The millions Vodacom spends protecting its CEO
A restatement of last year’s figures reveals the group is spending more than R7-million/year guarding its CEO, Shameel Joosub.
Science/Tech
Vintage AMD R600 Graphics Driver Sees Code Cleanups Thanks To GitHub Copilot
Phoronix reports:The AMD R600 Gallium3D driver saw 59 commits [last] Sunday to Mesa 26.2. Making this code restructuring and code cleaning all the more notable is that the improvements to this old AMD Radeon graphics driver was done in part by GitHub Copilot. Gert Wollny has been among the few open-source developers left working on the AMD R600g driver that covers from the Radeon HD 2000 series...
Amazon CEO flagged Anthropic AI risks to Washington
Amazon chief Andy Jassy raised concerns with Trump officials before Anthropic was forced to disable its most advanced model.
How America’s Energy Department is Building a National Platform for Doing Science with AI
America’s Energy Department “wants to build a single national platform for doing science with AI,” reports Communications of the ACM:It is called the Genesis Mission, and the idea is to connect the country’s 17 national laboratories, their supercomputers, scientific datasets, and a growing layer of AI models and agents into one system researchers can access. The DOE has taken to calling it ‘a...
Blizzard Sues To Take Down Another Private World of Warcraft Server, Project Ascension
“Blizzard Entertainment is continuing its crusade against private World of Warcraft servers,” reports the gaming news site Aftermath: The company filed a new lawsuit on Friday in a California court against the makers of Project Ascension, alleging copyright infringement, Digital Millennium Copyright Act violations, and other claims. Blizzard Entertainment claims that Project Ascension is a...
Antidepressants and antipsychotics could serve as alternatives to opioids, study finds
Medications that target depression, anxiety and poor sleep could help treat pain without opioids’ addictive properties
A range of other medications could serve as alternatives to powerful opioids for pain relief in emergency departments, according to a new study.
The review paper examined non-opioid medications available in the emergency department at San Francisco general hospital and examined...
Wes Streeting plans to increase high-skilled immigration if he becomes PM
Leadership hopeful to also say tax revenues from new North Sea oil and gasfields should be used to cut energy bills
Wes Streeting’s pitch to be the next Labour leader will include a plan to increase high-skilled immigration to the UK, arguing that Donald Trump is telling scientists and AI experts they are not welcome in the US.
In a speech this coming week, the former health secretary will also...
20 Best Gifts for Men, Manly Men, and Menly Man Men (2026)
When you need something that’s as mannishly masculinized as you can get for the Man™ in your life, we have you covered.
Bitcoin Has Lost Nearly Half Its Value in 11 Months
The price of bitcoin dropped 13% down to $64,394 just in June — but there’s more bad news, reports CNBC.” “Bitcoin has lost nearly half its value since reaching a record high above $123,000 in July 2025.”While previous bitcoin selloffs were often followed by large rebounds in price, the latest decline may prompt some investors to revisit why they own bitcoin in the first place, [says Daniel...
19 Best Gifts for Plant Lovers and Gardeners (2026)
From smart apps and planters to unique tools, these gifts will turn even a black thumb into a next-level plant parent.
Suunto Spark Review: The Perfect Pair for Runs and Rides
Suunto swaps bone for air conduction, giving these open-ear earbuds a perfect fit for the great outdoors.
London startup to trial drug to prevent cancer therapy side-effect ‘cytokine storm’
Poolbeg Pharma to test the treatment in NHS hospitals and says it is also developing a GLP-1 weight loss pill
A London-based startup is about to trial a drug at six NHS hospitals that could stop people on cancer immunotherapy getting a life-threatening side-effect.
Poolbeg Pharma said its oral drug POLB 001 could make treatment for blood cancer safer by preventing cytokine release syndrome...
The Strait of Hormuz Has Been Closed for 100 Days. Why Aren’t Oil Prices Higher?
President Donald Trump says a secret mission moved 100 million barrels of oil through the blocked Strait of Hormuz. That number is impossible to verify.
Laduora Duo 4-in-1 Red Light Therapy Scalp and Hair Care Device Review: Custom Goals
This handheld device combines red light therapy, microcurrents, sonic vibration, warmth, and a serum to support healthy hair growth.
Merger Cleared, David Ellison to Join Trump at U.F.C. Bout
A U.F.C. fight on President Trump’s birthday will now double as a capstone for Paramount’s successful effort to secure Justice Department approval for a mega media merger.
7 Best Coffee Makers (2026): Ratio, Fellow, Moccamaster
The old-fashioned drip coffee maker has come a long way. These impressive machines can turn your barista into a stranger.
Škoda’s New EV Will Likely Be Its Most Expensive Yet
The Škoda Peaq, which will debut this summer as the European automaker’s flagship model, seats seven and has an intriguing design. It will almost certainly come with a hefty price tag.
Four LTS Java Versions Get End-of-Support in a Three-Year Window (2029-2032)
Simon Ritter joined Sun Microsystems in 1996 and spent time working in both Java development and consultancy. He’s now written an opinion piece for InfoWorld warning that “Between 2029 and 2032, every currently supported long-term support (LTS) version of Java will reach end-of-support within a single three-year window.” That’s Java 17 in 2029, Java 8 in 2030, Java 21 in 2031, and Java 11 in...
UK Police Officer Accused of Using AI to Fake Evidence
The Sunday Times reports:A criminal investigation has begun after a police officer allegedly used AI to create evidential material in a “number of cases”. Derbyshire Constabulary said an officer was being investigated over an allegation of suspected perverting the course of justice. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed it was engaging with defence lawyers and the courts over...
How Author Dave Eggers Avoids Smartphones, Internet Access, and Flock Cameras
A few weeks ago on a bike ride “inspiration struck” for Dave Eggers, reports SFGate…Without a pen and paper handy, he was stuck texting the idea to himself. The problem? Eggers doesn’t own a smartphone. “It takes 20 minutes to write a sentence,” Eggers said… It’s a funny predicament for Eggers, given that he’s arguably the city’s biggest proponent of the written word… Now age 56, Eggers’ latest...
Trump Administration Reignites Its Feud With Anthropic Over Latest A.I. Models
The administration’s surprise restrictions Friday cut off foreign access to Anthropic’s latest models and sparked another round of finger pointing.