TL;DR
South Korea’s deputy PM says AI wealth must reach the public, citing Samsung’s near-strike and Hyundai’s Atlas robot rollout as warnings.
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GitHub has said it found about 3,800 internal repositories accessed in the breach and stressed that these contained its own code rather than customer projects. The attackers, a group calling itself TeamPCP, claim the number is closer to 4,000 and are actively attempting to sell the stolen data.
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If you’re a PlayStation customer who lives in the US, you may be eligible to claim part of an upcoming $7.85 million settlement payout. The case centers on an allegation that Sony “unlawfully eliminated competition and monopolized the market for [its] digital games” by no longer selling game-specific vouchers that let PlayStation owners buy digital games from different online shops.
The class-action lawsuit Caccuri v. Sony Interactive Entertainment alleged that Sony’s actions caused “consumers to pay more for certain digital games than they otherwise would have paid on the PlayStation Store.” It alleges that this action is a violation of antitrust laws, as it forces PlayStation customers to buy from a single storefront at an inflated price.
Put simply, the lawsuit alleges that Sony limited the sale of digital games on other marketplaces, funneling customers into its own PlayStation Store. Some of these games include PlayStation exclusive titles, such as The Last of Us, as well as third-party games like Mass Effect Trilogy and Resident Evil 4.
The lawsuit was initially settled in 2024, but the settlement was rejected twice during the approval process — most recently in July 2025 (PDF), when the presiding judge said the proposed plan “[did] not provide an estimated recovery or a range of potential recovery for class members.” The approval process was reinitiated in April.
Sony denied that it engaged in any wrongdoing or that settlement class members were damaged by its actions, and the court has not decided if the company violated any laws. Despite this, the court has preliminarily approved the $7.85 million settlement payment, subject to the court’s final approval hearing.
The settlement website is live now. The hearing is scheduled to take place on Oct. 15, and it’s meant to confirm the settlement sum, allocate up to 25% of the funds for attorneys’ fees and create a plan to distribute the rest of the money to eligible class members.
If you fit all of the criteria to be part of the Sony PlayStation game-voucher settlement, you’re automatically a class member in this lawsuit and will be able to collect a portion of the settlement money — added directly to your PlayStation Network account wallet — sometime after the final approval hearing.
Gamers who have deactivated their PlayStation Network accounts can apply for the settlement payment by sending qualifying purchase information to the email address info@PSNDigitalGamesSettlement.com. Customers with deactivated accounts will receive cash payments instead of PSN account accreditation.
You can opt out of the settlement if you’d like to retain your right to sue Sony separately in regard to its game-voucher sales practices. If you don’t send a written request to the court opting out of or objecting to the settlement by July 2, you will remain part of the settlement class.
Not every PlayStation owner is automatically eligible. The money is reserved for those who purchased a digital game through the PlayStation Store during a period after Sony ceased its sales of game-specific vouchers for alternative online storefronts.
In order to join, you must meet the following qualifications:
Affected individuals are automatically part of the settlement class and will receive their compensation through their PlayStation Network account wallet, subject to approval at the final hearing, the date and time of which could change. Any updates will be posted to the settlement website.
It’s unclear how much each settlement class member will receive, though we know affected parties will automatically receive compensation in the form of PlayStation account funds.
Up to a quarter of the $7.85 million settlement will be used to pay attorneys’ fees, taxes and other administrative costs. The remaining settlement money will be administered equally to every settlement class member. Settlement class members will likely see a couple of dollars added to their PlayStation accounts once the funds are fully allocated.

Crostplay2 spent six months transforming the official LEGO Wall-E set into a robot that actually moves and responds on its own. Pixar fans everywhere know the official set looks perfect on a shelf yet stays completely still once assembled. Crostplay2 decided to change that completely by adding electronics, custom parts, and precise controls that bring the little trash-compacting character to life. The finished robot drives around smoothly, tilts its head, waves its arms, plays sounds from the movie, and even lights up in different patterns, all operated from a distance with a PlayStation 4 controller.
Everything starts with the LEGO Wall-E set, which was released late last year, but Crostplay2 turned the normal design on its head. They kept the famous yellow body and rails, but made room for completely new innards. The enhanced motor configuration is the true game changer; hobby-grade power allows the tracks to move like tanks, allowing you to blast forward, spin on a dime, or simply sit and spin in circles. To make things even more interesting, the right trigger accelerates the tracks, while the left joystick gives each side more independence, allowing for some really tight turns.

Its brain is an ESP32, which facilitates WiFi connections and allows you to connect via Bluetooth without the need for any other components. It also includes the Bluepad32 library, which allows it to communicate with a PS4 controller like a pro, ensuring that every stick, trigger, button, and even the gyroscope function as they would on your console. The cool thing is that when you tilt the controller, the head moves with it, courtesy to a bespoke dual-rod neck created from 3D-printed pieces and rods that replaced the goofy original joint. It’s pretty smooth now, and it looks as it should be after all is said and done.

You’ll also notice a host of tiny micro servos hidden away doing their thing, such as making the arms go up and down on a timer so they don’t collide with the tracks, opening and closing the front hatch, and even adjusting the head from side to side when you press a button so it appears to be looking around. Since there weren’t enough pins on the ESP32 to handle everything, an Arduino Nano had to come in and help with the chest-mounted screen, which displays an animated solar charging graphic and tells you how much battery life you have left. Some addressable LEDs illuminate the headlights and taillights, and when the party mode is enabled, they flash all over the body like crazy. Finally, when you press the controller’s touchpad, a small speaker plays some brief and beautiful sound clips from the film.

One of the most useful features is that Crostplay2 designed and printed custom mounts and gears that really work with LEGO, as normal bricks weren’t going to suffice for extra power. Thanks to those carefully printed components, the complete device seems very clean from the outside. Prioritizing safety, a small isolation switch was included to protect the motor drivers during firmware upgrades after some questionable input during the early stages of development fried a couple of boards. Crostplay2 also included a tiny 2,000-volt taser module, which allows you to create some real drama, complete with visible electrical arcs, when you want that extra burst of personality to match the movie’s daring vibe.
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South Korea’s deputy PM says AI wealth must reach the public, citing Samsung’s near-strike and Hyundai’s Atlas robot rollout as warnings.
South Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said the wealth created by artificial intelligence must benefit the wider public, warning that the labour tensions that nearly shut down Samsung Electronics this week are not an isolated event but a preview of what the AI era will produce. Speaking to CNBC on Friday, Bae said that as AI generates unprecedented corporate profits, the question of how that wealth is distributed, and whether the technology worsens inequality, is now a matter of national policy.
“In the age of AI, more of these super-large companies will continue to emerge,” Bae said. “In that process, labour-management conflicts may continue to arise, and when they do, it will be important to resolve them wisely through dialogue.”
The reference was unmistakable. Samsung’s largest labour union had been preparing an 18-day strike that South Korea’s prime minister warned could cost $668 million per day. The walkout was suspended on Wednesday after government-mediated negotiations produced a tentative deal. Workers had demanded that 15% of Samsung’s operating profit be allocated to bonuses and formalised in employment contracts. Samsung had offered 10%. The union is voting on the proposed agreement from Friday to 27 May.
The dispute was not abstract. Samsung’s Q1 2026 operating profit reached ₩57.2 trillion, an eightfold year-on-year increase, driven almost entirely by high-bandwidth memory chips for AI infrastructure. The Lee family’s wealth doubled to $45.5 billion in twelve months. Samsung’s share price has risen nearly 144% year to date. SK Hynix is up almost 200%. The Kospi index has gained more than 86% in 2026, surpassing last year’s 75% rise. The wealth is real, concentrated, and visible.
Bae, who also serves as South Korea’s minister for science and technology, pointed at automaker Hyundai as another pressure point. The company is integrating Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robots into its manufacturing processes, a deployment that Bae said has generated “many concerns and worries” about the impact on workers. Hyundai acquired a controlling stake in Boston Dynamics in 2021 and announced its AI robotics strategy at CES 2026, positioning itself to lead what it calls a “human-centred robotics era.” The framing is aspirational. For workers on the production line, the concern is more immediate.
The political context adds urgency. On 12 May, South Korean presidential official Kim Yeong Beom proposed on Facebook to distribute excess tax revenue generated from Korea’s AI and semiconductor sectors directly to citizens. The post triggered turmoil in markets, with Samsung and SK Hynix shares dropping sharply before an official reportedly clarified that the proposal was Kim’s personal opinion and not a subject of formal government discussions. The fact that even a speculative post about redistributing AI wealth could move billions in market capitalisation illustrates how sensitive the question has become.
Bae framed Seoul’s goal as building an “AI-inclusive society, a society where no one is left behind in the AI era.” The language echoes similar commitments from European and American policymakers, but South Korea’s position is unusual. The country’s economy is more dependent on semiconductor manufacturing than any other advanced nation. Chips accounted for 37% of South Korea’s total exports in April. Samsung and SK Hynix together represent a disproportionate share of the Kospi’s gains. The AI boom is not one sector among many for South Korea. It is the sector.
When asked whether the concentration of market gains in two companies represented a vulnerability, Bae argued that Samsung and SK Hynix sit atop a broader ecosystem of suppliers and service companies that also benefit. He said South Korea is now trying to establish a competitive advantage in physical AI, the category that encompasses robots, autonomous vehicles, and industrial systems capable of sensing, reasoning, and acting in real-world environments. “Semiconductors and AI infrastructure provide the fundamental foundation,” Bae said. “On top of that, Korea is trying to build out the full spectrum of AI capabilities, including various hardware equipment, software, and related services.”
The tension between AI-driven productivity and workforce displacement is global. Detroit’s Big Three automakers have cut 20,000 white-collar jobs while posting hundreds of AI positions. Salesforce cut 4,000 support staff after deploying AI agents. The pattern is consistent across industries and geographies: AI makes companies more profitable and workforces smaller, and the question of who captures the gains is becoming the defining political issue of the technology’s adoption.
South Korea’s version of this question is sharper than most because the gains are so concentrated. Two companies, in one sector, in one country, have seen their combined market value increase by hundreds of billions of dollars in six months. The workers who run the fabrication lines that produce the memory chips powering the AI boom nearly walked off the job this week. Bae’s statement that “the benefits of AI must also go to the public” is an acknowledgement that the market alone will not solve the distribution problem. Whether Seoul’s policy response matches the scale of its rhetoric will be tested every time the next Samsung contract cycle arrives, and every time a Hyundai factory installs another Atlas robot.

Early iPhone 20 leaks indicate a screen that curves gently along every edge of the device. This wraparound approach could eliminate the typical bezels and give the front a continuous look with no visible breaks. When combined with a full glass back, the entire handset may feel like one smooth slab held in the hand.
According to reports, this is part of a larger plan for the 2027 release, which will commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the first iPhone. According to several supply chain insiders who use social media, curved display prototypes are currently in the testing phase. The early manufacturing stages may encounter some challenges, but it is evident that they are making considerable work toward developing the panels that Samsung will manufacture specifically for them.

People in the know mention a simpler rear camera configuration on some models; a prevalent theme is two lenses side by side in a small horizontal strip. We’ve heard that one of the new camera sensors is designed to pick up a lot more light and detail in images, offering users better overall results. Of course, ordinary models are expected to retain a small notch for the front camera, whilst a special edition may take it a step further by totally concealing the selfie camera and face recognition features beneath the display.

Battery life appears to be a significant improvement, as Apple is rumored to be transitioning to silicon-anode technology, which allows you to pack more energy into the existing battery while also stretching out the time between top ups. This transition away from lithium-based cells will not make the phone any larger or heavier. Inside the handset, we can expect to see the new, next-generation A21 processor paired with some fancy new high bandwidth RAM, which will aid in the performance of some of the more demanding AI technologies running on the phone. Some speculate that the chip’s manufacturing process may alter, although nothing has been proven as of yet.

It appears that the chassis may also change significantly. There is a lot of discussion about employing materials other than titanium and aluminum, such as new alloys that can withstand higher temperatures and are lighter. That will have to be weighed against the fact that the frame must hold the curved glass while remaining strong enough to handle daily wear and tear. Physical buttons may disappear and be replaced by touch-sensitive surfaces on the sides. These would function by recognizing pushes via vibrations, similar to a laptop trackpad, making it very easy to distinguish between a light or forceful touch.
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The Pentagon released a second batch of UAP files, including 50 videos and documents showing unexplained objects over the Middle East, Syria, Iran, and in NASA recordings. Despite the reports, the agency stresses that it has found no evidence of extraterrestrial origin. The Guardian reports: In one video from the Middle East in 2019, taken “likely from an infrared sensor aboard a US military platform operating within the US Central Command area of responsibility,” according to the Pentagon, three UAP are captured flying in formation over the Persian Gulf. Another formation of four unidentified objects is seen flying past vessels on the water off Iran in a video from 2022.
Footage taken over Syria in 2021 shows a mysterious object racing away at speed akin to instantaneous warp-speed acceleration from science fiction movies. Few of the objects seem to resemble flying saucers, discs or other traditionally perceived forms for UAP, although one October 2022 clip taken at an undisclosed location shows a cigar-shaped entity racing over what appears to be a residential area.
None of the videos are accompanied by explanations, and the Pentagon’s all-domain anomaly resolution office (AARO) has previously stated it has no evidence to suggest any of the thousands of objects seen on video, or described in written testimony, is of extraterrestrial origin. In its May 8 release, a statement from the defense department said the public “can ultimately make up their own minds about the information contained in these files.” Additionally, the information is collated from a diverse range of sources, including government agencies including several military branches, the FBI, the state department and Nasa. “Many of these materials lack a substantiated chain-of-custody,” the Pentagon notes
It’s been a long, long time coming, but remakes of two all-time classic puzzle adventure games hit PS5 and PS VR2 this week. Cyan Worlds released this version of Myst on Meta Quest headsets in 2020; PC, Mac and Xbox in 2021; and iOS in 2022. PlayStation had been an outlier until now. It’s available for Sony’s console and VR headset (usually $35, 20 percent of for PlayStation Plus members until May 26)
The remake of the sequel, Riven, debuted on PS5, PS VR2, Xbox Series X/S and the Microsoft Store on PC as well (also $35, but with a limited-time discount). The PS5 Pro versions of both games have “better view distance, foliage, textures, post-processing and shading,” per the PlayStation Blog.
I’ve never played Myst, but Riven was one of the first games I had on PC as a kid. I remember it looking very pretty back then, unlike any game I’d seen before.
Alas, I never made much progress. If I recall correctly, I couldn’t figure out what some of the various handles and levers I found in the opening section actually did and I quickly gave up. Perhaps I’d have more success in Riven (and Myst) now, even if puzzle games aren’t necessarily my forte.
Speaking of being an idiot as a child, I spent a lot of time playing Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind when I was young. I really liked it at the time, but in hindsight that game is not good. I mention this because Bubsy 4D — the first Bubsy game since 2019 and the first one in 3D in 30 years — dropped this week.
The quippy bobcat is back thanks to Fabraz (Demon Tides) and publisher Atari. In this platformer, Bubsy sets out on a mission to recover a Golden Fleece from the technologically enhanced sheep that stole it — I’m not going to try to explain the lore beyond that.
Bubsy has some new tools at his disposal, like being able to roll into a ball form and move faster. That should help players who want to finish levels as quickly as possible as claw their way up the online leaderboards.
There’ll be a nostalgia factor for a lot of players here. Honestly, it’s strangely comforting to me that Bubsy sounds as annoying as ever.
Bubsy 4D is out now on PC (Steam, GOG and Epic Games Store), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. It’ll typically run you $20, though there’s a 10 percent launch discount on GOG.
Thick as Thieves is a game that we’ve had our eye on for a while, and it’s had an interesting journey toward hitting Steam this week ($5). This was originally planned as a multiplayer heist game from a team that includes two stalwarts of the immersive sim and stealth genres in Thief and System Shock 2 veteran Paul Neurath and Deus Ex creator Warren Spector. The idea was that players would battle each other to steal valuable items in a 1910s setting that featured magic and nascent technology.
However, during development, OtherSide Entertainment pivoted after realizing that the solo and two-player co-op mode was more fun than the original vision of competitive heists. The developers said they may add a PvPvE mode down the line.
To begin with, Thick as Thieves features two thieves, two maps (which can be altered by adjusting the difficulty settings), 16 contracts and half-a-dozen pieces of gear. At the outset, the campaign is said to last for around four hours.
Amanita Design’s latest game is Phonopolis, which looks utterly gorgeous in this trailer. It’s a puzzle adventure set in a 3D world made from hand-painted cardboard. The developers animated it at 12fps to mimic the style of stop-motion films.
Here, the residents of the dystopian city of Phonopolis are bossed around by a leader who issues commands via loudspeakers. But one young resident is immune to these orders and starts to fight back against The Man. As Felix, you can rebel by manipulating the loudspeakers to solve puzzles with the help of other characters. You’ll be shifting the environment around as well.
Phonopolis is hitting all the right notes for me and I’m eager to check it out. It’s available on Steam, GOG and Epic Games Store. It’ll usually run you $25, but there’s a 10 percent discount until June 3.
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
Google’s Pixel series turned 10 with the launch of the Pixel 10 in 2025. For the most part, it seems like Google has found its identity in the smartphone space. You get that distinct camera visor look with all Pixel smartphones, the cleanest Android experience, day-one software updates, and a camera system that holds up remarkably well against the Samsungs and iPhones of the world. Priced at $800 for the 128GB model, the Pixel 10 offers a great display, solid performance, and a capable set of cameras.
If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option, the Pixel 10a that we reviewed is also a great buy at $500. You get all the essentials, including a 120Hz display, but you are relegated to the previous generation Tensor G4 chip of the Pixel 9, so why not just consider that? If you can snag one on discount, the Pixel 9 is still a decent device to purchase in 2026. It’s currently available on Best Buy for the same price as the Pixel 10a.
Last generation’s model still offers a clean software experience, long-term support, and solid cameras. However, if you’re okay with slightly less amazing cameras and open to trying out a different flavor of Android, you can do better for the price, especially if performance and battery life are top priorities.
The Pixel 9 was launched in August 2024. That doesn’t seem like that long ago, but in smartphone years, it is still considered last generation hardware. Fortunately, Google’s excellent commitment to software updates makes even older flagships feel relevant for much longer. Like the iPhone, Google’s Pixel smartphones receive up to seven years of OS updates and security patches. This means the Pixel 9 should theoretically be supported all the way up to Android 20 in 2029, given that it launched with Android 14 out of the box.
In our review of the Pixel 9, we mentioned how it still managed to capture impressive photos despite dropping the telephoto lens of the costlier Pixel 9 Pro. While Pixels are typically not known for having the best endurance, we reported decent battery life, with the phone lasting all day with regular use. You also get a sprinkle of AI features with Gemini built-in, which offers a more complete experience compared to Apple Intelligence found on the similarly priced iPhone 17e.
You get a 6.3-inch OLED 120Hz display and a glass sandwich build with an aluminum frame going all around. Compared to the Pixel 10a, you are getting a more premium experience here. Unfortunately, the base variant comes with 128GB of storage space, but considering even the newer Pixel 10 ships with the same capacity, the compromise doesn’t sting quite as much.
There are certain things to consider when picking up a previous-generation smartphone. For starters, the Pixel 9 doesn’t have built-in magnets for wireless charging. Pixelsnap is a hardware addition available on newer Pixel smartphones that lets you use MagSafe-compatible accessories without a specially designed case. However, the Pixel 10a also doesn’t have Pixelsnap, so it shouldn’t be a deciding factor at this price point.
You are also losing an extra camera sensor with the Pixel 9. The Pixel 10 sports a 5x telephoto lens that will yield better zoom shots. While we’ve touted long-term software support as a reason to pick up a Pixel 9, it’s worth noting that Google launched it with Android 14, despite Android 15 being unveiled the same year. It’s unclear if Google will count Android 14 as one of the Pixel 9’s seven promised OS upgrades, which would technically mean the phone would receive one fewer Android update than what buyers might have anticipated.
Lastly, while the Tensor G4 is a capable chip, its prowess fades in comparison to what the latest from Snapdragon or even MediaTek has to offer. To add insult to injury, some of the most powerful smartphones around don’t even cost that much more than a brand-new Pixel. The bottom line is that the Pixel 9 is a good buy, as long as you’re not looking for the latest features or planning to put it through intensive workloads.
Watch Leinster vs Bordeaux live streams in the 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup final as the two unbeaten sides clash in what should be a highly competitive game at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao.
Eight years after their last title and four final defeats, Leinster have another opportunity to secure a fifth European crown. Unbeaten in this year’s competition, the Blues held off a late fightback from Toulon in the semi-finals to reach their fourth Champions Cup final in five seasons. Leo Cullen’s side must now overcome their previous heartache and dethrone the defending champions. It’s a tough ask, but there is plenty of belief in the camp and a determination to add a fifth star to the shirt.
Like their final opponents, Bordeaux have won every game of this year’s competition, including a convincing victory over Bath to reach the final for the second straight year. Yannick Bru’s side have looked unstoppable, conquering all before them thanks in large part to the brilliant trio of star winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey and half-backs Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert. Full of confidence, they’ll have full belief that they can become just the sixth side to successfully retain the Champions Cup.
Read on for our guide on where to watch Leinster vs Bordeaux live streams online, on TV and potentially for free wherever you are.
Leinster vs Bordeaux is free-to-air on ITV4 and via its streaming service, ITVX in the UK and on France 2 and France TV in France.
Traveling abroad right now? You can use a VPN to watch the 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup final for free as if you were right at home. NordVPN is our top pick of the options.
Can I watch Leinster vs Bordeaux for free?
TBC
A VPN is a handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it’s back in your home country, so you can unlock your usual service. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and comes with 4 months extra free right now.
In the US, Leinster vs Bordeaux is being shown on FloRugby. A subscription costs $39.99/month or $155/year.
Visiting the US from the UK? Use NordVPN to tap into your free Leinster vs Bordeaux coverage.
As mentioned above, the Champions Cup final will be shown for free on ITVX.
However, the Leinster vs Bordeaux game is also available to watch on Premier Sports 1 in the UK.
A subscription costs £17.99/month, but if you’re willing to commit to a year you’ll pay £130.
Outside the UK? You’ll need to download a VPN, as detailed above, to tap into your 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup coverage from abroad.
Leinster vs Bordeaux is available to watch on subscription service SuperSport in South Africa.
You’ll need a DStv access package to tune in, with prices starting at R99/month.
Abroad right now? Just use a VPN to watch from anywhere in the world.
FloRugby is the only place to watch this 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup final in Canada.
A monthly subscription costs US$39.99/month, but you’ll get more bang for your buck by committing to a year, which works out at US$12.99/month.
Visiting Canada from the UK or France? Use NordVPN to watch the Leinster vs Bordeaux game for free.
Fans based in Australia can live stream Leinster vs Bordeaux via the Investec Champions Cup’s dedicated streaming platform EPCR TV.
A Weekend Pass costs €14.99, and an individual Match Pass is available for €7.99.
Away from Australia right now? Use a VPN to tune in from abroad.
Leinster vs Bordeaux kicks off at 2.45pm BST / 9.45am ET / 6.45am PT / 11.45pm AEST on Saturday, May 23. Of course, most broadcasters have streaming services that you can access through mobile apps or via your phone’s browser.
You can also stay up-to-date with all things Investec Champions Cup on the official EPCR Champions Cup social media channels on X (@ChampionsCup), YouTube (@ChampionsCup) and Instagram (@EuropeanRugbyChampionsCup).
What is the Leinster vs Bordeaux start time?
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We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
The fuckery that is going on across HHS and vaccine programs is just plain incredible. As the Trump administration continues to provide whatever cover it can so that RFK Jr. can wreck shop on the health of Americans, the damage Kennedy is doing to our inoculation programs is going to take years, if not decades, to unwind. Led by a man who doesn’t believe in the foundational theory of modern medicine, America’s health agencies have begun to engage in direct misinformation campaigns via the censorship of real scientific information. Warnings about bogus autism treatments were removed from FDA websites. The CDC buried a report demonstrating how effective COVID vaccines are under dubious justifications.
And now it seems that it’s the FDA’s turn to likewise hide studies about the safety of COVID and shingles vaccines from the public.
The Food and Drug Administration blocked the publication of several studies supporting the safety of vaccines against Covid and shingles in recent months, a Health and Human Services Department spokesperson confirmed Tuesday. FDA scientists worked with data firms to analyze millions of patient records for the studies, which found side effects of the shots to be rare, The New York Times first reported on Tuesday.
In October, the scientists were directed to withdraw two Covid shot studies that had been accepted for publication in medical journals, the Times reported. In February, top FDA officials did not sign off on submitting study abstracts on Shingrix, a shingles vaccine, to a drug safety conference, the paper added.
Now, spokespeople for HHS have stated that the studies were withdrawn because either they drew conclusions not supported by the data, or that the designs of the studies were done “outside of the agency’s purview.”
That’s bullshit. We all know it’s bullshit. And they know that we know it’s bullshit. And they simply don’t care, because this is not about medicine, or health, or even traditional politics. This is about the ego of one man, Kennedy, and his cohort of tinfoil hat wearing bumblefucks.
As the New York Times article itself quotes knowledgeable professors of medicine, this is censorship.
Dr. Aaron S. Kesselheim, a Harvard University medical professor who studies F.D.A. regulation, said he had worked with the agency on a number of research papers and found its work to meet “the highest standards of scientific investigation.” He suggested that the request to pull the papers was an act of “censorship.”
He added: “At any other time in history, this would be a major scandal that would lead to congressional hearings and resignations of leadership, and I hope that’s what happens next.”
These studies were seen by people who know what they’re talking about in the pre-publication stage. It’s not just Kesselheim who is pointing out that these studies seem both perfectly valid and very useful for evaluating the safety and efficacy of these vaccines. And the conclusions they draw are as full-throated as they are at odds with Kennedy’s anti-vaxxer nonsense.
Take one study, which worked to examine millions of health records for those who received a COVID shot at anywhere from 6 months old to 64 years old.
That study examined the records of 4.2 million Covid vaccine recipients and examined their later experience with 17 conditions, including swelling of the brain, major blood clots, stroke and heart attacks. The study found rare cases of fever-related seizures and myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, known to be associated with Covid vaccines.
“Given the available evidence, F.D.A. continues to conclude the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks,” the study said.
Angela Rasmussen, an editor in chief of the journal Vaccine, said the paper had been withdrawn by the authors.
Dr. Caleb Alexander, a drug safety and methodology expert at Johns Hopkins University, reviewed both studies at the request of The Times and said that “no study answers every question” but “there is nothing inherently problematic regarding these reports.”
The point earlier was a good one: this is god damned scandal. Or, rather, it should be, except the talking heads on our televisions are far too busy covering every other scandal or ginned up controversy the administration creates, and more than half of our elected officials can’t be bothered to do real political combat out of fear of who knows what. And so the health of Americans is put at risk instead, because our government is made up of an unholy combination of crackpots and cowards.
At this point, I could be convinced that Kennedy and some portion of the government is actually attempting to cause people to die. I can’t understand another coherent motivation for this kind of censorship of scientific information, other than pure ego.
And if one man’s ego really is standing in the way of getting us back on track on matters of life and death, then impeach Kennedy and let’s get back to sanity. This really isn’t that complicated.
Filed Under: covid vaccines, fda, health & human services, rfk jr., science, shingles, shingles vaccine, studies, vaccines
Calvin Lan, CEO of Huawei Ireland, discusses the work to be done on Ireland’s commitment to an ambitious 8GW of solar capacity by 2030.
In November 2025, Ireland’s national solar capacity crossed 2GW of capacity for the first time. It was a milestone that would have seemed ambitious just a few years earlier, and one that Huawei Ireland, which supplies inverter systems and grid management technology to many of the those installations, has watched closely.
For Calvin Lan, CEO of Huawei Ireland, that milestone was very much a starting point, not a destination. Ireland, as a country, has committed to an ambitious 8GW of solar capacity by 2030, so there’s much work left to do.
“The gap between where we are and where we need to be is significant,” says Lan. The technology to close the divide exists. The question is whether Irish organisations will move quickly enough to use it, he says.
Green energy is not, primarily, a sustainability conversation, but an economic one, says Lan. Ireland’s energy costs are among the highest in Europe, and the companies moving on solar and storage now will be in a far more competitive position to those that wait, he says.
Research published by Huawei Ireland last year found that more than 60pc of Irish businesses expect green technology to improve their operational efficiency. Lan finds the nature of those conversations more telling than the headline figure.
“Customers are now asking specific, operational questions about solar or storage deployments, return on investment, integration with existing infrastructure. That is a meaningful change from where we were even two or three years ago.”
The shift is visible in Huawei Ireland’s own business. Demand for solar and energy storage technologies has grown steadily as a share of overall revenue over the past two to three years, says Lan, who adds that this is a market-wide phenomenon.
Solar energy, he notes, is already part of daily life for many in Ireland, powering homes, farms and businesses across the country, and cutting both bills and emissions in the process.
However, there is still reluctance in some sectors, he notes. “Companies want to understand what their competitors are doing before committing. That is a natural instinct, but in a market moving this quickly it carries a real cost.”
The organisations that are moving fastest, he says, are not doing so purely for sustainability reasons. “They are doing it because it makes financial sense. Energy costs are a competitive issue.”
Huawei does not manufacture solar panels. Its position in the energy market is built on inverter systems, storage technology and the data infrastructure that manages them.
“We are first and foremost an ICT company,” Lan explains. “We are electrical engineers who have taken over 30 years of expertise and billions invested in research and development, and applied them directly to the energy challenge. The way we think about it is managing watts with bits.”
That convergence of digital and energy infrastructure is, in his view, where the most consequential innovation in the sector is currently happening. “You simply cannot manage a complex energy system without the data infrastructure to run it. Digital is the enabler of everything else.”
It is also where Huawei’s specific advantage lies, he says – a company that has spent three decades building the architecture for managing complex data flows is now applying that expertise to managing complex energy flows.
One of the less visible challenges in Ireland’s energy transition is what happens to grid stability as renewable generation grows. Traditional power systems depend on large synchronous generators for inertia, a physical resistance to sudden frequency changes that keeps the network stable. As fossil fuel plants are retired, that inertia decreases, and the grid becomes harder to manage.
Conventional renewable inverters are ‘grid-following’. They read the signal from the network and synchronise to it, but cannot stabilise the system independently. ‘Grid-forming’ inverters work differently. They can generate and regulate stable voltage and frequency on their own, effectively functioning as what engineers describe as a virtual synchronous machine.
“That means they can support grid stability even when very few traditional generators are online,” Lan says, “which is increasingly relevant as Ireland’s renewable share grows and the grid becomes more complex to manage. It is one of the more exciting developments in the sector right now, and I think it will genuinely surprise people who have not encountered it before.”
Huawei’s SUN2000-330KTL, which won Best Renewable Energy Product at the SEAI Energy Show in April, incorporates these capabilities, Lan says. The company is also launching the SUN2000-506KTL, a new utility-scale system forming part of the FusionSolar 9.0 platform, which combines high power density with advanced grid-forming capability and is designed to deliver higher yields at lower system cost.
Lan argues that now is the time for Irish organisations to make the key transition decisions and that there are real costs to deferring them.
“The transition is achievable, not eventually, but now,” he says. “I think there is still a tendency to treat green energy as a long-term strategic priority rather than an immediate operational one. The organisations that are moving fastest are not doing it purely for sustainability reasons. They are doing it because it makes financial sense.”
When it comes to accelerating adoption, Lan says real-life case studies matter more than arguments. Seeing a solar deployment working at scale in Ireland, in a comparable business, shortens the decision cycle faster than any amount of policy discussion, he argues.
“The technology exists. The case studies are real. What accelerates adoption is confidence, and confidence comes from seeing it done.”
He points too to the skills dimension, one that tends to get less attention in the energy debate than investment or policy. The engineering and data capabilities required to design, deploy and manage green energy infrastructure are in short supply globally, he says.
“For students considering where to build a career, green tech is one of the most important fields you could choose to work in,” he says. “The skills required are in short supply globally, which means demand for them will only grow.”
Huawei has been in Ireland for nearly 20 years. Lan was speaking to SiliconRepublic.com ahead of the company’s annual Innovation Day – themed ‘Powering a Greener Future’ this year – at UCD O’Reilly Hall on 3 June. The event aims to to bring together developers, engineers, policymakers and businesses to see what is already working at scale, in Ireland and on the global stage.
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