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  3. US mid-termsHeating up
Newsbrief

Nothing plans to launch AI-first device next month

Published

Ongoing: AI Hot

The chief executive of smartphone startup Nothing said the company's new AI-first device will go on sale in December. The product is meant to help users work more productively, but the company has not said what kind of device it is.

Nothing's chief executive said the device is designed to use AI to improve productivity. He made the comments on Wednesday.

The company has not said whether the product is a phone or another kind of gadget.

Key facts

Who
Nothing (smartphone startup developing the AI-first device)
What
Nothing's CEO said the company's AI-first device is dropping next month and is designed to leverage AI for productivity gains. The article says it is not yet clear what kind of product it is.
When
4 November 2026
Status
Reported

Elections Hot

What you need to know

Counting is under way in the local elections, and Tshwane mayoral candidates expect another hung council, with the DA, ActionSA and Eco Forums each setting conditions for partners. After polls closed on Wednesday night, the Electoral Commission said over 5% of votes were counted, with the ANC on 19 seats and the DA on seven.

The ANC won the first declared council, Renosterberg in the Northern Cape, where it took 6 seats. Earlier, about 12 million voters had cast ballots by 5pm, a turnout of 44% before special votes, and results are expected through Thursday and Friday.

Disputes continue: the Commission set aside ballot boxes at two Matsulu stations after tampering claims, and the EFF plans a criminal case over special votes in the Eastern Cape.

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  3. Tshwane parties prepare for another coalition as counting begins

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AI Hot

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Nvidia has told its cloud computing clients to sell at least 51% of their services to non-Chinese companies, according to five people with knowledge of the matter. Anthropic said it has committed to spend close to $900bn on AI infrastructure, and that its computing costs are rising faster than its revenues.

Elsewhere, reports from unnamed sources say OpenAI's latest funding round is falling short of expectations, and a judge let the NAACP pollution case against xAI proceed. In South Africa, the VAST AI investment scheme went offline on 30 October after withdrawals marked approved did not arrive, according to a news investigation.

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US mid-terms Heating up

What you need to know

President Donald Trump said on 5 November the Iran war was needed to stop Tehran getting a nuclear weapon, and he admitted it contributed to Republican losses. Democrats won back both the US House and Senate in the 3 November midterm elections, according to media projections, and exit polls showed voters angry about high prices.

The Senate majority came after upsets in Texas and Kansas, and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's seat to become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. Markets reacted, with the dollar hitting a one-month low and the rand firming to around R16.55, while Scope Ratings said the result supports its AA rating on the US.

Iran welcomed the result, President Cyril Ramaphosa said it would bring a new era in world relations, and some leaders warned of gridlock in Washington.

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  3. Iran welcomes Democratic wins in US midterm elections

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