Fat bear polls open
Voting opened on Tuesday for the only US election that truly captures the public imagination: Fat Bear Week. Hundreds of thousands of people prepared to cast their ballots for the animals currently gorging themselves in the Alaskan wilderness. In a competition that has quickly become one of the internet’s most anticipated events, the brown bears of Katmai National Park unintentionally participate in a series of head-to-head matchups to determine which has packed on the most weight before hibernation. Fans can watch a livestream of the massive creatures as they catch salmon from the Brooks River or view profiles of the top contenders, which include before-and-after photos illustrating their weight gain over a summer of heavy feeding. “For each matchup, vote for the bear you believe best exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears,” organizers said. “The bear with the most votes advances to the next round. Only one will be crowned Fat Bear Week military space squadron tasked with defending the nation’s satellites, marking the latest development in the global race for military space capabilities. The Ministry of Defence stated that the new Royal Air Force squadron will safeguard critical satellites used for communications and missile attack warnings. The unit, designated as No III Space Effects Squadron, is the country’s first dedicated to “disrupting, degrading, and denying enemy activity targeting British interests in space.”
Kid breaks Rubik’s record
A six-year-old girl has established a new women’s world record for solving a 3×3 Rubik’s Cube in just over four seconds, according to state media. Young speedcuber Lian Yunzhi broke the women’s 3×3 average world record twice this month at two World Cube Association-certified competitions in Wuhan and Guangzhou, state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Monday. After five solves, she recorded averages of 4.52 and 4.27 seconds. CCTV noted that Lian is “the first female speedcuber to average under 4.5 seconds.” “She was an introverted kid. Now, she is very confident wherever she goes,” her mother, Lin Yangxi, was quoted as saying. Lian has mastered over 1,300 solving formulas and trains for two to three hours every day, CCTV reported.
Trump derides EU’s Canada pitch, eyes more tariffs on bloc
US President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to take action against the EU if it proceeds with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal to make Canada the bloc’s first associate member. “If they do that, if I think it’s at all a hostile act; I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things,” Trump told reporters while traveling to an event in North Carolina, dismissing the proposal as “laughable.” “If it’s a good Saturday that hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis could “escalate rapidly” following a missile attack on Riyadh, the first such strike since the Yemen conflict resumed. President Trump unexpectedly cut short a weekend at Camp David, a secluded presidential complex in rural Maryland, to return to the White House. The administration provided no reason for the sudden return, which occurred as a new threshold was crossed in the ongoing conflict between the Houthis—who control significant portions of Yemen—and government forces supported by a coalition.
Faulty intel almost started a war after AI misread Chinese vessel cargo: CNN
The US military nearly boarded a Chinese vessel in the Middle East earlier this year due to a flawed intelligence report generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence, CNN reported on Friday. US intelligence suggested the ship was transporting components related to nuclear weapons, prompting US forces to prepare for an interception, according to the broadcaster, which cited four anonymous sources familiar with the matter. The operation was ultimately aborted after officials discovered that an AI chatbot used by an analyst had incorrectly identified the ship’s cargo. The report was “entirely false,” but “almost started a war,” CNN quoted one source as saying.
Leaders return to UN amid wars
World leaders are convening in New York this week for the UN General Assembly, bracing for President Trump’s second consecutive appearance at the rostrum. Discussions are expected to focus on the intensifying conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as the risks associated with artificial intelligence. Nearly 130 heads of state are meeting at a time when the post-World War II order is under significant strain and the UN itself is struggling to maintain relevance while facing criticism from Trump, who has reduced US contributions and withdrawn from numerous UN bodies.
