Wildfires, Evacuations, and Smoke Hit Europe and North America
270,000 people have been displaced by wildfires in France and Spain, reports the Guardian. A wildfire even forced evacuations in Scotland.

And wildfires “have now scorched four million acres of land in the U.S.,” reports NPR, as tens of millions of people in North America “are continuing to endure hazardous smoke from out of control wildfires burning a … ⌘ Read more

32 of 35 Students Caught Using Hilariously Wrong AI-Generated Answers for Professor’s Midterm
“32 of my 35 students between two classes failed a portion of their midterm because they all used AI to generate their entire response,” history professor Jason Gibson says in a viral video shared over 10 million times. “And apparently, they didn’t proofread it.”
The instructions included a … ⌘ Read more

XMPP greatest peak was when Google Talk was around. Being able to chat with thousands, if not millions, of Google users at that time, using your own domain, and your own XMPP server was amazing. Then Google, in all its wisdom, and as it does very often, decided to kill it.

I might be on the minority, but can care less about video calls. Heck, even calls! Text is King. 🤪

I just read @kat@yarn.girlonthemoon.xyz’s blog post over here:

https://bubblegum.girlonthemoon.xyz/articles/learning-to-code-like-it-s-the-90s

Jesus, it must be so overwhelming for young people to get started with programming.

When I started programming, there was the built-in ROM BASIC of that PC and probably a bit of BASIC on a floppy, and that was it. Nowadays? Millions of libraries and frameworks and languages and what not – and, much worse, there’s the expectation that you need to make something fancy. When I started, printing something and understanding IF was good enough.

Linux 7.2 Features: Cache Aware Scheduling, USB4STREAM, AMD ISP4, AMDGPU HDMI 2.1 FRL
Linux 7.2 is working toward release in August with its more than 43 million lines in the codebase. With Linux 7.2 there are many new changes in tow as summed up in today’s feature overview. ⌘ Read more

Remembering How Microsoft’s Fake Windows Error Ended In a $280 Million Secret Settlement
Slashdot reader joshuark summarizes this walk down memory lane from the tech site MakeUseOf:
Facing real competition from Digital Research’s DR DOS, Microsoft secretly embedded a sabotaging mechanism known as “AARD code” into beta versions of Windows 3.1 to prevent it from running on Digital Research’s com … ⌘ Read more

South Korea Plans To Train Entire Military As ‘Drone Warriors’
“South Korea plans to train every single member of its nearly half-million-strong military to operate drones as easily as they handle personal firearms,” reports Ars Technica:

The goal is to make drones a “universal combat tool” for all troops by training them to use drones like a “second personal weapon,” said Ahn Gyu-back, South Korea’s Minister of … ⌘ Read more

Ex-Governors, Big Tech Launch Coalition To Help Workers ‘Navigate the AI Economy’
“Amid growing public anger over A.I. and a debate over how to regulate it, a group of employers, state governors and foundations has raised $500 million to try to answer some of those questions themselves,” reports the New York Times.

“Just how many jobs will AI upend?” asks the Wall Street Journal, reporting that t … ⌘ Read more

Spain-Backed Fund Joins FOSSA’s Sovereign Satellite Communications Push
Spanish startup FOSSA Systems “has raised about $10.5 million to expand its connectivity constellation,” reports Space News, noting some funding is backed by Spain’s government:

The support from the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT) comes a year after the fund injected 14 million euros into Spain’s Sateliot , … ⌘ Read more

Linux 7.2 Surpasses More Than 43 Million Lines In The Kernel Tree
Today marks the last day of the Linux 7.2 merge window with Linux 7.2-rc1 due out later today. With the many new features and improvements merged over the past week since the Linux 7.1 stable debut, the Linux kernel source tree now exceeds 43 million lines… ⌘ Read more

Stripe, Anthropic, and OpenAI Are Backing Effort To Stop Respiratory Infections
An anonymous reader quotes a report from MIT Technology Review: [T]he payment company Stripe, founded by brothers Patrick and John Collison, says it will fund a new $500 million nonprofit whose goal is preventing both the common cold and the flu. Its eventual aim is to get rid of respiratory viruses altogether. Th … ⌘ Read more

Google Invests $75 Million In A24 To Develop AI-Powered Filmmaking Tools
Google is investing roughly $75 million in A24 as part of a research partnership with DeepMind to develop AI-powered filmmaking tools and workflows. “The deal represents the latest marriage between a Hollywood studio and AI in an era where companies have oscillated between partnerships and lawsuits,” reports Variety. From t … ⌘ Read more

It’s ten thousand million degree celsius outside and I have to go to a birthday party today because wElL iTs My BiRtHdAy ToDaY, I think I’m going to die, send help.

How Millions of Digital Home Devices Are Secretly Powering Cyberattacks
The Wall Street Journal reports on internet-connected devices — and how every year millions of them “can contain a secret digital backdoor that opens up access to your home internet, so that anyone… can surf the web as if they were you.” (And this is especially true for “knockoffs that you buy online”…)

In a video report this wee … ⌘ Read more

Student Loan Borrowers Will Get Interest Rate Cut If They Sign Up For Auto Pay
An anonymous reader quotes a report from NPR: Student loan borrowers who enroll in automatic payments will get a much bigger discount on interest starting July 1, the U.S. Department of Education says. Auto pay has long offered a modest discount off borrowers’ interest rate – .25 percentage points – but after millions … ⌘ Read more

Hyundai Takes Full Control of Boston Dynamics As SoftBank Exits For $325 Million
Hyundai Motor Group is acquiring SoftBank’s remaining 9.65% stake in Boston Dynamics for $325 million, “closing out SoftBank’s last piece of Boston Dynamics and turning the Waltham, Massachusetts robotics company into a wholly owned Hyundai business,” reports Startup Fortune. From the report: The price is $325 mi … ⌘ Read more

Trump Admin Backs Off Plans To Kill Ocean Monitoring
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: In May, the federal government announced without warning that it would take apart a network of ocean monitoring systems that it had spent over $350 million to build. No reason was given for the decision to shut down the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), but suspicion immediately focused on the network’s role in … ⌘ Read more

Hacking Group Claims Major Hack of Novo Nordisk, Attempted $25 Million Extortion
Reuters reports a cyber extortion group has claimed responsibility for breaching Novo Nordisk’s network, stealing roughly 1.3 terabytes of data, including source code, drug research, clinical-trial records, employee and physician information, production-system details, and internal AI model data. The group says it’s e … ⌘ Read more

Stop Killing Games Fails To Secure EU Law Despite 1.3 Million Signatures
The European Commission has declined (PDF) to propose a law requiring publishers to keep discontinued video games playable, despite the Stop Killing Games initiative collecting nearly 1.3 million verified signatures. Instead, it plans to develop a voluntary industry code covering end-of-life transparency and preservation. Dextero … ⌘ Read more

Fox Is Buying Roku For $22 Billion
Fox is buying Roku for $22 billion, combining Fox’s sports, news, entertainment, Tubi, and Fox One offerings with a streaming platform that reaches about 100 million people. The companies say the merger would create the “third-largest player in US television by share of viewing,” while Fox insists Roku will remain open to competing apps after the deal closes. CNN reports: Fox has dabbled in stream … ⌘ Read more

Swiss Voters Reject Proposal To Cap Population At 10 Million
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Voters in Switzerland have rejected an unprecedented far-right proposal to cap the country’s population at 10 million in a divisive referendum dubbed “the Swiss Brexit.” Some 54.79% of voters were against the proposal by the Swiss People’s party (SVP) and 45.21% were in favor. Turnout was 58.86%. A differ … ⌘ Read more

Unrenovated semi in popular heritage suburb sells for $1.86 million
The auction was over in minutes as two parties with very different strategies vied for the keys to a property that the auctioneer said would normally attract a higher price. ⌘ Read more

Musk’s trillionaire status takes wealth gap to a new level
Elon Musk’s net worth is 5 million times as large as that of the typical family and dwarfs even that of the “everyday wealthy”, signalling a new era of ultra-affluence and widening inequality. ⌘ Read more

Toot-toot: All aboard the Socceroos bandwagon, diehards and all
Among the “Australian values” on our citizenship test is that 25-plus million of us become Socceroos tragics for a couple of weeks every fourth year, and then magically transform back to normal indifference as the bandwagon empties. ⌘ Read more

Lleyton and Bec Hewitt list grand slam Sydney home for $14 million
The couple is selling the six-bedroom, four-bathroom mansion with a tennis court as it’s now surplus to their jet-setting requirements. ⌘ Read more

La Suisse vote sur la limitation de sa population à 10 millions d’habitants
Une initiative de l’extrême droite helvétique, qui est soumise au référendum dimanche, propose de limiter la population pour faire avancer ses thèmes xénophobes et son emprise sur la démocratie. Un discours qui séduit l’électorat conservateur du pays. ⌘ Read more

An Algorithm Determines How Fast You Should Drive On California’s I-15 Freeway
Riverside County has launched an 8-mile “smart freeway” pilot on northbound I-15 near Temecula, using roadway sensors and an algorithm to coordinate ramp meters and suggest speeds rather than widening the freeway. Officials say the $33 million project could reduce stop-and-go traffic and travel times. According to SFGAT … ⌘ Read more

Former Rabbitohs and EPL sponsor cops largest ever fine from ASIC case
The former Australian sponsor of the Sydney Rabbitohs and Sheffield United FC has been hit with $300 million in fines – a record for any case brought by the corporate watchdog. ⌘ Read more

NZ stocks rally before SpaceX debut as Gulf tensions ease
Renewed optimism about a possible end to the Iran war helped drive the New Zealand sharemarket higher amid a heightened sense of anticipation before the debut of SpaceX on United States markets tomorrow.

The S&P/NZX 50 Index ended 191.7 points (1.45%) higher to 13,393.87 on turnover of 38.89 million shares, worth $148.4 mi … ⌘ Read more

Hundreds of children can join class action, seeking millions in claims
The complaint brought by a 12-year-old transgender child will proceed as a class action-style case, meaning hundreds of children can lodge a claim. ⌘ Read more

ANZ class action hots up as lawyers eye interest recoup
Law firm Russell van Hout has upped the ante in its class action against ANZ New Zealand, promising a cross-appeal that may materially increase the bank’s liability for alleged breaches of consumer law.

ANZ has already estimated the potential cost of the class action at $125 million, but that may yet go considerably higher if the law firm’s contentions are proved correct. ⌘ Read more

Soho Hotel holding company collapses into receivership
The company behind the Soho Hotel has been tipped into receivership by a lending business already owed over $55 million by the hotel’s director.

IPG Capital was put into receivership on June 10 and is the ultimate holding company of IPG Hotels (Auckland), which trades as the Soho Hotel in Mt Roskill, Auckland. The seven-level suburban hotel is still operating and is run by Capstone Hotel Management. ⌘ Read more

Hanson scoffs at Albanese’s scepticism of One Nation fundraising, releases audit
The One Nation leader posted the report on social media and said it proved the millions raised in her Fire the Liar campaign were “ridgy didge”. ⌘ Read more

Stage set for White House UFC fight
A huge $85 million stage has been completed at the White House ahead of Donald Trump’s UFC bout. ⌘ Read more

A state-first trial was trying to save WA’s prized reefs, until a cyclone threatened months of hard work
Millions of coral eggs and embryos during two separate spawning events – one in Exmouth and the other in Coral Bay – to save the reefs after a mass bleaching event. But Cyclone Narelle threatened to derail the project. ⌘ Read more

Universal Homes reports $4m loss
Auckland residential builder Universal Homes has reported a $4 million net loss for the year to December 2025.

The Chinese-owned company generated annual revenue of $14.1m in house and land contract builds, but its cost of sales was $15.4m. ⌘ Read more

Restated accounts turn up in 3M’s latest annual results
The local branches of large foreign company 3M New Zealand have restated its 2024 accounts because of incorrect figures in its support services expenses, resulting in a higher tax bill.

The US multinational’s latest accounts for the year to December 2025 show it underestimated its “other income” revenue by $2.27 million. ⌘ Read more

Российский боксер выиграл в лотерею миллион рублей и объяснил победу интуицией ⌘ Read more

Le «tour de passe-passe» à 50 millions d’euros de Mutares dans les comptes de son usine de Bordeaux
Le sulfureux fonds allemand a retiré plusieurs dizaines de millions d’euros des caisses de l’ex-usine Ford de Blanquefort, qu’il a reprise en 2023 et qui emploie encore plus de 200 personnes. Les dirigeants de Mutares jurent qu’il ne s’agit que d’un prélèvement temporaire. ⌘ Read more

I Was Scammed Buying GLP-1s Online. I’m Not Alone
Customers have complained that a telehealth network selling compounded GLP-1s has been ripping them off—even after it had to pay $5 million to clients as part of a settlement with the US government. ⌘ Read more

Forrestania lifts Lady Lyla grade in WA gold resource jump
Forrestania has boosted its Lady Lyla gold deposit with a 37% grade lift to 1.41 g/t, adding 41,700 ounces to the company’s growing million-ounce WA global gold inventory. ⌘ Read more

Australia news as it happened: Coalition leaders rubbish idea of One Nation non-compete clause; Optus breached privacy rules; JB Hi-Fi to refund customers over misleading prices
Follow along as we bring you the latest live news updates from Australia and beyond. ⌘ Read more

Australia news LIVE: Coalition leaders rubbish backbencher’s suggestion of seat sharing deal with rising One Nation; Optus breached privacy rules in White Pages data bungle
Follow along as we bring you the latest live news updates from Australia and beyond. ⌘ Read more

Australia news LIVE: One Nation continues to dominate political debate; Optus breached privacy rules in White Pages data bungle
Follow along as we bring you the latest live news updates from Australia and beyond. ⌘ Read more

Australia news LIVE: Hanson’s fundraising blitz raises more than $1.5 million on first day; One Nation continues to dominate political debate
Follow along as we bring you the latest live news updates from Australia and beyond. ⌘ Read more

Australia news LIVE: Hanson’s fundraising blitz raises more than $1.5 million on first day; JB Hi-Fi to refund 200 customers over misleading prices
Follow along as we bring you the latest live news updates from Australia and beyond. ⌘ Read more

Australia news LIVE: Hanson’s fundraising blitz raises more than $1.5 million on first day; Chalmers launches most impassioned defence of budget yet
Follow along as we bring you the latest live news updates from Australia and beyond. ⌘ Read more

Australia news LIVE: Hanson’s fundraising blitz raises more than $1.5 million on first day; Iranian officials confirm Strait of Hormuz closed as US strikes Iran
Follow along as we bring you the latest live news updates from Australia and beyond. ⌘ Read more

Australia news LIVE: Hanson’s fundraising blitz raises more than $1.5 million on first day; Iranian officials confirm Strait of Hormuz closed as US strikes Iran
Follow along as we bring you the latest live news updates from Australia and beyond. ⌘ Read more

Bluey’s World pulls in half a million visitors
Brisbane can expect 19 more months of duck cake and keepy-uppy as the attraction announces an extension to 2028. ⌘ Read more