Author: Andrew Rogers

Apple will unveil its thinnest iPhone at Tuesday’s “awe-dropping” event in Cupertino’s Steve Jobs Theater.The iPhone 17 lineup will include standard, Pro, Pro Max, and a new iPhone Air.Observers predict iPhone Air will be Apple’s lightest flagship phone, following the slim MacBook design trend.Apple will also reveal the Apple Watch series 11 and updated AirPods during the event.Rumors suggest the new AirPods may offer live translation, matching Google’s Pixel Buds features.Apple will announce launch dates for iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe.Trump’s tariffs threaten the iPhone supply chain and could raise device prices globally.Apple shifted production to India and shipped iPhones…

Poland announced it will temporarily close its border with Belarus during the upcoming Zapad military exercises, citing security risks. Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed the measure on September 9, emphasizing it is preventive and limited in duration. “The border will be shut down for the period of Zapad drills, with exceptions only for humanitarian and diplomatic reasons,” Tusk said. He stressed that the move aims to ensure the safety of Polish citizens amid heightened regional tensions. The Zapad drills are large-scale joint military exercises conducted by Russia and Belarus every four years. This year’s exercises are expected to involve tens…

Volkswagen is close to a US tariff deal, CEO Oliver Blume said, as the carmaker targets affordable electric vehicles in Europe. Trump’s tariffs announced in April, combined with a turbulent market, have already cost the group “several billions.” Even with a reduction from 27.5% to 15%, Blume called it a “burden for Volkswagen Group.” The company plans major US investments and may localise Audi production. Blume noted Porsche is hit hardest, with US-bound models almost exclusively made in Germany, while also unveiling a small electric car concept aimed at Europe’s compact EV market. BMW is preparing a Chinese-made iX3 SUV…

This Sunday, 7 September, Europe will witness a total lunar eclipse—a “blood moon”—the longest since 2022 at around 82 minutes. During this event, the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, casting its shadow across the lunar surface. Only red light, bent through Earth’s atmosphere, reaches the moon, giving it its distinctive reddish hue. Historically, blood moons have carried both ominous and hopeful meanings. Across civilizations—from Babylon to China to Central America—they were often interpreted as warnings of wars, natural disasters, or the deaths of rulers. Conversely, some African cultures, such as the Batammaliba of Togo and Benin,…

Max Verstappen set the fastest lap in Formula 1 history to claim pole position for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, stopping the clock at 1:18.792 and averaging over 164mph. The Red Bull driver edged out McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. After describing last year’s car as an “undriveable monster,” Verstappen’s pole signals a resurgence for Red Bull under new team principal Laurent Mekies, following Christian Horner’s departure. Ferrari shone at their home race, with Lewis Hamilton making his Monza debut for the Scuderia and qualifying fifth, just behind Charles Leclerc, though a grid penalty will drop him to…

A new ultrasound “helmet” may provide a non-invasive alternative to deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treating neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, depression, Alzheimer’s, Tourette syndrome, and chronic pain. The device can target brain regions 1,000 times smaller than standard ultrasound and 30 times smaller than previous deep-brain ultrasound systems. Unlike DBS, which requires implanted electrodes, the helmet delivers mechanical pulses while the patient wears it inside an MRI scanner. In tests on seven volunteers, researchers directed ultrasound waves at the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), achieving pinpoint accuracy and producing lasting changes in connected brain regions. Experts say the breakthrough could…

Labour’s plan to stop badger culling by 2029 is achievable, but only with a significant boost in testing and vaccination, a new government-commissioned report warns. Sir Charles Godfray, who led the review, said current investment in testing and vaccinating cattle and badgers is insufficient to control bovine tuberculosis (bTB), which costs taxpayers and farmers around £150m a year. More than 210,000 badgers have been culled since 2013. The report highlights that badgers can spread bTB to cattle, but stressed that ending the cull is possible through non-lethal methods, including cattle microchipping and vaccination programs. “Vaccination is a realistic way to…

The Lancashire Wildlife Trust (LWT) has launched a drive to reintroduce lost species including the large heath butterfly, bog bush cricket, and white-faced darter dragonfly, once common on Lancashire and Greater Manchester’s peat bogs. These insects depend on lowland peatlands, 96% of which have been lost to human activity. LWT has been restoring habitats by rebuilding water systems and replanting specialist vegetation, and is now appealing for £20,000 to complete the project. The trust highlighted the ecological roles of these species: the butterfly pollinates plants, the cricket breaks down plant matter and feeds birds, and the dragonfly controls smaller insect…

New Zealand is racing to protect its critically endangered birds, including the flightless kākāpō, from H5N1 avian influenza before spring migration brings the virus to its shores. With fewer than 250 kākāpō left, even a single outbreak could be catastrophic. A world-first trial vaccinated up to 10 birds from five species using an H5N3 poultry vaccine. After two doses, four species developed strong antibody responses lasting at least six months, offering hope for safeguarding captive breeding populations and managed wild populations. Vaccinating wild birds at scale is extremely difficult, making carefully planned captive programmes essential. Other countries, including Australia and…

A simple cheek-swab test may allow doctors to detect a potentially fatal heart condition in children up to five years before traditional methods, according to new research. The condition, arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), is often genetic and contributes to more than 10% of sudden cardiac deaths in children. It occurs when abnormalities in the proteins connecting heart cells disrupt the heart’s structure and electrical activity, sometimes striking without warning. Researchers at Great Ormond Street Hospital and St George’s, University of London have developed a two-minute cheek swab capable of identifying these protein abnormalities. Trials involved 51 children aged from three months…