Serve Roboticsa maker of self-driving walkway shipment robotics, is broadening beyond its self-governing shipment operations in a quote to end up being an innovation provider to other business constructing robotics.
The business, which drew out of Uber’s acquisition of Postmates in 2021 and went public in 2024, stated Thursday it will introduce a brand-new organization line called Physical AI Services.
Particularly, Serve Robotics will provide clients its connection and information tools. Bedrock Robotics, a start-up establishing self-driving systems for building devices, is a consumer, according to Serve. It’s likewise dealing with T-Mobile to bring AI calculating power closer to robotics, Serve revealed together with its third-quarter revenues on Thursday.
“We are resolving the issue of robotics in human areas,” Serve Robotics CEO and co-founder Ali Kashani informed TechCrunch.
Serve Robotics currently makes 2 sort of robotics, the adorable googly-eyed pathway shipment robotic and one developed for health centers that it survived its acquisition of Diligent Robotics.
Those organizations are not disappearing, Kashani highlighted in a current interview. Rather, he stated there is chance to offer the innovation it established for its own robotics to other business establishing robotics for farms, storage facilities, and other unchecked environments.
“I sort of think about it as the AWS minute where we are taking the innovation we’ve constructed for us, and we’re opening it up for more individuals to construct on,” he stated, including this would not have actually been possible without establishing its own robotic fleet.
The growth comes as Serve’s pathway shipment organization expands, however is moving far from Uber and towards other partners, consisting of DoorDash and Wonder.
Its brand-new Physical AI Services service line will provide 3 items. Serve Link assists link robotics in the field to AI systems running in information centers, which would enable business to possibly take advantage of more effective AI designs without needing to put all that calculating power onboard.
“Any robotic application typically requires to link the robotics to some offline intelligence, whether it’s to gather information or do exception handling or whatever,” stated Kashani. “It’s the connection piece that needs to be truly high efficiency. You require to be able to handle truly undependable networks and still dependably link, which’s what we fix.”
It’s likewise releasing an information manager tool that assists business discover edge cases in the reams of real-world information a robotic gathers, which can then be fed back into a training design to enhance efficiency. Its 3rd item is a real-world, foundation-model information brochure constructed from Serve’s own walkway robotics that can teach AI designs how to comprehend complicated human environments.
Kashani stated he’s been thinking of this concept– a playbook he gained from Amazon– for many years.
“When the innovation is so nascent, you have actually got to construct the end-to-end application since that’s the only method you understand what to construct, however then in time, as the innovation gets advanced, a lot more individuals are going to be wishing to construct comparable things,” he stated. “And what you wish to do is to open your innovation so others develop with you and on your platform.”
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Kirsten Korosec is a press reporter and editor who has actually covered the future of transport from EVs and self-governing lorries to city air movement and in-car tech for more than a years. She is presently the transport editor at TechCrunch and co-host of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast. She is likewise co-founder and co-host of the podcast, “The Autonocast.” She formerly composed for Fortune, The Verge, Bloomberg, MIT Technology Review and CBS Interactive.
You can call or confirm outreach from Kirsten by emailing or through encrypted message at kkorosec.07 on Signal.
19659001 19659003 Jay Peters 19659004 is a senior press reporter covering innovation, video gaming, and more. He signed up with The Verge in 2019 after almost 2 years at Techmeme. 19659005 19459020 Electronic Arts is releasing 25 traditional video games on Steam, consisting of”Anniversary Editions” of the bike racer 19459028 Roadway Rash 19459029 and 6 Wing Commander titles. These Anniversary Editions protect”the initial appearance, feel and innovative intent of the video game”however likewise have quality-of-life updates to support contemporary systems and controls and enhance efficiency, according to EA 19459031 19659006 The 7 brand-new editions were” motivated “by the discovery of a”physical media vault”with”thousands” of Betacam, VHS, and D1 tapes and”other media possessions,” EA states. As part of the digitization procedure, EA had the ability to recuperate master FMV series and reedited them to bring back more than 1,500 scenes from the video games. The upgraded 19459028 Wing Commander video games likewise formally integrate some community-made mods. You’ll have the ability to get the 19459028 Roadway Rash and 19459028 Wing Commander Anniversary editions for $9.99, and the other timeless video games, consisting of 19459028 Ultima and Crusader titles, will be offered for $4.99. You can get them on Steam, GOG, and the EA App. 19659008 Here’s the complete list of 25 video games: 19659009 Roadway Rash: 30th Anniversary Edition 19659010 Wing Commander: 35th Anniversary Edition 19659011 Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi: 35th Anniversary Edition 19659012 Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger: 30th Anniversary Edition Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom: 30th Anniversary Edition Wing Commander Prophecy: 30th Anniversary Edition 19659015 Privateer 2: The Darkening: 30th Anniversary Edition 19659016 Wing Commander: Privateer 19659017 Wing Commander: Academy Wing Commander: Armada 19659019 Strike Commander 19659020 Style Hospital 19659021 Crusader: No Remorse 19659022 Crusader: No Regret 19659023 Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness 19659024 Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress Ultima III: Exodus 19659026 Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny 19659028 Ultima VI: The False Prophet 19659029 Ultima VII: The Complete Edition Ultima VIII: Gold Edition 19659031 Ultima IX: Ascension 19659032 Ultima Underworld I 19659033 Ultima Underworld II 19659034 Follow subjects and authors 19459037 from this story to see more like this in your tailored homepage feed and to get e-mail updates. 19659036 Jay Peters 19659037
Recognition is providing PC players 6 factors to avoid the waiting video game. The publisher has actually formally introduced Get That Acclaim SIX, a limited-time Steam package including 6 video games for less than $50 USD. Offered now, the collection consists of whatever from cosmic scary and rhythm-based dungeon crawling to arcade basketball and remarkably rewarding power cleaning.
The package gets here along with the current release of Pixel Washer, making it a particularly prompt chance for gamers wanting to find something brand-new without investing the cost of a complete AAA release.
“Unlike some other SIXes, our GET THAT ACCLAIM SIX PC Bundle is budget-friendly, offered today, and in fact features 6 video games,” stated Marc Anthony Rodriguez, Director of Publishing & & Strategic Partnerships at Acclaim, Inc. “We understand, it’s a quite wild principle. 6 video games you can really play today, without waiting years, downloading enormous updates, or questioning when they’re coming out. Simply excellent video games, all set when you are and right away enjoyable.”
6 Games, One Bundle
Get That Acclaim SIX combines 6 definitely various experiences from Acclaim’s brochure:
Pixel Washer: A comfortable, retro-inspired power-washing simulator starring Pigxel, a pig with a power washer and an objective to bring back a dirty town to pixel-perfect excellence.
Katanaut: A bloody roguelike experience where gamers wield a razor-sharp katana versus cosmic scaries prowling aboard a plagued spaceport station.
GRIDbeat!: A rhythm-based dungeon spider that challenges gamers to hack into greatly prepared business networks while relocating to an energetic soundtrack.
Ground Zero Hero: An excessive autoshooter including wasteland expedition, sweet usage, and collecting radiant opponent guts to develop into a supreme anomaly.
The Prisoning: Fletcher’s Quest: A surreal microvania that traps gamers inside the mind of a video game designer fighting with physical and psychological burnout following a devastating psychologist go to.
Basketball Classics: A love letter to 8-bit game sports, including sweaty, backboard-breaking five-on-five basketball action.
Offered Now on Steam
The Get That Acclaim SIX package is readily available right away on PC through Steam for under $50 USD. Honor has actually likewise launched a package expose trailer showcasing the collection.
Gamers can take a look at the Get That Acclaim SIX Reveal Trailer or acquire the package straight through the Steam Store.
Praise highlights that Get That Acclaim SIX is an independent marketing package and is not connected with, sponsored by, or backed by any other publisher, designer, franchise, or prepared for numbered home entertainment release.
ByJERUSALEM POST PODCASTSNOVEMBER 5, 2026 21:09Upgraded: NOVEMBER 5, 2026 21:12The Democrats’ sweep of your house and Senate was significant, however on today’s episode of The Deep Divehost Jacob Laznik and political reporter Shir Perets argue that the most disconcerting signal for Israel originated from inside the Republican Party.
Hours after the outcomes, Vice President JD Vance noted 4 techniques for recovering citizens who deserted the GOP: end the war in Iran, concentrate on the expense of living and inflation, put America initially, and “alter our relationship to Israel.” That began top of President Trump’s surprise statement that United States help to Israel will end at the close of 2026, years before the present MOU ends.
Laznik states the relocation captured Jerusalem totally off guard. Is the panic over recently chosen anti-Israel Democrats focused on the incorrect target? As Laznik puts it, the caution is “originating from inside your home.”
The discussion presses past the doom-scrolling headings. Perets warns versus fear-mongering. Less than 10% of inbound legislators are outspoken challengers of Israel, she keeps in mind, and Trump has actually guaranteed to be “Mister Veto.” She likewise provides an unforgettable gift-card example for why the $4 billion in help mainly recedes to American defense companies anyhow.
The set are simply as honest about what stresses them. They go over rhetoric that would have ended political professions before 2016, and a Democratic environment in which even a progressive like Scott Wiener dealt with upset protesters for being too sluggish to call the Gaza war a genocide. And in among the episode’s sharpest observations, Perets states Israel didn’t put its eggs in the Republican basket. Netanyahu, she states, “hinged himself like a barnacle” to Trump.
The most immediate part of the episode has to do with the war with Iran. With the brand-new Knesset sworn in on November 10 and a Democratic Congress getting here in January, Laznik and Perets draw up how little time Netanyahu and Trump have actually delegated act unilaterally. They describe why another round of battling, if it comes, is most likely to come quickly, and they take a look at what an off-ramp might appear like for a president who terribly wishes to be the male who ended Iran.
Their unanticipated conclusion is that a modification of the guard in both Washington and Jerusalem may reset the relationship instead of end it.
Addis Ababa — Ministers, health leaders and partners at the very first WHO Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) Global Meeting kept in Addis Ababa took actions towards an Addis Accord to protect continual funding for nationwide groups and make them a long-term part of nations’ health emergency situation labor force.
The seventh WHO EMT Global Meeting united more than 1000 individuals from over 100 nations from 3 to 5 November.
Hosted by the Government of Ethiopia in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), with assistance from Macao SAR and the Robert Koch Institute, it assembled emergency situation medical groups, ministries of health, scientists, partners and WHO professionals from worldwide.
The conference granted certificates to 31 freshly categorized and 8 reclassified groups. Each certificate represents years of work to guarantee that the care groups offer throughout emergency situations fulfills concurred international requirements.
A top-level panel took a look at how federal governments can embed nationwide EMTs in their emergency situation action systems and money their preparedness in between emergency situations. These conversations prepared for the proposed Addis Accord.
“A medical group’s capability to conserve lives depends upon choices made long before an emergency situation starts,” stated Professor Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Governments should buy individuals, devices and systems that get care to clients rapidly. This needs continual public financing and partners whose assistance enhances nationwide capability.”
Technical sessions dealt with nationwide ownership, harmonization of accreditation procedures and useful barriers to cross-border implementation. Individuals took a look at treatments for asking for and accepting help, transferring workers and moving devices and products.
Groups shared experience from break outs, catastrophes and humanitarian crises, consisting of how they strengthen regional health services and collaborate with global groups when extra assistance is required. Conversations likewise covered scientific requirements, labor force preparedness, research study and development.
For the African Region, the conference supported execution of the Regional Framework for Emergency Medical Teams 2026– 2030, embraced by African health ministers in August. The structure sets the objective of a practical nationwide EMT in every nation by 2030, incorporated into nationwide emergency situation action systems.
Ethiopia’s nationwide EMT, which attained WHO worldwide category in September 2026, highlighted the financial investment required to construct this capability. Ahead of the conference, a simulation workout at the Regional EMT Training and Knowledge Hub in Addis Ababa showed release, triage and coordination under hard conditions.
“Ethiopia’s category acknowledges years of work by health specialists and nationwide organizations to construct a group that can provide care under requiring conditions,” stated the WHO Representative in Ethiopia, Dr Francis Kasolo. “WHO will continue dealing with the Ministry of Health to sustain this capability and assistance other nations through training and exchange of proficiency.”
WHO will continue to support nations to take forward the conference’s top priorities through nationwide preparation, group advancement and more powerful coordination, assisting guarantee that individuals impacted by emergency situations get prompt, quality care.
ST. LOUIS– Voters’ sweeping assistance of Democratic prospects in Tuesday’s midterm election didn’t equate into likewise clear results for tally efforts on abortion gain access to and transgender problems.
In Missouri, a state that President Donald Trump brought by an 18-point margin in 2024, citizens declined a proposition to prohibit both abortion and gender-affirming health care for transgender minors.
Challengers of the step commemorated the outcome with a mix of cheers, tears, hugs, and dancing at an election night watch celebration in St. Louis– as a number of the very same individuals had actually done just 2 years previously when Missouri citizens preserved abortion defenses in the state constitution.
In Washington state, which Trump lost by 18 portion points in his most current election, citizens appeared to back a procedure limiting trans kids’ involvement in youth sports, with 60% of votes counted on Wednesday.
Masaki Yoshikawa phone-banks for Let’s Go Washington, a group support Initiative 638, which would forbid transgender ladies from contending in ladies’sports, on Oct. 19 in Bellevue, Washington. (Lindsey Wasson/AP Photo)
Citizens likewise supported proposed constraints on trans professional athletes in youth sports in Arizona and Nebraska. And since Wednesday afternoon, comparable limitations in addition to a restriction on gender-affirming surgical treatment for minors were leading in Colorado with about 80% of votes counted.
And while citizens in Virginia and Nevada backed abortion defenses, Idaho citizens declined them.
“Each state likewise has its own culture,” stated Alina Salganicoffdirector of Women’s Health Policy at KFF, a health info not-for-profit that consists of KFF Health News.
Missouri offers insight into citizens’ inspirations and considering the 2 different however associated concerns. While political messaging in other states, consisting of Virginia and Idahoconnected abortion and trans problems together, Missouri was the only state where the 2 were clearly integrated into a single tally step.
The procedure that Missouri citizens declined Tuesday belongs to a years-long fight over abortion gain access to in the state. Missouri was the very first state to prohibit abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed federal abortion securities with its 2022 choice in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organizationleaving each state to make its own abortion policy.
In 2024, Missouri citizens reversed the state restriction by passing a tally procedure including abortion securities to the state constitution. Challengers of that step argued it would likewise permit a state restriction on gender-affirming take care of minors to be reversed. The abortion step gone by less than 100,000 votes while Trump brought the state by over 550,000.
2 years later on, the state’s Republican-dominated legislature asked citizens to reevaluate, with this year’s step to reverse the 2024 abortion defenses.
The effort likewise would have disallowed minors from gender-transition surgical treatment, cross-sex hormonal agent treatment, and the age of puberty blockers. The legislature had currently completely obstructed minors’ access to gender-affirming surgical treatments and momentarily obstructed their access to brand-new prescriptions for the age of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormonal agents up until August 2027. The modification would have preserved those restrictions in the state constitution.
“Tonight is a loss for females, a loss for kids, and a loss for life,” James Lawson, project supervisor for Her Health, Her Futurewhich supported the restrictions, stated in an election night declaration. He kept in mind the project had actually constructed a union of medical professionals, pastors, moms and dads, and volunteers and would continue its advocacy.
A study of midterm citizens by the NORC research study company, with concerns from KFF, reveals abortion was the more powerful incentive of the 2 concerns in Missouri, specifically amongst those opposed to the proposed restrictions.
Of locals who voted versus the step, 59% stated abortion policy was more vital to their vote, while 33% stated abortion and trans take care of minors were similarly essential. The study likewise discovered that 40% of citizens opposed to the combined restrictions are helpful of limiting gender-affirming care while opposed to reversing abortion rights.
Of the citizens who supported the restrictions, 26% stated abortion was more vital, 60% weighted the 2 similarly, and 11% stated trans look after minors was more crucial.
“This is the very first time we saw these 2 problems connected,” KFF’s Salganicoff stated. And while a large minority may be divided on the 2 concerns, “it’s insufficient to move the needle on abortion rights when you have assistance in a state.”
Lindsey Dawsondirector of LGBTQ Health Policy at KFF, stated the Missouri study information and wider election results throughout the nation likewise appear to suggest that efforts to politicize trans care might not be as electorally considerable as some had actually believed.
Outbound Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, appeared to concur, informing press reporters Nov. 4, “I understood Republicans remained in difficulty when I read a summary about what were they running advertisements on, and they’re investing numerous countless dollars throughout the nation on transgender advertisements.”
That might have worked 4 years earlier, DeSantis stated, however throughout this election, it “was sort of like an effort to simply frighten Republicans to vote.”
At the St. Louis enjoy celebration for the union opposing the proposed Missouri restrictions, Shira Berkowitz of the LGBTQ+ advocacy company PROMO Missouri credited the group’s canvassing project with assisting to sway ambivalent Missouri citizens.
The group’s effort consisted of a group of trans Missourians who went door to door to share their individual stories, response concerns, and attempt to have “transformative” discussions.
“We showed so strongly that our exposure is not a liability,” Berkowitz stated. “We weren’t simply running a project; we were composing a playbook. What we developed here in Missouri, we developed to last.”
Federal leaders managing a $50 billion rural health fund missed out on a crucial due date to reveal just how much they’ll provide states next year, notifying state leaders to the hold-up with a mass e-mail.
A 12-sentence message from Alina Czekai, director of the federal Office of Rural Health Transformation, stated authorities “found an extra administrative procedure requirement.”
The Rural Health Transformation Program, which President Donald Trump promoted as an “extraordinary” financial investment to “rejuvenate health centers in our valued rural neighborhoods,” requires federal regulators to award states shares of $10 billion a year for 5 years.
In 2026, each state was granted in between $147 million and $281 million, with allotments figured out by a federal scoring procedure to be reviewed each year. State leaders had simply over 7 weeks in 2015 to compose applications as they contended versus one another for first-year funds.
A nationwide program of “this size, scope, and intricacy” that has actually run on a tight timeline is going to have “unexpected problems in application,” stated Alan Morgan, president of the National Rural Health Association, which represents rural health centers and centers. “It’s simply going to occur.”
Given that the program released last summer season, state leaders have actually raised issues about tight due dates and troublesome reporting needs. First-year development reports reveal state leaders have actually abided by federal needs to improve rural health innovation facilities while likewise sending out cash to regional neighborhoods.
Still, the fast rollout did not “set anyone up for success to make significant development,” stated Lori Foley, who leads earnings and compliance advisory at PYA, a nationwide consulting company that has actually dealt with local and regional health systems over the previous year.
For state leaders, the Oct. 30 e-mail has actually just contributed to the pressures of the previous months. One called the e-mail financing alert “puzzling.”Another stated there have actually been”lots of surprises along the method.” One Midwestern state health association leader stated her personnel was “in the dark over here” about the financing. KFF Health News concurred not to call the state authorities due to the fact that they feared retribution.
On Nov. 2, Kentucky’s Beth Fisher, a representative for the state’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services, verified the hold-up to KFF Health News, even as federal leaders decreased to react to concerns. Kentucky won almost $213 million in 2015, and Fisher composed that the rural cash was indicated to “reduce the effects” of anticipated decreases in federal Medicaid financing.
“Team Kentucky thinks that health care is a standard human right,” Fisher stated.
State leaders had actually anticipated to hear their 2027 award quantity by Oct. 31, as detailed in the initial federal notificationThe e-mail revealing a hold-up got to 4:05 p.m. Eastern time on Oct. 30, according to one file shown KFF Health News.
In it, Czekai composed that each state’s second-year base financing of $100 million was readily available however that the competitive part, which differed extensively for states in 2015, is postponed.
“We are working to solve this as rapidly as possible,” composed Czekai, whose workplace belongs to the Centers for Medicare & & Medicaid Services. She did not define when the competitive part would be revealed however composed that each state’s budget plan modifications set off by the brand-new allowances would be “due back to CMS” by Nov. 30.
Czekai did not react to an ask for remark. The CMS press workplace decreased to react on the record to a list of in-depth concerns.
Michael Baker, director of health care policy at the American Action Forum, a center-right think tank, stated he wasn’t shocked that determining second-year awards “appears to be more complex than the workplace prepared for.”
Baker stated federal personnel had actually produced “enthusiastic” grading metrics for the financing, granting points for efforts such as broadening rural health labor forces and policy top priorities such as embracing the governmental physical fitness test for schoolchildren.
Initially glimpse, in 2015’s awards did not appear to prefer states based upon the guv’s political celebration. one scholastic information analysis teased out the quantity granted for each state’s competitive rating– the discretionary part Czekai stated is now postponed. A KFF Health News evaluation of in 2015’s awards discovered that states with Republican guvs tended to get more of the competitive financing. Democratic-controlled states crowded the bottom quarter of those awards.
The second-year financing statement was slated to take place simply days before the midterm elections– in which Democrats won bulks in the Senate and House, along with numerous guv races. In the weeks before Election Day, Trump authorities admired the rural health program as a Republican success, by checking out battlefield states and releasing a flurry of press release.
Amongst the stops: In New Hampshire, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed an $11 million grant to support mobile health and emergency situation care. In Ohio, CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz promoted financial investments consisting of $30.3 million in one-time funds for rural medical facilities.
Program’s Launch
After first-year awards were revealed a couple of days ahead of schedule in late 2025, states had 8 months to send modified budget plans, start investing, and demonstrate how they were investing their cash.
The very first yearly development reports, detailing how each state granted and invested their cash, was because of CMS by the end of August. Authorities at CMS have actually decreased duplicated demands to launch those reports openly.
KFF Health News collected majority the states’ first-year development reports, through e-mails and records demands. Together, they expose that lots of states employed management and innovation experts, noting them as offering technical support, grants management, and “other consulting.”
States likewise sent out cash to rural medical facilities, centers, ambulance services, and other regional entities, in spite of concerns that they would get mainly left.
In Nevada, for instance, state authorities granted a $1.3 million grant to the Northern Nye County Hospital District to resume a physician-based medical care center. A $1.4 million grant was granted to Esmeralda County to develop a network of 3 rural centers in an area where locals “frequently take a trip 70 to more than 200 miles to acquire regular and specialized health care,” according to the award notification.
In Idaho, about $7 million will go straight to 5 Native American people, consisting of the Nez Perce and Shoshone-Bannock, according to the state’s first-year report. AJ McWhorter, a representative for Idaho’s health department, stated in an e-mail that tribal lands being in a few of the most rural parts of the state and “are regularly amongst the outermost (range smart) from medical services.”
Idaho likewise reported approximately $3 million going to the nationwide not-for-profit consulting company Comagine Health.
Oregon likewise contracted with Comagine, binding $2.2 million for household assistance and to “broaden life-saving overdose reaction tools in neighborhoods that require them most,” according to the state’s report. And it reserved about $17 million in tribal financing for tasks including IT upgrades, behavioral health, and bring back regional health care.
According to the files KFF Health News gathered, 6 states– Arizona, Connecticut, Kansas, Louisiana, Rhode Island, and South Carolina– reported multimillion-dollar agreements with specialists that together amounted to more than $60 million.
In Montana, a competitors amongst experts who wished to manage a brand-new statewide “center of quality” boiled over in late August. Manatt Health Strategies submitted a demonstration letter, asking state authorities not to offer a $25 million consulting and management agreement to Florida-based Indelible Health Solutions. Manatt’s demonstration letter declared a dispute of interest.
“All of the stakeholders should have self-confidence that the procedure is reasonable, open, and devoid of disputes that might affect results,” Manatt’s William Bernstein composed
Montana voided Indelible’s possible award on Sept. 11, according to Janna Williams, a representative for Montana’s Department of Administration.
States’ Concerns
CMS leaders have actually stated over the previous year that they desire states sharing details. While speaking at a rural health top in St. Louis in October, CMS’ Jason Berry revealed the production of an online website so state authorities can “gain from one another.”
An audience member asked Berry, who supervises state engagement for the Office of Rural Health Transformation, about appealing a choice from a CMS task officer.
“I would not state that there’s a method to always appeal,” Berry stated, “however you can raise it for conversation.”
Jason Berry, a department director with the federal Office of Rural Health Transformation, speaks at an October rural health development top in St. Louis. Berry states the workplace’s vision is”a country where every rural neighborhood stands strong and lively.” (Bram Sable-Smith/KFF Health News)
Such looks and sees to states from CMS authorities over the previous year obviously have actually done little to squelch issues amongst some state authorities about the program’s operations and tight timelines.
In public remarks submitted in action to a federal evaluation, a handful of state leaders composed in May that the time and personnel hours federal authorities forecasted it would require to complete their yearly report was a considerable underestimate. Rather, authorities from the 5 states, that included Republican-led Tennessee, stated a “more practical– though still modest– price quote is around 120 hours.”
Nebraska’s Ryan Daly, financing officer for that state’s rural health program, composed individually in May that he thought reporting would take a minimum of 400 to 520 hours. And in August, Colorado’s deputy Medicaid director, Cristen Bates, composed a letter specifying the time frame for the rollout suggested second-year awards would be “based upon an insufficient execution duration, leading to an incorrect assessment of state and program efficiency every year.”
Shin-Yi Lin, deputy director of Medicaid policy in New Jersey, asked in a May public remark for clearer assistance on reporting, “so that States can be evaluated relatively relative to other States.”
CMS did not straight react to the states, though the company stated in an August reaction to the general public remarks that it had actually worked to lower the concern, and it approximated the preliminary yearly reports would take 80 hours for each state to finish.
The American Action Forum’s Baker required federal authorities to be more transparent and launch more than the award quantities, consisting of descriptions of state successes and locations requiring enhancement.
Doing so would make sure that “those people on the exterior can continue to believe seriously” about whether the program is assisting rural citizens, Baker stated.
div id=”19459011″ class=””> 19459453 The Range Rover Evoque is a contemporary entry into the world of this brand name. The 2nd generation will be the last. The Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Velar will not get followers when their production ends. This will leave the revealed Range Rover GT in addition to the Range Rover Sport as 2 likewise priced entry points into JLR’s high-end brand name. Variety Rover brand name manager Martin Limpert has actually validated to Autocar that production of the Evoque and Velar will continue through 2027, however both designs are nearing completion of their lives after around a years in production, with neither establishing a follower.
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div class=””> The shutdown of these design lines is partially a repercussion of JLR’s “House of Brands” method, according to which Range Rover, Defender and Discovery were separated as independent brand names, different from the moms and dad brand name Land Rover. Offered the high-end positioning of the Range Rover and the broadened function of the Defender and Discovery designs– where the Defender variety will quickly be signed up with by a brand-new entry-level design called the Defender Sport (smaller sized than the Defender)– the Range Rover will no longer cover such a big market sector. Rather, the Range Rover will concentrate on the high-end market sector, while the smaller sized and more budget friendly designs will stay in the domain of the Defender and Discovery brand names. 19659001 19659002
div id=”class=”> Related Topics: autocar Protector Discovery evoque 19459465 gt JLR landrover 19459465 luxury_brands rangerover sport Velar
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What do Michigan senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed, South Carolina senator-elect Annie Andrews, Ohio governor-elect Amy Acton, and North Carolina representative-elect Jamie Ager have in common, beyond their victories in this week’s midterm elections?
Each is either a doctor or a scientist. And each had the backing of the political action committee 314 Action Fund, which focuses on electing pro-science voices to public office.
“We really benefit by having those data-driven, fact-based decisionmakers actually in a position at the governing table,” says Shaughnessy Naughton, a chemist and former congressional candidate who founded 314 Action after losing her race in 2016. This cycle, the PAC spent above $30 million donating to and supporting various campaigns, including fundraising for specific races. It raised $3.6 million for pediatrician Andrews in the fight over what had been Lindsay Graham’s Senate seat in South Carolina, for example, and another $3 million for physician Acton’s campaign in the hotly contested Ohio governor race, according to Naughton.
The organization’s success rate topped 80 percent this cycle for congressional candidates, with 14 of 17 of its candidates in the US House of Representatives winning their races and hundreds of successful down-ballot candidates. Nine of these races flipped seats from Republican to Democrat. Victorious congressional candidates who flipped their districts this year include an oncology nurse-practitioner, a mathematician, a microbiologist, a nuclear engineer, and an agricultural scientist. “It did turn out to be a health care election,” Naughton says.
Richard Frank, the director of the Brookings Institute’s Center on Health Policy, notes that health care workers and scientists have always been part of the makeup of Congress, but not to this degree. “What is unusual,” he says, “is just how many came in one wave.” He sees the spike in this type of candidate as a direct result of the hostility toward medical and technical expertise from the Trump administration. “Science has been under attack,” Frank says. “It’s not surprising that scientists have recognized that, and some of them went out and ran for Congress.”
The rise of the science candidate has several causes, according to historian Kristoffer Shields, who runs Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics. “Some of it certainly is a reaction to what’s been happening at the federal level, the defunding of a lot of laboratories and scientific exploration,” he says. But he also sees this as a legacy of the pandemic, when many health care workers started thinking about how politics impacts public health.
Earlier this year, El-Sayed emphasized to WIRED that his candidacy was focused on public health, noting that the cyclospora outbreak that sickened Americans over the summer likely stemmed from the Trump administration’s choices. “We DOGE’d our whole service that keeps the lettuce safe,” he said at the time, referencing the so-called Department of Government Efficiency directing mass layoffs at the Food and Drug Administration.
In 2024, 314 Action’s past acceptance of funding from groups with ties to the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC came under scrutiny. The organization no longer accepts AIPAC funding and supported candidates like El-Sayed who were vocally critical of the Israeli government. Unlike some other political committees that aim to put doctors in office, like the American Medical Association’s PAC, 314 Action specifically focuses on electing Democratic health and science experts; it is forthright about its opposition to the Trump administration’s approach to public health.
That so many of these politicians are advocates for the importance of public health and scientific expertise suggests that the election was, in part, a rejection of current health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA movement, which promotes medical misinformation, including anti-vaccine sentiment. Many of the winning candidates with scientific and technical backgrounds have explicitly discussed how their concerns about the state of health care policy drove them to enter the race. “I am appalled seeing infectious diseases spreading through our communities that we had once declared eradicated,” microbiologist Jasmine Clark, the incoming representative from Georgia, told The Guardian earlier this year.
Clark was first supported by 314 Action when she ran for Georgia’s House of Representatives eight years ago. “She was in the first class of scientists that we helped elect in that 2018 cycle and now has made that move up to the federal level,” says Naughton.
Shields sees the straightforward communication style favored by doctors and scientists as another asset that has made them strong candidates. Some of this year’s winners are especially direct. In recent interviews, South Carolina’s Annie Andrews has referred to RFK Jr. as her “archnemesis” and promised to hold him accountable.
314 Action has also been clear that rebuking RFK Jr.’s agenda is a core part of its goals. In 2025, it launched its Guardians of Public Health initiative to recruit health care experts to run for public office. “We thought it was important to speak directly to doctors and people in public health, like nurses, to say that we have this program and we need you to step up to run, because we have a madman running the Health and Human Services cabinet,” Naughton says.
The push for pro-science public servants isn’t over; 314 Action is starting its next recruitment round later this month.
The warnings came in thick and fast, targeting one airline or airport after another.
In nearly all cases – London’s Heathrow airport being a notable exception – they were taken to be credible enough to divert the aircraft in question, or even in Italy’s case, to scramble fighter jets to escort it.
They all turned out to be false, which does not, of course, mean that the next ones will not be real.
It is hardly surprising that the simultaneous, co-ordinated nature of these airline hoaxes, coupled with other malicious actions across Europe, are causing some people to point the finger of suspicion at Russia.
Following a series of cyber-attacks and mysterious drone sightings over sensitive sites earlier this year, in the past few days we have seen the remote hacking of supermarket freezers, as well as a blood bank, a suspicious incident on Poland’s border with Russia, and in August a drone attack Germany’s Leipzig Halle airport which its interior minister publicly blamed on Moscow.
So is Russia behind this?
There are many who argue, based purely on circumstantial evidence, that this must surely be yet another example of “hybrid”, “grey zone” or “sub-threshold” warfare – actions that damage a nation’s infrastructure or society but which tend to be anonymous, deniable and which fall short of triggering Nato’s Article 5 and thereby mobilising a response by the West.
Moscow is certainly furious with Nato for supporting Ukraine and, in doing so, frustrating the Kremlin’s plans to swallow up that country and effectively terminate its independence.
Russian bloggers have also suggested that, if Ukraine’s drones are currently making Russia’s airports unsafe, and Western sanctions are blocking Russian airlines from European airspace, then why shouldn’t Western nations feel the same pain?
But as of Thursday evening no hard evidence had emerged linking the airline hoaxes to Russia, Iran or any proxy groups controlled by them.
There is the email threat sent on Thursday morning to airport authorities in Rome, purporting to be from “Fighters of the Male State”.
That name likely refers to the Russian group Muzhskoi Legion or “Male Legion”, an ultra-right group with such extreme views it was banned by a Moscow court in 2021.
Yet, it retained tens of thousands of online followers on Telegram as it cheered on the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in the following year.
But the email sent to Rome, even if genuine – and who is to say it is not another group hiding behind that name? – is unlikely to provide the leads that police and airport authorities need to pin down who is generating these hoaxes and why.
For national police forces, airport authorities and transport ministries trying to work out who is behind these hoaxes and how best to mitigate their effect when they happen again, the task is not to go with who they think might be the most likely culprits but instead to follow the cold, hard leads – if they can find them.
A coin that gains 10% in a week is exciting when you hold it as an investment and annoying when you already used it to pay for something. Stablecoins such as USDT and USDC are designed to track the value of a currency, usually the US dollar. Bitcoin and other volatile coins can change in price between the time you receive them and when you spend them. That difference matters when paying for groceries while travelling in New Zealand, covering a recurring subscription or making a crypto casino top-up.
Let’s look at scenarios that show when price stability matters most and when volatility may be an acceptable trade-off.
Two kinds of coin, three kinds of spending
The choice between stablecoins and volatile coins is practical when topping up a crypto casino balance. A coin’s price can change between the time it is purchased and the time a deposit is made, while network fees can affect the amount received. These trade-offs are relevant on an online casino like Voltrush NZ, which accepts deposits in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, XRP, Solana and Tron, alongside Visa, Mastercard and Apple Pay. Voltrush supports NZD as well as AUD, CAD and USD stablecoins alongside crypto.
According to wealth manager Davy’s analysis of stablecoins, they are anchored to an asset, such as the US dollar. This limits short-term price swings compared to Bitcoin or Ethereum.
Volatile coins don’t have a price anchor. Hence, their value can change between purchase and payment. CoinCentral’s Bitcoin drawdown statistics report Bitcoin falling 52.92% from its October 2025 peak to its 1 July 2026 low. When you’re considering everyday purchases or a crypto casino top-up, you consider the coin’s value and the fluctuations.
Stablecoins have grown into a significant part of the crypto market, even though everyday spending accounts for only a small share of their activity. Stablecoins provide a predictable value for paying bills or making casino top-ups, but huge transaction volumes don’t mean people use them for everyday shopping at the same scale.
Groceries abroad: Why stablecoins can make spending more predictable
Although most stablecoin activity happens within the crypto market, everyday payments show where price stability can matter. A good example is a Kiwi family in Sydney paying for their weekly groceries. The bill is in Australian dollars, but the family measures its spending in NZD. If they pay using a crypto card funded with Bitcoin, changes in Bitcoin’s price can affect how much of their crypto balance the purchases use. The AUD-to-NZD exchange rate affects the cost against their home budget.
Stablecoins reduce uncertainty from crypto price swings. Hence, they are suitable for everyday purchases and cross-border payments because they avoid the price fluctuations of most digital assets. They do not remove currency risk, though: a US dollar coin still moves against the NZD, so the cost is steadier rather than fixed. For a New Zealander abroad, there are two exchange rates in play, coin to currency and NZD to the local currency, and a stablecoin removes only one of them.
Why stablecoins make recurring payments more predictable
Groceries are an occasional expense, but subscriptions create the same payment exposure monthly. Streaming platforms, cloud storage and software services often bill in US dollars, so a recurring charge can become less predictable when the crypto used to fund it fluctuates in value. A subscription with a fixed dollar price may take a larger share of a bitcoin balance one month and a smaller share the next. The difference between stablecoins and volatile cryptoassets explains why a dollar-pegged stablecoin can make recurring payments more predictable, although exchange rates and transaction fees still affect the final cost.
Many subscription services don’t accept crypto directly, so most people pay through a crypto-linked card or a third-party biller. However, some services support recurring stablecoin payments and let subscribers pay for eligible services in USDC and authorise future subscription charges through their wallet.
Topping up a crypto casino balance
A crypto casino deposit is a quick transfer. However, even with the small window, a volatile coin can fluctuate in price. VoltRush’s approved crypto list covers various coins, so check the cashier for coins and networks accepted at the time before making a deposit. Withdrawals go out by bank transfer or crypto, and the casino says it processes them without unnecessary delay, although security checks can cause a short hold. Players are also expected to verify identity before withdrawing.
Here is a short checklist that helps with any coin and purchase:
Check which coins and networks the merchant accepts
Compare the NZD amount you will pay or receive
Send a small test amount before making a large deposit
Factor in network and card fees
When you plan to use cryptocurrency, ensure you spend the shortest time making the transaction. The longer a balance sits in your crypto wallet, the higher the chances of fluctuations. Stability has limits, and the Davy analysis is blunt about them. TerraUSD collapsed in May 2022, and USDC fell as low as $0.88 in March 2023 when Silicon Valley Bank failed. Davy’s investment team concludes that stablecoins are “not always as stable as advertised.”
The table below matches the coin to the spend:
Spending scenario
Better fit
Why
Groceries abroad
Stablecoin
NZD and USD movement
Subscriptions
Stablecoin
Limited direct crypto acceptance
Long-term holding
Volatile coin
Large drawdowns
Crypto casino
Stable/volatile coin
Faster transfer and small gap
Stablecoins are convenient for repetitive expenses, while volatile coins can be held as an investment. A crypto casino top-up sits between the two as a short transfer to plan carefully. For New Zealanders, the decision is partly about habit: someone who spends crypto weekly gains most from a stablecoin routine, while someone who rarely touches their coins gains more from storing them safely and leaving them alone.
Play Responsibly: Online pokies and casino games are a form of entertainment, not a way to make money. Set a budget before you start playing. Use the deposit and time-out limits that the online casino provides if you want to dial things back. When gaming stops feeling fun, that’s the signal to take a break.
Michelle DG
Michelle is an editor at CoinCentral & Blockonomi, covering the latest trends in crypto, blockchain, and digital finance. With a sharp eye for detail and a passion for emerging technologies, Michelle ensures every story delivers clarity, accuracy, and insight to our readers.
U.S. stocks plunged Thursday, a day after a powerful post-election rally, as investors dumped technology shares amid fears that Democrats’ sweeping midterm victories would slow the artificial-intelligence infrastructure boom.
The S&P 500 sank more than 3 percent during morning trading, putting it on pace for its worst day since the April 2025 selloff following President Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed more than 1,000 points, surrendering more than half of Wednesday’s advance.
Technology shares led the retreat. The Nasdaq Composite fell roughly 4 percent to 5 percent, trading more than 10 percent below its October record close. A close below that threshold would confirm the index’s second correction this year. The Nasdaq 100, which tracks the largest nonfinancial companies listed on the exchange, fell as much as 6.24 percent.
Within the S&P 500, technology led the decline, falling about 5.1 percent, while consumer discretionary dropped roughly 4 percent. Industrials fell about 2.2 percent, materials 1.9 percent, and communication services 1.8 percent. Financials lost 1.8 percent and real estate slipped 1.4 percent. By contrast, defensive pockets held up better: energy rose about 0.6 percent and consumer staples gained roughly 0.3 percent, while utilities and health care were nearly flat to modestly lower. Only two of the index’s 11 sectors were higher, underscoring a rotation away from the artificial-intelligence infrastructure complex toward more stable areas of the market.
Some of this year’s most popular AI trades suffered the sharpest losses as investors reassessed companies whose growth depends on continued spending on chips, computing capacity and data-center equipment.
Nvidia and Broadcom each fell about 9 percent, as did Oracle. The iShares Semiconductor ETF dropped more than 11 percent. Tesla and SpaceX each lost about 10 percent.
Companies that rent out AI computing capacity also plunged. CoreWeave fell about 14 percent, Nebius slid 17 percent, and IREN shed 19 percent, extending losses from Wednesday.
Qualcomm dropped about 13 percent after its quarterly earnings beat analysts’ estimates but its earnings outlook disappointed. Revenue from its smartphone-chip business fell 26 percent to $5.14 billion, missing Wall Street expectations.
The election results added a political obstacle to an industry already facing questions about the cost of its expansion. Democrats secured majorities in both the House and Senate and captured key governorships, raising the prospect of tighter scrutiny and restrictions on new data centers.
Texas emerged as a particular concern. Democrat Gina Hinojosa, who defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, campaigned for an immediate moratorium on data-center development. Developers in the state were already contending with a suspension of approvals under Abbott.
Data center-related measures appeared on ballots in at least 41 jurisdictions across 10 states, and voters approved moratoriums or restrictions in 40 of those. This is one of the clearest signs that the midterm elections were in fact the “AI election.”
Dan Ives, a technology analyst at Yorkville Ives, estimated that roughly 10 percent of planned U.S. data centers “will not happen now.” He said Texas accounts for roughly 25 percent to 30 percent of expected data-center capacity.
UBS analysts separately estimated that potential construction pauses could put about 30 percent of expected U.S. data-center capacity additions in 2028 at risk.
Slower construction could reduce orders for semiconductors, servers, cooling systems and power equipment, spreading the effects across businesses that have expanded to meet demand from the AI industry.
Thursday’s plunge marked a sharp reversal of the broader market’s initial response to the election. The Dow surged more than 1,500 points Wednesday, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq each gained more than 1 percent.
Several large technology companies rallied Wednesday as investors bet that slower construction could ease pressure on their cash flows and increase the value of existing facilities by limiting competing supply. Chipmakers and smaller data-center companies fell even during that rally.
By Thursday morning, the selling had reached the cloud giants themselves, with Amazon and Alphabet also trading lower.
The political uncertainty compounded longer-running concerns about the returns on massive AI investments. The largest cloud computing companies have committed hundreds of billions of dollars to data centers, chips and power projects, increasingly turning to debt markets to help finance the spending.
The stock declines came despite encouraging economic news. Weekly applications for unemployment benefits fell below every forecast in a survey of economists. Investors next face Friday’s monthly employment report.
European stock indexes held up better than their U.S. counterparts following Wednesday’s steep decline in oil prices. Oil recovered some ground Thursday, with U.S. crude trading around $90 a barrel and Brent near $97.
AI is leading the way in BBC Sport’s prediction league table, but this week Chris Sutton has more than one machine to worry about.
His guest opponent for this weekend’s fixtures is a computer game: Football Manager 27, the latest edition of the long-running management simulation series, which is released on 10 November.
The FM27 game engine has played out this weekend’s matches and you can see its results, including goalscorers, below.
Miles Jacobson, the studio director of Sports Interactive, the company behind Football Manager, also joined in.
Do you agree with their predictions? You can pick your own below.
The most popular scoreline selected for each game is used in the scoreboards and tables at the bottom of this page.
A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.
Want to make more predictions? You can play BBC Sport’s new Match of the Day predictor game every week, featuring six fixtures from domestic and European competition.
Image source, FM27
Image caption,
One of the features in Football Manager 27 allows you to customise your manager’s visual appearance, with wheelchair-using managers included for the first time
Among the new features in Football Manager 27 is the expanded ability to tweak your manager’s visual appearance, including an option that means wheelchair-using managers are represented in the game for the first time.
“It’s something we are really proud of,” Jacobson told BBC Sport. “Some might think it is only a small thing, but for wheelchair users it is an absolutely massive thing to be able to be represented in the game that they love.
“I am not a teary person, but I have to admit I had some tears in my eyes last weekend when I was watching some Instagram videos from our free trial of the game, of disabled people who just wanted to be seen, and represented.
“It seems really obvious to those of us who have been represented in games for years, but just giving people an opportunity to be represented, when they haven’t been before, really does mean a lot to them. That has just been brilliant to see.”
A more immersive world has been created for FM27, which includes a new training system called Tactical Effectiveness.
“It reflects what happens in real life when a new manager comes into a club and does something different – it takes players a while to get used to the new tactics,” Jacobson said.
“So, when you are the manager coming into a club, you have to decide whether to spend more time training the players in a really complicated tactic – which is going to take them a long time to learn and which means less time training them on other things – or do you start off with the basics, and build from there?
“It’s a little bit like what Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner talked about after their performance in their defeat against Brentford last week, when he said he had been nice to his players, but now they have to listen and do what he is saying.
“I expect he is spending a lot of this week doing tactical effectiveness training in the background, or focusing on one part of it, because there are multiple elements.”
Chris Sutton and Miles Jacobson were speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.
The AI predictions were generated using Microsoft Copilot Chat – we simply asked the tool to ‘predict this weekend’s Premier League scores’.
FM27’s Premier League predictions, including goalscorers and red cards
Premier League predictions
Friday, 6 November
Hill Dickinson Stadium, 20:00 GMT
Like all the promoted teams, Coventry are having a go in games.
It has worked too, because they have picked up a few wins so far – they have three in the Premier League, as many as sixth-place Brentford.
It has been a strange season for the Sky Blues so far, because their performances have been a bit up and down. They can look very open, but those wins are the reward for their brave approach.
I don’t see them getting anything here, however, on Frank Lampard’s return to his former club.
Everton are not a free-scoring side, but I think they will have a bit too much nous for Coventry.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-0
FM27’s prediction: 2-0
Miles’ prediction: Both of these teams are in good form and this is probably the game I wrestled the most with before deciding what to go for. Thierno Barry has been a revelation for Everton this seasonand they showed against Newcastle that they can win without Jack Grealish, while Jack Rudoni has started to shine for Coventry at just the right time.
It’s going to be a cracker of a game but I’ve gone with Everton to win, firstly because their defence is so strong at the moment, and Coventry might find them harder to break down than they did Sunderland, but also because David Moyes’ side are playing with a lot of confidence now. 2-1
AI’s prediction: 2-0
Saturday, 7 November
Tottenham always seem to do well against Leeds – they have only lost one of their past 15 meetings in the Premier League, going back almost 25 years.
I am a little bit of a believer that some teams always do well, or badly, against certain opposition or on certain grounds.
I had the same as a player when I had bogey teams or stadiums, as well as lucky ones. For example, while I always used to score against Everton at Goodison Park, I always had a stinker at Highfield Road, Coventry’s old home, despite getting plenty of goals against them in home games for Blackburn.
So, I am definitely not going for Leeds to win this – but do I back Tottenham to win again and continue their good run?
Roberto de Zerbi’s side have rocketed up the table on the back of three wins in a row, although they were helped out a lot by Jean-Philippe Mateta’s red card in their victory over Crystal Palace last time out.
Tottenham are flying at the moment, and their confidence is up – we are seeing a bit of a Spurs swagger for the first time in a long while. So, while I don’t think they will make it four wins in a row, I don’t see them being beaten, either.
It’s likely to be a very tight game. Leeds were a bit unlucky to lose to Bournemouth last week, but their lack of goals is becoming an issue.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-1
FM27’s prediction: 2-1
Miles’ prediction: Leeds had such a brilliant start to the season, whileSpurs have turned the corner and they have got lots of players coming back to full fitness. I can’t separate them.1-1
AI’s prediction: 1-2
Hull are scrapping for points and hanging on in there in a lot of games.
I get a lot of my predictions wrong for their games because I always go for them to lose, but I am not going to do anything different for them this week because of who they are playing.
Arsenal are just monsters, aren’t they? They always seem to find a way and do enough to win games, even when they don’t play well, and they will grind another result out here if they have to.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-0
FM27’s prediction: 1-0
Miles’ prediction: Hull have been so entertaining, and I just absolutely love watching them because they play with no fear whatsoever. At the start of the season you would have looked at this and thought Arsenal would hit them for four or five, but I think it will be much closer than that because you can never write off Ollie McBurnie.
I enjoy watching Arsenal too, by the way, in the same way that I enjoy watching chess. They are a beautiful team to watch tactically and it is just difficult for them when they attack at the moment because they have lost a lot of their width with Bukayo Saka out injured. They seem to be grinding out a lot of their results but I still enjoy watching them – I enjoy watching any team, for different reasons. One of the beautiful things about football is there is no one set way to play it.
Arsenal often go 1-0 up and shut up shop, but they will have to do a bit more than that here, because Hull will keep going at them. 2-1
AI’s prediction: 3-0
What are Newcastle? What type of team are they? I am not sure and that’s why their manager, Matthias Jaissle, is getting a bit of stick from Magpies fans.
That’s what is different with today’s Premier League compared to my playing days, because we see it all the time now – even a new manager comes under pressure if they have a couple of bad results.
Newcastle have lost three of their past four league games and, in this day and age, that’s enough for people to say the wheels are coming off.
That’s why this game feels big for Jaissle. Win, and the Magpies head into the international break on a positive note. Lose it, however, and stand by for a lot of moaning and grumbling from their fans over the next couple of weeks.
That’s what I think will happen, too. Fulham’s results have picked up and so have their performances. They are at home here, and I am expecting them to be too slick and too well organised for Newcastle.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-1
FM27’s prediction: 1-1
Miles’ prediction: Fulham are playing a completely different formation under Alvaro Arbeloa this season and they have taken a long time to build it up.
Newcastle are definitely a project under Matthias Jaissle, too. I’ve just taken Yoane Wissa out of my Fantasy team so I am not expecting him to start scoring this week – I think they need the international break to sort out some of their manager’s ideas.0-0
AI’s prediction: 1-1
Nottingham Forest just cannot score – they have managed only six league goals in their first nine games, the lowest total in the Premier League.
Their manager, Oliver Glasner, got a bit stroppy after their defeat by Brentford last time out, saying he will make changes or he will end up being sacked. He tried the carrot approach at the start of the season but his team didn’t bite – so now he is trying the stick.
We might see a reaction here, and I do think Forest will score – Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma might even chuck one in for them, going off his recent poor form.
It certainly won’t be easy for City and they have their own issues at the moment after back-to-back league defeats, but I am still expecting them to create enough chances to win.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-2
FM27’s prediction: 0-0
Miles’ prediction: Forest are another team who could do with the international break.Last season, Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo were two of the best centre-backs in the Premier League, but they look completely out of sorts at the moment. I can’t see anything but a City win here. 0-3
AI’s prediction: 1-2
Sunday, 8 November
I just can’t see past Brighton here – they are superbly organised, carry a threat going forward and defend well. Their bench is strong as well.
Brentford are also going well and are capable of causing them a problem or two – but, after watching Brighton beat Manchester City at Etihad Stadium last week, I am backing Fabian Hurzeler’s side here.
I always think the Bees have got a goal in them, so I am going to say they will score, but the Seagulls are smart enough to come out on top.
People seem to be unsure whether Brighton are really in the title race or not, but they are certainly in the mix for second place if Arsenal are the team we all think are going to win it.
Sutton’s prediction: 2-1
FM27’s prediction: 0-1
Miles’ prediction: What a revelation Brighton have been. They are just beautiful to watch and, again, they play with no fear.What they are doing on and off the pitch is just fantastic, but then you could say the same about Brentford.This will be a brilliant game and I wish I could watch it live.2-2
AI’s prediction: 2-1
Crystal Palace boss Pierre Sage was not helped by Mateta’s sending-off in their defeat by Tottenham and the Eagles striker will miss this game after they failed with their appeal to overturn the decision.
Whether you thought that was a red card or not, you feel for Sage because he is coming under a lot of pressure and a lot of Palace’s problems are not his fault – he took charge at a difficult time.
Liverpool have issues too, and they come into this game off the back of a lousy performance and result against Fenerbahce on Wednesday.
Aston Villa hit the Turkish side for six a couple of weeks ago, but Liverpool struggled to keep them quiet and Palace might feel they can pick the Reds off in the same way.
Liverpool won’t change the way they play under Andoni Iraola, so they will try to be aggressive with their press but are likely to be left open again if Palace get past it.
I don’t see that happening this time, though, mostly because Palace have been so poor.
Liverpool were leaky against Fenerbahce, but I am going for them to keep a clean sheet here and get a sneaky away win, with Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola getting their goals.
Sutton’s prediction: 0-2
FM27’s prediction: 0-1
Miles’ prediction: I have mates who work at Palace and I know they probably won’t talk to me for a week after this prediction, but I am going with Liverpool here.Mateta’s suspension is huge for the Eagles, and Ismaila Sarr is still out injured.0-2
AI’s prediction: 1-3
Bournemouth have turned into one of the Premier League’s form teams.
I thought they would run out of steam against Leeds last week but I was wrong, and they have shown they have got a bit of depth in their squad.
I’ve been surprised by Ipswich too, and they were unlucky not to beat Hull last time out. The Tractor Boys have got a bit of spirit about them, which makes me think they will get something from this game.
Bournemouth are a front-foot team under Marco Rose, who is a very attack-minded manager, but Ipswich will have a go too. I can see them getting a point.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-1
FM27’s prediction: 1-2
Miles’ prediction: I have been really impressed by Ipswich in the past few weeks and Julio Enciso has been doing really well for them – but Bournemouth are absolutely flying. What a season they are having.0-2
AI’s prediction: 1-1
I keep hearing how Sunderland boss Regis le Bris is under pressure. Really? After finishing seventh and getting a promoted side into Europe last season, it seems crazy that his job is at risk now.
Still, Le Bris has plenty of problems to solve while his squad is being stretched by the Europa League – before this game they play Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday.
The Black Cats won this fixture on the final day of the last campaign, but their home record is nothing like as strong this time around.
They are also conceding an average of almost two goals a game in the Premier League, compared to 2025-26 when only three teams had a better defensive record.
Add that to their problems scoring – Forest are the only team with fewer goals so far – and you can see why they are bottom of the table.
I am still not sure how to judge Chelsea yet – yes, they beat Manchester United last week, but everyone beats Manchester United – but I just don’t see the Black Cats keeping them out.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-2
FM27’s prediction: 1-1
Miles’ prediction: Sunderland are struggling with having European football and while I think they will turn things around, it won’t be this week. Chelsea’s start to the new season has not been ideal and Joao Pedro being out injured is a huge loss to them – but I am still backing them here. 1-2
AI’s prediction: 1-2
There were great scenes at Old Trafford on Tuesday with Manchester United coming back from 2-0 down to beat Roma, who had to field their third-choice goalkeeper because of injuries.
That ended up being a really good result, but there are so many things about United that are just not convincing at the moment – as a club they are trying to convey this picture of togetherness and it is just not there for me.
Beating Roma was a great comeback, of course, but you still feel United are not far from another collapse, especially against an Aston Villa team who are so well structured, and capable of punishing any weakness.
Villa boss Unai Emery has been talked about as a potential successor to Michael Carrick at Old Trafford, but he is too good for United as far as I can see.
United will score, but Villa are going to win this. Nicolas Jackson will bag a couple and we might see more tears from Bruno Fernandes at the final whistle.
Sutton’s prediction: 1-3
FM27’s prediction: 2-1
Miles’ prediction: I am probably going to get pelters from United fans from this, including some of my team members at Sports Interactive. One of them, who is a season-ticket holder, told me he wasn’t going to this game, and therefore United will probably win… but I just can’t see that happening.
I really feel for Michael Carrick because he did such a brilliant job last season and I hope he manages to turn things around, but Villa are looking really good at the moment. 1-2
AI’s prediction: 2-2
How did Sutton do last time?
Chris got four correct results, including two exact scores, from the 10 games in week nine, giving him a total of 100 points.
He beat his guest, Bad Day At The Office star John Hannah, who got four correct results with no exact scores, for a tally of 40 points.
And AI’s four-week winning run is over, after it got five correct results and one exact score to end up on 80 points.
But the weekly win was claimed by the collective efforts of the BBC readers. They managed five correct results, including two exact scores, giving them 110 points.
There was only one game where everyone picked the right outcome – Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Manchester United.
Chris, John and AI all backed the Blues to win, just by the wrong score, but a lot of you got that part spot on too.
From more than 40,000 predictions by the BBC readers, that was the most popular scoreline selected, with almost 10,000 of you getting it exactly right.
Ferrari’s first fully electric vehicle, the Luce, has already sold out its planned 2027 allocation, with the Italian sports car marque expecting demand to increase further as customers experience the new model.
CEO Benedetto Vigna disclosed the strong order position on Tuesday, November 3, while presenting Ferrari’s third-quarter results. “Everything we plan to sell next year is already fully allocated,” he told the media, according to Reuters.
While noting that customer test drives scheduled for 2027 are expected to generate additional interest, Vigna said Ferrari was “very satisfied” with the Luce’s reception, with first deliveries expected at the end of 2026.
See Also: Swedish Soccer Icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic Buys $4 Million Ferrari F80 For 45th Birthday (Photos)
Ferrari has not disclosed how many Luce units it intends to sell in 2027, but the electric car starts at $560,800 in the United States. Despite attracting criticism over its unconventional design when it was unveiled in May, the reaction has not stopped buyers from securing the available allocation.
Vigna also dismissed concerns about production or demand, saying: “We have no critical issues, neither on manufacturing nor on demand side.” He acknowledged that the electric car is more complex because it incorporates many new parts and technologies.
The milestone follows an extraordinary auction result in August, when a Ferrari enthusiast paid $40 million at an RM Sotheby’s auction during Monterey Car Week for the first production Luce, identified as “Chassis 0”. The sale set a world record for a new car sold at auction, as well as a record for an electric vehicle.
With the first Luce deliveries expected before the year runs out, Ferrari is also developing additional electric models as the Italian brand works towards having fully electric vehicles account for 20 per cent of its model range by 2030.
See Also: Karim Benzema Shows Off New $740,000 Ferrari 12Cilindri and $800,000 Lamborghini Revuelto
American Bitcoin recorded $126 million in third-quarter net income, reversing its $57.2 million second-quarter loss.
The company’s $197.3 million digital asset gain helped offset lower mining revenue and higher operating costs.
Bitcoin mining revenue declined 5.4% to $63.4 million, while production dropped to approximately 891 BTC.
The average cost of mining one Bitcoin increased to $42,100 from $36,500 in the previous quarter.
American Bitcoin increased its Bitcoin reserves by approximately 425 BTC, bringing total holdings to 8,427 BTC.
American Bitcoin returned to profit in the third quarter of 2026 after recording a $197.3 million gain on its digital assets. Its mining business produced fewer coins and earned less revenue than in the previous quarter.
The miner, co-founded by Eric Trump, reported $126 million in net income for the three months ended September 30. That reversed a $57.2 million second-quarter loss. Adjusted EBITDA rose to $220.8 million from a $45 million loss. The asset gain reflected changes in Bitcoin’s reported value rather than cash earned from mining.
American Bitcoin Mining Revenue Falls
American Bitcoin mined about 891 BTC during the quarter, down from 932 BTC in the previous period. Mining revenue fell to $63.4 million from $67 million, while revenue per coin slipped to $71,100. The quarter accounted for about 21% of Bitcoin mined since the company launched operations in March 2025.
Production costs moved in the opposite direction. The average cost to mine one Bitcoin rose from $36,500 to $42,100 as electricity became more expensive. Elsewhere, Strategy reported $19.53 billion in quarterly profit, largely from Bitcoin valuation gains.
Bitcoin Reserve Grows to 8,427 BTC
The company ended September with 8,427 Bitcoin, up 425 from June. It sold some newly mined coins to meet operating expenses but did not purchase Bitcoin during the quarter.
Its reserve included 3,090 Bitcoin pledged under miner purchase agreements with Bitmain. Bitcoin held per share rose about 5%. The company also issued no shares through its stock sale program during the period. Its fleet contained 89,242 mining machines at September’s end.
Rival Mining Companies Report Results
Other miners reported mixed third-quarter figures. Riot Platforms generated $181.4 million in revenue, including $116 million from Bitcoin mining. Riot’s mining revenue declined while the company expanded into data center leasing.
American Bitcoin’s parent company, Hut 8, posted $189.5 million in net income and $413.8 million in digital asset gains. Its overall quarterly revenue fell to $71.1 million from $83.5 million a year earlier.
Shares Move Following Earnings
Meanwhile, MARA moved 1,650 Bitcoin to Galaxy Digital, Copper, and other platforms, according to reported wallet tracking data. The transfers were worth about $132.8 million. The company had not confirmed whether those Bitcoin were sold. American Bitcoin shares fell 5.6% during Wednesday’s regular session before rising 2.4% in after-hours trading after the earnings announcement.
Britain’s most notorious serial killers and infamous gangsters are convicted at London’s Old Bailey, under a neo-Baroque dome and gold-gilded statue of Lady Justice. But it is Southwark Crown Court, an entirely bland heap of 1980s bricks by the River Thames, where the embattled entertainers wash up.
Only recently, this is where rapper Chris Brown—who pleaded guilty to affray after striking a man in the head with a glass bottle in a nightclub—learned he would avoid prison. It is also where Russell Brand today was found guilty of one count of rape and three of sexual assault. He was found not guilty of two other counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault.
The week before, whilst reporting on Brand’s trial, I watched a fan in the corridor outside the courtroom admiringly accost the comedian. “I’ve been told to tell you there are many who support you,” she told him. He gave a zen reply: “I receive it, I receive it.” But by and large, English courts are not interested in fame.
In England, the court is an uncontaminated information space: There are no cameras to broadcast what happens inside, and there are strict rules to marshal what information can come in. It may be one of the few places on earth where an influencer can no longer influence; even Katy Perry, Brand’s ex-wife, had to be explained to the judge. In 2026, the closest the US has come to creating a similar environment is Taylor Swift’s wedding.
In a world of video clips, this courtroom is unclippable. What happens here is beyond the reach of rubbernecking pundits or home sleuths wanting a hot take for their socials. Unlike in modern discourse, there are rules in this court, and they are strictly enforced: Complainants in sexual cases are entitled to immediate and lifelong anonymity in the UK. Their real names and identifying details were heard in court—but mention them outside, and you risk arrest for contempt of court. Here, the defense also must ask the judge’s permission to bring up the accusers’ sexual history. When it was suspected that one blogger may have crossed the line, the judge barked at the lead prosecutor: “You’ve plenty of police officers back there…. Send one to arrest him!” They promptly did, and he was ultimately released with a caution.
Jurors, too, can never be unmasked, and their deliberations are forever secret. I sat watching them throughout the trial, but can never tell you what I observed.
From the initial charging to the conclusion of the trial, we in the British media are limited to reporting fairly and accurately only what the jury hears each day. Anyone weighing in publicly with an opinion, a prediction, or anything that could create a “substantial risk of serious prejudice or impediment” to the trial risks joining Brand in the dock of a criminal court. This meant there was no spin as Brand stepped down from the witness stand—no online reprisals against his accusers.
In court, Brand described himself as someone who had once been “staggeringly” famous. His defense argued that, in 2023, reporting from Channel 4,TheTimes, and TheSunday Times alleging sexual misbehavior changed that—and made everyone desert him. This, Brand said, is why only three witnesses were called to support him—two, if you exclude his wife.
“It’s not the case you’ve been completely abandoned,” wily prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones stated in cross-examination on October 28. Eight seconds of silent staring was Brand’s reply.
“You have a platform with followers in the millions, don’t you?” Silence.
“Yes,” he eventually returned, albeit quietly. Even Harold Pinter would have shouted, “Get on with it.”
The 2.2 million who follow Brand on Rumble and 6.6 million who subscribe to his YouTube channel must have fringe tastes. Brand now mixes prayer and conspiracy theory on Rumble livestreams, hawking adaptogenic mushroom supercoffee and more. His schtick seems increasingly detached from reality: He’s not just claiming that autism diagnoses are rising because of vaccines to create a “population incapable of personal sovereignty,” but he’s also suggesting that his rape and sexual assault allegations were suspiciously timed—implying the campaign against him is the work of a shadowy psy-ops division of the British army linked to a lawmaker who once questioned whether he should be demonetized by some social media platforms.
Keeping up? To follow any of this is to wade through a thicket of non-sequitur arguments, florid vocabulary and, in his latest twist, the Gospels.
How has Brand’s flimflam, wrapped up in the needy personality of an entertainer who lives off clicks, landed in England’s criminal court system? Uncomfortably, I would say. Southwark is dilapidated and definitely analogue. The litigators wore robes and horsehair wigs, and the microphone on the prosecutor’s lectern was held in place with an enormous amount of yellow and black hazard duct tape. The lights went out twice because of a power cut.
If the world is now video-first, our courts are video-last. With the occasional exception of a judge’s sentencing remarks, nothing in court is photographed, filmed, or recorded for the media. Even the court artist can only take written notes, and must do their actual sketches outside.
“It’s not theater,” I heard the court clerk tell a law student who’d come to watch Brand’s trial but was annoyed to find the six public seats were full.
If this case had been undertaken in Brand’s adopted home of Florida, everyone’s evidence would have been tailored to win over cable news panel pundits. Soundbites would trump reasoned long-form arguments. The names of his accusers would likely be public—as would anything else anyone could dig up about them. Did the framers of the American Constitution really want @truecrimesleuthboy unpicking old Facebook albums of women alleging rape, or network news cameras hounding jurors on their decision?
Did you watch the Amber Heard–versus–Johnny Depp defamation trial in 2022? Were you one of the billions using #AmberTurd online as the “courtroom porn,” as Monica Lewinsky called it for Vanity Fair, was dissected, criticized, and memed? After her defeat, Heard’s lawyer spoke out in frustration: “There’s no way couldn’t have been influenced” by the online discussion, she said. “It was horrible.”
Because of where Brand’s trial took place, his testimony could never have been turned into a similar show. In Court 3, there was no camera awaiting his reactions to what he was allegedly being subjected to. Maybe that’s why he didn’t try to pull any of that.
Brand did arrive at court with a Holy Bible bursting with index tabs. One day, when stuck in the corridor with the assembled press pack, he also uncomfortably boomed out, “This is a great day.” But for the most part, I observed him sitting tall and still and lonely in the dock. His personal bodyguard dozed in the courtroom’s family and friends section as an assistant scrolled through her phone and his father demolished a Snickers.
The only sign his group was listening to the awful things their friend/boss/son was being accused of was the very active facial expressions of Brand’s wife, Laura. “Oh, come on,” she appeared to mouth on one occasion, listening to one woman alleging rape.
There was no sign of Brand the comedian or Brand the YouTuber when the defendant took to the witness stand—though he did begin his testimony defiantly, answering the first question with a “No” so loud he seemed to shock even himself. From then on, he diminuendoed so far that the judge jumped in: “You are starting to drop your voice.”
Brand’s silences began when prosecution advocate Karmy-Jones took to her feet. A distinguished prosecutor and defender, she’s worked with and around murderers, sex offenders, and organized crooks. She’s also done time with terrible showoffs, having begun her career as a theater director. Kristin Scott Thomas or a young Lauren Bacall might play her in the film version of the trial.
Karmy-Jones was achingly polite as she unpicked what Brand called his “escalating recollection” of events. In four police interviews across 18 months, claimed Brand, he had no memory of the six women accusing him—even when given photographs, names, and some details. The British version of the Miranda warning tells suspects under caution, “You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court.”
According to the police tapes, so-called Woman 3 did not ring a bell for him back then. But in the witness box, Brand described meeting her at a bar, recalling that a friend had said something like, “There’s a bird here who really wants to meet you.” He remembered that she had “prominent eyes,” was “lithe, elfic, pixyish,” and consented to go to the toilet for “kissing..fondling.” He was found guilty of sexually assaulting her, and acquitted on that charge of rape.
“Are you sure you aren’t piecing an account together from the evidence that was served?” Karmy-Jones asked.
Maybe the lack of spotlight and vodcaster microphone lowered his guard. This proud wordsmith did not seem ready for his words to be used against him. He wouldn’t have sexually assaulted a woman he was flirting with, Brand said. He would have been “complimentary, flirtatious, tactile.” Yet when Brand tried to drift into generalities, he was dragged back to specifics.
“What was the flirting?”
“I’ve said—”
“Repeat it”
“If I…”
“Not if you met someone, Mr Brand. What was the conversation you had?” What did he mean when he said he would have been “tactile?” “Tactile means touch,” was his gently smug reply.
“Indeed it does,” Karmy-Jones returned, dragging him back to the allegation that he had grabbed the woman’s breasts.
When was the last time Brand had been spoken to like this? He did not seem to enjoy it. He even conceded there were “small details” in his evidence “that are inconsistent, and I acknowledge that.”
Perhaps you can see why Brand and his advocates didn’t attempt any “this is a deep state conspiracy sparked by my client’s vlogging about Pfizer” material on the witness stand. During the trial, he somehow managed to maneuver himself into a difficult position: insisting that despite not remembering it previously, he did have a conversation with Woman 5 about consent in which she agreed to unprotected anal sex, even though she’d just insisted their consensual vaginal sex involve a condom. “Nonsense, wasn’t it, Mr. Brand?” asked Karmy-Jones. The jury must have agreed. Brand was found guilty of this charge.
The jury was given the space to examine all this without any public discourse crowding their own thoughts out of their head. And it’s clear to the rest of us that this is preferable: A Gallup poll this year suggested just 17% of Americans have confidence in their criminal justice system. Compare that to the latest Crime Survey for England and Wales, which found 48% have confidence in how criminal justice is administered.
Our courts need physical repair, better pay, more money generally. But the fundamentals are right and working.
On one of the last days of the Brand trial, I left the court building and recognized one of the jurors standing in front of me. They had their coat on, a bag on their shoulder, and were stepping out into a cold London evening totally anonymously. A thick gaggle of paparazzi, waiting for Russell and co., were lined up at the boundary. The juror slipped through without a single flashbulb going off, without a single paparazzo glancing or realizing this person might be someone worth photographing. That is exactly how it should be.
When The Onion made a bid to buy conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars two years ago, Donald Trump had just won his second presidential election—and, for many, things were looking dark.
“You guys remember … how fucking hopeless we felt?” Onion CEO Ben Collins asked an audience at the WIRED World Fair Wednesday in Miami. At the time, he asked his partner, researcher and journalist Kat Abughazaleh, if she was up for walking “into a fucking burning building” by trying to take over Jones’ media empire. Her reply, according to Collins, was “Yeah. Nobody else is going to do this.”
Although The Onion is still in an ongoing legal battle over Infowars—it won the media network in a bankruptcy auction, but a federal judge in Texas struck the deal down—Collins is feeling more hopeful in light of the Democrats’ midterm wins.
“I want people to feel hope today because things changed last night,” he said. “We have an attorney general in Texas who might make a different decision.”
Collins joined comedian Patti Harrison, who stars in The Onion’s parody Infowars show, in a panel about the role of satire in society and politics. Collins also cagily spoke about The Onion’s interest in sports—comments that made more sense on Thursday when he posted on Bluesky, “The Onion is extremely close to buying an honest-to-goodness, Division 1 college football bowl series bowl game. Yes, we’re trying to pull off The Onion Bowl.”
During the conversation, the pair discussed a lot of what has caused that sense of hopelessness in the Trump era: Jones’ disinformation campaign against the parents of Sandy Hook school shooting victims; ICE raids; Democrats abandoning trans rights. But they also talked, albeit in measured tones, about the value in fighting back with humor.
“Comedy is a good pill-in-the-cheese way to sort of introduce ideas to people,” Harrison said, noting that though she had let out “a huge sigh of relief” over the midterms, there’s a large swath of the population that is still “truly radicalized.” “They’re still out there drinking Mountain Dew,” she added, perhaps a nod to a nonsensical joke Vice President JD Vance made about how his love for Diet Mountain Dew could be viewed as “racist.”
Collins, who was previously an extremism reporter, extolled the virtues of being able to state things plainly via a satirical site. And he noted that many of The Onion’s headlines—including “almost everything that we say about RFK ”—end up coming true.
“We don’t need three sources to write down the perfect sentence about what’s wrong in the United States,” Collins said. “We’re allowed to get to the heart of the matter a lot faster.”
Both also reflected on the internet being a lifeline for them while growing up in small towns. For Harrison, MySpace offered her a chance to talk to “other weird people” who were into “weird stuff” she had no access to in a rural, Christian, white community.
“I don’t think social media is intrinsically bad,” she said. “I think the version of it that we have is truly abusive and evil.” The algorithmic era of being online means that sometimes her content gets pushed on people who don’t get it; when she recently dressed up as Elon Musk in a black MAGA hat for a WIRED cover, a lot of people told her it was “so fucked up.”
But she said comedy is still thriving online and it is possible to “de-algorithmize our internet.”
Collins’ take was harsher. He referred to the current iteration of the internet as a “joy vacuum” that “takes away anything that could be fun.” However, spaces like The Onion offer catharsis. “You kind of need to find ways to stay sane when things are so messed up,” he said.
For now, he says, the most fun he has is “playing around in the real world,” including The Onion’s writers’ room or just hanging out with friends. Then again, he adds, “I do hope that some benevolent-ass companies come soon and try to fix it.”
Public sector unions are to stage demonstrations in eight cities and towns next Thursday in the event a second one-day strike goes ahead.
The protests, which are connected to the dispute over the failure to agree a new national pay deal, will take place between noon and 2pm in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford, as well as Letterkenny, Sligo and Tullamore.
The unions are keen to encourage members to participate in the protests, and so it is understood most will not place pickets on their workplaces.
All three teachers’ unions, as well as Fórsa, which represents almost a third of those involved in the dispute, confirmed their priority would be to get members along to the regional centres where the demonstrations are taking place.
READ MORE
The unions have said they will be stepping up their work-to-rule this week after talks with Government officials over a new deal broke down last Friday night.
[[Public sector workers prepare for second strike after rejecting pay offer worth 7.75%Opens in new window ]
They have also suggested they will be reviewing the derogations they granted which allowed some members to work through the last strike.
Their intention, they say, is to maximise the impact of the action, but emergency cover will be provided in all key services.
The absence of pickets may mean some buildings that were closed during the first strike are able to open and more non-union members may go to work.
About two-thirds of public and civil servants are members of trade unions.
No classes would be expected to take place at schools, while many hospital appointments would have to be deferred and other government and council services would be severely disrupted if the stoppage proceeds.
[[Government seeks solution to public sector pay deal before threatened strikeOpens in new window ]
Efforts to restart talks between the two sides continued on Thursday, but the unions did not meet the steering group chaired by Workplace Relations Commission chair Kevin Foley. They may do so again on Friday, however.
Face-to-face talks between the two sides broke down when the unions rejected an offer on pay worth 6.75 per cent over 2½ years with an additional 1 per cent for local bargaining.
The gap between the sides remains substantial with Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan arguing unions are not prepared to accept a deal that was worth less than the one agreed in 2024.
That deal provided for 9¼ per cent in pay increases plus 1 per cent for local bargaining over the same time period.
He declined to be drawn on unions’ basic demand on pay but said it is higher than those figures.
The unions are also reported to be seeking reductions in the amounts of some additional public sector workers’ pension contributions introduced in the wake of the financial crash.
Image caption, A large convey of emergency vehicles transported the man to the Royal Free Hospital in north London
A British man who tested positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been flown back to the UK.
The man, who is a health worker and has not been identified, landed at RAF Northolt before being transported by ambulance to a specialist infectious diseases unit at the Royal Free Hospital in north London.
It is the first confirmed case of a UK national contracting Ebola during the most recent outbreak of the rare but deadly virus in DR Congo, which has so far led to more than 5,000 deaths.
Speaking earlier this week, a UK government spokesperson said there were “well-established procedures for dealing with cases like this” and that the risk to the public remains low.
A convoy of emergency vehicles were on hand to complete the transfer following the man’s arrival at the RAF base.
Three large police vans travelled at either end of the convey, whilst two ambulances and another support car were involved.
Traffic was stopped and police exited the vans to keep the public away as the convey arrived at the Royal Free Hospital.
Image source, Reuters
The Royal Free Hospital successfully treated three health workers who had been evacuated after the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014 and 2015.
There have only been four confirmed cases of the virus in the UK – one, in 1976, resulting from a laboratory incident, and three involving health workers who were responding to an outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2015.
None of these cases have resulted in a death.
Image caption,
The plane carrying the infected man arrived at RAF Northolt on Thursday
There have been more than 10,000 confirmed cases since the recent outbreak in DR Congo started in May, which has grown to become the second most deadly recorded spate of infections, behind the outbreak in West Africa in the 2010s.
The current outbreak in DR Congo has a fatality rate of 48.6% reported at the end of last month.
Ebola can result in serious illness and death. Early symptoms include vomiting and diarrhoea but it can progress to organ failure and internal bleeding.
The virus spreads from one person to another by contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit.
The ongoing outbreak centred on DR Congo is fuelled by the Bundibugyo variant of the virus.
There is no approved vaccine but the World Health Organization said experts have recommended adding two new candidate drugs to an ongoing clinical trial.
The vaccines, one developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India, and another by the firm Moderna, will join the trial once they are approved by Congolese health authorities.
It will be the first time jabs specifically designed to protect against the Bundibugyo virus are tested during an outbreak.
Since the outbreak, Ebola cases have also been confirmed in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda.
Hamed holds a B.A. in English Literature, and graduated top of his class. He loves music, tech gadgets, and exploring the latest in the world of LLMs. He also enjoys tinkering with creative software such as Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro, and Photoshop.
A lifelong musician, Hamed plays multiple instruments, including guitar, bass, and oud. He is equally fascinated by smart-home technology and can happily spend hours geeking out over connected lights, speakers, sensors, and automations that make everyday life a little more interesting. When he isn’t covering the latest tech news, he explores more creative topics on his Medium blog, works on his music, or clears his head by riding his motorcycle.
Google Photos is finally giving users a way to turn off the generic background music it automatically adds to Memories. According to Google’s official announcement, the new background music toggle will roll out across all platforms. You can use the toggle to silence the soundtrack without disabling Memories or having to mute the original audio in your videos.
The setting is global, so switching it off will affect every Memory, including the End of Year Recap that Google somehow always suggests to you on a gloomy afternoon. Also, Google has refreshed its music library with newer soundtracks (although they are still tasteless, in my humble opinion).
Google Photos Memories no longer need a soundtrack
And this should have been optional from the beginning
Memories are supposed to resurface a collage of photos and videos from meaningful events. The feature itself can be very charming, except when it shows you photos of your ex or someone’s now-dead hamster that you had forgotten were still on your phone. But you know what can turn it up a notch and make the experience much more meaningful and charming? Certainly not elevator music!
The automatically added music often feels like Google is trying to dictate how you should feel about your own pictures, and it’s often not even good. Even when the music is not emotionally tone-deaf to the footage, it makes every Memory feel like one of those overly sentimental, unskippable ads you see on YouTube.
Google Photos already offers plenty of ways to control what it resurfaces. You can hide particular people, pets, or dates, disable certain kinds of Memories, and change several other settings. In fact, taking the time to change a few Google Photos settings can make the entire app much more tailored to your needs and preferences. Somehow, a global music toggle went over everyone’s heads at Google.
Once the option reaches your account, open Google Photos and head to Photos settings. Select Preferences, open Memory preferences, and find the new Music section. Turning off Background music will stop the additional tracks across all Memories.
To install app on your device, tap the Share button in Safari. Scroll down and select 'Add to Home Screen'. Then tap 'Add' to place the app icon on your Home Screen.
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