Production has begun on the new TV adaptation of Harry Potter, as the first picture of the lead actor in costume was released.
JK Rowling’s series of novels has already been made into a film, but HBO is now producing a TV series which is expected to take 10 years to complete.
Producers released the first picture of 11-year-old Dominic McLaughlin in costume as Harry Potter on Monday and confirmed several new cast members.
Rory Wilmot hast been cast as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch, and Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander.
They join stars such as John Lithgow, who will play Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Hagrid, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall and Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape.
The programme will be filmed at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire, which is where the eight Harry Potter movies were also shot.
HBO has previously said the series would be “a faithful adaptation of the iconic books”.
The TV series will have more breathing space to explore the plot lines from the books without the time constraints of the film.
Producers also announced new production staff, several of whom have previously worked on The Crown such as director of photography Adriano Goldman and hair and makeup designer Cate Hall.
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Bitcoin has scaled $120,000 for the first time, a major milestone for the world’s largest cryptocurrency in the run-up to what could be a landmark week.
Starting July 14, “Crypto Week” will see the US House of Representatives debate three industry-friendly bills that are likely to provide cryptocurrencies with the US regulatory framework that crypto insiders have long demanded.
US President Donald Trump has urged policymakers to revamp their rules, away from the plethora of lawsuits brought against crypto firms by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under former President Joe Biden (2021-2025), in favour of the industry.
Expectations of further tailwinds helped propel Bitcoin, up 29 percent so far this year, to a record high of $122,055 on Monday. Bitcoin, the very first cryptocurrency, began trading in January 2009, when it was valued at just $0.004.
The surge has sparked a broader rally across other cryptocurrencies as Ether, the world’s second-most popular token, reached a five-month high of $3,048.2 on Monday.
More generally, the sector’s total market value has swelled to roughly $3.8 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.
Cryptocurrencies are a form of monetary exchange that allows people to bypass central banks and traditional payment methods.
What is at stake?
US lawmakers will discuss three key pieces of legislation during “Crypto Week”:
The GENIUS Act aims to clarify when digital assets like crypto tokens are considered securities or commodities, helping startups avoid legal uncertainty by providing clear regulatory rules. The Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act has already passed the Senate.
The Clarity Act would block federal agencies from using court rulings to overextend regulatory power, ensuring that Congress – and not courts – defines how crypto assets are classified and governed.
The Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act would prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC), arguing it could enable government surveillance of Americans’ financial activity and threaten individual privacy.
This marks a sharp reversal for a sector that once threatened to do its business outside the US, citing a hostile environment and heavy-handed enforcement.
Crypto companies have long accused US financial regulators (like the SEC) of enacting confusing or conflicting rules.
“We expect capital that was previously sidelined due to regulatory uncertainty to re-enter … even if final passage stalls,” Jag Kooner, head of derivatives at Bitfinex crypto exchange, told Reuters.
This week’s decisions could make it easier for companies to launch new digital asset products and to trade in crypto.
Does the proposed legislation have critics?
Democrats are expected to offer amendments to the GENIUS and Clarity Acts.
Critics have argued that the Trump administration is conceding too much ground to the crypto industry.
“I’m concerned that what my Republican colleagues are aiming for is another industry handout,” Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said on July 9 at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing.
She urged Congress to bar public officials, including Trump, from issuing, backing or profiting from crypto tokens.
Warren also argued that new crypto rules should not “open a back door to destroy” longtime securities laws, or allow volatility in the crypto market to spill over into the traditional financial system.
Finally, she underscored that anti-money laundering rules should apply to the industry. Crypto users are identified by alphanumeric wallet addresses, not their names, allowing bad actors to obscure the source of their illicit funds.
The Biden administration adopted a tough regulatory stance towards cryptocurrencies, aiming to oversee the digital assets as securities subject to the same regulations as stocks and bonds.
(Al Jazeera)
What’s Trump’s interest in crypto?
Trump, once a crypto sceptic, became a major promoter during his presidential campaign last year, even becoming the first major-party presidential candidate to accept campaign donations via crypto.
During the 2024 campaign, crypto insiders spent nearly a quarter of a billion dollars, according to Federal Election Commission data, in support of crypto allies – and to try and weed out antagonists.
In March, Trump said he would create a crypto reserve that would include five cryptocurrencies (including Bitcoin), adding he would make the US “the crypto capital of the world”.
Meanwhile, Trump’s family business has launched several cryptocurrency meme coins, flash-in-the-pan assets inspired by internet jokes or cultural references, such as $Trump and $Melania.
Trump has faced criticism over conflicts of interest regarding his family’s ventures. For instance, World Liberty Financial – a crypto group backed by Trump and his sons in 2024 – has earned the president $57m.
Elsewhere, Trump Media & Technology Group filed paperwork with the SEC in July seeking approval to launch its own “Crypto Blue-Chip ETF”, an exchange-traded fund holding Bitcoin and other digital currencies.
How has Bitcoin performed since Trump was re-elected?
If Bitcoin were a country, it would rank in the top 10 by gross domestic product, roughly on par with countries like Brazil ($2.17 trillion) and Canada ($2.14 trillion).
Since Donald Trump’s re-election in November 2024, Bitcoin has surged by 75 percent, rising from about $69,539 at close on Election Day to its current record level. It rallied to above $100,000 for the first time last December.
The cryptocurrency briefly dropped below $90,000 on February 25, amid market jitters triggered by Trump’s announcement of new tariffs on multiple countries and industries worldwide, before recovering after Trump’s “crypto reserve” announcement.
Bitcoin’s rise also arrives amid a wider backdrop of economic uncertainty, notably the global turmoil from Trump’s steep – and on-again, off-again – tariffs imposed on key trading partners worldwide, in addition to ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
“Bitcoin has shown resilience this year, rebounding in line with its macro exposures following tariff announcements,” Citibank analysts wrote in a research paper last week.
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s trip to space has created a huge interest in India
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who created history by becoming the first Indian ever to set foot on the International Space Station (ISS),is on his way back.
A live broadcast showed the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission undocking from the orbiting laboratory with its four-member crew on Monday. It isexpected to splash down in just under 24 hours.
Led by former Nasa veteran Peggy Whitson and piloted by Group Captain Shukla, Ax-4 had arrived at ISS on 26 June. Its crew included Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
Group Captain Shukla is only the second Indian to have gone to space. His trip came 41 years after cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma flew aboard a Russian Soyuz in 1984.
Axiom Space
Axiom Space recently shared pictures on X, showing the crew enjoying a feast in orbit
Ax-4 – a commercial flight operated by Houston-based private firm Axiom Space – is a collaboration between Nasa, India’s space agency Isro, European Space Agency (Esa) and SpaceX.
On Monday, ISS posted on X that the Ax-4 crew had taken their places in the spacecraft and its hatches had been closed. The undocking of the craft – when it separated from the ISS – was broadcast live.
Axiom Space said the craft would splash down in the ocean off the coast of California and a vessel would then pick it up.
Indian Science Minister Jitendra Singh has said the splash down is scheduled for 15 July at approximately 15:00 India time (09:30 GMT).
In his farewell address from aboard the ISS on Sunday, the Indian astronaut said India’s journey in space exploration may be tough, but it has begun.
“It has been an incredible journey. Even though now it is coming to an end, for you and me there is a long way to go. The journey of our human space mission is very long and difficult. But if we are determined, even the stars are attainable.”
He referred to India’s first man in space cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma famously quoting from a 1924 Urdu song “Sare jahan se achcha” to say “India looked better than the rest of the world”.
“Even today we want to know how it looks from space. I’ll tell you. From space, today’s India looks ambitious. It looks fearless. It looks confident. It looks proud. And so, I can once again say that today’s India still looks better than the rest of the world,” Group Captain Shukla said.
Axiom Space
The spacecraft will take approximately 22 hours after leaving ISS to splash down
Ax-4, which was originally expected to spend two weeks on the ISS, ended up staying a few days longer. During their stay, Axiom Space said the crew conducted 60 scientific experiments, including seven designed by Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro).
Isro, which had paid 5bn rupees ($59m; £43m) to secure a seat for Group Captain Shukla on Ax-4 and his training, has said the hands-on experience he gains during his trip to the ISS will help India in its human space flights.
Isro has announced plans to launch Gaganyaan – the country’s first-ever human space flight in 2027 – and has ambitious plans to set up a space station by 2035 and send an astronaut to the Moon by 2040.
Group Captain Shukla is among four Indian air force officers shortlisted last year to travel on Gaganyaan.
Born on 10 October 1985 in the northern city of Lucknow, Group Captain Shukla joined the air force as a fighter pilot in 2006.
He has flown MiGs, Sukhois, Dorniers, Jaguars and Hawks and has more than 2,000 hours of flying experience.
Before flying into space, Group Captain Shukla described the past year as “nothing short of transformative”.
“It has been an amazing journey so far, but the best is yet to come,” he said. “As I go into space, I carry not just instruments and equipment, I carry hopes and dreams of a billion hearts. I request all Indians to pray for the success of our mission,” he had said.
Elon Musk wants Tesla shareholders to help him consolidate control over his sprawling business empire by allowing his cash-rich EV company to invest in his latest startup, xAI.
The company behind Grok is spending billions in an attempt to challenge OpenAI and its ChatGPT for leadership in the race to develop artificial general intelligence. Last week Musk unveiled the fourth generation of his Grok chatbot, which is currently rolling out to Tesla vehicles, just a day after setting a date for the carmaker’s long-delayed annual meeting.
“If it was up to me, Tesla would have invested in xAI long ago,” Musk posted Sunday evening. “We will have a shareholder vote on the matter.”
The next opportunity would be in November, when Tesla is finally scheduled to hold its annual meeting. While Tesla did not respond to a Fortune request for further comment, speculation around Tesla investing in xAI does not come as a surprise.
SpaceX reportedly invests $2 billion into xAI
For starters, the Wall Street Journalreported on Saturday that Musk’s privately-owned SpaceX company poured $2 billion into xAI despite limited business rationale (Musk tacitly confirmed the story). According to its sources, Grok is only used in some customer support features for SpaceX’s satellite broadband service Starlink.
Moreover, as Musk indicated, he has been eyeing a Tesla investment in xAI for some time. Roughly four weeks after Tesla’s previous annual general meeting in June 2024, Musk ran a social media poll to this effect.
Should Tesla invest $5B into @xAI, assuming the valuation is set by several credible outside investors?
(Board approval & shareholder vote are needed, so this is just to test the waters)— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 24, 2024
In it, he asked X users — only a small portion of whom were likely Tesla investors — whether the car company should invest $5 billion “assuming the valuation is set by several credible outside investors”. When two thirds of the nearly one million responses were in favor, Musk promised to discuss the issue with the board.
Since then, however, there has been few new developments.
xAI raises $5 billion in fresh capital—through a debt sale
That could be because using money that belongs to Tesla shareholders for the purchase of a stake in Musk’s xAI is not so simple from a governance perspective. Even with a clear use case like the integration of Grok into Tesla EVs, there is a conflict of interest.
For example, an investment would indirectly expose investors to X, acquired by xAI last year in an all-stock deal that valued the company formerly known as Twitter at $33 billion in equity and debt. With X repeatedly on the brink of bankruptcy, the transaction had the markings of a bailout, since Twitter was valued at $11 billion less than when Musk bought it.
According to Bloomberg, catching up to rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic in the AGI race also has not come cheap for xAI. The startup founded two years ago is expected to burn through about $13 billion in cash this year. Musk appeared to dismiss the report when it was published last month, claiming “Bloomberg is talking nonsense”, though he did not specify what precisely was incorrect.
Update on where has @grok been & what happened on July 8th.
First off, we deeply apologize for the horrific behavior that many experienced.
Our intent for @grok is to provide helpful and truthful responses to users. After careful investigation, we discovered the root cause…— Grok (@grok) July 12, 2025
Just two weeks later, xAI raised $10 billion in fresh capital with the help of Morgan Stanley (SpaceX’s investment reportedly was part of it). Rather unusual for a high-growth tech startup, half of that came from the debt market where investors attach clear strings to the loan in terms of repaying the balance plus interest.
Grok’s antisemitic rants prompts apology for ‘horrific behavior’
Nor has everything with Grok gone smoothly. Musk’s AI chatbot went off the rails last week, spreading numerous antisemitic conspiracy theories on X while proudly declaring itself a mechanized version of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
Just one day after the latest reputational scandal engulfed her ad-dependent platform, X CEO Linda Yaccarino resigned from her post. On Saturday, xAI was forced to ask for forgiveness.
“We deeply apologize for the horrific behavior that many experienced,” the official Grok account on X posted this weekend.
The last time Tesla invested in another company that counted Musk as its largest shareholder was the widely criticized 2016 deal to purchase SolarCity for $2.6 billion. Investors challenged the deal as a bailout, with Musk eventually prevailing two years ago in a case that went all the way to the Delaware state supreme court.
Nonetheless, AI is a very different shareholder value proposition than solar roofing, and a number of investors have argued in favor of buying an equity stake.
“We believe Tesla making a big investment in xAI is a key step forward,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote on Monday.
Exercise Talisman Sabre, the largest ever war drills in Australia, is under way and expected to attract the attention of Chinese spy ships. Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between the United States and Australia.
This year, more than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations, including Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the United Kingdom, will take part over three weeks, Australia’s Department of Defence said on Sunday.
Malaysia and Vietnam are also attending as observers.
The exercise will also take place in Papua New Guinea, Australia’s nearest neighbour. It is the first time Talisman Sabre activities have been held outside Australia.
Chinese surveillance ships have monitored naval exercises off the Australian coast during the last four Talisman Sabre exercises and were expected to surveil the current exercise, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said.
“We will adjust accordingly. We will obviously observe their activities and monitor their presence around Australia, but we will also adjust how we conduct those exercises,” Conroy said.
The exercise, showcasing Australia’s defence alliance with the US, started a day after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began a six-day visit to China, where he is expected to meet President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday.
Albanese said Chinese surveillance of Talisman Sabre would not be raised with Xi. “That would be nothing unusual. That has happened in the past and I will continue to assert Australia’s national interest, as I do,” Albanese told reporters in Shanghai on Monday.
The independent label, distributor, and publisher, which celebrates 15 years in the music industry in 2025, has officially launched in the Nordic region, led by Iman Hazheer, as Territory Manager.
According to EMPIRE, in this newly established role, Hazheer will lead strategic initiatives for the company across Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland, driving artist relations, market development, and regional partnerships.
Based in Stockholm, Hazheer will work closely with EMPIRE’s international team to amplify the company’s footprint in what EMPIRE calls “one of Europe’s most vibrant and innovative music markets”.
“The further expansion across Europe into the Nordic region further cements EMPIRE as champions of bringing music and culture to a global audience,” EMPIRE’s Founder and CEO, Ghazi, told MBW.
“The further expansion across Europe into the Nordic region further cements EMPIRE as champions of bringing music and culture to a global audience.”
Ghazi
Added Ghazi: “Iman’s knowledge of the music business makes him the best fit to spearhead these efforts and we are happy to welcome him to the team.”
Hazheer arrives at EMPIRE with a decade of experience at the intersection of music, culture, and brand strategy. He spent nearly seven years at Spotify, where he led editorial strategy for the Nordics as a Senior Editor, curating playlists and “shaping the regional music narrative”.
Prior to that, he worked with artists across Northern Europe as part of the Entertainment division at Nike, in Amsterdam.
He began his career as a music and culture journalist at Sveriges Radio, covering emerging trends and, as EMPIRE notes, “elevating voices across Sweden’s creative landscape”.
“The Nordic region has long been a global force in music, but the path to international recognition is becoming increasingly narrow especially for independent and emerging artists.”
Iman Hazheer
“The Nordic region has long been a global force in music, but the path to international recognition is becoming increasingly narrow, especially for independent and emerging artists,” said Hazheer.
“Throughout my career, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges talented creators face when trying to scale beyond their home markets. That’s why I’m excited to join EMPIRE, a company that not only understands the nuances of local culture but also offers a truly artist-first model.
“We’re here to challenge the status quo, champion artists on their own terms and give the Nordic talent pool the platform they deserve, globally.”
“Iman’s industry knowledge, cultural fluency, and strategic approach make him the ideal leader to expand our presence and deepen our impact in the region.”
Guillermo Ramos
Guillermo Ramos, EMPIRE’s Managing Director of Europe, added: “It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome Iman to EMPIRE as our Territory Manager, Nordics.
“The Nordics are home to a rich ecosystem of musical talent and forward-thinking creators. Iman’s industry knowledge, cultural fluency, and strategic approach make him the ideal leader to expand our presence and deepen our impact in the region.”
Founded by Ghazi in 2010, EMPIRE has worked with artists including Kendrick Lamar, Fireboy DML, Shaboozey, Asake, and Anderson Paak.
In addition to its prominent positioning in the North American market, the San Francisco-headquartered company’s global presence extends to the African continent, Europe, Asia, and South America.
In April, EMPIRE expanded in Asia with a multi-year partnership with Cambodian music company Baramey Production.
EMPIRE’s partnership with Baramey Production marked its latest strategic move in Asia after appointing respected executive Jeffrey Yoo as Senior Vice President, East Asia, in October. At that time, EMPIRE also made its first signing in Asia, Korean superstar G-Dragon.
The company launched EMPIRE Africa in 2022, following the launch of a division the previous year to focus on West Asia, North Africa, and its diaspora.Music Business Worldwide
This portable dental blaster should probably be called a vapor flosser, as it fires surprisingly forceful bursts of up to 98% air through the gaps in your teeth, making efficient use of water as it blasts out debris.
As we’ve established before, I don’t mess around when it comes to brushing my teeth – to the point where I haven’t really considered flossing necessary. I habitually get the toothbrush bristles right in between the teeth all the way around, so what more’s to be done?
But never let it be said that I’m not willing to learn, and since Oclean supplied me with an absolute Stradivarius of a toothbrush for my last bathroom product review, I thought I’d give the AirPump A10 a chance to surprise me.
Surprise me it did, the very first time I filled up its small water canister and hit the on button. Pro tip: put it in your gob first, or you’ll get a chance to marvel at just how powerfully this palm-sized device squirts its air/water mix all around your bathroom. I’m not kidding, I had to go clean water off pictures five meters (~16 ft) away in the hall. It’s a small miracle that my kids haven’t yet figured out the super-soaking potential of this device.
Indeed, in practical terms you’ll want to try to keep your mouth shut as you go, because the spray merrily ricochets back off your teeth if you don’t have it perfectly positioned, and makes it look like you’ve sneezed all over your mirror.
The A10 makes the most of a small water capacity by mixing it with a lot of air on the way out. This is gentler on the gums, too
Oclean
Here the air-heavy spray mix is helpful; there’s less water blasting into your mouth than a 100% water stream, so you can keep things watertight for longer before it starts dribbling out.
There are three modes, mainly distinguishable by their speed of reload. Standard mode fairly hammers along, the pump priming and firing at about 172 bpm. That’s fast – it’s basically firing right in time with the bouncy guitar stabs in Lose Yourself by Eminem, and making swift work of mom’s spaghetti if there’s any of that lodged in there.
There are also “soft” and “massage” modes, which go considerably slower. Massage mode feels positively sultry at around 102 bpm – think Stevie Wonder’s Superstition. And it’s not a bad place to start; if you go full speeeeeed on things you don’t understand, then you suffer. Superstition mode’s the way. It gives beginners a lot more time to get the wee nozzle aimed into the gaps.
Fill it up with water or mouthwash – although you might wanna read some of the science on mouthwashes first
Oclean
Does it work? Yes. I gave it the popcorn test, and it blew every last chunk of husk out of my gums in short order. Does it work better than my regular brushing routine? That’s harder to tell; I’m super thorough, and my toothbrush oscillates at 80,000 bpm, which is almost exactly 690 times faster than the tempo of Ice Ice Baby, by Vanilla Ice.
As that wise man once said, anything less than the best is a felony. So is the AirPump A10 up on any charges? Well, it’s certainly portable enough to travel with – and the nozzle slots into the water canister when you take it on the road, which is neat – but its compact size means there’s not a lot of room for water when you fill it up. So if you take your time and give it three to four blasts per tooth gap, you’ll often have to refill the water before you’re done. That’s a bit annoying.
Also, it’s waterproof enough to use in the shower, provided you poke the little rubber cap into the charging port, but despite generally being pretty good with that kind of thing, I suspect I managed to get some water in there at some point, because the battery started running out in about a week instead of the standard “up to 40 days” – and the AirPump started randomly airpumping in the middle of the night on my bedside table as it charged. That was an exciting noise to wake up to, I can testify, but it’s stopped doing that for the last couple of weeks and the battery capacity has gone back to being as epic as it is on Oclean’s magnificent toothbrushes.
My final verdict, though, has to depend on where you’re buying. I’ve got no hesitation recommending the Oclean AirPump A10 at its current USA price of US$69.99. Where I live down under, though, it’s AU$229.95, which I’m sure you’re aware could also buy you 108 copies of the Knight Davis extended remix of MC Hammer’s U Can’t Touch This on Bandcamp. That pricetag hits me so hard, it makes me say “oh my lord.” I think I’d be waiting for a special, because that’s a deal, uh, I can’t touch.
On the other hand, as with the toothbrushes, it’s not like you can’t see where the money’s gone. Check out the video below to see the veritable Wonka factory’s worth of activity that goes on inside this device to cause that vapor to start firing when you turn it on.
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