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EU mandates driver-facing cameras for all new cars.

Systems trigger alarms if the driver looks away for 3.5 seconds.

The mandatory safety measure has triggered privacy concerns.

The European Union has switched on the final phase of its updated General Safety Regulation, and the headline requirement lands squarely on the driver. As of July 7, every new passenger vehicle sold in the bloc must carry an eye-tracking driver-monitoring system. Plenty of automakers already run some version of this hardware for fatigue warnings, but the law turns an optional feature into a legal requirement across all new cars and vans.

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American drivers shouldn’t treat this as a distant European problem. Federal safety programs aimed at impaired and distracted driving move toward the USA’s own mandatory rollout of driver monitoring systems for new cars by 2027, so the tech arriving in European showrooms today is a preview of what lands stateside tomorrow.

Review: We Play Passenger With Stellantis Hands-Free Active Driving Assist

The EU’s sweeping mandate is expected to affect an estimated 15 million vehicles per year. Among its requirements is the so-called Advanced Driver Distraction Warning (ADDW) system, which relies on dashboard-integrated infrared sensors and software capable of analyzing precise head and eye movements .

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BMW

The software maps out specific zones of the interior, reserving its closest attention for the lower portions of the cabin, including the instrument cluster, the infotainment display, the steering wheel, the dashboard, and the center console.

More: A $10 Ronaldo Doll Head Is Fooling Tesla So Drivers Can Doze Off

If the driver keeps their eyes fixed in this area for more than 6 seconds at speeds between 20-50 km/h (12-31 mph), or for more than 3.5 seconds when going faster than that, they get visual and acoustic warnings. To prevent false alarms, the software builds in a minimum tolerance of 50 milliseconds.

Driver Distraction Is The Enemy

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The legislation is driven by the European Commission’s estimate that between 10% and 30% of traffic accidents in Europe stem from driver distraction. Lawmakers reckon the driver monitoring system could save 25,000 lives by 2038.

The American data tells the same story. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA ) ties driver distraction to 16% of all fatal collisions, 21% of injury crashes, and 22% of every automotive accident in the States.

Buyer Concerns

Renault

While improving road safety is a noble goal, the way these systems actually behave is already fueling a backlash. Automotive reviewers claim they often trigger false alarms by mistaking a normal blinking pattern and ordinary head movements for drowsiness, then nagging the driver to take a break. Others see one more mandated electronic package that could further inflate the cost of their new car.

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More: The Feds Could Soon Clear The Way For A Tesla With No Brake Pedal

The most serious concern, though, has to do with privacy. On paper, the official EU text explicitly states that the ADDW system must function as a closed-loop architecture. Yet privacy advocates warn that regulators have yet to set up any independent auditing mechanisms to confirm manufacturers are actually following the rules.

As reported by Risky Business , citing Belgium’s VRT channel, Volvo openly admitted that its driver-monitoring architecture processes real-time data on secure external cloud servers, contradicting the closed-loop guidelines.

Volvo

That admission is troubling given the automotive industry’s track record with consumer data . Giants like GM, Hyundai and Kia have been caught tracking driving habits and selling that telemetry to data brokers, who then pass it to insurance companies to jack up customer premiums.

More: He Braked Hard Once, Then His Insurance Jumped $100 A Month

The hope, and it is only that, is that regulators might actually do their job and stop modern vehicles from turning into high-tech corporate spies.

Other Requirements

Besides the driver monitoring system, the new legislation requires all new passenger cars and vans to come standard with a more advanced AEB featuring pedestrian and cyclist detection. Automakers must also provide better forward vision in their models, expand the safety glass area that protects pedestrians during collisions, and run extra tests for worn tires.

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Lead image DTS Xperi

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Palworld After two-and-a-half years of early access, Palworld is launching into full release tomorrow, July 10. It's a moment that brings both good news and some potential bad news: The price isn't going up , which is very nice, but if you have any old mods left installed, you may run into trouble.

Pocketpair said in today's caution that it supports modding, writing, "we look forward to seeing all the amazing mods that will be made after 1.0." The potential for trouble, particularly for people who are coming back to the game for the 1.0 release after a long time away, is found in old and "potentially harmful" mod data that may still be lying around.

"The upcoming 1.0 update for Palworld makes significant changes to the game’s systems," Pocketpair explained. "If you still have mods installed from the past, especially mods that have been left installed since around 2024, you may encounter problems such as crashes when launching or playing the game, corrupted save data or save data failing to load, [or] quests or events becoming impossible to progress."

Simply disabling mods isn't sufficient, because data and mod loaders may still be loaded when the game starts, even if the mods themselves are switched off. The only way to be sure is to nuke it all from orbit—which is to say, manually delete all the relevant data.

Detailed instructions for doing so are included in Pocketpair's mod usage guidelines , but it's not an especially complicated procedure: Back up your save data ( always back up your save data before you start horsing around with this kind of thing), delete Pal\Binaries\Win64 and Pal\Content\Paks, verify your game files on Steam, then verify the game launches properly before applying the 1.0 update. If you're subscribed to any Steam Workshop mods, you'll have to unsubscribe from those as well, and be sure to manually delete that data too.

Pocketpair also recommended not reinstalling any mods until their makers have confirmed they've been updated for the 1.0 version, and doing them one at a time to ensure everything works nice and smooth—because, as the studio said, "Please note that issues that occur while using MODs, or modified game data, are not covered by support."

2026 games : All the upcoming games

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Mercedes-AMG has introduced the new CLA 45 sedan and wagon.

Both feature a tri-motor powertrain producing up to 671 hp.

Hits 62 mph in three seconds and offers 416+ miles of range.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is officially underway and Mercedes-AMG used the event to unveil the new CLA 45 4MATIC+ lineup. It consists of a high-performance sedan and shooting brake with a tri-motor powertrain.

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Starting with the latter, the cars have one axial flux motor up front and two out back. This gives the CLA all-wheel drive as well as a combined output of up to 671 hp (500 kW / 680 PS) and 1,297 lb-ft (1,759 Nm) of torque.

More: Starry But Soulless 2026 Mercedes CLA Leans On AI And Electric Power

Those are impressive numbers and then enable the model to accelerate from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 2.7 seconds with a 1-foot rollout. However, with a traditional start, you’ll hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in three seconds flat. If you keep the accelerator planted, you’ll eventually top out at 155 mph (250 km/h) or 168 mph (270 km/h) with the AMG Dynamic Plus Package.

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The motors are fed by a 94 kWh battery pack, which gives the sedan a WLTP range in excess of 416 miles (670 km). That drops to more than 398 miles (640 km) for the shooting brake, but buyers will find an additional 2.1 cubic feet (60 liters) of space in the trunk.

When the battery is low, a 330 kW DC fast charger can take the CLA 45 from 10-80% in as little as 22 minutes. If that’s too long, a ten minute charge can deliver over 168 miles (270 km) of range.

Getting back to the motors, they enable the model to have variable torque distribution between the front and rear wheels as well as torque vectoring between the rear wheels. Mercedes says this adjustability delivers impressive agility, situation-based responses, and seamless transitions between rear- and all-wheel drive.

Buyers will also find an AMG Ride Control sports suspension with steel springs and adaptive three-way damping in the form of Comfort, Sport, and AMGForce S+ modes. There are also six AMG Dynamic Select Driving modes that adjust the response of the chassis, steering, accelerator, electronic stability control, and recuperation.

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Speaking of AMGForce S+, it turns the CLA into a weird performance car simulator complete with “active seat shakers” and “authentic traction shift interruptions.” The mode also delivers an “original combustion engine sound” as the noise from the old turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder is digitally reproduced. This makes plenty of sense as AMG owners are used to butt stuff and their partners faking it.

When it comes time to stop, the car relies on a beefy braking system that features six-piston calipers and 15.4-inch (390 mm) discs up front as well as single piston calipers and 13.8-inch (350 mm) discs in the rear. The model also has a regenerative braking system with five levels of energy recovery.

A Plastic Grin

While AMGs are known to be aggressive, the CLA 45 looks rather cheap as there’s a faux lower intake filled with plastic. It’s a bit of an eyesore, but it’s joined by a fully enclosed Panamericana grille that looks nice enough.

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Buyers will also find star-infused headlights and a short light strip between them. If that isn’t bright enough, customers can upgrade to a continuous light strip and an illuminated grille.

Further below, there’s a unique front bumper and splitter as well as an active intake. The latter can remain closed at speeds approaching 155 mph (250 km/h) and this helps to increase range and improve acceleration.

Further back, there are sporty side skirts, flush-mounted door handles, and 19- or 20-inch wheels. The model also has a unique rear bumper that replaces traditional exhaust tips with diffuser fins.

More interestingly, the CLA is the first car in its class to embrace active aerodynamics. The sedan has a power-deployable spoiler, while the shooting brake adopts a roof-edge spoiler. They can be controlled automatically or manually.

Last but not least, customers can order Night and Dynamic Plus packages. The former adds high-gloss black accents, while the latter includes red brake calipers with black AMG lettering.

A Sportier Interior

The four-seat interior is instantly recognizable, but a tad less practical as the rear middle spot has been replaced by a shallow tray. That’s an odd decision, but the CLA features faux-leather and microfiber front sport seats with red contrast stitching. Customers can also opt for real leather, two-tone designs, and red seat belts.

Elsewhere, the model has unique aluminum trim, stainless-steel pedals, and AMG floor mats. They’re joined by a Nappa leather AMG Performance steering wheel, although microfiber and leather/ microfiber variants are also available.

We can also see an assortment of familiar screens. They include a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14-inch infotainment system, and a 14-inch front passenger display.

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⚽️ World Cup kick-off: 4pm EDT/9pm BST/6am AEST

⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail Scott

Morocco were the stand-out team of Group C. They didn’t win it, because they failed to put Brazil away , but it only took 70 seconds to see off Scotland and while they risked embarrassment against Haiti, they eventually overpowered the underdogs 4-2 .

In the knockouts, they were taken to the brink by the Netherlands, then took 45 minutes to warm up against Canada before swatting the co-hosts aside and out of their own tournament. And now we are here.

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