costly one. Buried deep inside the company’s Monday 10Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission is a note that the social media giant might end up on the receiving end of up to $250 million in fines.
Elon Musk says smaller Cybertruck is ‘highly likely’
Aching for an angular SUV that doesn’t look like any other SUV out there, but Tesla’s Cybertruck is just too big for your taste? Don’t lose hope. According to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a smaller version of the Cybertruck is “highly likely down the road.”
WhatsApp now lets you fact-check forwarded messages
If you’ve received a link offering a miracle cure for COVID-19, you should know that it’s fake. And yet, so many users just keep forwarding such messages, perhaps with good intentions, but ultimately adding to the confusion and polluting the internet with false information.
Triller takes top spot in App Store after Trump threatens to ban TikTok
TikTok’s troubles are an opportunity for Triller. On Sunday, Microsoft confirmed it’s in talks to buy TikTok from Chinese parent company ByteDance. That came after President Donald Trump called for a ban on TikTok last week. Now Triller, a video-sharing app that recently attracted some former TikTok influencers, has taken the top spot in the iOS App Store.
How a TikTok ban could work, and what it means for your content
President Donald Trump casually dropped Friday that he would “ban” TikTok. That added heft to earlier statements made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the administration was considering a ban. But how would a ban on an app that’s already been downloaded by 165 million Americans , and that anyone can currently download from Apple and Google app stores, actually work?
Google smart speakers secretly updated to listen for more than wake words
Google Home smart speakers, the company dryly warns in a note buried deep on a support page, can “incorrectly” record their users even when they haven’t first said an activating wake phrase like “hey, Google.” It just so happens that, at least for a brief period of time this summer, those microphone-enabled devices were doing exactly that.
