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China could cut off US access to rare earth metals if trade war escalates
China is the world's leading producer of rare earth metals used in all forms of electronic hardware, and it's now indicating that it may restrict the United States' access to rare earth minerals in response to the ongoing US trade war against China (Gizmodo). The state-run People’s Daily newspaper said: “Undoubtedly, the U.S. side wants to use the products made by China’s exported rare earths to counter and suppress China’s development. The Chinese people will never accept this!”
Google Play games must disclose loot box odds
As more countries move to classify randomised in-game purchases as gambling, Google's latest Play Store policy update require all games with purchasable loot boxes to clearly disclose the odds of receiving the random items they contain before purchase (SlashGear). The policy update also includes new restrictions against hate speech, sex acts and cannabis delivery services.
SpaceX's Starlink satellite constellation is worrying astronomers
Astronomers are concerned about light pollution from SpaceX's Starlink broadband satellites – and SpaceX is just one of a number of companies planning vast satellite networks (The Verge).
As the first 60 of the intended 12,000-satellite Starlink constellation moved into orbit, skywatchers observed their potential for interference in long-exposure observations from Earth. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's response is that "we need to move telelscopes to orbit anyway", seemingly disregarding the larger dish sizes feasible for Earth-based satellites and vastly greater cost of space telescopes.
Margrethe Vestager fined Google and Apple billions, now she may lead Europe
If you tried to work out what the polar opposite of a rockstar is, you might justifiably plump for European Commissioner (WIRED). The 28 members of the European Union’s executive branch are routinely traduced by critics with epithets ranging from the backhanded “Eurocrats” to the Brexity “unelected bureaucrats”, and, arguably, very few commissioners beyond the president – currently, Jean-Claude Juncker – enjoy Europe-wide name recognition. All that makes the irresistible rise of antitrust czarina Margrethe Vestager almost a miracle.
Kojima Productions reveals gameplay and a release date for Death Stranding
Kojima Productions has released a 9-minute trailer showing open-world gameplay, mechanics and a bit more of the lore of Death Stranding (Polygon). The game, Hideo Kojima's first since departing Konami in 2015, will call on players to "reconnect isolated cities and a fragmented society" and is due out as PlayStation 4 exclusive on November 8.
Elon Musk's wild space internet plan
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This article was originally published by WIRED UK
