💻 The MacBook Neo is ‘the most repairable MacBook’ in years

Apple’s new MacBook Neo isn’t just the most affordable MacBook by far — it’s also the most repairable MacBook in about 14 years, according to an in-depth teardown by how-to website iFixit.

The “big story” is the battery. While older MacBook batteries are supposedly glued into place, the Neo’s battery is held by a tray secured with 18 screws. That’s a lot of screws, but iFixit declared that “screws still beat adhesive every time.” In fact, this new arrangement — which should make it much easier to replace your MacBook battery — “sent cheers across the iFixit office.”

Other changes that reportedly make the MacBook Neo more repairable: a flat disassembly tree, the fact that Repair Assistant appears to accept replacement parts without complaint, and an easier-to-replace display and keyboard. iFixit still had enough concerns — like soldered RAM and storage — that it only gave the Neo repairability score of 6 out of 10. But it said that for a MacBook, “that’s a strong score.”

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🤖 ‘Pokémon Go’ players have been unknowingly training delivery robots

10 years on from the app’s peak, it turns out that digital creature catching may now help that piping hot pizza you ordered find you. Niantic Spatial, part of the team behind Pokémon Go, announced a partnership with Coco Robotics, a company that makes short-distance delivery robots for food and groceries.

Soon, those robot couriers will scoot around sidewalks using Niantic’s Visual Positioning System (VPS) — a navigation tool that can reportedly pinpoint location down to a few centimeters just by looking at nearby buildings and landmarks. Niantic trained that VPS model on more than 30 billion images captured by Pokémon Go users, and claims it will help robots operate in areas where GPS falls short.

All that time users spent wandering around playing Pokémon Go will now help determine how well a courier robot can deliver your take out. It’s a stark example of how crowdsourced data, seemingly collected for one purpose, can be quietly repurposed years later for something quite different. 😄

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🤝 Google wraps up $32B acquisition of cloud cybersecurity startup Wiz

Google has officially acquired the cybersecurity firm Wiz for $32 billion in cash, a full year after the companies announced the deal. This marks Google’s biggest acquisition in its history.

“This acquisition is an investment by Google Cloud to improve cloud security and enable organizations to build fast and securely across any cloud or AI platform,” reads a statement from Google.

Wiz provides a security platform that protects major cloud environments by preventing and responding to cybersecurity threats. Together, the two companies will work on delivering a “unified security platform” to help organizations deal with threats faster.

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💊 Scientists built working hair follicles in a lab. They could cure baldness forever.

The breakthrough — made by a team of Japanese researchers partly funded by the company OrganTech, focuses on a previously-overlooked type of cell to create functional hair follicles in a laboratory setting. The technique achieved follicle growth in mice, promising a path toward eventually restoring hair in humans.

Using an organ germ method that they had developed over decades, the researchers constructed a “bioengineered hair follicle seed” layered with papilla cells, supporting cells, and stem cells at the top. After two weeks, the scientists noticed that the follicle had grown downward and created a visible hair shaft.

Can these follicles be successfully transplanted to a living organism? In the study, the authors state that once transplanted onto mice, the lab-grown follicles fully integrated into the nerve and muscle systems. For 68 days, the hair followed its natural cycle of loss and regrowth.

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🇨🇳 China's BYD to launch new premium EV in Europe that can charge in minutes

BYD will launch a premium electric vehicle in Europe next month that can charge ​in just minutes, far faster than anything on the ‌market today. BYD's Denza Z9GT model, сombined with a range of up to 800 km (497 miles), using the "flash charging" capabilities can charge ​from 10% to 70% in five minutes and from 20% to 97% in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius in 12 minutes.

BYD will also start installing flash chargers across Europe where its sales grew almost 270% last year this summer, as there are no chargers on ​the market that ​can handle the ⁠1,500kW it takes to charge the Denza Z9GT in minutes.

#BRICS

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🇮🇳 Indian foreign minister hails talks with Iran to open Strait of Hormuz

Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has hailed direct talks with Iran as the most effective ​way to restart shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Jaishankar said he was engaged in talks with Tehran and that "talking has yielded some results."

“Certainly, from India’s perspective, it is better that we reason and we coordinate and we get a solution than we don't,” Jaishankar said. "While this is a welcome development, there ​is continuing conversation because there is continued work on that.” 🤝

Two Indian-flagged liquefied petroleum gas carriers, Shivalik and ​Nanda Devi, carrying about 92,712 metric tons of LPG, crossed the ​Strait of Hormuz on Saturday en route to India. Jaishankar told that ‌this ⁠was an example of what diplomacy could bring.

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❌ Lowell imposes moratorium on data centers, targeting state's largest facility

The Lowell City Council voted to impose a one-year moratorium on new development or expansion of data centers. During the moratorium, city officials intend to update zoning and planning regulations to better protect Lowell residents from impacts. The development stoppage includes the possibility of an additional 180-day extension after the initial year is up.

There are currently 45 data centers in Massachusetts. Lowell is currently home to the largest data center in Massachusetts, operated by the Markley Group — a 24/7, 352,000-square-foot facility.

Lowell’s moratorium mirrors growing national tensions over data center development, particularly the environmental and neighborhood impacts of the large-scale data centers needed to power the boom of AI. The concerns mainly include pollution, noise, water and electricity use.

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🤖 Elon Musk says his chipmaking 'Terafab Project' venture will launch in seven days

Elon Musk spent quite some time last fall complaining that existing foundries cannot meet his company's demand for high-performance AI processors and proposed an idea to build his own chipmaking venture. Apparently, this was not just a brag but rather an announcement of a long-term project. Now the project has gotten its launch date: March 21, 2026.

"Terafab Project launches in 7 days," Elon Musk wrote in an X post.

The Terafab Project is Tesla's plan for a massive "TeraFab" semiconductor manufacturing facility. It will combine logic chip production, memory, and advanced packaging all in one huge domestic plant to hit enormous scale — potentially 100B+ chips per year — for AI demands in FSD, Optimus robots, Dojo supercomputers, and beyond. This avoids future supply bottlenecks from external foundries.

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🇺🇸🇨🇳 US, China discuss farm goods, managed trade in 'remarkably stable' Paris talks

Top ​U.S. and Chinese economic officials held "remarkably stable" talks in Paris on Sunday that touched on potential areas ‌of agreement in agriculture, critical minerals and managed trade.

The Chinese side showed openness to potential additional purchases of U.S. agricultural goods including poultry, beef and non-soybean ​row crops, adding that China was still committed to buy 25 million metric tons of ​American soybeans for each of the next 3 years. The two sides discussed establishing formal mechanisms to manage US-China trade and investment, they said, with the two sides expected to go over the proposed “Board of Trade” and “Board of Investment” in more sessions on Monday.

The "candid and constructive" Paris talks led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese ​Vice Premier He Lifeng will set the stage for Trump's trip to China to meet with Xi from March 31 to April 2.

#BRICS

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🧑‍⚖️ Notorious UK rights group launches legal action against Valve for distributing music in games on Steam without a license

The Performing Right Society (PRS), a rights management organization that collects royalties on behalf of musicians when their work is played publicly, has launched legal action against Valve over its use of PRS members' music on Steam without permission. Valve operates the Steam store and is responsible for the downloads and streaming delivered to customers via its platform.

"Great videogames rely on great soundtracks, and the songwriters and creators behind them deserve to have their contribution recognised and fairly valued," - PRS for Music chief commercial officer Dan Gopal said.

The PRS says that many of the games available on Steam feature music made by its members, and that by making those musical works available to the public via streaming or download. The action is related to any music, in games as well as soundtracks, that Valve hasn't separately licensed for distribution.

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🤖 ChatGPT helps create groundbreaking cancer treatment after dog’s diagnosis

Facing the loss of his beloved dog Rosie, Sydney tech entrepreneur Paul Conyngham enlisted AI and ChatGPT to co-develop an experimental cancer vaccine. The staffy-shar pei mix was diagnosed with aggressive mast cell cancer in 2024. Conyngham invested heavily in veterinary chemotherapy and surgery, treatments that slowed but failed to shrink the tumours.

Paul turned to a chatbot to explore potential treatments for Rosie’s cancer. Conyngham’s unusual request drew the attention of the UNSW Ramaciotti Centre for Genomics: he wanted his dog’s DNA sequenced after ChatGPT suggested immunotherapy. The process compared healthy DNA from Rosie’s blood with DNA from her tumour to identify the mutations driving the cancer. The Icelandic nanomedicine of the UNSW RNA Institute expert used Conyngham’s data – condensed into a half-page formula – to develop a custom mRNA vaccine for Rosie.

This was the first time a personalized cancer vaccine had been designed for a dog and Rosie’s case demonstrates how personalized medicine can be highly effective and implemented quickly using technology, with potential applications for human patients.

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🇦🇺 Australian Senate committee backs crypto bill requiring platforms to get licensed

An Australian Senate committee has recommended the passage of a major cryptocurrency regulatory bill that would require financial licenses for crypto platforms. The legislation is part of Australia's broader push to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for crypto services.

Under the proposal, businesses operating digital asset platforms or tokenized custody platforms would be treated similarly to other financial service providers and required to obtain an Australian Financial Services Licence. Rather than regulating the underlying blockchain technology, the bill focuses on intermediaries that hold customer assets or facilitate trading, which regulators view as the main source of potential risk in the ecosystem.

The bill also seeks to define key concepts such as "digital tokens," clarify how existing financial services laws apply to crypto platforms, and introduce rules governing asset custody, transaction execution, and disclosure requirements for retail clients. The framework would also establish standards for safeguarding customer assets.

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🇨🇫 Starlink's is now available in the Central African Republic

Elon Musk has officially launched Starlink in the Central African Republic, bringing reliable, high-speed internet to one of Africa’s least connected nations. In a country where 88% of people have never had a broadband connection, that's a transformative proposition.

The commercial rollout follows a landmark December 2025 agreement signed in Bangui and targets rural areas that have long been cut off from terrestrial networks. For Africa, this marks a tangible step toward digital inclusion as businesses in isolated communities can now tap into global markets, students can access online learning, and healthcare providers can share real-time data — potentially accelerating economic growth in a landlocked country where reliable internet access has remained scarce.

Earlier Starlink was launched in Kuwait and Niue. Starlink just crossed over 11 million users globally and is redefining how the world connects, bringing internet to places that have never had access before.

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🇨🇳 China’s Oppo reveals world’s first crease-free foldable phone

Half a year before Apple Inc. is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone, a Chinese rival has solved the biggest compromise with such devices to date: the crease. The Android-powered Find N6 will highlight Oppo’s partnership with Alphabet Inc.’s Google Cloud. It’ll debut alongside an Oppo AI Pen accessory that will leverage Gemini Pro to allow users to convert their handwritten notes into organized tables.

Oppo’s new hinge technology effectively makes the fold in the display imperceptible to the eye, flattening out the dip in the surface that would usually be apparent. This marks a long-in-development breakthrough, something that companies have promised to do several times over the 7 years foldable phones have been around. Oppo’s flagship foldable model with this technology, the Find N6, launches on Tuesday.

#BRICS

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💊 Scientists make engineered bacteria convert plastic waste into Parkinson’s drug

For the first time, researchers from the University of Edinburgh have developed a new method to transform common plastic into a medication used to treat neurodegenerative Parkinson’s disease. Instead of simply disposing of plastic, this approach upcycles environmental waste into a high-value medical resource.

The team have developed a process that dismantles PET plastic waste into its primary building block, terephthalic acid, to serve as a sustainable raw material. This acid is then fed to engineered E.coli bacteria, which act as microscopic factories to rearrange the carbon molecules. Through a series of programmed biological reactions, the bacteria synthesize L-DOPA from these fragments. Levodopa is the most common drug doctors prescribe to replace the dopamine lost in Parkinson’s disease, as it turns into dopamine in the brain.

“By converting discarded plastic into a treatment for Parkinson’s disease, the team has demonstrated how carbon that would otherwise be lost to landfill or pollution can be turned into high value products that improve lives,” - said Professor Charlotte Deane Executive Chair, UKRI EPSRC.

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❌ Hyundai stops sales and recalls 68,500 2026 Palisade models because the power seats can crush you

Hyundai issued a stop-sale order for the 2026 Palisade in top Limited and Calligraphy trims following an incident that killed a two-year-old child in Ohio on March 7. Full details about the incident have not been released and an investigation into the matter is underway. A recall for 68,500 Palisades is being finalized, according to Hyundai.

The issue stems from the power-operated second- and third-row seats not detecting contact with a human or object, which could result in the power-folding seats crushing an occupant or item. 🤯 The company is urging consumers to use caution when using the second- and third-row power seat.

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⚡️🇺🇸🇨🇳 Trump says he asked China to delay Xi summit due to Iran war

President Donald Trump said he had requested China delay a summit with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for about a month, saying it was important for him to remain in Washington to oversee the Iran war. The meeting between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies is currently set to begin from March 31 to April 2.

“We’re working on that right now. We’re speaking to China. I’d love to, but because of the war, I think it’s important that I be here,” - Trump said Monday during a White House event when asked about potentially rescheduling the high-profile summit. “And so we’ve requested that we delay it a month or so, and I’m looking forward to being with them. We have a very good relationship."

The decision to delay the summit may not be a major disappointment for Beijing, as China had previously proposed a later date to allow more time for preparations.

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🤖 Jensen Huang expects Nvidia to sell $1 trillion of AI hardware through 2027

Jensen Huang expects his company to earn $1 trillion selling AI hardware through 2027, he revealed at his keynote at the GTC 2026 event. If this happens, then Nvidia will be the first company in history to earn $1 trillion by selling AI hardware, which will once again prove its strong position as an indisputable AI hardware market leader.

At its GTC developer conference, Nvidia unveiled a new central processor and an AI system built on technology from startup Groq. Groq specializes in fast and cheap "inference" computing work, in which an AI model takes what it has already learned and uses it to answer a question or make a prediction in real time. Huang also made the argument that part of Nvidia's competitive advantage ​was its CUDA chip programming software.

"The installed base is what attracts ​developers who then create (the) ⁠new algorithms that achieve the breakthrough" technologies, Huang said. "We are in every cloud. We're in every computer company. We serve just about every single industry."

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💊 43-year study finds coffee may help protect the brain from dementia

Researchers from Mass General Brigham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard conducted a large prospective cohort study involving 131,821 participants. Some participants were followed for as long as 43 years.

The analysis found that moderate intake of caffeinated coffee (2-3 cups a day) or tea (1-2 cups a day) was linked to a lower risk of dementia, slower cognitive decline, and better preservation of cognitive abilities. Coffee and tea contain several biologically active compounds, including caffeine and polyphenols. These substances may help protect the brain by reducing inflammation and limiting cellular damage, both of which are associated with cognitive decline.

Among the more than 130,000 people included in the analysis, 11,033 eventually developed dementia. Men and women who consumed the highest amounts of caffeinated coffee had an 18% lower risk of dementia compared with those who reported little or no intake.

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