4ec7bf2d8367dbf3b76de707f270fed8

Gaming controllers and speakers for sale in an electronics store in Kyiv, Ukraine. – Reuters

Russia

UK blocks gaming exports to thwart drone pilots

Britain said it was banning the export to Russia of video game controllers which can be used to pilot drones, part of its latest package of trade measures following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

"We're ... banning outright video game controllers going to Russia, preventing them from being used to pilot drones on the frontline, meaning gaming consoles will no longer be repurposed to kill in Ukraine," sanctions minister Stephen Doughty said in a statement.

The announcement comes after Ukraine's air force said Russia had launched 215 drones and missiles in an overnight attack.

The European Union adopted a similar ban on video games and joysticks earlier this year.

Britain also said it was blocking the export of software used by the defence and energy sectors, including programs used to produce weaponry, and search for and tap new oil and gas wells.

POPULAR ARTICLES

Election

Australia

PM: Election still up for grabs

Labor says it doesn’t want to be complacent despite a clear lead in the polls as the coalition turns to tough-on-crime policies in its last-ditch push for power. Anthony Albanese visited one of Labor’s most marginal seats as the latest Newspoll showed Labor’s primary vote was at its highest point in a year. It was the latest in a series of surveys that have showed the government well ahead on a two-party preferred basis ahead of the May 3 election.

AAP Newswire

Tragedy

Australia

Boy’s drowning adds to ‘most horrific’ Easter toll

Holidaymakers are being warned to avoid any unnecessary risks as powerful swells lash the east coast, resulting in record drownings in one state. Seven people are confirmed dead – six in NSW and one in Victoria – with the search for two others missing since Good Friday continuing on Easter Monday. In the latest tragedy, a nine-year-old boy died after becoming trapped between rocks at a popular holiday spot on the NSW mid-north coast.

AAP Newswire

Housing

UK

London’s boat dwellers struggle to stay afloat

The roughly 35,000 people for whom the waterways of England and Wales are home are worried that what has long been a low-cost alternative to living on solid ground is being made unaffordable by government spending cuts and inflation. Especially in London, the waterways managed by the Canal and River Trust have been a refuge for those priced out of the capital’s bricks and mortar property market.

Reuters

POPULAR ARTICLES

Housing

UK

London’s boat dwellers struggle to stay afloat

The roughly 35,000 people for whom the waterways of England and Wales are home are worried that what has long been a low-cost alternative to living on solid ground is being made unaffordable by government spending cuts and inflation. Especially in London, the waterways managed by the Canal and River Trust have been a refuge for those priced out of the capital’s bricks and mortar property market.

Reuters

Animals

UK

Zoo visitors enjoy rare lion cubs

A quartet of 12-week-old northern African lion cubs were spotted playing in the spring sunshine at Whipsnade Zoo in England in a video released on Tuesday (April 15). The cubs, who were born in January, as part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), have had their first health check, allowing keepers to confirm they are three females and one male. Sarah McGregor, Section Manager of the predators team at Whipsnade Zoo, said: “The lion cubs’ first health check is an exciting milestone, and we are delighted that all four are doing well.“ Keepers at the zoo are now asking for the public’s help in naming the youngest litter of cubs.

Reuters

Court

UK

Paddleboard guide jailed over trip tragedy

A former Welsh police officer who who led four people to their deaths in a paddleboarding tragedy in the UK has been sentenced to 10.5 years in prison for manslaughter. Nerys Bethan Lloyd, 39, had previously pleaded guilty in Swansea Crown Court to four counts of gross negligence manslaughter and failing to discharge her duty for the October 30, 2021 incident. The River Cleddau in Haverfordwest was raging after heavy rains when Lloyd, who operated a side business called the Salty Dog, made the ill-fated decision to lead a group of beginners toward a dangerous weir where the churning waters created a deadly undertow.

AP