Trump’s South Korea defence flip reminds Japan that it has no Plan B
While alarming for Seoul, an abandonment of US guarantees could be disastrous for Tokyo
The main event
Worth reading
Not the busiest stories. The pieces most likely to sharpen the mental model.
Moderna breakthrough brings back memories of pandemic mania
Biotech nearly triples as mRNA cancer treatment shows promise after company had struggled in recent years
Why are young women using walking sticks?
Selected from The Times as an argument-led read.
Jason Arday was failed by the system — and by me
Selected from The Times as an argument-led read.
Great Actors Are More Believable Than Democrats
Democrats often don’t sound as if they believe themselves. To fix that, they should listen more to acting teachers and less to pollsters.
More headlines
Financial Times
US long-term bonds slide as Bessent intervention fails to soothe investors
Yield on 30-year Treasuries rises despite move to ‘at least double’ purchases of securities
Financial Times
Investors cut bets on US and UK rate rises
Weaker economic data has changed expectations despite a rally in oil prices
Financial Times
The container revolution is running out of room
Containers have transformed ports, cities and trade. Now the revolution is reaching a limit
BBC News
Harry and Meghan's security arrangements a private matter, PM says
The prime minister also wishes the Duke and Duchess well after it emerged they are returning to the UK later this month.
BBC News
Watch: What does Harry's return mean for his fractured relationship with William?
The brothers have had a fractured relationship for a number of years.
BBC News
Five key takeaways from GCSE results day 2026
Resits are up, the gap between boys and girls has shrunk and England's regional divide has widened.
BBC News
Man charged over Manchester synagogue attack
Police say the man is accused of failing to disclose information regarding terrorist activity.
BBC News
Academic who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism suspended by university
Nathan Cofnas says he is being investigated for discriminating against the late Cambridge professor.
The Economist
The real covid-19 scandal is still unfolding
The Economist
Could AIs become conscious?
NYT Europe
What to Know About Prince Harry and Meghan’s Move Back to the U.K.
The couple are moving back after six years in the United States. What they will do, and much else, are still unclear.
NYT Europe
A Prince at 26: Once-Secret Son of Belgian Royal Gains Legal Recognition
Clément Vandenkerckhove was born to Belgium’s Prince Laurent before his marriage. He is now a prince himself, though he is not...
The Telegraph
Telegraph Fantasy Football: expert team reveal
Paul at Fantasy Football Hub provides his starting XI reveal ahead of the 2026-27 season opener
The Telegraph
Robinson demolishes Pakistan to cement importance to new regime
Robinson demolishes Pakistan to cement importance to new regime
Wales
BBC Wales
Tinder conman who stole thousands pretended to be multi-millionaire cancer patient
Joseph Gibson stated he was worth hundreds of millions of pounds, was an ex soldier, and owned yachts.
BBC Wales
Judges reject bid to increase sentences for teens convicted of racist murder
Kamran Aman was killed by Marcus Staniforth and another boy as he was delivering groceries to his mother.
BBC Wales
Drivers hurl bottles of urine at bridge workers 'just doing their jobs'
Staff have been stationed there to prevent overweight vehicles crossing while repair work continues.
BBC Wales
Rare Suffragette Christmas card from 1910 found at roadshow
A rare Suffragette Christmas card dating back to 1910 has been discovered in Mold, Flintshire, at a vintage roadshow.
Sport
BBC Sport · Football
Liverpool have £50m bid rejected for Brighton's Minteh
Liverpool have a £50m bid rejected by Brighton for their winger Yankuba Minteh.
BBC Sport · Formula
Closer to retiring than changing teams - why Verstappen stayed at Red Bull
After signing a contract extension with Red Bull to 2030, Max Verstappen says he was "closer to retiring" from F1 "than...
BBC Sport · Football
The Premier League's new plan to end corner chaos
Holding, pushing, shoving, jostling and grappling. It became something of an epidemic in the Premier League last season -...
BBC Sport · Tennis
One month or four years? Timing key in Kyrgios ban
The severity of the ban facing Nick Kyrgios for testing positive for cocaine depends on whether he can prove he took the drug...
The Race · F1
Everything we learned from day one at F1's Dutch GP
Thursday at Zandvoort was the first chance to hear from some of the names generating big news in F1 right now. Here's what we learned.
The Race · F1
Ex-US ambassador takes stake in Aston Martin F1 team
Former US ambassador to the United Kingdom, Robert Wood Johnson, has acquired a minority stake in the Aston Martin Formula 1 Team
The Race
Why Verstappen has suddenly committed to Red Bull until 2030
After years of speculation, talks elsewhere, and considerations of walking away from F1, Max Verstappen has recommitted to Red...
The Race · F1
Cadillac F1 team owner issues firm statement over sale talk
The Cadillac F1 team's parent company has issued a statement about its ownership amid a US federal investigation into...
Formula 1 Official
Lawson shares reaction to Red Bull opportunity
Liam Lawson has revealed how he is approaching his return to Red Bull as he prepares to fill in for an injured Isack Hadjar at...
Formula 1 Official
Hamilton shares hopes for Ferrari’s battle against Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton has outlined his expectations for the second half of the 2026 season.
ESPN Cricinfo
Walkden claims maiden wicket on truncated day
Lancashire debutant has moment to savour but play is severely limited
ESPN Cricinfo
Haines, Booth share honours with Edgbaston wildlife on truncated day
Runs, wickets and a pigeon enliven rain-shortened day in Birmingham
Science
New Scientist
Will personalised mRNA vaccines transform cancer treatments?
A personalised mRNA cancer vaccine has produced positive results in a final-stage trial involving skin cancer, raising hopes...
New Scientist
Two emerging tick viruses that can be deadly are spreading in the US
Heartland virus and Bourbon virus, which are transmitted by lone star ticks, have killed at least seven people in the US
New Scientist
Depression doesn’t shrink the brain like we thought it did
For the past decade, depression has been linked to a shrunken hippocampus, which has a vital role in memory. But a large study...
New Scientist
NASA calls off rescue effort to save doomed telescope
The Swift observatory will now re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in a few months, after a mission to boost it higher failed
Technology
The Verge
Framework says it’s addressing a BIOS update that bricked some of its older laptops
Some Framework Laptop 13 owners with last-gen AMD chips have reported that a recent BIOS update is bricking their laptops on...
The Verge
It’s Greg Brockman’s OpenAI now
OpenAI has had a hell of a year. The company spent months battling former co-founder Elon Musk in a sensational jury trial,...
The Verge
This app makes the Pixel 11’s HiLight feature actually useful
Google's new HiLight notification LED on the Pixel 11 Pro is nearly useless. Out of the box, the only two things it can glow...
The Verge
LG’s 65-inch B6 OLED is $300 lower than its previous best price
Best Buy has a whole host of LG products discounted for today’s Deal of the Day festivities, including laptops, home theater...
Techcrunch
Early Cerebras investor Adit Singh joins Mayfield as infrastructure partner
At Mayfield, Singh will focus on semiconductor, cybersecurity, and physical AI investments.
Techcrunch
Ramp launches its own AI model router, called Router
Ramp has launched its own AI model routing service, dubbed Router, that lets users and companies use and switch between...
Techcrunch
Senators demand answers from TikTok over experiment that disabled safeguards
The safeguard was designed to prevent users from being overwhelmed by harmful content, but TikTok wanted to determine whether...
Techcrunch
Meta brings Pocket, an app that lets you vibe-code and share games, to US users
Meta is bringing Pocket, its experimental AI-powered app for creating and sharing interactive games, to users across the U.S....
Wired
Poolease X1 Pool Robot Review: How Bad Can It Be?
The Poolease X1 can collect leaves from the pool floor, but dirt, silt, walls, and steps are all beyond its pay grade.
Wired
Bumble Tried to Change Dating, but the Dating Market Forced It to Change Instead
The app now allows men to make the first move, suggesting its women-first positioning was limiting growth. It joins other...
Hacker News · 201 pts
I like 'em thick: an apology to my English teachers
Hacker News · 621 pts
AliExpress runs silent WebAudio fingerprinting that breaks Bluetooth multipoint
Hacker News · 225 pts
HTML Can Do That
Hacker News · 330 pts
Show HN: I trained a 125M model to autocomplete piano on-device
Hacker News · 147 pts
CIA funding helped keep NeXT afloat in the 80s
Hacker News · 70 pts
Clean up Claude 5's token vomit with a separate LLM
Papers
Computer science
Position: Collusion Risks Among AI Reasoning Agents Justify Certification Requirements for Making Market Decisions
Computer science
Position: Profiling Game Worlds by Transition Complexity
Computer science
Large Language Models in Mental Health: A Systematic Review of Applications, Innovations, and Ethical Challenges
Congenital Heart Block
Maternal Sjogren's Disease and Its Long Shadow: Adult-Onset Seronegative Lupus Nephritis Following Congenital Heart Block
Congenital Heart Block