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Commentary: OpenAI’s breach of Hugging Face shows AI is getting too hard to contain AI companies need to accept some uncomfortable trade-offs to make their models more secure, says Parmy Olson for Bloomberg Opinion. LONDON: The world's leading artificial intelligence companies want us to believe they offer safe hands for developing the technology. But news of a recent transgression underscores how far they are from deserving that trust. OpenAI confirmed this week that its latest models breached a safety-testing program, escaped their restricted environment, accessed the wider internet and compromised another company's systems. The AI wasn't acting…

Nvidia, Palantir, Meta warn against ‘premature restrictions’ of open-weight models Top US tech companies urge policymakers in open letter not to undermine competition and drive more users to Chinese AI systems The challenge comes amid growing speculation that the Trump administration might introduce restrictions on open AI models. These would aim to address national security risks of the fast-moving technology and combat the growing popularity of Chinese models, a move that critics say would instead hurt US innovation. Open-weight models are AI models that are released for free on the internet, allowing anyone to download and customise them for…

Today, Anthropic released Claude Opus 5. It replaces Claude Opus 4.8 as the Opus-tier flagship. Pricing is unchanged at $5 per million input tokens and $25 per million output tokens. The Anthropic team positions Opus 5 as approaching the intelligence of Claude Fable 5 at half the price. It is now the default model on Claude Max and the strongest model on Claude Pro. What actually changed at the API level Three changes are quite important before any benchmark does: Thinking is on by default. On Opus 4.8, requests ran without thinking unless you set- thinking: {"type": "adaptive"}. On Opus 5 the same request thinks, and the effort parameter controls…

From Mandarin and English to the many Indigenous languages spoken around the world, humans today communicate via roughly 7,500 tongues. But humanity’s linguistic diversity may once have been far greater, according to a new study published in the journal Science. Researchers think humans may have spoken as many as 20,000 to 75,000 different languages during a period they’ve dubbed the linguistic “golden age.” But that linguistic abundance did not last. As multinational states like the Roman Empire expanded, scientists think their languages spread too, wiping out many others. Since many ancient languages may have vanished without a trace, researchers…

TL;DR UK tribunal rules Holiday Extras discriminated against a remote worker by refusing to let her keep her camera off during calls UK tribunal rules Holiday Extras discriminated against a remote worker by refusing to let her keep her camera off during calls A UK employment tribunal has ruled that forcing a remote worker with anxiety, ADHD, and autism to turn on her camera during a video training session amounted to disability discrimination. Laura Tait, a home-based travel consultant at Holiday Extras, was awarded compensation after the Croydon tribunal found the company failed to make reasonable adjustments for her conditions. The ruling does not…

In theory, I get the appeal of an NPC powered by AI. What if Lydia from Skyrim could talk endlessly about topics other than your shared inventory and could offer more than the handful of phrases she shouts at enemy bandits? I like the idea of characters whose interactions don't end just because their scripts do. It's an intriguing concept. The reality is that, at least for now, the AI solutions I've seen just don't work all that well. AI-powered NPCs can talk and talk and talk, that's for damn sure. But they're not saying anything worth listening to. A while back I took a modded, ChatGPT-powered companion with me to see if the AI that can supposedly…

Today, Anthropic rolled out Opus 5, the newest update for the model that has recently become a popular choice for coding and other software development tasks, among other things. While this is a noteworthy bump for Opus, it doesn’t seem to be an Opus 4.5-level breakthrough in agentic coding performance. A chart (made by Anthropic) with various benchmarks like Frontier-Bench and DeepSWE shows Opus 5 performing at about the same level or slightly ahead of the much-ballyhooed capabilities of Anthropic’s Fable model for coding tasks. It ostensibly beats Opus 4.8 and OpenAI’s competing GPT-5.6-Sol in just about every kind of task. The various benchmarks…

OpenAI’s facing a firestorm of late: a rogue agent hacking Hugging Face, a lawsuit launched by Apple accusing OpenAI of stealing trade secrets, and ongoing anger about AI and AI devices in general, plus a delayed IPO. In the midst of all of this, OpenAI President Greg Brockman spoke to reporters in New York Thursday to discuss the company’s latest AI plans and recent events. But he also dropped a few hints on the company’s wearable and hardware aspirations, and where it could overlap with some voice-focused advances in ChatGPT. And it won’t just be through OpenAI’s own hardware: expect other smart glasses and wearables to eventually get better access,…

Origins of Object-Oriented Programming I am having a hard time explaining to people what my Abject project is about. I've been taking people's feedback and updating the website to make it clearer. One idea people are having a hard time with is when I say, "The internet is an object-oriented system." Those trained in computer programming often have a hard time grasping this because we have been trained that object-oriented means classes and class hierarchies. Through that lens, it doesn't make sense. The person who coined the term "object-oriented programming" was Alan Kay, when he was in graduate school before he developed Smalltalk. He was influenced…

OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, were sued by a Florida pastor who accused the company’s chatbot, ChatGPT, of giving him “personalized and inaccurate medical advice” that "brought him to the brink of death." According to the lawsuit, the 55-year-old man listened to health advice from ChatGPT, which he claims led him to delay seeking medical attention. ChatGPT allegedly said his symptoms were not likely very dangerous, but the pain he felt was actually the beginning of a pulmonary embolism that almost took his life. Eric Fish, a partner at Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, joined "Forbes Newsroom" to break down the lawsuit. Watch the full conversation above.

The Seoul city government has partnered with CU, Korea’s largest convenience store chain, to launch a line of low-sugar, high-protein packaged meals intended to make healthy eating cheaper and more accessible, municipal officials said earlier this week. The five-item lineup, branded “Seoul My Soul Healthy Convenience Foods,” includes a bento-style boxed lunch, a rolled gimbap — seaweed-wrapped rice rolls packed with vegetables and other fillings — two triangle-shaped rice balls, known as "samgak-gimbap," and a chicken sandwich. "This collaboration was designed to help residents easily and affordably embrace healthy living in their daily routines,"…

NEW DELHI: Buoyed by the response to his midnight post on Instagram Thursday, which got 305 million views, PM Modi Friday returned to the social media platform. "Thank you, friends. I had an opportunity to connect with you late last night. The way you responded to my video post and gave constructive suggestions, thanks to everybody. Your love will continue and our bond will strengthen," the PM said, reports Dipak Dash. His remarks reflected satisfaction, with officials calling it a "successful connect" with Gen Z, who have been wooed by CJP and other opponents. Within minutes, Friday's video had garnered 9.3 million views. This came barely hours after…

Welcome to Pixelated episode 109. This week, Damien, Abner, and Will dive into everything Samsung announced at this week’s Galaxy Unpacked, the legacy of the original Pixel Fold, and whether flip phones have a future ahead of them. Enjoy the episode? You can listen to our brand new weekly members-only Pixelated Pro bonus episode by signing up for 9to5Google Pro! Sponsored by Proton Unlimited: Pixelated listeners can save 30% on an annual subscription to the company’s suite of privacy-friendly services by signing up using our link. Thanks to Proton Unlimited for sponsoring the podcast. Subscribe Hosts Listen to more 9to5 Podcasts Feedback? Drop us a…

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — The Mandaue City Government has allocated P15 million this year for the procurement and installation of traffic lights at two intersections, while preparing a phased rehabilitation program for older traffic signal systems estimated to cost more than P60 million. The two new traffic lights will be installed at the intersection of […]...Keep on reading: Mandaue allots P15M for new traffic lights, eyes P60M rehab plan

The Pixel Watch 4 proved Google could make a truly great Android smartwatch, so for this year’s Pixel Watch 5, the company apparently doesn’t plan to change much. According to a Google Play Console listing spotted by 9to5Google, the Pixel Watch 5 may end up using the exact same Qualcomm chip as the Pixel Watch 4, just with a smidge more RAM. The listing specifically names a device called “google godric_btwifi” using a “Qualcomm SW5100” with a 4x ARM Cortex-A53 CPU and a Qualcomm Adreno 702. That suggests Google is using a chip in the same Snapdragon W5 family as it did on its smartwatches starting with the Pixel Watch 2. It may even be the exact same…

One ring to track them all: RingConn teams up with Lord of the Rings Jul 24, 2026 — 5:25 PM ET RingConn has launched its Gen 3 smart ring alongside an official Lord of the Rings partnership with Warner Bros. The $349 wearable tracks sleep, activity, women’s health, and sleep apnea patterns without requiring a subscription. Eligible US buyers can apparently receive LOTR-themed rewards. Linking your new smart ring with the most notoriously corrupting piece of jewelry in fiction might not seem like the obvious marketing move. Then again, plenty of people have spent the last 25 years wishing they could get their hands on the One Ring, and RingConn is now…

Apple Pay is a go-to feature for iPhone users when shopping in stores, online, and in apps. Apple recently announced four new features that make Apple Pay even better. Here’s how they work. New design in iOS 27 One of my favorite changes in iOS 27 is the redesigned Apple Pay checkout interface. The new interface makes it much easier to switch between different cards during the checkout flow on websites and in apps. In the new design, you can easily swipe between cards on the main Apple Pay checkout screen. You can also tap on a card to view a grid of all your available Apple Pay cards. The design also makes it easier to see information about…

By Park Boram SAN FRANCISCO, July 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with Dario Amodei, chief executive officer of U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic PBC, on Friday and asked for his special attention to South Korea's AI sector. The meeting took place on the first day of Lee's two-day trip to San Francisco aimed at promoting AI investment and cooperation between global tech giants and South Korea. "I am very glad and delighted to meet someone who is world-famous. You are also very well known in South Korea," Lee told Amodei. The president added, "As South Korea plans to significantly expand investment in the AI…

Pebblebee, known for its Android Find Hub / Apple Find My trackers, has just launched some new battery-free ID tags that help you recover lost bags, as well as give your pets a means of identification. Based on its Link QR code system introduced in 2025, Pebblebee has two new products now on sale. The first is the “Link Bag Tag,” a simple QR code that routes through Pebblebee’s network to help you recover lost items. This is specifically designed for luggage, with a TSA-friendly design, tamper-evident design, and the same battery-free, universal support as Link stickers. You can customize the page people land on, but it always includes needed…

A year ago, I was obsessed with my Boox Palma. I carried the phone-shaped e-ink device everywhere, and credited it with helping me read more and use my phone less. But after I discovered the quirky, wallet-sized Xteink X4 last December, my Boox e-reader has literally been collecting dust. As I've pointed out in various reviews and articles, Xteink devices are a bit clunky (the company is a Chinese startup, and its products display all the growing pains you'd expect from new tech). They're also probably not for everyone—but they're definitely for a lot of people: Xteink's devices (which now include the X4, the smaller X3, and the just-released X4 Pro)…

China tests Central Asian land corridors to bypass maritime chokepoints New Afghanistan link via Uzbekistan highlights diversification push, but critics ask if Taliban can ensure security for stable logistics A new link to Afghanistan via Uzbekistan offers a practical example of this long-term diversification push. However, observers caution that security concerns and capacity constraints could make a meaningful shift away from sea freight difficult. Officially launched in May with pilot shipments, the multi-modal freight corridor allows containers to be moved by rail from China through Kazakhstan into Uzbekistan, and then by road via Turkmenistan to…

Donald Trump switched aircraft before departing Turkey earlier this month after US officials determined there was a credible threat from Iranian proxy forces targeting him and Air Force One, according to a new report from the New York Times. The threat surfaced while the US president was attending the Nato summit. He had arrived in Ankara onboard the new Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8, an aircraft that Trump acknowledged does not have the same advanced defensive systems as the older Air Force One. According to the anonymous sources who spoke to the Times, after US officials detected the threat, the Secret Service recommended that Trump change aircraft…

PH vessels hit anew by China water cannons The China Coast Guard (CCG) fired water cannons at vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal on Friday, the third day that the CCG harassed Filipinos in the West Philippine Sea this week alone. The latest assault follows an incident of water cannon firing and dangerous maneuvers on Thursday in the same area off Zambales province and the confrontation on Monday between Philippine Navy and CCG teams at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal which left two Filipino servicemen injured. The PCG said the Philippine vessels in the Friday…

Yemeni Houthi media on Saturday said two people were injured by Saudi air strikes - a worker in the city of Hodeida and a woman on Kamaran island. "A worker at the telecommunications building was injured in the Saudi aggression on the city of Hodeida," al-Masirah television said.

The family of a boy who drowned near Nutimik Lake in 2023 is calling for change after two brothers drowned in the same spot late last weekend. Danish Habib is the father of Usaid Habib, a 12-year-old boy who drowned at Sturgeon Falls near Nutimik Lake in 2023 after being pulled into the rapids while his family was on a hike. “What are they waiting for?” he said. “More people to die before they take any action?” On Wednesday, the body of Maximo Au Ramirez, 10, was recovered near the falls at Nutimik Lake in Whiteshell Provincial Park. Thursday evening, Lac du Bonnet RCMP confirmed they had found the body of his 13-year-old brother, Aaron. The…

Even after the collapse of the cease-fire between the United States and Iran, American universities expect to teach in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and a new outpost is on track to open in Saudi Arabia.

China, Philippine coastguard vessels clash in South China Sea A China Coast Guard vessel has fired its water cannon at Philippine government boats near Scarborough Shoal, the latest in a series of confrontations in the disputed South China Sea. Published On 24 Jul 2026

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court Friday agreed to hear Monday a PIL by an advocate for framing and scrupulous implementation of national guidelines ensuring "no police officer or security personnel shall carry out crowd control, public assembly management or arrests in plainclothes without displaying identity". CJI Surya Kant clarified that he was misquoted in the media when he refused to entertain another advocate who was highlighting the issues arising from the July 20 protest march and police action. In his plea, Shailendra Mani Tripathi sought an independent commission headed by a retired SC judge to inquire into the excessive force used against students…

President Emmanuel Macron has requested assistance from aircraft and helicopters through the European Union's civil protection mechanism as wildfires intensify across France, while authorities have ordered the evacuation of everyone on the popular Cap-Ferret peninsula.

Iran War Live Updates: Trump Meets With Cabinet Over Whether to Intensify Iran Strikes The New York TimesTrump considers ‘massive attack’ on Iran; Pakistan reportedly seeks to restart stalled peace talks CNBCTehran slams Trump’s threat to use frozen Iranian assets as ‘incendiary’ Al JazeeraTrump says US and Iran are talking, but Tehran is not yet ready for deal ReutersTrump threatens a major escalation in Iran after 13 straight nights of strikes NPR

Wellington under severe thunderstorm warning Wellington city and airport are under a severe thunderstorm warning, with torrential rain also expected. MetService issued the warning at 9.20am Saturday, valid until just before 11am. It said its weather radar had detected severe thunderstorms moving east-northeast. It expected the thunderstorms to be accompanied by torrential rain. The MetService warned that such rain could cause surface and/or flash flooding about streams, gullies and urban areas, and make driving conditions extremely hazardous. The National Emergency Management Agency advises that as storms approach you should: Take shelter, preferably…

Kiyapo intensifies as it exits PAR; Signal No. 1 in 5 N. Luzon areas MANILA, Philippines – Severe Tropical Storm Kiyapo (international name: Noul) has intensified into a typhoon as it exited the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) early Saturday morning, according to the state weather bureau. In its early morning bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) reported that Kiyapo exited PAR at around 3 a.m. It was last spotted some 320 kilometers (km.) west of Basco, Batanes, with a maximum wind speed of 120 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of iup to 150 kph while moving…

Hundreds of people are out of their homes due to huge wildfires burning across British Columbia. Thousands more are on evacuation alert as wildfire crews battle the flames from the ground and the air. In the Boston Bar area, the Brunswick Complex continues to burn. It is made up of the Ainslie Creek, the Brunswick Creek fire and the Anderson Creek fire. The BC Wildfire Service says hot and dry conditions on Thursday led to aggressive fire behaviour and rapid growth along the northern edge of the fire, above Canyon Alpine. The head of the Anderson Creek wildfire has merged with the southern edge of the Ainslie Creek wildfire. Structural firefighters…

Published Police Scotland has declared a major incident as emergency services continue to tackle a wildfire which has been burning in the Cairngorms National Park for 10 days. The force said it followed "a significant change in weather conditions" which has increased the risk of fire spreading towards the village of Nethy Bridge. All Nethy Bridge residents have been evacuated to allow emergency services to continue their response. First Minister John Swinney said "all resources that can be deployed are being deployed". Smoke from the wildfire can now be seen 59 miles away in Aberdeen following a change in wind direction. Supt Judy Hill said: "The…

‘Kiyapo’ unleashes floods across PH TUGUEGARAO CITY—Tropical Storm “Kiyapo” (international name: Noul) and the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat) battered large parts of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao on Friday, triggering floods, landslides, road closures, forced evacuations, sea travel suspensions, and widespread class cancellations across the country. A Yellow Heavy Rainfall Warning remained in effect over parts of Cagayan and Ilocos Norte, while moderate to heavy rains were reported in Batanes, Isabela, Apayao, Kalinga, Abra, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, and nearby provinces. Article continues after this advertisement The storm was tracked above…

Office building by day, vibrant rooftop lounge by night, The Penthouse 8747 embodies Makati’s thriving nightlife, bringing together sophistication and Gatsby-inspired fun...Keep on reading: Above it all: A decade of The Penthouse 8747

Police Scotland has declared a major incident as emergency services continue to battle a significant wildfire raging through the Cairngorms National Park. The blaze's behaviour has become increasingly unpredictable, exacerbated by warnings of drastically changed weather conditions, including stronger winds. As a precautionary measure, homes around Nethy Bridge have been evacuated, with residents directed to a dedicated respite centre at the Macdonald Aviemore Hotel. Access roads leading into Nethy Bridge are now closed to the public. Superintendent Judy Hill said: “The weather conditions experienced within the Cairngorms over the last 24 hours have…

Gardaí and emergency services are currently at the scene of a serious crash in Shercock, Co. Cavan. The crash occurred on Friday evening on the R162 near Corclare. The road is currently closed. Local diversions are in place. Gardaí have said there is currently no further information available.

Two of the three out-of-control wildfires burning near Boston Bar, B.C., have merged, while hot and dry conditions and a lightning storm led to even more fires and evacuation alerts across the province. The BC Wildfire Service says the 57-square-kilometre Anderson Creek wildfire grew rapidly along its northern edge on Thursday, merging with the southern edge of the 173-square-kilometre Ainslie Creek wildfire. An evacuation alert issued by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District due to the Ainslie Creek fire was expanded Friday to around 110 properties roughly 32 kilometres southeast of Merritt. The wildfire service said protecting structures around the…

TEHRAN, July 24. /TASS/. The United States attacked a tanker in the Gulf of Oman on suspicion that it was carrying Iranian liquefied natural gas, killing two crew members, Iran’s state broadcaster reported, citing a source. According to the report, the US military fired two projectiles at the tanker as it was sailing in the Gulf of Oman. The vessel was reportedly targeted on suspicion of violating the US-imposed naval blockade of Iran by transporting Iranian liquefied natural gas, the source said, adding that two crew members had been killed in the attack. The latest escalation in US-Iran tensions began on July 8, when the United States carried out…

Everybody stinks. It’s a fact of human existence. At any given moment, our bodies (or the microbes living in and on them) can produce a wide range of odors. And that’s a good thing. From an evolutionary standpoint, how we smell to one another offers insight into compatibility with a potential mate, provides chemical signals about our physical or emotional state, and much more, according to Science Direct. But that’s not the kind of body odor most people are concerned about, mainly because those chemical cues are often so subtle we don’t even register them as scents. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with the rank, pungent stink of plain old B.O.…

Already addicted to llamas' yarn, Janette Buckingham thought she'd give farming the animals a spin. That was over 30 years ago and in that time her herd of camelids has grown to include a few ovine cousins - Gotland sheep - also raised for their fibre which she spins and sells from her home studio in Southland's Waikawa Valley. "For me, I like just being able to turn fibres over to people who will use them, and certainly the money's good too," she told Country Life. It was a high school friend who first got her wheels spinning - literally. Addicted to yarn: Llama herd follows love of fibre Buckingham has been spinning since 1973 when she was first…

The Curator independently decides what topics and products we feature. When you purchase an item through our links, we may earn a commission. Promotions and products are subject to availability and retailer terms. Summer is the perfect time to refresh your wardrobe with warm-weather staples at a fraction of the price. From breezy linen dresses and versatile tanks to comfy skirts, shorts and easy everyday tees, these summer fashion finds are currently on special—so you can make the most of the season while saving on the pieces you’ll wear on repeat. Read on for hot finds from Aritzia, lululemon, Dynamite and more. Savour every last second of summer…

The House of the Virgin Mary is a shrine located in Ephesus, Turkey, where the mother of Jesus is believed to have spent her final years. Thousands of miles away, nestled in a field outside Manila, a replica in the Philippines welcomes devotees in Asia’s biggest Catholic nation. “The idea began as a place of […]...Keep on reading: PH replica of Virgin Mary’s Ephesus shrine draws devotees

A camping trip often begins with a map, some hiking routes, and a few promising places to pitch a tent. For amateur astronomer Joël Lapointe, however, planning a 2024 trip through northeastern Canada led to something far stranger — the discovery of a cosmic collision that occurred roughly 390 million years ago. According to CBC News, while examining the Côte-Nord region of Quebec on Google Maps, Lapointe noticed an enormous circular indentation surrounding Lake Marsal. Spanning approximately 15.5 miles, the ring stood out against the surrounding landscape. To Lapointe, it looked suspiciously like a meteorite impact crater. His hunch eventually reached…

A'Zariah Miles' dream of attending Howard University was a few weeks from being realized. Then it all came crashing down. Miles, 17, of Knoxville, Tennessee, is one of more than 500 incoming first-year students at Howard who learned this week that they have been unenrolled from the prestigious, historically Black Washington, D.C., university and no longer have spots for the upcoming fall semester that begins Aug. 17. Many have taken to social media — some in tears — to share their stories. Some posts have gone viral. After Miles learned she had been unenrolled, her mother, Kendra Miles, said the school's automated system would not allow the family to…

Christopher Nolan may be dominating the big screen this month — at least until Spider-Man shows up on July 31 — but there's still plenty of new releases to watch at home. As we head into the weekend, plenty of genre movies and blockbusters are free to stream or rent and purchase digitally, including the latest Star Wars movie and Steven Spielberg’s most recent take on aliens. The Mandalorian and Grogu is now available on VOD, continuing the story of Din Djarin and Grogu, this time on the big screen, all supported with a stunning score composed by Ludwig Göransson, who scored another win this summer with The Odyssey. While it may not feel like a Star…

UNESCO has added sites in the occupied West Bank and Lebanon to the list of endangered World Heritage sites, despite Israeli objections. A committee vote on Friday at a UNESCO meeting in Busan, South Korea, placed six locations on both the main World Heritage list and the endangered list at once, under an emergency procedure, citing the toll of the ongoing conflicts in the region. Recommended Stories list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Rebuilding Gaza to cost $71bn, must include Palestinians, report finds - list 2 of 3US court affirms release of pro-Palestine scholar as legal battle continues - list 3 of 3Israel’s illegal settlements are Europe’s credibility…

Earlier this year, researchers warned against the dangers of âfluffy iceâ on Europaâs surface. If unaccounted for, missions headed to Jupiterâs moon could drown themselves in its deep, icy oceans. A new study suggests that this wonât happenâbut for reasons that wonât make our Europa trips any easier. A paper published yesterday in Nature Astronomy challenges the assumption that the shallow pools of water on Europaâs surface represent a direct access route to the moonâs deep, icy oceans. In theory, this supposed access route could make it easier for a probe to explore how liquid water from Europaâs deep oceans traveled through cracks in the ice to the…

Many birds can traverse both air and water, transitioning between the different elements according to their needs. Gulls, puffins, loons and petrels are all such boundary crossers. This special group has recently been joined by a new member. However, it’s not an animal. A robot can now mimic these aquatic avians’ ability to fly and swim—and seamlessly switch between the two activities—researchers reported July 9 in a study published in the journal Science. Their creation aims to shed light on how diving birds master both environments, and it could eventually help researchers monitor ocean habitats. Designing the device was challenging, as creating…

'Behind the scenes' (3/6). Fashion shows are often opportunities for particularly spectacular staging, and for the houses, they are key moments. In July 2012, Belgian designer Raf Simons covered entire walls with fresh flowers for his first show at Dior.

If HBO's Lanterns looked a little too grim and grounded — and not green enough — for your tastes, a new trailer for the True Detective-inspired mystery series might just change your mind. Revealed Friday at San Diego Comic-Con, the final trailer for HBO's Green Lantern show takes things out of its small-town setting and into space. Lanterns is raising the stakes by bringing a new threat to the DCU: Manhunters. In DC Comics lore, Manhunters are the predecessors to the Green Lantern Corps. Created by the Guardians of the Universe as an interstellar police force, the robotic Manhunters eventually become self-aware and ultimately resentful of their…

Samar bishops urge LGUs to reject mining BORONGAN CITY—The three Catholic bishops of Samar Island have united in opposing mining activities in Eastern Samar, warning that even mineral exploration could pave the way for large-scale extraction that threatens forests, watersheds, farmlands, coastal ecosystems and the livelihoods of local communities. Bishops Crispin Varquez of the Diocese of Borongan, Isabelo Abarquez of the Diocese of Calbayog, and Nolly Buco of the Diocese of Catarman endorsed a pastoral statement calling on local government units in the municipalities of Giporlos and Balangiga to reject mining and reaffirm resolutions opposing…

It was a rough week for Elon Musk. Tesla shares plunged 18% during the week to close at $313.03 on Friday, their worst weekly slump since 2022. And SpaceX continued its downward slide, dropping 7.2% over five days to close at $115.07 Friday, its lowest since the company's record IPO last month. The declines in both stocks wiped away about $130 billion of Musk's wealth, weeks after he'd become the world's first trillionaire. In a post on X on Friday, Musk wrote, "(Former) trillionaire." Tesla's slump was spurred by weaker-than-expected earnings when the electric vehicle maker reported second-quarter results late Wednesday. The company turned cash flow…

WASHINGTON — United Launch Alliance’s corporate parents have guaranteed a loan to the company as it addresses “financial challenges” caused by the grounding of its Vulcan Centaur rocket. In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing about its second-quarter financial results July 23, Lockheed Martin revealed that it provided a bank guarantee for a loan taken by ULA during the quarter. Lockheed owns 50% of ULA, while Boeing owns the other half. “During the first quarter of 2026, ULA’s Vulcan Centaur rocket experienced performance challenges that are negatively affecting ULA’s financial condition and results of operations,” Lockheed stated in the…

NASA evacuated its Madrid Deep Space Network ground station on Friday as wild fires near the Spanish capital city swept through the area. The agency said all personnel were safe and it had yet to survey the site for damage. Photos posted on social media appeared to show smoke and flames in the vicinity of the tracking dishes. The Madrid location works in concert with ground stations at Goldstone, California, and Canberra, Australia to send commands to and receive data from spacecraft in deep space. According to Canal 24 Horas, 90 workers at the site were evacuated and that government officials assured local media that “the impossible is being done” to…

Space Verdict The ZWO Seestar S30 Pro is a self-contained astrophotography system, compact enough to fit in a camera bag yet capable of producing detailed, 8.3-megapixel images of galaxies and nebulas, it's an accessible and portable entry point into deep-sky imaging. Pros +Small and lightweight +Performs well under light-polluted skies +8.3MP resolution with FITS export Cons -Limited manual control over imaging -Weak planetary performance -Internal storage fills quickly Why you can trust Space.com Smart telescopes like the Seestar S30 Pro have changed astrophotography and, arguably, urban astronomy. The Seestar S30 Pro takes that concept further than…

In democracies, opinion polls are one of the most common ways to measure public and therefore political support for an issue. Because space exploration is still closely tied to the government policy and funding, public opinion can play an important role in shaping Americaâs space priorities. In May 2026, Global Strategy Group (GSG) surveyed 1,000 U.S. voters and found broad support for space exploration. The report, The Next Frontier: Public Attitudes Towards Space and the Space Economy, reveals an electorate that is enthusiastic about a future beyond Earth, but views it through a practical, Earth-focused lens. Letâs start with the headline numbers.…

A group of environmental advocacy organizations is claiming that the race to build data centers in Earth’s orbit is not only potentially harmful to the environment, but it might also be illegal. In a petition filed jointly by the non-profits Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Environment America, and DarkSky International, the groups are asking the Federal Communications Commission to pause its licensing of orbital data center projects until “the completion of a rigorous examination of the risks, alternatives, needs, costs, and impacts of this sudden transformation of Earth’s exosphere.” Artificial intelligence hype has spurred demand…

The hotel The Literary Man, Obidos, Portugal Check-in Staying at The Literary Man means dragging my suitcase 400 metres from the bus stop along a snaky cobbled street, but it’s worth the short-term headache. It’s just past dusk, and all would be silent if not for my suitcase wheels rattling over the stones towards the heritage hotel, which glows like a beacon on the fringe of medieval Obidos, illuminated by two diamond-shaped lanterns. Stepping through French doors, the chill is superseded by a cosy ambience and a soundtrack of jazz. The reception area is tiny, akin to a study nook, with a single, glass-topped desk beside windows exposing the hotel’s…

A federal judge in Virginia has declared illegal a requirement from President Joe Biden's administration that mandated special certification for doctors and pharmacies to prescribe the abortion medication mifepristone. U.S. District Judge Robert Ballou, presiding in Charlottesville, Virginia, stated on Thursday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) failed to justify the necessity of the 2023 requirements, especially given its repeated affirmations of mifepristone's safety and effectiveness. "Nor does the FDA explain how, without these restrictions, prescribing the drug becomes an intolerable risk which would require withdrawal of the drug…

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs over a major outbreak of an 'explosive diarrhea' parasite potentially linked to lettuce from Mexico. In a press briefing at the White House, the President said: 'I think what we are going to do is put a major tariff on Mexico because of the lettuce.' Trump weighed in as cases of cyclosporiasis soared to 11,000 across 41 states, leaving public health officials scrambling to find the cause. The President also reiterated his threat to put major tariffs on Canada after wildfires left much of the northern US covered in toxic smoke. Health officials…

Disbelief and a sense of failure swirled through Georgie Cartanza's mind as she found more and more dead birds at her broiler chicken farm on the eastern coast of the United States last year. In January 2025, the Delmarva Peninsula - where many migratory birds converge - had already had seven cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and her "angst" was building. "Over the 20 years that I've grown chickens, I'd never observed a dead snow goose on my property, but [...] I found eight dead snow geese in close proximity to the poultry houses," she told Country Life. What New Zealand can learn from a farmer who lived through H5N1 Cartanza is not…

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has announced the start of the world’s first human clinical trial of a vaccine developed specifically against the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, with the first volunteer vaccinated at the University of Oxford. The announcement was contained in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday by CEPI’s Senior Communications and Advocacy Manager, Jodie Rogers. The Phase I clinical trial, known as BD-Ebov, will evaluate the safety of the experimental vaccine and its ability to stimulate immune responses in healthy adult volunteers. The vaccine candidate, ChAdOx1…

A federal judge upheld the safety of the abortion medication mifepristone and ordered the Trump administration to examine and consider overturning restrictions on the drug as barriers to abortion access mount across the country. Robert S Ballou, a US district judge in Virginia, ordered the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) on Friday to reconsider mifepristone restrictions, which the judge found to be arbitrary and capricious. Previous FDA reviews have “steadfastly found” that mifepristone is safe and effective, Ballou wrote in his decision. Fifth circuit judges are set to hear arguments in a separate case, with Louisiana asking the FDA to reinstate…

Do you have a sense that avoiding carbs is eating “clean?" Do you figure that anything with bread or flour in it is junk food? Is sugar something to be avoided at all costs? If so, we need to have an intervention. Carbs—including sugar—are good, actually. And avoiding them can do more harm than good when it comes to health and fitness. To find out how much carbohydrate you're actually getting, any nutrition app (like Cronometer, which is free) can keep track of how many grams of carbs you get throughout the day. If you use an AI-based tool, like the chatbots built into many wearable apps these days, make sure to double-check against the food's actual…

(MedPage Today) -- The FDA approved a combination tablet of 325-mg acetaminophen and 110-mg naproxen sodium (Tylenol with Naproxen) for over-the-counter (OTC) pain relief, the agency announced Friday. The opioid-free combination tablet is indicated...

Scientists have issued a warning about the spread of a deadly tickborne illness after finding the first tick infected with it in the state of New York. The team found a lone star tick carrying Bourbon virus, an illness that can lead to fever, fatigue, vomiting, rash and body aches. Lone star ticks are common throughout the Northeast, but cases of Bourbon virus are rare. Cases are often confused for other illnesses the tick can spread, such as the red meat allergy-causing alpha-gal syndrome, experts at Stony Brook Medicine explained in a statement. “There are a lot of lone star ticks in New York and in the Northeast, we have dense populations, and when…

Key Takeaways from the Recent Cancer Breakthroughs Cancer survival rates are improving thanks to faster, more effective treatments. Several major breakthroughs could transform cancer care, including mRNA cancer vaccines, immunotherapy, and gene testing. Improvements in testing, for example, through blood tests could help detect cancer earlier and save more lives. In the mid 1970s, only around half of those diagnosed with cancer lived for another five years. Today, 70 percent of cancer patients can expect to be alive five years later, and many live much longer than that. One reason for this positive trend is the development of newer and better…

Is strength training secretly just diet culture? – Stateside with Kai and Carter After years of trying to be skinny, Guardian reporter Madeleine Aggeler did a 180 and decided to 'bulk'. Bulking, or gaining weight on purpose to get stronger, challenged everything she had been taught about her body, and transformed her relationship to food. Madeleine speaks to Carter Sherman about her owns body image struggles, and they discuss why strength training and weightlifting has become so popular for women. Is this actually healthy, or just an extension of toxic diet culture?

The cameras that scan your car on your commute to work have quietly become one of the most widespread surveillance tools in America. They record vehicle sightings, feed searchable databases and, when agencies choose to share data, can connect searches across jurisdictional lines. Recent courts have upheld the particular ALPR networks before them, but they have left open whether a denser, more revealing system could cross the constitutional line. What are ALPRs? Automated license plate readers (ALPRs), which are usually small, solar-powered cameras mounted on a pole, building or police car, capture and record where tens of millions of drivers go every…

Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service (SZRU) stated this on its website, according to Ukrinform. "Even government-controlled polls show that only 15–24% of Russians support continuing the fighting, while 64–67% support peace negotiations. Taking into consideration the atmosphere of fear in the country, the actual level of support for the war may be even lower. Ahead of the September state duma elections, this creates additional risks for the authorities – risks that even a rigged electoral system cannot fully eliminate," the SZRU said. According to Ukraine's foreign intelligence service, Russian voters formally have a choice, but political…

Vietnam is weighing the most unusual version yet of the youth social media bans that are sweeping the globe. Instead of kicking kids off platforms entirely, the country wants to let them stay logged in — just muted. Under a draft decree from Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, reported on Friday by Reuters, users under 16 would keep their social media accounts but lose the ability to post, comment, or react to content. The proposal would require social media accounts for children under 16 to be registered under a parent, who would then be responsible for monitoring the content the child accesses and their time spent on the platforms.…

In a recent story posted on Instagram, Instagram head Adam Mosseri revealed the social media platform is banning smart glasses videos where people are being harassed and exploited for views. "If you're posting content that is taking advantage of people and harassing them, like a lot of these pickup line kind of videos that we've heard of and seen, then we're going to take the content down," Mosseri said. "We don't want people to be surreptitiously taking videos of other people and harassing them and then posting them on our platform. So we're trying to fight that every way we can." Hidden camera prank videos and "pickup" type videos are obviously not…

By John Gruber Following up on the previous item today, re: content blockers and ad-blocking, I ran into a weird situation a few weeks ago with my column “John Ternus Should Reverse Apple’s Slide Down the Advertising Slippery Slope”. That article contains this sentence, in Markdown: ``` And -- at this writing, still "coming soon" -- Apple is launching ads on Apple Maps. ``` The problem is that anyone reading that article in NetNewsWire saw it rendered like this, with the words “ads on Apple Maps”1 omitted: It looks like I forgot to finish writing that sentence. But I did. NetNewsWire simply omits the hyperlinked words. After a few readers reported…

WASHINGTON, July 24. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump said he trusts Russian head of state Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping when they say Russia and China are not supplying weapons to Iran. "I will tell you that President Xi said he will not partake, and President Putin said the same thing. <...> I trust them," Trump told reporters at the White House, responding to allegations in some US circles that Moscow and Beijing could provide military assistance to Tehran. Asked to comment on Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth’s recent remarks that Russia and China were enabling Iran, Trump said: "Do they? They've had a long-term relationship. There could…

Privacy advocates can breathe a sigh of relief. The UK government has ruled out plans to ban or restrict virtual private networks (VPNs) after the technology found itself thrust into the spotlight following the introduction of the Online Safety Act last year. While it never seemed like an outright ban was on the cards, the government began exploring whether to expand age verification to VPNs in March, following a surge in VPN downloads after age checks were introduced for adult websites. On 2 March, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology launched a public consultation on children's online safety. As part of the consultation, the…

The best user agent for web scraping is a current desktop Chrome 151 string for Windows. Chrome holds around 69% of the global browser market (StatCounter, June 2026), so it is the least conspicuous choice – pair it with current Firefox, Edge, and mobile strings, plus matching headers like Accept-Language and Sec-CH-UA. Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/151.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 A server reads the User-Agent header on every request to decide what content to serve and to flag automated traffic. Python libraries give a scraper away immediately: requests announces itself as python-requests/2.x, and…

A decade ago, id Software rebooted its most popular franchise with the very good Doom (2016). Since then, id has released Doom Eternal, a bigger and (mostly) better sequel, some DLC for Eternal, and then last year put out Doom: The Dark Ages, a medieval-esque prequel to those recent entries. Now, 10 years since bringing Doom back and following a recent, large series of layoffs at id Software and the rest of Xbox, the studio has released Revelations, a meaty expansion for The Dark Ages that continues the story and brings the franchise closer to where it began in 2016. Revelations feels like a culmination of everything the studio has been doing with…

Trump says hasn't decided on big Iran strikes, Tehran getting 'serious' US President Donald Trump said Friday that he had not decided on whether to launch major strikes on Iran yet, as Tehran was now getting "serious" in talks with Washington. His comments came after reports that an increasingly frustrated Trump was meeting senior advisors to discuss launching a large-scale military operation against Iran. "No I haven't," Trump told journalists in the Oval Office when asked if had made a decision. "Look, we're talking to them right now. I think they're getting more and more serious as the days go by, for maybe the obvious reason." Trump said Iran had…

If you're looking for something to do this weekend and would prefer it comes in the form of shooting guys, then allow me to direct your attention to Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, which is holding an open beta that's set to run until Monday. Announced in 2025, Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is a more-modern follow-up to the WW2 milsim Hell Let Loose. It features the 50v50 battles of the original, expanded with the addition of air power—helicopters, naturally—across six large-scale maps. Battlefield Vietnam may be the obvious point of comparison, but as PC Gamer gunner Morgan Park pointed out, Hell Let Loose is more of a hardcore milsim. The Steam page reflects…

If you need something to play this weekend and rising gas prices took all of your allowance, look no further. The video game industry’s race to the bottom means games are temporarily going free all the time, or staying that way permanently. The following three games aren’t just free to play for the weekend of July 25-26; they also happen to be very, very good. *Metal Gear Solid * The first needs no introduction. Hideo Kojima’s legendary PS1 game Metal Gear Solid is available to play and beat all weekend long on Steam via the Master Collection HD remaster. Anyone with a GeForce GTX 760 or Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000 should be able to play it just fine.…

A deleted Roll20 blog post seemingly revealed an official crossover between Dungeons & Dragons and World of Warcraft ahead of a planned announcement, presumably at Gen Con 2026 next week. EN World first reported that Roll20 briefly published a post declaring that preorders for “D&D World of Warcraft” were live, accompanied by promotional artwork featuring the two franchises’ logos. Although Roll20 quickly removed the post, its preview and imagery remained accessible for a short time afterward. Neither Wizards of the Coast nor Blizzard Entertainment has officially announced the project, and it remains unclear what form the crossover will take. But the…

Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you. An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more. PARAMOUNT SKYDANCE HAS agreed to delay its $110 billion (€96.69 billion) merger with Warner Bros. Discovery while a US lawsuit seeking to block the deal moves forward. If the merger eventually closes, the new combined company would reshape the entertainment and media industry, in addition to delivering a major win to its owners, the Ellison family, who are close allies of US President Donald Trump. Paramount agreed to delay the deal through June 2027, the company said in a court filing on Friday. Rob Bonta, attorney general of…

Major League Soccer club Austin FC is under investigation by the Austin police department and the FBI for allegations relating to sexual abuse within the club’s academy. Multiple sources, speaking to the Guardian under the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the investigation, said that the investigation is focused on interactions between academy players. An Austin FC club source said that multiple academy families reported the issues in question to the club. The Austin police department confirmed the existence of the investigation to the Guardian on Thursday, adding that because it “involves juveniles and is ongoing”, no other…

After a very long wait, leaks, tons of fake rumors, and more nonsense, Grand Theft Auto 6 is finally launching later this year. It’s been a long, long road, but the journey is almost over. And as we get closer and closer to that big day, Rockstar has started sharing more and more details about GTA 6 with fans. So here’s everything we know about GTA 6 in one convenient and easy-to-read list. It might not be as fun as playing GTA 6, but I like to think it’s enjoyable enough to scroll through. What is Grand Theft Auto 6? Grand Theft Auto 6? An open-world third-person action game that will let players steal vehicles, get into gunfights with the police,…

There's been a trend lately of semi-recent titles receiving a Nintendo Switch 2 version and still requiring players to buy it at full price — even if it's already owned. Luckily, this is not the case with Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which is getting its upgraded version on July 30. Its upgrade pack features more than just the visual update, though, promising new storylines and better graphics. While all of these seem great, the Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade will also come with new skins for Pyra and Mythra, and they are the true cherry on the top of this colorful JRPG sundae. Xenoblade Chronicles is one of the most ambitious projects in recent years,…

Capital1 parades No. 2 overall pick Detdet Pepito against a bounce-back-seeking Nxled side when the PVL on Tour resumes in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, on Saturday at the Chavit Coliseum. The Solar Spikers, though, still won’t be able to showcase their retooled roster that is now made up of a Big Three of Bella Belen […]...Keep on reading: Capital1 debuts minus prolific Alas trio, leaving all eyes on rookie Pepito

Finding the best UK slot sites isn’t always straightforward, with hundreds of licensed casino sites available to British players wanting to spin the reels. To help bettors make that decision, The Independent has put together a guide comparing online slot sites for bettors looking for real-money slots. Best Slot Sites July 2026 Using our findings, we’ve come up with a list of the best online slot sites based on slot variety, payouts, bonuses, usability and responsible gambling tools, helping you choose a trusted platform for playing slots in the UK. How We Test Slot Sites I have reviewed dozens of UK slot sites in my bid to find the best ones. Through…

Strong Group-Pilipinas’ bid for a third straight William Jones Cup title got a literal big boost when NBA veteran Boban Marjanović agreed to reinforce the squad in the Aug. 8-23 tournament at the New Taipei City Xinzhuang Gymnasium. The 7-foot-4 Serbian had a nine-year NBA career from 2015 to 2024, suiting up for the San […]...Keep on reading: ‘Three-peat’ SGA-PH bid in Jones Cup gets big boost with Boban signing

Pastebot, one of the most popular clipboard managers for Mac, was updated today, nearly ten years after the release of Pastebot 2. Here are the details. Pastebot 3 now available Tapbots today announced Pastebot 3 (via MacMagazine), in a social media post that also included some personal news: Today is a big day! Last year, we had a family member diagnosed with cancer. It hit us hard financially and halted work. While one of us was busy taking care of family, we decided it was best to use the time building a new version of another app. We are excited to release PB 3! tapbots.com/pastebot/ — Tapbots (@tapbots.com) 23 July 2026 at 17:08 [image or embed]…

When I first learned about testing in Rust I was surprised by the lack of what I consider a basic feature: test setup and teardown. Many other popular testing frameworks have it: jest, pytest fixtures, and so on. Global setup and teardown are especially useful in integration tests. In integration tests, as well as in similar component tests or end-to-end tests, the code runs against a complete or partial set of the application infrastructure. In this important class of tests we don't mock out database access or skip message brokers. Setup and teardown are good candidates for provisioning that infrastructure so we can reuse it across multiple tests.…

Let's learn about Developer via these 220 free blog posts. They are ordered by HackerNoon reader engagement data. Visit the Learn Repo or LearnRepo.com to find the most read blog posts about any technology. “Every great developer you know got there by solving problems they were unqualified to solve until they actually did it.” – Patrick McKenzie A full stack developer is an engineer who can handle all the work of databases, servers, systems engineering, and clients. Microsoft recently joined hands with Canonical (the parent company of Ubuntu) to bring the entire userland into Windows, minus the Linux Kernel. So as a result, you, as a developer, get…

If update notifications have stopped showing up on your Ubuntu 26.04 LTS install, that isn't some random glitch. OMG Ubuntu's Joey Sneddon has traced it back to a Launchpad bug report and a Discourse thread that both point to the same root cause. The issue is that update-notifier only sends a desktop notification when its tray icon is visible, and that icon was switched off in Ubuntu 26.04, with nothing in the Settings menu to switch it back on. Guillaume Michaud, who filed the bug on July 5, found 10 pending non-security updates sitting on his machine without a single prompt to install them. He tested it manually. With the tray icon forced on,…

PySINDy is a package for system identification, primarily revolving around the method of Sparse Identification of Nonlinear Dynamical systems (SINDy) method introduced in Brunton et al. (2016a). It also includes other methods from related literature. System identification refers to the process of using measurement data to infer the governing dynamics. Once discovered, these equations can make predictions about future states, can inform control inputs, or can enable the theoretical study using analytical techniques. The resulting models are inherently interpretable and generalizable. The preferred way to install is with pip or conda e.g. pip install…

The web and Google once had a deal: Google collects data and indexes webpages and in exchange sends oceans of traffic to websites. The deal wasn’t perfect and certainly made Google more money than it made the websites, but it worked for a long time. Now, however, the deal seems to be dead. And the web is being forced to reckon with what happens when the Google traffic dries up. You can’t ignore Google Zero anymore On The Vergecast: Google vs. websites, OpenAI vs. Hugging Face, and Ford’s deal with Apple Maps. On The Vergecast: Google vs. websites, OpenAI vs. Hugging Face, and Ford’s deal with Apple Maps. On this episode of The Vergecast, David and…

Chinese AI lab Moonshot’s open model Kimi went viral this week for reasons that had less to do with the model itself and more to do with how the U.S. AI industry reacted to it. Meanwhile, an unreleased OpenAI model wandered outside its test environment and ended up connected to a real security breach at Hugging Face — a reminder that “China risk” isn’t the only kind of AI risk worth worrying about. On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’Kane dig into why Kimi K3 set off a fresh round of AI panic, the industry’s response to an OpenAI staffer’s “regulatory FUD” post, and what that OpenAI breach…

By John Gruber Please enjoy this article on its own webpage. Trust me. You know what a dickover is, even if you didn’t know what to call it (until now). If you use the Internet, you encounter them every day. They’re popovers, but dickheaded. The web is absolutely lousy with them, and mobile apps present them too, with increasing frequency. Dickovers are a veritable scourge. They’re so common they’re effectively part of the firmament. I started calling these things dickpanels in 2022, but when dickover popped into my head last week,1 I couldn’t shake the feeling that it’s a better term for these ubiquitous odious irritations. You can hardly go anywhere…

I built a SaaS in a few hours. It does its job better than tools people pay real money for. And I will never sell it. Every instinct trained into technical people over the past decade says that’s leaving value on the table. Landing page, Stripe, launch post, recurring revenue. That script is practically a religion in indie circles. I think that script is now obsolete. What I’m doing instead, I call Service with a Software: private tools that never get sold, built to make one service impossible to compete with. I’d bet it’s the strongest position left for independent builders. Here’s why, starting with the tool I’ll never sell. The instrument I’m a…

How are you, hacker? 🪐 What’s happening in tech today, July 24, 2026? The HackerNoon Newsletter brings the HackerNoon homepage straight to your inbox. On this day, **Apollo 11 Returns to Earth** in 1969, **Google Launches the Chromecast** in 2013, **Machu Picchu was Discovered** in 1911, and we present you with these top quality stories. From **The Real Cost of Microfrontends** to **HackerNoon Projects of the Week: RecallNote , ACHLS Eternal, Rivver Accountant**, let’s dive right in. By @proofofusefulness [ 3 Min read ] Three startups—RecallNote , ACHLS Eternal, and Rivver Accountant—featured in HackerNoon Projects of the Week for proving real-world…

Mexico is exempt from most of the new tariffs and is already paying the rest. So in President Sheinbaum's words, "Mexico remains exactly the same as we were a week ago.” The post Trump re-imposes his tariffs, but Mexico gets a pass appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Marc Andreessen was a prominent figure in the early internet era, creating some of the earliest web browsers, including Netscape and Mosaic, which he authored. In recent years, he's weighed in on subjects including AI — but it was his comments on software that really summarised how technology evolved during the early 21st century. Inside Intel Andreessen was running his venture capital firm, Andreessen Horowitz, when he published his era-defining essay in the Wall Street Journal. This article is part of TechRadar Pro's QOTD project to provide an insight into the minds of the brightest and most recognized figures in the technology industry today and in…

Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Trump's new tariff threat: "It's unfortunate he took this avenue" The U.S. on Friday imposed a new 10% tariff on Canada, with 50% duties set to take effect later in August, significantly escalating trade tensions between the two countries. Ontario Premier Doug Ford joins "The Takeout" with his reaction.

The price of streaming services has been climbing for quite a while, but now streaming devices are joining them. Roku just raised the prices on all of its streaming devices by 50% to 60%. The Roku Streaming Stick went from $30 to $40, the Roku Streaming Stick Plus from $40 to $60, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K from $50 to $80, the Roku Ultra from $100 to $150, and the Roku Streambar SE from $100 to $150. RAM shortage takes its toll The increase was first reported by The Desk, which spoke to an executive at Roku who said that the increase is a direct result of the RAM shortage. Back in its first-quarter earnings call in April, Roku CEO Anthony Wood said…

(ATTN: ADDS Trump's remarks in last 4 paras) By Song Sang-ho WASHINGTON, July 24 (Yonhap) -- Two small U.S. businesses on Friday filed a lawsuit against new tariffs on dozens of U.S. trading partners that President Donald Trump's administration announced the previous day over forced labor concerns, according to a litigation firm. The Liberty Justice Center said that it filed the lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade on behalf of Burlap & Barrel, a New York-based online retailer, and Collective Horology, a California-based retailer, after the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced new tariffs of up to 12.5 percent on South Korea and…

Days after USA Today "reporter" Nancy Armour compared Caitlin Clark allegedly flopping on the basketball court to the people who lynched Black people — no, this isn't satire — the outlet published a false report about why Clark skipped the WNBA Orange Carpet on Thursday. According to another USA Today "reporter," Heather Burns, Clark skipped the event to "get her hair done in her hometown of Des Moines." As expected, the report riled up the anti-Clark and anti-White brigades across the WNBA community. How dare she skip the event for a hair appointment? Well, she didn't. Clark missed the event because she was — wait for it — hosting a charity dinner in…

Paramount Skydance has agreed to pause its $110bn acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery until after a federal judge rules on states’ challenge to the deal, according to court papers. The delay, filed in court on Friday, could cost Paramount Skydance about $7m a day in fees it agreed to pay Warner Bros shareholders if the merger does not close by September 30. Recommended Stories list of 4 items- list 1 of 4As oil soars, experts watch Red Sea tankers for clarity on Houthi blockade - list 2 of 4Trump’s latest ‘forced labour tariffs’: Who’s been hit, how badly? - list 3 of 4Canada marks Gordie Howe bridge opening without US after trade war deepens - list…

President Trump has pledged to retaliate against the European Union over what he claims are unfair fines targeting Apple and other American tech giants. Here are the details. ‘America is not a “PIGGYBANK” for Europe’ As spotted by CNBC, President Trump has published a lengthy post on Truth Social, threatening to impose a “substantial” tariff on the European Union in response to fines levied against Apple and other US tech giants. In his post, Trump mentions the EU’s recent €890 million fine against Google for allegedly favoring its own services in violation of the Digital Markets Act. He also lists previous fines against Apple, Meta, and Amazon,…

Pentagon issues Oracle with first ever direct-award contract Nearly $7 billion in existing Oracle licensing is consolidated into a single contract vehicle The contract is projected to deliver $441 million in savings by unifying technology purchases The US Department of War (DoW) has awarded Oracle with a near-$7 billion contract as part of the Arsenal of Freedom to supply the Department with enterprise software and services. The contract is one of the biggest Enterprise Software Agreements (ESA) ever issued by the Department, and is the first-ever, direct award contract. It is projected to deliver at least $441 million in savings by “consolidating…

NEW YORK: The main international oil contract Brent North Sea fell back under US$100 Friday (Jul 24) after surging past the key milestone the previous day on escalating Middle East strikes, helping US and European stock markets stabilise. Brent dropped about four per cent to under US$97 a barrel, having soared seven per cent Thursday. The key US contract, West Texas Intermediate, declined more than three per cent after having gained more than six per cent on Thursday. The sizeable jumps had come after Yemen's Houthi rebels struck oil tankers in the Red Sea, potentially opening a new front in the Middle East war. Despite the United States launching…

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source The sun is setting on the midweek match at Didsbury Cricket Club. The high street wine bars and gastropubs are humming with early evening drinkers. It’s the sort of scene which has led this area to be branded as the ‘Notting Hill’ of Manchester, albeit a leafier version of the London original which gave rise to the Conservative Party’s famous ‘Notting Hill Set’. Given that Andy Burnham is now leading Britain’s political elite up the M6 to start business at ‘Number 10 North’, we might soon hear talk of a new ‘Didsbury Set’. Or perhaps not if we are to listen to his staunch ally and…

President Donald Trump said Friday that Saudi Arabia will have to join the Abraham Accords before the United States moves forward with a civilian nuclear agreement, saying the requirement had always been understood during negotiations. Asked why he appeared to add a new condition after Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced progress on a Saudi nuclear deal, Trump rejected the suggestion that anyone had gotten ahead of him. "No, nobody got out ahead. I mean, I just say that in order to do it, they have to be a member of the Abraham Accords, which have been very successful. But it's time now that they do it," Trump said. Later, when asked whether he…

Israel's ambassador to the UN tells Mamdani to "take note" after ICC prosecutor's removal Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told New York mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday to "take note" after members of the International Criminal Court voted in New York City to dismiss the chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, over misconduct claims. In a post on X, Danon accused Khan of pursuing a political witch hunt against Israel and using the arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant as a distraction from sexual misconduct allegations made against Khan. "NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, take…

Democrats approve new primary election calendar, putting South Carolina first South Carolina was chosen to hold the first Democratic presidential primary in 2028 after a panel voted on the calendar Friday afternoon. The move was pushed by key Democrats to prioritize Black voters, a reliable and influential voting bloc for the party. The Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws panel recommended South Carolina vote first over Nevada, New Hampshire and Iowa, who had each been seeking the first spot. Only six states will be permitted to hold primaries before Super Tuesday on March 7, 2028. The order recommended by the panel is South Carolina's…

A citizen-led petition looking to force a vote on Alberta quitting Canada has been verified as successful. The petition, however, still can’t proceed as it remains tied up in a court dispute. Elections Alberta says it has verified nearly 223,000 signatures calling for a vote. That’s far higher than the minimum number of 178,000 names needed. The agency began the count after a judge ruled last month that the names could be counted even though the petition is in legal limbo. First Nations are challenging the petition, saying it’s unconstitutional because they have not been duly consulted given the impacts separation would have on treaty rights.

Elections Alberta verifies signatures for petition calling for independence referendum Chief electoral officer determined requirements have been met Elections Alberta says it has verified that a citizen initiative petition looking to force a vote on the province separating from Canada was able to surpass the number of signatures it required. But the future of the petition remains on hold, Elections Alberta said in a news release on Friday afternoon. The verification process was conducted between July 6 and July 23, and has now been completed, the non-partisan office said. Gordon McClure, the province's chief electoral officer, determined that while…

A citizen-led petition looking to force a vote on Alberta quitting Canada has been verified as successful. The separatism petition, however, still can’t proceed as it remains tied up in a court dispute. Elections Alberta says it has verified nearly 223,000 signatures calling for a vote — that’s far higher than the minimum number of 178,000 names needed. Get daily National news The agency began the count after a judge ruled last month that the names could be counted even though the petition is in legal limbo. First Nations are challenging the petition, saying it’s unconstitutional because they have not been duly consulted given the impacts separation…

Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you. An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more. THE CHIEF PROSECUTOR of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been removed from office, nearly two years after sexual misconduct allegations against him first emerged. By a large majority, the ICC’s 125 member states ousted British barrister Karim Khan for “serious misconduct and serious breach of duty”, the court’s oversight body, the Assembly of States Parties, said in a statement. The lengthy and complicated process has pitted human rights advocates, staff and member states against one another at a time when the court is…

Sweden, Poland, Romania and Lithuania formally joined the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) on Friday, becoming the latest countries to commit to the regional pact’s principles of peaceful relations and cooperation. The four European countries signed their instruments of accession during a ceremony hosted by the Philippines as this year’s chair […]...Keep on reading: Sweden, Poland, Romania, Lithuania join Asean amity treaty

ICC member states vote to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan UNITED NATIONS — The International Criminal Court voted to remove the global tribunal's chief prosecutor on Friday, nearly two years after sexual misconduct allegations against him first emerged, the court's oversight body announced. British barrister Karim Khan was accused of sexual misconduct with a female aide, as outlined by The Associated Press in a series of stories, allegations which he has steadfastly denied. By a large majority, the ICC's 125-member states ousted Khan from his position, the first time a chief prosecutor has ever been removed from office. The court's oversight body,…

Jenna Forrester wasn't even supposed to be there. The 23-year-old travelled to Glasgow as a 400m freestyle and individual medley swimmer. Then, when backstroke queen Kaylee McKeown succumbed to illness on the eve of the Commonwealth Games, selectors decided to throw Forrester in the 200m back too. Such is the depth in Australian swimming, that's usually a pretty solid tactic to nab a podium double or even the vaunted sweep. But usually it's not the afterthought climbing the top step. "I really just went into tonight with a positive attitude," she said. "I felt like I had nothing to lose and my family would have been really proud of me no matter what…

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source The Queen’s Club in west London is one of the most exclusive private members’ clubs in the world. For a start, inductees are expected to cough up £15,000 before committing themselves to a £2,000 annual subscription. Food, drink and guest passes are extra, of course. And yet, money alone isn’t enough. For the tennis and rackets club – which boasts 28 outdoor grass courts – closed its 15-year waiting list in 2019. In other words, this historic sporting club is the preserve of its 4,500 members, who include aristocrats, film stars, CEOs and politicians. The Prince and Princess of Wales play…

President Donald Trump has weighed in on one of basketball’s biggest debates: Who is better, LeBron James or Michael Jordan? For Trump, the answer is easy. The president is all in on Jordan. "Michael Jordan is a guy that's a friend of mine, play golf with him. He's a really good guy. And I think LeBron is, maybe he's a racist, but maybe he doesn't like Trump, I don't know. But I only like people that like me. So, I would say Michael Jordan all the way," Trump said at the Oval Office on Friday. Trump was asked the James vs. Jordan question because James announced Friday that he plans to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. He will sign a two-year, $8…

The Buffalo Bills are in the final stages of unveiling their new, $2.1 billion stadium, and from the looks of it, it has all the bells and whistles any football fan could need. When Highmark Stadium opens in time for the 2026 NFL season, it's sure to be one of the most state of the art venues in the league. Two billion big ones can buy you a lot these days, but it's one of the latest editions to the Bills' new home — one that likely didn't cost a ton — that has everyone on the internet talking. No, it's not a 100-foot scoreboard or a retractable roof, but it is something that is instantly identifiable as a Buffalo staple, and after seeing it, I…

In short: Tadej Pogačar surged in the final 12km of stage 19 to claim a spectacular victory. Pogačar's lead has extended to 7 minutes, 11 seconds over Remco Evenepoel. What's next? Saturday night's (AEST) stage 20 is set to be an epic event as the riders climb further into the Alps. Tadej Pogačar launched a stunning solo attack from the foot of the iconic Alpe d'Huez to win the 19th stage of the Tour de France and extend his overall lead overnight. Even by the four-time Tour champion's lofty standards, it was up there with his best wins as he was more than 3 minutes behind with 12km remaining. Riding without a teammate for the last section, he caught…

Scroll down to see the medal tally after day one of the Commonwealth Games. Glasgow: Jenna Forrester wasn’t meant to swim in the women’s 200-metre backstroke at these Commonwealth Games. She originally missed out on a spot in the event after placing fourth at the Australian trials last month, and was given the late call-up when reigning champion Kaylee McKeown had to withdraw with glandular fever. And yet, on Saturday morning (AEST) she found herself with a gold medal around her neck after stunning the field with a 2:08.17 swim – her second medal of the night after claiming bronze in the 400m freestyle just 50 minutes earlier. “I did not expect that…

India ended Day 2 of the Commonwealth Games with one medal and several encouraging performances across para powerlifting, swimming, boxing and lawn bowls, as athletes continued to progress in their respective events. Jhandu Kumar wins India's first medalJhandu Kumar opened India's medal account by winning bronze in the men's heavyweight para powerlifting event. The 28-year-old, who overcame polio, financial hardship and years of doing odd jobs before reaching the international stage, scored 130.9 points after successful lifts of 181kg and 190kg. He could not complete his final attempt of 196kg. The other Indian in the event, Sudhir, finished sixth…

Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you. An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more. THOUGH THEY TOOK the lead, Dundalk couldn’t avenge the 4-0 hiding from their last visit to Inchicore as St Patrick’s Athletic grabbed a share of the spoils. Ciarán Kilduff’s side did at least stop the rot of three league defeats as they matched title pretenders St Pat’s every inch of the way in this fiercely contested clash at Richmond Park. That February loss, their heaviest of the season, was attributed at the time to newly-promoted Dundalk having played three games in a week. They recovered admirably to play their way into the…

Magnolia heeded the challenge coach LA Tenorio laid down to finally pick up a win after a 0-2 start in the PBA Governors’ Cup. Friday’s 112-98 victory over the Meralco Bolts at Smart Araneta Coliseum saw the locals, primarily Ian Sangalang and Zavier Lucero, step up to provide able backup to import KJ Buffen. “Like […]...Keep on reading: Hotshots finally win one and put a stop to Bolts’ two-game winning run

Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury forced Polish opponent Mariusz Wach to retire in a tune-up bout for his showdown with fellow Briton Anthony Joshua later this year. The fight in Thailand on Friday was not televised, but will feature in the Netflix reality show “At Home with the Furys”. About 1,500 fans attended the event at the Max Muay Thai Stadium in Pattaya. Wach had lost seven of his last 10 fights, and the 46-year-old could not continue at the start of the eighth round. Fury, who turns 38 in August, has won 36 professional bouts, suffering his only losses in two fights with Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in 2024. He announced his return to…

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source His older son and heir Peregrine Pearson may have rekindled his romance with Game Of Thrones star Sophie Turner. But Michael Pearson, 4th Viscount Cowdray, who enjoyed the attentions of any number of beauties in his unbuttoned youth – Nigerian actress Minah Bird and Miranda Quarry, ex-wife of Peter Sellers, among them – is demonstrating that, at 82, he still has just as much tiger in his tank as 31-year-old ‘Perry’. Perry, who already has a two-year dalliance with Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece under his belt, first bonded with actress Sophie following her divorce from American pop star…

Hot on the heels of the season three finale, AMC has announced the fourth season of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. Revealed during a panel for The Vampire Lestat at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, season 4 will be titled Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned. On hand for the announcement were cast members of the vampire series Sheila Atim, Jacob Anderson, Assad Zaman and Eric Bogosian, as well as executive producers Mark Johnson and Hannah Moscovitch. They also dropped a teaser trailer for the series. Queen of the Damned will see “our established and beloved characters confront Akasha with their world, and ours, very much hanging in the balance,”…

When actor Kat Stewart and director Sarah Goodes were hunting for a script to collaborate on, they started with the classics. “The usual suspects, the Albees, who I adore, Tennessee Williams, a couple of Sam Shepard plays,” says Stewart. “The recurring theme was the American dream, the heartbreak or the disappointment of the American dream.” But then Goodes brought in Break of Day, a script by veteran actor and playwright Steve Rodgers. A heartfelt and moving ode to the dreams and disappointments of ordinary yet recognisable people, it felt like an Australian version of those US classics. “Why aren’t we exploring that?” Stewart asked. “This is real.…

Johnny Depp surprises fans at Comic Con, Meghan Markle shares rare photos ABC News’ Ashan Singh takes a deep dive into trending topics like Johnny Depp surprising fans at San Diego Comic Con and Meghan Markle’s photo dump with a stop at Princess Diana’s childhood home. July 24, 2026 Additional Live Streams Top Stories Top Stories Trump is at a 'dead end' with Iran, expert saysJul 24, 2026 Trump unveils sweeping new tariffs on nearly all US importsJul 24, 2026 Comic-Con returns with costumes, fans and major movie revealsJul 24, 2026 Nonprofit makes national park accessible to everyone4 hours ago Girls hit the field at the NFL Flag ChampionshipsJul 24,…

TV is about to get a whole lot greener, thanks to Lanterns. HBO released the official trailer for the Green Lantern-focused series at San Diego Comic-Con, giving viewers a deep dive into the dynamic between Green Lanterns Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). They're intergalactic cops tasked with protecting Earth. Hal is a Lantern legend, while John is a new recruit who's still learning the ropes of how to use his magical ring. Based on the trailer, Hal and John's mentor-mentee relationship is pretty strained. No wonder, given that Hal dumps water on a sleeping John, or that everyone refers to John as Hal's backup. However, the…

The union representing 55,000 nurses in British Columbia has accepted a mediated proposal that could end its weeks-long strike action. The BC Nurses’ Union says in a statement that its bargaining agent has accepted the recommendations for settlement from mediators Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers, and all job action will cease as of midnight Friday. The union says its members will review the offer, while outstanding issues on compensation are anticipated to move to binding arbitration this fall. Nurses have been conducting strike action since the start of July after members voted to reject a tentative contract reached in May between the union and the…

Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck's mom has died following a battle with cancer. According to an obituary published in The Boston Globe on Friday, Christopher Anne Affleck, died peacefully in her sleep on June 2 at the age of 83. The Hollywood Reporter reported she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2025, and was given six months to live. "Her greatest wish after her diagnosis, however, was to live to see her grandson graduate high school," the obituary reads. "She did so, attending with her family on May 31, 2026. She died peacefully, in her sleep, two days later." Born in 1942 in New York City, Chris proved to be a great activist, teaching…

Former President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden surprised Barstool Sports personality "Jersey Jerry" on Friday in a recorded video, presenting him with the "Lib of the Year" award after he won the title for a third consecutive year during the annual "Pardon My Take" Takie Awards episode. Jerry appeared stunned after Hunter Biden's video panned to include the former president. "What the f---? I was not expecting that," Jerry said. Hunter Biden opened the video by referring to their experience with recovery before congratulating Jerry on his third consecutive victory. "Hey, Jerry, from one brother in recovery to another, congratulations on the Lib…

Universal Orlando is seeing a slower-than-expected summer at its theme parks, according to parent company Comcast. During a Thursday earnings call, company executives said attendance at the Orlando parks has been “softening” since June and has continued to trend lower into the third quarter. Comcast admitted the slowdown resulted in performance that was "below expectations." Comcast co-CEO Mike Cavanagh cited surging gas prices as a possible factor behind weaker-than-expected performance. The average U.S. gas price is $4.10, up from $3.16 a year ago, as President Donald Trump’s war with Iran continues to choke off oil supply. "We believe there are…

At San Diego Comic-Con, director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) revealed more about his newest animated film, Ray Gunn, and debuting the opening seven minutes of the upcoming Netflix release. Bird was the subject of a spotlight My Cinematic Journey SDCC panel in Hall H, hosted by Collider EIC Steven Weintraub. Bird recounted how his elevator pitch for the film was "Buck Rogers meets The Maltese Falcon," describing it as a film about "desperate characters in an alternate future." The opening scenes give us a look at the film's setting, a futuristic city filled with giant, brilliantly lit towers and flying cars, but with an art deco/1930s vibe…

CORTIS' first world tour will be broadcast to cinemas around the world on August 13 and 14, via a partnership between Trafalgar Releasing and HYBE. The event, titled 2026 CORTIS TOUR IN LA: Live Viewing, will broadcast live from YouTube Theater in Los Angeles and include a 30-minute theatrical-exclusive pre-show created specifically for cinema audiences. Tickets go on sale July 31 at 6am PDT at CortisLiveViewing.com. The Los Angeles show will also be screened simultaneously at The Vermont Hollywood on August 13 as a live club viewing experience with concert-grade sound. Standard and VIP ticket packages are available for the club event, with both tiers…

MUSICALSReg Livermore’s Ned Kelly: The Musical ★★★★★Victorian Opera, Union Theatre, until July 25 Reg Livermore’s Ned Kelly: The Musical sets itself a challenge from the outset. First of all, which version of the much disputed Kelly story do you tell? Do you portray the famous outlaw as a folk hero or a villain? Then, once that is sorted, what tone should the whole thing have? After all, there are very real deaths and tragedies scattered throughout this story – and we all know how badly things turn out for the Kelly gang. This new production by Victorian Opera navigates all of this deftly. The story firmly has its flag planted in the folk hero camp,…

How The Illharmonic's mix of hip-hop and classical builds community, one show at a time Vocalist and composer Jeffrey McNeill says it was back in 1987, when he was still a kid, when he first started hearing the links between hip-hop and classical music. "I was put in flute and piano lessons as a child, and my father introduced me to The Sugarhill Gang, 'Rapper's Delight,'" McNeill explained in an interview with All Things Considered. "One day, my brother brought home the Beastie Boys' 'Paul Revere,' and to me, it sounded like it went perfectly with Beethoven's 5th Symphony." Nearly 40 years later, the marriage of those two genres — as well as…

At a time when the manosphere has taken over corners of social media, with figures like Andrew Tate and Myron Gaines pushing a conservative and aggressive take on what it means to be a man, singer Budjerah wants to recapture what it means to be a gentleman. The 24-year-old, a Coodjinburra man from the Bundjalung nation, says the way masculinity was represented in his life was consistently positive. “I was very blessed to have so many incredible role models in my family. My dad, my cousins, my brothers, they influenced me in a good way,” he says. “You hear a lot of bad stereotypes about Aboriginal men in particular that aren’t always true. That’s the…

Long before “link in bio” became one of advertising’s most valuable calls to action, brands relied on television commercials to sell everything. Whether it was a toy demonstrated by laughing children, a luxury fragrance sold through sweeping shots of the Amalfi Coast or a celebrity endorsement during primetime television, advertising was largely a one-way conversation. But while companies crafted the message as consumers watched, today, that messenger looks different—and so does the business of advertising. What began as an experimental marketing tactic has become one of advertising’s most dominant strategies: nearly every consumer brand is now…

Endless media interviews this week are not how seven-year-old Miles Phillips knows he has written a hit – it’s the fact his primary school is using his song Eastern Rosellas as this week’s bell sound. The catchy, viral song about a colourful bird Miles saw while on holiday to Raymond Island in Victoria’s Gippsland region – a tune his dad, Joel, says, “burrows deep into the brain” – has accrued well over a million views on social media since it was uploaded on July 15 and added to ABC’s Triple J Unearthed rotation. “I was at Raymond Island, and I was feeding the birds seed on the veranda, and birds just came along. There were pigeons, there were…

Chance the Rapper has announced "The Coloring Book 10 Year Anniversary Tour," a nearly 40-date North American run marking a decade since the release of his breakout mixtape. At each show, Chance will perform Coloring Book in full, alongside selections spanning his catalog from his 2012 debut mixtape 10 Day through his 2025 album Star Line. The announcement lands at a strangely fitting cultural moment. Since the start of 2026, social media has been swept up in a nostalgia wave built around the idea that "2026 is the new 2016," a trend that took off on TikTok and Instagram in the trend's opening weeks and has since pulled in celebrities and ordinary…

Paul Anka slammed modern singers and the technology that helps them sound better, saying Franka Sinatra would have thrown a chair at someone if they asked him to use autotune. Anka called Sinatra and Elvis Presley his two "towers" of music while speaking to Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins on his "The Magnificent Others" podcast this week. "When Elvis was around, he just – they both owned a room, and they were both given that it factor," he explained. He added, "And Elvis worked his a-- off. This was a shy guy. I would sit with him like this: ‘Hey, Paulie,’" he said in a reserved imitation of Presley. "‘How you doing, man? Yeah, Paul. You know,…

Veteran Baluchi musician Shir Mohammad Espandar dies at 98 TEHRAN- Shir Mohammad Espandar, the legendary Baluchi donali player whose lifelong dedication helped preserve one of Iran's oldest regional musical traditions, passed away on Wednesday night. He was 98. A towering figure in Iranian folk music, Espandar spent decades introducing the music of Sistan and Baluchestan to audiences both at home and abroad, becoming widely recognized as the country's foremost master of the rare double-flute instrument known as the donali. Born in Bampur, southeastern Iran, he traveled to neighboring Pakistan as a teenager to study traditional music before returning…

Who knew a record player could be so … cute? Tiny Vinyl — the company known for making pocket-sized records — introduced this month a tabletop player designed to spin the collectible four-inch discs. Called the Tiny Vinyl Player, the turnable costs $49.99 and can be purchased exclusively via Target. “When we built the concept of Tiny Vinyl, we were like, ‘Let’s make sure this plays on as many existing record players as possible,’” said Jesse Mann, a music industry veteran and co-founder of Tiny Vinyl. "But we had so many inbound emails from fans asking us to make a player. Target asked us to make a player. So we were like, ‘You know what? Let’s see…

Brazil’s Ministry of Indigenous Peoples said Friday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Peru’s Ministry of Culture to strengthen cooperation in protecting Indigenous territories, particularly those of isolated peoples along the border between the two countries. The agreement, which the Brazilian government said is expected to be published in the coming weeks, has been under negotiation since 2024. It will establish a framework for sharing information and coordinating protection efforts, the ministry said. The announcement comes after a group of Ashaninka Indigenous leaders began meetings with federal officials in Brasilia, Brazil's…

Please publish to Country page and Country Life page (CLI) by * Saturday 8AM ** "Six days a week, rain or shine, hail, sideways, wind, lightning ... put a raincoat on and carry on." That's Luke Franklin, standing in a field of celery on a grey winter's day, describing the almost daily harvest which has been going on in the Franklin family for 120 years. The present owner of Franklin Farm is the fifth generation in the business and the third at this 28-hectare site near Waimauku, north-east of Auckland. It was 1906 when Sid Roskill first planted celery in Mount Roskill. Fifty six years later, Luke's grandfather Graham moved the Franklin legacy to…

Lacson: More ‘damning evidence’ in Taguig projects Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Friday hinted at uncovering more “damning evidence” in his investigation into alleged anomalous infrastructure projects in Taguig City, declaring that the “list lengthens” and the “case strengthens.” Lacson had begun his inquiry into infrastructure projects in Taguig, the bailiwick of Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, amid an escalating feud between the two senators. Article continues after this advertisement Cayetano, whose wife Lani is Taguig Mayor, has denied the existence of ghost projects in the city and challenged Lacson to produce evidence. Lacson has…

Published A wildfire near Madrid is "beyond the capacity" of firefighters to contain, Spanish officials have warned, after three fires west of the capital merged into a single blaze. Spain's government has declared a national emergency after blazes spun out of control in several areas close to Madrid, prompting the evacuation of at least 30,000 people. Madrid's regional president Isabel DÃaz Ayuso described it as the "worst fire in the history of the region", with the area facing a "perfect storm" of high temperatures, relentless wind and merging fire fronts.** ** Meanwhile, more than 110,000 people have been evacuated in south-west France after…

Parks Canada says charges have been laid against two hikers who, along with their off-leash dog, encountered a grizzly bear in Banff National Park on Sunday, July 19. The video of the encounter on Taylor Lake trail shows two people, one visible on camera and one recording, backing up along a trail as the grizzly follows closely. Washington State resident Brook Koski told Storyful that her husband, Kraig, initially encountered the bear on his own while jogging ahead of Brook on the trail. The footage, filmed by Brook, shows the bear slowly following Kraig as he walked away backwards, facing the bear, along with their dog Lola. In the video, Kraig is…

She returned to her childhood neighbourhood in Chiang Mai to restore a house from her past For designer Narisa Watananun, reviving Little House Chiang Mai was as much about memory and place as it was about interiors. Wat Ket is a riverside neighbourhood in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. Just a 15-minute walk from the Old City, it feels removed from its tourist bustle. “To me, it has always felt like one of the quieter, more layered parts of Chiang Mai,” said textile designer and interior stylist Narisa Watananun, pointing to its residential character and slower rhythm. Watananun knows Wat Ket intimately, having grown up in the neighbourhood…

In the South, inventory for sale was up 71% from 2019, while sales were down 8%. Homebuilders are very motivated to make deals. By Wolf Richter for WOLF STREET. The median price of new single-family homes sold by homebuilders in June dropped by 2.7% year-over-year and by 3.8% from two years ago, and by 13.5% from the peak in October 2022, to $398,300 (blue in the chart), according to data from the Census Bureau today. But this median price reflects prices in sales contracts and does not include the incentives and the substantial costs of mortgage-rate buydowns that homebuilders use to increase their sales. Homebuilders include the costs of incentives…

You never know when a brand's going to just call it quits. We don't see a lot of it, but it has happened. One of the major brands to go that really left an impression on me personally was LG. The brand was delivering innovative solutions, but it wasn't making money. While it only happened five years ago, most people have already forgotten just how much of a force LG really was. More recently, we saw OnePlus exit major markets like the US and Europe. And it wasn't surprising because we had early reports going back months before the official news broke. Now there are murmurs for Nothing Now, we never like to see it, but a report started circulating…

the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Arctic glaciers and ice caps through the Holocene:a circumpolar synthesis of lake-based reconstructions Yarrow Axford The recent retreat of nearly all glaciers and ice caps (GICs) located in Arctic regions is one of the most clear and visible signs of ongoing climate change. This paper synthesizes published records of Holocene GIC fluctuations from lake archives, placing their recent retreat into a longer-term context. Our compilation includes 66Â lake-based GIC records (plus one non-lake-based record from the Russian Arctic) from seven Arctic regions: Alaska,…

In Tunisia long power outages across the country have added to the strain of an intense heatwave, with temperatures as high as 49C. In neighbouring Algeria, more than 100 people were hospitalised after wildfires, the country's interior minister said this week.

There is growing anger and anxiety among the leadership of the regional parties, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Member of Parliament (MP) Engineer Rashid and MP Aga Syed Ruhullah, over the mass arrests and demolitions of houses of families of terrorists in Kashmir in the backdrop of the Anantnag attack, which left a policeman dead two days ago. Addressing the Friday (July 24, 2026) congregation at the historic Jama Masjid Srinagar, the Mirwaiz said the past two days saw in Kashmir “large-scale detentions, questioning and harassment of youth across Kashmir, with over 2000 young men being picked up on allegations of being “over-ground workers” or OGWs”.…

A suspect in two stabbings on New York City streets was arrested Friday on attempted murder and other charges, including hate crime charges relating to one of the victims, a Jewish man, police said. Raul Morales, 51, allegedly yelled the Arabic phrase “Allahu akbar” while attacking two men separately Thursday on Manhattan's Upper West Side, according to police accounts of what witnesses told them. Police had no immediate comment Friday on how they decided that hate crime laws pertained to the Jewish victim but not the other, who is of Asian descent. Morales was awaiting arraignment, and prosecutors ultimately will decide what charges he faces in…

Diddy in solitary confinement after fight: report NewsNationDiddy Involved in Prison Fight, Tossed in Solitary Confinement TMZDiddy Was Reportedly Sent to Solitary Confinement The CutSean Combs Placed in Solitary Confinement After Brawl With Fellow Inmate: Reports Rolling StoneDiddy Reportedly Thrown in “The Hole” After Allegedly Choking Out Fellow Inmate Yahoo

NEW DELHI: In a major crackdown on examination malpractices and paper leak mafia, Cabinet on Friday approved a draft bill proposing up to 10 years in jail and a maximum fine of Rs 10 crore for those involved in such crimes. The Cabinet chaired by PM Modi also approved statutory backing for fast-track courts for trials of such cases and to dispose of them "within three months". The decision came barely hours after Modi, in a message on social media, vowed the strictest measures to prevent paper leaks, which have a devastating effect on the country's youth. PM has said that the proposed amendments to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means)…

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan removed over 'serious misconduct' Karim Khan was removed after 82 of the International Criminal Court's 125 member states voted to dismiss him following an investigation into allegations of sexual assault. Khan, 56, was suspended last month by a key governing body of the ICC ahead of the secret ballot in which 82 of 125 members voted to remove him for "serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty." Sources told AFP only 13 states voted for Khan to stay in his post during the closed-door session at the United Nations headquarters in New York. A further 15 members abstained, while some did not attend the vote. Khan will…

Donald Trump prepares to redo White House Correspondents' Dinner Three months after a gunman stormed the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Donald Trump is preparing for a redo of the event this morning under heavy security. Updated ,first published You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Beijing announced Friday that China's top police chief and the director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation have committed to enhancing law enforcement cooperation following their meeting in the Chinese capital. During talks with FBI Director Kash Patel, China's Minister of Public Security, Wang Xiaohong, stated that both sides should "engage in more constructive dialogue on the basis of mutual respect and deepen practical cooperation" against a range of criminal activities, an official Chinese summary showed. Their meeting followed two recent repatriations of fugitives between China and the United States, which do not share an extradition…

Oops! Tourist tries to book room at Baguio jail BAGUIO CITY—A local tourist planning a weekend stay here mistakenly inquired about room availability at the female dormitory of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP). Sharing the exchange in a social media post on Friday, the BJMP said it received a message from a female netizen asking if it had “available units” for rent for her upcoming trip to the country’s summer capital. Article continues after this advertisement The administrator of the jail’s official Facebook page had to explain to the tourist that “Ma’am, this is a jail for women,” punctuating the reply with a smiley. “Ay, sori po,”…

Inside D4vd's Preliminary Hearing in Murder Case | Case by Case A preliminary hearing offers the clearest look yet at the case against singer-songwriter D4vd, who is charged with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. "48 Hours" correspondent Anne-Marie Green is joined by Los Angeles Times investigative crime writer Richard Winton to unpack the latest courtroom developments, the prosecution's strategy, the defense's response, and the evidence that could determine whether the case advances to trial.

Napoles, ex-DAR exec guilty in P50-M ‘ghost’ projects case The Sandiganbayan on Friday found businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles and a former official of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) guilty of malversation, in a case involving the misuse of P50 million in public funds supposedly intended for agricultural projects in Luzon. Associate Justice Sarah Jane Fernandez read the court’s Sixth Division found Napoles and former Undersecretary Jerry Pacturan guilty of 10 counts of malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents. Article continues after this advertisement Napoles was also found guilty of graft on 10 counts, but…

Money has evolved into far more than the cash in your wallet or your bank account. And at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, we’re devoting an entire stage to that progression. The brand-new Smart Money Stage will be where fintech, payments, and AI collide. From October 13–15 in San Francisco’s Moscone Center, you can join leaders from Circle, Robinhood, American Express, Plaid, Airwallex, and many more as they dig into the details of how money is changing. We’re talking about how stablecoins and instant payments are reshaping money movement, the ways in which AI agents are being entrusted (or not) with financial decisions, and what it takes to create regulated…

In brief Real-world assets (RWAs)—tokenized versions of traditional financial instruments like company stocks, crude oil, and market indices traded as blockchain contracts—accounted for 54% of Hyperliquid's weekly trading volume during July 13–19, the first time non-crypto assets have dominated the exchange. ARK Invest's director of digital assets research Lorenzo Valente said Hyperliquid's $26 billion in RWA trading last week surpassed the combined crypto perpetual volume of every other decentralized exchange on earth. South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix—a direct rival to Samsung in AI memory production—drove most of the interest on Hyperliquid's…

EU authorities include HTX exchange in Russian sanctions The exchange, already sanctioned by the UK, is now on a list of 18 entities “providing crypto-assets services or payment services“ in defiance of the EU’s measures against Russia. The European Union has listed cryptocurrency exchange HTX, formerly Huobi Global, as part of a package of sanctions targeting Russia amid the country’s war on Ukraine. In a Thursday decision, the European Council amended its previous measures “in view of Russia’s actions destabilizing the situation in Ukraine” to include HTX in a list of 18 entities “providing crypto-assets services or payment services established…

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has commenced a comprehensive review of the 2026 Hajj and Umrah operations, calling on Nigerian pilgrims and other stakeholders to submit complaints, observations and suggestions on services rendered during the exercise. The commission said the feedback would help identify shortcomings, improve future pilgrimages and strengthen oversight of organisations involved in Hajj and Umrah operations. NAHCON explained that the submissions would also play a key role in determining the renewal of licences for service providers, including tour operators, State Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards, airlines, cargo…

Anyone who has used the Internet in recent years is probably used to encountering telltale signs of LLM prompting that lazy users sometimes forget to remove from their AI-generated pabulum. But a Canadian legislator took that idea to an embarrassing new level this week, reading an apparent LLM prompt instruction into the record during a floor speech. Bill Oliver, a Progressive Conservative Party member of the legislative assembly of New Brunswick, noted in a speech last month that “One of the dangers associated with creating advocacy offices is that citizens often develop expectations that exceed the powers actually granted to those offices.” He then…

No deposit offers with 25 free spins were once common on casino sites, but they’ve largely disappeared in recent years, with only a handful of UK casinos currently offering free spins on registration with no deposit. Nevertheless, the best online casino sites do run no-deposit and no-wagering free spins as well as the chance to land further spins when depositing for the first time. Such offers are popular with both gambling novices and experienced punters alike as they often provide plenty of value. As such, we have put together a guide on UK casinos offering more than 25 free spins, with no deposit required on any of the recommended casino offers in…

Strive’s SATA recovers most of June decline, trades within 3% of par Jan3 CEO Samson Mow says the recovery could signal renewed confidence in preferred-share products used by Bitcoin treasury companies. Strive’s SATA preferred shares have rebounded from a June low of $83.30 to about $97, recovering most of the selloff and moving back within roughly 3% of their $100 par value, according to Yahoo Finance data. Strive introduced SATA in November 2025 as part of its strategy to finance the expansion of its Bitcoin treasury through preferred equity. The variable-rate perpetual preferred stock is intended to trade near its $100 par value by adjusting its…

TL;DR DOJ charges two VW engineers with insider trading for buying Rivian stock before the joint venture announcement DOJ charges two VW engineers with insider trading for buying Rivian stock before the joint venture announcement Federal prosecutors on Friday arrested two Volkswagen engineers in San Jose, California, and charged them with insider trading for buying Rivian stock before VW’s multibillion-dollar joint venture with the electric vehicle maker was publicly announced. Michael Stamp and Marcus Plank, both based at VW’s US operations, each face one count of federal securities fraud carrying a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. The…

The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Delta state wing, has announced plans to stage a peaceful protest on Thursday, over what it described as an alleged attempt to polarise the union and undermine the August 27, 2018 stakeholders’ agreement involving the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, ASSUS. The union formally notified the Department of State Services (SSS) of the planned protest in a letter dated July 24, signed by State Secretary, Comrade Dan Basime, requesting security protection for its members. According to the NUT, the protest became necessary following recent developments which it believes threaten industrial harmony and seek to…

George Town, Cayman Islands, July 24th, 2026/Chainwire/-- The campaign drew more than 80,000 participants and ran through every match of Argentina's 2026 World Cup knockout journey, rewarding traders who timed their activity around the national team's biggest games. Campaign Trading Volume Across the full campaign period, BTCC recorded a 22% increase in futures trading volume compared with pre-campaign levels. The gain traces directly to the platform's 1.25x volume boost during the 24-hour window before each Argentina match kicked off. For traders, the boost gives them another opportunity to climb the weekly and overall leaderboards. Group Stage On…

Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you. An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more. CLOSE TO 100 fines have been issued since Ireland’s first level crossing red-light camera came into operation at the end of January. On 30 January, Iarnród Éireann put into operation at Merrion Gates in Dublin the first garda camera at a railway level crossing. The camera records motorists using the crossing, and automatically detects drivers proceeding beyond a stop line when red lights are flashing at the rail level crossing. This new camera is the first of up to six camera units which are planned for a range of level crossings.…

Waymo is reportedly looking for a way out of its deal with Uber, which has made the Alphabet-owned company’s robotaxis available on the ride-hailing giant’s network in Austin and Atlanta, according to the Financial Times. Waymo already told Uber that it intends to offer robotaxis on its own app in those markets starting in January 2028 and alongside the existing offering, the ride-hail giant told TechCrunch on Friday. Uber said the contract with Waymo that covers Austin and Atlanta ends in May 2028. The two companies already split in Phoenix earlier this year, as TechCrunch first reported. Waymo didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.…

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has backed the proposed 13.1million dollars Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) project, saying it aligns with the state’s industrialisation agenda and would strengthen clean energy and manufacturing development. The project, proposed by Earthoc Group and its partners, involves the establishment of a 14.13 million Standard Cubic Feet Per Day (MMSCFD) Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) mother station at Owaza in Ukwa West Local Government Area. The project is focused on boosting gas utilisation and supporting industrial growth in the state. Speaking during a meeting at Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area, on Thursday with…

TL;DR Tesla FSD subscribers hit nearly 1.5 million after a record 200,000 added in Q2, with 55% of deliveries opting in Tesla FSD subscribers hit nearly 1.5 million after a record 200,000 added in Q2, with 55% of deliveries opting in Tesla now has nearly one and a half million active Full Self-Driving subscribers after adding 200,000 users in the second quarter, the largest single-quarter gain on record. CFO Vaibhav Taneja told analysts that 55 percent of North American deliveries in Q2 had FSD activated at the time of purchase, a quarter in which Tesla delivered more than 480,000 vehicles worldwide. Year-over-year subscriber growth stands at 56…

RAMageddon spares no one, as the best wireless Android Auto adapter, AAWireless, has been hit with a price hike in recent days. Quietly applied to its own website and Amazon, AAWireless TWO and TWO+ are now a bit more expensive. For the base AAWireless TWO, solely an Android Auto adapter, the price is now $64.99 directly from the company’s website. That puts it back at its original pricing from 2024 after it received a price cut following the launch of TWO+. The price is the same on Amazon. Meanwhile, AAWireless TWO+, the one that supports both Android Auto and CarPlay, the price is now $69.99, up $5 from its debut in late 2025. That’s on the…

A 73-year-old parking attendant filed a lawsuit against autonomous delivery company Starship Technologies, alleging one of its devices knocked her down at an Arizona State University parking structure in Tempe in late 2023. Trudy Perez claims the collision resulted in permanent impairment and a spinal fracture. The case is scheduled to go before a jury in early 2027, as reported by NBC affiliate 12 News. According to court filings and an Arizona State University Police Department report, the incident unfolded as Perez walked behind the delivery robot. The device initially crossed in front of her before reversing into her, knocking her onto the ground.…

A security vulnerability affecting at least two million vehicles on the road today is so serious that some cybersecurity experts are calling it one of the worst car-hacking threats in years. It involves a third-party, aftermarket device called the KARR Security System. When exploited, the threat potentially gives attackers a way to wirelessly unlock a vehicle’s doors or prevent it from starting. While Acrisure Protection Group has issued a software update to fix the issue, many drivers who have the device hooked up to their car never paid for it and may not even know it’s installed. The device was installed in several models from major car brands,…

Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you. An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more. A DOCTOR HAS been spared jail after a court heard how a “catastrophic” tyre defect triggered a crash that fatally injured his six-year-old daughter on the M6 on her birthday. Babak Meshkat (46) of An Cimín Mór, Cappagh Road, Galway, was charged following a garda investigation into a crash on the motorway, at Rochfortbridge, in Co Westmeath on 8 February 2024. Hana Meshkat had been unbuckled in the back seat of her father’s BMW X5 for just a minute before the car lost control. He had been driving over the speed limit to get to Dublin…

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is considering new car-door safety rules after reports that people were unable to escape burning Teslas, but any changes could be years away from taking effect. On July 24, NHTSA denied a citizen’s request, filed in November, that the agency initiate a safety defect investigation into 2022 Tesla Model 3s. The request alleged that the cars’ manual emergency door releases, intended to work when the electronic controls fail, were not readily accessible or identifiable. The petitioner said their Model 3’s electronic door-opening controls failed after the car had a head-on collision and caught…

Ford Motor Co. has announced the recall of more than half a million Bronco vehicles due to a wiring harness defect that poses a significant fire risk. The recall affects 565,691 Ford Broncos and Bronco Raptors from model years 2021-2026. The issue stems from inadequate protection on the engine compartment's wiring harness, which can lead to exposed wires and subsequent short-circuiting. Drivers might observe smoke emanating from air vents or a warning message on their dashboard, potentially followed by flames from the passenger side of the engine compartment. Ford estimates that approximately one per cent of the affected vehicles exhibit this defect,…

Published Cleaning up after pre-drinks, Aédén Rooney puts his empty BuzzBallz in the recycling. "It's plastic and metal, so I'd just assume it's recyclable," he said. The company behind the bright, pre-mixed cocktails that have taken Gen Z by storm said they were recyclable on its website, but experts say this is not true. BuzzBallz cannot be recycled as the PET plastic ball cannot be separated from the aluminium lid, global environmental action body WRAP said. "It's greenwashing. I'm shocked," Aédén said. BuzzBallz blamed a website error for claiming they were recyclable via Terracycle, a US-only scheme, but did not comment on its now-deleted FAQ…

MANILA – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Friday it is looking into having a moratorium on loan payments for modern jeepneys as well as increasing fuel discounts for public utility vehicles (PUV) to help public transport operators and drivers amid continued fuel price hikes. In a statement, DOTr Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez said he […]...Keep on reading: DOTr seeks moratorium on modern PUV loans, higher fuel discount

Marcos teases new chapter in corruption fight “Abangan ang susunod na kabanata” (Wait till the next episode)—as the popular saying goes. This was President Marcos’ cryptic response on Friday when asked if he would again tackle corruption issues in his penultimate State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, as he did in his Sona last year. Article continues after this advertisement In his 2025 presidential address, Mr. Marcos delivered a fiery rebuke against widespread corruption in flood control projects. But critics have belittled his catchphrase in that speech “Mahiya naman kayo (Have some shame)!” since no one among his close allies have been…

P6 spike seen in diesel, gasoline prices Local oil firms are expected to implement another hefty increase for petroleum products next week amid growing supply concerns. Jetti Petroleum president Leo Bellas said on Friday diesel may jump by P6 to P6.50 a liter. Article continues after this advertisement Gasoline may likewise go up by P5.50 to P6 per liter. “World oil prices have rebounded significantly due to concerns of further disruption to oil supply [in the Arabian Peninsula], as the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed to vessel traffic and growing security risks in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait expanded the conflict and raised the threat to global…

The Trump administration has admitted scrapping more than $7.5bn in federal grants for clean energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed Donald Trump in the 2024 election. US federal officials appeared to acknowledge in court documents last week that they had terminated the funding last October “based solely” on political criteria, targeting projects in states that were represented by Democrats and had voted for Kamala Harris. The administration previously framed the move as safeguarding taxpayer dollars from “waste” and continues to insist it was not politically motivated. “[The Department of Energy] accepts that neither the…

A rental property charging an additional $200 per month to tenants who work from home has divided the internet. The 535-square foot Bay Area cottage was listed for $3,250 a month with electricity, water, heat, air conditioning and internet included. But the additional remote worker fee raised eyebrows, with Reddit users calling it “insane” and “absurd.” “You’re not supposed to actually occupy the space you're paying $3,250 a month for, don’t you know that?!” one person sarcastically wrote on a post in the subreddit r/bayarea detailing the expenses that matched the home listing. “They very likely just want more money and this is an excuse to claim it…

DPWH speeds up Bukidnon-Davao bypass road VALENCIA CITY—The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is fast-tracking the construction of a temporary bypass along the landslide-hit Bukidnon-Davao (Buda) highway in Davao City to restore access for light vehicles and buses while engineers work on a long-term solution. Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, who inspected the damaged road in Sitio Marahan, Barangay Marilog, on Thursday, said DPWH engineers are finalizing the bypass design, with construction scheduled to begin on Monday. Article continues after this advertisement The temporary access road will utilize the remaining 6-meter-wide portion…

Halifax Water is proposing a 650 per cent increase to water hook-up fees for new developments and an additional 265 per cent hike to connect to the wastewater system. The utility has applied to the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board, citing in part “increased infrastructure costs, faster-than-expected growth, (and) changes in housing patterns.” But the president and CEO of the Construction Association of Nova Scotia worries these potential hikes will hamper growth in the municipality. “It’s across the spectrum that there’s going to be an impact,” said Duncan Williams. “This may be the thing that pushes us over the top in terms of the feasibility…

When the Trump administration canceled more than $7.5 billion in Biden-era federal grants for clean energy projects in October, it framed the move as an urgent corrective to protect taxpayer funds from waste. But it wasn’t true. In little-noticed court documents, federal officials acknowledged this month that they had terminated the funding “based solely” on political criteria, targeting projects in states that were represented by Democrats and had voted for Kamala Harris, the party’s presidential nominee, in the 2024 election. The admission showed how President Trump has weaponized the provision of federal education, energy, health, housing and…

US bureau clears early design for South Korea's nuclear container ship concept Twin molten salt reactors replace conventional engines in ambitious cargo vessel proposal Engineers removed fuel tanks to create additional cargo-carrying capacity South Korea has secured preliminary US approval for the conceptual design of a 15,000 TEU container ship powered by two molten salt small modular reactors (SMRs). The Approval in Principle was issued by the American Bureau of Shipping, indicating the concept satisfies applicable safety intentions for this early design stage while remaining subject to additional technical conditions. The proposal combines nuclear…