-
Seedless Blackberries and Cherries That Grow on Bushes Vie to Be the Future of Food
North Carolina startup Pairwise is using Crispr gene-editing technology to develop seedless, thornless, higher-yielding blackberries and other improved fruits, aiming to compress decades of traditional plant breeding into just a few years. The company hopes this marks the start of a new era of “designer crops” engineered to benefit consumers, farmers and the environment alike,…
-
Illegal airport car park ‘doubles in size’ despite council officials ordering ‘cowboy operation’ to close down
An illegal car park operating near a UK airport has reportedly doubled in size despite council officials having already ordered the “cowboy operation” to shut down. The site’s continued growth in defiance of enforcement action raises questions about the effectiveness of local authority powers to tackle unauthorised commercial land use, and highlights concerns for motorists…
-
Malicious SIMs can shut down phones, steal files, and drag 5G back to 2G
Researchers at the University of Birmingham and Fuzzware have shown that a malicious SIM card can hijack a phone or connected device by exploiting standardised “proactive SIM” features, potentially executing code, stealing files, forcing a shutdown, or downgrading a connection to 2G. Because the attack abuses functionality explicitly defined in cellular technical specifications rather than…
-
RTL Group Posts 3.9% Revenue Rise as Streaming Side Grows, Though Fremantle Continues to Suffer
RTL Group, the European media conglomerate, reported first-half revenue up 3.9% to €2.9 billion (£2.5 billion/$3.3 billion), driven by strong growth in streaming even as its traditional linear TV advertising and its Fremantle production arm both declined. The results reflect a broader shift in the group’s business towards streaming, reinforced by its acquisition of pay-TV…
-
Newsletter promotes guide to Britain’s forthcoming solar eclipse
The Daily Mail published a page promoting its Morning Mail newsletter as the place to find a guide to what it describes as Britain’s most spectacular solar eclipse in a generation, including advice on when and where to view it and how to watch safely. However, the article itself contains no actual eclipse information, functioning…
-
How to buy a bike: expert tips for finding the right budget, frame and fit
This Guardian guide offers practical advice for buying a bicycle, aimed at demystifying what can be an overwhelming purchase involving lots of jargon and options. Cycling journalist Paddy Maddison consults two industry experts, David Arthur of Just Ride Bikes and Stephen Roche of the Bike Tailor, to help readers work out what they actually need…
-
‘A horrible nightmare’: the shocking story of the eBay harassment scandal
A new documentary, Whatever It Takes, details the harrowing harassment campaign waged against journalists Ina and David Steiner, who ran the e-commerce news site EcommerceBytes. The couple’s reporting on eBay had made them targets of a stalking operation orchestrated by former employees of the company, illustrating the real-world dangers journalists can face for critical coverage…
-
Agefield High: Rock the School release countdown — Exact date and time
Refugium Games is releasing its high-school-set narrative game Agefield High: Rock the School on PC on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, with a console version to follow later. The game invites obvious comparisons to the Bully series, offering an early-2000s school setting in which players balance mischief and rebellion with everyday responsibilities like attending classes. Players…
-
Fancy a Nobbly Bobbly? Or a Jelly Terror? The eye-popping guide to the greatest ice lolly wrappers ever
Writer and collector Jonny Trunk has published a new book, Fancy an Ice Cream? A Collection of Vintage Ice Lolly Wrappers, showcasing rare British ice lolly packaging from roughly 1970 to 1980. The 96-page collection draws largely on the hoard of the late John Townsend, a lifelong ephemera collector from Stockport whose five-bedroom house was…
-
RTL Boss Clement Schwebig on the Hybrid Future of European TV: “Scale Is Essential”
RTL Group’s chief executive, Clement Schwebig, has set out the German media giant’s strategy of pursuing scale and a hybrid model of free-to-air, pay TV and streaming to compete with global platforms such as Netflix and YouTube. His comments come amid a wave of consolidation among Europe’s traditional broadcasters, who are grappling with declining advertising…