Free VPN: are VPNs safe? What are the hidden risks?

As an internet surfing user, you would agree that there are a million phishing and unsafe websites out there which could jeopardize your life by compromising on your personal identity and even giving out your personal details such as name, age, email ID and phone numbers. You have to trust the website first and then give out your personal details. However, there is no surety on these lines to make sure where you are heading online.

Secrets of the world's toughest creatures revealed

These tiny creatures, sometimes called water bears, can survive radiation, freezing, extreme dehydration and even the vacuum of space. Researchers have now decoded the DNA of two species of tardigrade and uncovered the genes that allow them to be revived after desiccation. The study has been published in the journal, PLOS Biology. Just a millimetre or less in size, tardigrades are believed to be the toughest creatures on Earth. A recent study found that they could survive almost any cosmic disaster that could hit the planet.

Amazon's race to make Alexa smarter

But the product is still a shadow of what the man in charge - Dave Limp - and indeed their owners, hope it will become. "We have thousands of engineers inside Amazon adding to [its] capability every day and then another tens of thousands of developers adding to the skills," he tells the BBC. "The thing I am sure of is that this time next year she will be significantly more intelligent than she is now, and that sometime in the future we will hit our goal of reinventing the Star Trek computer." It's a lofty goal, especially since any attempt to go beyond commanding a weather update or asking for the lights to be switched on is currently asking for trouble.

SOS Alerts feature comes to Google Maps, Search application; here's how it works

Search engine giant Google has introduced a much-needed SOS Alerts feature in its Maps and Search applications to offer real-time critical information to users on natural disasters nearby.

Mitsubishi blends MPV and SUV in curious looking Expander

Mitsubishi has been teasing a new high-riding family car for quite some time, and it has finally arrived in the form of the slightly oddball Expander. The world is going crazy for four-wheel drives at the moment but Mitsubishi has taken a different path with its latest car, instead running with the strange MPV/SUV hybrid shape you see here.

Robot 'drowns' in fountain mishap

The stricken robot, made by Knightscope, was spotted by passers-by whose photos of the aftermath quickly went viral on social media. For some, the incident seemed to sum up the state of 21st Century technology. "We were promised flying cars, instead we got suicidal robots," wrote one worker from the building on Twitter.

Robot 'drowns' in fountain mishap

The stricken robot, made by Knightscope, was spotted by passers-by whose photos of the aftermath quickly went viral on social media. For some, the incident seemed to sum up the state of 21st Century technology. "We were promised flying cars, instead we got suicidal robots," wrote one worker from the building on Twitter.

Instagram tops cyber-bullying study

Instagram was highlighted as having become the vehicle most used for mean comments. Seven per cent of young social network users said they had been bullied on the Facebook-owned photo app. That compared to a figure of 6% for Facebook itself, 5% for Snapchat and 2% for Twitter and YouTube. One expert said children were growing up in "a culture of antagonism". Instagram said it encouraged users to report bullying content.

Scottish osprey chicks moved to Spain

The birds of prey were once native to the area it but has not had a breeding pair for more than a century. Working with Forest Enterprise Scotland, the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation has been collecting chicks under licence in north east Scotland. The birds are being released at the Urdaibai Estuary near Bilbao. Ospreys visit the estuary during their migrations to west Africa from breeding sites in Scotland. Alan Campbell, environment ranger with Forest Enterprise Scotland's Aberdeenshire team, said: "This has been a great project to be involved in. "It feels really good to know that we have helped reintroduce these magnificent birds to another part of the world where they have been struggling to hold on.

Scottish osprey chicks moved to Spain

The birds of prey were once native to the area it but has not had a breeding pair for more than a century. Working with Forest Enterprise Scotland, the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation has been collecting chicks under licence in north east Scotland. The birds are being released at the Urdaibai Estuary near Bilbao. Ospreys visit the estuary during their migrations to west Africa from breeding sites in Scotland. Alan Campbell, environment ranger with Forest Enterprise Scotland's Aberdeenshire team, said: "This has been a great project to be involved in. "It feels really good to know that we have helped reintroduce these magnificent birds to another part of the world where they have been struggling to hold on.

If doomsday strikes, this eight-legged 'freak' animal shall inherit the Earth

If a monster space rock crashes into our planet or radiation from an exploding star boils our oceans, humans and most other life forms will disappear. But one creature is sure to survive, according to a study published Friday. And it will keep going for as long as the Sun doesnt die -- at least another 10 billion years. Earths designated heir is the tardigrade, a microscopic, grub-like, eight-legged animal that can live in water or on land, in extreme pressure high or low.

Bupa data breach affects 500,000 insurance customers

The data included names, dates of birth, nationalities, some contact and administrative information but not financial or medical data. The private healthcare firm said concerns were first raised about a breach in June. It is now contacting affected customers.

Judge rules pacemaker data admissible in court

Defendant Ross Compton, who faces aggravated arson charges, claims he was woken by a fire at home, packed a case, broke a window and threw out the bag. A cardiologist told police his explanation was "highly improbable" based on his heart rate and cardiac rhythms at the time. Mr Compton's lawyer said allowing pacemaker evidence expanded government snooping into private data.

Skoda rolls out new Octavia at starting price of Rs 15.49 lakh

Petrol and diesel engine options The petrol version comes with two engine options of 1.4 litre and 1.8 litre. The petrol variants are priced between Rs 15.49-20.89 lakh. The 1.4L TSI turbo petrol produces 149Ps of power and is paired to a 6-speed manual gearbox, and the 1.8L TSI petrol engine that churns out 180Ps of power, comes paired to a w7-speed DSG transmission.

One of the biggest icebergs in recorded history just broke loose from Antarctica

Scientists confirmed Wednesday that a much anticipated break at the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica has occurred, unleashing a massive iceberg that is more than 2,200 square miles in area and weighs a trillion tons.

In other words, the iceberg one of the largest in recorded history to splinter off the Antarctic ice sheets is close to the size of Delaware and consists of almost four times as much ice as the fast melting island of Greenland loses in a year. It is expected to be given the name A68 soon, scientists said.

Scarborough announces he's leaving the GOP

MSNBC'sJoe Scarboroughis leaving the Republican Party, the "Morning Joe" host and former GOP congressman announcedTuesday night.

"I am a Republican, but I'm not going to be a Republican anymore,"Scarborough said during an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

The former Florida GOP congressman said he was going to become an Independent.

Sega debuts free classic games on mobiles

The first five, including Sonic the Hedgehog, are available now via the Apple and Android app stores. The gamemaker said it planned to release additional titles every two weeks for the Sega Forever service. Some fans have complained about the first releases, saying Sega has done a poor job of converting the classic titles to mobile devices. "Above all else Sega Forever is a celebration of nostalgia," said Mike Evans, head of Sega's mobile division in San Francisco in a statement. "It's about allowing fans to reconnect with past experiences.

Future Energy: The computer brains making power plants more efficient

But these machines - power stations - are often pretty dumb, according to Peter Kirk, former chief executive of software company NeuCo. "Power plants," he says, "are just robots that don't have a brain yet." That is where his firm, acquired by GE Power last year, comes in. For years, NeuCo had been developing optimisation technologies - a form of artificial intelligence or AI - that can make power plants more efficient. The idea is to get a computer to monitor the hundreds of fine-grained controls that may be altered in, for example, a coal-fired power plant, and learn how to adjust them in a more effective way.

Watchdog probes 4.50 premium rate texts

One expert claimed the messages look like spam, which could cause phone owners to ignore them. There is also concern about conflicting advice being given to the public. The two companies involved in the campaign deny any wrongdoing. The BBC became aware of the campaign when one of its reporters received a text in June.

Comey Friend Responds to Trump Tweet About 'Illegal' Leaks

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump went after former FBI director James Comey on Twitter Monday, accusing him of breaking the law by leaking classified information to the news media. But that isnt true, according to Comeys friend, Columbia University law professor Daniel Richman, who received some of the memos and shared some elements with reporters.

NASA sign said 'DO NOT TOUCH.' Pence touched it anyway

Vice President Mike Pence, right, gets a tour of the Orion spacecraft clean room with Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., by Bob Cabana, director of the Kennedy Space Center, center, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Thursday, July 6, 2017. Pence is leading a newly revived National Space Council. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel via AP)(Red Huber)

All you need to know about the Thunder Moon seen over the North East

A full moon, also known as a thunder moon, graced the skies over the North East on Sunday. But the show is not over yet and there are still spectacular sights to be seen in the sky as the moon slowly changes appearance again in its never-ending cycle.

RED's modular Hydrogen One phone looks even crazier in its patent application

Last week we learned that RED, a company best known for making high-quality digital cinema cameras, is going to dip into the smartphone market with something called the Hydrogen One. The company announced the phone with a screaming hot price tag of $1,195 and up, but revealed little else aside from a few things: it will offer 3D (and 4D) visuals and audio that will ASSAULT YOUR SENSES, the phone will be carrier-unlocked and run Android, and it will be modular. CLick to go on google

Qualcomm seeks Apple iPhone sales ban

It claims that iPhones using chips by rivals, such as Intel, infringe six of its patents. Qualcomm said it had asked the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to investigate and impose an import block. It is the latest move in a series of disputes and lawsuits between Apple and Qualcomm. In January, Apple filed two lawsuits against Qualcomm, claiming it had abused its dominant market position.

The Oculus Rift and Touch bundle is on sale for $399

The Oculus Rift and Oculus Touch are getting a big (but temporary) price drop: for the next six weeks, the VR headset and motion controller bundle will sell for $399, nearly a $200 discount to the normal price. Its part of Oculus summer-long attempt to promote the Rift, now that its been out for over a year. According to Oculus VP of content Jason Rubin, the sale is meant to draw people who may have been sitting on the sideline because of price, and entice people who may not have been considering the Rift to look at its growing app and game library.

New Reliance JioFi data plan offers 224 GB data on a recharge of Rs 509

Reliance Jiohas launched a new recharge plan for new JioFi device customers. Jio will provide 224 GB of data on arecharge of Rs 509 and 24 GB of data on the recharge of Rs 149. These offers can be used over a period of four months andtwelve months respectively.

CopyCat Android malware infected 14m devices, rooted 8m last year

CopyCat Android mobile malware was able to infect over 14 million devices last year and root eight million of them, researchers have revealed.The malware, spread through popular apps repackaged with the malicious code and distributed through third-party stores and phishing scams -- but not Google Play -- infects devices in order to generate and steal advertising revenue.According to Check Point researchers, the hackers behind the campaign were able to earn roughly $1.5 million in two months, infecting 14 million devices globally and rooting 8 million of them in what the security team calls an "an unprecedented success rate."

Instagram users can now reply 'Direct'ly to 'Stories'

In a bid to improve visual conversations among users through its messaging tool Direct, photo-sharing app Instagram has added the feature to reply to users Stories with photos or videos.

Nintendo Teases Unannounced Switch Games

While a lot of the discussion around upcoming Nintendo Switch games has been focused on big-name titles such as Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's first expansion, there are more Switch games from Nintendo in the works.

Retro gaming: Why players are returning to the classics

Computers had made it into our living rooms, and although fans had their favourites - the thrust of Street Fighter, the platforms of Super Mario or the simplicity of Pacman - children and adults alike were hooked. The market for consoles has continued to grow over the decades as technology companies across the globe try to get their bite out of the gaming pie. But almost 20 years into the new millennium, passionate players are still looking back in time to find their fix.

Alibaba reveals Echo-like smart speaker

In the West, Amazon's Echo range of smart speakers compete against Google Home. Apple and Microsoft have similar products scheduled for release soon. And Samsung is readying a speaker of its own, powered by its new Bixby virtual assistant, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

President Trump's second foreign trip

President Trumps second foreign tripkicks off today in Warsaw the first leg of a trip that includes theG-20 Summitin Hamburg and a stop in Paris forBastille Day.

Dr Hiroki Ueda, one of the researchers, said: "The images reveal cancerous colonies in enough detail to calculate their shapes, volumes, and distributions - characteristics critical to distinguishing between patterns of metastasis.

Further experiments showed how cancer can get better at spreading. Dr Kohei Miyazono said: "Most of the cancer cells appear to die during circulation in the bloodstream and fail to metastasise." But cancers then start producing chemical signals to help them grow. The researchers tested the effect of one of them, called TGF-beta, and showed it dramatically improved the chances of cancers colonising the lung tissue. "[They] are far more likely to survive the journey and form malignant outposts," Dr Miyazono added. It is thought the technology could be adapted to other disciplines, including how the body's cells behave in people with autoimmune diseases.

President Trump's second foreign trip

President Trumps second foreign tripkicks off today in Warsaw the first leg of a trip that includes theG-20 Summitin Hamburg and a stop in Paris forBastille Day.

Police seize servers of Ukrainian software firm suspected of spreading the NotPetya malware

Ukrainian police on Tuesday seized the servers of an accounting software firm suspected of spreading a malware virus which crippled computer systems at major companies around the world last week, a senior police official said.

Google Play updates will finally show changes inline

The Google Play Store is a rather ironic part of Googles ecosystem. For a company that puts information at your fingertips in Search, it seems to make it so difficult to extract information in its Play Store app and website. For example, it was only recently that Google even added the option to sort your installed apps. Soon, it will finally have the ability to show you exactly what youre getting when you update an app, without having to go through different screens to do so.

The Volvo V90 Cross Country will try to convince us of the value of estate cars, to launch on 12 July

Volvois planning on changing the idea its Indian customer base holds of estatecars by announcing the launch of the V90 Cross Country on 12 July. While the launch wasconfirmedto happen last year, this will be the companys third Cross Country variant in India after theVolvo V40and S60.

Bollywood's Enduring Love For Motherhood Continues, As Sridevi Makes A Comeback With 'Mom'

Sacrificial, destructive, vindictive, saintly, and sometimes all these things at once, motherhood is one of Bollywoods most enduring subjects. This Friday, Indian screen legend Sridevi, who ruled the marquee in the 80s and early 90s, is back as a vengeful mother in Mom. Directed by Ravi Udyawar, Mom is seemingly a dark and gritty thriller. Trailers for the movie left the exact details about the plot purposefully vague, but confirmed one thing: just how much the movie looked like other wronged-mother-seeking-revenge movies. In April, we saw Raveena Tandon in hard-hitting rape-revenge tale Maatr (mother in Hindi). Sadly, the film didn't do well at the box office.

Police seize servers of Ukrainian software firm suspected of spreading the NotPetya malware

Ukrainian police on Tuesday seized the servers of an accounting software firm suspected of spreading a malware virus which crippled computer systems at major companies around the world last week, a senior police official said.

Employee email claims 500 Startups leadership delayed acknowledging McClure's harassment, as new allegations surface

An email circulated to 500 Startups staffers by its Mountain View accelerator lead and partner Elizabeth Yin makes several claims that contradict the narrative presented by leadership so far. In the email, Yin resigns effective Friday, citing the lack of transparency and several untruths presented by 500 Leadership. This email makes claims that there were allegations yet to be put forth, something supported by a blog post from entrepreneur and founder Cheryl Yeoh today that makes claims of sexual assault.

Roger Federer: 'There were moments I wanted to walk away from tennis'

A stage before his name was immortalized and the records fell; a period in his glittering career when defeat was more common than victory. "It was tough," Federer tells CNN Sport, reflecting on his early years on the ATP Tour. "When I traveled internationally I would get beat up very often in the first round 6-2, 6-3. You go home and realize: 'Okay, you're good in Basel but you're not very good in the world.'"

Huge cyber-attack with worrying implications

Experts are also pointing to the fact that the attacks seemed to destroy data rather than just locking it up - which means that it is unlikely to garner many ransom payments as victims will get nothing in return for paying up.

These NES-style Switch controllers look great but cost a ton

ColorWare has been painting custom versions of the Switch since April, but the companys latest limited edition run probably puts all your mix-and-match color schemes to shame with a pair of Joy-Con controllers patterned off the original NES.

WhatsApp introduces new Night Mode feature on iPhone for brighter low light photographs

WhatsApp has introduced a new Night Mode feature on iOS devices. The feature is only available on Apples iPhones and is expected to come on the Android platform in the future Beta updates.

Facelifted Skoda Octavia to be launched in India on 13 July, features mostly interior changes

Skoda will launch the much-awaited 2017 Skoda Octavia on 13 July. The sedan which was globally launched by the company in October 2016, will finally make its way to the Indian market. While changes on the new Octavia are mostly on the inside. On the outside of the new Octavia, we find dual split LED headlights, redesigned bumpers, new alloys and revisions to the LED tail lamps, as reported in an earlier spy shot.

Monday's Sports Minute: Harper leads All-Star voting

ALL-STAR:Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper (34) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, July 2, in St. Louis. The home run was the second of the game for Harper. Photo: Associated Press/Jeff Roberson

World's Billionaires 30th Anniversary: Looking Back On Three Decades Of Billionaires

Our inaugural edition counted only 140 billionaire individuals and families from just 24 countries. At the time, Japan was home to both the world's richest man, real estate tycoon Yoshiaki Tsutsumi, and more billionaires than any other country besides the U.S. This year? We have a record 2,043 billionaires from 71 countries and territories. The U.S. still holds the most, but now China comes in second, and Bill Gates has held the title of World's Richest Man for 18 of the last 23 years.

NASA's Juno Flyby Over Jupiter's Great Red Spot Soon After First Orbital Anniversary

The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is not a misnomer, considering its size is about three and a half times that of Earth. And this mysterious weather phenomenon on the gas giant, which has been swirling over the planet for at least 150 years it could even be as much as 350 years is set to get a closer look when NASAs Juno spacecraft flies over it July 10.

Get Mass Effect: Andromeda For $20 Right Now In The US

Looking for something new to play? BioWare's Mass Effect: Andromeda is currently marked down to just $20 at US retailer GameStop. This price is for physical editions for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and is down from its previous price of $40.

Google Play updates will finally show changes inline

The Google Play Store is a rather ironic part of Googles ecosystem. For a company that puts information at your fingertips in Search, it seems to make it so difficult to extract information in its Play Store app and website. For example, it was only recently that Google even added the option to sort your installed apps. Soon, it will finally have the ability to show you exactly what youre getting when you update an app, without having to go through different screens to do so.

Google Play updates will finally show changes inline

The Google Play Store is a rather ironic part of Googles ecosystem. For a company that puts information at your fingertips in Search, it seems to make it so difficult to extract information in its Play Store app and website. For example, it was only recently that Google even added the option to sort your installed apps. Soon, it will finally have the ability to show you exactly what youre getting when you update an app, without having to go through different screens to do so.