Google debuted the Pixel 10a phone today. Pre-orders are open now and the smartphone will be available starting March 5. Although it's the new 2026 addition to the A series lineup, the Pixel 10a invites many comparisons with last year's Pixel 9a. For starters, the price is identical at $499.

Design-wise, not much as changed. The back of the phone can lay flat, which has become a hallmark of the Pixel A collection, rather than wobbling around on a bulky camera housing. The screen is still 6.3 inches with an Actua display. The phone's insides are also the same; the 10a comes with the same Tensor G4 chip and 8GB of RAM as its predecessor, and buyers have the option to upgrade to either 128GB or 256GB of storage. The phone has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance and its display uses Corning Gorilla Glass 7i.

One of the few areas where the 10a is getting a marked upgrade is on its battery. This version claims more than 30 hours of battery life, or up to 120 under the Extra Battery Saver mode. The 10a also brings the welcome addition of proper fast charging, where a compatible charger can get the device to 50 percent battery in about 30 minutes. This addresses one of the few complaints we had about the 9a. 

For the photo buffs, the Pixel 10a has a 48MP main camera and a 13MP ultrawide lens; again unchanged from the specs in the 9a. AI is also present in the new model's photography suite, with the addition of the Camera Coach resource for the first time on the A series lineup. Camera Coach uses Gemini AI models to read the scene and offer tips on getting the desired shot. The 10a also has the Auto Best Take feature for getting everyone's best side in a group shot and the Add Me tool that lets you insert yourself into a photo after the fact.

Google's A-series phones have offered some of the best value among midrange handsets for years, and after checking out the new Pixel 10a, I don't see that trend stopping anytime soon.

Let's start with the specs. Starting at just $499, you get a vivid 6.3-inch OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 3,000 nits of peak brightness, 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of onboard storage. The phone also features a durable aluminum frame along with a stronger Corning Gorilla Glass 7i panel in front and a composite plastic back with a lovely matte finish. As a nod towards sustainability, Google says the P10a's chassis is made from 100 percent recycled material, while the rear panel comes in at 81 percent. And just like its predecessor, you still get an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance and the same battery capacity (5,100mAh) — except now it charges even faster, both wired (30 watts, up from 23) and wirelessly (10 watts, up from 5).

The one place where the Pixel 10a might come up a touch short is that unlike its more expensive siblings, it features an older Tensor G4 processor instead of the Tensor G5 chip used on the main Pixel 10 line. Google says the decision to go with an older SoC is due to budget constraints. While it might not be the first choice for gamers or power users, I've never really had an issue with the day-to-day performance of Google's recent homegrown silicon.

However, even with a one-year-old chip, Google found a way to port over three flagship features to the Pixel A series for the first time. Camera Coach uses AI to help you compose and come up with more interesting shots. Meanwhile, Auto Best Take is designed to ensure that everyone in a group shot ends up with their finest expression. Finally, Satellite SOS allows you to call for help during emergencies, even when you don't have proper cell service. 

As for its cameras, the P10a looks to be using the same sensors as before, including a 48MP main camera, a 13MP ultra-wide and a 13MP selfie shooter in front. That might be a bummer for some, but considering that the Pixel 9a offered by far the best image quality of any phone in its price bracket, I'm not that bothered. Also, it's quite likely that if Google had opted for new hardware, it may have pushed the phone above $500. 

After seeing the positive response to the barely-there camera bump on its predecessor, Google leaned in and made the Pixel 10a's rear camera module completely flat, and it's my favorite thing about the phone. There's no hump or protrusions to speak of, and when combined with the rest of the phone's design, it results in a really sleek, minimalist look. Plus, after almost a decade of big and bulky camera warts on the back of phones, it's just nice seeing the Pixel 10a go the opposite direction. 

On the flipside, my biggest complaint about the P10a is that Google didn't include Pixelsnap support (aka magnetic Qi2 compatibility). It's another feature that got cut due to cost and it's a real bummer because after introducing it on last year's main Pixel 10 line, I was hoping that it would become a standard inclusion on all Google phones going forward. Thankfully, when I asked about the lack of Pixelsnap support, Google representatives were able to confirm that there will be third-party accessory makers such as Casefinite, Dbrand and Spigen that will offer cases with built-in magnetic rings, so anyone hoping to attach magnetic peripherals will still have an avenue to do so. 

Regardless, for Android phone owners who are in the market for a simple, no-nonsense upgrade that covers all the basics without breaking the bank, the Pixel 10a is looking like another top contender. 

The Pixel 10a is available for pre-order today in lavender, berry, fog and obsidian with official sales slated for March 5. 

Polestar is gearing up to launch three new models in the next two years, including a station wagon (estate or shooting brake) version of the Polestar 4 that harkens back to the company's Volvo roots. The Geely-owned Swedish company sold a record 61,000 EVs in 2025, but hopes that the new models will help it take an even bigger bite out of the market. "We want to get more volume out of a bigger cake," CEO Michael Lohscheller said. 

Polestar currently offers two models in the US, the Polestar 3 and Polestar 4, both SUVs. However, the new Polestar 4 will come in two variants, one a traditional SUV as before and the other a four-door wagon-type version that combines "the space of an estate and the versatility of an SUV," Loscheller said. "It's all the good things from the current car, but it's a bit more practical." This new model is due later this year and will be built in Busan, South Korea in order to avoid US tariffs on cars built in China. 

The automaker is also planning to release a new version of the Polestar 2 targeted at young buyers, though that one is unlikely to come to the US. It will be slightly longer for more passenger space and be produced in China like the current model 2. 

Finally, the Polestar 7 will be a compact SUV in the same family as Volvo's EX60, set to arrive in Europe to address the fast-growing compact SUV segment. "We are convinced that we can offer customers a progressive performance-driven car for a very attractive price point, built in Europe," Lohscheller said. 

The new models are designed to help Polestar hit its goal of 60 percent of EV sales worldwide by "targeting the big profit pools of the BEV segment," Lohscheller stated. Following Polestar's withdrawal from the hyper-competitive Chinese market, Europe accounts for 78 percent of its sales and the US most of the rest — but the company hopes to boost its fortunes in the latter. "People forget that the U.S. is a big EV market, especially on the east and west coasts," the CEO added. "And it will stay a big market."

Plug-in hybrids are the hottest thing in South Africa right now in terms of sales growth. Sales of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) were up 280% in 2025 compared with sales figures from 2024. In total, 738 PHEVs were sold in 2024 and 2,808 PHEVs were sold in 2025 in the passenger ... [continued]

The post Volkswagen Launches The All-New Caravelle PHEV In South Africa appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Generative AI tools are surprisingly poor at suggesting strong passwords, experts say.…

Government takes its first serious steps to crack down on dangerous driving but progress is slow

• Europe live - latest updates

The first time Lucian Mîndruță crashed his car, he swerved to avoid a village dog and hit another vehicle. The second time, he missed a right-of-way sign and was struck by a car at a junction. The third time, ice sent him skidding off the road and into two trees. Crashes four to eight, he said, were bumper-scratches in traffic too minor to mention.

That Mîndruță escaped those collisions with his life - and without having taken anyone else's - is not a given in Romania. Home to the deadliest roads in the EU, its poor infrastructure, weak law enforcement and aggressive driving culture led to 78 people per million dying in traffic in 2024. Almost half of the 1,500 annual fatalities are vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.

Donald Trump is accused of censorship in an escalating row over Stephen Colbert's interview of Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico.

US journalist Joshua Eakle explained that Trump threatened the US broadcaster CBS over Talarico's segment. And CBS caved!

It's important that you understand what happened last night.

Last night, Stephen Colbert interviewed Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, a candidate who, by all accounts, is on track in the polls to flip Texas blue.

In response, Trump's FCC reportedly threatened… pic.twitter.com/IEyWg7KnuW

— Joshua Reed Eakle

Arms giant BAE Systems has posted record profits for 2025. In short, it'll be yachts and third homes for the elites while the world burns. Yay! The Independent reported:

Europe's biggest defence contractor reported better-than-expected underlying earnings before interest and taxes of £3.32 billion for 2025, up 12% on the previous year, as sales jumped 10% to a record high of £30.66 billion.

Recent global instability means the firm has a massive backlog of orders as nation states scramble to arm themselves:

The aerospace and weapons manufacturer said its order backlog also hit a record £83.6 billion as of the end of December while its order intake stood at £36.8 billion.

The This is Money website was extra jovial about the news:

Analysts at broker AJ Bell also point to conflict in the Middle East and heightened geopolitical tensions for BAE's 'stunning run'.

The shares have trebled since Russian tanks rolled across the Ukrainian border four years ago.

'Stunning run'… okay fellas.

BAE boss Charles Woodburn said:

Our results highlight another year of strong operational and financial performance, thanks to the outstanding dedication of our employees.

In a new era of defence spending, driven by escalating security challenges, we're well positioned to provide both the advanced conventional systems and disruptive technologies needed to protect the nations we serve now and into the future.

He added:

With a record order backlog and continuing investment in our business to enhance agility, efficiency and capacity, we're confident in our ability to keep delivering growth over the coming years.

BAE Systems reported sales to many countries across Europe and beyond. This included kit sold to authoritarian governments like Qatar.

This could even increase over the next year as the UK's Keir Starmer promised to ramp up defence spending. His pledge followed demands by US president Donald Trump that Europe do more.

Stop the War Coalition were having none of it:

This is part of a massive European arms drive aimed at appeasing Trump as he demands Europe pay more for its own defence.

The additional cost comes at a time when we are told to accept cuts to pensions, to wages and to public services, while much of what is spent will go directly into the coffers of US arms manufacturers.

Arms firms thrive in conditions of chaos and war. In fact instability is self-evidently in their interest. And nobody understands this better than they do… It's on the rest of us to defy and challenge the kind of militarist, profit seeking logic which is running rampant in these febrile times.

Featured image via the Canary

By Joe Glenton

Reform UK's Zia Yusuf has just had his arse handed to him on Newsnight. Couldn't have happened to a nicer fella.

The newly named (supposed) Reform Shadow Home Secretary appeared on Newsnight to talk about his new role. But he was met with a sharp interrogation from Victoria Derbyshire about Suella Braverman's announcement that she would "rip up" the Equality Act.

In her speech, Braverman said she would get rid of the "divisive notion of protected characteristics". That "divisive notion", for anyone who needs a reminder, is that you can't be discriminated against because of your sex, pregnancy, race, religion, disability, age, sexuality, gender reassignment, marriage, or belief.

However, Reform hasn't actually been able to answer what would "rip up" and how discrimination would be policed, which is where Yusuf fell foul.

After confusingly saying that millionaires would go to the top of the list (as if they didn't already), Yusuf was stopped by Derbyshire, who pulled him up on who exactly would be affected.

If I may go through the protected characteristics and what you want to get rid of, because that's not clear to me.

So Amnesty say the Equality Act is the legal guarantee that you can't be sacked for being pregnant, you can't be refused housing because of your race and you can't be harassed at work because you are disabled or gay. So how are you going to protect those people?

Yusuf, of course, didn't answer this

We will make sure that there are measures to ensure those things do not happen

He was cut off by Derbyshire asking, "How?" To which he replied that this will be done through legislation, which is what the Equality Act is:

Yusuf: Through legislation that's exactly the sort of thing we will do

Derbyshire: right so you're going to scrap the Equality Act, but you're still going to protect for example pregnant women from being sacked because they're pregnant in a new act?

Yusuf: yes that's exactly what we're going to do

Yusuf attempts to bluster about what "the problem" with the Equality Act is, but Derbyshire cuts him off, asking:

so will it be the same act with a different label?

Yusuf goes on to say that there are

so many parts of the equality act which are so unfit for purpose.

Let's be honest, from Reform's track record, it's probably going to be the parts of the Act that stop you being bastards to trans people and immigrants isn't it?

He does, however, come back to a big Reform talking point, which is that young white working-class boys are the ones really struggling. This is actually something he comes back to many times. Because Reform knows while they may not have the young vote, they do have their grandparents' votes.

Instead, Derbyshire pulled him back to who actually would be affected and brilliantly championed disabled people:

There are 17 million people in this country with disabilities, that's 25% of the population. This act means if you have a disability you've got an equal right to a job, equal access to public transport or really practical stuff like, most people don't even think about this, that doorframes have to be a particular size so that people using a wheelchair can literally get in and out of a building.

Do you not want to protect those people?

You could see the contempt on Yusuf's face as she reads that out, because he and Reform couldn't give a fuck. Instead, it seemed like he found the whole thing tedious.

When pushed, he said:

You can expect those things to be protected

Still, Derbyshire carried on:

So which of the protected characteristics do you not want to protect anymore? Because I'm not clear?

In the end, Derbyshire listed every single protected characteristic, and Yusuf said Reform would protect every single one. But if this is true, what's the fucking point of claiming you want to rip up the Equality Act?

Instead, what he closed with was:

We've got to ask ourselves why white working class boys are doing so badly, and why this act in its current form industrialises discrimination against them

This, by the way, is completely fucking untrue. It's not equality to blame for working-class boys having a lack of opportunity.

Equality didn't close the mines and shipyards without giving working-class communities another way to thrive. It didn't prioritise the privately educated whilst locking poorer kids in low-paid apprenticeships. Equality doesn't give the higher-paid jobs to their useless sons over hardworking, less wealthy young men.

It's clear as day that this is just Reform using working-class people to get votes.

Scrapping the Equality Act isn't about giving everyone an equal chance, it's about point scoring and using working-class boys as cannon fodder - as usual. Zia Yusuf's disastrous appearance on Newsnight showed that.

Featured image via the Canary

By Rachel Charlton-Dailey

Last night, Real Madrid and Benfica went head-to-head in the UEFA league match, before it had to be stopped five minutes into the second half due to allegations of racist abuse. Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior immediately told the referee about the disgusting racist abuse he'd received from Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni.

Football heavyweights Thierry Henry and Kylian Mbappe have both come to bat for Vinícius Júnior after Benfica attempted to play the incident down.

On social media after the game Prestianni said:

I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard.

I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.

And, Benfica coach Jose Mourinho denied the abuse and has since doubled down in attempts to downplay the incident. However, these denials are directly contradicted by Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe who heard the racist abuse:

Kylian Mbappe explains what he heard from Gianluca Prestianni to Vinicius Jr. pic.twitter.com/w3N1dzD3Yd

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 17, 2026

The Brazilian Federation have also spoken out against the racist abuse:

Hollywood actors Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem and Brian Cox are among more than 80 leading film industry figures to sign an open letter, titled "We Are Dismayed", condemning the silence of the Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale) on Israel's genocide in Gaza and its censoring of artists who speak out.

The letter comes on the same day as Booker Prize winning author Arundhati Roy announced her withdrawal from the festival over the same issue amidst comments by German director Wim Wenders against artists bringing up Gaza.

Other notable signatories include actors Angeliki Papoulia, Saleh Bakri, Tatiana Maslany, Peter Mullan and Tobias Menzies, and directors Mike Leigh, Lukas Dhont, Nan Goldin, Miguel Gomes, Adam McKay and Avi Mograbi. They say that they "expect the institutions in our industry to refuse complicity" in Israel's slaughter of the Palestinian people.

The 2026 festival is currently underway. Festival head Tricia Tuttle put out a statement in which she backed Wenders:

Artists should not be expected to comment on all broader debates about a festival's previous or current practices over which they have no control.

The signatories of the open letter "fervently disagree" and insist that the "tide is changing across the international film world". They also point out that the Berlinale has commented strongly about earlier "atrocities" in Iran and Ukraine and call for the festival to "fulfil its moral duty" to oppose Israel's genocide and other crimes against the Palestinians. The full text reads:

Open Letter to the Berlinale — Feb. 17, 2026

We write as film workers, all of us past and current Berlinale participants, who expect the institutions in our industry to refuse complicity in the terrible violence that continues to be waged against Palestinians. We are dismayed at the Berlinale's involvement in censoring artists who oppose Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the German state's key role in enabling it. As the Palestine Film Institute has stated, the festival has been "policing filmmakers alongside a continued commitment to collaborate with Federal Police on their investigations".

Last year, filmmakers who spoke out for Palestinian life and liberty from the Berlinale stage reported being aggressively reprimanded by senior festival programmers. One filmmaker was reported to have been investigated by police, and Berlinale leadership falsely implied that the filmmaker's moving speech - rooted in international law and solidarity - was "discriminatory". As another filmmaker told Film Workers for Palestine about last year's festival: "there was a feeling of paranoia in the air, of not being protected and of being persecuted, which I had never felt before at a film festival". We stand with our colleagues in rejecting this institutional repression and anti-Palestinian racism.

We fervently disagree with the statement made by Berlinale 2026 jury president Wim Wenders that filmmaking is "the opposite of politics". You cannot separate one from the other. We are deeply concerned that the German state-funded Berlinale is helping put into practice what Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion recently condemned as Germany's misuse of draconian legislation "to restrict advocacy for Palestinian rights, chilling public participation and shrinking discourse in academia and the arts". This is also what Ai Weiwei recently described as Germany "doing what they did in the 1930s" (agreeing with his interviewer who suggested to him that "it's the same fascist impulse, just a different target").

All of this at a time when we are learning horrifying new details about the 2,842 Palestinians "evaporated" by Israeli forces using internationally prohibited, U.S.-made thermal and thermobaric weapons. Despite abundant evidence of Israel's genocidal intent, systematic atrocity crimes and ethnic cleansing, Germany continues to supply Israel with weapons used to exterminate Palestinians in Gaza.

In September 2025, more than 5,000 film workers, including major Hollywood stars, refused to work with industry organisations "implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people".

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

Tesla has complied with an order by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and stopped using the term "Autopilot" in its marketing of electric vehicles, having already modified use of "Full Self-Driving" to clarify that it requires driver supervision.…

Werner Racing Fields Two GSX-8R Riders for 2026 Season

Werner Racing is proud to announce that two young riders will be under our canopy for the 2026 road racing season. Jacob Werner (#113) will be riding a Suzuki GSX-8R in his debut season for MotoAmerica. Jacob moved up from ARSA at the end of the 2025 season and will be making his MotoAmerica debut at the upcoming Daytona round in March followed closely by the Mid Ohio, VIR and NJMP rounds. The second rider for the team is also a rising star in the road racing paddock; Oren Bilik (#119) is a 3-time ASRA regional champion as well as the 2025 AMA amateur road racer of the year. Oren will be also riding a GSX-8R and starting the year as an expert racer in ASRA, with plans to move to MotoAmerica early in the season. Both riders will be riding bikes built by Karns Performance.

"I am very excited to start the season testing on my GSX-8R before the first MotoAmerica round at Daytona," says Jacob Werner. The GSX-8R is a great platform that makes going fast easy and the team at Karns Performance did fantastic work building the bikes. Both Oren and myself have been training hard and we are ready to show what we can do."

Oren Bilik says, "I am really grateful for the opportunity from Werner Racing and the rest of my sponsors for giving me an opportunity for the 2026 season. I have yet to ride the bike and am very excited to begin testing soon. I am extremely confident in the team and myself to show our potential amongst some of the fastest the U.S has to offer."

The post ASRA Racers Moving Up To MotoAmerica Twins Cup appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

If you tuned in to China's 2026 CCTV Spring Festival Gala looking for traditional lion dances and nostalgic tunes, you may have done a double-take when what greeted you was a squad of humanoid robots performing kung fu, synchronized moves, and comedy sketches with more precision than most of us manage during family reunions. It […]

Josh Simons, the Cabinet Office minister responsible for the UK government's digital identity program, is being probed by the department for his actions running a Labour think tank that commissioned an investigation into journalists.…

Rémi Verschelde, a maintainer of the open source Godot game engine, is the latest to complain about the impact of "AI slop PRs [pull requests]", which he says "are becoming increasingly draining and demoralizing for Godot maintainers."…

Everyone raves about this series, so I thought I'd grab the first book. It's basically fine, I guess.

It is moderately amusing having the Muderbot be an awkward teenage boy who just wants to watch videos and cringes when people stare at him. But it is a bit one-note. Similarly, evil corporations hiding details from exo-planet surveyors is a trope which has been a thousand times before.

This is a novella, serving to introduce the protagonist and fill us with a little too much exposition. The trouble is that nothing much happens. There's a bit of world building and a light smattering of action - although I found it rather plodding.

Essentially, a lot of telling and not much showing. Rather underwhelming given the hype. I might give one of the many (many!) sequels a go once I reach the end of my reading list.

Lawsuit from health and environmental justice groups challenges the EPA's rollback of the 'endangerment finding'

More than a dozen health and environmental justice non-profits have sued the Environmental Protection Agency over its revocation of the legal determination that underpins US federal climate regulations.

Filed in Washington DC circuit court, the lawsuit challenges the EPA's rollback of the "endangerment finding", which states that the buildup of heat-trapping pollution in the atmosphere endangers public health and welfare and has allowed the EPA to limit those emissions from vehicles, power plants and other industrial sources since 2009. The rollback was widely seen as a major setback to US efforts to combat the climate crisis.

With Trump blocking Venezuelan oil imports and old power plants breaking down, the island - with Chinese help - is turning to solar and wind to bolster its fragile energy system

Intense heat hangs over the sugarcane fields near Cuba's eastern coast. In the village of Herradura, a blond-maned horse rests under a palm tree after spending all Saturday in the fields with its owner, Roberto, who cultivates maize and beans.

Roberto was among those worst affected by Hurricane Melissa, which hit eastern Cuba - the country's poorest region - late last year. The storm affected 3.5 million people, damaging or destroying 90,000 homes and 100,000 hectares of crops.

Phillip Island has lost the battle to retain the Australian round of MotoGP. According to news reports from Australia, the government of South Australia offered MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, as we must now refer to Dorna, conditions which the government of the Australian state of Victoria was not williing to grant. The race will now move to street circuit in Adelaide, with an announcement set to be made on Thursday, Australian time.

According to statements made to the 9 News channel in Australian by Victorian Sports Minister Steve Dimopoulos, the event could have been kept in the state of Victoria, but only if the Victorian government had met MSEG's demands to move the race to Albert Park, the circuit which hosts the F1 round. "We know we could have kept the event in Victoria, if we'd sold out Phillip Island. We weren't willing to do that," he said.

• Read more about Australian MotoGP Round To Move To Adelaide Street Circuit
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Not to sound too wistful, but these days, it's easy to forget how modest the amaro options in the U.S. once were. Now, most backbars are lined with a wide and rich spectrum of amaro and European liqueurs, but that was not the case when, as a burgeoning drinks writer in the mid-2000s, I first spiraled down the bitter rabbit hole.

Perhaps that's why, when in Italy, my biggest thrill still comes from acquiring "suitcase bottles" of amaro, those deep-cut discoveries that range from limited-run riservas to special-edition releases, distillery gift shop exclusives (like Amaro Lucano Menta), dusty vintage finds, and yet-to-be imported brands.

At Popina, a modern Italian restaurant on the Brooklyn waterfront, owner and general manager James O'Brien shares a similar affinity for suitcase bottles. When visiting wine producers in Italy, he always makes room for a few special bottles, whether it's a rare wine, an amaro that you can't find stateside or a bottle of vintage Chartreuse. O'Brien views it as a way to surprise and delight guests. "The suitcase haul has always been one of my favorite tricks because it feels the most personal," he says. Offering guests pours from hard-to-source bottles "lets them feel like they tagged along on your trip."

The bottles in my amari collection that have made the transatlantic journey home do possess a transportive quality. Often, it was the "hunt" to secure these bottles that makes them special. Now, though, some formerly elusive brands and expressions have become available stateside. Does a suitcase bottle risk losing its allure when it attains dual citizenship?

Among the many only-in-Italy bottles I typically bring home with me, Bràulio Riserva, the annual limited-run release of the iconic alpino-style liqueur, remains my first love. Less filtered and aged in smaller barrels for up to 24 months, it's achieved a bit of a cult-like appeal among amaro heads, and its dated annual releases makes it ideal for vertical flights and tastings. I used to be able to find it for around 22 euros a bottle, though that's since gone up to around 33 euros to 45. 

There were whispers for years that Bràulio Riserva, part of the Gruppo Campari portfolio, would eventually make its way to the U.S., and sure enough, this past holiday season, I finally spied the amaro at my local bottle shop in Brooklyn. But my brief moment of joy was deflated when I saw it was priced at $82. This is in line with the list price of other Italian riserva releases, but the sticker shock made me balk. I left the Bràulio Riserva on the shelf. 

As O'Brien explains, "being considered more rare, riservas can probably afford to be less price-sensitive. But when they're new to the U.S. market they have the opportunity to see where they want to fall: approachable or luxury?" 

Taylor Mason, a fellow suitcase amaro fan, suspects the word "riserva" is being used to justify higher costs in the U.S. Mason is the chef and co-owner of Luca and Pizzeria Luca in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and he curates a small but growing vintage amari selection at his restaurants. He also helps lead food tours throughout Italy. "While advocates like us will always be singing their praises regardless of the cost, inflated pricing is unfortunate and hard to be looked at as anything other than price gouging," he says. Others, like Patrick Miller, founder and co-owner of Brooklyn's Faccia Brutto Spirits, attribute rising costs to tariff surcharges. "There's a point where brands have to look at the rising cost of doing business and say, 'Do we pass this on to the customer or not?'" he says.

For the Bràulio, the bottle does seem to be appealing to at least some stateside shoppers: Brooklyn Wine Exchange in Cobble Hill says that, since the amaro arrived in mid-December, it has sold almost two cases. Much of that, however, can be attributed to the knowledgeable staff hand-selling the product.

Cameo, the platform where celebrities sell short, personalized videos, has scored a preliminary win in a trademark lawsuit against OpenAI. A California judge has ruled that the AI company's video generation tool Sora cannot use the term 'cameo' or any variation likely to cause confusion. A temporary restraining order in the case was originally granted in November of last year.

The suit was first brought in response to a feature available within the Sora app at launch called 'Cameo' that allowed users to add any likeness to videos they generated. Cameo claimed the use of the term in this setting was likely to cause confusion and could dilute their brand. OpenAI then carried on with the feature despite the suit.

U.S. District Judge Eumi Lee ruled on Saturday that Cameo's lawsuit was likely to succeed and granted a preliminary injunction, blocking OpenAI from continuing to use the name. An OpenAI spokesperson responded to the ruling saying, "We disagree with the complaint's assertion that anyone can claim exclusive ownership over the word 'cameo,' and we look forward to continuing to make our case," according to Reuters.

This is just the latest in a string of intellectual property cases against AI companies that have accelerated as video generation capabilities have improved across the board. Rights holders of all kinds from authors and music publishers to major movie studios have taken the likes of OpenAI, Anthropic, Perplexity and others to court, seeking to protect their IP.

Notepad++ has continued beefing up security with a release the project's author claims makes the "update process robust and effectively unexploitable."…

From the record that made him cry while filming Stranger Things, to the surprising location of his Bob Dylan tattoo, actor and musician Jamie Campbell Bower takes Claire Biddles through his life in music

Photo by Zeb Daemen

"We always had such a broad spectrum of music in our house," explains musician and actor Jamie Campbell Bower from his flat in London. "While I was growing up, it spanned from classical music all the way through to Springsteen and The The. I can't remember it for shit, but the first show that I was taken to as a child was Guns N' Roses." His parents both work in the music industry, and he would spend time rooting through their varied collection for...

The post Vecna Guy's Track Record: Jamie Campbell Bower's Favourite Albums appeared first on The Quietus.

Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter aircraft can be jailbroken "just like an iPhone," the Netherlands' defense secretary has claimed.…

Exclusive: Pensthorpe was believed to be home to just one individual but pair have been filmed grooming each other

No one knows where they came from or how they ended up in Norfolk. But one thing is certain: now, there are two of them.

Until last week, experts believed there was only one wild beaver living in Pensthorpe nature reserve, about 20 miles outside of Norwich. But just in time for Valentine's Day, two were caught on camera going for a late-night swim together and grooming each other by the riverbank.

I found this funny , how Apple Music looks like BlackPlayer now

Bork!Bork!Bork! The curse of bork is not limited to obsolete operating systems or obscure hardware. Today's example of railway signage disruption is something bang up to date from the Swiss town of Saint Moritz.…

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Tesla has stopped using the term "Autopilot" to sell its cars in California, thereby avoiding a 30-day sales and manufacturing ban in the state. If you'll recall, a California administrative law judge ruled in December that the automaker misled consumers by using the terms "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving." The judge recommended the suspension, but the California DMV gave Tesla 60 days to remove any untrue and misleading language in its marketing materials. In its announcement, the DMV said Tesla has taken corrective action and has stopped using Autopilot for marketing. Prior to that, the automaker has already clarified that driver supervision is still needed with Full Self-Driving.

The judge was ruling on a complaint the DMV made back in 2022, wherein the agency accused Tesla of making and disseminating misleading statements. It argued that starting in May 2021, Tesla used deceptive marketing materials with the labels "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving Capability," as well as claimed that the "system is designed to be able to conduct short and long-distance trips with no action required by the person in the driver's seat." In reality, the vehicles equipped with those features "could not at the time of those advertisements, and cannot now, operate as autonomous vehicles," the DMV said.

A ban in California could have had a huge effect on the company, seeing as the state accounts for nearly a third of its sales in the country. Tesla also recently announced that it will stop the production of its Model S and X cars to turn its Fremont, California factory where they were being manufactured into a space for the production of its Optimus humanoid robots. Tesla has huge plans for Optimus and intends to start selling the robot to the public by the end of 2027.