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16 Jul 2025

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Khandallah murder trial: Julia DeLuney's phone inactive for 37 minutes on night of murder
Julia DeLuney missed multiple calls and messages from her husband on the night of her mother's murder.

Building industry hopes its hit the bottom and there will be an eventual upturn
Conditions in the building industry are still tight, new research says, but there are hopes it has hit the bottom.

Save $440 on the best Samsung and Google phones and 50% on Mint Mobile Unlimited
If you’re going to go on vacation this summer, at least upgrade your phone before you go so you can take some proper photos. It just so happens that Mint Mobile is running some amazing deals right now, slashing prices left and right, including for its Unlimited plans. So, what does Mint Mobile have planned? First of all, you can save up to $440 on one of the best smartphones out there. All these phones have amazing screens, great battery life, are blazing fast, and have cameras that will capture jaw-dropping photos. Second of all, Mint Mobile is offering 50% off two years of Unlimited. Basically, you’re going to use the service for free for a full year. In total, you’ll pay a mere $360 for the whole thing which is impressively low. So what phones can you get with $440 off? The very best, of course. The Samsung Galaxy S25 is usually available for $800, but you can get it for a mere $360 right now. Next one up, the Samsung Galaxy S25+ usually costs a round $1,000, but you can get it for $560 at Mint Mobile. Samsung’s $1,100 Galaxy S25 Edge can now be purchased for $660, while the absolutely impressive S25 Ultra is down to $860 from its $1,300 MSRP. If you’d rather get the Google Pixel 9 and the clean Android, know that this $800 phone is also available for $360. That’s a really low price for such a stellar phone. So there you go, the best chance to get a fantastic new phone and two years of Mint Mobile Unlimited for the price of one. This deal lasts through August 28th or while supplies last, so hurry up!

John Torode sacked as MasterChef presenter
It plunges the BBC cooking show into a deeper crisis after co-host Gregg Wallace was also sacked.

Japan destroys internet speed record with new fiber optic technology
The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) in Japan has set a groundbreaking record: a data transmission rate of 1.02 petabits per second (around 127,500 GB/s) over 1,802 kilometers (about 1,120 miles), reports CNET. That’s around 350,000 times faster than the average US fixed broadband internet connection, which was around 289 Mbps according to Speedtest as of May 2025. At this new record-breaking speed, you could download the entire Netflix library in under a second. Fiber optics with 19 cores The key to the record is a new optical fiber with 19 cores, which are installed in a cable with a diameter of just 0.125 millimeters (the standard size for existing networks). Compared to conventional cables with one core, this fiber transmits 19 times more data with minimal data loss due to uniform light conduction. For transmission over the 1,120-mile distance—comparable to New York to Chicago—the signal was amplified 21 times. The new record more than doubles the previous year’s figure of 50,250 GB/s. In 2023, the NICT team achieved similar speeds but only over a third of the distance. Advances in signal amplification and reduction of data loss are what made this new range possible. Compatible with existing fiber optic cables The technology could meet the growing demand for data worldwide, as data volumes have been increasing by about 50 percent annually according to Nielsen’s Law. In general, the new technology is exciting and also interesting for countries where fiber optic expansion is stagnating, primarily because these new cables fit into existing infrastructures. The record has not yet been independently verified, but it shows how fiber optics could further shape the future of the internet.

World risks losing more of its wetlands, DOC scientist Hugh Robertson tells UN
DOC freshwater scientist Dr Hugh Robertson has presented the findings of an international report in Nairobi, Kenya.

Modernized Commodore 64 remake with 99% compatibility coming soon
Back in January 1982, we were treated to the launch of the Commodore 64, an early computer that was bought by millions of users around the world across 12 years, which is now fondly remembered by those very same users and celebrated as a cult classic. If you’re brimming with nostalgia for those C64 days, or if you’ve never used one but always wished you could’ve, then here’s some good news for you: the Commodore 64 is being remade and re-released later this year, reports Techspot. The new model is based on the AMD Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA processor and supports modern tech like HDMI, USB, and Wi-Fi. According to Techspot, the remade Commodore 64 promises 99 percent software compatibility with its hardware emulation, which means you’ll be able to play more than 10,000 C64 games if desired. If you want one, you can pre-order now via Commodore with a “no quibble money-back guarantee” for a full refund if you ever change your mind. The standard price is $349, but there’s an early bird special that lets you snag one for $299 if you’re quick—and if you buy two, you can get an additional 10% off your order.

Logitech’s ultra-compact MX Keys Mini keyboard is 30% off, today only
Logitech’s MX Keys is probably the most-loved non-mechanical, non-gaming keyboard out there. I realize that’s a lot of qualifiers, but non-gamers really like this thing. Today, you can score a rare discount on the MX Keys Mini, a slimmer version of the MX Keys that’s a great companion for everything from desktops to tablets. It’s $70 on Woot right now—that’s 30% off the original price—and the deal expires today. The MX Keys Mini is essentially the PC equivalent of Apple’s Magic Keyboard, but it’s better because almost anything is better than the Magic Keyboard. It’s a 60% super-slim keyboard with both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth wireless, multi-device pairing, and some options for layout customization via Logitech’s desktop software. You can read my full review of the MX Keys Mini for more details. This isn’t the absolute most recent model of the MX Keys design, but the only real difference is that the newer MX Keys S is a little quieter. That said, the MX Keys isn’t exactly a noisy mechanical design in the first place, so if you want to save a lot of money on a stylish keyboard, this is a perfect way to do so. Oh, and apparently there isn’t an S variant of the mini version of the keyboard… so there ya go. This is one of Woot’s old-fashioned daily deals, and it’s a new (not refurbished) model. It’ll only be on sale today only, July 15th, until midnight US Central time. And it might go out of stock well before then, so get an order in quickly if you want one. Get this ultra-slim Logitech MX Keys Mini keyboard for only $70Buy now via Woot