2025’s Global Shake‑Up: Royals, War, AI, Tech & More

News

UK Politics & Current Affairs

• US Embassy bomb threat device was ‘graffiti art’ – Sky News
• Rush-hour delays after swan found on tracks at major UK railway station – Sky News
• Prince Andrew hosted Epstein, Maxwell and Weinstein at Royal Lodge – BBC News
• City trader sues UBS for $400m after rate‑rigging conviction quashed – BBC News
• Key figures at odds over collapse of China spy case – BBC News
• Migrant sex offender released due to ‘human error’, Lammy tells MPs – BBC News
• Key witness ‘surprised’ Chinese spying case collapsed – Sky News
• King Charles heckled over Prince Andrew and Epstein – BBC News
• Eastern Airways on brink of collapse with jobs at risk – BBC News
• British journalist Sami Hamdi detained by US authorities – BBC News

International & World Affairs

• Hurricane Melissa: Jamaica braces for world’s strongest storm of 2025 – BBC News
• Israel receives body Hamas says belongs to Gaza hostage – BBC News
• Red Cross heading to Gaza to retrieve another hostage body, says Israel – BBC News
• Israel allows Hamas member into IDF‑held Gaza to help search for hostages’ bodies – BBC News
• More than 150 referees investigated in Turkish betting scandal – Sky News

Sports

• Rodgers resigns as Celtic manager with O’Neill returning – BBC News
• More than 150 referees investigated in Turkish betting scandal – Sky News

Health & Disease

• Vaccine reminder as mpox strain spreads in Europe – Sky News

Business & Finance

• City trader sues UBS for $400m after rate‑rigging conviction quashed – BBC News

Entertainment

• Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs scheduled for release from prison in 2028 – Sky News

AI

Enterprise & Business AI

• MiniMax‑M2 is the new king of open source LLMs (especially for agentic tool calling) – VentureBeat – AI
• Anthropic rolls out Claude AI for finance, integrates with Excel to rival Microsoft Copilot – VentureBeat – AI
• Google Cloud takes aim at CoreWeave and AWS with managed Slurm for enterprise‑scale AI training – VentureBeat – AI
• Mistral launches its own AI Studio for quick development with its European open‑source, proprietary models – VentureBeat – AI
• A law and tax firm redefines efficiency with ChatGPT Business – OpenAI Blog

AI Browsers & Agentic Web

• The Download: what to make of OpenAI’s Atlas browser, and how to make climate progress – Technology Review – AI
• I tried OpenAI’s new Atlas browser but I still don’t know what it’s for – Technology Review – AI
• From human clicks to machine intent: Preparing the web for agentic AI – VentureBeat – AI
• When your AI browser becomes your enemy: The Comet security disaster – VentureBeat – AI

AI Safety & Sensitive Content

• Strengthening ChatGPT’s responses in sensitive conversations – OpenAI Blog
• Addendum to GPT‑5 System Card: Sensitive conversations – OpenAI Blog

Research, Scaling & Policy

• Seizing the AI opportunity – OpenAI Blog
• Thinking Machines challenges OpenAI’s AI scaling strategy: ‘First superintelligence will be a superhuman learner’ – VentureBeat – AI
• Inside Ring‑1T: Ant engineers solve reinforcement learning bottlenecks at trillion scale – VentureBeat – AI

Environmental Impact & Ethics

• The Download: carbon removal’s future, and measuring pain using an app – Technology Review – AI
• What’s next for carbon removal? – Technology Review – AI

Robotics & Employment Debate

• Amazon and the media: Robotics event shows disconnect on AI and jobs – GeekWire – AI

Technology

AI & Tech Innovation

• AMD, Department of Energy announce $1 billion AI supercomputer partnership – The Verge
• X’s Grokipedia is online after it briefly crashed out – Engadget

Deals & Discounts

• Wave goodbye to floor care while saving $800 on the Roborock Qrevo Edge robot vacuum and mop at Amazon – Mashable
• Windows 11 Pro is down to just $15 — save $184 on your upgrade – Mashable
• Need backup power? This Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 bundle is a steal at $450 off – Mashable
• Get the Monster open-ear (AC221) earbuds for just $32 at Amazon – Mashable
• Retro gaming meets modern streaming with this $100 console — the perfect Christmas gift – Mashable

Hardware Reviews

• I’ve been a PC gamer for decades, and the Alienware Aurora gaming desktop is the only gaming PC you need – TechRadar
• I tried Lenovo’s new gaming PC and its build and performance are top‑tier – TechRadar
• 14‑Inch MacBook Pro (M5) Review: New Soul in an Old Body – Gizmodo

Startup Showcases

• Strong by Form will show its ultralight engineered wood at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 – TechCrunch
• MacroCycle found a shortcut for plastic recycling — catch it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 – TechCrunch
• Mbodi will show how it can train a robot using AI agents at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 – TechCrunch
• Glīd is building an autonomous shortcut to move freight from road to rail — catch it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 – TechCrunch

Cloud & Hosting

• The best VPS hosting services for 2025: Expert tested – ZDNet

Research & Studies

• New study crowns the king of EV battery health– and it shows batteries don’t degrade as badly as first feared – TechRadar

Corporate & Regulation

• ExxonMobil accuses California of violating its free speech – The Verge
• Trump’s DHS is recruiting ICE officers with a Halo meme – The Verge

Gaming

Seasonal & Festive

• The Best LEGO Christmas Sets Available Now – IGN
• Hallmark’s New Pokémon Christmas Tree Ornaments Are Now Available, and They’re Absolutely Adorable – IGN
• Getting into the Halloween Spirit? Here are the 21 best spooky, scary games to play right now – Eurogamer
• What Is Crimson Desert? This Fantasy-Steampunk Open World Isn’t As Strange as You May Think – IGN

Game Announcements & Updates

• Psychopomp is one of the best games you can get for under $10 on Steam, and its newly‑revealed sequel looks even better – PC Gamer
• GHoul’s Saloon, a PvE FPS Where You Defend an Old West Saloon, Announced for PC – IGN
• Steven Soderbergh Says Kathleen Kennedy Told Him Disney Had Never Turned Down a Completed Lucasfilm Script Before Star Wars: The Hunt for Ben Solo – IGN
• The Battlefield 6 Battle Royale Shadow‑Drop Imminent as EA Schedules REDSEC Gameplay Reveal for Tomorrow – IGN
• The Battlefield 6 battle royale mode is coming out tomorrow, and it finally has a proper name – Eurogamer

Deals & Free Content

• TWO Texas Chain Saw Massacre DLC packs are FREE to keep on Steam this week! – GG.deals
• Scarlet Idol Demo is now available on Steam! Try this upcoming folk horror for FREE – GG.deals

Controversies & Criticism

• US government uses Halo images in a call to ‘destroy’ immigration, Microsoft declines to comment – PC Gamer
• Valve does not get ‘anywhere near enough criticism’ for the gambling mechanics it uses to monetize games, DayZ creator Dean Hall says – Eurogamer

Hardware & Tech

• ‘I would stay as far away from the Founders Edition 5090 as I possibly can,’ says one experienced repair tech, as a key internal connector can’t be sourced for replacement – PC Gamer

Voice Acting & Character Updates

• Kratos voice actor Christopher Judge hopes next God of War in Egypt – PC Gamer

Game Features & Updates

• Jump Space’s first big update adds daft yet lovable deflect‑o‑parrying – Rock Paper Shotgun