Good morning. On this day in 1945, the first ever atomic bomb exploded in New Mexico, portrayed in one of the most captivating moments in cinema, in the movie Oppenheimer. What followed were the atomic bombs dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, hastening the end of World War II.

Local News

🎲 PAGCOR Record Earnings in the First Half of 2024

By Tobias Bautista

Does that mean more people are losing money from gambling?

Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) hit the jackpot in the first half of the year, with net income soaring to P6.56 billion—up a whopping 121.48% from last year's P2.96 billion. Thanks to reforms and tighter regulations, revenues also climbed 42.92% to P51.76 billion, setting Pagcor on a solid path to possibly breach the P100 billion mark this year.

Gross gaming revenue saw a 19.21% boost to P194.74 billion, driven largely by the electronic games sector, which raked in P63.01 billion—more than triple the previous year's P20.43 billion.

Integrated resorts and licensed casinos contributed P16.06 billion, while Pagcor-operated casinos saw a decline to P8.89 billion. With Pagcor's strong performance, P31.82 billion was remitted to the Bureau of Treasury. Tengco predicts 2024 will be a banner year for Pagcor, thanks to the booming e-games sector and new market players.

World News

🎯 Bullet Points: Trump Survives Rally Assassination Attempt

By Tobias Bautista

Authorities are scratching their heads on how a shooter got so close to former President Donald Trump during Saturday's rally in Pennsylvania, just as Republicans gathered in Milwaukee for their national convention. Trump, who took a bullet to the upper ear but is in good spirits, spoke out against the "shooter" as Secret Service launched a full-blown investigation.

The suspect, Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old nursing-home employee from suburban Pittsburgh, fired from a roof less than 150 meters from the stage. Crooks, armed with an AR-style rifle and packing explosives in his car, was a registered Republican. He was killed by Secret Service, but not before fatally shooting one spectator and injuring two others.

President Joe Biden condemned the violence, urging Americans to stick to democratic principles. Trump, undeterred, arrived in Milwaukee for the convention, refusing to let the incident alter his plans. The heightened security is palpable as the Republican National Committee kicks off.

Tech

💇‍♀️ Beauty and the Bot: AI Takes Over Personalized Makeup Magic

By Tobias Bautista

South Korean cosmetics giant AmorePacific's new AI beauty lab is booked solid, as robots mix custom face products and advanced tech picks the perfect lipstick.

“Everyone has a unique skin tone, but we usually settle for off-the-shelf shades,” said Kwon You-jin, a satisfied customer who got an AI-generated skin report and a perfectly matched foundation mixed by a robot.

More beauty brands are jumping on the AI bandwagon to boost sales. AmorePacific’s tech recommends from 205 foundations and 366 lip colors, while global beauty sales hit $625.6 billion in 2023.

“We used deep learning to automate the expert process of evaluating skin data,” said engineer Lee Young-jin.

Analysts note that AI speeds up product development and reduces human error. The AI beauty market is expected to more than double, from $3.27 billion in 2023 to $8.1 billion in 2028, thanks to personalized recommendations and virtual makeup artists.

News Roundup

• OpenAI working on new reasoning technology (to think more like humans) with code name ‘Strawberry’

• Argentinians rejoice as their team beats Columbia at the Copa America Final. A brief respite from the country’s crises

• Carlos Alcaraz now with 4 slam titles at the age of 21 as he beats Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon

• Mindanao Flood Victims climb to 81,000

Games

🎯 Fun Brain Teasers

• Wordle: guess the random five letter word

• Connections: match four words of the same category

• Strands: word search but it depends on the category

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