The Glorious Disorder of Michael Ondaatje’s Early Work

In an interview with the Times, earlier this year, Clint Bentley, the Oscar-nominated director and screenwriter of the film “Train Dreams,” was asked to name his “favorite book that no one else has heard of.” Bentley’s answer? Michael Ondaatje’s “The Collected Works of Billy the Kid,” from 1970. Bentley described the book, which combines prose,…

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Ousted Ukraine defense minister urges wartime elections, warning of a governance crisis

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s ousted Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called Tuesday for elections to be held even as the war against Russia continues, saying the country was gripped by a crisis of governance. The move by one of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s most loyal and longstanding team members until recently could become the most significant…

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Ukraine targets Moscow with drones as Russia threatens U.K. over support

Kyiv — Ukraine launched more than 600 drones at Moscow overnight, the Russian capital’s mayor said Tuesday, calling it one of the largest long-range Ukrainian assaults on the Moscow region since the war began more than four-and-a-half years ago. In an attack beginning Tuesday evening and continuing into Wednesday morning, 637 Ukrainian drones were launched at…

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South Korea Blocks Polymarket Over Gambling Concerns

Coindesk reported that South Korea has become the latest country to shut off access to Polymarket over concerns that prediction markets amount to illegal gambling. What’s the scoop? The Block: South Korea’s Media and Communications Standards Commission voted Tuesday to block domestic access to Polymarket, concluding that its prediction markets facilitate illegal gambling. Polymarket’s Defense:…

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German farmers warn of drought toll on grain harvest

Germany’s grain harvest is expected to fall by seven percent this year after months of severe drought and heatwaves, the German Farmers’ Association (DBV) said Tuesday. “An overly dry spring and a heatwave in the second half of June were defining factors” leading to what the group described as a “below-average grain harvest” forecast at…

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China Tests New Way To Automate Trucking: One Driver Leading A Convoy

A single human sits in a lead cab on the Beijing–Tianjin–Tanggu Expressway. Behind them, heavy trucks follow in tight formation — empty cabs, no safety operators, Level 4 autonomy handling every steering input via vehicle-to-vehicle communication. This isn’t a test track scenario. It’s a permitted, cross-provincial operation. China’s “1+N” platooning model isn’t waiting for the…

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