2026-08-17

The best stargazing destinations in the world in 2026, ranked

A new global index measuring light pollution, clear-night frequency, and accessibility just ranked the world's darkest skies — here's where they landed, and why [...]

2026-08-17

OpenAI disbanded the team that assessed catastrophic model risks

OpenAI shut down its preparedness team at the end of July, the Financial Times reports. The team existed to work out whether OpenAI’s models posed catastrophic risks. It also designed the ways to contain them. The work has not disappeared. Responsibility now sits with senior staff inside existing teams, split by subject. There are separate […]<br /> This story continues at The Next Web [...]

2026-08-17

France’s tax agency lost data on 678,000 people to a stolen login

The French tax agency says an attacker took data belonging to 678,000 individuals and businesses. The intrusions happened in June and July. The agency did not establish that anything had left its systems until the attacker said so in August. The Direction générale des Finances publiques set out what the attacker reached in a statement […]<br /> This story continues at The Next Web [...]

2026-08-17

Terra Industries closes a $52mn seed and opens its first office outside Africa

Terra Industries has added $18mn to close a $52mn seed round and will open its first office outside Africa in London, while keeping manufacturing in Ghana and Nigeria. The Nigerian company was founded in 2024 and says it is on track for more than $100mn in contract bookings this year. Terra Industries has added $18mn […]<br /> This story continues at The Next Web [...]

2026-08-17

Why flash drive capacity keeps increasing (and why small drives are rarely sold today)

While smaller drives can certainly still be found, there's a good reason why you don't often find them on retailers' shelves. [...]

2026-08-17

World's largest 3D printing facility builds drone boats using robotic arms

Florida manufacturer Haddy has used robotic 3D printing to produce a military drone boat, building on earlier rapid unmanned vessel projects. [...]

2026-08-17

Inside the increasingly branded world of RushTok

Brands like Nike and Poppi are turning RushTok into a marketing machine with sponsored dances, free products, celebrity visits, and elaborate activations. [...]

2026-08-17

What Is El Niño? Here’s What It Means for Weather, Water, and Global Economy

This year’s El Niño is shaping up to be the strongest on record. This is what impacts to expect and how bad it could get. [...]

2026-08-17

Aachen’s amber raised €7mn to sell AI sovereignty to the Mittelstand

Aachen-based amber has closed a €7mn Series A. Ventech co-led it with NRW.Venture, the venture arm of NRW.BANK. NRW.BANK is the development bank owned by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. By the standards of this year’s AI rounds, €7mn is small. The argument behind it is not. amber connects and structures a company’s internal […]<br /> This story continues at The Next Web [...]