A Russian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fired from an underground silo on the country’s southern steppe Friday on a scheduled test to deliver a dummy warhead to a remote impact zone nearly 4,000 miles away. The missile didn’t even make it 4,000 feet.

Russia’s military has been silent on the accident, but the missile’s crash was seen and heard for miles around the Dombarovsky air base in Orenburg Oblast near the Russian-Kazakh border.

A video posted by the Russian blog site MilitaryRussia.ru on Telegram and widely shared on other social media platforms showed the missile veering off course immediately after launch before cartwheeling upside down, losing power, and then crashing a short distance from the launch site. The missile ejected a component before it hit the ground, perhaps as part of a payload salvage sequence, according to Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research in Geneva.

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Three Austrian nuns in their 80s who escaped a care home and reclaimed their old convent are refusing the church’s offer to stay because it requires them to quit Instagram, stop speaking to the press, and avoid legal counsel — conditions they call a gag order. Their standoff with church authorities has now escalated to the Vatican as the nuns continue posting to their 185,000 followers. NPR reports: Before the church authorities moved the nuns into care almost two years ago, the local abbey and Archdiocese of Salzburg acquired the convent. The sisters say they were not aware they were signing away what they understood to be their lifelong right to remain in the cloister. On Friday, their superior, Provost Markus Grasl from Reichersberg Abbey, announced that the sisters can stay. But his offer comes with conditions: The nuns must cease all social media activities, stop talking to the press and forgo seeking legal advice. The nuns have rejected the proposal, and now Grasl has called on the Vatican to intercede.

In a statement released Friday, the nuns said the provost’s offer is nothing short of a gag order. Speaking via Instagram, Sister Regina said, “We can’t agree to this deal. Without the media, we’d have been silenced.” Sister Bernadette told Instagram followers: “We need to resolve this but any agreement we reach must be in accordance with God’s will and shaped by human reason.” […] The provost’s proposed agreement — which NPR has seen — also bans laypeople from entering the cloisters, including the sisters’ helpers, many of whom they’ve known for decades and on whom the nuns now depend for help.

Speaking to NPR on Monday, the provost’s spokesperson, crisis PR manager Harald Schiffl, said that the provost does not understand why the nuns reject his offer and that, in response, he has requested the Vatican authorities responsible for religious orders to step in. The Vatican has not commented on the situation. So while they await news from Rome, the sisters continue to follow the papal Instagram account. Schiffl says the terms relating to the nuns’ social media use are reasonable: “The abbey wishes to discontinue the sisters’ social media accounts because what they show has very little to do with real religious life.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

“The car-sharing company, first launched in the U.S. in 2000, has been active in the UK since 2010 and has just under half a million members,” writes Slashdot reader guesstral. “‘I’m writing to let you know that we are proposing to cease the UK operations of Zipcar,’ wrote Zipcar UK’s general manager, James Taylor, in an email to members today. He went on to say that Zipcar will temporarily suspend new bookings after December 31, pending the outcome of a consultation with its 71 staff members.” From the BBC: In its most recent company accounts for 2024, Zipcar blamed the “cost of living crisis,” which was affecting UK customers, for revenues falling to 46 million pounds to 53 million the year before, while its after-tax losses had widened to 11.6 million pounds. According to the same accounts, Zipcar membership fees cover the cost of fuelling or charging the vehicle and, as energy costs continued to rise last year, it has added to financial pressures on the company. The company would also be liable for the incoming congestion charge in London that is expanding to include electric vehicles from 26 December, although this was not referenced in Zipcar’s email to membership or company accounts.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Supreme Court justices expressed numerous concerns today in a case that could determine whether Internet service providers must terminate the accounts of broadband users accused of copyright infringement. Oral arguments were held in the case between cable Internet provider Cox Communications and record labels led by Sony.

Some justices were skeptical of arguments that ISPs should have no legal obligation under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to terminate an account when a user’s IP address has been repeatedly flagged for downloading pirated music. But justices also seemed hesitant to rule in favor of record labels, with some of the debate focusing on how ISPs should handle large accounts like universities where there could be tens of thousands of users.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor chided Cox for not doing more to fight infringement.

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OpenAI may soon be forced to explain why it deleted a pair of controversial datasets composed of pirated books, and the stakes could not be higher.

At the heart of a class-action lawsuit from authors alleging that ChatGPT was illegally trained on their works, OpenAI’s decision to delete the datasets could end up being a deciding factor that gives the authors the win.

It’s undisputed that OpenAI deleted the datasets, known as “Books 1” and “Books 2,” prior to ChatGPT’s release in 2022. Created by former OpenAI employees in 2021, the datasets were built by scraping the open web and seizing the bulk of its data from a shadow library called Library Genesis (LibGen).

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: South Korean e-commerce platform Coupang over the weekend said nearly 34 million Korean customers’ personal information had been leaked in a data breach that had been ongoing for more than five months. The company said it first detected the unauthorized exposure of 4,500 user accounts on November 18, but a subsequent investigation revealed that the breach had actually compromised about 33.7 million customer accounts in South Korea. The breach affected customers’ names, email addresses, phone numbers, shipping addresses, and certain order histories, per Coupang. More sensitive data like payment information, credit card numbers, and login credentials was not compromised and remains secure, the company said. […] Police have reportedly identified at least one suspect, a former Chinese Coupang employee now abroad, after launching an investigation following a November 18 complaint.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Instagram employees will be back at their desks full time next year. Beginning February 2, workers with the social media network will be expected to spend five days a week working in person in offices. Instagram leader Adam Mosseri announced the change in an internal memo first reported by Alex Heath’s Sources newsletter. “It’s clear we have to evolve,” he told the staff, also closing with the note that “2026 is going to be tough.” 

The full return to office mandate applies to Instagram’s US employees in offices with assigned desks. The memo allowed that people will still be able to work remotely “when you need to,” but gave an open-ended call to “use your best judgment” about when to take advantage of that flexibility. 

Many tech companies have adopted a hybrid approach to office work in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, Meta instituted a policy of three days a week spent in the office in 2023. Although the messaging from executives insists that in-person work has important benefits, employees have often resisted the shift back to old ways. 

Mosseri outlined other planned changes intended to make the social media company “more nimble and creative.” One shift that’s probably more welcome than the return to office is to scale back recurring meetings. Any recurring meetings will be canceled every six months unless they’re deemed “absolutely necessary.” He also plans the team to have more prototypes of product overviews rather than decks, and a faster process for unblocking and decision-making.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-mandates-total-return-to-office-for-employees-in-2026-212738225.html?src=rss

In early 2025, Sian traveled deep into the mountains of Shan State, on Myanmar’s eastern border with China, in search of work. He had heard from a friend that Chinese companies were recruiting at new rare-earth mining sites in territory administered by the United Wa State Army, Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic armed group, and that workers could earn upwards of $1,400 a month.

It was an opportunity too good to pass up in a country where the formal economy has collapsed since the 2021 military coup, and nearly half of the population lives on less than $2 a day. So Sian set off by car for the town of Mong Pawk, then rode a motorbike for hours through the thick forest.

Hired for daily wages of approximately $21, he now digs boreholes and installs pipes. It is the first step in a process called in situ leaching, which involves injecting acidic solutions into mountainsides, then collecting the drained solution in plastic-lined pools where solids, like dysprosium and terbium, two of the world’s most sought-after heavy rare-earth metals, settle out. The resulting sediment sludge is then transported to furnaces and burned, producing dry rare earth oxides.

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New York has become the first state in the nation to enact a law requiring retailers to disclose when AI and personal data are being used to set individualized prices [non-paywalled source] — a measure that lawyers say will make algorithmic pricing “the next big battleground in A.I. regulation.”

The law, enacted through the state budget, requires online retailers using personalized pricing to post a specific notice: “THIS PRICE WAS SET BY AN ALGORITHM USING YOUR PERSONAL DATA.” The National Retail Federation sued to block enforcement on First Amendment grounds, arguing the required disclosure was “misleading and ominous,” but federal judge Jed S. Rakoff allowed the law to proceed last month.

Uber has started displaying the notice to New York users. Spokesman Ryan Thornton called the law “poorly drafted and ambiguous” but maintained the company only considers geographic factors and demand in setting prices. At least 10 states have bills pending that would require similar disclosures or ban personalized pricing outright. California and federal lawmakers are considering complete bans.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

It’s Cyber Monday, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before the sales are over.

• Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.

• Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. 

There are still a few hours left to snag Cyber Monday deals—and to bring order to your home gym setup. Normally $129.99, this home gym storage rack is currently on sale for $79.98. If you’ve been tripping over scattered dumbbells or wasting time hunting for the right weights mid-workout, this deal solves both problems for under $80.

PLKOW Dumbbell Rack

$79.98
at Amazon

$129.99
Save $50.01

$79.98
at Amazon

$129.99
Save $50.01

This weight rack is specifically designed for a home gym. There are designated spaced for dumbbells, kettlebells, yoga blocks, resistance bands, medicine balls, and more—basically all the smaller equipment that tends to pile up in corners or get kicked under furniture. Having everything organized in one storage rack means you can actually find what you need when you need it.

I recommend a dedicated storage rack like this so you can really focus on your fitness goals without the distraction of a cluttered space. In other words: No more digging through a heap of equipment or making multiple trips across your garage to grab different dumbbells between sets. Everything has its place, and you can grab what you need and get back to training.

What stores have the best sales on Cyber Monday?

Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Cyber Monday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers that can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog. 

Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?

In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything. 

Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?

Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, the distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.

Singapore’s Ministry of Education has announced that secondary school students will be banned from using smartphones and smartwatches throughout the entire school day starting January 2026, extending current restrictions beyond regular lesson time to cover recess, co-curricular activities, and supplementary lessons. Under the new guidelines, students must store their phones in designated areas like lockers or keep them in their school bags.

Smartwatches also fall under the ban because they enable messaging and social media access, which the ministry says can lead to distractions and reduced peer interaction. Schools may allow exceptions where necessary. Some secondary schools adopted these tighter rules after they were announced for primary schools in January 2025, and the ministry reports improved student well-being and more physical interaction during breaks at those schools. The ministry is also moving the default sleep time for school-issued personal learning devices from 11pm to 10.30pm starting January.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

It’s Cyber Monday, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before the sales are over. 

• Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.

• Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. 

I love using e-readers to read novels and other books, but when it comes to color content, especially comic books or even Android apps, I’m torn. I like the easy-on-the-eyes effect of E Ink, but e-readers that run Android can be slow to respond to your taps, and color e-readers still lose out on a lot of vibrancy and contrast when compared to more traditional screens. TCL’s NXTPAPER displays go a long way towards fixing that, and now you can get a NXTPAPER tablet for a large discount during Cyber Monday.

TCL NXTPAPER 11 Gen 2

$149.99
at Amazon

$249.99
Save $100.00

$149.99
at Amazon

$249.99
Save $100.00

The trick behind NXTPAPER is that it’s not technically E Ink, but it feels pretty similar to it. Instead, NXTPAPER uses a more traditional LCD display, but with special low blue light technology and a matte coating to make it feel like paper. It’s hard to imagine it comes close to something like a Kindle when reading the marketing bragging about it, but having tried it in person, I can say it’s about 80% of the way to feeling like the real thing. And the benefit? You get far more vibrant colors than you would with color E Ink, and the same responsive feeling and high refresh rate as when using a phone or an iPad.

It’s probably not something I’d want on the phone I carry every day, since the matte coating can still make the colors a little duller, if not as bad as E Ink would. But this Cyber Monday, you can get a standalone NXTPAPER tablet for a great price. Currently, the NXTPAPER 11 Gen 2 is just $150 on Amazon, and that’s with a stylus and case included.

This tablet has an 11-inch 1,920 x 1,200 screen and starts off with 64GB of storage (upgradeable up to 256GB for a bit more). Its MediaTek chip and 8GB of RAM means it won’t be a powerhouse for running demanding apps like the most recent games, but it should be fine for the task it’s built for—reading. The biggest downside is that it’s going to drain a bit more battery than a proper E Ink display would, but with an 8,000 mAh capacity, the battery should last for days in between charges.

It’s probably not the best choice if you only read black-and-white books, because E Ink will still provide a hands-down better experience there, if only by a little bit. But if you want the versatility of Android, or you want to read vibrant color content without straining your eyes, the NXTPAPER 11 Gen 2 might be a better pick for you than any actual E Ink device. It’s also a good choice for artists, as NXTPAPER also feels a bit more natural to draw on, as seen on the slightly pricier XP-Pen Magic Note Pad, which is also on sale for Cyber Monday.

What stores have the best sales on Cyber Monday?

Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Cyber Monday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers that can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog. 

Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?

In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything. 

Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?

Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, the distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. 

• Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.

• Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. 

If you’re looking for Garmin’s answer to the Apple Watch Ultra—aka a versatile watch that balances everyday wearability with solid fitness tracking—look no further than Garmin’s Venu X1. And for Cyber Monday, the Venu X1 is on sale for $599.99 ($200 off its normal price $799.99).

Garmin Venu X1

$599.99
at Amazon

$799.99
Save $200.00

$599.99
at Amazon

$799.99
Save $200.00

The X1 is Garmin’s biggest screen—41 x 46 millimeters with a two-inch diagonal measurement—making it easy to view maps, data, and notifications at a glance.

You also get an LED flashlight built into the watch, handy for early morning runs or fumbling with your keys in the dark. The scratch-resistant sapphire lens adds durability, while built-in maps mean you can navigate without pulling out your phone. There’s also a speaker and microphone for taking calls or using a voice assistant directly from your wrist.

Solid training and tracking

The X1 includes coaching for running, cycling, and strength training, plus all the health and fitness tracking Garmin is known for. It goes without saying that Garmin watches deliver excellent GPS accuracy and reliable heart rate readings—qualities that matter whether you’re logging casual jogs or training for your next race.

Beyond the usual activity profiles and running-specific metrics, the X1 supports a wide range of sports including motorcycling, rock climbing, and golfing (with extra features tailored to the course). The battery lasts up to eight days, so you won’t be tethered to a charger constantly.

If you prefer a round watch geared specifically toward serious runners and athletes, check out Garmin’s high-end Fenix line also on sale today.

How long do Black Friday deals really last?

Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025. 

Are Black Friday deals worth it?

In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything. 

Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?

Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.

Microsoft has acknowledged that a recent Windows preview update, KB5064081, contains a bug that renders the password icon invisible on the lock screen, leaving users to click on what appears to be empty space to enter their credentials.

The issue affects Windows Insider channel users who installed the non-security preview update. The company’s suggested workaround is straightforward if somewhat absurd: click where the button should be, and the password field will appear. Microsoft said it is working to resolve the issue.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. 

It’s Cyber Monday, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before the sales are over. 

• Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.

• Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. 

It’s the Cyber Monday deal I didn’t see coming: The new Nintendo Switch 2 with Mario Kart World bundle is actually discounted today, which is surprising considering there’s no real incentive to knock money off a brand new system, and because it was not discounted at all during Black Friday.

But yes, at the moment, you can get the game and system for $449 (down from $499) at both Amazon and Walmart—the lowest price it has reached yet, according to price tracking tools. (Note that you can only see the price once it’s in your cart as Nintendo restricts retailers from promoting anything below the “minimum advertised price” of $499.) With Christmas on the way, this deal is likely to sell out fast, so I’ve advise ordering it sooner rather than later if you’re considering it.

Amazon

Nintendo – Switch 2 + MarioKart World Bundle – Black

$0.00
at Amazon

$0.00
at Amazon

Walmart

Nintendo – Switch 2 + MarioKart World Bundle – Black

$499.00
at Walmart

$1,049.66
Save $550.66

$499.00
at Walmart

$1,049.66
Save $550.66

To put into perspective how good this deal is, the OLED edition of the original Nintendo Switch is $400 right now, meaning you can get the new system and a great game for only $50 more—and the Switch 2 is an upgrade in every way, according to Lifehacker’s review. You can play your old Switch games on the Switch 2, since it’s backwards compatible. The ergonomics and design have improved, making it much better to hold and look at. The battery life has also improved, now with about 180 minutes of handheld playtime before the juice runs out.

The biggest thing to consider when deciding whether you should buy a Switch 2 right now is that the library is currently on the smaller side, with few absolute must-play titles yet released (and the ones that are out may cost more, going up to $80). But being able to play your older games does make the transition easier, especially considering some games, like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, will look better on the Switch 2.

Does Amazon have Cyber Monday deals?

Yes, Amazon has Cyber Monday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.

What stores have the best sales on Cyber Monday?

Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Cyber Monday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers that can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog. 

Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?

In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.