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AGI is whatever you want it to be
This week’s episode of The Vergecast tackles OpenAI’s claim that “the AGI era” has arrived alongside the launch of its new model, GPT-6 Astra, with senior AI reporter Hayden Field joining to unpack what that actually means and to discuss Nvidia’s acquisition of Hugging Face. The panel also turns to Apple, with Joanna Stern discussing…
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Reform UK Conference Disrupted by Security Scare, Greenpeace Stunt, and Multiple Donation Scandals
A new dispute has broken out within Reform UK, this time at the party-led North East Lincolnshire Council, after West Marsh councillor Tanya Brasted quit the party following her removal from the cabinet over allegations of financial mismanagement. Council leader Oliver Freeston said discrepancies emerged over the profits of a Reform Christmas Ball organised by…
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Rainbow Six Tactics’ Best Feature Will Raise the Bar for All Strategy Games
Ubisoft has unveiled Rainbow Six Tactics, a new turn-based tactics spin-off of the Rainbow Six series developed by Ubisoft Paris, revealed during Gamescom’s Opening Night Live and slated for release in 2027. A journalist who viewed a 20-minute closed-door gameplay demo at Gamescom 2026 singled out its “breach planning” phase — allowing players to position…
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Pentagon rescinds new testosterone screening policy without explanation
The Pentagon has withdrawn a newly published clinical guidance document mandating testosterone screening for military personnel, just one day after it was released, without explaining why. The policy, championed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as a way to “restore and optimise” troops’ capabilities, had already drawn sharp criticism from medical experts who warned it was…
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No little kids allowed, and other new info about Tesla’s Cybercab
Tesla held a low-key private event to launch its Cybercab, a fully autonomous, driverless vehicle intended to compete with Waymo on price, but the company revealed key details through PDFs and app terms of service rather than a full presentation. The muted rollout is notable given CEO Elon Musk’s long-stated ambitions for the vehicle, and…
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Valve secretly leaked a Left 4 Dead 2 trailer to dodge the ESRB
Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek has revealed that the widely publicised 2009 “leak” of a Left 4 Dead 2 trailer was actually orchestrated by Valve itself, in order to sidestep the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s (ESRB) marketing restrictions. At the time, the ESRB enforced strict guidelines on trailer content, prohibiting graphic violence, weapons use, gore…
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Storm brews over water use, food security and Middle East fallout, plus Oasis and Hull City hearten
A Guardian probe exposes big firms’ water use amid hosepipe bans, as NAO flags food-supply risks and Iran-driven oil prices hit child aid; also: Sheffield forest school vandalism, the Oasis reunion documentary, teenage Hull star Herrington, and a chilling French attack survival story.
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Second complete map of a fruit fly brain completed
Researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus and Google have completed a full “connectome” of a male fruit fly’s brain, mapping every neuron and the connections between them. This follows the completion of a female Drosophila connectome earlier in 2026, giving scientists two complete brain maps to compare and a powerful new…
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The Trump White House’s fetish for gamer culture has moved up a level with new arcade
The Trump White House has escalated its use of gaming imagery from social media memes into a permanent “propaganda arcade” hosted on its official website, prompting a Guardian critic to review the full set of games and condemn them as dehumanising and lazily made. The critic, who suspects the games may be AI-generated, argues this…