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New Iran strikes on Gulf as US attacks escalate: What we know

Al Jazeera

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has targeted US military facilities in Bahrain, claimed it has destroyed radar systems in Oman and hit Jordan and Kuwait in its latest round of overnight retaliatory strikes against the United States. Tehran's attacks on Monday came as a response to Washington's escalating strikes as prospects of peace between the two countries recede. Where were the latest Iran attacks? The IRGC said it attacked Oman as part of its latest phase of retaliation. It said it targeted "the FPS long-range aerial radar and the vessel detection radar in Oman", adding that these radar systems were destroyed.


Waze rolls out new AI features including Motorcycle and 'Less Chatty' modes

Engadget

Like Google Maps, Waze is going all-in on Gemini. Waze, Google's other navigation app, is getting a collection of new AI-powered features that make it easier to navigate on a motorcycle and less annoying to receive directions. The app's new Motorcycle mode uses AI to consider the specific needs of two-wheeled vehicles, according to Google. Those include specific shortcuts that might only be available to motorcycles and hazards that are tricky for riders, like potholes, speed bumps, raised crosswalks, shoulder endings and narrow bridges. While using AI might raise some questions about the accuracy of Waze's motorcycle directions, the app's insights are at least still powered by a real-time traffic map and a group of human, motorcycle-focused editors who keep things up-to-date with hazards.


Access ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini for a flat 60

PCWorld

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. ChatPlayground AI's Unlimited Plan gives you lifetime access to 20+ AI models, including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, in one place for a single $59.97 payment through July 19 at 11:59 PM. ChatPlayground AI puts ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Llama, and more than 20 other models into a single dashboard. Send one prompt and get multiple responses back side by side, so you can compare answers in real time instead of copy-pasting between apps or paying for separate credits on each platform. Saved chats, so ongoing projects don't get lost between sessions Because it's a lifetime plan rather than a subscription, there's no monthly bill to keep an eye on after the initial purchase -- you buy access once, and it's yours going forward.


The SpaceX IPO made history. Is the excitement still there?

BBC News

The SpaceX IPO made history. Is the excitement still there? SpaceX investors have swung from celebration to apparent concern in its first month as a publicly traded company. When shares in the firm, co-founded and led by Elon Musk, first became available for individuals to buy on the public stock market on 12 June, there was an investor frenzy . Although the company had decided to price its shares at $135 each, the price immediately shot up to $150 that first day, climbing to $176, before closing at $160.95.


Is the most popular song played on Australian radio stations the product of generative AI?

The Guardian

Josh Fawaz' YouTube channel, HIs cover of Like A Prayer has topped the Australian commercial radio charts and the global iTunes electronic music charts. Josh Fawaz' YouTube channel, HIs cover of Like A Prayer has topped the Australian commercial radio charts and the global iTunes electronic music charts. Is the most popular song played on Australian radio stations the product of generative AI? Josh Fawaz's song, a cover of Like a Prayer, has raised questions over how generative AI is being used in music and whether it should be declared An Australian producer has gone from a little-known artist to a viral sensation in a matter of months, with his hit song catapulting onto global charts and receiving thousands of radio spins. There's just one problem: music experts and other musicians are questioning whether he produced it. They claim Josh Fawaz's most popular song, a cover of Madonna's Like a Prayer which reached the #1 spot on the National Radio Airplay chart, could have been made using AI.


Six out of 10 in Japan using generative AI to plan summer trips, survey finds

The Japan Times

More people are using generative artificial intelligence to make travel plans for their summer vacation and letting their children use the technology when doing their homework during summer holidays. Six out of 10 people who responded to a survey on this year's summer holidays said they are using generative artificial intelligence to make travel plans. The survey, conducted by Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance on 1,120 people in their 20s to 50s in June, showed that 61.2% of those planning to travel in Japan or abroad refer to generative AI to make travel itineraries, as well as obtain information on local food and transportation. "The main tool people use for planning trips and doing research when they get there is shifting from travel guidebooks to generative AI," the firm said. Asked how they plan to spend their summer holidays, 58.4% said they are going out, down by 6.3 percentage points from last year. The rate of those traveling in Japan was 57.6%, up by 1 percentage point, while the ratio of those traveling overseas halved from 13.5% last year to 6.4%.


OpenAI, Meta, SpaceXAI compete for more cost-efficient AI models

The Japan Times

Tech companies' renewed emphasis on cost coincides with business customers scrutinizing AI spending. Three prominent artificial intelligence developers released new models over the past week. They all promise to be more advanced, but their biggest immediate selling point may not be what they can do, but how little they charge to do it. OpenAI said its most advanced offering, GPT-5.6, is designed to complete more work while using significantly fewer tokens, a unit of data processed by AI models. This will make the software far more cost efficient for customers. Grok 4.5, from Elon Musk's SpaceXAI, is billed as having twice the token efficiency as comparable models from other firms.


'They don't need people': the workers left behind by China's robot drive

The Japan Times

'They don't need people': the workers left behind by China's robot drive KUNSHAN, China - The park was in the center of China's richest county. Willow trees clustered around a well-manicured pond. Joggers in performance gear circled shiny new playgrounds filled with children. But in a quieter part of the park, Hu Xinbing was resting after another day of trying, unsuccessfully, to win his share of the local prosperity. After failing to find a job that morning, Hu, 31, lay behind some bushes, using a windbreaker as a pillow, and waited until he could try again the next day. Around him, about a dozen other out-of-work men had claimed their own corners of the park in Kunshan, about 30 miles outside Shanghai, dozing on benches or inside tents.


Extra 250m to boost Jewish community safety

BBC News

Police forces across England are to get a £251m funding boost to help protect Jewish communities following a rise in antisemitic attacks, the government has announced. The Metropolitan Police will receive £86m to recruit about 300 extra officers to help increase police presence in Jewish neighbourhoods, and around synagogues, schools and community centres. It comes after a series of antisemitic attacks in London, including the stabbing of two men in Golders Green in April, and the raising of the national terror threat level from substantial to severe. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the fund would deliver a step change in protection for Jewish communities. Met deputy commissioner Matt Jukes said the investment would allow the force to bolster its existing Community Protection Teams and establish further teams across three sites in London, as well as recruiting up to 300 officers and creating a Golders Green community hub.


State lawmakers cry foul over new cap placed on film tax credits

Los Angeles Times

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. More than three dozen California legislators are calling for Gov. Gavin Newsom to exempt the state's film and TV production incentive program from a recently approved cap on corporate tax credits, warning that without action it will be "significantly kneecapped."