Social Media firms given ‘last chance’ in UK, MG to launch semi-solid-state EV in 2025
Online platforms must begin assessing whether their services expose users to illegal material by 16 March 2025 or face financial punishments as the Online Safety Act (OSA) begins taking effect. Ofcom, the regulator enforcing the UK’s internet safety law, published its final codes of practice for how firms should deal with illegal online content on Monday. Platforms have three months to carry out risk assessments identifying potential harms on their services or they could be fined up to 10% of their global turnover. Ofcom head Dame Melanie Dawes told BBC News this was the “last chance” for industry to make changes. BBC
The wealth of Elon Musk, owner of Tesla, SpaceX and social media platform X (Twitter), is rapidly approaching half a trillion dollars, according to the latest estimate from Forbes magazine. Musk’s personal fortune of $442 billion has increased by approximately $180 billion over the past two months alone, with much of the surge occurring in the six weeks since Donald Trump’s re-election. Musk’s net worth is now nearly $200 billion higher than the next wealthiest individual, Jeff Bezos (Amazon, $248 billion) WSWS
MG will launch an electric car with a semi-solid-state battery next year – and it won’t come at a big premium over existing battery technology, according to the brand’s general manager. “The first new model to be launched by the MG brand next year may be equipped with a semi-solid battery. Let me report to you first that the price is not expensive,” Zhou Yan posted on China’s Weibo social media platform. “The battery industry is making rapid progress. Friends who want to buy lithium-iron-phosphate [LFP] ternary lithium battery cars can wait.” Autocar
The prime minister is visiting Norway to launch a new green energy deal before attending a defence summit in Estonia. Sir Keir Starmer will travel to a carbon capture and storage site today and meet his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store to discuss the new Green Industrial Partnership. Number 10 said both leaders intend to sign the deal in spring 2025. Sir Keir said the energy partnership with Norway, which has a border with Russia, would help to boost growth and protect against spikes in international energy prices like those seen when President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. Sky News
SpaceX’s 200-ton booster barrelled back down to Earth. At what seemed like the last moment, its 33 raptor engines ignited, sending out a jet of flames beneath the tumbling, 233ft monolith. In a landing that captivated audiences around the world, Elon Musk’s rocket came to rest suspended above ground, caught by two “chopsticks” protruding from its launch tower. The remarkable rocket mission out of SpaceX’s sprawling Starbase at Boca Chica, Texas, in October couldn’t be further removed from the efforts of Scotland’s scrappy space start-ups, which are struggling to make the UK a sovereign space power. Telegraph
If you’re desperate for a new slim smartphone then you might want to consider the Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim, which we’ve long assumed will be arriving sooner than the iPhone 17 Air. Indeed, we now have an even clearer idea of when Samsung’s new svelte model might arrive, though the latest price rumor regarding Apple‘s super slim equivalent could make it the phone to wait for. According to a report in ET News (via @Jukanlosreve), the Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim will launch sometime in the second quarter of 2025 (so between April and June). Tech Radar
