News & Updates
The latest news and updates from companies in the WLTH portfolio.
Anthropic's Claude AI goes down, users hit globally
Users have taken to outage tracking platforms to report a range of issues. These include conversations not loading, delayed responses, or complete inaccessibility of the service. The problem doesn't seem to be limited to a single device or platform, hinting at a larger backend issue with Claude AI. Spike in outage reports around midday Data from Downdetector reveals a sharp increase in outage reports around midday. The complaints peaked at nearly 394 reports around 12:19pm indicating a sudden spike in issues rather than a gradual increase. The outage pattern also shows smaller spikes before the major surge, suggesting users may have experienced intermittent disruptions before the service went down more widely.
Anthropic's Project Glasswing, CISA funding in doubt, routers hijacked for passwords - IT Security News
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Anthropic unveils Project Glasswing to test powerful AI for cybersecurity defence The Mainstream
In a move aimed at strengthening digital security, Anthropic has launched Project Glasswing, a new initiative focused on testing advanced AI to detect and address software vulnerabilities at scale. The project brings together major technology firms and critical infrastructure organisations to evaluate a high-capability AI system. This unreleased model is designed with strong coding and reasoning abilities, allowing it to analyse vulnerabilities in operating systems, web browsers, and widely used software. Early testing has reportedly identified several serious flaws, including some that had remained undiscovered for years. The model, referred to by partners as Claude Mythos Preview, will not be publicly released due to concerns around misuse. Instead, access is restricted to a select group of collaborators within the tech and cybersecurity ecosystem. Microsoft highlighted the broader impact of the initiative. "As we enter a phase where cybersecurity is no longer bound by purely human capacity, the opportunity to use AI responsibly to improve security and reduce risk at scale is unprecedented," said Igor Tsyganskiy. "Joining Project Glasswing... allows us to identify and mitigate risk early... When tested against CTI-REALM, our open-source security benchmark, Claude Mythos Preview showed substantial improvements compared to previous models." Amazon Web Services confirmed it has already started using the model internally. "At AWS, we build defenses before threats emerge... AI is central to our ability to defend at scale," said Amy Herzog. "We've been testing Claude Mythos Preview in our own security operations... where it's already helping us strengthen our code." Google stressed the importance of collaboration. "Google is pleased to see this cross-industry cybersecurity initiative coming together... It's always been critical that the industry work together on emerging security issues," said Heather Adkins. "We have long believed that AI poses new challenges and opens new opportunities in cyber defense." Anthropic said the initiative aims to strengthen defensive cybersecurity as AI-driven threats become more advanced. The model can detect vulnerabilities and, in some cases, help understand how they might be exploited, highlighting both its benefits and risks. The company is also focusing on improving open-source security, offering support to maintainers who often lack resources. It has committed up to $100 million in usage credits and $4 million for open-source security efforts, with plans to expand participation. The launch comes as concerns grow over AI-powered cyberattacks. Anthropic positions Project Glasswing as an early effort to ensure advanced AI is used responsibly and primarily for defence. Also read: Viksit Workforce for a Viksit Bharat Do Follow: The Mainstream LinkedIn | The Mainstream Facebook | The Mainstream Youtube | The Mainstream Twitter About us: The Mainstream is a premier platform delivering the latest updates and informed perspectives across the technology business and cyber landscape. Built on research-driven, thought leadership and original intellectual property, The Mainstream also curates summits & conferences that convene decision makers to explore how technology reshapes industries and leadership. With a growing presence in India and globally across the Middle East, Africa, ASEAN, the USA, the UK and Australia, The Mainstream carries a vision to bring the latest happenings and insights to 8.2 billion people and to place technology at the centre of conversation for leaders navigating the future.
Claude AI down: Anthropic users hit with errors as chatbot goes offline
Claude, the Anthropic AI chatbot, has gone down in a major outage. The company said that users were seeing an "elevated rate of errors" when using Sonnet 4.6, the model that powers Claude as well as other parts of Anthropic's offering. In practice, that meant that the system would get stuck seeming to think, without giving any response to a question. The problems followed issues on Tuesday, which also resulted in errors showing to users. Anthropic said then that it had fixed the issue and the service had returned to normal.
From negotiation chaos to digital control: Reimagining procurement for enterprise value
How a manufacturing company unlocked productivity through procurement transformation By Sayan Mitra, Director, SAP Business Technology Platform, PwC India and Debapriya Sengupta, Associate Director, AP Business Technology Platform, PwC India It was late evening when the procurement lead was still at their desk, unable to release a purchase order that should have gone out hours earlier. Though commercial terms were agreed, and the supplier was aligned, the deal was stalled due to unclear final negotiation status scattered across emails, WhatsApp messages, and calls--lacking a single source of truth. Disorganised communication was a daily challenge, causing vendor negotiations to routinely overrun timelines, create delays in raising purchase orders creation delays, and requiring manual effort to validate and audit discussions. Total Cost of Ownership calculations were done by hand, risking inaccuracies. Procurement decisions lacked clear visibility into vendor performance, and suppliers had minimal insight into deal status, orders, or payments. The result was longer turnaround times, reduced productivity, and inefficiencies as teams chased information instead of adding value. Vendors, especially smaller ones, depended on informal follow-ups. What began as a communication problem had evolved into a structural bottleneck, highlighting the need for a fundamental transformation to unify negotiations, performance tracking, and transactions into one transparent process - a pivotal moment for the organisation. This is where PwC stepped in - not to optimise the existing process, but to completely rethink how procurement could work, and change the game altogether. This firm's struggle is not isolated but reflects a widespread challenge across the Indian manufacturing sector, where fragmented systems and informal communication hinder transparency, slow decision-making, and elevate operational risks. What starts as manageable complexity becomes a structural constraint as vendor networks and supply chains expand. Research from NASSCOM reveals that nearly 60% of manufacturers face difficulties scaling digital efforts due to misaligned technology investments, leading to inefficiencies rather than gains. These issues are worsened by weak integration between sourcing, vendor management, and transactions. Rising input cost volatility, compliance demands, and reliance on smaller suppliers have intensified pressure on procurement teams to deliver speed, accuracy, and audit-ready processes. The fragmented procurement is no longer merely inefficient but presents a critical competitive disadvantage requiring urgent transformation across sectors like metals, chemicals, infrastructure, and energy. To overcome these escalating challenges, it was imperative to implement a comprehensive and pragmatic solution. How did they reach a solution? PwC India tackled the challenge through a comprehensive enterprise procurement transformation, leveraging its strong alliance with SAP to deliver a scalable, integrated solution. Instead of fixing isolated issues, we re-engineered the entire procurement and vendor engagement model, anchored on SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) within the SAP OEM program. Our team developed a custom negotiation, deal finalisation, and vendor management application on SAP BTP, seamlessly integrated with SAP Ariba, SAP S/4HANA, SAP HANA Cloud, and SAP Mobile Start. This unified platform consolidated all buyer-vendor interactions, eliminating fragmented communication and creating a governed, auditable single source of truth. Starting with a detailed diagnostic, we mapped current workflows and bottlenecks, then designed a standardised operating model with automated Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculations to ensure accuracy and enable real-time decision making. Vendors accessed a dedicated portal for deal visibility, order tracking, and performance metrics, while transactions flowed seamlessly into SAP S/4HANA for PO creation. Beyond the technology implementation, PwC spearheaded governance design, integration management, functional and UAT support, change management, training, and go-live execution- driving rapid adoption and long-term business value. The result was a business-driven, OEM-powered co-solution that transformed procurement into a transparent, precise, and performance-oriented digital ecosystem, redefining buyer-supplier engagement at scale through the PwC-SAP partnership. The transformation revealed three core principles for lasting success. Principle 1: Solve the process first, not just the technology - A key lesson from this transformation is that sustainable success begins with re-architecting business processes, not just deploying tools. Inefficiencies arose from fragmented workflows, unclear governance, and informal decisions, not lack of systems. By first mapping the "As Is" state and designing a clearly governed "To Be" operating model, the organisation ensured that technology reinforced the right behaviors. This meant standardising negotiation stages, defining approval checkpoints, and embedding auditability before developing any application. Organisations looking to replicate this success must treat process redesign as the foundation, with technology serving as the accelerator. Principle 2: Embed intelligence and automation where decisions are made - Another essential insight was embedding automation and intelligence directly into decision-making moments instead of relying on downstream reporting. Manual TCO calculations and retrospective analyses hindered timely, informed procurement decisions. Integrating automated TCO engines and vendor performance data into negotiation and deal finalisation made decisions faster, more accurate, and outcome-focused. This approach eliminates manual hand-offs and spreadsheet calculations, ensuring cost, performance, and compliance insights are accessible at the point of action, not afterward. Principle 3: Design for adoption - across buyers and vendors alike An often overlooked, but important lesson is that transformation success relies as much on adoption as on architecture. Platforms fail when focused only on internal users, leaving vendors dependent on informal channels. Here, equal focus on buyer and vendor experience was achieved through a unified platform with mobile access, real-time notifications, and transparent deal visibility. This involved simplifying user journeys, enabling vendor self-service, and supporting change with training, testing, and structured go-live support. Success requires treating suppliers as ecosystem partners, not outsiders. Applying these principles yielded tangible results: faster turnaround, higher productivity, improved audit readiness, stronger vendor relationships, and a scalable foundation for growth. Crucially, this approach offers a replicable blueprint for industries facing procurement complexity, diverse vendors, and demanding speed and accuracy requirements. Any manufacturing organisation looking to transform business processes for higher efficiency and better business outcomes must begin by objectively assessing where fragmentation exists in their procurement process today. They must evaluate, across negotiations, approvals, calculations, and vendor engagement. Post this identify one high-impact category or workflow where delays, manual effort, or lack of visibility create measurable risk. A redesigning of that process with clear governance, embedded intelligence, and vendor-friendly digital touchpoints is the next step.Small, focused transformation steps - done right, can unlock outsized, outcome-driven impact. Note: This article is a part of ETCIO's Brand Connect Initiative.
Claude down? Anthropic confirms partial outage as users face issues with Chat
Claude down: Anthropic's popular AI chatbot, Claude, is experiencing an outage, leaving many users unable to access the service. On Downdetector, an online outage monitoring platform, more than 400 reports have been logged so far. Around 50 per cent of users said they faced issues while using the Claude chat feature, while 30 per cent reported problems with Claude Code. Mobile users reported the most issues, with about 14 per cent of those reporting outages using the Claude app. The Claude status page states that the issue is currently under investigation.
Rex Huppke: With our world in chaos, Artemis II offers humanity a lifeline
As the four astronauts on the Artemis II space mission approached the moon and found themselves farther from Earth than any human has ever traveled, a thought crossed my mind: Can we marvel at this? Please? Amid all the chaos in the world right now, can humanity take one beat and acknowledge something remarkable, an exploratory achievement that pushed us deeper into the galaxy that surrounds us than we've gone before? Just before 11 a.m. Pacific on Monday, astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft were more than 248,655 miles from Earth, surpassing the previous distance record set in 1970 by the Apollo 13 astronauts. As the ship continued its trip around the moon, Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman said, "We will continue our journey even further into space before Mother Earth succeeds in pulling us back to everything that we hold dear. But we, most importantly, choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived." The challenges we face here on Earth are immense, and I don't dismiss the feeling among many that we should focus money and time on making our immediate world a better place for all. In America right now, food and rent and fuel prices are high, income inequality is wholly out of hand, and we are as divided politically as I've seen in my lifetime. We're at war with Iran for no clear reason. The Ukraine war shows no sign of ending. There is boundless turmoil making the Artemis II mission seem less important in the grand scheme, and I understand that reasoning, but I respectfully encourage all of us to allow a moment or two of wonder. Four human beings - each braver than I can conceive of - are in a metal can, floating through space, viewing a side of the moon we've never laid eyes on and paving a path forward should we decide to venture out toward worlds beyond our own. They are giving us, in the span of 10 days, a profound sense of our own smallness, a reminder that we are a mere speck in the universe. But they also are showing us what's possible when people of different nations and faiths and cultures, people with different skill sets and expertise, join together and get something done. Pausing to soak in what these astronauts are experiencing and accomplishing doesn't take anything away from the terrestrial things we are bound by human decency to improve. If anything, I'd argue, this space mission is a humbling reminder that we owe it to ourselves, and to all of human potential, to get our house in order. To celebrate intelligence, to cheer on science, to recognize that kindness and cooperation always take us farther than hatred or cruelty. The Artemis II astronauts now know better than any human who has ever existed how small we are. They have seen it with their own eyes, from a distance unimaginable. So look at the images, listen to the astronauts' words, and take a moment to feel a sense of awe. The message of this mission, if you take time to let it in, is far, far bigger than we are. Follow USA Today columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk
Latest Anthropic AI model finds cracks in software defences
NEW YORK: Anthropic on Tuesday said its yet-to-be-released artificial intelligence model called Claude Mythos has proven keenly adept at exposing software weaknesses. Mythos has laid bare thousands of vulnerabilities in commonly used applications for which no patch or fix exists, prompting the San Francisco-based AI startup to form an alliance with cybersecurity specialists to bolster defenses against hacking. "We have a new model that we're explicitly not releasing to the public," Mike Krieger of Anthropic Labs said at a HumanX AI conference in San Francisco. Instead, Anthropic is letting cybersecurity specialists and engineers in the open-source community work with Mythos to use the model as a defensive weapon "sort of arming them ahead of time," Krieger explained. Leaps in AI model capabilities have come with concerns about hackers using such tools for figuring out passwords or cracking encryption meant to keep data safe. The oldest of the vulnerabilities uncovered by Mythos dates back 27 years, and none were ostensibly noticed by their makers before being pinpointed by the AI model, according to Anthropic. Mythos is the latest generation of Anthropic's Claude family of AI, and a recent leak of some of its code prompted the startup to release a blog post warning it posed unprecedented cybersecurity risks. "AI models have reached a level of coding capability where they can surpass all but the most skilled humans at finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities," Anthropic said in a blog post. "The fallout -- for economies, public safety, and national security -- could be severe." Software vulnerabilities exposed by Mythos were often subtle and difficult to detect without AI, according to Anthropic. As an example, it said Mythos found a previously unnoticed flaw in video software that had been tested more than 5 million times by its creators.
Polymarket Iran Ceasefire Profits Reignite Insider Trading Fears
Lawmakers and platforms respond with new rules targeting suspicious prediction market activity. Several Polymarket traders have made outsized profits on US-Iran ceasefire bets, with one user reportedly seeing a roughly 3,500% gain. The gains follow a de-escalation in US-Iran tensions that triggered rallies across equities, precious metals, and crypto. Onchain analysts and market watchers are now questioning whether the precision of these wagers points to something beyond luck. Polymarket US-Iran Ceasefire Profits Spark Insider Trading Debate Blockchain analytics firm Lookonchain flagged trader BlueHorseshoe86, who reportedly netted $194,000 betting on a US-Iran ceasefire. That profit added to a previous $260,000 gain from a "Maduro out" bet tied to the January capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. "His total profit now stands at $440K, all from bets on "Maduro out" and the US-Iran ceasefire," Lookonchain added. A separate trader turned $13,200 into $477,544, a gain of approximately 3,500%. "He legit traded all the money he had in his account in this one. What did he know?" a market watcher questioned. Follow us on X to get the latest news as it happens A third wallet, flagged as "suspicious" by prediction market tracker Polymarket History, reportedly earned more than $400,000 by correctly calling both the timing of the Iran military operation and the subsequent ceasefire. "Created just before the operation. Two perfect calls. Over $400K in profit," the post read. While there is no confirmed evidence of insider trading, the outsized, well-timed gains have renewed concerns over insider trading on prediction markets. This is not an isolated incident, but part of a deepening pattern of suspected insider activity on these platforms. The pattern of suspicious profits has prompted responses from both prediction market operators and US legislators. The lawmakers have introduced bills that would expand oversight and crack down on policymakers or government officials placing wagers. Polymarket itself published updated market integrity rules. The new framework explicitly prohibits trading on stolen confidential information, acting on illegal tips, and placing wagers on outcomes a user can influence.
Polymarket launching stablecoin, Circle slow to act in Drift exploit
Polymarket is launching its own stablecoin, Circle (NASDAQ: CRCL) is taking flak for (once again) failing to help exploit victims, and Russia is urging African nations to get on board with this whole sanctions-evasion thing. On April 6, the Polymarket prediction market announced that it would be "upgrading the entire Polymarket exchange stack over the next 2-3 weeks," a process that will include the launch of a new "collateral token." This token, basically a new stablecoin called Polymarket USD, will see the platform move away from its current reliance on a bridged version of Circle's USDC (USDC.e), although the new token will be "backed 1:1 by USDC." This move was sorta previewed in February, when Polymarket said it would transition from USDC.e to native USDC in the coming months. Polymarket said Monday this transition would be "seamless," as the platform's front-end "handles wrapping automatically with a one-time approval prompt." However, "power users and API-only traders will need to wrap their USDC or USDC.e into Polymarket USD via the Collateral Onramp contract's wrap() function." The shift has some users speculating that Polymarket could offer "yield" to customers willing to hold their new tokens on the platform. A war is currently being waged in Congress over whether to permit crypto platforms to offer "yield/rewards/interest" to users, but Polymarket isn't based in the United States, so the platform may choose to do what it wants regardless of how this fight shakes out. Meanwhile, Circle has announced plans to launch a "wrapped" version of the BTC token. The company says Circle Wrapped Bitcoin (cirBTC) will "integrate seamlessly into Circle's established infrastructure and the wider DeFi [decentralized finance] ecosystem." Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire said cirBTC would create "a neutral infrastructure for new applications for onchain BTC." For the moment, the "highly secure" cirBTC is targeted at institutions. While there's no specific launch date, cirBTC will initially be launched on Ethereum and Circle's own Arc payments network before supporting "crosschain usage and mobility" to realize a "multichain future." While Circle has long held itself up as a more regulatory-friendly stablecoin option than its archrival Tether (issuer of the market-leading USDT), both companies have been criticized for failing to do enough to assist individuals and entities that become the victims of stablecoin-related crypto crime. Circle came in for a fresh round of criticism last week following the $285 million exploit of the Solana-based Drift Protocol decentralized exchange. The April 1 exploit is believed to have been a "structured intelligence operation" perpetrated by a North Korean state-affiliated threat group previously linked to the October 2024 hack of Radiant Capital. In short, the Drift exploit followed a six-month-long operation that saw individuals posing as members of a quantitative trading firm, approaching Drift execs at crypto conferences and proposing to integrate with Drift. The scammers even "deposited over $1 million of their own capital" and "built a functioning operational presence inside the Drift ecosystem" that allowed them to install malicious software, pull off their heist, and vanish. A significant portion of the sum stolen from Drift was in USDC. Prominent blockchain sleuth ZachXBT accused Circle of being "asleep" while the attackers swapped "many millions" of this USDC from Solana to Ethereum via Circle's own Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP). ZachXBT said these transfers went on for six hours, including "during US hours," aka while most U.S.-based Circle staff were on the job. And yet, Circle failed to freeze or blacklist these stolen funds, despite this being an option for a centralized stablecoin issuer. ZachXBT followed this up with a lengthy tweet-thread detailing Circle's "$420M+ in alleged compliance failures since 2022, including fifteen cases of the US-regulated stablecoin issuer taking minimal action against illicit funds." In one April 2024 incident linked to North Korea's Lazarus Group, ZachXBT noted that Tether and two other stablecoin issuers -- Paxos (BUSD) and Techteryx (TUSD) -- responded almost immediately to law enforcement agencies' wallet-freezing requests, while Circle took 4.5 months to respond. ZachXBT summed up his thread by saying he wasn't "hoping [Circle] collapse" but "the decisions they've made around compliance have had real consequences for real people ... [Circle has] every tool and resource available to do better. They just haven't ... A US-regulated public company owes it to its users and the broader community to do better than this." Recall that it was only last September that Circle execs were publicly musing about the potential "reversibility of transactions" in cases of fraud. When this was met with criticism from blockchain purists, Circle CEO Allaire reminded them that the company had been researching "how to enable refunds," including announcing a Refund Protocol smart contract one year ago. These investor concerns are believed to have spurred Tether's announcement last month that it had finally -- after a decade of broken promises -- hired a "Big Four" auditor to examine its books. This auditor was later revealed as KPMG, with PwC also being hired to help Tether "ready its internal systems for the audit." But there's still no date for when Tether's audit might be conducted, let alone released, raising questions regarding the urgency of Tether's tight investor deadline. Others have similarly questioned Tether's need to raise any outside cash, given its claims of generating $23 billion in profits in just the past two years. It's possible that Tether needs the cash to replace some of the less-traditional items in its reserve assets, including (as of December 31), $24 billion worth of gold bricks, $8.4 billion worth of BTC tokens, and $17 billion in "secured loans." None of the above would qualify as reserve assets under the U.S. GENIUS Act, which limits stablecoin issuers to Treasury bills, cash, or something similarly liquid/reliable. Late last year, Tether's non-traditional assets led S&P Global to assign USDT its lowest possible stability rating ('weak'). The Information cited anonymous investors expressing unease over Tether's lofty valuation, which would rank the company higher than nearly every U.S. bank. Investors are also said to be wary of Tether's lack of plans for an initial public offering, the usual method by which investors can recoup some of their stake. Last week, Tether held an "intimate evening" in Miami Beach so senior execs could pitch investors on this opportunity face-to-face. No word so far on how it went, or how much "intimacy" Tether's management was prepared to offer to seal this deal. A good chunk of Tether's "secured loans" are believed to have been made to Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald (NASDAQ: ZCFITX), which claims to hold over $122 billion in T-bills that Tether claims were among its reserves at the end of last year. Bloomberg recently reported that, after Cantor founder Howard Lutnick was appointed U.S. Secretary of Commerce last year, he sold his Cantor stake to family trusts, one of which appears to have borrowed an undisclosed sum from Tether. On May 6, Lutnick is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to answer questions regarding his relationship with deceased financier/convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The interview won't be televised, but a transcript will reportedly be released at some point. We'll have to see whether any Committee members might have questions regarding Lutnick's Tether ties, particularly given USDT's apparent role in allowing commercial shipping to negotiate safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Bloomberg reported last week that large tankers capable of carrying two million barrels of oil each were being charged $2 million apiece to pass through the narrow waterway without being targeted by Iranian projectiles. Bloomberg reported that these fees were being paid in Chinese yuan or stablecoins, and while the identity of these stablecoins wasn't specified, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has shown a particular fondness for USDT when looking to evade U.S. economic sanctions. Since the U.S. is effectively at war with Iran (Tuesday's two-week truce notwithstanding), it remains to be seen if any House Oversight Democrats might query Lutnick on why his family is so closely aligned with a company that might be indirectly assisting Iran's ability to fund its war efforts. While USDT might be the reigning sanctions-evading dollar-backed stablecoin champ, the ruble-backed A7A5 has been going pretty hard to that hoop since the token launched in January 2025. Both TRM Labs and Chainalysis have credited A7A5 with over half of all stablecoin-related sanction-evading volume last year. A7A5 is issued by Kyrgyzstan-based Old Vector and A7 LLC's founder is Moldovan national Ilan Shor, but the company is partially owned by Russia's state-owned Promsvyazbank (PSB), a bank with deep military-industrial ties. A7A5 also has the Kremlin's blessing -- A7A5 was the first token to earn Russia's digital financial asset status -- as a means of friction-free cross-border settlement for government departments and private businesses close to the seat of power. Last September, Russian President Vladimir Putin personally presided over the opening of A7's office in Vladivostok, where he celebrated A7A5's role in boosting trade with Asian markets. In November, A7, PSB, and Russia's Ministry of Finance formed a new company (Rosveksel) to handle financial transactions between Russian firms and foreign counterparties. In December, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a Russian-African conference in Cairo that the A7 network was the country's "first international financial platform" and invited "all other African partners" to join the party. American, British, and European Union authorities have imposed sanctions on A7-affiliated companies and digital asset exchanges like the Kyrgyzstan-based Grinex that are the token's primary conduits. Nonetheless, the token's market cap is either just under or just over $500 million, giving it a one-third share of the non-dollar stablecoin market (and a cap about $100 million greater than Circle's euro-backed EURC). A7's director of international development, Oleg Ogienko, said in February that the token was in high demand with businesses in Asia, Africa, and South America that conduct cross-border trade with Russian entities. Now, a new report from the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) says the A7 network is "entering a new phase in which it is more directly integrated into the machinery of the Kremlin's strategic and military operations internationally." The CIR says A7 is expanding its African footprint beyond the offices it opened in Nigeria and Zimbabwe last September. Among the Russian dignitaries at those ceremonial openings was Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov, while both African countries' finance ministers were said to be in attendance. In Nigeria, A7 has partnered with local firm Pilot Finance Limited, which claims to offer "cross-border payments, treasury and settlement solutions." Pilot's website domain was created a mere five days after A7 Nigeria's main site, and CIR says "it is not clear to what extent Pilot Finance has independent operations beyond its work with A7 Nigeria." In January, an A7-linked delegation including PSB's deputy chairman made undisclosed visits to Madagascar and Togo, both of which recently welcomed Russian military "instructors." Last month, A7 placed ads looking for a country managers in Togo, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. CIR said it was "a plausible hypothesis" that A7 could soon help finance African countries' purchases of military gear from Russian entities. The apparent uneasiness on behalf of these local governments in publicizing their A7 ties may be due to their unwillingness to unnecessarily poke America in the eye, but their links to Russia's sanctions-evading efforts seem to be getting harder to hide. Back to the top ↑ Watch | Tokenization in focus: Key insights from the Tokenize: LDN
The Top 10 Best Humanoid Robot Manufacturers in 2026: Tesla Optimus, Figure AI and Chinese Leaders Dominate
Humanoid robots are no longer prototypes gathering dust in labs. In 2026, they are clocking shifts on factory floors, unloading trailers and even folding laundry in pilot homes. Global shipments topped 13,317 units in 2025 and are accelerating fast, with Chinese manufacturers claiming 87% of volume while U.S. firms lead on AI sophistication and valuation. Industry analysts point to a perfect storm: cheaper actuators, vision-language-action models and corporate hunger for labor solutions. Ten companies stand out for blending hardware scale, software smarts and real deployments. Here are the top 10 best humanoid robot manufacturers in 2026, ranked by a mix of shipments, innovation, commercial traction and future potential. 1. Tesla Tesla's Optimus Gen 2 (with Gen 3 pilots underway) remains the most ambitious general-purpose humanoid. Standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 125 pounds, it uses the same neural nets that power Full Self-Driving. The company converted part of its Fremont factory to robot production and aims for 1 million units a year at a $20,000-$30,000 target price. Early factory testing is underway, and public sales are eyed for late 2027. No other player matches Tesla's vertical integration of AI compute, battery tech and manufacturing muscle. 2. Figure AI Valued at $39 billion after a massive 2025 funding round, Figure AI is the darling of big tech. Its Figure 03 humanoid features palm cameras, fingertip sensors detecting 3-gram forces and Helix vision-language-action AI. A landmark 11-month pilot at BMW's Spartanburg, S.C., plant helped build more than 30,000 X3 vehicles, loading 90,000+ parts over 1,250 robot hours. BMW is now expanding trials in Europe with next-generation models. Figure's dedicated BotQ factory targets 12,000 units annually. 3. AGIBOT Shanghai-based AGIBOT is the undisputed volume king. It shipped 5,168 units in 2025 and reached its 10,000th robot by late March 2026 -- adding the second 5,000 in just three months. Its A2 full-size and X2 compact models are already in industrial, retail and education deployments across China and made their U.S. debut at CES 2026. Backed by battery giant CATL, AGIBOT also open-sourced the "AGIBOT WORLD 2026" dataset to accelerate embodied AI research. It proves scale and speed can coexist with real-world utility. 4. Boston Dynamics Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics unveiled its all-electric Atlas at CES 2026, trading hydraulic acrobatics for industrial practicality while retaining legendary agility. The 4-hour runtime and fleet-management Orbit platform position it for warehouse and manufacturing pilots. With 30-plus years of bipedal expertise, the company plans 30,000 units a year. Its shift from viral videos to enterprise-grade reliability cements its place among the elite. 5. Unitree Robotics Unitree's G1, priced at just $13,500, democratized humanoids. The Hangzhou company shipped 4,200 units in 2025 and continues mass production of agile, cost-effective models for logistics and entertainment. Its H1 set running-speed records, and global shipping is routine. Unitree proves high performance need not cost a fortune, pressuring Western rivals on price. 6. Agility Robotics Oregon-based Agility delivered the first commercially deployed humanoid: Digit, now at work in Amazon and GXO Logistics warehouses for case picking and trailer unloading. Its legs-forward design and Agility Arc cloud software solve real material-handling shortages. With $641 million raised, Agility leads in proven ROI for logistics. 7. 1X Technologies Norway's 1X focuses on the home. Its NEO humanoid -- lightweight at 66 pounds, 4-hour battery and quiet actuators -- is available for pre-order at $20,000 or $499 monthly. OpenAI partnership powers natural conversation and household tasks. While others chase factories, 1X bets the biggest market is inside our living rooms. 8. Apptronik Austin-based Apptronik's Apollo targets 3PL, retail and manufacturing with a 160-pound frame, swappable 4-hour battery and 55-pound payload. Early commercial pilots emphasize injury reduction and repeatable tasks. Its ROI-focused engineering appeals to cost-conscious warehouse operators. 9. UBTECH Shenzhen's UBTECH shipped 1,000 Walker S and Alpha-series units in 2025 for education, elder care and services. Publicly listed and vertically integrated, it balances consumer-friendly pricing with full-size industrial capability -- a rare dual-track approach. 10. Sanctuary AI Vancouver's Sanctuary AI stands out for dexterity. Its Phoenix humanoid uses hydraulic hands and embodied AI that mimics human cognition. Microsoft and NVIDIA backing, plus pilot programs, position it for high-precision collaborative work. While smaller in volume, its focus on truly human-like manipulation keeps it on the cutting edge. The humanoid race is far from over. Goldman Sachs and others forecast the market could reach tens of billions within a decade as robots move from factories into services, health care and homes. Challenges remain -- battery life, regulatory approval and ethical questions about job displacement -- but 2026 has already shown the technology is no longer experimental. From Tesla's factory ambitions to AGIBOT's 10,000-unit milestone and Figure AI's BMW production wins, these 10 manufacturers are turning science fiction into shift work. The robots are here. The question now is how fast society adapts.
Anthropic Unveils Project Glasswing with Claude Mythos Preview, Keeps New Model Out of Public Hands
Anthropic has just announced Project Glasswing, and it's far from your standard product launch. It is a new AI model as part of cybersecurity initiative backed by Apple, AWS, Broadcom, Cisco, CrowdStrike, Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Palo Alto Networks to proactively hunt down and patch vulnerabilities in the world's most critical software infrastructure. At the center of the announcement is Claude Mythos Preview, a general-purpose frontier model that Anthropic has deliberately kept unreleased to the public. According to the company, Mythos Preview has autonomously identified thousands of high-severity, zero-day vulnerabilities across all major operating systems and web browsers. Some of these flaws have survived decades of human review and millions of automated tests, highlighting just how capable AI has become at reading and exploiting code. For example, Mythos Preview unearthed a 27-year-old remote crash bug in OpenBSD, a famously hardened OS. It also found a 16-year-old flaw in FFmpeg missed by automated testing five million times. And it chained multiple Linux kernel exploits to achieve total system control. The model is privately available to Glasswing partners, which include JPMorgan Chase, Broadcom, Cisco, CrowdStrike, the Linux Foundation, Palo Alto Networks, and about 40 other critical infrastructure organizations. Anthropic is also subsidizing usage with $100 million in credits and donating $4 million to open-source security groups. According to The Verge, the company has briefed US government officials on Mythos Preview's capabilities and is "committed to working closely with all levels of government." The work ahead will take months, even years, and requires cooperation across AI developers, software maintainers, cyber defenders, and governments.
Real Madrid was thrown into chaos at midnight! Arda Güler must leave this team immediately.
After the defeat against Bayern Munich, Arda Güler's substitution drew reactions, while Real Madrid fans' comments of "Arda Güler should leave this team immediately!" stood out. After Real Madrid's 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, Arda Güler's decision sparked a major debate in Spain. Real Madrid fell into a disadvantageous position before the return match by losing 2-1 at home to Bayern Munich. Bayern took the lead with goals from Luis Diaz and Harry Kane, while Madrid's only response came from Kylian Mbappe. Starting in the first eleven, Arda Güler drew attention with his performance, especially in the first half. The young star's through ball to Mbappe and his effectiveness in attack stood out. Arda Güler being substituted in the 71st minute for Brahim Diaz drove Real Madrid fans almost to madness. This choice by head coach Alvaro Arbeloa was heavily criticized on social media. Fans reacted strongly to Arda's substitution. Comments on social media highlighted phrases like "The best player on the field was substituted" and "Arda Güler should leave this team immediately!" Some users also directed harsh criticisms at the head coach.
Is Claude Down? Anthropic AI Faces Fresh Outage for Second Straight Day | 📲 LatestLY
Anthropic's popular AI chatbot Claude and its developer-focused Claude Code tool experienced another major outage on Wednesday, April 8, leaving users unable to access services for the second consecutive day. According to Anthropic's official system status page, a "major outage" was reported across both the Claude website and Claude Code. Thousands of users flagged issues on outage-tracking platform DownDetector, citing login failures, slow responses, and complete service disruptions. Claude New Feature Update: Anthropic's AI Assistant Allows Mac Users to Remotely Control Desktops and Execute Tasks via Smartphone. The repeated downtime comes just a day after similar widespread disruptions were reported on April 7, raising concerns about the platform's reliability amid rapidly growing demand. Over the past few weeks, Anthropic's status dashboard has logged multiple incidents affecting performance and availability. Anthropic Expands Claude AI Integration to Microsoft 365 for All Users. The surge in usage may be contributing to these technical challenges. Interest in Claude has grown significantly, with the app briefly overtaking ChatGPT in downloads on Apple's App Store in early March, signaling intensifying competition in the AI chatbot space. While many users took to social media to express frustration over the recurring outages, Anthropic has yet to release a detailed explanation or timeline for full service restoration. The back-to-back disruptions highlight the pressure on AI platforms to maintain stability as adoption accelerates globally. For developers and businesses relying on Claude Code, such outages can lead to workflow interruptions and productivity setbacks. As of now, users are advised to monitor Anthropic's official status page for real-time updates while the company works to resolve the issue. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 08, 2026 12:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Claude AI Down Again April 8 2026: Anthropic Outage Hits Users After Yesterday's Major Incident
SAN FRANCISCO -- Anthropic's popular AI chatbot Claude is experiencing renewed connectivity issues Wednesday, April 8, 2026, with hundreds of users reporting login failures, chat errors and degraded performance less than 24 hours after the company resolved a "major outage" that disrupted service on April 7. While Anthropic's official status page currently lists all systems as operational with no active incidents reported for today, user reports on Downdetector, Reddit and X have spiked since early morning, echoing the same "elevated errors on Claude.ai" pattern seen yesterday. Many users are encountering messages about service disruptions when trying to access claude.ai, the mobile app or Claude Code. The back-to-back problems highlight growing pains for one of the fastest-growing AI platforms as demand continues to surge. Anthropic, valued at tens of billions, has seen Claude become a daily tool for millions of developers, writers, students and professionals worldwide. Yesterday's Major Outage: What Happened on April 7 On Tuesday, April 7, Anthropic confirmed a significant outage starting around 14:32 UTC. Users reported widespread problems with login/logout functions, voice mode, standard chats and Claude Code. The company's status page labeled it a "major outage," with thousands of complaints flooding Downdetector. The issue was resolved by approximately 15:12 UTC after about 40 minutes of elevated errors. Anthropic stated the problems were tied to authentication paths and certain Claude.ai features, while noting the underlying Claude API remained largely unaffected for enterprise users. Many affected users expressed frustration on social media, with some reporting lost work in progress or interrupted workflows. The outage came amid heavy usage, as Claude has gained traction as a strong competitor to OpenAI's ChatGPT, particularly for coding, research and creative tasks. Today's Renewed Complaints: Is Claude Down Right Now? As of mid-morning Pacific Time on April 8, the official status page shows green across claude.ai, platform.claude.com, the API and Claude Code. However, real-time user feedback tells a more mixed story. Downdetector indicates a spike in reports, with many users citing "Claude Chat" and "App" issues. On X, posts with phrases like "Claude down again" and "Claude outage" appeared throughout the morning, with users sharing screenshots of error messages. Some reported intermittent access -- able to log in but experiencing slow responses or failed generations -- while others could not connect at all. This marks the latest in a series of service disruptions for Anthropic in recent weeks. Industry observers note that as AI models grow more powerful and user bases expand rapidly, maintaining 99.9%+ uptime becomes increasingly challenging due to massive computational demands and complex infrastructure. Why Claude Outages Matter Unlike smaller platforms, Claude's reliability issues ripple across the global economy. Developers rely on it for code generation, businesses use it for customer support automation, and students depend on it for research assistance. When Claude goes down, productivity grinds to a halt for many -- prompting memes about "the entire global economy reverting to the stone age." Anthropic has invested heavily in scaling its infrastructure, recently announcing expansions and new model releases. However, the frequency of outages suggests the company is still optimizing for the explosive growth Claude has experienced since its public launch. Anthropic's Response and Transparency Anthropic has earned praise in the past for relatively transparent communication during outages via its public status page. In yesterday's incident, the team provided timely updates and confirmed resolution quickly. As of April 8, no new official statement has been issued for today's reports, which may indicate the issues are more scattered or still under investigation. Users experiencing problems are encouraged to check status.claude.com, try clearing cache or using a VPN, or switching between desktop and mobile. Enterprise API users have generally reported fewer disruptions than consumer-facing claude.ai. Broader Context in the AI Industry Claude is not alone in facing reliability challenges. OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini and other major chatbots have all experienced notable outages in 2026 as demand for generative AI strains data centers and cloud infrastructure worldwide. The sector's rapid growth -- with models becoming more capable and user bases ballooning -- has created a "success disaster" scenario for many providers. Analysts suggest that as AI becomes more mission-critical, companies like Anthropic will face increasing pressure to invest in redundant systems, edge computing and better load balancing. Some users have begun exploring multi-AI workflows, keeping backups like Grok or Gemini ready when Claude falters. What Users Can Do While Waiting For those impacted today: * Monitor Anthropic's official status page for updates. * Try alternative access methods (different browser, incognito mode, or the API if available). * Report issues directly through Claude's help channels when service returns. * Consider premium plans, which sometimes receive priority during partial outages. Anthropic has not commented on potential compensation or extended credits for affected users, though the company has offered goodwill gestures in previous major disruptions. Looking Ahead for Claude and Anthropic Despite the recurring hiccups, Claude remains one of the most highly regarded AI assistants for its reasoning capabilities, safety focus and creative output. Anthropic's valuation continues to climb, reflecting strong investor confidence in its long-term potential even as it navigates scaling challenges. For now, many users are simply hoping for a quiet day without further interruptions. As one X user noted, "Claude goes down and the entire global economy reverts to the stone age" -- a humorous exaggeration that captures how indispensable the tool has become for countless professionals. Anthropic is expected to continue investing aggressively in infrastructure to reduce outage frequency. In the competitive AI landscape, reliability may soon become as important as model intelligence itself.
What is Claude Mythos, and why is Anthropic limiting its rollout?
Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has unveiled a preview of what it says is the most powerful model it has ever built -- an advanced system called Claude Mythos -- but unlike typical AI launches, the company is deliberately keeping the technology away from the public for now. The model, which represents a major leap in capability over Anthropic's existing AI systems, has drawn global attention because of its ability to autonomously identify serious vulnerabilities in widely used software and infrastructure. Early testing suggests the system can detect security flaws across operating systems, browsers and enterprise software at a pace far beyond most human researchers. Instead of a full commercial rollout, Anthropic has opted for a limited preview under a new cybersecurity initiative called "Project Glasswing", through which the model will be made available only to a small group of technology companies, infrastructure operators and security organisations. The move reflects growing concern in the AI industry that frontier models could dramatically accelerate cyberattacks if deployed without safeguards. The decision also highlights a broader dilemma confronting the AI sector: the same systems that can strengthen digital defences can also become powerful tools for hackers. As AI models become more autonomous and capable of reasoning through complex technical problems, experts warn that the line between defensive and offensive cyber capabilities is rapidly blurring. Anthropic's most powerful model yet Mythos is part of a new generation of large AI systems that sit above Anthropic's existing flagship models in terms of reasoning, coding ability and problem-solving. Internally described as a "step change" in capability, the system is designed to analyse software, understand complex codebases and identify security weaknesses with minimal human supervision. Also Read | Why Artemis II crew went farther from Earth than anyone before Early experiments have already demonstrated its potential impact. The model was able to discover thousands of vulnerabilities across major operating systems and web browsers, including some that had remained undetected for decades. The system's efficiency is also striking. Anthropic researchers say the model is roughly an order of magnitude faster than previous tools in identifying security bugs, significantly compressing the time between vulnerability discovery and exploitation. Story continues below this ad Because of these capabilities, Anthropic has decided not to release Mythos publicly. Instead, it is giving access only to a limited group of partners such as major technology firms and cybersecurity organisations that manage critical infrastructure. The goal is to allow defenders to use the technology to identify and patch vulnerabilities before similar AI capabilities become widely available. Anthropic has also been engaging with government agencies and industry groups to assess the risks of deploying such powerful systems. The broader cybersecurity risks of advanced AI The cautious rollout of Mythos underscores a growing fear among security experts: that advanced AI could soon transform cyber warfare and digital crime. Also in Explained | How NASA will fly astronauts to the Moon and back for Artemis II Traditionally, identifying software vulnerabilities required specialised expertise and weeks or months of manual analysis. Powerful AI models can automate much of this process, enabling attackers to scan vast codebases and launch multiple hacking campaigns simultaneously. Story continues below this ad Researchers warn that AI-driven tools could dramatically increase the scale and speed of cyberattacks. Autonomous AI agents capable of reasoning and writing code can potentially identify flaws, generate exploits and deploy attacks with minimal human input. This shift could also lower the technical barrier for cybercrime. Models capable of generating working exploits may allow individuals with limited cybersecurity training to launch sophisticated attacks. At the same time, organisations are increasingly integrating AI agents into internal workflows, sometimes connecting them to corporate systems and databases. Security experts caution that poorly configured AI tools could unintentionally create new entry points for hackers.
EU entry-exit system: Everything you need to know about new system as chaos continues
With just days to go before the long-promised completion of the EU entry-exit system (EES), The Independent has learnt the digital border scheme is unravelling. Some nations in the Schengen area are processing "third-country nationals", including the British, in accordance with the rules laid down by Brussels. But others - notably France, the most popular country in the world for overseas visitors - are far from ready, despite the progressive roll-out of the scheme over six months. "Wet stamping" of passports when entering or leaving the Schengen area was due to disappear by 10 April, but is likely to continue at some frontiers. At others, the only data collected may be basic passport details rather than biometrics. The much-delayed roll-out began on 12 October 2025. The European Commission insists that the scheme is already proving highly effective in detecting overstays and wanted criminals. But the long-planned European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) - the so-called "euro visa" - looks extremely unlikely to be in effect before the end of the year, despite repeated pledges that it will be. These are the key questions and answers. What's the big idea? Brussels has promised "the most modern IT border system in the world". To keep tabs on who is coming and going, "third-country nationals" such as the British will be registered in the entry-exit system every time they cross an external frontier. This means arrivals and departures at airports, land borders and ports in the Schengen area (comprising the EU except Ireland and Cyprus, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland). The aims of the digital borders scheme are: According to the rules, British travellers will need to register the four fingerprints from their right hand (not required of children under 12) and a facial biometric on their first encounter with EES. Once registered, on subsequent encounters you should be asked to supply only one biometric when entering and leaving the Schengen area; this is almost certain to be the face. But reports from travellers indicate that you may be asked for both face and fingerprints on multiple occasions. A European Commission spokesperson told The Independent: "This is about the security of Europeans. With the EES, we are building the most modern IT border system in the world. In the past five months, we had more than 44.5 million entries and exits registered. There have been over 24,000 refusals of entry, of which over 600 persons were assessed to be security threats to the Union. What's the problem? Each of the member states, being sovereign nations, is introducing the system at its Schengen area frontiers in its own way. These range from a single airport in the case of Luxembourg to nations with possibly dozens of airports, ferry ports, road and rail borders - such as France, Greece, Poland and Spain. Member states have typically installed ranks of EES kiosks - equipped to take facial biometrics and fingerprints - at each frontier. But there are known problems connecting to the central database. Particular concern has been expressed about the three UK locations where frontier formalities are "juxtaposed" - with French Police aux Frontières conducting checks on British soil. These comprise the Eurotunnel LeShuttle terminal at Folkestone terminal, the Port Of Dover and the Eurostar hub at London St Pancras International. The UK government has provided £10m towards the necessary infrastructure investment. But the three locations have spent many tens of millions of pounds more to create registration areas for British and other travellers to register their biometrics. Yet they are standing idle, reportedly because of connectivity problems on the French side. What will happen when I arrive at a Schengen area frontier? It is impossible to predict. These are four of the possible scenarios: Classic EES You approach the entry-exit system kiosk and insert your passport as indicated on the screen. The system knows whether you are registered. If you are not, you will provide the necessary face and fingerprints for storage on the database. If you have already been through the system, you should be asked only to provide a facial biometric. You will then be directed either to eGates or a human border officer. From 10 April 2026 you should not have your passport stamped. EES plus This is the case when you know for a fact that you have provided your facial biometric and fingerprints, typically on your way in to a Schengen area country, but then have to provide both once again - either on the way out, or on a subsequent entry, or both. The explanation could be that your biometrics were not properly recorded at the first attempt - or that the member state wants to do things its own way. EES minus At frontiers that are particularly busy, or where the biometric equipment is not functioning properly, you may simply have your passport scanned by a border officer. This will be registered on the entry-exit system database. No wet stamping should be necessary. What EES? The Independent understands that some nations will completely suspend interaction with the entry-exit system at some crossing points for the summer. If this happens, wet stamping will continue. Such an imbalance has plenty of scope for creating anomalies, such as entering country A with only a passport stamp, but leaving nation B through EES - without ever apparently having arrived. It is likely that such anomalies will be overlooked by the authorities until the system is fully working. I have heard about long delays at airports Many travellers have told The Independent of extremely long queues at airports where the EES is already in force: both on entry and exit. There have been some cases of departing passengers missing flights because the waits are so long. Two key aviation leaders in Europe - Olivier Jankovec, representing airports, and Ourania Georgoutsakou, representing airlines - have issued a joint statement warning: "The combination of full registration requirements and reduced operational flexibility is expected to place unprecedented strain on border control operations." They are calling on the European Commission and member states to fully or partially suspend EES "where operationally necessary" during the summer of 2026, citing: A European Commission spokesperson said the organisation "is aware of the concerns expressed" and "has been engaging constructively with the industry". They added: "With the system operating well, it takes only 70 seconds to register an entry or exit." What is happening with the Etias? This is the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, akin to the UK's ETA and the US Esta, and colloquially known as a euro visa. It will become mandatory for third-country nationals who do not require a full EU visa. The Commission insists: "Etias will start operations in the last quarter of 2026." But that seems extremely unlikely, since it requires the entry-exit system to be working well for at least six months before it begins. Travellers are assured: "The European Union will inform about the specific date for the start of Etias several months prior to its launch. What does the European Commission say about all this? The spokesperson said: "All member states had declared their readiness ahead of its progressive launch. This was a legal precondition for setting the launch date of the EES. "Despite the agreed timeline, a few member states are encountering technical difficulties. The Commission is in close contact with these member states and also sharing best practices from member states where the system is working well. "The EES rules foresee flexibility to ensure border fluidity. There are fall-back solutions that member states can rely on if needed." The final line points to the feeling in Brussels that individual nations are not doing well enough: "Border fluidity should also be ensured by the member states by providing enough resources and personnel at heavy-traffic border crossing points."
Ranthambore Chaos: Tiger Forced To Wait Amid Safari Vehicle Traffic Jam, Netizens Slam Mismanagement Loudly, WATCH
The video shows a tiger in Ranthambore National Park who got caught in a real "traffic jam," which started a strong argument about the ethical problems that modern wildlife tourism creates. The video that Instagram user Monty Bhatt shared shows a magnificent tiger who stands on a small forest path that safari jeeps have built a barrier around. The apex predator cannot escape because drivers compete to find the ideal viewing position while tourists extend their smartphones outside their vehicles. The practice of "jeep-locked" wildlife viewing has progressed beyond basic animal observation to become a major instance of operational failure that prioritizes viral content creation and ticket revenue over essential conservation practices and animal protection measures. Wildlife Displacement and Stress Factors The Ranthambore footage shows physical encroachment, which violates the "flight-to-fight" distance rule for wild cats. The dual internal combustion engines that operate close to the tiger create acoustic pollution with exhaust fumes, which produce sensory overload that disrupts the tiger's natural patterns of hunting and mating. The continuous presence of high-density vehicle clusters forces animals to change their home ranges because they must move toward "buffer zones" where they face increased dangers from human-wildlife interactions. According to wildlife biologists, the tiger in the video showed a "calm" appearance, which reflects habituation, a dangerous state that occurs when animals stop fearing humans and then develop unpredictable behavior that may lead to fatal situations. Ethical Tourism and Regulatory Reform The government needs to establish better rules that control vehicle numbers and direct vehicle operation to protect national reserves. The organization needs to apply its "zero-tolerance" rule for proximity violations, which should include real-time GPS tracking of safari vehicles to ensure compliance with distance regulations. The industry needs to adopt an ethical tourism model that values the natural environment more than its visual attractions to solve its operational problems. This process requires visitors to understand that a successful safari experience depends on ecosystem health instead of obtaining close-up photographs. The tiger reserves, which represent India's most important wildlife areas, will become crowded outdoor exhibits if authorities do not set strict vehicle entry limits and drivers do not complete required sensitivity training.
Thousands Flock Guwahati Stations Ahead of Assam Polls Amid Transport Chaos
The situation has led to chaos, with some bus drivers taking advantage of the high demand by charging exorbitant fares -- reports indicate journeys costing ₹1,000 for trips that normally cost around ₹200 GUWAHATI: The Guwahati Railway Station has become a gathering point for numerous passengers who intend to travel back home to vote in the upcoming Assam Assembly elections. From early morning, commuters faced long queues and crowded platforms, struggling to find transportation to their constituencies. The situation has led to chaos, with some bus drivers taking advantage of the high demand by charging exorbitant fares -- reports indicate journeys costing ₹1,000 for trips that normally cost around ₹200. Complaints have also emerged against certain bus operators for overcharging. Despite the hardships, people remain determined to exercise their democratic right. The Paltan Bazaar railway station experienced similar situations, as voters demonstrated their irritation about the unavailable transportation options. As per reports, the state will not permit green buses to operate during the next two days because most vehicles have been assigned to the Election Commission of India (ECI), which creates additional problems for travelers. The ISBT facility holds all remaining buses to support necessary transportation activities. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated the process of deploying EVM and VVPAT machines to five Guwahati constituencies from the Maniram Dewan Trade Centre strong room at Betkuchi. Polling officials transfer election equipment and materials to Dispur and four other voting locations across Dimoria, New Guwahati, Central Guwahati, and Jalukbari constituencies. The voting process will begin at 7 AM, and law enforcement officials will remain vigilant to maintain order throughout the polling time. The Kamrup Metro district contains 1,218 polling stations which service 10,55,288 registered voters who include 5,07,857 men and 5,47,400 women and 31 voters who identify as third gender. The Dispur constituency has 2,44,725 voters across 272 polling stations, Dimoria has 2,18,158 voters in 262 stations, New Guwahati has 1,92,148 voters in 219 stations, Central Guwahati has 1,92,615 voters in 218 stations, and Jalukbari has 2,07,642 voters in 247 stations. The district has one polling station designated as the model polling station for each constituency, while 120 polling stations throughout the district are under the complete authority of female election officers. Across the five constituencies, 25 candidates have registered to run for election. International Eyes on Assam: Observers Arrive to Monitor Poll Fairness For the first time, an international team of election observers has arrived in Assam to monitor the election process. Hosted by the Election Commission, 15 representatives from seven countries -- including Angola, Benin, Croatia, Egypt, Mexico, Portugal, and Sri Lanka -- will visit various polling stations, review the conditions for polling and presiding officers, and inspect the security measures at strong rooms to ensure transparency and fairness. The delegation is divided into three groups, each with a designated protocol officer and videography team, ensuring systematic observation across the city. Bipul Das, Joint Secretary from the CEO office, is the nodal officer overseeing the programme, with the team accommodated at Radisson Blu, Guwahati. According to the IEVP schedule for April 8-9, 2026, the observers arrived at LGBI Airport at 10:40 AM, followed by visits to the dispatch centres and media monitoring units. Group-wise polling station visits are planned early on the second day, covering a range of schools and local centres across Kamrup and Kamrup Metro, with a visit to district webcasting monitoring centres afterward.
Polymarket Traders Accused of Insider Trading on US-Iran Bet
Three newly created wallets profited a combined $484,575 on Polymarket betting that the US and Iran would agree to a ceasefire by Tuesday, in the latest event to raise suspicion of insider trading. The wallets were created and funded on Tuesday and had no prior onchain activity before betting on Polymarket's "US x Iran ceasefire by April 7" market, blockchain data shared by Lookonchain revealed on Wednesday. Polymarket data shows the profits secured by the three wallets were $200,525, $158,600 and $125,450 at the time of writing. The "yes" bets were placed at probabilities between 2.9% and 10.3%. One Polymarket trader made their first trade on the "US x Iran ceasefire by April 7" market at 1:59 pm UTC on Tuesday, roughly eight and a half hours before US President Donald Trump confirmed that a ceasefire agreement had been made in a post on Truth Social at 10:32 pm UTC. The other two traders placed their first bets at 10:01 am UTC on Tuesday and 8:50 pm UTC on Monday. The bets were paid out after both the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, although neither side has ruled out the possibility of further military action. Prediction markets have become one of the fastest-growing uses for crypto and are consistently surpassing $10 billion in monthly trading volume. However, lawmakers and regulators around the world have heavily scrutinized prediction platforms over fears of rising insider trading and market manipulation. In January, US lawmakers introduced a bill to restrict government officials from trading on prediction market platforms after one Polymarket user profited over $400,000 on a market related to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro being captured by US forces. The successful bet raised suspicion of insider knowledge. Related: Polymarket takes down market on missing US pilot after backlash In February, Israeli authorities arrested and indicted two people for allegedly using secret information to place bets related to Israel striking Iran on Polymarket in June 2025. One of those arrested was a member of Israel's military. Polymarket and Kalshi have implemented their own measures to spot and deter insider trading. In February, Kalshi said it formed an independent advisory committee and partnered with crypto trading surveillance platform Solidus Labs "to detect, investigate, and address market abuse."
