Offbeat News • The Register

Updated

UK's Defra and Ministry of Justice facing £120m IR35 tax bills thanks to inaccuracies in assessing contractors' status

Central government still struggling with its own off-payroll tax rules

21 Dec 2021 14:44 | 49

Legal

Insurance firm Admiral fails to grab phone location data of 'fraud' claimant's mother

Plus: Quad9 loses German DNS-blocking injunction pause attempt

17 Dec 2021 12:25 | 49

Something for the Weekend, Sir?

Thank you, FAQ chatbot, but if I want your help I'll ask for it

It’s FAQing annoying to tell the truth

17 Dec 2021 10:33 | 166

Offbeat

Sun sets on superjumbo: Last Airbus A380 rolls off the production line

It’s massive and fun to fly in, but expensive to run and not as nimble as rivals

17 Dec 2021 08:16 | 83

Legal

China lists 100 topics citizens can't include in online vids

No crypto, no sex, no clips from the telly. Enthusiastic and historically accurate socialism welcome

17 Dec 2021 05:01 | 29

Updated

Confirmed: James Webb Space Telescope team plans launch for this Xmas Eve after data cable fix

Have all those scientists been naughty ... or nice?

16 Dec 2021 23:36 | 39

Science

Newly discovered millipede earns its name by being the first to walk on one thousand legs

Millipede? Has something been bugging you about the name? Not any more

16 Dec 2021 20:08 | 77

Comment

SMACKDOWN! Reddit hires wrestling's investor relations head to helm IPO

Both WWE and Reddit have cult-like followings, so why not?

16 Dec 2021 13:04 | 5

Legal

British Mensa arm pays libel damages to former technology officer and director Eugene Hopkinson

Settles claims relating to cyber attack and data leak, court hears

16 Dec 2021 11:33 |

Offbeat

Crowdfunding platform Kickstarter planning move to blockchain. How will it work? Your guess is as good as ours

Don't worry, it'll be carbon neutral ...

16 Dec 2021 09:30 | 26

Science

Mars helicopter mission (which Apache says is powered byLog4j) overcomes separate network glitch to confirm new flight record

Ingenuity clocks up 30 minutes flying in the Martian skies

16 Dec 2021 05:57 | 40

Science

Apollo 17 samples yield fresh insights 49 years after mission left the Moon

Modern analytical techniques suggest the natural satellite cooled much faster than previously thought

15 Dec 2021 09:30 | 13

Science

Humanity has officially touched the Sun (or, at least, one of its probes has)

Parker solar probe partly determines where Sol ends and begins

15 Dec 2021 06:45 | 69

Science

ExoMars parachutes just about good enough to land rover safely on the Red Planet

Nobody wants to see Rosalind Franklin scattered over Oxia Planum

14 Dec 2021 13:00 | 38

Legal

Regulator: Wipro and Infosys execs not off the hook for insider trading

Trader said he was just betting on COVID-induced digitalization, but investigation suggests otherwise

14 Dec 2021 07:01 | 3

Science

No more Commercial Space Astronaut Wings after this year because FAA has been handing them out like candy

You can still get a badge if you go now

13 Dec 2021 18:45 | 16

Science

ESA promises to get back to would-be astronauts by the end of 2021

A space thing running late? Who would have thought it?

13 Dec 2021 14:27 | 3

Legal

Chinese paper runs interview with Alibaba staffer who claims she was fired after exec rape claim

E-commerce giant's #metoo moment takes sinister turn

13 Dec 2021 06:00 | 21

Offbeat

Bloke breaking his back on 'commute' from bed to desk deemed a workplace accident

Thank goodness he didn't make a diversion for Coco Pops

10 Dec 2021 19:03 | 114

Legal

Assange extradition case goes to UK Home Secretary as High Court rules he can be sent to US for trial

Brace yourself, now come years of appeals

10 Dec 2021 12:54 | 99

FREE STUFF

Lack shame? Fancy some festive Windows knitwear? We've got your back

Microsoft merch of Christmas Past up for grabs

10 Dec 2021 12:04 | 47

Something for the Weekend, Sir?

Playing jigsaw on my roof: They can ID you from your hygiene habits

Pat McGovern knew his way around a trash can

10 Dec 2021 10:07 | 74

Episode 22

BOFH: Time to put the Pretty Dumb F in PDF reader

Thanks for the support. Oh … that's us, is it?

10 Dec 2021 09:15 | 68

Science

NASA's new black hole spotter makes it into orbit

Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer's two year mission will check out polarization of black holes, neutrons and other celestial objects

10 Dec 2021 07:57 | 8

Legal

Amazon fined €1.13bn by Italy's antitrust authorities for abusing its power

'Use our logistics service or don't. It'll cost you either way.'

10 Dec 2021 06:36 | 27

Legal

China: Bars app that often hosted dissenting conversations

Also China: This one guy sent feedback to the government online, it was adopted, that shows we’re a democracy

10 Dec 2021 01:20 | 14

Science

Gas giant 11 times the mass of Jupiter discovered in b Centauri binary system

Orbit roughly 100 times wider than that of similar planets in our solar system

09 Dec 2021 19:01 | 17

Bootnotes

OK, boomer? Gen-X-ers, elder millennials most likely to name their cars, says DVLA

Most bizarre names chosen by UK drivers included ZZ Top and The Beast

09 Dec 2021 15:13 | 94

Science

Actual metal being welded in support of the UK's first orbital 'launch platform'

Orbex is still testing, but aiming for the real thing in 2022

09 Dec 2021 11:31 | 43

Legal

Don't panic about cyber insurers pulling up the drawbridge, says Lloyd's

New clauses are menu to pick from, not commandments of stone

09 Dec 2021 10:00 | 10

Legal

UK and USA seek new world order for cross-border data sharing and privacy

They'll even run a competition to help this along

09 Dec 2021 08:16 | 39

Legal

German court rules cookie preference service that shared IP addresses with US firm should be halted

Schrems II starts to be felt in Europe

08 Dec 2021 17:20 | 34

Legal

Microsoft signs settlement with US Justice Dept over 'immigration-related discrimination' claims

Must revise visa evaluation process

08 Dec 2021 15:37 | 10

Legal

Google launches lawsuit against a blockchain-enabled botnet

Two Russian men and 15 Does named in Glupteba Enterprise case

08 Dec 2021 12:13 | 7

Science

Boffins demonstrate a different kind of floppy disk: A legless robot that hops along a surface

This is fine

08 Dec 2021 09:15 | 20

Science

Hubble Space Telescope restored to service: No repeat of those missing messages, but here's a software patch anyway

They went full science. Always go full science

07 Dec 2021 17:45 | 19

Offbeat

Shocking: UK electricity tariffs are among world's most expensive

And the cheapest? Libya

07 Dec 2021 15:15 | 240

Legal

Indian government committee slams 'gross misuse' of internet shutdowns – even in Kashmir

Officials use them for mundane matters, not big emergencies as laws intend

07 Dec 2021 02:45 | 5

Science

It's primed and full of fuel, the James Webb Space Telescope is ready to be packed up prior to launch

Fingers crossed the telescope will finally take to space on 22 December

07 Dec 2021 00:48 | 56

Bootnotes

Fail: Exam paper marked by Elon Musk up for auction

Sweary test on sale as Tesla CEO forgets where he parked his car

06 Dec 2021 19:03 | 12

Updated

Uber's gig economy business model takes a blow from London legal double-whammy

Free Now taxi app unlawfully registered by regulator – and Ts&Cs didn't comply with the law

06 Dec 2021 15:43 | 19

Science

Galileo satnav system gets two new somewhat confusing satellites

Despite being the 27th and 28th launched, they're the first of a dozen first-gen birds

06 Dec 2021 07:16 | 39

Science

China's Yutu rover spots 'mysterious hut' on far side of the Moon

Cube-shaped object is probably just a rock. Yutu will check it out anyway

06 Dec 2021 05:00 | 120

The RPG

Battlefield 2042: Please don't be the death knell of the franchise, please don't be the death knell of the franchise

Another terrible launch, but DICE is already working on improvements

04 Dec 2021 09:00 | 31

Science

What will life in orbit look like after the ISS? NASA hands out new space station contracts

The end is coming, and nobody wants a homeless 'naut

03 Dec 2021 20:23 | 42

Offbeat

Chill out to the sounds of an expert typing on a variety of mechanical keyboards

A truly rare groove

03 Dec 2021 18:45 | 25

Bootnotes

One white cat and a volcano short of a Bond villain: Rocket Lab's Peter Beck shows off the 'Hungry Hippo'

Neutron updated, but the Spectre of SpaceX looms

03 Dec 2021 14:44 | 26

Legal

Dev loses copyright appeal over forensic software after judges rule suite was owned by his employer

Did it during work time and got paid for it, affirms Court of Appeal

03 Dec 2021 13:15 | 34

Something for the Weekend, Sir?

A smarter alternative to password recognition could be right in front of us: Unique, invisible, maybe even deadly

Take your breath awayyyyyyyy

03 Dec 2021 10:27 | 81

Bootnotes

When you think of a unit of length, do you think of Antony Gormley's rusty anatomy?

Angel of the North asteroid story upsets us mightily

03 Dec 2021 09:30 | 49

Legal

Alibaba exec accused of mishandling sexual assault case wants alleged victim to apologise

Manager was fired, now wants his reputation restored with post on a prominent website

03 Dec 2021 03:32 | 13

Legal

Ubiquiti dev charged with knocking $4bn off firm's value after insider threat spree

Prosecutors claim Nickolas Sharp even posed as a whistleblower to press

02 Dec 2021 21:05 | 8

Science

ESA's Mars Express picks up plaintive bleeps of China's Zhurong rover, adding much-needed comms redundancy

We're all ears

02 Dec 2021 19:01 | 6

Legal

UK data watchdog fines government office for disclosing New Year's gong list

New IT systems set up incorrectly, published CSV files which included names, addresses

02 Dec 2021 15:02 | 21

Bootnotes

What a bunch of bricks: Crooks knock hole in toyshop wall, flee with €35k Lego haul

Police still trying to piece everything together

02 Dec 2021 13:00 | 106

Science

Russia: It isn't just us – a bit of an old US rocket might get as close as 5.4km to the ISS

Meanwhile, Soyuz Cluedo continues: It was someone, with the drill, in the habitation module

01 Dec 2021 19:05 | 41

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Offbeat

UK's Defra and Ministry of Justice facing £120m IR35 tax bills thanks to inaccuracies in assessing contractors' status

Malaysia tweaks copyright law to hit streamers of copyright-infringing content

Log4j and Omicron: Brothers in harm, mothers of invention

India takes Amazon’s biggest local e-tail alliance out of its shopping cart

Autonomy founder Mike Lynch files judicial review that pauses extradition clock

Insurance firm Admiral fails to grab phone location data of 'fraud' claimant's mother

Thank you, FAQ chatbot, but if I want your help I'll ask for it

Sun sets on superjumbo: Last Airbus A380 rolls off the production line

China lists 100 topics citizens can't include in online vids

Confirmed: James Webb Space Telescope team plans launch for this Xmas Eve after data cable fix

Newly discovered millipede earns its name by being the first to walk on one thousand legs

SMACKDOWN! Reddit hires wrestling's investor relations head to helm IPO

British Mensa arm pays libel damages to former technology officer and director Eugene Hopkinson

Crowdfunding platform Kickstarter planning move to blockchain. How will it work? Your guess is as good as ours

Mars helicopter mission (which Apache says is powered byLog4j) overcomes separate network glitch to confirm new flight record

Apollo 17 samples yield fresh insights 49 years after mission left the Moon

Humanity has officially touched the Sun (or, at least, one of its probes has)

ExoMars parachutes just about good enough to land rover safely on the Red Planet

Regulator: Wipro and Infosys execs not off the hook for insider trading

No more Commercial Space Astronaut Wings after this year because FAA has been handing them out like candy

ESA promises to get back to would-be astronauts by the end of 2021

Chinese paper runs interview with Alibaba staffer who claims she was fired after exec rape claim

Bloke breaking his back on 'commute' from bed to desk deemed a workplace accident

Assange extradition case goes to UK Home Secretary as High Court rules he can be sent to US for trial

Lack shame? Fancy some festive Windows knitwear? We've got your back

Playing jigsaw on my roof: They can ID you from your hygiene habits

BOFH: Time to put the Pretty Dumb F in PDF reader

NASA's new black hole spotter makes it into orbit

Amazon fined €1.13bn by Italy's antitrust authorities for abusing its power

China: Bars app that often hosted dissenting conversations

Gas giant 11 times the mass of Jupiter discovered in b Centauri binary system

OK, boomer? Gen-X-ers, elder millennials most likely to name their cars, says DVLA

Actual metal being welded in support of the UK's first orbital 'launch platform'

Don't panic about cyber insurers pulling up the drawbridge, says Lloyd's

UK and USA seek new world order for cross-border data sharing and privacy

German court rules cookie preference service that shared IP addresses with US firm should be halted

Microsoft signs settlement with US Justice Dept over 'immigration-related discrimination' claims

Google launches lawsuit against a blockchain-enabled botnet

Boffins demonstrate a different kind of floppy disk: A legless robot that hops along a surface

Hubble Space Telescope restored to service: No repeat of those missing messages, but here's a software patch anyway

Shocking: UK electricity tariffs are among world's most expensive

Indian government committee slams 'gross misuse' of internet shutdowns – even in Kashmir

It's primed and full of fuel, the James Webb Space Telescope is ready to be packed up prior to launch

Fail: Exam paper marked by Elon Musk up for auction

Uber's gig economy business model takes a blow from London legal double-whammy

Galileo satnav system gets two new somewhat confusing satellites

China's Yutu rover spots 'mysterious hut' on far side of the Moon

Battlefield 2042: Please don't be the death knell of the franchise, please don't be the death knell of the franchise

What will life in orbit look like after the ISS? NASA hands out new space station contracts

Chill out to the sounds of an expert typing on a variety of mechanical keyboards

One white cat and a volcano short of a Bond villain: Rocket Lab's Peter Beck shows off the 'Hungry Hippo'

Dev loses copyright appeal over forensic software after judges rule suite was owned by his employer

A smarter alternative to password recognition could be right in front of us: Unique, invisible, maybe even deadly

When you think of a unit of length, do you think of Antony Gormley's rusty anatomy?

Alibaba exec accused of mishandling sexual assault case wants alleged victim to apologise

Ubiquiti dev charged with knocking $4bn off firm's value after insider threat spree

ESA's Mars Express picks up plaintive bleeps of China's Zhurong rover, adding much-needed comms redundancy

UK data watchdog fines government office for disclosing New Year's gong list

What a bunch of bricks: Crooks knock hole in toyshop wall, flee with €35k Lego haul

Russia: It isn't just us – a bit of an old US rocket might get as close as 5.4km to the ISS

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