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Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Z Flip 8 in London, with price hikes driven by memory-chip costs. A wider Z Fold 8 offers a book-like design and higher-end models carry steeper price tags, while trade-ins offer limited discounts. Analysts expect foldables to grow, but overall smartphone demand faces headwinds.
The Range Rover GT has been revealed as the brand’s first electric model built on the EMA platform. It marks a shift toward a more car-like, luxurious grand tourer with a minimalist interior and advanced OLED displays. Prototypes are testing globally ahead of a 2027 launch, with hybrid options planned.
Apple has unveiled Siri AI and expanded Apple Intelligence at WWDC, promising a conversational assistant that uses personal device data and Google-powered foundation models. The company has said Siri AI will enter beta this summer with a public fall release, but regulators in the EU and China will delay availability there. Apple has emphasised privacy and private cloud compute in its rollout.
Blue Origin has lost a New Glenn rocket in a catastrophic engine test at Cape Canaveral, producing a fireball that damaged the LC‑36A pad and generated seismic waves. Jeff Bezos and CEO Dave Limp have said key propellant tanks and some hardware survived and the company has begun a pad rebuild, while NASA is offering technical support for Artemis-related schedules.
NASA has directed Crew-12 members to assume a Safe Haven posture in the SpaceX Crew Dragon while Roscosmos conducts an extended repair on persistent air leaks in the Zvezda module. The operation follows earlier leaks that have troubled the aging station since 2019, with assessments focusing on microscopic cracks and corrosion. Crews are returning to normal operations after measurements are completed.
GM is expanding vehicle‑to‑grid capabilities and developing sodium‑ion batteries for grid storage, aiming to cut costs and support rising electricity demand driven by AI data centers. Pilots with PG&E and DTE Energy are underway, with Scale and timelines focused on energy storage rather than cars.
Archaeology near Stonehenge reveals two timber poles 120 meters apart aligned with solstices, dating to about 5000 years ago. The find, led by Phil Harding of Wessex Archaeology, suggests sun-worship rituals predated Stonehenge by around 500 years and may reshape beliefs about the monument’s origins.
The National Science Foundation has halted plans to remove or descale the Ocean Observatories Initiative, after lawmakers and scientists warned of risks to climate data, weather forecasts and coastal safety. An expert panel will assess future needs while equipment already removed will be redeployed. The move follows bipartisan pressure and a Senate bill to block decommissioning.
A roundup of recent coverage shows interest in plug-in hybrids remains steady. Experts highlight the cost hurdle, but buyers are turning to used models to save money. The Prius Prime leads within small cars; Tucson and Sorento plug-in hybrids offer more space. The debate hinges on price versus electric range as buyers seek efficiency.
A wave of lawsuits alleges OpenAI’s ChatGPT mishandled conversations involving self-harm and mental health crises, with plaintiffs seeking automatic termination of dangerous chats and warnings. Cases reference conversations dating back to 2023–2025 and involve OpenAI’s safety systems and responses.
AI models are delivering faster pattern recognition and higher accuracy for hurricane forecasts, with NOAA citing a 15-30% improvement over traditional methods. DeepMind and other labs are expanding high‑resolution data use to sharpen predictions and enable earlier evacuations.
Google has filed a civil lawsuit to dismantle Outsider Enterprise, a Chinese-led cybercrime network accused of using Gemini AI to power phishing campaigns that impersonate Google and other brands. The operation allegedly created thousands of fake sites and millions of scam texts, stealing credentials and payment data from hundreds of thousands of victims.
The New World screwworm has re-emerged in the U.S., with cases detected in Texas and New Mexico, triggering cross-border restrictions and a major USDA response. Authorities are deploying sterile flies to suppress the pest while preparing additional facilities, amid high beef prices and a fragile cattle herd.
The Justice Department has asked a federal court to dismiss an NAACP lawsuit that accuses xAI of running dozens of unpermitted natural gas turbines to power Colossus 2 near Memphis. The DOJ argues the suit threatens AI systems that support the military and that federal authorities—not private groups—control enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
Google has rolled out Android 17 changes, starting with Pixel devices, under the Epic settlement. The update introduces a two-part fee structure, a 10% service fee on the first $1 million, and allows external checkout options. Australia, Japan, and Korea will join later in the year, with further global expansion planned.
Slate Auto has unveiled a bare‑bones two‑seat electric pickup with a $24,950 base price and a two‑row SUV conversion starting at $29,950. The company has raised the base EPA range estimate to about 205 miles, is taking preorders with a $300 deposit, and plans production to begin in late 2026 with direct online sales.
Automakers have announced strategic shifts as Chinese brands and US trade rules upend the sector. Volkswagen has proposed deep job cuts to cut costs, Jaguar Land Rover is adding hybrids and prioritising the US, and the Commerce Department has denied Polestar permission to sell new connected models in the US from 2027, pushing the brand to refocus on Europe.
Scientists have analysed teeth from hunter-gatherers around Lake Baikal and found plague DNA in 18 individuals, showing two distinct outbreaks about 5,500 years ago and earlier emergence of Yersinia pestis at least 5,700 years ago. The findings challenge the idea that plague began with farming.
Moderna’s mFlusiva has secured an advisory committee vote in favor of approval for adults 50 and older. The decision follows earlier FDA scrutiny and a high-profile dispute over study design, with the committee citing robust efficacy and a solid safety profile.
The military has reinstated flu vaccination requirements for recruits after a localized outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas has sickened hundreds. Officials say exemptions were granted earlier in the year, but ongoing cases and a recruit death have prompted renewed vaccination efforts across basic training.
Recent data shows a sharp rise in home battery installations across several states, driven by high electricity prices and policies that reward rooftop solar plus storage. Utilities and tech firms see these distributed assets powering a future grid and supporting data centers, AI workloads, and virtual power plants. Major players are expanding partnerships to coordinate thousands of home batteries for grid needs.
Lucid Group has filed to cut about 18% of its U.S. workforce, eliminating the chief operating officer position as part of a drive to align production with demand and move toward profitability. The moves follow February cuts and precede the potential mass-market Cosmos launch this year, while the company pursues robotaxi plans with Uber and Nuro.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has begun the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, a 10-year program that will image the southern sky every few nights. The telescope has started regular operations from its Chilean mountaintop site and is already returning new detections, including thousands of asteroids and transient views such as Comet 3I/ATLAS.
Major tech firms have announced widespread workforce reductions while reporting record AI spending and rising head counts at heavy AI adopters. Oracle, Microsoft, Meta and others have cut roles and cited AI-driven change even as studies from Ramp/Revelio, SignalFire and Draup show engineering hires and entry-level roles growing at AI‑intensive firms and job listings shifting toward judgment and AI-tool fluency.
Sony has announced it will stop producing physical PlayStation game discs from January 2028. New titles will be sold via the PlayStation Store or as retailer-issued download codes; games releasing before 2028 remain unaffected. The move follows years of rising digital sales and has provoked consumer backlash over ownership, preservation and the second‑hand market.
A new study on Homo naledi fossils from Rising Star Cave suggests a female-only burial pattern and complex social behavior. Researchers indicate all analyzed teeth show AMELX without AMELY, pointing to female-dominated remains. The finding prompts questions about gender roles and burial customs among early hominins.
Major device makers have raised prices and warned consumers after memory and storage costs have surged because AI data‑centre buildouts are buying up DRAM and flash. Apple has increased Mac and iPad prices; Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have signalled or implemented console and hardware hikes. Analysts say shortages will persist into 2027.
Google has released a stand-alone Google Finance app for Android, bringing the AI-powered web facelift to mobile. The app mirrors the updated Finance web experience, including AI-generated key moments, an AI research tool, and chat-based insights tied to users’ portfolios and watchlists. An iOS version is planned for later, with more features rolling out over time.
Volkswagen has signalled a major restructuring plan, with reports that the group is weighing further job cuts and plant closures in Germany to cut costs and counter Chinese competition. The board meeting on July 9 will review potential closures of Hanover, Zwickau, Emden, and Neckarsulm, as part of a broader program to reduce costs and boost profitability.
North Korea has demonstrated combat systems on the Kang Kon destroyer, including a strategic cruise missile, main gun and electronic-warfare tests. Kim Jong Un has ordered completion of trials and active deployment within two months, as Pyongyang presses to expand a nuclear-armed navy after the Choe Hyon’s debut.
The Supreme Court has ruled that geofence warrants—used to identify suspects by collecting location data from people in a crime scene area—are subject to Fourth Amendment protections. The justices have affirmed that location data collected by third parties still warrants a warrant, focusing on privacy expectations in the digital age. The decision sends the case back to lower courts for further analysis.
A new weight‑loss pill version of semaglutide has launched in the UK for private prescriptions, offering an alternative to injections. The tablet requires strict dosing and a fasting routine and is not yet NHS‑funded. Several outlets warn about counterfeit pills as access broadens.
AICCT's analysis shows vehicle emissions threaten lives; transitioning to zero‑emission vehicles by 2040–2050 could avert over 100,000 premature deaths and reduce pediatric asthma cases in the US by 2050. Heavy‑duty diesels and two/three‑wheelers remain significant polluters; the pace of uptake differs by region.
OnePlus has announced it will stop launching new phones in Europe and North America and will focus new device rollouts on India and China. The parent company Oppo has begun a corporate restructuring as memory-chip shortages and rising component costs have cut demand for budget phones and pushed manufacturers to prioritise AI-oriented high-bandwidth memory.
OpenAI has proposed that the U.S. government take roughly a 5% stake in the company and has discussed a plan for other leading AI firms to give similar stakes to a government-backed vehicle. The talks have taken place with Trump administration officials and would likely require congressional approval. (Updated Wed, 08 Jul 2026 07:15:26 +0100)
Tesla has reported record second-quarter deliveries of 480,126 vehicles, a 25% year-on-year rise that exceeded Wall Street estimates. Production ran at 451,758 units, leaving the company to draw down inventory. Strong European demand, higher fuel prices and expanded availability of its driver‑assist systems have powered the rebound.
Tesla has posted strong production and delivery figures, with 451,758 produced and 480,126 delivered in the period, topping expectations while the stock declines as investors weigh stretched valuation. Rivian has launched a mid-market SUV, the R2, expanding its lineup and targeting the Model Y’s dominant segment. The new product shift comes as analysts note a widening competition in the EV space.
Federal and local probes have produced new findings and warnings about autonomous vehicles. The NTSB has reported that a Tesla driver manually overrode Full Self-Driving before a June crash that killed a 76‑year‑old in Katy, Texas. NHTSA has issued a directive demanding AV developers fix cases where driverless cars enter or block emergency scenes; Waymo and California regulators are under pressure over several incidents.
The Japanese Hayabusa2 spacecraft has conducted a close flyby of the 450-meter asteroid Torifune as part of an extended mission after its primary Ryugu objective. In another development, China’s Tianwen-2 has arrived at its asteroid target, aiming to return samples to Earth next year, while Japan’s Hayabusa2 plans further encounters.
Recent research shows prompt-injection techniques can paralyze AI assistants by manipulating context. Defenders are now adopting context‑bombing to throttle attacker success, while HalluSquatting raises concerns about scalable infections via code resources in repositories.
The Royal Canadian Geographical Society has released the first high‑resolution 3D digital models of Shackleton’s Quest and Scott’s Terra Nova, created from Voyis imaging as part of an international expedition. The effort maps the wrecks with new detail, using Alvin and other deep‑submergence tech to preserve these historic ships for study and display.
Northwestern University researchers find that TikTok’s recommendation engine responds to negative feedback but gradually reverts if users repeatedly flag content; a finding based on cloned accounts and controlled signals shows the “not interested” button reduces unwanted content by about 84%, but the effect fades with brief re-engagement.
Publishers led by The New York Times have filed a sanctions motion accusing OpenAI of hiding searchable training datasets and millions of de‑identified ChatGPT logs that could show whether the company reproduced copyrighted journalism in its outputs. Depositions have revealed OpenAI held large log samples and internal regurgitation-detection tools; plaintiffs say the sample provided to courts was unusable.
UC San Diego researchers have demonstrated teleoperated humanoid robots performing gallbladder removals on live animals, marking a potential step toward remote surgery. Two procedures were conducted; one with a human surgeon guiding a single robot, the other with two robots collaborating. The work, published in Nature, shows cost and space advantages over traditional surgical robots but highlights calibration and latency challenges.
Apple has filed a federal lawsuit accusing OpenAI, its hardware arm io Products and two former Apple engineers of misappropriating confidential hardware designs, supplier details and manufacturing techniques to speed OpenAI’s push into consumer devices. Apple has asked the court for injunctions, return of materials and unspecified damages.
Three cybercrime operatives face US charges for operating two “bulletproof” web hosts tied to ransomware, phishing, and intrusions against dozens of American targets; authorities say over $62 million flowed to criminals.
A widespread outbreak of cyclosporiasis linked to leafy greens is expanding across the United States. Michigan reports thousands of cases as authorities investigate a potential link to Taco Bell and other produce sources. Health officials warn the outbreak is likely to continue through August; precautions include thoroughly washing produce or cooking it.
The upcoming film Digger has released a full trailer featuring Tom Cruise as oil tycoon Digger Rockwell. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s satirical drama portrays a billionaire racing to avert an ecological disaster he helped unleash, with a high-profile cast and heavy prosthetics signaling a bold, potentially award-worthy performance. The film is set for release in October.
Astronaut Anil Menon has completed an eight‑month stay aboard the International Space Station alongside Russian and NASA crewmates. The mission follows a history of tense US‑Russia space cooperation and signals ongoing collaboration on ISS operations amid geopolitical strains.
The cyclosporiasis outbreak has grown, with 4,173 confirmed cases across 41 states and more than 7,400 cases awaiting confirmation. Michigan reports the highest counts, tied to lettuce and greens; investigations continue as federal and state agencies work to identify the source. Public health officials urge caution with leafy greens and emphasize proper washing and cooking where possible.