Drac attack

Remember the 90s? Oasis were unavoidable, Tony Blair stalked the halls of power, and Dracula sat on the English throne. Wait, what was that last one? Turns out I'm thinking of Vampirium: 1997, a fanged immersive sim Tron: Catalyst and John Wick Hex devs Bithell Games are launching into Steam early access soon.

This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology.

Why worms (and microbes) are catching on as a manure pollution solution

Anthony Agueda, a third-generation California dairy farmer, pulls a rake through a bed of dark, wet wood chips to reveal a half-dozen squirming red earthworms. There are likely hundreds of thousands more wriggling just under the surface.

In an aerial view, a residential neighborhood is seen on June 4, 2026 in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

Joe Raedle | Getty Images

Mortgage rates have been hovering in a tight range for more than a month, and that range is on the relatively high side. As a result, mortgage demand isn't moving much either.

Blackburn Rovers are being sued for at least £500,000 in damages over an alleged breach of a kit deal, High Court documents show.

The Lancashire club is facing the proceedings after negotiations for a renewal deal with its former kit suppliers broke down.

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Published Jul 8, 2026, 8:07 AM EDT

Everyone agrees the original is great, but is the remake good, and did we need it?

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced reviews show remake fatigue has well and truly set in

Image: Ubisoft via Polygon

Critics are unanimous: Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, first released in 2013, is a great game, one of the very best in Ubisoft's massively popular series. And most of them are happy to have it back in a new remake, Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. But they're divided on the quality of the remake, and increasingly questioning why release schedules are dominated by so many remakes in the first place.

New Delhi, India – In 2020, the Indian government transferred Srinivasan Muralidhar, a judge in New Delhi, to another court in the middle of the night in an alleged move to stop him from acting against a politician from the governing party.

Tony Rayns, the British writer, festival programmer and screenwriter who spent decades introducing Western audiences to East Asian cinema, has died at 77.

He was found deceased at his home on July 7 following an accidental fall down his stairs, according to his sister, Stephanie Gowman, in an email to Variety.