China’s technological ambitions took center stage at the World Humanoid Robot Games, a three-day event that began on Friday in Beijing. This “Robot Olympics” brought together 280 teams from 16 countries to compete in a unique blend of sports and technical challenges, highlighting the nation’s advancements in artificial intelligence and robotics.
Details about the event
The competition attracted teams from countries like the United States, Germany, and Brazil, with 192 university teams and 88 private enterprises participating.
Competitors used robots from Chinese manufacturers such as Booster Robotics, Unitree, and Fourier Intelligence. The diverse events ranged from traditional sports like table tennis and track to robot-specific tasks like sorting medicines, handling materials, and cleaning services.
These challenges tested the robots’ agility, coordination, and problem-solving capabilities, reflecting their potential for real-world applications.
Max Polter, a member of Germany’s HTWK Robots football team from Leipzig University of Applied Sciences, summed up the dual purpose of the games: “We come here to play and to win. But we are also interested in research.”
“If we try something and it doesn’t work, we lose the game. That’s sad, but it is better than investing a lot of money into a product that failed,” he added.
Robots in action
The games were entertaining and insightful, with ticket prices ranging from 128 to 580 yuan ($17.83-$80.77). Spectators witnessed moments of brilliance and comedic mishaps.
During football matches, robots frequently collided, with one match seeing four robots crash into a tangled heap. In the 1500-meter running event, a robot dramatically collapsed mid-sprint, eliciting gasps and cheers from the crowd.
While some robots needed human assistance to recover, others demonstrated resilience by standing up independently, earning enthusiastic applause.
Organizers emphasized that the games provided critical data for refining robots for practical uses, such as factory work. For instance, football matches tested robots’ ability to collaborate, a skill vital for assembly line operations.
Also Read | Nvidia just taught robots to think, roam, and simulate reality: Here’s how
China’s ambition
China’s investment in robotics is driven by its aging population and the need to stay competitive in advanced technologies, particularly against the United States. The country has poured billions into developing humanoid robots, hosting high-profile events like the world’s first humanoid robot marathon, and opening retail stores dedicated to robotics.
Looking ahead
The World Humanoid Robot Games are more than a spectacle; they are a testing ground for technologies that could transform industries. While robots crashing and collapsing provided moments of levity, they also highlighted the steep learning curve ahead.
ISTANBUL, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) — A forest fire erupted on Friday in Türkiye’s northwestern province of Kocaeli, forcing the evacuation of a village as flames neared homes, authorities said.
The blaze broke out around noon in the Karamursel district and spread rapidly due to strong winds, the Kocaeli Governor’s Office said on social media. Residents of Akcat village were being evacuated.
Many homes were destroyed and rendered uninhabitable, the Demiroren News Agency reported, sharing images of charred buildings.
Firefighting efforts were under way from the air and on the ground, involving six planes, 10 helicopters, 75 vehicles, and 200 personnel, the governor’s office said.
Winds in the area were forecast to reach 60 to 80 kilometers per hour until Saturday evening, the statement added, warning residents to take extra precautions.
Kocaeli, along with the northwestern provinces of Canakkale and Bursa, has battled forest fires in the past month, driven by extreme heat, low humidity, and strong winds. ■
After 27 years, some of TV’s most beloved characters have left our screens for ever. Throughout Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw chronicled her loves, infatuations, affairs, heartbreaks, friendships, high fashion, homes, work and more, all over a cosmopolitan or five. Throughout what would turn out to be the final season of its spin-off, And Just Like That, she finally ended her extremely on/off 20-year-relationship with country boy Aidan, a man revived for the series with a cruel streak and all the subtlety of Elmer Fudd, and slowly bought furniture for her enormous mansion.
In many ways, the entire series was an inglorious swansong. And Just Like That first appeared in 2021, and devotees of the original might have held a tentative flicker of hope that in returning to these beloved characters, now in their 50s, it might find a way to repurpose some of its former magic for this new stage of life. It began with a splash by killing off Carrie’s husband, Mr Big, who had a heart attack while overdoing it on his stationary exercise bike.
Some felt that such a casual death was disrespectful to the show’s history – something that would become a running theme – but it did, at least, suggest that the show was not going to hold back, or tiptoe around its past and legacy.
Sex and the City original Charlotte was joined by new characters such as Lisa for the spin-off series. Photograph: HBO
Unfortunately, it went in the other direction, careering all over that legacy like a toddler just learning to walk. There would be no Samantha, of course: Kim Cattrall, who played her, has long been open about her poor relationship with her former cast mates and her lack of interest in returning to the show.
And Just Like That tried to plug the Samantha gap with new friends, finding Samantha’s ambition in a documentary-maker, Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker), and her sex drive in real estate agent Seema Patel (Sarita Choudhury), though both mostly felt like superfluous distractions from the core characters.
Cattrall did return as Samantha for 71 seconds, during the season two finale, but only to phone Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie to let her know that she wouldn’t make it to the party, after all. The scene was delicious, camp and regal, but a stark reminder of how much the character was missed.
From its earliest days, And Just Like That became synonymous with hate-watching. This reached its peak with Miranda’s divorce from Steve and affair with Che Diaz, a non-binary standup comedian, who turned into one of the internet’s favourite least-favourite characters. Che was poorly written, sure, but they were indicative of the show’s haphazard handling of ageing. It largely examined getting older by placing characters in a state of bewilderment at how much the world had changed since the early 00s, which felt shallow and unflattering to their intelligence. They would be confused by podcasts, or restaurants with digital menus. The wit and acidic humour of Sex and the City allowed it to ask big questions, not all of which have aged well, but in And Just Like That, there was simply an admission that nobody really knew what was going on any more.
Goodbye Carrie: the character in And Just Like That’s finale. Photograph: HBO
All of its worst tendencies came out in the finale. Oddly, it mostly ended up being about Charlotte’s friend Mark, Brady, the mother of Brady’s unborn child and her confusingly obnoxious young genderqueer friends (let it go!). It was a shrug of a plotline that washed its hands of everything that made the characters what they once were, by deciding not to make it about the characters at all.
Through much of the last season, there was a sense that Carrie has nothing to do but wander around in couture, aimlessly, too rich to have any ambitions left, other than a now vague notion of romantic love. It is not a tragedy that she waved farewell to the land of Sex and the City as a single woman, but it is not as poignant as the writers seem to believe it is, either. It’s nothing-ey, an ambient inbetween, a very And Just Like That-esque, “will this do?”. After a particularly hideous blocked-toilet episode, Carrie said the punchline that the whole scene was written to deliver: “Shit happens.” It was a muted note on which to bow out.
They knew the end was coming, that much is clear. At the start of August, in the statement announcing that it would be ending for good, showrunner Michael Patrick King said that when writing the last episode, “it became clear to me that this might be a wonderful place to stop”.
Wonderful might have been pushing it. It has been a curious four years, full of superfluous nonsense, not unpleasant, but not a patch on its TV ancestor. That blocked toilet, overflowing, was doing some heavy lifting when it came to the metaphor. It is hard to argue that And Just Like That should have gone on, when it became so evident that it had nowhere to go.
He had not previously recorded a competitive maximum since the 2018 English Open.
He is only the second player to make two 147s in the same match, after Welshman Jackson Page achieved the feat in qualifying for the Worlds in April.
O’Sullivan’s tally of 17 is four more than that of John Higgins, who is a fellow member of snooker’s fabled ‘Class of 92’.
The Englishman, who also enjoyed breaks of 142 and 70 to lead 3-1 at the mid-session interval, was in scintillating form all evening.
While Wakelin made a 125 break on his way to drawing level at 3-3, O’Sullivan’s second 147 of the evening was followed by a 67 and a 134 to round off an imperious display.
He is also in line to claim a two-thirds share of a £50,000 147 bonus with Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, who knocked in the third maximum of the season earlier this week.
In Friday’s earlier last-four match – at a tournament regarded as snooker’s ‘fourth major’ by organisers – Robertson claimed a 6-3 win over Elliot Slessor.
While neither player was at their best, the rejuvenated Australian was always in control and enjoyed two runs of 93 and a 50 as he reached the 39th ranking final of his career.
“The start was crucial today, I could see Elliot was a bit nervous and I was able to use my experience,” said 2010 Crucible winner Robertson.
“To get to the final is huge in terms of ranking points, it means I should be in all of the big events later in the season which makes my scheduling so much easier.
“I took that for granted a few years ago when I was always in the top four. The standard is so high now that I have realised you have to keep your foot down all the time. A lot of hard work has happened to get these kind of results.”
At the iPhone event expected next month (here’s what to expect), Apple will finally announce when we can download iOS 26 on our iPhones. Until then, you can download and install the newly released public beta 2 (or iOS 26 developer beta 6 for developers). I’ve been playing around with it for the past couple of weeks, and have found that taking screenshots is way better in the new operating system — Google and ChatGPT search options are now in the screenshots editor, for instance. You can see a more complete view of the new features in our preview of the iOS 26 public beta release, which shows off the fresh home and lock screen redesign. Called Liquid Glass, the new translucent look will extend across all of Apple’s upcoming operating systems. The overhaul is one of several big changes coming to iOS, macOS, iPadOS and the rest of Apple’s software suite, all of which were showcased during the company’s WWDC keynote on June 9.
After overpromising on AI plans last year, Apple kept its iOS roadmap focused more on basic quality of life improvements this year. There are multiple useful additions coming to the Phone and Messages apps on your iPhone, for instance: Apple execs outlined the ability to weed out spam texts or other unknown senders and an option to hold your spot on a phone call when you’ve been waiting for a representative to pick up. Plus, a treasured feature that we took for granted is coming back (hint: it’s in the Photos app).
Siri, meanwhile, is in a holding pattern. Apple has previously specified that its smarter voice assistant — first promised at WWDC 2024 — is delayed until some point “in the coming year,” so you shouldn’t expect any major changes in the current betas. But there are reports that Apple is aiming to give Siri a bigger brain transplant by basing it on third-party artificial intelligence models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude, which could make 2026 a pivotal year. The company is also reportedly working on a ‘stripped-down’ AI chatbot to rival ChatGPT.
With each beta, it seems like additional new improvements are popping up, like this new AirPods gesture we’re all curious about, and this FaceTime feature that’ll freeze your video if it detects nudity. With the release of the iOS 26 developer beta 5, we saw more added features, like a new bouncy animation on the passcode screen and in the Control Center, MacRumors reports. Some or all of those changes will likely soon migrate into the separate public beta (see below). Most newer iPhone models are eligible to download iOS 26 (both the betas and final version). Want to see the full list of new features coming this fall? Read on.
What is iOS 26?
The current iPhone operating system is iOS 18, and Apple is still actively updating it — version 18.6 was just recently released. But don’t expect to see iOS 19. Instead, Apple is skipping the numbering ahead to iOS 26 later this year. The company has decided to line up its iOS version numbers with a year-based system, similar to car model years. So while iOS and its sibling operating systems will be released in late 2025, they’re all designated “26” to reflect the year ahead.
It’s official, we’re moving to iOS 26. (Apple)
What is Liquid Glass design?
Let’s be honest. Out of everything announced at WWDC this year, the new Liquid Glass design was the star of the show. The iPhone’s home and lock screens have looked pretty much the same year after year — the last exciting thing (in my opinion) was the option to add your own aesthetic to your home screen by customizing your apps and widgets. So seeing the home and lock screens’ new facelift is refreshing.
So what exactly is Liquid Glass? Apple calls it a “new translucent material” since, well, the apps and widgets are clear. However, the screen can still adapt to dark and light modes, depending on surroundings. You’ll also notice buttons with a new floating design in several apps, like Phone and Maps. They’re designed to be less distracting than the current buttons, but are still easy to see. While the design overhaul has proven to be controversial since its announcement, some — including Engadget’s own Devindra Hardawar — like the new direction, even if it’s somewhat reminiscent of Microsoft’s translucent Windows Vista Aero designs from nearly twenty years ago.
That said, as of the release of the iOS 26 beta 2, Apple has already incorporated some user feedback into the design, dialing back the transparency in at least some places. And while it will continue to evolve, Apple users won’t be able to escape it: Liquid Glass was designed to make all of Apple’s OSes more cohesive. Here’s a look at how the translucent aesthetic will look with the new macOS Tahoe 26 on your desktop.
What are the new and notable features of iOS 26?
iOS 26 has a laundry list of new features. Among the most worthwhile:
Phone app redesign: You’ll finally be able to scroll through contacts, recent calls and voicemail messages all on one screen. It also comes with a new feature called Hold Assist that’ll notify you when an agent comes to the phone so you can avoid the elevator music and continue on with other tasks.
Live Translation in Phone, FaceTime and Messages: iOS 26 is bringing the ability to have a conversation via phone call or text message with someone who speaks another language. Live Translation will translate your conversation in real time, which results in some stop-and-go interactions in the examples Apple shared during its presentation.
Polls in group chats: Tired of sorting through what seems like hundreds of messages in your group chat? You and your friends will soon be able to create polls in group messages for deciding things like which brunch spot you’re eating at or whose car you’re taking on a road trip.
Filtering unknown senders in Messages: If you haven’t received spam texts about unpaid tolls or other citations, you’re lucky. For those of us who have, those annoying messages will soon be filtered away in a separate folder.
Visual Intelligence: Similar to a reverse Google image search, this new feature will allow you to search for anything that’s on your iPhone screen. For instance, if you spot a pair of shoes someone is wearing in an Instagram photo, you can screenshot it and use Visual Intelligence to find those shoes (or similar ones) online.
Photos tabs are back: For anyone who’s still frustrated with the Photos changes made last year, you’ll be happy to know that your tabs are coming back. Library and Collections will have their own separate spaces so you don’t have to scroll to infinity to find what you’re looking for.
FaceTime “Communication Safety” feature: A newer addition to iOS 26 appears to be the FaceTime “Communication Safety” feature that pauses communications if and when nudity is detected. The feature appears to be a child safety feature that uses on-device detection, thus obviating any cloud-based privacy issues.
New lock screen options: The iPhone lock screen gets more customizable in iOS 26, with a cooler clock, 3D wallpaper effects, more widgets and better focus mode options.
Apple’s Hold Assist will be nifty for those pesky services that put you on hold for 10 or more minutes. (Apple)
New changes coming to iPadOS 26
Your iPad isn’t getting left behind when it comes to big updates. Here’s what’s coming this fall.
Multitasking and real windowing: When you download the newest update, you’ll be able to have multiple apps running on your screen at the same time. Once you open an app, it’ll appear on your screen as normal but you’ll be able to resize and move it across your screen to make room for other apps. This feature is optional so you can turn it off if you don’t like it.
Visual update: Along with the other new OSes, iPadOS 26 is coming with the Liquid Glass aesthetic. This new look will appear on the lock and home screens, as well as the drop-down menus.
New menu bar: When you swipe down on your screen, the new menu bar will appear with options like File, Edit, Windows and more. There’s also a search option if you’re looking for something specific.
Check out our first impressions of iPadOS 26.
What about AirPods?
AirPods are also getting updated with iOS 26. Here are some of the more notable functions.
Enhanced audio recording: Apple calls this “studio-quality” audio recording, and with it, you’ll notice more clarity while in noisy environments.
Camera remote control: Using this, you can take a photo or start and stop video recording with just one press on your AirPods. When taking photos, you’ll get a three-second countdown before your iPhone or iPad snaps the picture.
Live translation feature: While not officially announced or confirmed, it appears that the long-rumored live translation for AirPods could be coming with iOS 26. The evidence comes from a system asset spotted in the in iOS 26 beta showing a gesture that’s triggered by pressing both earbud stems at the same time. The photo also shows words in several different languages.
Which iPhones will be able to upgrade to iOS 26?
A few iPhone models that run the current version of iOS — iPhone XR, XS and XS Max — won’t be compatible with the latest upgrade. But any iPhones released in 2019 or later will be eligible for the iOS 26 update.
iPhone SE (second generation or later)
Not listed here are the presumed new iPhone 17 models (or maybe iPhone 26?) that are all but certain to be announced and released in September.
How to install iOS 26 beta
The iOS 26 public beta is now available to download via the Apple Beta Software Program. If you’re not already a member, you’ll need to sign up to try out all the latest features. Just visit beta.apple.com and sign up with your phone number or email address. It’s free.
Once you’re in, you can install it by going to Settings > General > Software Update and selecting iOS 26 public beta.
A word of caution: Don’t sign up with your main iPhone unless you’re OK with any risks that occur with using an OS that isn’t finalized.
When will the final version of iOS 26 be released?
iOS 26 will be released to the public this fall. It usually comes in September, within a week of the Apple iPhone event. Last year, it rolled out to iPhone users on September 16 — exactly one week after the iPhone 16 lineup was announced.
If you’re more interested in the Apple Intelligence features coming, here’s everything Apple revealed for iOS, macOS and more during WWDC. Also, check out how iOS 26 screenshots could be an intriguing preview of Apple’s delayed Siri rework.
Update, August 15: Added to link to what to expect at the Apple iPhone event and details about what’s available in the iOS 26 screenshots editor.
Update, August 13: Added new AirPods detail spotted in the iOS 26 beta.
Update, August 11: Noted that iOS 26 developer beta has hit beta 6.
Update, August 8: Added new features coming with iPadOS 26 and AirPods.
Update, August 6: Noted the release of iOS 26 beta 5 and the new bouncy feature on passcode screen and Control Center.
Update, August 4: Noted that Apple is reportedly working on a ChatGPT rival.
Update, August 1: Added quote from Tim Cook about iOS 26.
Update, July 31: Noted that iOS 18.6 is now available.
Update, July 24: Noted the iOS 26 public beta is now available.
Update, July 3: Noted new FaceTime feature found in the developer beta.
Update, June 30: Noted ongoing iOS 18 releases, and reports that Apple is considering additional external LLMs for Siri.
Update, June 25: Noted changes added in iOS 26 beta 2.
More than 10,000 cases, 18 of them fatal, have been reported across 10 countries in the Americas this year, with the pace of infections 34 times higher than a year ago, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said today, urging countries to step up their vaccination, surveillance, and outbreak responses.
In a news release, PAHO said the outbreaks are mainly linked to low vaccination coverage, with 89% of cases occurring in people who are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status. Though the region saw a slight rise in measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine coverage from 2023 to 2024, at 89% for the first dose and 79% for the second dose, the levels are still below the 95% level recommended to prevent outbreaks.
Daniel Salas, MD, MPH, executive manager of the Special Program for Comprehensive Immunization at PAHO, emphasized that measles is preventable with a vaccine that has proven to be very safe and effective. “To stop these outbreaks, countries must urgently strengthen routine immunization and conduct targeted vaccination campaigns in high-risk communities,” he said.
Mennonite groups affected in multiple countries
Canada has the highest total in the region, with 4,548 cases, followed by Mexico (3,911) and the United States (1,356). Paraguay is the latest country to confirm measles cases, with other affected countries being Bolivia, Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Peru, and Costa Rica.
Two genotypes are involved in the outbreaks, with one identified in outbreaks across eight countries, especially in Mennonite communities in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Belize, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. Brazil’s outbreak is focused on members of a small Russian Orthodox community in Tocantins state.
In North America, Canada’s transmission persists, with Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario reporting most of the recent cases. Mexico has launched a large vaccination campaign targeting 14 locations in Chihuahua state, the country’s main hot spot. PAHO said indigenous communities have been hardest hit, with a case-fatality rate 20 times higher than the rest of the population.
Concerns about measles elimination status
Measles surges and ongoing transmission have led to concerns about hot-spot countries losing their measles elimination statuses, which the United States has had since 2000. PAHO said the Americas interrupted measles transmission in 2016, a milestone that was unique at the global level. Venezuela and Brazil experienced endemic transmission in 2018 and 2019, respectively, but they regained their elimination statuses in 2023 and 2024.
“Keeping measles at bay in the Americas remains a challenge, as the virus continues to circulate widely in other parts of the world and vaccine-hesitant groups are spread throughout the region,” PAHO said. It noted that, of nearly 240,000 suspected and about 108,000 confirmed cases reported globally this year, the eastern Mediterranean region makes up the highest portion, at 35%, while Africa and Europe each account for 21%.
More cases in New Mexico, Idaho
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not update its measles total this week and said it would resume reports as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, states continue to report cases. The New Mexico Department of Health yesterday reported 3 more measles cases in Santa Fe County, all involving unvaccinated residents. The new confirmations push the state’s 2025 total to 100 cases.
Miranda Durham, MD, New Mexico’s chief medical officer, said officials are grateful that state residents continue to be vaccinated to help slow the spread of the virus. “Without that, measles outbreaks are more likely to last longer and grow over time.” Since February 1, a total of 48,620 people have been vaccinated.
Idaho health officials reported a second measles case, this one in Bonneville County, which involves an unvaccinated child who became ill after contact with a confirmed case reported last week, which involved an international traveler. In a statement, Eastern Idaho Public Health said the latest case marks Eastern Idaho’s first since 1991.
The previous Idaho case, reported earlier this week, involved an unvaccinated child in Kootenai County, which was the panhandle’s first case since 1991.
In 2028, three years from today, Los Angeles will welcome its first ever Paralympic Games featuring 23 Paralympic sports, 4,480 Paralympians and millions of visitors from around the world. To celebrate this milestone, LA28 has released the debut of two new Custom Emblems, the first designs to drop in 2025, encapsulating powerful storylines to further generate excitement for this monumental moment for Los Angeles, the nation and the Paralympic Movement.
“With just three years to go, LA28 remains steadfast in our commitment to deliver an unforgettable Paralympic Games in Los Angeles for the very first time in history,” said Reynold Hoover, LA28 Chief Executive Officer. “The LA28 Paralympic Games will be an incredible opportunity to reshape the conversation around individuals with disabilities within the sports world and beyond and has the capacity to serve as a catalyst for progress, inclusivity and global recognition of the world’s third largest sporting event.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said, “In just three years, Los Angeles will make history as we host the City’s first ever Paralympic Games.
“It’s so important for our young Angelenos – especially those with disabilities – to see these elite athletes as they show the world what can be accomplished with equal opportunity and self-determination. This is an incredible opportunity for the City to support the Paralympic Movement and the power it has to uplift and unite humanity. Not only have we committed to delivering accessible Games, but we are also going to leave a lasting tangible legacy for so many of our Angelenos with disabilities.”
In celebration of being three years out from the 2028 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony, we’re releasing two new Paralympic Emblems, featuring exciting new ‘A’ designs.
Our ‘A’s are an ever-expanding collection of stories by, for and about our Games. Our Relentless Reinvention… pic.twitter.com/aiCSXfny2l
The Relentless Reinvention ‘A’ explores athletes’ ability to evolve and change constantly. Featuring a pixelated kaleidoscope of ideas that converge to create a transformed and multifaceted version of oneself – one that pushes the boundaries of what seems possible and reaches again and again for greatness. More than just the world’s third largest sporting event, the Paralympic Games inspire progress, proving that resilience and reinvention can break barriers and create a more inclusive world.
The Innovation Moonshot ‘A’ reaches for progress and possibility – trying as many keys as possible until one unlocks full potential and maximum creativity. This ‘A’ recognises Los Angeles as a global hub of innovation – a city that continues to redefine what’s possible, making it a driving force for progress and transformation.
The LA28 emblem system launched in 2020, set against a static and bold L, 2 and 8 that serve as the mark’s foundation. The LA28 emblem was built for the digital age with a dynamic and animated ‘A’ that is always evolving in its journey to the LA28 Games.
The newly debuted Custom Emblems marking three years out from the 2028 Paralympic Games are featured on LA28.org, as well as the 50+ unique emblems representing a collection of voices reflecting the Host City’s vibrant culture, creativity, inclusiveness and self-expression that have dropped since the emblem campaign’s 2020 introduction.
LA28🏅 Medal Events & Athlete Quotas Confirmed! 📢
Leading up to the 2028 Paralympic Games, LA28 has surpassed exciting planning milestones including becoming the first Organising Committee to propose and add a new Paralympic sport, Para climbing, which will make its Paralympic debut in 2028 featuring 80 athletes across four men’s and four women’s events which will be staged at the temporary purpose-built Long Beach Climbing Theater in the Long Beach Zone.
On July 26, 2025, LA28 and the City of Los Angeles celebrated the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) where Mayor Bass reaffirmed the city’s commitment to disability equity and access ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and announced the City’s Host City Accessibility Commitment. Additionally, the city installed accessible braille signage for Olympic & Paralympic flag display at Los Angeles City Hall, the first of its kind featuring Braille translations of the text displayed inside each case, tactile logos for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Braille image descriptions of the flags, photographs and display elements.
Please visit the LA28 website for more information
Sports icon, civil rights advocate, and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Billie Jean King is set to rally a new generation with “Trailblazers: The Unmatched Story of Women’s Tennis, Young Readers Edition,” which was published this week in the United States.
Appealing to middle-grade readers — seven through 12 — the hardcover volume features biographies of more than 20 of the sport’s most impactful champions, from Suzanne Lenglen and Althea Gibson to Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena.
Written by King with Jolie C. Matthews and featuring captivating artwork by renowned Romanian illustrator Alexandra Badiu, the book hopes to motivate and empower young people around the world to blaze their own trails, speak up for others, and confidently embrace who they are.
“I’m so proud to be included in Billie Jean’s book, among such amazing players,” said Iga Swiatek, the former World No.1 and four-time Grand Slam champion, who also features.
“It tells the story of us, of our careers in tennis in a really great way for kids to read. I hope lots of young people are going to grab a copy and be inspired by it, because tennis is a great sport.”
In charting the careers of a roster of champions that also includes Ash Barty, Ons Jabeur, Naomi Osaka and wheelchair tennis legend Esther Vergeer, the book highlights themes of perseverance, gender equality, and the importance of standing up for one’s beliefs.
Swiatek hopes Billie Jean King’s new book will inspire young players
Jolie, who holds a PhD, is an expert on the socio-cultural dimensions of cognition through the ways media, popular culture, and other cultural forces influence individual attitudes.
The adult forerunner to this new publication was released in 2023 as part of commemorations marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the WTA by King in 1973. In turn, that book was an update of We Have Come A Long Way: The Story of Women’s Tennis, a detailed history written by King with journalist Cynthia Starr in 1988.
Issued by Andrews McMeel,“Trailblazers: The Unmatched Story of Women’s Tennis, Young Readers Edition” can be found on Amazon.
Humanoid robots danced hip-hop, performed martial arts and played keyboard, guitar and drums at the opening ceremony of the first World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Thursday evening.
Robots march in for the opening ceremony of The World Humanoid Robot Games held in Beijing, China, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. AP
The competition begins Friday with more than 500 humanoid robots in 280 teams from 16 countries, including the U.S., Germany and Japan, competing in sports including soccer, running and boxing. The event comes as China has stepped up efforts to develop humanoid robots powered by artificial intelligence.
A human performer leaps above robots dressed like terracotta warriors during the opening ceremony of The World Humanoid Robot Games held in Beijing, China, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. AP
During the opening ceremony, the robots demonstrated soccer and boxing among other sports, with some cheering and backflipping as if at a real sports event.
One robot soccer player scored a goal after a few tries, causing the robot goalkeeper to fall to the ground. Another player fell but stood up unassisted.
A worker prepares a robot before the opening ceremony of The World Humanoid Robot Games held in Beijing, China, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. AP
The robots also modeled fashionable hats and clothes alongside human models. In one mishap, a robot model fell and had to be carried off the stage by two human beings.
Teams from robot companies and Chinese universities including Tsinghua University and Peking University are competing in the games. Three middle schools are also participating.
A robot rehearses the 100m race before the opening ceremony of The World Humanoid Robot Games held in Beijing, China, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. AP
China’s official newspaper People’s Daily quoted a government officer in Beijing as saying that every robot that participates “is creating history.”
The event will last three days, concluding on Sunday. Tickets sold to the public range from $25 to $80.
— Fu Ting / Associated Press
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Original “Scary Movie” stars Anna Faris and Regina Hall will return to the franchise for its sixth installment next year, writer Marlon Wayans confirmed Friday, in the first addition to the nearly-billion-dollar franchise in more than a decade.
Regina Hall and Anna Faris.
FilmMagic
Key Facts
The pair will reunite for “Scary Movie 6,” slated for release on June 12, 2026, which will be the first time franchise creators and brothers Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Keenen Ivory Wayans will write an original script together in 18 years.
The Wayans brothers, who also had roles in the first two films, Faris and Hall are the only actors confirmed for the project so far, but rumors have circulated that Chris Elliott, who went on to find TV fame in “Schitt’s Creek,” may also return.
The “Scary Movie” franchise is a series of horror movie parody films that surged to popularity in the early 2000s and grossed $429 million domestically and $818 million globally from 2000 to 2006.
A fifth movie, which was made seven years after the first and starred none of the original actors, grossed an additional $32 million domestically and $78.3 million globally in 2013.
“Scary Movie 6” will be a franchise reboot not directly tied to the timeline of the earlier films.
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Key Background
Faris and Hall starred as characters Cindy Campbell and Brenda Meeks, respectively, in the first four “Scary Movie” parody films from 2000 to 2006. Cindy, based on Sidney Prescott from “Scream” and Julie from “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” is franchise’s main character and Meeks, based on Karla in “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” and Maureen in “Scream 2,” is her best friend. Meeks was killed off in both “Scary Movie” and “Scary Movie 3,” but returned in the subsequent films with no explanation. The first film parodies mostly “Scream” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer” but also takes elements from “The Exorcist,” “The Shining,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “The Sixth Sense” and other films. The first movie, which grossed $157 million to become one of the highest-grossing R-rated horror movies of all time, received mixed reviews from critics, with one saying it was “practically guaranteed to make you laugh until you’re ashamed of yourself.” “Scary Movie” went on to inspire a spoof film trend that continued throughout the aughts and saw the release of films like “Not Another Teen Movie,” “Date Movie,” “Another Gay Movie” and “Superhero Movie.”
Big Number
4%. That is the critics score on Rotten Tomatoes for “Scary Movie 5,” the worst-reviewed of the bunch. “Scary Movie” has a 51% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, “Scary Movie 2” a 13%, “Scary Movie 3” a 35% and “Scary Movie 4” has a 34% critics score.
Surprising Fact
Despite the mixed ratings, the franchise was a staple of the early 2000s and drew big names for cameos including Charlie Sheen, Linday Lohan, James Van Der Beek, Tori Spelling and Jenny McCarthy.
What We Don’t Know
What movies “Scary Movie 6” will parody. The film has more than a decade of material to draw from, and fans have speculated “Hereditary,” “Midsommar” and “M3GAN” are likely to make the cut.
Further Reading
Forbes‘Weapons’ Blows Past Expectations With $42.5 Million Opening Weekend—Beating ‘Freakier Friday’ At Box OfficeBy Zachary FolkForbesThere’s An Obvious Reason Why ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Collapsed At The Box OfficeBy Erik KainForbesBiggest Culture Winners Of 2025 So Far: Box Office Up 16% As ‘Sunrise On The Reaping’ Tops Fiction BooksBy Conor Murray
