Author: damazah@gmail.com

It’s a familiar experience: racing against masses of anonymous netizens online to get yourself on the list for an in-demand event.For Andrew Bird, from Melbourne, in Australia, it was a spot in an often over-booked pilates class – but his solution had unexpected consequences.He says he outsourced the “chore” to an AI agent – a tool that can carry out online tasks autonomously.It succeeded, but went further than he imagined by hacking the gym’s online systems, in what is being seen as the latest example of the way AI agents will go to any lengths to carry out the jobs…

Nature, Published online: 11 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02374-yThree studies in non-human primates show that strategically designed vaccines could prime a population of B cells to produce effective antibodies against HIV.

Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White did not take questions during her media session ahead of her team’s 106-92 win over the New York Liberty on Tuesday. Instead, White delivered an impassioned statement in which she defended her relationship with her players, revised her opinion on DiJonai Carrington’s “egregious” flagrant foul on Sophie Cunningham and said that “the hate, the fear-mongering, the divisiveness, the stuff that’s trying to hijack our league will not win.”Carrington’s Flagrant 2 foul on Cunningham during Indiana’s win over the Chicago Sky on Saturday was the latest high-profile incident in what has been a tumultuous summer for…

Spy Next Door: The Anna Chapman Story9pm, Channel 4The tale of Anna Chapman (AKA Anya Kushchenko) is uncannily emblematic of recent relations between Russia and the west. Chapman was a shrewd spy who charmed her way into the higher echelons of society in London and New York. This fascinating two-part documentary explores her rise and fall, hearing from some of her entirely unwitting companions (who ranged from a Brighton techno DJ to a Mayfair financier) and agents who were involved in surveilling her. As Vladimir Putin briefly played at diplomacy with prime ministers and presidents, Chapman was among his foot…

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dan Etete, has questioned claims that former military Head of State, Sani Abacha, died during a sexual encounter, describing the account as unsupported by evidence. Mr Etete, who served in the Abacha regime and said he was a close friend of the late military ruler, was reacting to claims by a former State Security Service (SSS) officer, Dennis Amachree, about Mr Abacha’s final hours. Mr Amachree made the claims in his memoir, DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield, excerpts of which were published in July. He said Mr Abacha suffered a coitus-induced cardiac arrest…

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has charged traditional rulers across the state to deploy their influence at the grassroots to mobilise their subjects for peaceful, responsible and informed participation in the 2027 general elections. Mr Abiodun made the call on Tuesday while inaugurating the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, as the new Chairman of the Ogun State Council of Obas at the Obas’ Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. The governor urged the monarchs to educate their subjects on the importance of civic participation and encourage them to shun violence, thuggery, hatred and other acts capable of threatening…

The late queen was the only person in history to have ever eaten a chocolate bar made with 100% British ingredients, after she was given one as a six-year-old in 1932 by the confectioner Rowntree’s.The bar was created from a glasshouse-grown cocoa plant, at Rowntree’s headquarters in York.But now, others could have the same experience after scientists at the University of Reading created a bar with cocoa beans grown in Berkshire.Raw cacao beans are coated in a white flesh ‘that tastes like lychee’. Photograph: University of ReadingThe bar was crafted to celebrate the university’s 100th anniversary, made with cocoa grown…

The VLCC Mobassa B (previously named Front Forth), one of the two tankers which the UAE defence ministry said was struck by Iranian cruise missiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, in Rotterdam, Netherlands, August 18, 2024, in this picture obtained by Reuters on July 14, 2026.Edwin van Werd | via ReutersOil prices rose on Wednesday after deadly attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Oman heightened concerns over risks to global shipping routes, even as diplomats signaled progress toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz.Brent crude futures, the international benchmark, gained about 1.24% to $90 per barrel.…

After a former lead writer claimed Saber “replaced me with ChatGPT,” CEO Matthew Karch now claims, “Neither Saber nor Unigine have replaced any writers with AI,” for the Rideshare “Stimulator” game announced last month, developed by Unigine.The writer, Stella Sacco, says differently, however, posting on Bluesky that “I was lead writer on this one! And Saber replaced me with ChatGPT midway through development. All the passenger voices were AI too. Either they changed direction at some point or they’re not disclosing it on Steam.”Saber describes Rideshare “Stimulator” as an “immersive driving simulation game that puts you behind the wheel as…

Repeated debilitating heatwaves this summer are likely to have cost the UK economy more than £4bn in lost economic output by the end of July, new analysis shows.Green thinktank Verdant had suggested June’s unseasonally hot weather had an economic cost of £2.36bn. Updating its assessment to include last month’s high temperatures, it finds a £4.4bn hit to output.As temperatures soar once again this week, Verdant’s director, James Meadway, said: “The economic costs of climate change are already with us, and set to worsen in future years. Action by the government to protect workers and businesses from the severe effects of…