Augustus, a startup building a federally chartered clearing bank for stablecoins and programmable money, raised $180 million in a Series B round, valuing the company at $1 billion. The funding, led by Tiger Global, follows its conditional approval for a U.S. national bank charter.
The inaugural Rugby Nations Championship has been largely enjoyed by viewers, showcasing compelling international rugby. However, the competition is still plagued by persistent refereeing inconsistencies and prolonged TMO reviews, leading to frustration and calls for rule changes to streamline the game.
Virat Kohli returns for India's ODI series against England, likely his last in the country. The 37-year-old cricketer, focusing on ODIs and the IPL, has relocated to London for a more private life, though paparazzi attention persists. His dedication and mentorship are highlighted by teammates and coaches.
AI startup Lyzr successfully raised $100 million in its Series B funding round by utilizing its proprietary AI agent, SivaClaw. The AI handled investor inquiries, drafted memos, and tracked engagement, demonstrating the product's efficacy and securing interest from over 130 investors without founder travel.
Open source AI tool Ollama, which helps developers run open-weight AI models on PCs, has raised a $65 million Series B round led by Theory Venture, bringing its total funding to $88 million amid rapid growth and developer adoption.
Venus Aerospace, founded in 2020, has secured $90 million in Series B funding to advance its Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) technology. Initially aimed at passenger travel, the company pivoted to defense and space missions after demonstrating a working RDRE, now focusing on hypersonic weapons and high-speed military vehicles.
Netflix's new "Little House on the Prairie" reboot taps into contemporary desires for simplicity, self-sufficiency, and a rejection of technology, mirroring cultural trends like cottagecore and tradwifery. The franchise's history shows its adaptability to societal fears and hopes, from the Great Depression to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Crypto startup Fomo secured $75 million in Series B funding, valuing the social trading platform at $550 million. The round was led by Index Ventures and included participation from Union Square Ventures and Benchmark, attracting prominent angel investors.
England selects 17-player squad for 5-match T20I series against India starting July 1, with 22-year-old all-rounder James Coles making his international debut. Harry Brook captains the side, which includes key players Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, and Adil Rashid.
Odyssey, an AI startup focused on world models, has secured $310 million in Series B funding at a $1.45 billion valuation. Led by Natural Capital, with participation from Amazon and others, the company aims to advance AI beyond text-based models by simulating the physical world.
Tyra Banks has filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix and the directors of the docuseries 'Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model,' alleging the program defamed her by misrepresenting her interview and portraying her negatively. Banks claims the docuseries led to a 20% drop in ratings for her Australian ice cream business.
Malaysian tech success story Respond.io has secured $62.5 million in Series B funding. The customer conversation management software company, with $35 million in ARR, uses AI agents to handle customer inquiries and close sales across messaging apps.
China's C919 airliner is undergoing its first major maintenance checks, a critical step for its long-term airworthiness and a bid to gain European regulatory approval. China Southern Airlines completed the first 'C-check' in May, a rigorous process involving 6,000 man-hours.
Jeff Bezos' AI startup Prometheus has raised $12 billion in Series B funding, valuing the company at $41 billion. CEO Bezos stated the company is developing 'Artificial General Engineers' and plans to use Amazon Web Services.
Actor Anthony Head, best known for his roles as Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Rupert in Ted Lasso, leaves a legacy of versatile performances across TV, film, and theater, showcasing his depth from heroic mentorship to villainous charm.
Amazon has canceled its planned Stargate series, announced last November, due to concerns about its broad appeal beyond existing fans. Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi confirmed the decision, stating the original vision will not be realized. The project was part of Amazon's acquisition of MGM's Stargate IP in 2022.
Filmmaker Chris Smith's new HBO miniseries, 'Bring Me the Beauties,' delves into the rise and fall of the 1980s cult Eternal Values, founded by Frederick von Mierers. The series, featuring interviews with former member Hoyt Richards, explores diverse perspectives on the cult's influence and its parallels to modern wellness and influencer culture.
The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. Despite Victor Wembanyama's foul trouble, key contributions from teammates like Luke Kornet and Julian Champagnie secured the win, advancing the Spurs to the NBA Finals.
20-year-old filmmaker Kane Parsons' feature debut 'Backrooms', inspired by a 4chan meme, is set to break A24's box office record, offering a wholly original, frightening cinematic experience.
Alice Capsey's unbeaten 74 led England to a seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in their T20 series opener. Capsey's career-best score helped England chase 137 with 16 balls to spare, as the team prepares for the upcoming World Cup.
Amazon Prime's debut NBA playoff broadcast was plagued by technical issues and a lack of engaging content, contrasting sharply with traditional linear TV coverage. The move to streaming fragments the viewing experience and raises access concerns.
The round valued the three-year-old startup at $725 million.
AI voice infrastructure startup Vapi has raised $50 million in Series B funding at a $500 million valuation. The company, which powers Amazon Ring's inbound customer support, plans to use the capital to scale its engineering and go-to-market operations.
Longer UK series planned for South Africa and PakistanSingle Sri Lanka and Bangladesh games OK for ICC’s WTCEngland’s men will face a lopsided Test schedule in the next future tours programme (FTP), with a move to stage more five-match series at home to be offset by an increase in one-off Tests overseas.The England and Wales Cricket Board is abandoning the principle of aiming for reciprocal home and away series in the next World Test Championship (WTC), which will begin with the home Ashes series next summer. The ECB has already held talks with South Africa and Pakistan over touring for five Test matches for the first time in decades, but on the flip side England’s future tours to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh could comprise a single Test complemented by white-ball games that are more commercially viable to the host Boards. Continue reading...
