Author: damazah@gmail.com

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Waymo gets a lot of attention for its fast-paced expansion. And for good reason; it seems like every week, the company’s robotaxis are arriving in a new city, or expanding within an existing service area.  We’ve known for a while that Waymo’s sixth-generation self-driving system — which debuted in its next-generation Ojai robotaxi — is central to those ambitions. But now we have a better understanding…

The latest meeting was called following a report by the council’s top legal officer, Alex Bougatef, who said it was his legal duty to declare the local authority is breaking the law.Presenting the report, Bougatef said the lack of anyone in charge raised serious concerns about decision-making, accountability, and effective governance.He said: “The appointment of a leader is not optional. It’s a statutory requirement.”On Thursday evening, seven proposals were put forward and all of them failed to pass, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.Labour and Reform put forward bids to form a minority administration, as well as an alliance made…

When thinking about why we have not encountered intelligent aliens yet, as Adam Kirsch does (The long read, 11 August), it seems to me that one factor gets neglected: fossil fuels. Alien life could develop intelligence on myriad planets, but to develop advanced technology that would enable them to get off‑world, they need to go through an equivalent of the Industrial Revolution, and that needed first coal, then oil and gas.There could be many intelligent alien races out there, but on planets without an easily accessible fossil fuel equivalent, they’d never get past a 17th-century level of development.Even if we can…

Brighton’s Belgian defender #29 Maxim De Cuyper (2nd R) scores the team’s first goal during the English Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Aston Villa at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, southern England on August 23, 2026. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images…

Jim Berk, CEO of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, is defending Paramount after the studio called Mark Ruffalo’s anti-merger comments “antisemitic.” “Words matter, and so does the willingness to draw a line when legitimate debate gives way to antisemitic tropes,” Berk wrote. “We commend Paramount for speaking clearly and refusing to allow prejudice to masquerade as political or corporate criticism. At a time when antisemitism is too often minimized, rationalized or repackaged in more socially acceptable language, this kind of moral clarity matters.” “Invoking Israel in an issue where it is completely irrelevant is a textbook case of obsession and demonization. Paramount…

I travelled alone a lot when I was younger and often got myself into stupid situations. You think you’re immortal when you’re in your 20s.One such occasion happened when I was 25 and travelling solo in Egypt, not long after the turn of the century. I had taken an overnight bus from Cairo to Dahab, which dropped me and my fellow passengers off in the middle of nowhere. I had to get a shared taxi into town at about 3am – one where everyone sat up the back in a ute tray – then find somewhere to stay.I was the…

Ekperikpe Ekpo says the US-Israel war on Iran has pushed Nigeria to expand its gas production.The war in Iran has put global natural gas markets under strain, creating a potential opportunity for Nigeria to strengthen its position as a major gas supplier.The country’s minister of state for petroleum resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo, discusses plans for the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline. He says Nigeria is seeking to attract investment, expand production and position its liquefied natural gas (LNG) for growing international demand, particularly in Europe.But the opportunity comes as Nigerians continue to face high domestic cooking gas prices. Ekpo explains efforts to bring…

Energy, regional conflicts, and bilateral cooperation to dominate Emmanuel Macron and Mohammed bin Salman’s discussions.Published On 23 Aug 202623 Aug 2026French President Emmanuel Macron is set to welcome Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to Paris for a two-day state visit, opening with the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup before turning to talks on regional security and economic ties.The visit begins Sunday evening as Macron hosts the crown prince at the esports tournament’s final in Paris — the first time the competition, spanning video games to chess, has been held outside Saudi Arabia.Recommended Stories list of 3…

Omolabake Fasogbon  Nigeria’s Billionaires Realtors Group (BRG) Network has hosted the inaugural Africa Real Estate Innovation Summit of Excellence (ARISE Africa) 2026 in Lagos, bringing together stakeholders to discuss innovation, investment and partnerships for Africa’s growing property market. The event also marked the 10th anniversary of BRG Network, Nigeria’s largest real estate marketing company.Speaking at the summit,  President of BRG, Dr. Emmanuel Abikoye, noted that continental development requires multi-sectoral collaboration beyond real estate. “Our biggest achievement is the transformation of lives. We built BRG not solely to sell real estate, but to build people, create access and democratise opportunities to…

Water is supposed to be the simplest thing we consume. The premium bottled water industry has transformed it into something that requires a backstory.Supermarket shelves now distinguish between glacial, iceberg, volcanic, spring, mineral, and alkaline water. Restaurants are introducing water menus, while trained water sommeliers assess bottles by their mineral composition, mouthfeel and provenance. At the extreme end of the category, Svalbarði Polar Iceberg Water sells Arctic water for as much as €100 (around $116) a bottle.The category’s growth rests on a mixture of verifiable differences and carefully constructed associations. Water can contain different minerals. Those minerals can change how…