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‘It confirmed my flaws’: women are paying for face scans that score beauty and suggest excessive procedures
An investigation by the Guardian examines the rise of paid “facial analysis” services, such as Qoves, Facemaxify and Epica, which claim to use science to score users’ attractiveness and recommend cosmetic procedures. These tools have grown out of “looksmaxxing” culture, an online movement that treats beauty as something quantifiable and improvable through surgery and injectables,…
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EA Studios Brace for Layoff Bloodbath as New Owner Debt Demands $700 Million Cost Cuts
Electronic Arts is reportedly preparing widespread cost-cutting measures, including likely layoffs and studio closures, as it works to pay down the roughly $18 billion (£14 billion) debt taken on during its recent buyout. The buyout, by a consortium comprising Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, was completed the day before this…
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Disney Admits Live-Action Moana and Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu ‘Underperformed’, But Says The Movies Still Helped Shift Plenty of Merchandise
Disney’s live-action Moana and Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu both underperformed at the box office, but their ticket sales are only part of the story, the company has argued.
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U.S. missile stockpiles dwindle. And, FDA weighs approval of flu shots with mRNA tech
The US Army has nearly run down its stockpile of long-range precision missiles, including Precision Strike Missiles and ATACMS, amid its ongoing conflict with Iran, NPR reports. These weapons allow strikes from hundreds of miles away, reducing risk to pilots, but replenishing them can take years, raising concerns about America’s preparedness for future conflicts and…
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Drone found at German airport after cargo plane collides with object mid-air
A DHL cargo plane made an emergency landing in Hanover after colliding with an unidentified object while climbing away from Leipzig airport, and police separately found a drone, reportedly fitted with explosives and a detonator, near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft at the same airport overnight. German authorities confirmed the incident caused serious air traffic…
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Indian EV startup River raises $120M Series C to scale production, launch more models
Indian electric two-wheeler startup River has raised $120 million in a Series C funding round to scale up manufacturing and expand its product line-up, bringing its total funding to $144 million. The round, led by Elev8 Venture Partners and Claypond Capital, reflects growing investor confidence in River’s ability to scale production after it built its…
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Ticketmaster acquires ticketing platform RED UTS in Uruguay entry
Live Nation’s Ticketmaster has entered Uruguay by launching a local site and agreeing to acquire RED UTS, one of the country’s leading ticketing platforms. The deal, which went live on Monday (3 August), is the latest in a string of Latin American acquisitions by Live Nation over the past year, as the company builds out…
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Beyoncé Shares ‘MORNING DEW’ Remix Pack; JAŸ-Z Features
Beyoncé has released a four-track remix pack for ‘MORNING DEW’ via her Parkwood label, marking her first new music since 2024’s ‘COWBOY CARTER’. The release ties into the 20th anniversary reissue of her second studio album ‘B’Day’, originally released on 4 September 2006, and continues a rollout that began on 4 July with a 60-day…
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El-Sayed holds edge over Stevens in surprisingly close election
In today’s issue: ▪ Michigan Senate primary down to the wire ▪ Ethics panel investigating Miller ▪ Blanche vows to roll back abortion access ▪ Abbott orders AI data center audit The heated Democratic primary for an open Michigan Senate was not the blowout that some polls predicted, underscoring the divide within the party. Progressive…