Police request power to counter misinformation that risk riots
Police request power to counter misinformation that risk riots
Police want the freedom to release more details of some investigations in an effort to prevent misinformation that could result in threats to public safety or national security.
In a submission to a review of contempt of court laws, three national policing bodies have said that they should be allowed to say more when a “tipping point” is reached and accusations of a cover-up could result in violence.
It follows the Southport knife attack in July, when misinformation about the attacker snowballed on social media, which Merseyside Police did not initially counter, leading to riots across the ***.
Current laws prevent certain details in ongoing criminal cases being published before a trial, so that it does not prejudice the jury.
Merseyside Police was criticised for not giving early details of Axel Rudakubana, the man later convicted of the murders of three young girls in Southport, when posts on social media falsely suggested he was an asylum seeker and potentially an Islamist extremist.
The early police communications strategy was based on advice from prosecutors, the force’s chief previously said.
Now, there is a review examining Britain’s strict laws on what can be published during an ongoing criminal investigation and how the justice system should respond to breaches.
In its submission to the review, the National Police Chiefs’ Council, College of Policing and Counter Terrorism Policing said the criminal justice system should reach a “collective view” of how to balance the need for a defendant to get a fair trial and the need to maintain public order.
“We would welcome recognition of the role unchecked misinformation and disinformation about high profile criminal incidents, that rightly concern the public, can have in creating a febrile environment where the risks of disorder breaking out is higher,” the submissions stated.
“We would like the legal framework to acknowledge that this risk exists.
“We do believe there is room to offer stronger reassurance in cases where a tipping point has been reached and where releasing information that could help counter misinformation and disinformation to address public safety risks would be helpful.
“Flexibility is required to mitigate the clear risks to public safety.”
The police submission points out that in other countries more information is made public.
In August 2024, Austrian police disrupted a plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna.
They made public:
Details of chemical substances and devices found in the main suspect’s homeDetails of the suspects’ nationalitiesDetails of the suspects’ employmentDetails of the arrest and that one of the suspects did not resist arrestA summary of what the suspects had said when interviewed by police, including discussing their plans to kill and that they had uploaded to the internet an oath of allegiance to ISISDetails of the authorities’ views on the suspects’ mindset and ideology that had inspired them
“When the public in the *** look at media reporting of cases like this and see that the Austrian public is being given information that policing in this country would say cannot be shared at that stage in order not to prejudice a trial – they have every right to wonder if this is true,” the submission said.
In the Southport case, when the killer was arrested, very little information was given.
False online rumours spread online hours after the attack that the perpetrator had been an asylum seeker and potentially an Islamist extremist, and a violent protest took place close to the scene the following day.
Riots, in which mosques and hotels housing migrants were attacked, soon spread around the country.
In a press statement at 17:25 on 29 July 2024, the day of the murders, the police said only that a “17-year-old male from Banks” had been arrested in connection with the murders.
The Merseyside Chief Constable Serena Kennedy wanted to reveal the suspect’s religion to counter suggestions that what had happened had been a terrorist attack by an Islamic extremist.
She told the Home Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday that she explained to the deputy regional prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service: “I need to help my colleagues out, my fellow chief constables. Some of the streets of the *** are on fire and I need to help them as much as I can.”
But she said the CPS were concerned that including the detail about the suspect’s religion could interfere with a future criminal case.
Later the national CPS said it was happy to include the religion detail, but it was too late.
Ms Kennedy told MPs: “By that time, we were downstairs and we were preparing for the press conference so that was not seen by ourselves.”
The police submission to the Law Commission review also calls for a tougher line to be taken with “individuals with significant public profiles, some in elected office” who use their platform to “fuel narratives of conspiracy and cover-up”.
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Good News Club Takes CA School District to Court for Alleged Anti-Christian Discrimination
Good News Club Takes CA School District to Court for Alleged Anti-Christian Discrimination
A Christian religious rights law firm is taking a California school district to court claiming it unlawfully prohibited a ministry from using the district’s public facilities to hold its after-school Good News Clubs.
As CBN News reported, Liberty Counsel alleges Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), Superintendent Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell, and the school board are discriminating against Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) NorCal East Bay by denying its elementary school Good News Clubs from using its facilities on an equal basis with other similar non-religious organizations.
The group presented evidence at a preliminary injunction hearing Thursday in U.S. District Court to support their claim adding that the district’s denials violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments and California state law.
“CEF applied to use facilities on four different campuses within the OUSD for more than two years but were denied on religious grounds, pretextual schemes, and even by silence,” Liberty Counsel explained in a statement, calling it “discriminatory denials.”
Before the COVID pandemic, OUSD had allowed CEF NorCal East Bay to host Good News Clubs on its campuses. In response to the pandemic, the school district canceled all clubs in the spring of 2020.
However, when CEF requested to resume the Good News Clubs throughout the spring and fall of 2023, elementary school officials responded with a variety of denials.
In several instances, school officials allegedly displayed religious viewpoint discrimination stating that CEF was not a “good match,” and “we are not in support of evangelism on our campus.”
The district also denied CEF NorCal East Bay because there was “no space” available even when spaces were reportedly listed as available online, and also failed to grant the organization’s “community partnership” application “due to its religious programming.”
Liberty Counsel sent its first demand letter to Dr. Johnson-Trammell in March 2023 notifying the district that denying Good News Clubs’ equal access based on CEF’s religious beliefs is viewpoint discrimination.
After the school district continued to deny the Good News Clubs equal access, the law firm sent a second demand letter in December 2023 reiterating unlawful viewpoint discrimination.
To date, other organizations such as Girls on the Run and Berkely Chess School are allowed to use school facilities for after-school programs, but school officials have not responded to Liberty Counsel or CEF’s application.
According to Liberty Counsel, OUSD has not contested the evidence presented in court documents, but officials did note that its response to CEF is in line with a “new policy” and “new practices.” However, state and school district regulations reportedly do not reflect any changes.
Liberty Counsel is asking a U.S. District court to issue a preliminary injunction pending trial, and a permanent injunction upon judgment to allow CEF to host its Good News Clubs at OUSD facilities.
The group cites a 2001 Supreme Court decision, Good News Club v. Milford Central School, that ruled that public schools violate the First Amendment by not providing equal access and equal treatment to Christian clubs when the school has opened the forum to secular clubs.
“The Oakland Unified School District must give the Good News Clubs equal access and treatment as the similarly situated non-religious groups on public school campuses,” said Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver. “Child Evangelism Fellowship gives children a biblically based education that includes moral and character development. Good News Clubs should be in every public elementary school and that includes these Oakland schools.”
As CBN News has reported, founded 87 years ago, the CEF is an international non-profit worldwide children’s ministry. CEF Good News Clubs positively impact the lives of children and their families. The clubs typically meet once per week, immediately after school, and are led by trained and vetted local community volunteers. They provide religious and other teaching and activities to encourage learning, spiritual growth, and service to others, as well as social, emotional, character, and leadership development.
The ministry also reports school officials are seeing the positive difference the Christian clubs make. A survey of over 200 principals from 28 states reported that 87 percent of those principals where the clubs are located “noticed an improvement in student behavior.”
One principal said: “Since the Good News Club has been a part of our school, the office referrals have decreased.”
Good News Clubs are voluntary, do not charge any fee, and welcome children with written permission from parents. There are currently 3,041 Good News Clubs in public elementary schools across the United States.
Liberty Counsel has represented approximately 200 CEF cases nationally and has never lost a case involving Good News Clubs.
CBN News has reached out OUSD for comment. At the time of publication, they had not responded to the request.
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Plug-in hybrid car tax breaks about to hit the skids
Plug-in hybrid car tax breaks about to hit the skids
Drivers have one month left to claim a tax break on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, amid calls for Labor to give the fuel-saving cars more support.
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Vital Farms CEO says egg shortages will ease later this year, no plans to raise prices
Vital Farms CEO says egg shortages will ease later this year, no plans to raise prices
Egg shortages have caused a frenzy among American shoppers this year as the bird flu epidemic takes a toll on US egg production.
But premium egg producer Vital Farms (VITL) expects some improvement later this year.
“Industry supply will remain under pressure to start the year due to the impact of HPAI [bird flu] on poultry flocks across the United States,” Vital Farms CEO Russell Diez-Canseco said in an earnings release. “However, as the year progresses, we believe the supply chain investments we made in 2024 and into 2025 will begin bearing fruit.”
Vital Farms stock jumped 4% in midday trading Friday following its fourth quarter results.
NasdaqGM – Nasdaq Real Time Price • USD
As of 3:39:25 PM EST. Market Open.
VITL ^GSPC
In the three months ending Dec. 29, the company reported revenue rose 22.2% to $166 million. For the full year, revenue tallied $606 million. Vital Farms also said it expects its full-year 2025 revenue to be “at least” $740 million.
“Near-term demand trends are strong and the long-term runway is solid, given continued market share gains of pasture-raised eggs via favorable macro trends and initiatives, including higher household penetration, new distribution, greater shelf space, and new products,” Sarang Vora, a research analyst at Telsey Advisory Group, wrote in a note to clients.
As prices for regular eggs have risen, premium producers have benefited from a shrinking price difference for higher-end eggs.
Nationally, a dozen large Grade A eggs cost a record-high $4.95 in January, compared to $2.52 a year ago. It marked a 53% increase in the cost of eggs year over year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as overall grocery inflation rose 1.9% compared to a year ago.
Read more: From $5 eggs to insurance premiums, here’s where prices are rising
Eggs are displayed for ***** in a Manhattan grocery store on February 25, 2025, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) · Spencer Platt via Getty Images
Although the US Department of Agriculture expects egg prices to increase 41% in 2025, Diez-Canseco told Yahoo Finance that Vital Farms has no plans to raise prices.
“We’re not playing a short-term game of … gaming the pricing in the marketplace,” Diez-Canseco said Friday (see video above).
He added that egg prices are “outrageous” right now, and Vital Farms plans to stick to its model.
“We’re building a brand for the long haul, and that’s resulted in very consistent growth with positive gross margins and profitability since the IPO,” he said. “That’s pretty rare for a small, fast-growing company like ours.”
Meanwhile, investors have also flocked to America’s largest egg producer, Cal-Maine Foods (CALM), which supplies eggs to Walmart (WMT) and many private-label brands. Cal-Maine shares increased 55% in the past year, while Vital Farms stock is up roughly 80%.
Story Continues
“You’re seeing a well-run commodity business benefit from a rise in the commodity price,” New Constructs founder and CEO David Trainer told Yahoo Finance over the phone earlier this year. “When prices are high, they can make lots of money.”
The egg inflation and shortages have been largely caused by the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu.
On Wednesday, United States Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins introduced a five-part strategy to combat avian flu outbreaks in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.
“It was wonderful to see the Trump administration’s focus on this,” Diez-Canseco said of Rollins’s plan. He noted that federal investment may help “America’s egg farmers repair maybe some of that aging infrastructure that’s allowing the introduction of wild animals that may be infecting birds.”
Trader Joe’s location places a sign to limit shoppers to one dozen per customer. (Photo by Dylan DiFante for Yahoo Finance)
In the meantime, national grocers such as Costco (COST) and Trader Joe’s have placed limits on the amount of eggs consumers can purchase at a time.
And some restaurants, including Waffle House and Denny’s (DENN), have added a surcharge to egg menu items.
“Due to the nationwide egg shortage and increased cost of eggs, some of our restaurant locations will need to temporarily add a surcharge to every meal that includes eggs,” a Denny’s spokesperson told Yahoo Finance.
On March 12, the BLS will provide updated inflation data for the month of February, giving Americans a closer look at whether egg prices have continued to move higher.
—
Brooke DiPalma is a senior reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at *****@*****.tld.
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End nears for internet calling pioneer Skype as Microsoft plans shutdown – The Washington Post
End nears for internet calling pioneer Skype as Microsoft plans shutdown – The Washington Post
End nears for internet calling pioneer Skype as Microsoft plans shutdown The Washington PostThe next chapter: Moving from Skype to Microsoft Teams MicrosoftMicrosoft to Retire Skype in May, Focus on Teams PYMNTS.comSkype to Shut 14 Years After Microsoft’s $8.5 Billion Purchase BloombergOnce-dominant video conferencing service shutting down KTLA Los Angeles
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Mecha Break Is A Larger-Than-Life Hero Shooter That Scratches My Titanfall Itch
Mecha Break Is A Larger-Than-Life Hero Shooter That Scratches My Titanfall Itch
I like robots–especially comically large ones armed with various weapons. When I received an invitation to visit Amazing Seasun Games’ Irvine, California office to try out their latest title, Mecha Break, all I really knew going into it was that I’d be playing a game featuring really big robots armed with various weapons. I’m not quite sure what I was expecting (other than access to the aforementioned giant robots), but I certainly wasn’t expecting to fall in love.
Most of Amazing Seasun Games’ previous titles were unknown to me, and all I’d seen of Mecha Break were some impressive trailers. When I finally sat down to take the free-to-play mech-based third-person hero shooter for a test-fly, I was admittedly a bit apprehensive. The live-service hero shooter market is oversaturated enough as it is, and it’s a tough genre to stand out in. Is Mecha Break up to the task? So far, the answer appears to be “yes.”
Mecha Break is mech-nerd heaven.
The game features a cast of 13 different mechs–referred to in-game as Strikers–each with their own set of unique weapons and abilities. When selecting a Striker, players can look at a graph showing that particular mech’s strengths and weaknesses. Some Strikers are great for lone-wolf playstyles, some are better at supporting or defending one’s team, and some are a combination of both. Each Striker feels surprisingly well-balanced–while I quickly fell in love with a specific Striker that fit my preferred playstyle (more on that in a bit), I never felt that one Striker was too overpowered or underpowered.
But before I get into the nitty gritty of Mecha Break’s gameplay, I have to take a second to praise the game’s absolutely phenomenal character creator. Before you set foot in a mech, you must first create the character who will be piloting it. You can pick from a series of masculine and feminine preset characters, but those options can then be customized. At most, I was expecting a simple customization screen that might let me choose from a handful of hairstyles and colors. What I was not expecting was a character creator so detailed it rivals that of RPGs like Cyberpunk 2077. While there aren’t many body shapes to choose from, the sky’s the limit when it comes to everything else.
Players can customize their pilot’s hair color (including roots and tips), every part of their eyes (from sclera to pupil) and other facial features, their makeup (including eyeshadow, eyeliner, blush, lipstick, and lip gloss), scars and tattoos, and more. Outfit colors can also be customized on an extremely detailed level, and players are given the ability to choose from a wide variety of colors. I had to physically tear myself away from the character creator–one could easily spend an hour or more perfecting their pilot’s look. In the end, I had a female pilot with heart-shaped pupils, impeccable makeup, and beautifully animated waist-length hair with a ******-to-purple ombré dye job. While playing, I encountered pilots with equally varied looks, including one who was wearing a sailor uniform and had a PC monitor for a head. (I later learned this pilot belonged to none other than Amazing Seasun Games CEO and Mecha Break Game Director, Kris Kwok, who joined us for a few matches.)
Additional customization options like clothing colors, hairstyles, tattoos, and eyeliner designs can be purchased using an in-game currency that you earn for free while playing the game, which is a plus. After just a few hours, I had more than enough currency to customize every inch of my pilot ten times over. While items like pilot outfits will likely be sold via an in-game store when the game is released, the build I played allowed for plenty of customization without the need for players to spend real-life currency. Oh, and players can also customize their Striker as well as its pilot, using the same in-game currency.
Character customization is extremely detailed, and doesn’t cost a dime of real-life currency.
After reluctantly dragging myself away from the incredibly detailed character creator, I climbed into a Striker and tried out three game modes. The first was your standard 3v3 team deathmatch-style mode. The second was a 6v6 mode that really leaned into hero shooter mechanics, with different maps having different objectives–one map had my squad protecting a moving payload from an enemy team as it traveled across the map, while another saw us fighting to control a series of three map points in a king-of-the-hill-style match. The third mode, called Mashmak, is Mecha Break’s “signature mode,” according to its developers.
Mashmak is a PvPvE mode that sees 10 three-player teams dropped into an absolutely enormous map, where they must defeat both AI-controlled enemies and player-controlled squads, collect loot, and–if they want to keep that loot–reach an extraction point. The extraction point appears 10 minutes in, but you don’t have to hit it immediately, as another extraction point will spawn every five minutes for the remainder of the match. But you don’t want to wait too long–after 15 minutes, a Pulse Storm will begin devouring the map. You can delay this to some degree by destroying some of the drones controlling the storm, but ultimately, the appearance of the Pulse Storm is your sign that it’s time to extract as soon as possible.
In addition to being visually appealing, Mecha Break’s Mashmak maps are absolutely enormous. Each of the game’s Strikers has the ability to fly long distances (though some have ******* fuel reserves than others), and during the preview event, we were told that even if the Strikers had infinite fuel reserves, it would still take roughly 10 minutes to fly from one end of the map to the other. Mecha Break’s maps aren’t just wide, however–they also have a huge amount of verticality. Players can fly up and over the side of large mountains which, in most games, are usually put there to keep players penned in. This is not the case with Mecha Break–if you can see it, you can fly over it. Of course, there’s a limit–fly too high and an alert will appear on screen alongside an out-of-bounds timer, signaling players to lower their altitude–but I didn’t often find myself flying too close to the sun.
One might imagine that with a map this big, keeping a squad together might be difficult, but in my experience, that wasn’t the case. Mecha Break’s Strikers fly fast and far, fuel reserves replenish quickly, and as long as you’re communicating with your team, you’re unlikely to find yourself in a situation where your squad is too far away to help.
Mecha Break’s maps are absolutely enormous, and quite beautiful.
Speaking of going airborne, flying in Mecha Break feels amazing. The game’s developers lean into airborne combat, rather than shy away from it, so each Striker has decent fuel reserves and can stay airborne for quite a while. I played the game with both mouse-and-keyboard controls and an Xbox controller, and both input methods felt equally seamless when I took to the sky.
Combat, too, felt seamless and satisfying. I played around with a few different mechs, but quickly found my favorite Striker in Alysnes, an agile, sword-wielding mech with an arsenal that also included a machine gun, a shield, and a special ability that shoots deadly lasers in multiple directions.. Mecha Break has an interesting lock-on mechanic–keep an enemy in your line of sight for a brief moment and a large red triangle will appear around them, indicating that your target is locked, and you’re free to fire away. The lock-on mechanic works the same way for every Striker, and if you lose sight of an enemy, you’ll have to get them back in your field of vision and lock on again if you want to continue attacking them. Thankfully, locking on doesn’t take long.
Alysnes’ gun does decent damage, but I had far more fun using her sword. With her sword equipped and her target locked, Alysnes will zoom toward the enemy and begin slashing away. If that target happens to be in the air, she will automatically go airborne as well, leading to tons of intense, mid-air fights to the death. Speaking of death, what happens when your Striker’s health hits zero depends on the game mode. In non-Mashmak matches, your pilot will automatically eject from their mech, and you’ll be removed from the battle for a brief time ******* before redeploying from the sky to rejoin your teammates. In Mashmak mode, your fellow squadmates will have to respawn you themselves.
In its current state, Mecha Break feels like Titanfall 2 if you gave it a can of Red Bull and let it spend the day playing Armored Core. It’s an incredibly good time, and does a great job of making you feel like you really are piloting a gigantic robot–bridges crumble when you forcefully land on them, parts of buildings break apart when you send an enemy crashing into them, and while the Strikers feel appropriately hefty, they never feel clunky.
Locking onto enemies is easy–just keep them in your line of sight.
Aside from the lack of variation in pilot body shapes and a few instances of rather silly looking jiggle physics on feminine pilots, it’s truly difficult to find much to complain about when it comes to Mecha Break’s current build. Unlike a lot of newer hero shooters currently on the market, Mecha Break appears to have a well-defined identity–it knows what it is, and it knows who it’s for. Though there are plenty of similarities to Titanfall, it never feels like a rip-off, and while the Alysnes Striker does feel a lot like Titanfall 2’s Ronin Titan, Mecha Break’s Strikers operate differently–and frankly, more gracefully–than Titans. You can’t manually eject your pilot and run around ripping batteries out of other mechs, nor does each Striker have a unique voice and distinct personality for you to grow attached to, but that doesn’t feel detrimental to the quality of the game.
Mecha Break doesn’t have a single-player campaign, but there is a tutorial mission, and the game has an ongoing plot revolving around the mining of a strange, crystal-like element known as Corite. Amazing Seasun Games says that the story will be supported with additional media, including manga and animated shorts. But even if you completely removed the plot from the equation, Mecha Break could still stand firm (and fly high) on the foundation of its gameplay, which thus far is engaging, smooth, satisfying, and frankly, fun as all hell.
Curious to learn more about Mecha Break’s development, I sat down with Amazing Seasun Games CEO and Mecha Break game director Kris Kwok to find out how exactly this high-flying hero shooter got off the ground.
“I came to Hong Kong when I was very young, so I got to know [of] mecha when I was very young, maybe when I was in the second or third year of primary school,” Kwok told me. “So, for Mecha Break, my biggest inspiration would be these works: First of all, Gundam. Secondly, Macross.”
Given the complexities of the game–13 mechs with various abilities, multiple modes, enormous maps–I was curious to hear what sort of challenges the development team faced while working to bring Mecha Break to life.
“In the ******** market, as long as you’re doing something sci-fi related, [or] mecha-related, there’s almost no beginning,” Kwok said. “If you want to do something, you’ll be the first one [to do it]. So, in terms of hiring the right people and getting the right technology in place, we had barely anything to begin with. In the beginning, we invested in a British team. We learned a lot from the British team. Their original [idea] was to do it on PS2, a space-fighter shooter project. In the end, we’ve experienced several failures. The second time, we worked with the *** team, our team, and [a team of] Japanese designers. We failed. Then, we did it ourselves–we asked the Japanese designers to be our consultants. We failed. In 2021, I think we learned a lot. In this process [of failure], we learned a few key techniques that allowed us to break through. In terms of design, [that breakthrough was] the design language of mechas, [which] deviate from the traditional, low-quality toy-looking kind of appearances, and [look] way more cool.”
Another challenge was making Mecha Break’s mechs look appropriately robotic.
“You cannot just map the skin onto a human body, because mechas don’t move like humans,” Kwok explained. “We had to re-design the animation of the mecha’s skeletal structure, and then we had to follow up with animations in that sense. The second [challenge] in terms of technology was hard surface modeling. We had to make it [look] really hard, very industrial looking. Through numerous iterations, we mastered that as well.”
Kwok says getting Mecha Break’s Strikers to look realistically robotic was a challenge.
While we were on the topic of animation and modeling, I had to know: Why add such a detailed, RPG-esque character creator?
“Amazing Seasun Games already has a reputable history for the past three decades of making ********-themed traditional wuxia games,” Kwok explained. “So, we kind of transferred those core competencies over to the character-creation stage. We don’t want you just to identify with the hard metal mecha surface–there’s an actual person behind it: The human, the pilot, that you can eventually identify with. If you get to create a character that physically looks like you, the player, you will have a stronger sense of immersion in the world. You are playing that mecha, you are the pilot.”
Amazing Seasun Games has held a number of community playtests, so the next thing I wanted to know was how player feedback has shaped Mecha Break’s development. Kwok told me that he and his team have received a ton of player feedback regarding the game’s user interface and gameplay balance.
“In terms of the feedback that we’ve gotten, mostly it’s in terms of the product itself, the UI, the experience, etc.,” Kwok said. “So we’re working on that too. And the balance takes time, you know? Nobody can get it right the first time. I’m not surprised that we’ve gotten a lot of feedback in terms of balance as well, and the players had expectations of PvE in addition to PvP.”
It was at this point, Kwok said, he and the team were faced with a monumental decision: Should there be a single-player campaign?
“A [single-player] campaign is a one-time-through kind of deal,” Kwok said. “So we kind of decided against it.”
Another aspect I was curious about was balance. My experience with Mecha Break was smooth and seamless, and there was never a time where I felt one of the game’s 13 mechs had a massive advantage over the others, or a blatant weakness in need of addressing. I asked Kwok how on Earth the team went about balancing the game’s lineup of mech-heroes, and which mech was his favorite. The answer truly surprised me.
“So, first of all, as the producer and designer of all that–I’m not talking about the aesthetics or the outward appearances [of the mechs], but the weaponization was all done by me, myself–for me, each of them is like my own child,” Kwok told me, explaining that he had personally spent hundreds of hours playing and perfecting each mech. “So, it’s hard for me to tell you which one I like the most, because I had to play each one of them many times, try a lot of things, and constantly modify them.
“Of course, balance is a very, very difficult process. So in this process, the question is, ‘Which one is the most difficult to balance?’ I can’t say which one is the most difficult to balance. In terms of balance in this game, I’d rather stay away from the traditional buffing [or] nerfing some units, giving them more stats, HP, armor, all that.”
Instead, Kwok added that he’s more focused on “the actual player’s control in-game, rather than giving you a number to tell you which one is the hardest to balance. It’s always an ongoing process, there’s no endpoint [to] a game’s balance anyway.”
Balancing the abilities of all 13 Strikers was no small task, Kwok says.
It’s clear that even while tweaking small details, Kwok always has his eye on the big picture first and foremost. When I asked what aspect of the game he was most excited for players to experience, he simply told me, “Actually, I think [I’m most looking forward to the reception of] the game as a whole. At its core, what we want to create in the game is the feeling of driving a machine gun. Whether it’s 6v6, Mashmak, or 3v3, we want all players to feel like, ‘Okay, I’m really driving this machine, I’m controlling this machine, it’s like part of my body.'”
“I’m counting on the player to experience that kind of integration, unity, the pilot being one with the mech,” Kwok said.
Mecha Break does not yet have an official launch date, but is slated for release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S sometime in 2025. It is currently available to wishlist on Steam.
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Rodri: Manchester City midfielder back in individual training after ACL injury
Rodri: Manchester City midfielder back in individual training after ACL injury
Simon Stone, chief football news reporter
The images of Rodri out on the first-team training pitches, running, turning and kicking the ball, will gladden the heart of every Manchester City fan.
Even the sun came out.
Manager Pep Guardiola has played down talk of an imminent return to action and evidently, there is a long way to go before Rodri actually plays a proper game again.
However, with nearly three months of the domestic season left, there has to be a chance Rodri will play some part – and that should mean he is available for the Club World Cup in the USA in June.
That is really important because Guardiola’s squad will have next to no preparation time for the 2025-26 campaign and, as they have discovered this season, without Rodri, they are just not the same team.
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The PSVR 2 Gets A Permanant $150 Price Cut
The PSVR 2 Gets A Permanant $150 Price Cut
Sony announced an official price drop for the PSV2, bringing the VR headset’s base price to $400 starting in March. The change applies to both the PSV2 base model (was $550) and the Horizon Call of the Mountain bundle (was $600) available at major retailers. While the price drop goes into effect soon, the rollout will vary between stores. Some retailers, like Amazon and Target, are already listing certain models for the new price online, while others are still selling the PSVR 2 at its launch price. Be sure to check the links below so that you’ll catch when the new $400 PSVR 2 price is live.
$400
The PSVR 2 includes the PSVR 2 headset, PS VR2 Sense controllers, and a pair of stereo headphones–everything you need to connect and play on PS5. So far, we’ve seen the price drop already kick in online at Target. Other retailers should be updating their prices soon.
$400
This bundle includes everything in the base PSVR 2 package, plus a download code for the game Horizon Call of the Mountain, which is playable on PS5 with the headset. Since it costs the same as the base package, it’s worth picking up if you can find it. It’s available at the new $400 price online at Amazon and Target, and we expect more stores will drop their prices soon, too.
$60
While the PSVR 2 PC Adapter cable is not part of the price drop, it’s still worth picking up if you plan to use the headset on PC. The only other thing you’ll need is the PSVR PC app, which is available as a free download from Steam.
Now that the PSVR 2 is more affordable, that frees you up to grab a few VR-compatible PS5 games to use the headset with. There are dozens of PSVR 2 games available, including VR-exclusive titles like Beat Saber, Alien: Rogue Incursion, and Metro Awakening VR, and PS5 games with dedicated VR modes like Gran Turismo 7, Tetris Effect: Connected, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 8, and No Man’s Sky.
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What is a Watering Hole Attack?
What is a Watering Hole Attack?
A watering hole attack is a security exploit in which the attacker seeks to compromise a specific group of end users by infecting websites that members of the group are known to visit. The goal is to infect a targeted user’s computer and gain access to the network at the target’s workplace.
The term watering hole attack comes from hunting. Rather than tracking its prey over a long distance, the hunter instead determines where the prey is likely to go, most commonly to a body of water — the watering hole — and waits there. When the prey lets its guard down, the hunter attacks.
In the tech world, the target victim can be an individual, an organization or a group. The attacker profiles its targets — typically, employees of large enterprises, human rights organizations, religious groups or government offices — to determine the type of websites they frequent. These are often messaging boards or general interest sites popular with the intended target.
While watering hole attacks are uncommon, they pose a considerable cyberthreat because they’re difficult to detect and typically target highly secure organizations through their less security-conscious employees, business partners or connected vendors. They can be extremely destructive because they can breach several layers of security.
Watering hole attacks — a type of social engineering attack — are also called water-holing, water hole attacks or strategically compromised websites.
How does a watering hole attack work?
A watering hole attack involves a chain of events the attacker initiates to gain access to a victim. However, the attacker does not target the victim directly.
First, the attacker identifies a legitimate website or service that the intended victim already uses and is familiar with. Generally, the target site has relatively low security, is frequently visited and is popular with the intended victim. The attacker then compromises the target site and injects a malicious code payload into the site, often using JavaScript or Hypertext Markup Language. When the victim visits the compromised site, the payload is triggered, beginning an exploit chain that infects their computer. The payload can be automatic, or the attack might cause a bogus prompt to appear, telling the user to take additional action, which downloads malicious code. The exploit chain might be one that already exists and is well known or a novel exploit created by the attacker.
Once the payload has been triggered on the victim’s computer, the attacker can access other assets on the network and use that computer to launch a pivot attack to achieve other nefarious goals. The goals might be to gather information about the victim, use the victim’s computer as part of a bot network or try to exploit other computers within their network.
There are several steps in a watering hole attack.
Other security exploits similar to watering hole attacks
A watering hole attack is similar to other tactics used by cybercriminals and hackers:
Supply chain attack. In a supply chain attack and a watering hole attack, the attacker compromises a third-party service to infect other systems. However, in a supply chain attack, a product the target purchases is usually compromised, unlike the neutral websites that are compromised during a watering hole attack.
Honeypot attack. A honeypot attack presents an attractive target that entices the victim to take action, while a watering hole attack focuses on an existing site the target already uses.
Man-in-the-middle attack. In a MitM attack, the attacker intercepts and reads or changes communication between the victim and a third-party site, but the site itself is not compromised.
Tailgating. Tailgating is similar to a watering hole attack in that an attacker follows closely behind someone trusted to gain access, but it is most commonly a physical attack.
Phishing. Cybercriminals use phishing to lure users to open an email and its attachment or web link. The email appears to have been sent from a party known to the user, such as a colleague or friend. When the user opens the email attachment or web link, malware enters their system. Phishing attacks are typically sent to multiple users to exploit vulnerabilities across a broad user population.
Spear phishing. Malicious hackers research organizations and target specific users within a company whom they believe have highly sensitive or valuable information. They research these individuals to develop compelling spear phishing emails with attachments and web links that appear to be from someone within the user’s organization. Once the user opens the email attachment or web link, malware is planted on their computer.
Signs of a watering hole attack
Watering hole attacks are similar to other types of cyberattacks but are difficult to detect. However, once the perpetrator has bypassed cybersecurity measures and has gained access to systems, apps, users and devices, users might experience the following:
Computer performance issues and system slowdowns.
Unexplained system crashes.
Changes to browser security settings.
Missing files.
Ads or pop-ups directing the user to a specific website.
New or unknown applications downloaded to the user’s device.
If a user suspects they are the victim of a watering hole attack, they should avoid clicking on links or downloading files and contact their IT security team immediately.
How to prevent watering hole attacks
The following best practices can help organizations avoid watering hole attacks:
Use best practices for computer security. Since watering hole attacks are often web exploits, following published best practices and computer hardening guidelines could help prevent these cyberincidents. These include using antivirus software, requiring strong authentication for all users and improving employee security awareness.
Do not allow personal use of corporate resources. Block access to websites not used for work, and do not allow users to access websites for personal communication.
Do not add trusts to third-party sites. Some sites require additional permissions to run properly. Audit or don’t allow these exceptions, as they could allow an attacker to use the site in the future.
Train users to recognize strange behavior and avoid violations. Users can be lax with sites they commonly visit, so they should be trained to avoid clicking on suspicious links and not bypass security warnings.
Scan and monitor internet traffic. Use web proxies that can scan content in real time, monitor for common exploits and use web logging to detect suspicious activity.
Examples of watering hole attacks
The following are notable examples of recent attacks:
In 2016, a watering hole attack on the Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) spread malware that infected its network. The cyberespionage group Emissary Panda, or APT27, accessed the ICAO website through compromised servers. The attack targeted employee data, safety data and sensitive information from other organizations.
In 2017, a series of cyberattacks hit Ukrainian government websites. The Petya malware compromised the websites of banks, newspapers, ministries and power companies. The targeted attack is believed to have originated with an update to a Ukrainian tax accounting package.
In 2020, SolarWinds, an IT supply chain software vendor, experienced a watering hole attack. The Russian espionage group Nobelium compromised SolarWind’s software by injecting malicious code into updates that were ultimately distributed to the vendor’s customers and their partners — large companies and government agencies. The breach compromised the data, networks and systems of thousands of organizations.
In 2023, a Japanese university research lab website experienced a watering hole attack. Although this attack, which likely targeted students and researchers, did not infect users’ systems with malware, they were tricked into clicking on a pop-up message that downloaded and executed malware disguised as an Adobe Flash Player update.
In 2024, a watering hole attack on 25 websites linked to the Kurdish ********* compromised sensitive user information. The attack, which was dubbed SilentSelfie, involved four different attacks, ranging from stealing user location information to installing malicious applications used on the Android operating system.
Cyberattacks have become a major security focus, highlighting concerns about threats to critical infrastructure. Discover the details of the American Water cyberattack, including how it occurred, who was impacted and its overall consequences.
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Earnings season is winding down, and these S&P 500 companies have hiked their dividends
Earnings season is winding down, and these S&P 500 companies have hiked their dividends
Stocks have been on a rocky ride to start the year, but income investors have a silver lining: Companies have continued to announce dividend increases. The S & P 500 limped through February, losing more than 2%, with concerns over inflation, President Donald Trump’s impending tariffs and worsening geopolitical risks weighing on investor sentiment. On Friday, the broad-based index briefly slipped into negative territory for 2025. Still, companies have been reporting their fourth-quarter reports – providing another market catalyst. As of Friday, about 97% of the S & P 500 reported earnings, with more than 75% surpassing analysts’ estimates, per FactSet. Several of those S & P 500 names were bearing good news for income investors. In the week ended Feb. 25, there were 20 S & P 500 companies that announced dividend hikes, according to data from JPMorgan. There were no new cuts or suspensions announced in that time, the firm said. Heavy hitters announcing dividend hikes include Coca-Cola , which boosted its payout by about 5.2% to 51 cents per share. “Related to capital return, we have an unwavering priority to grow our dividend, as we’ve done for 62 consecutive years,” said John Murphy, chief financial officer of Coca-Cola, on the company’s Feb. 11 earnings call. “Our dividend is supported by our long-term free cash flow generation. In 2024, dividends paid as a percent of adjusted free cash flow was 73%,” he added. Other big names that have joined the ranks as of late include Occidental Petroleum , Home Depot and General Motors . Dividend raises in 2025 Year to date through Feb. 18, more than 80 S & P 500 companies announced dividend increases, according to data from S & P Dow Jones Indices. See below for a few of the names that raised their income payments. Semiconductor manufacturer Analog Devices lifted its quarterly dividend payment by 8% to 99 cents a share . The stock is holding up in what’s been a rough patch for tech names, up more than 6% in 2025. The tech sector of the S & P 500 is off 6% year to date. This hike marks the 21st consecutive year of higher dividends for Analog Devices. The stock has a current dividend yield of 1.7%. Benchmark Equity Research initiated coverage of the stock earlier this month with a buy rating and a price target of $245, reflecting more than 9% upside from Thursday’s close. “We believe ADI is one of the most attractive opportunities across the high-performance analog semiconductor landscape, uniquely positioned to drive sustained growth, margin expansion and compelling shareholder returns,” wrote analyst David Williams. “Significant cash generating model and generous capital allocation strategy targets return of 100% of [free cash flow] to shareholders,” he added. Of the 32 analysts covering Analog Devices, 20 rate it a buy or strong buy, and consensus price targets call for upside of 13%, according to LSEG. Walmart , a dividend aristocrat – that is, a name that raised dividends for at least 25 years, announced a 52nd year of dividend hikes. The big-box store lifted its dividend by 13% to 94 cents a share – or four quarterly payments of $0.235 per share. The company posted beats on the top and bottom lines in the fiscal fourth quarter, but it warned that profit growth will slow . This cued a 6.5% slide for Walmart shares after the retailer issued its results. “Cash flow remained strong. And as we announced this morning, we’re pleased to raise the dividend by 13% this year, the largest increase in over a decade, reinforcing our commitment to strong cash returns to shareholders,” said CFO John David Rainey on Walmart’s earnings call. The Street was also unfazed by the post-earnings slip in shares, with JPMorgan analyst Christopher Horvers calling it a “Near-Term Buying Opportunity.” He rates it overweight, saying its U.S. same-store sales growth is “high quality” as Walmart continues to gain market share. Analysts are sticking by the stock, with 41 out of 43 rating it a buy or strong buy, per LSEG. Consensus price targets see 12% upside from current levels. Walmart shares are up more than 8% in 2025, and the stock has a current dividend yield of 1%. Shopping for the right names Investors who are willing to do the due diligence for individual dividend-paying stocks will want to keep an eye on companies’ balance sheet and free cash flow. They will also want to track the consistency of a company’s earnings and get into the details of its dividend payout ratio. Indeed, a high dividend payout ratio suggests that a company is paying out more of its earnings toward shareholders, rather than reinvesting in the business. High dividend yields are also worth watching, as they may suggest that a company’s share price is on a downward trajectory. For investors who’d rather take a diversified approach toward adding dividend payers, the S & P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) could be a good place to start. Household names including Emerson Electric , Clorox and Walmart are among its holdings.
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Read the transcript of Trump, Zelenskyy and Vance’s chaotic meeting – National
Read the transcript of Trump, Zelenskyy and Vance’s chaotic meeting – National
Tempers ran high in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday as a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Vice-President JD Vance turned chaotic.
The moment was captured by several cameras of American media outlets that were rolling during the meeting.
Zelenskyy left the White House in his motorcade shortly after the meeting wrapped up, and a joint press conference with Trump scheduled for Friday afternoon was cancelled. The Associated Press and Reuters reported that the deal with the U.S. was not signed.
Here’s a transcript of the meeting from when the video recording began.
Zelenskyy: Yes, yes, but after that, he broke the ceasefire. He killed our people and he didn’t exchange prisoners. We signed the exchange of prisoners. But he didn’t do it. What kind of diplomacy, JD, are you asking me about? What do you mean?
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Vance: I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country.
Zelenskyy: Yes, but if—
Vance: Mr. President, Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media. Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president—
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Zelenskyy: Have you ever been to Ukraine that you are saying what problems we have?
Vance: I’ve actually watched and seen the stories and I know what happens is you bring people, you bring them on a propaganda tour, Mr. President. Do you disagree that you’ve had problems with bringing people into your military? And do you think that is respectful for—
Zelenskyy: I will answer you—
Vance: To come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to try to prevent the destruction of your country.
Zelenskyy: A lot of questions, let’s start from the beginning. First of all, during the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have nice ocean and don’t feel now, but you will feel it in the future. God bless, you know. God bless you and bless you.
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Trump: You don’t know that. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to sell a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.
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Zelenskyy: I’m not telling you—
Trump: Because you’re in no position to dictate that. You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel. We’re going to feel very good. We’re going to feel very good and very strong. You’re right now not in a very good position. You’ve allowing yourself to be in a very bad position and he [Vance] happens to be right about it.
Zelenskyy: From the very beginning of the war—
Trump: You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.
Zelenskyy: I’m not playing cards.
Trump: Yeah, you’re playing cards. You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III. You’re gambling with World War III. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country, that’s backed you. Far more than a lot of people said they should have.
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Vance: Have you said thank you once, this entire meeting?
Zelenskyy: A lot of times. Even today.
Vance: No, in this entire meeting.
Zelenskyy: Even today.
Vance: You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October. Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.
Zelenskyy: Please. You think that if you will speak very loudly about the war—
Trump: He’s not speaking loudly. He’s not speaking loudly. Your country is in big trouble.
Zelenskyy: Can I answer?
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Trump: No, no. You’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble.
Zelenskyy: I know.
Trump: You’re not winning. You’re not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out, OK? Because of us.
Zelenskyy: Mr. President. We have stayed in our country, staying strong. From the very beginning of the war when being alone. And we are thankful, I said thank you.
Trump: You haven’t been alone. You haven’t been alone. We gave you, through this stupid president, $350 billion. We gave you military equipment. And your men are brave. But they had to use our military. If you didn’t have our military equipment, if you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks.
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Zelenskyy: In three days, I’ve heard it from Putin. In three days. This is something—
Trump: Maybe less. It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this again.
Vance: Just say thank you.
Zelenskyy: I said a lot of times, thank you to the American people.
Vance: Accept that there are disagreements and let’s go litigate those disagreements rather than trying to fight it out in the American media when you’re wrong. We know that you’re wrong.
Trump: Well, you see, I think it’s good for the American people to see what’s going on. I think it’s very important. That’s why I kept this going so long. You have to be thankful. You don’t have the cards. Your people are dying. You’re running low on soldiers. You’re running low on soldiers. It would be a damn good thing… and then you tell us I don’t want a ceasefire. I don’t want a ceasefire. I want to go. And I want this. Look, if you could get a ceasefire right now, I tell you, you take it. So the bullets stop flying and your men stop getting killed.
Zelenskyy: Of course, I want to stop the war.
Trump: But you’re saying you don’t want a ceasefire. I want a ceasefire. Because you’ll get a ceasefire faster—
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Zelenskyy: Ask our people about a ceasefire, what they think.
Trump: That wasn’t with me. That was a guy named Biden who is not a smart person. Excuse me, that was with Obama, who gave you sheets and I gave you javelins.
Zelenskyy: Yes.
Trump: I gave you the javelins to take out all those tanks. Obama gave you sheets. In fact, the statement is Obama gave sheets and Trump gave javelins. You got to be more thankful because let me tell you, you don’t have the cards. With us, you have the cards. But without us, you don’t have any cards.
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This Popular Burger Chain Is Looking To Close Up To 70 Locations
This Popular Burger Chain Is Looking To Close Up To 70 Locations
In not-so “yummm” sounding news, Red Robin, the fast casual restaurant chain known for serving up gourmet burgers, is struggling its way into 2025. The company recently reported its fourth quarter financial results for 2024 and in the report itself the company announced that it’s likely looking to close up to 70 of its restaurant locations. The decision comes in light of Red Robin’s 2024 financial results, which exhibit significant decreases in revenue.
Red Robin made $54.5 million less in revenue in 2024 compared to 2023 and the company ended 2024 with a net loss of $77.5 million compared to just $21.2 million in 2023. Despite these decreases, the chain’s CEO, G.J. Hart, expressed optimism about Red Robin’s future and current performance, noting that the last two years have been “transformational” for the brand. However, the CEO also acknowledged Red Robin’s financial performance for 2024 fell under expectations. Red Robin has made a number of changes over the past few years in an attempt to bring the restaurant brand back to its former glory.
Read more: We Tried 9 Chain Restaurant Burgers And Ranked Them Worst To Best
The entrance to a Red Robin restaurant is shown – refrina/Shutterstock
In 2023, Hart attended a conference in which the CEO presented a candid examination of Red Robin’s struggles and the plan to turn things around. Around 2016 is when Hart said Red Robin’s performance began to decline. In response to this, two changes were made that evidently backfired.
Red Robin got rid of its bussers and steered away from serving “gourmet” burgers in favor of a cooking process that resembled the conveyor belt-style of fast food chains like McDonald’s and Burger King. Hart made plans to reverse these changes. Red Robin has also made efforts to improve overall customer experience and invest more in promoting its menu, which has many bottomless options.
In 2021, Red Robin partnered with Donato’s Pizza and began offering the pies in a select number of its restaurants. The two brands made plans for a nationwide expansion of the partnership but put that on pause in 2023 in order for Red Robin to focus on its comeback.
It’s evident that Red Robin’s leadership has its eye on the prize, but the chain’s financial situation might be too heavy a load for this comeback to succeed. Saying goodbye to 70 locations certainly indicates that Red Robin is currently standing on its back foot.
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The first quarter is on track for negative GDP growth, Atlanta Fed indicator says
The first quarter is on track for negative GDP growth, Atlanta Fed indicator says
A customer shops for produce at an H-E-B grocery store on Feb. 12, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Brandon Bell | Getty Images
Early economic data for the first quarter of 2025 is pointing towards negative growth, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta measure.
The central bank’s GDPNow tracker of incoming metrics is indicating that gross domestic product is on pace to shrink by 1.5% for the January-through-March *******, according to an update posted Friday morning.
Fresh indicators showed that consumers spent less than expected during the inclement January weather and exports were weak, which led to the downgrade. Prior to Friday’s consumer spending report, GDPNow had been indicating growth of 2.3% for the quarter.
While the tracker is volatile and typically becomes a more reliable measure much later in the quarter, it does coincide with some other measures that are showing a growth slowdown.
“This is sobering notwithstanding the inherent volatility of the very high frequency ‘nowcast’ maintained by the Atlanta Fed,” Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic advisor at Allianz and president of Queens’ College Cambridge, said in a post on social media site X.
The gauge had pointed to GDP gains as high as 3.9% in early February but has been on a decline since then as additional data has come in.
On Friday, the Commerce Department reported that personal spending fell 0.2% in January, missing the Dow Jones estimate for a 0.1% increase. Adjusted for inflation, spending fell 0.5%. As a result, that shaved a full percentage point off the expected contribution to GDP, down to 1.3%, according to the GDPNow calculation.
At the same time, the contribution of net exports tumbled from -0.41 percentage point to -3.7 percentage points.
The combination of data and its impact on the growth outlook comes with surveys showing decreasing consumer confidence and worries about rising inflation. The Commerce Department also reported that an inflation measure the Fed favors moved lower during the month, as the core personal consumption expenditures price index fell to 2.6%, down 0.3 percentage point from December.
The week also brought some concerning news out of the labor market as initial unemployment claims hit a level that was last higher in early October.
In addition, the bond market also has been pricing in slower growth. The 3-month Treasury yield this week moved above the 10-year note, a historically reliable indicator of a recession at the 12- to 18-month horizon.
The economic and policy uncertainty has led to a bumpy start to the year for the stock market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 2% in 2025 amid wild fluctuations in a volatile news cycle.
“My sense is that the complacency that has crept into asset markets is about to be disrupted,” said Joseph Brusuelas, chief U.S. economist at RSM.
Markets increasingly believe the Fed will respond to the slowdown with multiple interest rate cuts this year. Traders in the fed funds futures market increased the odds of a quarter percentage point reduction in June to about 80% as of Friday afternoon and raised the possibility of three such cuts total this year.
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It Took a While, But Marvel Rivals Players Have Found the One Map We All Despise
It Took a While, But Marvel Rivals Players Have Found the One Map We All Despise
NetEase Games’ Marvel Rivals is one of the most popular hero shooters in the world right now, but that doesn’t mean that it is flawless. Fans have complained about the game having heroes with overpowered abilities, but now, the community has found another reason to hate on the game: the Yggsgard: Royal Palace map.
Yggsgard: Royal Palace has been labeled as the worst map in Marvel Rivals (Image via NetEase Games)
This map, particularly the Odin’s Archive section, is hated by fans all over the world because of its design. The ring design makes it hard for players, particularly beginners, to understand if they must take the high ground or the low ground. It’s safe to say that NetEase must redesign this entire map because most of the community is not a fan of it.
Marvel Rivals fans hate Yggsgard: Royal Palace
A Marvel Rivals player on the r/marvelrivals subreddit has expressed their hate for the Yggsgard: Royal Palace map, and it’s safe to say that most of the players feel the same way. This map is a domination map, and just like Yggdrasill Path, the Royal Palace’s destroyed environments will be rebuilt periodically, which is another reason why players hate this map.
Comment byu/Mister_March from discussion inmarvelrivals
Comment byu/Mister_March from discussion inmarvelrivals
Comment byu/Mister_March from discussion inmarvelrivals
Comment byu/Mister_March from discussion inmarvelrivals
Comment byu/Mister_March from discussion inmarvelrivals
The overall design of this map is terrible, but Odin’s Archive section receives the most hate because of the ring design, which is destructible. Players who hold the high ground find it impossible to hold that position because of how quickly the ring can get destroyed. Plus, the map having so many destructible structures makes it impossible for many players to land their shots as they end up hitting these structures.
The map also makes it difficult for new players to understand how the game works since some heroes work well only when players hold high grounds. The chaos on the map leads to a terrible gaming experience, and the only solution to this is a complete redesign.
Players have suggested that Marvel Rivals needs a role ******
NetEase has no plans of adding a role ****** to Marvel Rivals (Image via NetEase Games)
Marvel Rivals also faces another issue that many other hero shooters often face: instalockers. Players have suggested that NetEase must implement a role ****** or role lock feature to prevent players from instalocking heroes, which ruins the team composition. Apart from this, Marvel Rivals is also criticized for having unbalanced heroes.
Since there’s so much pressure on the studio, game director Guangyun Chen recently revealed in an interview with Metro *** NetEase Games plans to tackle this problem. Chen explained,
So we totally get that the community is discussing role lock and role ******. At its core, it’s really about the game balance. So, what we want to offer is more line-up or more team comp possibilities through our hero design and our team-up mechanic. So, we’ll be taking a little bit more of a Marvel-inspired approach.
Chen strongly believes that a role ****** will not improve the gaming experience, so the only solution is to introduce more agents, which will convince players to try them out. Marvel Rivals is currently maintaining an impressive active player count, but it could all come crashing down if NetEase doesn’t roll out the necessary changes.
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Trump and Vance Rebuke Zelensky During White House Meeting: Live Updates – The New York Times
Trump and Vance Rebuke Zelensky During White House Meeting: Live Updates – The New York Times
Trump and Vance Rebuke Zelensky During White House Meeting: Live Updates The New York TimesTrump says Zelenskyy can ‘come back when he is ready for Peace’ after fiery White House exchange Fox News
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The Delightful Cozy Game Islanders Is Getting A Sequel
The Delightful Cozy Game Islanders Is Getting A Sequel
It’s been almost five years since Islanders gave cozy-game lovers a casually engaging city-building experience. Now, Coatsink has announced that a sequel, Islanders: New Shores, is coming to consoles and PC this summer. In the first-look video below, New Shores retains the appealing aspects of the first Islanders while teasing some of the new features that will be integrated into the gameplay.
As in the first game, New Shores allows players to develop cities and structures on a series of breathtakingly gorgeous islands and transform them as they see fit. Each level begins with a number of buildings at players’ disposal, but they also have consider where the structures should be placed in order to get the maximum amount of points during the stage. Earning those points allows additional buildings to be unlocked, which opens the door to even more options.
One of the new features introduced in New Shores is called boons. It’s a one-time power-up that’s unlocked on each stage as players collect points. Boons can allow players to perform some of the more difficult tasks in a single action, including the creation of duplicate buildings and the destruction of others to make way for something new. However, boons should be used sparingly, since some of the trickier levels may need them more than the earlier levels do.
New Shores is introducing an additional sandbox mode that has a save system that is separate from the high score mode. A photo mode has also been added to preserve players’ favorite creations or even just pictures of the beautiful islands themselves. To share the experience, Coatsink is adding Twitch integration to New Shores, as well as the option for viewers to vote on which buildings to pick.
Islanders: New Shores will be available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. Beyond the Summer 2025 window, Coatsink hasn’t set a specific release date yet.
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AMD’s software stack remains a weak spot — ROCm won’t support RDNA 4 at launch
AMD’s software stack remains a weak spot — ROCm won’t support RDNA 4 at launch
AMD’s upcoming RDNA 4 consumer graphics cards will not get official ROCm support at launch. According to Phoronix, AMD answered a question during its press briefing stating that ROCm support would not arrive for RDNA 4 until sometime after launch day. AMD has since not clarified what the timeline for support for the consumer cards will look like.
ROCm, or Radeon Open Compute Ecosystem, is AMD’s open-source answer to Nvidia’s CUDA platform. The ROCm software stack is meant to enable HPC and AI workflows for consumer/prosumer products and has offered official support to AMD’s consumer products on Windows since 2022. Of course, ever since launching in the pro sector, ROCm has lagged behind the standards of consumer support set by CUDA, which has offered CUDA support for its consumer products at launch for several generations.
Interestingly, AMD first teased its Navi 48 GPU die through ROCm Validation Suite documentation, with its first sighting coming in April of last year. For the cards using Navi 48 not to be ROCm-ready at launch is a bit silly, if not ironic (in the Alanis Morissette sense of the word). RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 may not launch with official ROCm support for a few days, weeks, or even months, but this does not mean that they will not work with the software, nor is it unusual for a new AMD release.
Since first coming to Windows, AMD has had interesting support rollouts for ROCm. When it first broadened its reach to consumer cards, ROCm’s support list only included the RX 6900 XT, RX 6600, and, surprisingly, the R9 Fury from 2015, with only the R9 Fury receiving “full” software support and the 6000-series cards only working with parts of the HIP runtime. Currently, AMD’s list of supported GPUs includes the full RX 7000-series, most of the RX 6000-series, and the Radeon VII on Windows, though the lower-end of the 6000-series does not support the HIP SDK, and Linux support is only extended to the RX 7900 and Radeon VII.
Compared to CUDA’s history of supporting Nvidia’s newest consumer cards on launch day and its extensive backward compatibility stretching back to 2006, ROCm has a long way to go. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for any announcements from AMD on the future of ROCm support being extended to the RX 9070 XT, 9070, and the rest of the 9000 series. AMD has also recently acknowledged user polls calling for extending full support to the 6000-series and Strix/Strix Halo mobile chips, so compatibility may take longer than hoped to arrive as AMD works through everyone’s ROCm wishlists.
Of course, a lack of full official support does not mean that the ROCm software will not run successfully on the newest cards, so those needing their ROCm fix will not be entirely left in the cold come March when RDNA 4 hits shelves (theoretically). For more on the RX 9070-series, Navi 48, and RDNA4 at large, check out our deep dive into today’s announcement of AMD’s newest GPU architecture.
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Rare planetary parade caught on camera by our expert stargazers
Rare planetary parade caught on camera by our expert stargazers
Three astronomers have filmed videos diaries for the BBC, showing us what planets are on display above our heads in the *** this week.
The rare phenomenon known as a ‘planetary parade’ has been visible in the sky since Tuesday, but some cloudy skies have obscured the view.
Join Dr Robert Massey, Dr Sheila Kanani, and Prof Catherine Heymans take a look at seven planets – Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury, and Saturn that are all briefly visible.
Read more about the phenomenon here.
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Monster Hunter Wilds Is Proof That GTA 6 Should Not Give In to Sony’s Greed
Monster Hunter Wilds Is Proof That GTA 6 Should Not Give In to Sony’s Greed
With GTA 6’s release date being closer than ever, fans are flipping out to get their hands on the best open-world game in the entire gaming industry. The Grand Theft Auto franchise developed by Rockstar games has featured some of the best stories and gameplay mechanics that even overshadows a lot of new video games in the market.
GTA 6 will take place in Vice City, the same location from GTA: Vice City | Image Credits: Rockstar Games
While the fans are excited for the upcoming game, their excitement’s life span is sort of coming to an end because, allegedly, GTA 6 will probably be released exclusively for PlayStation consoles only. Let’s delve deeper into this.
Sony allegedly bought exclusive marketing rights for GTA 6
Sony will exclusively launch the game for their console if they buy the marketing rights to GTA 6 | Image Credits: Rockstar Games
Grand Theft Auto 6 or GTA 6 will apparently release in the fall of 2025, and with the enthusiasm, fans of the upcoming game have also brought in some rumors. One of these rumors suggests that Sony Interactive Entertainment has secured exclusive marketing rights for GTA 6. However, this does not seem that surprising, considering how Sony and Rockstar go a long way back.
The marketing rights for the upcoming Rockstar title gives Sony the sole control over marketing the game, and accordingly market their own console, possibly a newer one. The marketing rights also give Sony the ability to make the game exclusive to their own console, which is just straight-up villainous.
Gamers have been getting hyped for Grand Theft Auto 6 since the last decade, and by gamers, we mean all the gamers, that includes PC as well as console players. Knowing Sony, if they actually get the rights to the upcoming game, they will make it exclusive to their console, probably for years, before PC or Xbox players actually get their hands on the game.
Grand Theft Auto’s potential far exceeds any exclusivity, the game has been pumped up for so long that releasing it for just one console will be nothing less than a sin. On the other hand, Capcom, who released Monster Hunter: Wilds recently on February 28, has launched the game for all gaming systems, and their sales have skyrocketed.
Monster Hunter: Wilds has broken all Capcom records, with probably more than 5 million units sold within the first 6 hours, and is currently averaging more than a million players per day. The game has catapulted to Steam’s top ten and has even defeated Valve’s own game Dota 2 in concurrent player numbers.
There is a chance of Sony actually pulling this off
GTA 6 might break all records if released on all gaming systems | Image Credits: Rockstar Games
We know that GTA 6 is no Monster Hunter game, but if Monster Hunter: Wilds is breaking their company records, imagine what records GTA 6 will break if the game gets released on all gaming systems around the world. The title would probably break all sales records in history and will achieve the highest number of downloads in a single day.
Although the marketing deal from Sony is just speculation, there is a horrifyingly good chance that the rumor actually might come true. It is not a bad time for Sony to actually make a prominent move like this, considering the steps Microsoft is taking for the betterment of their own console.
While we are still uncertain whether this rumor will come true or not, one thing we are sure of is Sony will break millions of hearts if they decide to pull it off.
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'Like a warm bath': coral reefs rocked by heatwave
'Like a warm bath': coral reefs rocked by heatwave
Pristine coral reefs off a remote patch of the *********** coastline are under stress from a severe marine heatwave that shows no sign of letting up.
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Block plunge in February leads fintech selloff, Stripe valuation jumps
Block plunge in February leads fintech selloff, Stripe valuation jumps
Patrick Collison, chief executive officer and co-founder of Stripe Inc., left, smiles as John Collison, president and co-founder of Stripe Inc., speaks during a Bloomberg Studio 1.0 television interview in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Friday, March 23, 2018.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Stripe has once again shown why sometimes it’s better to be private.
During a February selloff for fintech stocks, Block plunged almost 30%, its steepest decline since 2022, alongside drops of 20% or more for PayPal and Coinbase and a 9% slide in shares of SoFi. Meanwhile, Stripe on Thursday announced a tender offer for employee shares at a $91.5 billion valuation, making the payments company significantly more valuable than any of its public market peers.
“In general, they benefit from being private because there’s a handful of stocks that people want to buy and they trade at a premium to public valuations,” said Larry Albukerk, founder of EB Exchange, which helps facilitate trades in shares of pre-IPO companies.
He said Stripe is part of an exclusive group of private companies, along with SpaceX, Anthropic and Anduril, which are all seeing sky-high demand from investors.
“For every one of those, there’s 100 companies that don’t get that kind of premium,” Albukerk said.
The Collison brothers — Patrick and John — founded Stripe in 2010, a year after Jack Dorsey started Square, which is now part of Block. Crypto exchange Coinbase and online lender SoFi were both launched after Stripe.
While all of those companies went the traditional route of raising large amounts of capital from prominent venture capital firms, only Stripe has chosen to stay private. To relieve some pressure for liquidity, Stripe regularly allows early investors and employees to sell a portion of their stake. The tender offer this week marks a 40% increase from a year ago and gets the company close to its peak valuation of $95 billion that it reached in the frothy days of the Covid pandemic.
“We are not dogmatic on the public vs. private question,” John Collison, the company’s president, told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin this week, adding that Stripe has “no near-term IPO plans.”
Stripe’s peers have all had to report quarterly results of late, and it’s created a hefty dose of volatility and some concern. Last week, Block reported fourth-quarter earnings and revenue that missed analysts’ expectations, pushing the stock down 18%, its third-worst one-day drop on record.
PayPal shares tumbled even though the company blew past estimates and issued better-than-expected guidance. Coinbase topped expectations with revenue soaring 130%, powered by a post-election spike in crypto prices. Coinbase was a leading contributor to Republicans’ sweeping victory in November in its effort to help push forward a more crypto-friendly agenda in Washington, D.C.
But Coinbase fell earlier this week to its lowest price since just before the election, tumbling in tandem with bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box outside the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 21st, 2025.
Gerry Miller | CNBC
It’s been a rough stretch for stocks overall, particularly in the tech sector. The Nasdaq fell about 5% in February, its worst month since September 2023. The S&P 500 declined 2.3%.
Investors have been rattled in recent days by President Donald Trump’s promise of tariffs and economic reports flashing warning signs. Notably, initial filings for unemployment benefits hit their highest level of the year last week in another potential sign of weakness in the labor market.
Fintechs can be more sensitive to economic conditions than the broader tech sector because they’re more directly effected by interest rates, employment data and consumer confidence.
Private market premium
By remaining private, Stripe is able to skirt the daily, weekly and monthly stock swings while also disclosing far fewer numbers to the public regarding its financial health.
The biggest revelation Stripe offered in its annual letter on Thursday is that it generated $1.4 trillion in total payment volume in 2024, up 38% from the year prior. The company said it was profitable in 2024, and expects to remain so this year, without providing specifics, and the only revenue figure it offered was that its finance and tax reporting unit topped a $500 million run rate.
Kelly Rodriques, CEO of private securities marketplace Forge, said Stripe’s valuation jump shows there’s enthusiasm for private companies, even some that aren’t focused specifically on artificial intelligence. Forge’s Private Market Index, which tracks demand for shares in private companies, has surged more than 33% in the past three months, and that’s before Stripe’s latest announcement.
“Stripe’s valuation increase could be further evidence of the broad rally we’re observing in the private market that is now rippling beyond the AI sector, which has driven most of the momentum over the last several months,” Rodriques said in an email.
Albukerk noted that another aspect to the spike in Stripe’s price is the scarcity of volume available for investors and the difficulty in getting access to it other than through the tender offers.
It’s one of those private companies “where there’s a lot of demand and very little supply,” he said.
However, just being private doesn’t eliminate Stripe’s other challenges.
In his interview on “Squawk Box,” John Collison highlighted the growing complexity of financial compliance and said banks are becoming more conservative in their partnerships with fintechs.
“We have started to see the financial system become more involved in financial policy enforcement,” Collison said. “And then you tend to get these occasional flare-ups from time to time.”
Both Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs have distanced themselves from the company, according to The Information, prompting Stripe to turn to Deutsche Bank and other institutions for key services. Collison didn’t provide details to CNBC, but acknowledged that Stripe has had to navigate shifting relationships.
“Banks are tightly regulated, and they in general want to have a sound book of business,” he said. “They don’t want to get into arguments with their regulator.” According to The Information, Stripe has tripled its risk and compliance headcount to 700 employees over the past two years.
The area with the most regulatory scrutiny has been crypto, which was a notoriously challenging area for companies to operate during the Biden administration. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation recently released internal records obtained via FOIA requests, revealing that regulators had sent “pause letters” urging banks to reconsider relationships with crypto firms.
Trump has made a point of loosening restrictions on crypto, and one of his first actions as president was to sign an executive order to promote the advancement of cryptocurrencies in the U.S. and work toward potentially developing a national digital asset stockpile
Stripe made its biggest jump into crypto with the closing this month of its $1.1 billion purchase of Bridge, a provider of stablecoin infrastructure. Stripe’s goal with the deal is to enable more payments via crypto, as Bridge focuses on making it easier for businesses to accept stablecoin payments without having to directly deal in digital tokens.
In its annual letter, Stripe said that stablecoin transactions more than doubled between the fourth quarter of 2023 and the same ******* last year.
“The fundamentals for stablecoin adoption have only recently fallen into place, enabling the explosive growth we now see,” the company wrote.
— CNBC’s Ari Levy contributed to this report.
WATCH: CNBC’s full interview with Stripe co-founder and president John Collison
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FAA clears SpaceX for Starship test flight after explosion in January
FAA clears SpaceX for Starship test flight after explosion in January
SpaceX’s Super Heavy booster is seen on the launch pad, without the Starship atop, as it is prepared for launch from the company’s Boca Chica launchpad on an uncrewed test flight, near Brownsville, Texas, U.S. Feb. 27, 2025.
Joe Skipper | Reuters
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has attained authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly its massive Starship rocket once again, the space regulator announced on Friday.
The Starship rocket broke up during the company’s seventh test flight in January. The explosion caused debris to rain down over Turks and Caicos, and forced several commercial flights to be diverted or delayed, CNBC previously reported.
The FAA granted the modified license to SpaceX, which has a $350 billion private market valuation, even though the company has yet to complete its mishap investigation, required after the January explosion. The space regulator has previously authorized flights by companies including SpaceX and Rocket Lab while mishap investigations were still underway, a spokesperson told CNBC by email.
Last year, the FAA fined SpaceX $633,009 in civil penalties for what it alleged were safety and procedural violations in the leadup to two 2023 launches. SpaceX was also fined by the Environmental Protection Agency for polluting waters in Texas in violation of the Clean Water Act.
After those fines, Musk threatened to sue the FAA for “regulatory overreach” but never filed a complaint.
Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, contributed nearly $300 million to help propel President Donald Trump back to the White House, and is now a central figure in the administration.
Musk, who is also CEO of Tesla and the owner of social media company X, leads the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is implementing draconian staffing and budget cuts across the federal government, and targeting regulatory agencies that oversee Musk’s businesses.
Orange ****** of light fly across the sky as debris from a SpaceX rocket launched in Texas is spotted over Turks and Caicos Islands on Jan. 16, 2025.
Marcus Haworth@marcusahaworth | Marcus Haworth Via Reuters
The role has afforded Musk and his DOGE staffers unprecedented access to federal computer systems and data including within the FAA. SpaceX has been selected to help overhaul the FAA’s air traffic control system, Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy previously announced.
Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill) sent a letter on Friday to FAA’s acting administrator Chris Rocheleau, raising concerns about conflicts of interest.
SpaceX didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Starship, the tallest and most powerful rocket ever launched, is critical to SpaceX’s ambitions. When it’s stacked on the Super Heavy booster, Starship stands 403 feet tall and is about 30 feet in diameter. SpaceX has flown the full Starship rocket system on seven spaceflight tests so far since April 2023.
The company wrote in a social media post that it aims to conduct its eighth Starship test flight as soon as Monday, March 3.
WATCH: How SpaceX, Tesla, xAI and X may benefit from Elon Musk’s position in government
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Trump says he dined with Jeff Bezos hours after dramatic change to Washington Post opinion section – The Independent
Trump says he dined with Jeff Bezos hours after dramatic change to Washington Post opinion section – The Independent
Trump says he dined with Jeff Bezos hours after dramatic change to Washington Post opinion section The IndependentTrump says he had dinner with Bezos week of Washington Post changes AxiosBezos Orders Washington Post Opinion Section to Embrace ‘Personal Liberties and Free Markets’ The New York TimesWashington Post loses 75K subscribers after Bezos-ordered Op-Ed pivot The Hill
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AMD RDNA 4 Just Gave Gamers the Most Powerful Gaming Tool At a Fraction of the Cost
AMD RDNA 4 Just Gave Gamers the Most Powerful Gaming Tool At a Fraction of the Cost
AMD recently launched their RX 9000 series of graphics cards, as mentioned in a prior livestream via its official channels. Running at the heart of the new RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT is the newly launched RDNA 4 architecture, which brings with it many improvements and optimizations over RDNA 3 and earlier iterations.
Coupled with very respectable pricing, AMD could have a winning formula on its hands – being able to easily overtake Nvidia’s rather disastrous RTX 5000 series launch, if the projected numbers are to be believed.
AMD launches its RX 9000 series with the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT
The RX 9000 series is powered by RDNA 4 | Image Credit: AMD
As detailed within the 30-odd minute long presentation, AMD unveiled its much anticipated RX 9000 series of GPUs – at least in the form of the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT for now. These cards will be available starting at a shockingly reasonable price of $549 (for the 9070), and should give AMD the boost it needs to re-enter the GPU market with a solid offering.
Both cards are capable of 1440p gaming, (at native resolutions – no upscaling involved!), with the RX 9070 XT pushing for 4K instead. Unlike the prior RDNA 3 architecture, RDNA 4 has seen a lot of changes, right down to its architectural design and cache.
For starters, the cache has been boosted to 64 megabytes for the Infinite Cache, and is paired with a high speed 256-bit bus that comes equipped with a whopping 16 gigabytes of GDDR6 memory. Other than these additions, AMD has also included updated decoding and encoding engines for RDNA 4, which should make it a very viable option for video decoding – something they have been severely ill-equipped for in recent years.
The RTX 5000 series pales in comparison to AMD’s offerings | Image Credit: Nvidia
The addition of ML support for upscaling means that FSR 4 will take full advantage of RDNA 4 cards very similar to how Nvidia leverages its DLSS tech on hardware accelerated components. FSR 4 is an improvement over FSR 3.1 in every sense of the term, and unlike DLSS does not appear to be locked down to a single GPU vendor.
AMD has also made sure to keep compatibility a priority this time around, offering standard 8-pin connectors for its GPUs. Additionally, AMD has also commented on the availability of its cards, assuring prospective buyers that cards will be readily available, without major shortages.
AMD’s RX 9000 crushes Nvidia’s RTX 5000 series in almost every possible way
The 9070 XT versus the 5070 Ti | Image Credit: AMD
To accompany the presentation, AMD was not afraid to throw some shade at its direct competitor – Nvidia. The RX 9070 in particular, goes toe to toe with Nvidia’s RTX 5070.
The cards are somewhat comparable, with Nvidia having a 2% performance lead. However, AMD more than makes up for it by offering a far more attractive price, and crazy levels of power efficiency.
AMD also does not remove support for legacy technologies in the RX 9000 series, unlike Nvidia’s recent fiasco with the removal of 32-bit PhysX support for the RTX 5000 series.
Amusingly enough, RDNA 4 can actually keep up with the RTX 5000 series in terms of ray tracing performance, and thanks to its reliance on a brand new architecture, it can keep up and sometimes even outperform Nvidia cards in terms of raw performance. With a low starting price, it’s a no-brainer, and AMD definitely has the upper hand here.
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