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Houthis threaten to attack shipping tankers if they use Saudi Arabian ports on Red Sea
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement has warned shipping companies that tankers using Saudi Arabian ports risk being attacked, moving quickly to enforce a naval blockade it announced a day earlier. The threat, coming alongside Iran’s separate moves against shipping in the strait of Hormuz, could hit Saudi oil exports that had until now escaped disruption from…
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Canada’s SOCAN names Musical AI as its attribution partner to credit and pay creators whose work shapes AI music
Canada’s performing rights society SOCAN has partnered with Musical AI, a Canadian rights technology firm, to build systems that identify when songwriters’ and composers’ work has been used by artificial intelligence, ensuring those creators are credited and paid. SOCAN will recognise Musical AI as an approved technology partner for attribution services, marking one of the…
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Apple’s rumored ‘Upgrade’ program brings lease-to-own pricing for iPhones, Macs, and iPads
Apple is reportedly preparing to launch a lease-style purchasing scheme called “Apple Upgrade” on 28 July, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, as component and RAM shortages push device prices higher. The programme would work like a car lease, letting customers upgrade early, keep the device, or return it at the end of the term, with…
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Google releases three new Gemini models — but no 3.5 Pro
Google DeepMind has released three new Gemini models — 3.6 Flash, 3.5 Flash-Lite and 3.5 Flash Cyber — but has again held back the long-awaited update to its flagship Gemini Pro model. The launch is notable largely for what was missing, since rivals OpenAI and Anthropic have been shipping new flagship models at a rapid…
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One ‘Odyssey’ Actor Actually Turned Down Christopher Nolan and Still Got the Part
Actor Logan Marshall-Green revealed he initially turned down a callback audition for Christopher Nolan’s big-screen adaptation of *The Odyssey*, yet still ended up landing a role in the star-studded epic. Speaking to Collider ahead of the film’s release, Marshall-Green explained the decision reflected a personal philosophy of trusting his instincts, even at the risk of…
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3 Essential and Gritty Southern Rock Songs From the 1980s That Still Pack a Punch
This is a light-hearted music feature rather than a hard news story, in which American Songwriter picks out three southern rock tracks from the 1980s that the outlet argues remain powerful decades later. The list highlights how country-rock crossover songs from that era combined swagger, attitude and social commentary in ways still felt in rock…
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Google announces Gemini 3.6 Flash and cybersecurity AI, teases 3.5 Pro and Gemini 4
Google has unveiled three new artificial intelligence models, including its first version of Gemini tailored for cybersecurity work, but has yet to release the delayed Gemini 3.5 Pro that was expected in June. The announcement marks a rapid iteration on Gemini 3.5 Flash, unveiled only in May at Google’s I/O conference, which has already been…
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Oracle faces $100M annual bill to back Wisconsin datacenter power promises
Oracle says it could face more than $100 million a year in financing costs after Wisconsin’s Public Service Commission refused to reconsider a ruling requiring the company to post substantial financial security for a huge new datacentre campus. The Lighthouse Campus in Port Washington, being developed with Vantage and OpenAI and expected to need nearly…
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Neill Blomkamp’s AI Film Has Fans Asking For District 10 Instead
GameSpot’s article reports that Neill Blomkamp’s use of AI in a film project has prompted fans to call instead for a sequel to his 2009 science-fiction film District 9, often referred to as District 10. The reaction matters because it highlights continuing audience scepticism about AI-made creative work and the enduring demand for a follow-up…
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‘We were at their mercy’: inside the Amazon tactics that hiked prices across the internet
Internal Amazon emails and court documents examined by the Guardian show how the company pressured suppliers into raising product prices on rival sites such as Walmart, Best Buy, Target and Home Depot. When suppliers priced items cheaper elsewhere, Amazon staff flagged this as a threat to its own margins, cutting or threatening to cut a…