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How USAID’s elimination hit US efforts on cyclospora
The elimination of USAID is reported to have weakened US preparations for cyclospora outbreaks by removing funding that supported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s parasitic-disease work. This matters because cyclospora, a food-borne parasite that causes prolonged diarrhoeal illness, can require rapid epidemiological and laboratory work to identify contaminated produce and prevent further cases.…
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Senate GOP expresses concern over Iran endgame after Hegseth hearing
Senate Republicans voiced increasing concern that the administration lacks a clear plan to end the conflict with Iran after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s hearing. Their unease matters because it exposes divisions within the president’s party over a war that is becoming more costly, carries growing US casualties and may damage Republican prospects in the midterm…
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Ratepayer bill gains momentum in House amid data center backlash
A House bill aimed at protecting electricity customers from higher costs linked to data centres is gaining support, reflecting growing political concern about the rapid expansion of energy-hungry facilities. The proposal matters because increased power demand from data centres can require expensive grid upgrades, raising questions over whether household and small-business ratepayers should bear those…
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Amazon’s AGI department finds humans are optional
Amazon has cut an undisclosed number of jobs within its Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) division, the unit responsible for building its large AI models, even as the company insists AI remains one of its top priorities. The move highlights a broader contradiction at play across the tech industry, where firms are simultaneously pouring huge sums…
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Super Mario Galaxy Movie Directly Led To New Star Fox And Yoshi Games, Miyamoto Confirms
Shigeru Miyamoto has confirmed that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie directly prompted Nintendo to develop new Star Fox and Yoshi games, in an interview with Famitsu covered by Nintendo Everything. He explained that once the studio decided to write Fox McCloud and Yoshi into the film, this created momentum for accompanying game projects, though he…
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Blasphemous and Sekiro enjoyers may savour the boss rushing of Rubinite, a dark fantasy action RPG about a red-eyed murder princess
Rubinite, a new boss-rush action RPG from Gameworks Ventures and Cup Dog Games, has launched on sale via Steam. The dark fantasy title casts players as Ruby, an exiled princess of the conquered Scarlet Kingdom, who must fight through a gauntlet of grotesque sentinels to reach and defeat the sorceress responsible. It stands out for…
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‘He’d lie down in front of the moving ship’: a fresh look at Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance expedition
A new book, The Endurance Photographs, presents high-definition scans of original glass-plate negatives taken by photographer Frank Hurley during Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-17 Trans-Antarctic expedition, widely regarded as one of the greatest survival stories in exploration history. Published by Riverside Press with the Royal Geographical Society, the collection revives images from a voyage that ended…
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The music in Nolan’s Odyssey is as well-crafted – and bloodlessly unmemorable – as the movie itself
In a Guardian opinion piece, composer Tom Smail assesses Ludwig Göransson’s score for Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster The Odyssey, arguing it is technically accomplished but ultimately fails to leave a lasting impression, mirroring what he sees as the film’s own emotional flatness. Smail, who has personal experience composing in a similar vein, praises the ambition of…
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The end of Heartstopper is a bittersweet loss – it’s never felt scarier to be young and queer | Alim Kheraj
Heartstopper, Netflix’s adaptation of Alice Oseman’s LGBTQ+ young adult graphic novels, has concluded after six books, three television seasons and a film-length finale, Heartstopper Forever. Widely praised as one of television’s most wholesome shows, it turned stars Kit Connor and Joe Locke into household names and became a cultural touchstone for queer viewers of all…
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FDA panel considers easing peptide restrictions
An FDA advisory committee has voted to recommend easing restrictions on several peptide therapies, following a two-day meeting in which panel members, FDA scientists and industry figures debated the evidence behind substances currently sold online, often labelled “for research use only”. Of seven peptides reviewed, six were recommended for reclassification, which would allow specialised US…