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  • Amazon Sale 2025 offers: Up to 80% off on home gym essentials like treadmills, kettlebells, yoga mats, and more | Health

    Amazon Sale 2025 offers: Up to 80% off on home gym essentials like treadmills, kettlebells, yoga mats, and more | Health

    If you are setting up a home gym or simply trying to stay fit without stepping outside, there is no better time than now, especially with the Amazon Great Freedom Sale 2025 in full swing. Investing in the right equipment can transform your fitness journey, but that shouldn’t leave you broke, right? To help you grab the best deals and biggest discounts, we have curated a list of top-quality gym gear that can help you stay consistent, save time, and work out comfortably at home. Whether you are into cardio, strength training, or yoga, check out the Amazon Great India Freedom Sale 2025 for gym equipment to suit all fitness levels.

    Find the best fitness equipment to work out at home. Image courtesy: Adobe Stock.

    Amazon Great Freedom Sale 2025: Enjoy huge discounts on the best home gym equipment

    During the Amazon Great Freedom Festival Sale 2025, enjoy massive discounts on top fitness equipment, from treadmills to dumbbells, and build your dream home gym without breaking the bank:

    This treadmill is the perfect fit for working out in the comfort of your home, offering a 4 HP peak DC motor that’s both powerful and quiet. It supports users up to 110 kg and allows a running speed between 0.8 to 12 km/h. Ideal for beginners and intermediate runners, it comes with 12 preset workout programs, making cardio diverse and goal-oriented. Its wide 110 x 40 cm running belt comes with a 6-layer anti-skid surface and shock-absorbing elastomers that reduce impact on joints, making it knee-friendly. Bluetooth connectivity and built-in stereo speakers let you stream music directly, creating a motivating workout environment. What’s more? It is foldable, saving up to 70% space, and comes with free installation and a 2-year motor warranty.

    If you are looking for something more advanced, the Cockatoo A6 is a beast with a 6 HP peak motor and auto incline up to 15%. This treadmill supports users up to 130 kg, making it suitable for both walking and high-intensity running. What makes this treadmill stand out is its wide running belt, comfortable cushioning, and bluetooth-enabled connectivity (via the SPAX app). With 12 preset programs, a 5 LCD display, and MP3 support, it is one of the best treadmills under the Amazon Great Freedom Festival Sale 2025. Foldable and portable, it’s perfect for small spaces too.

    For those looking to improve cardiovascular health and burn calories with low impact, the SPARNOD SAB-05 air bike is a fantastic choice. It combines upper and lower body workouts using dual-action handlebars, perfect for a full-body calorie burn. The adjustable resistance allows for variable intensity, making it suitable for users at different fitness levels. It is compact, supports up to 100 kg, and comes with a cushioned backrest, offering comfort during long sessions. Best of all, it is joint-friendly and burns up to four times more calories than walking, making it one of the best at-home gym options during the Amazon Great Freedom Festival Sale 2025.

    Every home gym needs a solid set of dumbbells, and these Symactive Neoprene Coated Fixed Dumbbells (2kg x 2) are ideal for beginners and intermediate users. Made from sturdy cast iron and coated with soft-touch neoprene, these dumbbells are not only durable but also floor-friendly, preventing scratches or damage to your tiles. Weighing just 2 kg each, they are perfect for toning exercises targeting your arms, shoulders, core, and back. Ideal for beginners and intermediate users alike, these dumbbells are also odour-resistant, making them a clean and convenient option for daily use.

    If you are looking to expand your weight training arsenal, this 16 kg set from Kore includes a curl bar, dumbbell rods, and accessories. It is great for those serious about building strength at home, and you will find it huge discount in the Amazon Great Freedom Festival Sale 2025. The variety in weights and tools allows you to perform compound and isolation movements efficiently. Plus, its space-saving design and budget-friendly pricing make it ideal for home users looking for a complete kit without breaking the bank.

    Resistance bands are a must-have for functional fitness, rehab, and toning. This Fashnex set comes with 5 stackable bands (up to 100 lbs), foam handles, ankle straps, and a door anchor, allowing over 50+ exercises. Perfect for stretching, pilates, strength training, or warm-ups, these bands are portable and easy to use. Whether you are a beginner or travel often, resistance bands offer an effective solution for maintaining muscle tone and flexibility anywhere.

    Want to burn more calories during your workout? The Boldfit Sweat Slim Belt uses neoprene material to increase core temperature, encouraging sweat and aiding in waist trimming. While it is not a substitute for exercise or diet, it enhances calorie burn when combined with workouts. It also provides lower back support, helps correct posture, and is adjustable to fit various body sizes. It is perfect for high-intensity training, home workouts, and yoga.

    A good yoga mat is essential for both stretching and strength training. This extra-thick 8mm NBR yoga mat from Boldfit provides cushioning to your joints during floor exercises. It is sweat-resistant, anti-slip, and comes with a carrying strap for portability. Whether you are into yoga, pilates, or core training, the mat ensures a comfortable and stable surface. Its durability and easy-to-clean material make it a long-lasting investment for your wellness routine.

    If you are looking to improve posture, balance, and core strength, this unique peanut-shaped gym ball is worth exploring. Its anti-burst, anti-slip design is ideal for rehab exercises, pregnancy workouts, and spine alignment. Thanks to its enhanced stability, it is safer for those who find traditional round balls too unstable. It can be used at home, in the office as an office ball chair, or at the gym.

    Beginners often struggle with flexibility during yoga. These high-density EVA foam blocks and straps help bridge the gap between your body and the floor. They offer stability and support, allowing you to safely hold poses longer. Use them for meditation postures, stretches, or balance drills. Their lightweight and sturdy design makes them excellent tools to deepen your practice, prevent injury, and improve flexibility.

    Do not miss these limited-time deals!

    Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

    • Are these products suitable for beginners?

      Yes, the curated list includes beginner-friendly options like lightweight dumbbells, yoga blocks, and resistance bands. Equipment like the Lifelong treadmill and Boldfit yoga mat is also safe for beginners.

    • Can I return or replace gym equipment bought during the sale?

      Amazon’s return policies typically apply during the sale, but this varies by seller and product category. Check the returns section on the product listing before purchasing.

    • Are there EMI or no-cost EMI options available?

      Yes, Amazon usually offers EMI and no-cost EMI on fitness products during sales. Look for the EMI options on the product page or at checkout.

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  • This Bizarre Blazar May Hide The Most Powerful Black Hole Duo Ever Found

    This Bizarre Blazar May Hide The Most Powerful Black Hole Duo Ever Found

    A team of astronomers has captured the most detailed image yet of a powerful jet blasting out from the supermassive black hole at the heart of blazar OJ 287, and what they found is extraordinary. The jet is severely bent, revealing compelling evidence that this object, located about four billion light-years away, could be part of the most extreme binary black hole system ever detected.

    A Blazar Unlike Any Other

    A blazar is a type of quasar viewed almost directly along its jet, making it appear brighter than most other cosmic objects. Quasars themselves are the luminous cores of galaxies, where supermassive black holes feed on vast amounts of surrounding matter. This matter forms an accretion disk so dense and hot that it shines across the universe, while magnetic fields channel charged particles into jets traveling at nearly the speed of light.

    OJ 287, however, defies expectations. Astronomers have been monitoring its fluctuating brightness for around 150 years, uncovering two distinct cycles: one lasting roughly 60 years and another repeating every 12 years. Scientists believe the shorter cycle is caused by a second black hole, roughly 150 million times the mass of the sun, orbiting an even larger primary black hole estimated to weigh in at a staggering 18.35 billion solar masses.

    Every 12 years, the smaller black hole plunges through the accretion disk of its massive companion. This dramatic interaction briefly transforms OJ 287 into a double quasar, as the secondary black hole forms its own temporary accretion disk and jet.

    The Bent Jet and What it Reveals

    The most recent breakthrough came through an unprecedented radio observation of OJ 287, carried out by a network of telescopes including the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) in the United States and the Russian RadioAstron satellite. By linking these instruments between 2014 and 2017, astronomers effectively created a virtual telescope five times the diameter of Earth, allowing them to resolve a region just one-third of a light-year across.

    The resulting image revealed that the jet is not straight but bent at three distinct points. According to lead researcher Efthalia Traianou of Heidelberg University, “We have never before observed a structure in the OJ 287 galaxy at the level of details seen in the new image.” The team also discovered that the jet’s orientation shifts by about 30 degrees close to its origin, likely due to the gravitational influence of the second black hole.

    This gravitational tug could explain the jet’s unusual precession and even its violent outbursts. A shock wave detected within the jet was found to emit an intense stream of gamma rays, recorded by NASA’s Fermi Space Telescope and the Swift mission. Some portions of the jet appear to radiate at an astonishing 10 trillion degrees Celsius, although scientists attribute this to relativistic beaming, where objects moving near light speed appear far brighter and hotter from our vantage point.

    A Gateway To Gravitational Wave Research

    As Traianou explained, “Its special properties make the galaxy an ideal candidate for further research into merging black holes and the associated gravitational waves.” While the two massive black holes in OJ 287 are expected to merge eventually, the event is not imminent.

    In the meantime, their slow inspiral is likely generating faint, long-wavelength gravitational waves that are beyond the reach of current detectors. Instead, astronomers are turning to pulsar timing arrays, which monitor the precise radio signals of pulsars to detect tiny disturbances caused by passing gravitational waves.

    The European Space Agency’s Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), expected to launch in the mid-2030s, could enable scientists to directly detect the merger of supermassive black holes such as those in OJ 287.

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  • Intermittent preventive treatment, malaria, HIV, hepatitis and pregnancy outcomes in Nigerian women: a cross-sectional study in two healthcare facilities | BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

    Intermittent preventive treatment, malaria, HIV, hepatitis and pregnancy outcomes in Nigerian women: a cross-sectional study in two healthcare facilities | BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

    Malaria during pregnancy poses significant risks to both maternal and foetal health, including increased risks of maternal anaemia, preterm delivery, and low birth weight. Malaria even in mild to moderate parasitaemia leads to alteration in immune and haematological indices (Chukwuanukwu et al., 2025, new [18]). In Nigeria, where malaria is endemic, IPTp has been widely recommended to reduce malaria incidence during pregnancy. Despite these efforts, data on the effectiveness of IPTp and its association with HIV, hepatitis, preeclampsia, and premature rupture of membranes (PROM), remain scarce. The principal findings of the study are that 73.9% of the participants reported using intermittent preventive treatment for malaria. The prevalence of malaria was relatively low, with 5.97% (n = 8) of participants testing positive, which is lower than previously reported rates in the region [17, 19]. Additionally, 3.73% of the participants were HIV positive, 4.47% tested positive for hepatitis B, and 3.73% had preeclampsia. PROM occurred in 2.24% of the participants, whereas 5.2% of the deliveries were preterm.

    In malaria-endemic areas, the WHO has recommended certain interventions for preventing and controlling malaria infection during pregnancy [1]. These recommendations include the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) and intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine.

    The WHO recommends that all pregnant women in malaria endemic regions of sub-Saharan Africa sleep under ITNs and take monthly doses of IPTp starting from the 2nd trimester of pregnancy [1]. ITN ownership has plateaued and begun to decrease in Nigeria [20]. The proportion of the population that sleep under the ITN has been decreasing [21]. Reports on the use of these interventions among pregnant women vary depending on the population and other factors. In our study, we found the use of ITNs among the study population to be rather low, with only 29.9% of the respondents reporting use. Previous studies conducted in the western and northern regions of Nigeria reported 24.1% and 12.4–24.5% use, respectively [22, 23]. Our findings are similar to those reported in these regions, showing relatively low usage among these pregnant women.

    Nigeria has adopted the 2016 WHO ante-natal care model, which recommends a minimum of eight contacts during pregnancy [21], with a target of 63% of pregnant women receiving IPTp between 2021 and 2025. According to a previous report, the proportion of pregnant women who received at least three doses of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine almost doubled between 2018 and 2021, from 16.6% in 2018 to 31% in 2021 [21]. Factors that hinder IPTp uptake among pregnant women include low antenatal care rates, restrictions that prevent nonpharmacy workers from dispensing sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, missed opportunities during antenatal visits and nonavailability of the drug [21].

    The findings from our study show that IPTp use was higher (73.9%) in our study population than 31% in a 2021 report [23]. However, among the primigravidae in this study, 65.7% used IPTp. These results show that compliance with the use of IPTp is better among these pregnant women than compliance with the use of ITNs. The much greater use in our study population is most likely because both health institutions from which our study participants were recruited have fully implemented IPTp in antenatal care. Another factor could also be the relatively urban nature of the study locations. There are significant regional, rural‒urban and socioeconomic differences in malaria incidence ranging from 16% in the southern and south-eastern zones to 34% in the north-western zone, with the prevalence in rural areas being 2.4 times greater than that in urban populations [22]. The lower prevalence of malaria in our study population is most likely a reflection of the above factors and the effect of IPTp uptake on this pregnant population.

    Among our study population, 3.73% of the pregnant women were infected with HIV. A population-based survey conducted by the Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey [24] reported a prevalence of 1.4% among those aged 15–64 years. The survey reported a prevalence of 1.8% among females and 1.0% among males in this age bracket. There was variation in location within the country, with a 2.2% prevalence in the state of our study. However, among pregnant women, the prevalence of HIV appears to be higher than that in the general population. According to a systematic review and meta-analysis, the pooled prevalence of HIV among pregnant women is 7.2% [7]. The relatively high disparity could be due in part to more testing among the pregnant population than among the general population. With improved coverage of HIV testing among pregnant women [25], detection among this group would be more efficient and well documented. In addition, during pregnancy, the combination of physiological and immunological changes contributes to the dampened immune response which could increase susceptibility to various infections, including malaria and HIV. HIV infection during pregnancy has an impact on both the mother and child if untreated and therefore requires prudent management antenatally, intrapartum and postpartum [26]. Some of the known associated poor outcomes if poorly managed include increased spontaneous miscarriages, stillbirths, increased perinatal mortality and low birth weight [27].

    HBV is a leading cause of chronic hepatitis, maternal complications and neonatal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa [28]. HBV is the most significant form of viral hepatitis due to its high transmission potential through blood and body fluids [29]. The prevalence of HBV in Nigeria among pregnant women is reportedly 6.49% [10]. The findings from our study revealed that 4.47% of the participants were infected with HBV, which is lower than the national prevalence [10]. However, this could be due to regional differences, as the South-east region had a lower prevalence than the national average in the referenced study.

    The incidence of preeclampsia in a study conducted in Jos, Nigeria, was 8.8% [13]. A more recent study reported a lower prevalence of 3.6% [30]. Preeclampsia is reported as a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in Nigeria [15]. The findings from our study revealed a 3.7% prevalence in our study population. Previous reports reported a wide range of prevalence rates between 1.8% and 16.7% in developing countries. Factors that affect prevalence include access to adequate antenatal services and other associated healthcare and monitoring services.

    Socioeconomic disparities are linked to low birth weight, with varying patterns and inequalities observed across nations [31]. Consistent with the literature, our findings indicate that increased socioeconomic status is positively correlated with increased birth weight. This association is intuitive, as improved socioeconomic standing directly influences maternal well-being, including access to adequate nutrition. Furthermore, our study revealed a significant relationship between socioeconomic status, birth weight, and mode of delivery. Notably, middle-income households presented reduced odds of emergency caesarean Sect. [32]. Additionally, a negative correlation between birth weight and mode of delivery was observed, suggesting that adverse maternal health outcomes may precipitate emergency interventions. This finding underscores the importance of addressing socioeconomic determinants to optimize birth outcomes and minimize the likelihood of complications requiring emergency surgical interventions.

    We found that gestational age was associated with SCBU admission and was positively correlated with birth weight, socioeconomic status and SCBU admission. These findings are in line with the health and foetal maturity of the infant.

    A limitation of the study was loss to follow up. Several of the pregnant women consented and were recruited during antenatal care visits but possibly delivered their babies elsewhere. Another limitation was that some women were excluded based on non-completion of the required IPTp doses.

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  • 3 diets may reduce diabetes, dementia, and heart disease risk

    3 diets may reduce diabetes, dementia, and heart disease risk

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    Dietary choices and quality may affect a person’s risk of developing chronic disease. Nata Segueza/Stocksy
    • Researchers from Karolinska Institutet studied how dietary patterns influence the development of chronic diseases such as heart disease, dementia, and diabetes in older adults.
    • Older adults who regularly ate healthier diets that included vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and healthy fats experienced a slower buildup of chronic illnesses.
    • Those who consumed more red meat, processed foods, and sugary beverages were more likely to develop multiple chronic conditions over time.

    A new study from researchers in Sweden offers hope for older adults concerned about their health.

    When studying what effect diet has on chronic disease, the researchers found that people who consumed healthier diets tended to see a slower progression of chronic health issues and fewer chronic diseases overall.

    In contrast, participants who consumed a pro-inflammatory diet were more likely to develop multiple chronic illnesses.

    While some decline is expected, being proactive about one’s health, including dietary choices, can help reduce the risk associated with chronic conditions.

    The authors of the current study focused on chronic disease in older adults. Some of the health problems they considered included cardiovascular disease, neuropsychiatric diseases, and musculoskeletal diseases.

    The researchers included a group of more than 2,400 older adults from SNAC-K who were an average age of 71.5 years at the baseline.

    The researchers divided the participants into four groups based on the answers they provided on food questionnaires:

    • MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay), which focuses on consuming fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats.
    • AHEI (Alternative Healthy Eating Index), which evaluates diet quality based on foods linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes, such as fish, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
    • AMED (Alternative Mediterranean diet), which focuses on plant-based foods and healthy fats, but adjusts recommendations for some food items such as red meat.
    • EDII (Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Index), which is a pro-inflammatory diet pattern high in red meat, processed foods, and sugary drinks.

    The researchers considered the first three diets healthy, while the EDII represented an unhealthy, inflammation-promoting diet.

    The scientists used 15 years of data to examine how the diets impacted the accumulation of chronic disease.

    The results of this study demonstrated yet another way maintaining a healthy diet is important to health.

    Over a 15-year period, participants who followed one of the healthy diets experienced a slower progression of chronic diseases. Additionally, these participants had up to two fewer diseases compared to people with the least adherence to healthy eating.

    Healthy eaters also experienced a slower rate of heart disease and neuropsychiatric diseases such as dementia.

    The only area where researchers did not find a negative association between a pro-inflammatory diet and health outcome was regarding musculoskeletal disease.

    The protective effects of the MIND and AHEI diets on neuropsychiatric health were strongest among the oldest participants. This suggests that even later in life, adopting a healthy diet can make a difference.

    David Cutler, MD, board certified family medicine physician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, shared his thoughts about the study with Medical News Today.

    “These results suggest that diet quality is a modifiable risk factor in slowing the rate of chronic disease accumulation among older adults,” said Cutler.

    Cutler emphasized that the study made it clear that a pro-inflammatory diet can be harmful to one’s health.

    While the study demonstrated the importance of healthy eating habits, Cutler noted that “changing eating behaviors is challenging.”

    “This is especially true of [older adults] whose patterns have been ingrained longer, and they may see a shorter period of time to appreciate the benefits of a healthier diet,” Cutler continued.

    Mir Ali, MD, board certified general surgeon, bariatric surgeon, and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center, also spoke with MNT.

    “I thought this was a good study linking a healthier diet to slower disease progression,” said Ali. “Though it is difficult to separate all factors, I think it is reasonable to conclude that diet plays a major role in chronic inflammation and disease.”

    Ali also shared concerns about the difficulty in changing eating patterns for older adults.

    “The older someone is, the harder it is to make long-term changes; furthermore, disease and inflammation can progress more as we age, so it becomes more difficult to reverse these changes,” explained Ali.

    “In general, we recommend to all our patients, including older adults, to reduce carbohydrate and sugar intake and emphasize protein and vegetables. This helps direct the body towards breaking down fats, reducing diabetes and inflammation overall.”
    — Mir Ali, MD

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  • Hong Kong sees first case of chikungunya fever since 2019

    Hong Kong sees first case of chikungunya fever since 2019

    An employee of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department conducts fogging treatments to eliminate adult mosquitoes at an LCSD park on Aug 1, 2025 as part of the department’s mosquito prevention and control measures at its recreational venues following significant increase in the number of chikungunya cases in neighboring regions and some overseas countries. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

    A 12-year-old boy in Hong Kong has come down with chikungunya fever – the first case reported in the city in six years.

    The patient is being treated at Princess Margaret Hospital after returning from the Chinese mainland on Wednesday. He went to a private doctor in Kwun Tong before being transferred to United Hospital, Albert Au Ka-wing, head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, told a press conference on Saturday.

    READ MORE: Explainer: What is chikungunya fever?

    The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has carried out investigations and mosquito control measures. Within a 250-meter radius around the patient’s home, at the hospital and places he had visited, efforts to exterminate mosquitoes have been strengthened, along with regular patrols.

    Jacky Chan Man-chun, medical director of the Hospital Authority’s Infectious Disease Centre, said the patient’s fever had subsided on Saturday morning, and the pain at the joints had diminished.

    He said most patients of chikungunya fever – a mosquito-borne viral disease – can recover on their own although some symptoms, such as pain at the joints, may persist for an extended period.

    ALSO READ: Greater Bay Area in joint fight against Chikungunya fever

    Au said most patients with chikungunya fever have mild symptoms, and the disease cannot be transmitted from person to person. However, the virus can remain dormant in mosquitoes for about nine days before spreading again. The authorities have stepped up mosquito-eradication efforts.

    Au urged doctors to check patients’ travel history if the symptoms appear.

    The current outbreak began in Foshan, Guangdong province, last month, mostly concentrated in the Shunde district.

    Au said there has been no evidence of a large-scale transmission of the disease, and Hong Kong residents should not be unduly alarmed. The authorities will introduce chikungunya fever reagents in quantities sufficient to meet the needs of residents, and there’s no need to carry out citywide tests at the moment, he said.

    READ MORE: Guangdong moves swiftly to combat Chikungunya

    Healthcare authorities in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao launched a joint campaign against chikungunya fever last month following an outbreak of the disease.

    Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com

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  • Big tech has spent $155bn on AI this year. It’s about to spend hundreds of billions more | Artificial intelligence (AI)

    Big tech has spent $155bn on AI this year. It’s about to spend hundreds of billions more | Artificial intelligence (AI)

    The US’s largest companies have spent 2025 locked in a competition to spend more money than one another, lavishing $155bn on the development of artificial intelligence, more than the US government has spent on education, training, employment and social services in the 2025 fiscal year so far.

    Based on the most recent financial disclosures of Silicon Valley’s biggest players, the race is about to accelerate to hundreds of billions in a single year.

    Over the past two weeks, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet, Google’s parent, have shared their quarterly public financial reports. Each disclosed that their year-to-date capital expenditure, a figure that refers to the money companies spend to acquire or upgrade tangible assets, already totals tens of billions.

    Capex, as the term is abbreviated, is a proxy for technology companies’ spending on AI because the technology requires gargantuan investments in physical infrastructure, namely data centers, which require large amounts of power, water and expensive semiconductor chips. Google said during its most recent earnings call that its capital expenditure “primarily reflects investments in servers and data centers to support AI”.

    Meta’s year-to-date capital expenditure amounted to $30.7bn, doubling the $15.2bn figure from the same time last year, per its earnings report. For the most recent quarter alone, the company spent $17bn on capital expenditures, also double the same period in 2024, $8.5bn. Alphabet reported nearly $40bn in capex to date for the first two quarters of the current fiscal year, and Amazon reported $55.7bn. Microsoft said it would spend more than $30bn in the current quarter to build out the data centers powering its AI services. Microsoft CFO Amy Hood said the current quarter’s capex would be at least 50% more than the outlay during the same period a year earlier and greater than the company’s record capital expenditures of $24.2bn in the quarter to June.

    “We will continue to invest against the expansive opportunity ahead,” Hood said.

    For the coming fiscal year, big tech’s total capital expenditure is slated to balloon enormously, surpassing the already eye-popping sums of the previous year. Microsoft plans to unload about $100bn on AI in the next fiscal year, CEO Satya Nadella said Wednesday. Meta plans to spend between $66bn and $72bn. Alphabet plans to spend $85bn, significantly higher than its previous estimation of $75bn. Amazon estimated that its 2025 expenditure would come to $100bn as it plows money into Amazon Web Services, which analysts now expect to amount to $118bn. In total, the four tech companies will spend more than $400bn on capex in the coming year, according to the Wall Street Journal.

    The multibillion-dollar figures represent mammoth investments, which the Journal points out is larger than the European Union’s quarterly spending on defense. However, the tech giants can’t seem to spend enough for their investors. Microsoft, Google and Meta informed Wall Street analysts last quarter that their total capex would be higher than previously estimated. In the case of all three companies, investors were thrilled, and shares in each company soared after their respective earnings calls. Microsoft’s market capitalization hit $4tn the day after its report.

    Even Apple, the cagiest of the tech giants, signaled that it would boost its spending on AI in the coming year by a major amount, either via internal investments or acquisitions. The company’s quarterly capex rose to $3.46bn, up from $2.15bn during the same period last year. The iPhone maker reported blockbuster earnings Thursday, with rebounding iPhone sales and better-than-expected business in China, but it is still seen as lagging farthest behind on development and deployment of AI products among the tech giants.

    Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said Thursday that the company was reallocating a “fair number” of employees to focus on artificial intelligence and that the “heart of our AI strategy” is to increase investments and “embed” AI across all of its devices and platforms. Cook refrained from disclosing exactly how much Apple is spending, however.

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    “We are significantly growing our investment, I’m not putting specific numbers behind that,” he said.

    Smaller players are trying to keep up with the incumbents’ massive spending and capitalize on the gold rush. OpenAI announced at the end of the week of earnings that it had raised $8.3bn in investment, part of a planned $40bn round of funding, valuing the startup, whose ChatGPT chatbot kicked in 2022, at $300bn.

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  • ‘You killed her!’: My 100% faithful attempt at Traitors Live Experience | Television

    ‘You killed her!’: My 100% faithful attempt at Traitors Live Experience | Television

    Things are not going well. Halfway through my attempt to play the real-life version of the smash-hit reality BBC reality TV show The Traitors, I realise something: I may be less charming than I’d hoped.

    “I don’t trust him,” intones a player to my left, scowling at my face as though she has just found it on the bottom of her shoe.

    “Yeah, he seems shifty!” exclaims her friend.

    I try to defuse the tension by smiling winningly.

    “Look at that smirk. He’s definitely a Traitor.”

    Oh dear.

    In retrospect, this should not have come as a surprise. Since The Traitors first burst on to our screens in November 2022, it’s become obvious that it’s not easy to convince people you’re telling the truth while being subjected to death-ray stares.

    Watching contestants go head to head as either traitors (who lie, scheme and murder fellow contestants by night) or faithfuls (who try to banish traitors so they can share a cash prize with fellow honest players) has united the UK around its TV sets. The show has won Baftas and Emmys, and drawn up to 10 million viewers an episode, and it’s largely down to the sheer unpredictability of what people will do when they’re put in a pressure cooker environment and suspicion is allowed to fester.

    Players thrash out their theories at the round table. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

    It’s also what made Neil Connolly, the creative director behind The Traitors: Live Experience, decide to replicate the interior of a Scottish castle in Covent Garden in London and have players roleplay the TV show in groups of up to 12.

    “I wanted to make people’s hearts race,” he will tell me on the phone the following day. “That moment when you feel your heart pounding in your chest, I know that I’ve done my job correctly.”

    Well, as I play the game, his wishes are coming true. Largely because I am a faithful, who is doing a terrible job of convincing anyone.

    Along with a group of other journalists, I’m sitting in a wood-panelled room containing an impressive replica of the round table around which all the TV show’s fiercest debates take place. Occasionally, our host – a tartan-clad Claudia Winkleman-channelling actor – announces that it is now “night” and instructs us to put on a “blindfold” (more commonly known as “blacked-out ski goggles”). We wait while the Traitors remove theirs and plot who to kill – or secretly recruit. And then, masks removed, fierce debate breaks out.

    “The way you reacted there was a bit ‘Hugh Grant in a romcom’,” declares one player, casting suspicion towards a particularly emotive participant. “Bit strange.”

    It’s not long before all the tropes of the TV show pop up. People begin to form cliques. The phrase “100% faithful” is repeated time and again. Rather than evicting people based on any form of evidence, players are banished purely due to looking a bit odd. Hugh Grant ends up being evicted – and turns out to be a faithful. Randomness rules.

    “We had one woman who voted for someone, then said: ‘It’s because you remind me of Miles Jupp from Balamory,’” laughs Connolly. “One guy turned around his slate and said: ‘I’ve voted for you, Tom, because I don’t know how to spell the other person’s name.’”

    I, however, am determined to learn from everything I’ve seen on the TV show. I refuse to go with the herd. I vote on the basis of evidence, rather than conjecture about facial tics. And I never throw around baseless accusations, lest I kill one of my own. In short: I repeatedly vote for the person next to me, as I’m convinced I heard him removing his goggles during the night-time.

    As the debates go on, I somehow attract more suspicion. The number of votes against me increases. Luckily, my methodology proves popular and we successfully evict two traitors who were overly noisy when removing their blindfold. Less luckily, a faithful player announces that she’d like to banish me and then is murdered by the traitors.

    “You killed her!” declares her friend, to the gasps of the room.

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    These traitors know what they’re doing.

    ‘Night’ time at Traitors Live Experience. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

    Fortunately, tension defuses as we break to play a game. We solve clues to find numbers hidden around the room, which we then put in the correct order by communicating with “the dead” – the players who have either been banished or murdered, and are now watching us on TV from a nearby room. Unlike the TV show, in which these tasks earn contestants money for the prize pot, we get points for our total on the daily leaderboard.

    As we go back into another debate, it turns out that my dogged voting for the same player is paying off. Enough other people have become suspicious, and he is evicted.

    “What a relief,” he announces before he leaves the room. “I was a traitor.”

    Suddenly, people are looking at me differently. For the rest of the session, not a single player votes for me, until our host announces: “It is now time for the end game!”

    Dramatic music swells and we’re told to press a button. We can vote either to end the game if we believe everyone to be faithful or to continue banishing if we don’t. Over three stressful rounds, we’re whittled down from six players to three. The game ends, and we have to declare. Are we all faithful? In which case we all win. Or is there a traitor among us? In which case only they are victorious.

    I declare first. Then player number two proves to be on the side of good as well. And, finally, the last player announces: “I’m a faithful.” We won – and I’m in shock. Surely it doesn’t normally go this smoothly?

    “Oh no,” laughs Connolly. “At the end of one game, a player had to tell his fiancee he was a traitor. Before he even finished speaking, she had ripped off her engagement ring and thrown it on the floor.”

    Wow. Thank god I’m 100% faithful.

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  • Earth, Mars, Venus — and a long-lost planet — may have once ‘waltzed’ in perfect harmony around the sun

    Earth, Mars, Venus — and a long-lost planet — may have once ‘waltzed’ in perfect harmony around the sun

    Four of the solar system‘s terrestrial planets, including Earth and a long-lost world, likely started life waltzing around the sun to a fixed rhythm, according to a new study. The findings also suggest that those planets formed earlier than previously thought.

    Astronomers have been increasingly interested in how planetary systems change their internal architecture on cosmic timescales, motivated by several recent exoplanet family discoveries, like the seven-planet cohort orbiting the tiny star TRAPPIST-1.

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  • Aye-ayes: The strange nocturnal lemurs with long, creepy fingers

    Aye-ayes: The strange nocturnal lemurs with long, creepy fingers

    QUICK FACTS

    Name: Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)

    Where it lives: Madagascar

    What it eats: Seeds, nuts, fruits, nectar, plant matter, fungi, insect larvae and honey

    Native to Madagascar, this lemur looks like a strange mix of several animals. It has the round eyes of an owl, the ears of a bat, rodent-like teeth that never stop growing and a wiry, bushy tail longer than its body.

    Aye-ayes are the world’s largest nocturnal lemur, weighing around 4 pounds (1.8 kilograms) and reaching up to 24 inches (60 centimeters) long from nose to tail tip. Young aye-ayes have a silver front with a stripe down their backs, but as they develop into adults, their thick fur turns a yellow-brown with white tips. During the day, they sleep in spherical nests crafted from leaves and branches, while at night they roam the treetops in search of food.

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