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Anthropic reaches valuation of 965bn, beating OpenAI to become world's most valuable AI firm

The Guardian

Pages from the Anthropic website and the company's logo are displayed on a computer screen in New York on 26 February 2026. Pages from the Anthropic website and the company's logo are displayed on a computer screen in New York on 26 February 2026. Anthropic reaches valuation of $965bn, beating OpenAI to become world's most valuable AI firm Claude's parent company's $65bn in latest funding round underscores vast sums of money still flowing into industry Anthropic, the AI firm behind the Claude chatbot, announced on Thursday it had raised $65bn in funding to value the company at $965bn post-money. The move makes Anthropic the world's most valuable AI startup, eclipsing its competitor OpenAI. The deal marks an exceedingly successful period of growth for Anthropic, which was once considered to be a smaller player in the global AI arms race.


Latvia parliament approves new gov't after drone dispute toppled coalition

Al Jazeera

Latvia parliament approves new gov't after drone dispute toppled coalition Latvia's parliament has approved a new coalition government that will lead the European Union and NATO member country in the coming months after its predecessor collapsed following an argument over its handling of stray drones suspected to be from Ukraine. By a margin of 66 deputies in the 100-seat assembly, lawmakers on Thursday confirmed 47-year-old centrist Andris Kulbergs as prime minister, who will lead the Baltic nation of more than 1.8 million people until parliamentary elections on October 3. She quit after Defence Minister Andris Spruds, a member of the Progressives Party, was forced to resign over the government's handling of multiple incidents involving stray drones suspected to be from Ukraine crossing into Latvian territory. Silina accused the minister of not deploying anti-drone defences fast enough to parry two wayward Ukraine attack drones, which are thought to have been knocked off course by Russian jamming. At the time, she said Spruds had lost her trust and that of the public.


The Pentagon Knew Enemies Could Track Troops' Phones for Years. Now They Are

WIRED

The US military has long known that cheap fixes could stop location data from exposing its troops. It adopted almost none--and now says adversaries are using the data to target soldiers during a war. For nearly a decade, the Pentagon was warned--by its own contractors, analysts, and intelligence agencies--that anyone with a credit card could buy a map of where American troops sleep, work, and store nuclear weapons. Now the bill has come due in a war zone. A newly disclosed letter shows the warnings went unheeded: US Central Command now confirms it has received "multiple threat reports concerning adversary exploitation of commercial location data to target or surveil US personnel in theater"--the first official acknowledgment that the data-broker economy is being used to hunt American forces in the Middle East.


Learning from Ukraine, Hezbollah is now using fibre-optic drones to hit Israel

BBC News

Fibre-optic drones have become Hezbollah's primary weapon against Israeli soldiers and civilians, along both sides of the Lebanese border, and are now seen as the biggest threat there, as fighting continues six weeks into a supposed ceasefire. One Israeli soldier was killed and two others injured in a drone attack near the Israeli border community of Shomera on Wednesday. Of the 11 Israeli soldiers and one civilian defence contractor killed since the ceasefire came into force, eight have been killed by fibre-optic drones. Most of the attacks have targeted Israeli forces, which are currently occupying a large area of southern Lebanon, but Hezbollah is also increasingly attacking Israeli communities across the border, according to the Alma Research Center, an Israeli think tank which monitors the conflict. It has recorded more than 100 drone attacks against communities inside Israel since the ceasefire began in April.


Image of Thai police in sparkly dresses with handcuffed suspect turns out to be AI fake

The Guardian

The real image, which the police station has since shared, shows the officers in normal clothes and no female officer in the picture at all. The real image, which the police station has since shared, shows the officers in normal clothes and no female officer in the picture at all. Picture was created by administrator in charge of station's Facebook account who wanted to create'friendlier image' It was an arresting image and an irresistible story. A group of tough Thai police officers - five men and one woman - all wearing elaborate festival-style dresses, surrounding a drug dealer they had caught while undercover. The image, released by local police, was so compelling that it found its way on to the front page of the UK's Daily Star, as well as in picture stories in the Telegraph, the Sun and the New York Post. The Sun wrote: "The burly crew of five men and one woman slipped into skin tight sequins and feathers for the covert mission in Thailand ."



Here Comes Ojai, Waymo's New Chinese-Made Robotaxi

WIRED

The pale-blue Ojai vehicles will start picking up members of the public in California and Arizona today. Starting today, Alphabet self-driving vehicle developer Waymo will start picking up members of the public in its new Ojai vehicles (pronounced "oh hai")--pale blue boxy minivans studded with sensors and complete with steering wheels, even though they're designed to travel without drivers. For now, the rides in these new cars, which can be summoned through Waymo's app, will be free. It's been a long road for the vehicle, first announced by Waymo in 2021 and tested on public streets since 2024. It's also a weird time for Waymo: The self-driving-vehicle company, which is trying to expand quickly across the US and the world, shut down service in six US cities last week due to issues with how its vehicles react to flooding.


Oil prices fall after report of breakthrough in US-Iran talks

BBC News

Oil prices have dropped following a report the US and Iran have reached a deal, subject to President Donald Trump's approval. Axios reported officials had made an agreement over an extended ceasefire on Thursday. It drove the price of a barrel of Brent crude down to a low of $93.36 from a earlier high of $98, before rebounding to about $94. Prices had jumped earlier after the US carried out new attacks on Iran, targeting a military site in Bandar Abbas, a strategic port city. The strikes occurred despite an ongoing ceasefire between Tehran and Washington to allow for talks to end the three-month-long war that has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz waterway, pushing up global energy costs.


Irish datacentres have increased household bills by hundreds of euros, report finds

The Guardian

Datacentre industry representatives disputed the findings and said the sector boosted the economy. Datacentre industry representatives disputed the findings and said the sector boosted the economy. 'Hidden datacentre tax' costing Irish households millions, report says Datacentres used 22% of country's electricity last year, pushing up household bills, study suggests Thu 28 May 2026 09.01 EDTLast modified on Thu 28 May 2026 09.32 EDT Energy demand by datacentres in Ireland has added hundreds of euros to household electricity bills in a pattern that could be replicated across Europe, according to a report. Ireland's growing number of datacentres last year used 22% of the country's electricity, more than all urban homes combined, according to the Central Statistics Office. The equivalent figure in the US and UK is 6%.


The world's first 'hovertrain' could reach speeds of 270 mph in the 1960s

Popular Science

The world's first'hovertrain' could reach speeds of 270 mph in the 1960s But the futuristic Aérotrain never saw the light of day. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. This cancelled Mongolian postage stamp shows the Aérotrain Orleans, circa 1979. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy .