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Sam Altman’s biometric startup World raises $52.5 million via crypto sale
World, the biometric identity startup co-founded by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, has raised $52.5 million by selling its WLD cryptocurrency token to strategic investors under a 12-month lock-up. The funding matters because it supports World’s attempt to build widely used online “proof of human” verification as AI-generated content and automated accounts become more prevalent. The funds…
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World chess chief faces endgame after EU announces Russia war sanctions
Arkady Dvorkovich, president of the International Chess Federation (Fide), has suspended his duties after being included in the EU’s latest sanctions package over Russia’s war in Ukraine. The former Russian deputy prime minister faces an EU travel ban and asset freeze, creating uncertainty over Fide’s leadership and potentially weakening Russia’s long-standing influence in international chess.…
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Blizzard fire World Of Warcraft developer over use of forbidden magicks to insta-kill bosses for regular players during dungeon run
Blizzard has dismissed a World of Warcraft developer after they used development-only abilities on live servers to instantly kill Mythic+ dungeon bosses for a group of ordinary players. The incident mattered because it gave the group an unfair advantage in a competitive game mode where completion times and achievements are closely monitored, prompting community scrutiny…
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George R.R. Martin’s New ‘Game of Thrones’ Project Officially Hit With Cancellation
Four preview performances of George R.R. Martin’s new Game of Thrones stage prequel, The Mad King, have been cancelled shortly before its planned debut at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. The Royal Shakespeare Company gave no reason for the cancellations, but said the July 25 performance would proceed and the production would officially open…
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The 1969 Beatles song George Martin struggled to play: “I would make more mistakes”
George Martin, the Beatles’ longtime producer, found the piano part on ‘The Long and Winding Road’ difficult to play during the band’s 1969 recording sessions. His admission highlights the demanding nature of the song’s arrangement despite its slow, restrained sound, and reflects Martin’s important hands-on role in shaping the Beatles’ recordings. The song was recorded…
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Scoff at cheaper bus fares and No 10 North if you like, but Andy Burnham knows what he’s doing | Jonathan Freedland
Andy Burnham’s new government has announced a £2 cap on single bus fares across England from January, presenting it as an immediate measure to ease pressure on household budgets. Jonathan Freedland argues that such practical, easily understood policies can build lasting public support, drawing a comparison with Ken Livingstone’s popular 1981 “Fares Fair” reductions in…
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Charli xcx Interrogates Her Own Greatness on Music, Fashion, Film: Review
Charli xcx’s seventh album, Music, Fashion, Film, is presented as a self-questioning follow-up to the cultural success of Brat rather than a victory lap. The review argues that Charli examines artistic ambition, celebrity’s depersonalising effects and the tension between her public persona and private self, using irony, sincerity and absurdity to unsettle expectations. Although billed…
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Owl Screenwriting Workshop Taking Submissions For 2027 Program Via The Black List & Athens Film Office
The Black List and Athens Film Office have opened submissions for the 2027 Owl Screenwriting Workshop, an intensive residential programme in Athens for early-career writers with professional credits. The initiative aims to help writers develop feature-film and television projects for international audiences by connecting them with producers, executives and other industry decision-makers. The workshop will…