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POTSDAM, Germany (AP) — Generations of Germans believe Frederick the Great brought the beloved potato to Germany.The legend is this: King Frederick II of Prussia wanted his subjects to eat potatoes, introduced to Europe in the 16th century from South America. But the people of Prussia, which later became part of a united Germany, wouldn’t touch the tuber.So the 18th-century monarch resorted to trickery. He placed royal guards and soldiers along the edge of his palace garden — thus creating the illusion that potatoes were a rare and valuable crop reserved for the royal family and its aristocratic friends. But…

Grammarly announced Tuesday the acquisition of email client Superhuman in a push to build out its AI for its productivity suite. Neither companies provided details about the financial terms of the deal. Superhuman was founded by Rahul Vohra, Vivek Sodera, and Conrad Irwin. The company raised more than $114 million in funding from backers including a16z, IVP, and Tiger Global, with its last valuation at $825 million, according to data from venture data analytics firm Traxcn. “With Superhuman, we can deliver that future to millions more professionals while giving our existing users another surface for agent collaboration that simply doesn’t…

CNN  —  Australian airline Qantas says a data hack on Monday exposed the personal information of six million customers and it expects the amount stolen to be “significant.” The hack penetrated a third-party customer service platform used by a Qantas contact center, the airline said in a statement on Wednesday. Six million customers have service records on the platform – with data including some of their names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and frequent flyer numbers. However, the platform does not contain any customer credit card details, financial information or passport details, Qantas said. After Qantas detected “unusual activity”…

Instagram Threads is rolling out users’ most-requested feature to date: the ability to message people directly, without having to switch to another app, like Instagram. The company said direct messages (DMs) will begin rolling out to users globally beginning on Tuesday, alongside a new visual element called highlighter. The latter will emphasize interesting perspectives and conversations, Meta says, starting with Trending Topics. At launch, Threads DMs offer a basic set of features. They’ll support one-on-one chats, preset emoji reactions, the ability to report spam, and mute DMs (as on Instagram). Other features, like group messaging, inbox filters, and more advanced…

Dharamsala, India/Hong Kong CNN  —  The Dalai Lama has announced that he will have a successor after his death, continuing a centuries-old tradition that has become a flashpoint in the struggle with China’s Communist Party over Tibet’s future. Tibetan Buddhism’s spiritual leader made the declaration on Wednesday in a video message to religious elders gathering in Dharamsala, India, where the Nobel Peace laureate has lived since fleeing a failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese communist rule in 1959. “I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” the Dalai Lama said in the pre-recorded video, citing requests he…

LOS ANGELES (AP) — While Sean “Diddy” Combs awaits a jury’s verdict in his federal sex trafficking trial, the once-celebrated music mogul has seen his business empire rapidly unravel.Combs, 55, who is one of the most influential figures in hip-hop history, now faces charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking involving two former partners and transporting people across state lines for prostitution. Prosecutors have painted a dark portrait of the mogul, whose alleged pattern of violence included drug-fueled sex parties he reportedly called “freak-offs” or “hotel nights.”If convicted, the three-time Grammy winner could face life in prison. He has pleaded not…

Last updated: 1:05 PM ET, Tue July 1, 2025 WHY IT RATES: ALG Vacations is launching a comprehensive summer promotion through July 31, 2025, offering up to $400 off international and Hawaii vacations, hotel savings over 75%, and various travel credits across its four brands (Apple Vacations, Funjet Vacations, Travel Impressions, and United Vacations). —Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse Managing EditorALG Vacations is kicking off summer with one of its most robust promotions yet, offering significant savings and exclusive benefits across Apple Vacations, Funjet Vacations, Travel Impressions and United Vacations. Designed to reward both travel advisors and travelers, this limited-time offer is available now and packed with stackable…

Startups working on AI-powered e-commerce tools often rely on external data or user signals to build and improve their models. However, a company called Remark is taking a different approach by letting thousands of human experts chat with users while they are purchasing items, and then using that knowledge to train models. Remark also makes those experts “available” all the time by having their AI-powered persona answer questions. Remark said that this resulted in a 10% net revenue gain for partners, which was a great sign for investors. The startup on Tuesday announced $16 million in Series A funding led…

Elon Musk’s X has appointed serial entrepreneur and growth hacker Nikita Bier as its new head of product. “I’ve officially posted my way to the top,” Bier wrote on X, alluding to his large presence on the app. Bier is best known as the founder of apps like Gas, which was acquired by Discord, and TBH, which was acquired by Facebook. Both Gas and TBH were apps geared toward teens, who were encouraged to leave one another compliments. More recently, Bier has been working as a venture partner at Lightspeed and as an adviser to the Solana Foundation. “While I…

CNN  —  Their reunion? It’s smooth like butter. The K-pop septet BTS will return in spring 2026 with a new album and world tour. Members Jin, RM, V, Jimin, J-Hope, Jung Kook and Suga made the announcement Tuesday during a livestream on Weverse, an online fan platform owned by BTS management company Hybe. It was the first time all seven members have broadcast live together since September 2022. “We’ll be releasing a new BTS album in the spring of next year. Starting in July, all seven of us will begin working closely together on new music,” the band said in…