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Elena Rybakina beats No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to win Australian Open

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Elena Rybakina beats No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to win Australian Open


Elena Rybakina won the Australian Open title with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday that avenged her loss in the championship decider here in 2023.

Four years ago she won the first set but lost the final in three. This time, after breaking in the first game and taking the first set, she rallied after losing the second set and going down 3-0 in the third. She won five straight games and then closed out with an ace on her first championship point.

It was a second major title for fifth-seeded Rybakina, who won Wimbledon in 2022 and entered that Australian final four years ago as the only major winner in the contest.

While Sabalenka went on to win another three majors, including back-to-back triumphs in Australia and the 2024 and ’25 victories at the U.S. Open, Rybakina’s results dipped and she didn’t reach another major final until this tournament.

Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan plays a forehand return to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus during the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026.

Dita Alangkara / AP


A win over Sabalenka at the season-ending WTA Finals last November has changed her career trajectory.

Rybakina went on the attack from the start and her serve was strong, with six aces and – apart from the two breaks at the end of the second set and the start of the third – she fended off six of the breakpoint chances she faced.

While Sabalenka’s grunts and roars intensified and her effusive “let’s go” self-encouragement increased in regularity as the match wore on, Rybakina maintained a quiet, almost serene, composure.

In the end, she let her serve and her returns do the talking.

The pair hugged at the net. Rybakina clapped her left hand on the strings of her racket and held her arm up to the crowd triumphantly.

Australian Open Tennis

Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan kisses the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus to win the women’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026.

Aaron Favila / AP




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NASA’s perseverance rover completed first-ever AI-planned drive on Mars

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NASA’s perseverance rover completed first-ever AI-planned drive on Mars


NASA’s perseverance rover completed first-ever AI-planned drive on Mars

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s perseverance rover has successfully completed its first artificial intelligence (AI) driven drive on another planet.

The perseverance used an AI model, Claude, developed by Anthropic, to design a 400-meter safe route across the rocky terrain of Jezero Carter. The plan was executed on December 8 and 10, 2025.

Previously, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) performed this manually.

As Mars is, on average, 140 million miles away from Earth, it creates a communication delay of about 20 minutes, which makes it unable to drive rovers in real-time.

Instead of it, operators meticulously plan a series of way points also known as “breadcrumb trail” with the help of orbital images and rover data, which the rover then follows autonomously between points.

For this test, engineers gave Claude years of mission data in context. 

The AI system analysed high-resolution orbital imagery, detected dangers such as boulder fields and sand ripples, and produced a continuous path. 

It even produced the commands in the rover’s specialised programming language.

Before application, JPL engineers verified it via standard verification simulation, checking over 500,000 variables.

One minor adjustment was needed after tests. Resultantly, perseverance drove 689 ft and then 807 ft on the two sols (Marian days), completing the AI-planned route without issue.  





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Meghan Markle sweetens Valentine’s day after last year’s big sell out

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Meghan Markle sweetens Valentine’s day after last year’s big sell out


Meghan Markle sweetens Valentine’s day after last year’s big sell out

Just in time for love filled February moments, Meghan Markle has unveiled a special limited edition chocolate collection through her lifestyle brand As Ever on Saturday. 

The new As Ever x Compartés Valentine’s Day box brings together gourmet flavours and beautifully designed packaging.

“Our Valentine’s Day As ever x @compartes collection is here!” she wrote.

Created in collaboration with Los Angeles luxury chocolatier Compartés, the collection features four handcrafted bars.

Think rich Strawberry Spread Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Spread Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate with Flower Sprinkles and Milk Chocolate with Shortbread Cookies and Bee Pollen, all wrapped in cheerful floral-inspired boxes. 

The duo’s holiday chocolate trio in 2025 flew off shelves in record time, selling out in under an hour and fans are already anticipating another quick disappearance this season too, especially with Valentine’s Day just around the corner.

It first started with small-batch spreads, teas, baking mixes and sweet treats, and has expanded into wines, candles and now premium chocolates. 

In fact, the brand’s name, As Ever, represents her desire to build something timeless and warm that feels like home.





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Saturday Sessions: Courtney Marie Andrews performs “Everyone Wants To Feel Like You Do”

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Saturday Sessions: Courtney Marie Andrews performs “Everyone Wants To Feel Like You Do”


Courtney Marie Andrews started writing songs as a teenager and played in punk bands before starting out on her own. Since then, she has been nominated for a Grammy and become known for her vulnerable lyrics and dazzling voice. Now, from her new album “Valentine,” here is Courtney Marie Andrews with “Everyone Wants To Feel Like You Do.”



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