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Sydney's first case of the H5N1 avian flu strain has been confirmed by Australian authorities.

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Sydney's first case of the highly virulent H5N1 avian flu strain has been verified by Australian authorities. Since H5N1 arrived in mainland Australia in June, this is Sydney's first confirmed case. Residents who have backyard chickens or pet birds have been cautioned by authorities to stay away from wild birds. Additionally, dog owners have been advised to stop their animals from pursuing or consuming carcasses of wild birds. Sue Heins, the mayor of Northern Beaches, cautioned that additional occurrences might occur and advised the area to get ready for possible detrimental effects on wildlife. As of Wednesday, there were 468 confirmed H5N1 cases throughout Australia, including 20 in New South Wales, according to federal data. Thus far, no cases have been found in the state's cattle, captive birds, or commercial poultry. According to the World Health Organization, H5N1 mainly affects birds but can also infect humans and other mammals. Human infections can cause everything ...

AI PCs Become Dell's Main Tool for Retaining Talent

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Louise Quennell, Senior Director of Dell Technologies' Client Solutions Group UK, discusses how AI PCs help close the digital skills gap and retain people. Talent recruiting and retention are being discussed as much as procurement when it comes to workplace technology. An organization makes it very evident that it prioritizes the employee experience when it gives a new hire an AI PC on the first day of work. This is significant because businesses are transitioning from AI pilots and proofs of concept to widespread implementation. The quality of the device experience will increasingly influence how people communicate, create, and make decisions as AI PCs become a practical basis for contemporary work. Workers are becoming more and more dependent on technology to handle tedious tasks like summarizing meetings, organizing inboxes, and automating regular reporting. These tasks can quickly deteriorate the employee experience and cause needless friction when run on outdated equipment. O...

This is when pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are expected to open.

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On September 9, Apple will reveal the iPhone Ultra, iPhone 18 Pro, and iPhone 18 Pro Max. It's Wednesday. If you are familiar with Apple, you are aware that the corporation like starting pre-orders for new iPhones on the Friday of the week in which they are revealed. But there's a twist this year. Since Apple is a US-based firm and September 11 is the Friday following the event, there are rumors that the company may change its plans and begin accepting pre-orders for the new iPhones on September 12, which is a Saturday. There are also rumors that the pre-order start time would shift from the customary 5 AM PT to midnight PT. The Apple Watch Series 12 and anything else Apple chooses to reveal on September 9 should also follow this schedule. Even while it might be released concurrently with the Pro and Pro Max variants, a number of earlier sources have indicated that the iPhone Ultra will arrive later. Pre-orders may thus begin later.

Flash floods in Nepal LIVE: The Foreign Ministry claims that Nepal does not require foreign rescue assistance as the dead toll rises to 469.

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About 100 people were stranded within a tunnel during a hydroelectric project on Friday, and Nepali army helicopter rescue crews were working to free them. On Friday, August 28, 2026, Nepal police announced that 469 people had died as a result of a flash flood that happened earlier this week. According to a statement from the Nepal Police, 796 people—including 50 foreigners—had been evacuated by land and 796 more have been rescued from the affected areas by helicopters. In the meantime, Earth scientists evaluated the destruction and looked for hints in satellite data. According to geomorphologists Kristen Cook and Dan Shugar, satellite photographs showed that the bedrock beneath the glacier had crumbled, throwing rocks and ice down the valley along with the enormous block of ice. In addition, the Red Cross issued an urgent request for $31 million to address the catastrophic landslides and flash floods that occurred along the border between Nepal and Tibet. The day after releasing one m...

New Zealand is thinking of prohibiting kids under 16 from using social media.

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A measure seeking the prohibition will be introduced by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's party, alleging harm to a generation of youngsters. Christopher Luxon, the prime minister of New Zealand, has said that his party will present a bill in parliament that aims to prohibit children under the age of sixteen from using social media. The law proposes sanctions of up to 10% of a platform's worldwide income for non-compliance. The bill would mandate that social media companies take reasonable measures to confirm users' ages, such as using digital identity documents, facial recognition technology, and account information already in place. Luxon stated in a statement on Monday that "we simply cannot accept the harm being done to a generation of New Zealand children." "Social media is affecting their family life, mental health, sleep, and education by exposing them to harmful content, addictive technology, and pressures they are not prepared to deal with." ...

As the dollar declines due to bond sell-offs, gold prices rise more than 5% for the week.

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Due to a decline in the U.S. dollar and a prolonged sell-off in longer-term Treasury notes, gold prices on Friday were near three-month highs and on course for weekly gains of more than 5%. Spot gold increased 2.1% to $4,617.23/oz at 16:01 ET (20:01 GMT), while gold futures increased 2.2% to $4,673.84/oz. The former was up 5.6% while the latter was up 5.4% for the week. The week's major story in bond markets Participants in the precious metal market have been concentrating on the fixed-income sector this week. Prior to Wednesday, there had been a sell-off in longer-term U.S. Treasury bonds in particular since the Federal Reserve's July interest rate decision. This sell-off was caused by worries about inflation brought on by rising oil prices as well as the enormous amount of debt that mega-cap firms were issuing to finance their investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure. On Tuesday, the benchmark 10-year yield reached a new 52-week high of 4.748%, while the 30-yea...

After identifying a pattern of fraud, India requires Google Firebase accounts to be deleted.

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In August alone, India notified Google three complaints regarding a pattern on Firebase.Top institutions like SBI, ICICI, and Axis were impersonated by phishing URLs, and in 2025, Indians lost around $2.4 billion due to alleged cyber theft. BENGALURU, Aug. 21 (Reuters) - According to government notices and a source familiar with the situation, India has ordered Google to close hundreds of accounts on its Firebase web development platform after discovering a pattern of criminals abusing the service to pose as major banks and defraud people. According to government data, Indians lost around $2.4 billion in alleged cyber fraud in 2025, making online scams one of India's most urgent law enforcement concerns. The government has been pursuing con artists for years by ordering the removal of their websites. However, according to a source with firsthand knowledge of the situation, Indian officials have recently observed a "pattern" that con artists are employing Firebase, Google...