Death sentence for 'terrorist' hackers

Hacking
The ordinance also set out punishments for other offences - including illegal electronic entry into systems of any sensitive installations and electronic fraud

Hackers beware. President Asif Ali Zardari decreed yesterday that all hackers who cause death through "cyber terrorism" in Pakistan will be subject to capital punishment.

The Prevention of Electronic Crimes law isn't just applicable to Pakistani hackers. Anyone "who commits a crime detrimental to national security through the use of a computer or any other electronic device" - whether in the country or not - is subject to the law, Reuters reports.

Several definitions of a 'terroristic act' have been named, including stealing or copying, or attempting to steal or copy, classified information necessary to manufacture any form of chemical, biological or nuclear weapon.

Key duplication

In other strange news from the last seven days, advances in digital imaging and optics mean that it is possible to duplicate a set of keys using only a photograph.

That's according to scientists at the University of California, who have devised a software program capable of copying a key from a distance, and regardless of its angle.

With the increased use of digital cameras and even webcams, it seems that your keys may not be as safe as you thought - even in your own home.

Mission to Mars

Meanwhile, man's mission to Mars has become one step closer. New research has shown that a portable "mini magnetosphere" - similar to Earth's "natural 'force field'" - would be enough to protect a small spacecraft from deadly solar storms and cosmic rays.

The idea has existed in computer simulation form for years, says Physorg, but only now, thanks to an unspecified "apparatus originally built to work on fusion", have scientists been able to recreate a tiny piece of the Solar Wind to confirm the theory.

On yer bike

Researchers at Keio University in Yokohama, Japan, have designed a bike that can balance itself. Using a system of three rollers and two motors - one controlling steering; the other driving the rear wheels - to maintain balance, the bicycle boasts an average speed of 2.5 metres per second.

Sadly, it can only stay upright while travelling in a straight line, but scientists hope to remedy this problem soon. The idea is to make cycling safer for the elderly as well as others who find balancing a bike challenging.

And finally...

A shrimp has become an unlikely internet legend after learning how to run on a treadmill. The speedy crustacean, which was placed on a mini exercise bike in a tank of water, reached speeds of 20m (60ft) per minute during the experiment, according to the Metro.

The filmed exercise was all part of an investigation into how far shrimps will travel for food (a question we've all pondered). Almost a million people have logged on to catch a glimpse of the super-fit shrimp. More inspired fans have put music to the footage, with tunes from Chariots of Fire being among the favourites.

Julia Sagar
Content director, special projects

Julia specialises in ecommerce at Future. For the last four years, she’s split her time between leading TechRadar’s crack team of deal editors - covering all the biggest sales of the year including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day - and helping the audiences of Future’s consumer tech and lifestyle brands (TechRadar, Tom's Guide, T3, Marie Claire, Woman & Home and more) find the best products and services for their needs and budget.

A former editor of global design website Creative Bloq, she has over 15 years’ experience in online and print journalism, and was part of the team that launched TechRadar way back in the day. When she isn't reviewing mattresses (she’s tested more than she cares to remember), or sharing tips on how to save money in the latest sales, she can usually be found writing about anything from green energy to graphic design.

Latest in Cyber Crime
A person scanning a QR code on a smartphone
Quishing is the new QR code scam you need to watch out for – here's how to stay safe
Ransomware on the rise: how small and medium-sized businesses can achieve cyber resilience during turbulent times
Ransomware on the rise: how small and medium-sized businesses can achieve cyber resilience during turbulent times
Text Phishing Scams
Do not fall for this dangerous Amazon shopping scam
Cyber-security
Safeguarding against next-gen cyber risks
The North Face jacket
Thousands of North Face customers accounts hacked, personal data stolen
Smartphone hacked with data flow in the background
9 signs your phone has been hacked
Latest in News
Pro-Ject A1.2 in black, playing a vinyl record in a hi-fi listening room
Pro-Ject's new fully-automatic turntable could be the buy of Record Store Day 2025
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet reportedly won't release until after 2026, as Neil Druckmann says that staff 'are playing it at the office' right now - but I don't think I can wait that long
Screenshot from action RPG soulslike Lies of P
Lies of P Overture won't elaborate on the game's eyebrow-raising post-credits twist, and I think that's good news
Nintendo Switch 2
The Switch 2 launching with a Mario Kart game 'is very unlike Nintendo' compared to the original Switch releasing with Breath of the Wild, says former marketing leads: 'That's what's gonna make you want to buy the new hardware'
Kindle de Amazon
The latest Kindle update finally fixes page turning – and adds the perfect reading tool for my sieve-like brain
Waze voice control
Waze is ditching Google Assistant for Gemini on iOS, and for good reasons