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AI is fighting fire with fire when it comes to cybersecurity AI is fighting fire with fire when it comes to cybersecurity EThamPhoto / Getty Images / EThamPhoto / Getty Images The surge of the generative AI (GenAI) industry has given bad actors in the hackerspace a leg up when it comes to attacking vulnerable entities. Enterprises and organizations have become easier to infiltrate due to the quickly developing technology– however, businesses are also using GenAI more often as part of their cybersecurity strategy. A recent Splunk CISO 2024 report detailed the current state of the industry from a security standpoint, noting that board members and security experts have varying opinions on how emerging cybersecurity threats should be handled. Nevertheless, hackers benefit from being able to use GenAI more frequently and effectively. Some instances include bad actors using AI chatbots to develop malware and crack passwords. According to the latest research, GenAI has made existing attacks more effective by 32%, has increased the volume of existing attacks by 28%, and has created new types of cyber threats by 23%. Additionally, 52% of CISOs (Chief Information Security Officers) said they would like to tackle cybersecurity challenges with comparable GenAI technologies, as opposed to 33% of board members. Though security professionals are looking for a change, they still are straddling the learning curve with 41% saying requirements are getting easier to keep up with, relative to the amount and strength of cyberattacks. In practical use, 39% of CISOs say they use GenAI tools to identify risks, 39% say they use tools for threat intelligence analysis, and 35% say they use tools for threat detection and prioritization. With GenAI being used on both sides of the industry, the biggest challenge for enterprises is that the CISOs and board members often don’t see eye-to-eye on many topics that can ultimately put businesses at risk. The report detailed that 29% of CISOs felt they had the proper budget to provide adequate cybersecurity support, while 41% of board members felt their allocated budgets were sufficient. Overall, 64% of CISOs said they could direct inadequate support back to the cyberattacks they’ve ultimately had to tackle. Now, AI-powered cyberattacks are CISOs biggest concerns at 36%, behind cyber extortion at 24% and data breaches at 23%. As mentioned, hackers quickly began using AI tools such as ChatGPT to develop malware and became so adept that government entities, including the FBI had to take notice. Additionally, in the wrong hands, technologies such as Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) machine learning models can be used to crack passwords in seconds. TechRadar noted that keeping secure with strong passwords, multi-factor authentication (MFA), password managers, cybersecurity training, and evaluations of third-party vendors for vulnerabilities are among the top priorities for keeping businesses safe from cyberattacks. Source link #fighting #fire #fire #cybersecurity Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Short seller Andrew Left seeks to dismiss U.S. fraud case, filing shows Short seller Andrew Left seeks to dismiss U.S. fraud case, filing shows Andrew Left of Citron Capital on CNBC’s Halftime Report. Adam Jeffery | CNBC Prominent short seller Andrew Left is pressing a judge to dismiss U.S. charges that he manipulated the market and defrauded investors with his negative reports about companies, according to a document filed in federal court on Monday. U.S. authorities charged Left, the founder of Citron Capital, in July, alleging he had for years made misleading claims about his positions in multiple stocks, including Nvidia and Tesla. The case was the culmination of a years-long probe by the Justice Department into short sellers’ trading activities. In a motion to dismiss the charges filed in federal court in California on Monday, Left’s lawyer said prosecutors’ claims relate to the trader’s opinions and the government failed to prove Left did not believe them. The information at issue was also not material to investors and Left had no responsibility to disclose it, the filing said. “Concealing economic information necessary for others to make discretionary economic decisions is not fraud,” Left’s lawyer James Spertus said in the filing. The U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles, which filed the charges, could not be reached immediately for request for comment. Source link #Short #seller #Andrew #Left #seeks #dismiss #U.S #fraud #case #filing #shows Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Be careful with DeepSeek, Australia says Be careful with DeepSeek, Australia says Tom Gerken Technology reporter Getty Images Australia’s science minister, Ed Husic, has become the first member of a Western government to raise privacy concerns about DeepSeek, the ******** chatbot causing turmoil on the markets and in the tech industry. ******** tech, from Huawei to TikTok, has repeatedly been the subject of allegations the firms are linked to the ******** state, and fears this could lead to peoples’ data being harvested for intelligence purposes. Donald Trump has said DeepSeek is a “wake up call” for the US but did not seem to suggest it was a threat to national security – instead saying it could even be a good thing if it brought costs down. But Husic told ABC News on Tuesday there remained a lot of unanswered questions, including over “data and privacy management.” “I would be very careful about that, these type of issues need to be weighed up carefully,” he added. DeepSeek has not responded to the BBC’s request for comment – but users in the *** and US have so far shown no such caution. DeepSeek has rocketed to the top of the app stores in both countries, with market analysts Sensor Tower saying it has see 3 million downloads since launch. As much as 80% of these have come in the past week – meaning it has been downloaded at three times the rate of rivals such as Perplexity. What data does DeepSeek collect? According to DeepSeek’s own privacy policy, it collects large amounts of personal information collected from users, which is then stored “in secure servers” in China. This may include: Your email address, phone number and date of birth, entered when creating an accountAny user input including text and audio, as well as chat historiesSo-called “technical information” – ranging from your phone’s model and operating system to your IP address and “keystroke patterns”. It says it uses this information to improve DeepSeek by enhancing its “safety, security and stability”. It will then share this information with others, such as service providers, advertising partners, and its corporate group, which will be kept “for as long as necessary”. “There are genuine concerns around the technological potential of DeepSeek, specifically around the terms of its privacy policy,” said ExpressVPN’s digital privacy advocate Lauren Hendry Parsons. She specifically highlighted the part of the policy which says data can be used “to help match you and your actions outside of the service” – which she said “should immediately ring an alarm bell for anyone concerned with their privacy”. But while the app harvests a lot of data, experts point out it’s very similar to privacy policies users may have already agreed to for rival services like ChatGPT and Gemini, or even social media platforms. So is it safe? “For any openly available AI model, with a web or app interface – including but not limited to DeepSeek – the prompts, or questions that are asked of the AI, then become available to the makers of that model, as are the answers,” said Emily Taylor, chief executive of Oxford Information Labs “So, anyone working on confidential or national security areas needs to be aware of those risks,” she told the BBC. Dr Richard Whittle from University of Salford said he had “various concerns about data and privacy” with the app, but said there were “plenty of concerns” with the models used in the US too. “Consumers should always be wary, especially in the hype and fear of missing out on a new, highly popular, app,” he said. The *** data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office has urged the public to be aware of their rights around their information being used to train AI models. Asked by BBC News if it shared the *********** government’s concerns, it said in a statement: “Generative AI developers and deployers need to make sure people have meaningful, concise and easily accessible information about the use of their personal data and have clear and effective processes for enabling people to exercise their information rights. “We will continue to engage with stakeholders on promoting effective transparency measures, without shying away from taking action when our regulatory expectations are ignored.” Source link #careful #DeepSeek #Australia Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Is Just Another Chapter of Outsider Heroes Assassin’s Creed Shadows Is Just Another Chapter of Outsider Heroes It’s no secret that Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been surrounded by controversy since its announcement. While some backlashes are warranted and even prompted delays from Ubisoft to make changes, there’s one specific backlash regarding Yasuke that feels like an unnecessary complaint. Players are complaining about one of the protagonists not being an assassin.| Image Credit: Ubisoft The backlash in question? Yasuke not being an assassin and, therefore, shouldn’t be the lead character in an AC game. While at first, this reaction seems understandable, it’s actually unfair to single out Yasuke for being one, especially when there is a history of non-Assassin protagonists in the series. Assassin’s Creed has a long history of outsider heroes Players forget that AC has a history of outsider protagonists. | Image Credit: Ubisoft First off, let’s address the elephant in the room: Yasuke not being an Assassin isn’t exactly new territory for Assassin’s Creed fans. This is a franchise that has consistently embraced and placed a variety of outsider protagonists into situations where they don’t necessarily belong. And that’s part of what makes their stories so compelling. Let’s be clear: Shadows has various issues, but saying Yasuke is not suited just because he is a samurai and not an assassin seems like a bit of a double standard. The series has consistently moved away from the idea that every protagonist must be an assassin or connected to brotherhood from the start. QUESTION: Why are some people complaining that Yasuke is the protagonist of Assassin’s Creed when he isn’t an Assassin? Not saying I support this, but where were you when: Eivor was not only not an Assassin, but refuses the invitation Neither Kassandra nor Alexios became… pic.twitter.com/uTTK8Y3jgk — Rino (@RinoTheBouncer) January 27, 2025 Because these people are so bored. They criticize everything that is done in this game, even if it’s good. — Rafiti (@TheRAFITI69) January 27, 2025 I also wanna know were these people crying historical accuracy when they fought a cyclops in odyssey — Cancun on 3 (@simbatheson) January 27, 2025 The prime example is Eivor from Valhalla. She isn’t an Assassin at the start of the game and even refuses the invitation to join the Brotherhood at first. This plot choice wasn’t met with the same level of outcry. Why? Because the journey was about her own growth. Let’s not forget Edward Kenway from ****** Flag. Edward is a pirate with no ties to the Assassins. In fact, he spends almost the entirety of the game helping both the Assassins and the Templars for personal gain. He only comes to embrace the Assassins’ cause much later in the game. In fact, the most compelling protagonists in the series have often been those who aren’t necessarily Assassins, at least not initially. Players connected to their stories because it was about personal growth, choices, and the pursuit of justice. Why Yasuke fits into the AC legacy There is always more to the character than just being an assassin. | Image Credit: Ubisoft Yasuke’s role as the protagonist in Shadows might initially seem like a departure from the series’ usual formula, but in reality, he fits perfectly within the broader Assassin’s Creed legacy of complex, multi-faceted characters. While he may not be an Assassin himself, at least not at the start (you never know), there’s another key figure in the game who will be: Naoe. She could be the one who brings the larger and more familiar conflict between Assassins and Templars to the game. While details about the story are still sparse (and it’s likely Ubisoft is holding back spoilers), it’s not a stretch to assume that Naoe’s actions will help set the stage for a deeper exploration of these age-old factions. The dynamic between Yasuke and Naoe will likely bring a fresh take on the conflict, showing different approaches to justice and power. Yasuke, as a samurai, might struggle with the idea of joining an established order, while Naoe’s role could provide a clearer representation of the Assassins’ ideals. In typical AC fashion, these contrasts often lead to intriguing gameplay and story dynamics. So before dismissing the protagonist for not being the assassin, players should take a step back and look at the legacy of the series (not just create backlash for not liking other aspects of the character). In the end, it’s likely that Shadows will never be controversial-free due to the developer’s certain choices, but players should at least acknowledge Yasuke’s journey as the latest in a long line of complex, outsider heroes. Source link #Assassins #Creed #Shadows #Chapter #Outsider #Heroes Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Is Google Maps changing Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America? Is Google Maps changing Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America? Google will change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in its Google Maps app, the company has said, after US President Donald Trump ordered that the body of water be renamed in US government documents. Among the numerous executive actions Trump signed in his first week in office was one to retitle the Gulf of Mexico on official US maps and federal communications. The change in name will only appear for Google Maps users in the US. Google also said its US app users would see North America’s highest mountain, Mount Denali, revert to its previous name of Mount McKinley, following a separate renaming push from Trump. “We’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps,” the company said in a social media post on Monday. “We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.” Google said the changes – for both Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali – will be made “quickly” once the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is updated. “When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name,” the company said. “Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too.” The name change appears to be of high priority for Trump, who mentioned it in his inaugural address on 20 January – just minutes after taking the oath of office. “America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world,” Trump said at the time. “A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.” Meanwhile, Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum poked fun at Trump’s renaming decision and even initially sarcastically suggested renaming North America as “América Mexicana” or “******** America”. “He says that he will call it the Gulf of America on its continental shelf,” Sheinbaum said last week. “For us it is still the Gulf of Mexico, and for the entire world it is still the Gulf of Mexico.” Further north in Alaska, Trump said he will restore Mount Denali to its previous name of Mount McKinley to honour former President William McKinley who he said made the US “very rich” through tariffs and talent. The mountain had been formally titled Denali in 2015, under President Barack Obama’s administration as a gesture to Native Americans in Alaska. Indigenous organizations and Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, have come out against Trump’s decision. “Our nation’s tallest mountain, which has been called Denali for thousands of years, must continue to be known by the rightful name bestowed by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans, who have stewarded the land since time immemorial,” she said. Source link #Google #Maps #changing #Gulf #Mexico #Gulf #America Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap Review – Game Rant Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap Review – Game Rant Game Rant Writes “Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap has a few screws that could be tightened, but is overall a strong continuation of the series’ action-strategy gameplay.” Source link #Orcs #Die #Deathtrap #Review #Game #Rant Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Taiwan’s Economy Ministry responds to Trump’s threat of up to 100% tariffs on chips, including those from TSMC Taiwan’s Economy Ministry responds to Trump’s threat of up to 100% tariffs on chips, including those from TSMC Taiwan’s government has been swift to respond to the talk of huge tariffs by the recently inaugurated 47th president of the United States. In a statement shared by the Reuters news agency today, the island’s economy ministry responded with a calm and conciliatory tone, which highlighted that Taiwan and the U.S. currently enjoy highly complementary trade, and that working closely made for a sound “win-win business model.” To recap the situation as it stands, on Monday Trump announced plans to impose significant tariffs on Taiwan-made chips. During a House Republicans conference, the President reasoned with the audience, stating that computer chip production companies “left us and went to Taiwan,” and that he wants them back. Trump’s proposed methodology will not come as a surprise to anyone who watched his pre-election campaigning – tariffs. Specifically, Trump reckons tariffs ranging from “25%, 50% or even a 100% tax” will incentivize semiconductor producers to return in strength and numbers to U.S. shores. Trump insists that this tariffs plan is the right tool for this job. The new U.S. President also took the opportunity to criticize American tech giants like Apple, AMD, Nvidia, and Qualcomm for sending all their chip production business to TSMC in Taiwan. Additionally, he slated his predecessor’s “ridiculous program” (the CHIPS Act) for wastefully awarding semiconductor giants billions of dollars to set up and expand in the U.S. “A win-win business model for Taiwan and U.S. industries” Circling back to the measured response from the Taiwanese government’s economy ministry, it is clear the tactic here is to take the heat out of the discussion of trade and tariffs. “Taiwan and the U.S. semiconductor and other technology industries are highly complementary to each other, especially the U.S.-designed, Taiwan-foundry model, which creates a win-win business model for Taiwan and U.S. industries,” said a ministry press release. The statement went on to stress that close contact and cooperation would be mutually beneficial. The Reuters report also reminds us that TSMC actually announced its plans for an Arizona semiconductor plant during the last Trump presidency. Thus, the $12 billion factory plans were signed and sealed around two years before the CHIPS Act statute was enacted. TSMC Fab 21, in Arizona, is rumored to be very nearly ready with the first batch of mass-produced chips for Apple iDevices. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. TSMC has yet to issue its own formal statement. We have heard from President Trump and received a response from Taiwan’s most relevant government department, but it is far from clear how things will unfold. As resolute and long-established allies, one would hope the Taiwan-suggested “win-win” strategy will work. Moreover, Trump’s tariffs should realistically come with a metaphorical carrot at the end to have a reasonable chance of success. Source link #Taiwans #Economy #Ministry #responds #Trumps #threat #tariffs #chips #including #TSMC Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

French club Lyon stun fans with surprise news French club Lyon stun fans with surprise news Lyon coach Pierre Sage has been fired, the French league club has announced. His dismissal followed a 1-1 draw with Nantes over the weekend and left some observers baffled. Sage had rapidly become a fans’ favourite after guiding Lyon from the bottom of the standings to a sixth-place finish last season. And after 19 matches this season, Lyon are sixth in the league, just four points off a Champions League spot even though they have gone five matches without a win across all competitions. They were also knocked out of the French Cup following a defeat by French fifth-tier club Bourgoin-Jallieu in the round of 32. Lyon, however, said the decision to part ways with Sage was a “sporting choice.” Lyon are owned by American businessman John Textor, who visited the club in person this week. “Olympique Lyonnais has been compelled to suspend coach Pierre Sage and staff members Jamal Alioui, Rui Lemos, Denis Valour and Remy Vercoutre, pending a decision in the next few days,” Lyon said in a statement. The seven-time French champions added his firing “does not call into question the tremendous work carried out at the beginning of 2024, for which Olympique Lyonnais will always be grateful to Pierre Sage and his team.” Lyon next host Bulgarian side Ludogorets in the Europa League on Thursday. with Reuters Source link #French #club #Lyon #stun #fans #surprise #news Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Monument Valley 3 to contribute portion of profits to charity for the next three years Monument Valley 3 to contribute portion of profits to charity for the next three years Monument Valley 3 is set to put aside 3% of its upcoming profits for charity The initiative will take place over the next three years Ustwo have previously teamed with a number of charitable organisations Monument Valley 3, the latest entry in ustwo’****** series of narrative puzzlers, will put aside 3% of its profits for the next three years as a charitable donation. The money will go towards the IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies) and their Disaster Response Emergency Fund. It’s not all that surprising as ustwo are eager to profess that they’re the first B-corp game studio; B-corp being a term for companies with exceptional levels of social and environmental performance, business for good essentially. And given the breadth of reach Monument Valley 3 has over on Netflix Games this move may be a significant one. It’s also not exactly unprecedented either as other releases in ustwo’s catalogue, such as Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, have also focused heavily on environmental and social themes. Ustwo also previously partnered with a number of ***-based youth charities when they launched Desta: The Memories Between. A little bit on the side Monument Valley 3 has, of course, been a tremendously received release including by ourselves when we gave it a glowing five-star review. At the same time I’m also interested in how much this move will contribute long-term, after all Monument Valley 3 is on Netflix Games which doesn’t charge any fees or have any in-app purchases. However, if that’s the case it would only mean that the money comes from ustwo directly, which would certainly be a noble thing. That and the fact the company is soliciting donations for the IFRC and other organisations I’m sure will help give these groups the support they direly need. Meanwhile, if you’re looking to get Ahead of the Game why not check out our feature of the same name? This week we dig into the multiplayer dungeon crawler Gold & Glory to see how it hacks ‘n’ slashes up. Source link #Monument #Valley #contribute #portion #profits #charity #years Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Ex-Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger loads up on Nvidia stock, says the market’s reaction to DeepSeek is wrong Ex-Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger loads up on Nvidia stock, says the market’s reaction to DeepSeek is wrong DeepSeek, a China-based startup, unveiled an AI assistant last week that is 20 to 50 times cheaper to train and operate than OpenAI’s models. This triggered a massive selloff of tech stocks that had been driven by the rise of AI. The selloff wiped nearly $600 billion from Nvidia’s market value as investors believed that demand for its processors would decrease. However, ex-Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger argues that compute performance is never enough and that high demand for processors from tech giants will remain. The reaction to DeepSeek’s breakthrough has overlooked three critical lessons from five decades of computing, according to Gelsinger’s post over at LinkedIn. First, lowering the cost of computing resources expands the market, not contracts it. Just as cheaper technologies like PCs and mobile devices drove explosive growth, making AI more affordable will integrate it into more applications and will trigger broader adoption. “The market reaction is wrong, lowering the cost of AI will expand the market,” Gelsinger wrote. “Today I am an Nvidia and AI stock buyer and happy to benefit from lower prices.” Second, engineering thrives under constraints, Gelsinger notes. DeepSeek’s team faced export restrictions and limited resources but created a world-class solution at a fraction of the usual cost. This ingenuity resonates with insights from computer science pioneers, who often state that they achieved their best work under significant limitations. Third, openness fosters innovation, Gelsinger contends. The shift toward proprietary AI models stifles transparency and collaboration. Open ecosystems, as proven by Linux, Wi-Fi, and USB, consistently lead to better outcomes by encouraging scrutiny, ethical introspection, and broader adoption. DeepSeek’s open approach offers a much-needed reminder of the importance of shared innovation in AI. “Open wins every time it is given a proper shot,” Gelsinger wrote. “AI is much too important for our future to allow a closed ecosystem to ever emerge as the one and only in this space.” Gelsinger is not alone in his assessment that the market reaction is wrong; other market observers believe that the reaction was exaggerated. AMD, Broadcom, Intel, and Nvidia remain essential for building AI data centers and training large AI models. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. “The real money in AI is providing the chips for the data centers from the likes of Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom,” Daniel Morgan, senior portfolio manager at Synovus Trust Company, told Reuters. “Overall, I view the AI tech selloff today as an opportunity to add high-quality tech shares on weakness.” DeepSeek’s model can be used locally on PCs and even smartphones, which is its fundamental advantage over ChatGPT’s o1 and o4 models that reside on the cloud. However, training the model still requires advanced data center-grade hardware. Although DeepSeek reduces requirements for training hardware, companies like Anthropic and OpenAI could increase the number of parameters for their models while still consuming their vast computing resources. To that end, demand for advanced processors in large-scale computing environments is expected to persist. Also, it is unclear how much resources — both computational and financial — DeepSeek consumed while prepping to train its model and developing all the optimizations to reduce requirements for the training cluster. Thus, the implications of DeepSeek’s breakthrough on the hardware market remain to be determined. As a result, experts suggest that the selloff could present a buying opportunity for long-term investors in tech stocks like AMD, Broadcom, Intel, and Nvidia. Source link #ExIntel #CEO #Pat #Gelsinger #loads #Nvidia #stock #markets #reaction #DeepSeek #wrong Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How China’s ‘AI heroes’ overcame US curbs to stun Silicon Valley How China’s ‘AI heroes’ overcame US curbs to stun Silicon Valley Fan Wang and João da Silva BBC News Getty Images When ChatGpt stormed the world of artificial intelligence (AI), an inevitable question followed: did it spell trouble for China, America’s biggest tech rival? Two years on, a new AI model from China has flipped that question: can the US stop ******** innovation? For a while, Beijing seemed to fumble with its answer to ChatGPT, which is not available in China. Unimpressed users mocked Ernie, the chatbot by search engine giant Baidu. Then came versions by tech firms Tencent and ByteDance, which were dismissed as followers of ChatGPT – but not as good. Washington was confident that it was ahead and wanted to keep it that way. So the Biden administration ramped up restrictions banning the export of advanced chips and technology to China. That’s why DeepSeek’s launch has astonished Silicon Valley and the world. The firm says its powerful model is far cheaper than the billions US firms have spent on AI. So how did a little-known company – whose founder is being hailed on ******** social media as an “AI hero” – pull this off? The challenge When the US barred the world’s leading chip-makers such as Nvidia from selling advanced tech to China, it was certainly a blow. Those chips are essential for building powerful AI models that can perform a range of human tasks, from answering basic queries to solving complex math problems. DeepSeek’s founder Liang Wenfeng described the chip ban as their “main challenge” in interviews with local media. Long before the ban, DeepSeek acquired a “substantial stockpile” of Nvidia A100 chips – estimates range from 10,000 to 50,000 – according to the MIT Technology Review. Leading AI models in the West use an estimated 16,000 specialised chips. But DeepSeek says it trained its AI model using 2,000 such chips, and thousands of lower-grade chips – which is what makes its product cheaper. Some, including US tech billionaire Elon Musk, have questioned this claim, arguing the company cannot reveal how many advanced chips it really used given the restrictions. But experts say Washington’s ban brought both challenges and opportunities to the ******** AI industry. It has “forced ******** companies like DeepSeek to innovate” so they can do more with less, says Marina Zhang, an associate professor at the University of Technology Sydney. CCTV DeepSeek’s founder Liang Wenfung (R) at a recent government meeting “While these restrictions pose challenges, they have also spurred creativity and resilience, aligning with China’s broader policy goals of achieving technological independence.” The world’s second-largest economy has invested heavily in big tech – from the batteries that power electric vehicles and solar panels, to AI. Turning China into a tech superpower has long been President Xi Jinping’s ambition, so Washington’s restrictions were also a challenge that Beijing took on. The release of DeepSeek’s new model on 20 January, when Donald Trump was sworn in as US president, was deliberate, according to Gregory C Allen, an AI expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The timing and the way it’s being messaged – that’s exactly what the ******** government wants everybody to think – that export controls don’t work and that America is not the global leader in AI,” says Mr Allen, former director of strategy and policy at the US Department of Defense Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. In recent years the ******** government has nurtured AI talent, offering scholarships and research grants, and encouraging partnerships between universities and industry. The National Engineering Laboratory for Deep Learning and other state-backed initiatives have helped train thousands of AI specialists, according to Ms Zhang. And China had plenty of bright engineers to recruit. The talent Take DeepSeek’s team for instance – ******** media says it comprises fewer than 140 people, most of whom are what the internet has proudly declared as “home-grown talent” from elite ******** universities. Western observers missed the emergence of “a new generation of entrepreneurs who prioritise foundational research and long-term technological advancement over quick profits”, Ms Zhang says. China’s top universities are creating a “rapidly growing AI talent pool” where even managers are often under the age of 35. “Having grown up during China’s rapid technological ascent, they are deeply motivated by a drive for self-reliance in innovation,” she adds. Getty Images Hangzhou, where DeepSeek’s headquarters are, is also home to other tech giants such as Alibaba Deepseek’s founder Liang Wenfeng is an example of this – the 40-year-old studied AI at the prestigious Zhejiang University. In an article on the tech outlet 36Kr, people familiar with him say he is “more like a geek rather than a boss”. And ******** media describe him as a “technical idealist” – he insists on keeping DeepSeek as an open-source platform. In fact experts also believe a thriving open-source culture has allowed young start-ups to pool resources and advance faster. Unlike ******* ******** tech firms, DeepSeek prioritised research, which has allowed for more experimenting, according to experts and people who worked at the company. “The Top 50 talents in this field might not be in China, but we can build people like that here,” Mr Liang said in an interview with 36Kr. But experts wonder how much further DeepSeek can go. Ms Zhang says that “new US restrictions may limit access to American user data, potentially impacting how ******** models like DeepSeek can go global”. And others say the US still has a huge advantage, such as, in Mr Allen’s words, “their enormous quantity of computing resources” – and it’s also unclear how DeepSeek will continue using advanced chips to keep improving the model. But for now, DeepSeek is enjoying its moment in the sun, given that most people in China had never heard of it until this weekend. The new AI heroes His sudden fame has seen Mr Liang become a sensation on China’s social media, where he is being applauded as one of the “three AI heroes” from southern Guangdong province, which borders Hong Kong. The other two are Zhilin Yang, a leading expert at Tsinghua University, and Kaiming He, who teaches at MIT in the US. DeepSeek has delighted the ******** internet ahead of Lunar New Year, the country’s biggest holiday. It’s good news for a beleaguered economy and a tech industry that is bracing for further tariffs and the possible ***** of TikTok’s US business. “DeepSeek shows us that only if you have the real deal will you stand the test of time,” a top-liked Weibo comment reads. “This is the best new year gift. Wish our motherland prosperous and strong,” another reads. A “blend of shock and excitement, particularly within the open-source community,” is how Wei Sun, principal AI analyst at Counterpoint Research, described the reaction in China. Getty Images DeepSeek’s success has been cheered in China during its biggest holiday Fiona Zhou, a tech worker in the southern city of Shenzhen, says her social media feed “was suddenly flooded with DeepSeek-related posts yesterday”. “People call it ‘the glory of made-in-China’, and say it shocked Silicon Valley, so I downloaded it to see how good it is.” She asked it for “four pillars of [her] destiny”, or ba-zi – like a personalised horoscope that is based on the date and time of birth. But to her disappointment, Deepseek was wrong. While she was given a thorough explanation about its “thinking process”, it was not the “four pillars” from her real ba-zi. She says she will still give it another go at work, as it will probably be more useful for such tasks. Source link #Chinas #heroes #overcame #curbs #stun #Silicon #Valley Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Multiclassing in Baldur's Gate 3 Can Be a Recipe for Disaster Multiclassing in Baldur's Gate 3 Can Be a Recipe for Disaster Multiclassing is one of Baldur’s Gate 3’s most powerful features, but it can come with some devastating consequences if used incorrectly. Source link #Multiclassing #Baldur039s #Gate #Recipe #Disaster Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Windows 11 Could Offer Quick Options to Send Files, Evidence Spotted in Latest Preview Build Windows 11 Could Offer Quick Options to Send Files, Evidence Spotted in Latest Preview Build Microsoft released a preview build of Windows 11 last week and it appears to include a new method to share files from File Explorer to your phone or email. The new feature dubbed “Drag Tray” works like file sharing in smartphones and lets users share files by dragging them to the top of the screen. This feature doesn’t appear in the update release notes but it was spotted by multiple users in the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4805. Windows 11 New File Sharing Features X user Phantomofearth (@phantomofearth) claimed that Microsoft is experimenting with a new file-sharing UI in Windows 11. The user has discovered a new Drag Tray functionality in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4805. This feature allows users to share files with various applications by simply dragging them from File Explorer to the top edge of the screen. Once the file is near the top, a tray will open up with different sharing options available, allowing users to automatically attach the file. Microsoft is experimenting with a new file sharing UI in Windows 11: the “Drag Tray”. When dragging a file, the tray shows up at the top of the screen with a drag here to share hint and lists a few apps. Has a more options button to open the share sheet. (hidden, Beta 22635.4805) pic.twitter.com/LXpkTwKZu2 — phantomofearth (@phantomofearth) January 24, 2025 The user also shared a video showing how the feature works and the Drag Tray feature shows Microsoft’s apps like Outlook, Phone Link, and Mail to share the file. This feature works similarly to sharing files and folders in Android and iOS. Microsoft didn’t mention the Drag Tray feature in its release notes for the update but Phantomofearth notes that it can be enabled by using a third-party app called ViVeTool and typing in “/enable /id:45624564,53397005” and then rebooting the PC. The Drag Tray feature is expected to make it to the general release of Windows 11 soon. Microsoft released the Insider Preview Build 22635.4805 (beta version) on January 24. Aside from the Drag and Tray, Microsoft has added Snap improvements and fixes to known issues in the latest build. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. WhatsApp Reportedly Fixed View-Once Media Bug That Allowed Indefinite Viewing Mudrex Resumes Crypto Withdrawals, Claims to Have Upgraded Compliance Process Source link #Windows #Offer #Quick #Options #Send #Files #Evidence #Spotted #Latest #Preview #Build Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Monday Night Club: What next for Marcus Rashford at Man Utd? Monday Night Club: What next for Marcus Rashford at Man Utd? Monday Night Club’s Mark Chapman is joined by Chris Sutton, Rory Smith and Steph Houghton to discuss Marcus Rashford’s future and whether he should leave Manchester United in the January transfer window. READ MORE: Amorim says he’d rather pick 63-year-old coach over Rashford WATCH: Full episode of Monday Night Club here Source link #Monday #Night #Club #Marcus #Rashford #Man #Utd Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Millions of dollars of prototype Pokémon cards may have been fake, it’s claimed Millions of dollars of prototype Pokémon cards may have been fake, it’s claimed Millions of dollars’ worth of Pokémon cards, which were claimed to have been printed prior to the creation of the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) itself, may have been faked, it’s been claimed. Prior to the introduction of the Pokémon TCG, prototype cards were made in order to test the game mechanics. Naturally, these cards are incredibly rare, with copies of them largely being lost to time, or hidden in private collections. In 2024, hundreds of these cards appeared on auction sites, with most of these cards coming from the personal collection of Takumi Akabane, one of the six main creators of the Pokémon TCG. Pokémon card grading company CGC worked with Akabane to ‘verify’ these prototype cards. Following the verification from CGC, some of these cards sold for as much as $55,000 at auction, due to their rarity and condition. Now it appears that some of these cards, including those from Akabane’s collection, may have in fact been printed last year. In a post to the Elite Fourum, a user called PRF who bought some of these prototype cards has alleged that they are in fact replicas that were printed on a commercial printer in June 2024. This has been discovered due to the fact that modern printers leave metadata on everything they print via extremely faint patterns. These patterns can be seen in high-resolution scans, or under certain lighting conditions. PRF claims some of the cards have very faint yellow dots (recoloured purple here) which make up the printer’s metadata. In this case they allege that the dots say the image was printed on June 29, 2024. In a statement to Pokébeach, PRF said: “It was really disheartening to find this out. More than the financial aspect, I thought it was cool to own a piece of history and it’s unfortunate it turned out this way.” Alt Auction House, one of the auction houses selling these cards, said: “We’re aware of recent claims regarding CGC-graded Pokémon Prototype and Playtest cards that have been sold across various platforms. CGC has assured us they are taking these allegations seriously and are conducting a thorough review. “We’re staying in close communication with CGC and will share updates as they become available.” Source link #Millions #dollars #prototype #Pokémon #cards #fake #claimed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Best Buy lists RTX 5080s from Gigabyte at up to 40% higher than MSRP — just one model at $999 Best Buy lists RTX 5080s from Gigabyte at up to 40% higher than MSRP — just one model at $999 Nvidia’s RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs are set to launch in just two days, but rumored supply-chain constraints suggest you won’t be able to get one at launch, at least at MSRP, that is. Best Buy has listed a handful of RTX 5080 SKUs from Gigabyte, priced at up to 40% higher than Nvidia’s suggested retail price of $999. We also found various listings at Newegg and several pre-builts equipped with the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080. On that note, Best Buy has only one model listed at MSRP, so expect serious competition from other customers, some of whom have actually set up camp outside retail stores days before launch. Now that’s enthusiasm! Things aren’t looking great for Blackwell in terms of supply. A few days back, *** reseller OCUK alleged single-digit RTX 5090 inventory, with only a few hundred RTX 5080s that may sell out in seconds. Scalpers are already charging 2-3x more than MSRP if you wish to obtain a pre-reserved booking slot for the flagship RTX 5090. Newegg has added new entries for RTX 5090 and 5080 GPUs from Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, and Zotac without a price tag. However, the site also lists new pre-builts from AVGPC and Yeyian (1,2), costing up to $4,299. Gigabyte has shared the launch price of several of its upcoming RTX 5080 offerings at Best Buy. As it stands, only the Nvidia SFF-ready Gigabyte RTX 5080 Windforce OC SFF is listed at $999. Next up, we have the Gaming OC, Aero SFF OC, and Aorus series with a 20-30% uptick in pricing, followed by the high-end Xtreme Waterforce series, priced at up to 40% higher than MSRP at $1,399. Swipe to scroll horizontally GPU Model (Best Buy) Price % vs MSRP ($999) Gigabyte RTX 5080 Windforce OC SFF $999 100.00% Gigabyte RTX 5080 Aorus Master Ice $1,299 130.03% Gigabyte RTX 5080 Xtreme Waterforce $1,399 140.04% Gigabyte RTX 5080 Gaming OC $1,199 120.02% Gigabyte RTX 5080 Xtreme Waterforce WB $1,349 135.04% Gigabyte RTX 5080 Aorus Master $1,299 130.03% Gigabyte RTX 5080 Aero SFF OC $1,249 125.03% AIBs typically charge a bit more for fancy features and exotic cooling, plus a handful of these models are factory overclocked. With pricing out of the way, availability remains a question. We expect the supply to improve with time, but we can’t say when. Alternatively, you could wait for AMD’s RDNA 4 in March, where leaks allege the RX 9070 XT to keep pace with the RTX 4080 in raster performance. The new Trump administration is eyeing to impose hefty tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, which supposedly also includes the RTX 50 series, as it’s fabricated on TSMC’s N4P (5nm-class) process. This might inevitably force Nvidia to increase prices for the end user, but we are unsure about the specifics of this policy. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Buy #lists #RTX #5080s #Gigabyte #higher #MSRP #model Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Hard-up Australians to wait until 2030 for disposable income to recover: Deloitte Access Economics Hard-up Australians to wait until 2030 for disposable income to recover: Deloitte Access Economics It’s bad news for households already smashed by cost-of-living pressures. New forecasts reveal Australians will have to wait another five years until their disposable income recovers to pre-COVID levels. Source link #Hardup #Australians #wait #disposable #income #recover #Deloitte #Access #Economics Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Helldivers 2 director says he’s taking a break before starting on his next game Helldivers 2 director says he’s taking a break before starting on his next game The director of Helldivers 2 says he needs to take a break before he can start work on his studio’s next game. In a statement posted on X, game director and Arrowhead Game Studios co-founder Johan Pilestedt explained that he had been working on the game for around nine years, and the entire Helldivers series for more than a decade. According to Pilestedt, the lengthy development time took a toll on him, and forced him to limit his time with family and friends, so he plans to make up for lost time before starting on Arrowhead’s next project. “I am gonna do a sabbatical for a while,” Pilestedt wrote, explaining: “While you have enjoyed Helldivers 2 for almost a year, I have been living it since early 2016, and with Helldivers it’s since 2013. “11 years of working ‘around the clock’ on the same IP has made me set aside family, friends and my lovely wife… and myself. I am going to take some time now to redeem what was lost from all of those that supported me for over a decade. “I am sure my friends at Arrowhead will do their utmost in the meantime to deliver amazing stuff to Helldivers 2. When I’m back, I will start working on the next Arrowhead game.” Hey everyone! I am gonna do a sabbatical for a while! I know a lot of you are going to think “por qué?” – well, while you have enjoyed @helldivers2 for almost a year, I have been living it since early 2016, and with @HelldiversGame – its since 2013. 11 years of working “around… — Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) January 27, 2025 Earlier this month Pilestedt said he was already planning Arrowhead’s next game, telling players that he was “working on the high concept” and inviting speculation on what it could be. Since its release and breakout success last year, Arrowhead has continued to update the Sony-published Helldivers 2, and Pilestedt has even suggested it will work on the game until it effectively becomes ‘Helldivers 3’. Source link #Helldivers #director #hes #break #starting #game Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia loses $589 billion in market cap — broad stock plunge triggered by DeepSeek AI release Nvidia loses $589 billion in market cap — broad stock plunge triggered by DeepSeek AI release Nvidia’s stock price dropped to $118.50 a share at the end of trading yesterday, January 27—a nearly 17% drop from its opening price of $142.02. This wiped out over $589 billion in market capitalization for the company, which Forbes says is the biggest single-day loss for any company in history. Aside from this, other tech companies also faced losses, with Nasdaq tanking by 3.1%, while other tech giants like Arm, Broadcom, and Oracle all experienced share price drops greater than 10%. This downward market movement is fueled by the release of DeepSeek R1, an open source LLM that could rival OpenAI’s o1 model in performance while being so optimized that it uses much less power to train. The ******** AI company said that it took 11x less compute to train its latest model versus Meta’s Llama 3, with its DeepSeek-V3 Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) language model that has 671 billion parameters being trained of 2,048 Nvidia H800 GPUs in two months—approximately 2.8 million GPU hours. By comparison, Meta’s Llama 3, with its 405 billion parameters, took 54 days to train using 16,384 H100 GPUs, or around 30.8 million GPU hours. Aside from using fewer GPU hours to train, the H800 chips that DeepSeek used to train its LLM have less performance than the H100 due to U.S. export restrictions. This means the ******** company introduced optimizations that reduced its reliance on advanced hardware to create an AI language that could rival Western AIs. “DeepSeek is an excellent AI advancement and a perfect example of Test Time Scaling. DeepSeek’s work illustrates how new models can be created using that technique, leveraging widely-available models and compute that is fully export control compliant,” Nvidia said in a statement. “Inference requires significant numbers of NVIDIA GPUs and high-performance networking. We now have three scaling laws: pre-training and post-training, which continue, and new test-time scaling.” However, because of this realization, many investors are balking at the future cost of AI hardware, especially as companies continue to spend billions on AI-focused infrastructure. Aside from the cost of acquiring so many advanced chips, they also use up a lot of electricity, and many experts are concerned about its impact on the national grid and power supply. “If it’s true that DeepSeek is the proverbial ‘better mousetrap’ that could disrupt the entire AI narrative that has helped drive the markets over the last two years,” Annex Wealth Management Chief Economist Brian Jacobsen told Reuters. “It could mean less demand for chips, less need for a massive build-out of power production to fuel the models, and less need for large-scale data centers.” Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Nvidia #loses #billion #market #cap #broad #stock #plunge #triggered #DeepSeek #release Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Open-world racer JDM: Japanese Drift Master secures March release Open-world racer JDM: Japanese Drift Master secures March release The beguiling street racing title piqued our interest last year with its Rise of the Scorpion prologue, but now the full game is nearly ready to be released. Source link #Openworld #racer #JDM #Japanese #Drift #Master #secures #March #release Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

*** on alert over rise in drug-resistant bacterial infections in Ukraine *** on alert over rise in drug-resistant bacterial infections in Ukraine The number of drug-resistant infections is rapidly rising in Ukraine, according to reports – with the ***’s government agency for health security on alert over a risk of case numbers increasing. The antimicrobial resistance (AMR) infections occur when bacteria evolves to learn how to defend itself against common antibiotic and other medicines, making treatment ineffective. Overuse of antibiotics is the main cause of the so-called “silent pandemic” of AMR infections, with a type of infection called Klebsiella pneumoniae now becoming a major issue for hospitals near Ukraine’s frontline. Last week, the BBC reported on a sharp rise in cases faced by clinicians in Ukraine. While globally, 1.4m people died from AMR infections in 2023. In the same year, 58,000 people had AMR infections in the ***. The *** Health Security Agency has called it a global crisis with the agency calling for action to drive down infections around the world. Here, The Independent asks what is helping drive the increase in Ukraine and what can be done about it? Drug-resistant infections are rapidly rising in Ukraine (Reuters) ‘Conflict and infectious diseases go hand in hand’ Dr Andrew Edwards, lecturer in molecular microbiology at Imperial College London, said reports of a rapid increase in AMR in Ukraine were “not at all surprising”. “Conflict and infectious diseases go hand in hand because service personnel are often injured in ways that enable bacteria to get deep into tissues and establish infection,” he said. “These infections are particularly troublesome when they involve bones and joints because these often involve plastic or metal prosthetics that bacteria can stick to and form protective structures known as biofilms that can resist antibiotics and the immune system.” Matthew Upton, professor of medical microbiology at the University of Plymouth, said poorer infection control conditions can also increase the spread of infections that are resistant to treatment. “Conditions are likely to be less clean/hygienic than is usually expected, which increases rates of infection. Mobilisation of populations during war can increase transmission of infections too,” he said. Professor Adam Roberts from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine said those factors alone would lead to a rise in both drug-resistant and susceptible infections. Prof Roberts, who is also a member of Applied Microbiology International’s One Health Advisory Group, added: “When you combine this with likely supply chain issues for important antibiotics and medicines then you have a situation where resistant bacteria will be able to spread faster from person to person and from hospital to hospital.” Antimicrobial infections are also rising in the *** (PA Wire) What’s the risk to the ***? While the reasons for its rapid spread in Ukraine appear to be war-related, and infection control protocols in the NHS are “excellent”, University of Birmingham Professor in microbial evolutionary genomics Alan McNally said the risk was not zero. “Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are no different from other pathogens – they spread,” Prof McNally said. “At the moment the primary concern is for Ukraine and Ukraine’s health system, but we should all avoid complacency around antimicrobial-resistant infections.” Ukraine aside, Prof Roberts said it was a problem on the rise in the ***. He pointed to a 2023 government report that estimated more than 58,000 people in England had an antibiotic-resistant infection in 2022, a 4 per cent increase on 2021. ”Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing problem in the ***,” he said. Dr Edwards said it was most worrying in intensive care units and other hospital wards which use the highest quantities of antibiotics. He added: “However, it’s also a concern in the community, where relatively simple infections such as those of the ******** tract sometimes need to be treated with second or third-choice antibiotics due to resistance. These second choices may not be as effective, prolonging the time needed to cure the patient.” Saving antibiotic use for only when its needed helps reduce the problem (Getty Images) The UKHSA said it was alert to the risk of increased AMR bugs, both locally and abroad. The agency’s deputy director Dr Colin Brown said: “Klebsiella pneumoniae is not confined to war zones and our recent surveillance of resistant bloodstream infections in England shows that in 2023, 14 per cent were due to Klebsiella pneumoniae. “Antimicrobial resistance is not a crisis of the future, but one that is with us right now causing over a million deaths globally each year. Unless action is taken, the availability of life saving treatments will fall and our ability to drive down infections will decrease.” What can be done to combat the drug-resistant bacteria? Governments can help by funding more research and development into new antibiotics, and then those new drugs need to be sent to low-income countries which have the biggest issue with the spread of AMR infections, Prof Upton said. “Funding the development of additional approaches to preventing infection like increased use of vaccines will also help,” he said. Prof McNally said vaccines help not by fighting the antimicrobial-resistant bacteria itself, but by helping to reduce severe cases of infectious diseases that can lead to serious infections. There is also work being done at Imperial College with funding from the Scar Free Foundation to help prevent those infections when treating bone and joint injuries, Prof Edwards said. Led by Professor Julian Jones, British Army surgeons, bioengineers and microbiologists are developing materials that will help bones heal while also killing drug-resistant bacteria at the site of combat injuries. Prof Roberts said fighting antimicrobial resistance required a global response. “No one country will be able to manage it on their own, AMR pathogens travel as much as we do so they can be anywhere within a day as we carry them around with us,” he said. Source link #alert #rise #drugresistant #bacterial #infections #Ukraine Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Building Your Own Game Engine and Sandbox: Marek Rosa Talks Space Engineers 2 Building Your Own Game Engine and Sandbox: Marek Rosa Talks Space Engineers 2 Space Engineers 2 remained a well-kept secret for three years under Marek Rosa, head of Keen Software House. Now, the sandbox legend returns with cutting-edge technology, a bold story, and a new solar system. In this interview, Rosa shares why starting from scratch was necessary and what the VRAGE 3 engine brings to the table. Source link #Building #Game #Engine #Sandbox #Marek #Rosa #Talks #Space #Engineers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Former Royal Estate North of Athens is Being Restored Former Royal Estate North of Athens is Being Restored Tatoi, north of Athens, was once a residence of the former Greek royal family. The farm building will also house the collection of the royal cars that have been designated as monuments. Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture Restoration works of the farm at Greece’s former royal estate near Athens are rapidly progressing and soon, the museum building connected to the estate’s farm life will be completed, the Greek Ministry of Culture announced. Selected wooden and metallic objects, along with pieces of historic agricultural machinery are being preserved in order to become part of the permanent collections in the museum building (a former cowshed), dedicated to the agricultural production of the Tatoi estate, the ministry said in a statement. The metallic objects include signs with animal names, watering objects and silos. Agricultural tools include milk jars, a sickle, a sieve and a demijohn. The wooden objects, including tools and agricultural machinery, were found inside the farm buildings. Among them are a tractor, oak barrels and a wine case. Tatoi, north of Athens, was once a residence of the former Greek royal family. The farm building will also house the collection of the royal cars that have been designated as monuments. Agricultural tools include milk jars, a sickle, a sieve and a demijohn. The wooden objects, including tools and agricultural machinery, were found inside the farm buildings. Among them are a tractor, oak barrels and a wine case. Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture Lina Mendoni, the Greek Minister of Culture said that the restoration project at the estate’s farm is expected to be completed within 2025, adding that the objects being preserved along with the agricultural machinery were used in order to keep the estate’s owners self-sufficient. “The quantity [of agricultural products] produced was enough to allow them to be sold within and out of Greece,” Mendoni said. “Some examples are the butter and milk of Tatoi but also the varieties of wines from the royal vineyards. The Ministry of Culture has registered the names and brands of the estate’s products, in order to re-use them in the new food and hospitality services,” she added. According to the Greek Ministry of Culture, both the wooden and the metallic objects are in a bad condition, mostly because of their long-term storage under unsuitable conditions. Restoration projects at the estate include the creation of museum buildings as well as leisure center facilities at a cost of several million. Most of the buildings have fallen into disrepair after decades of abandonment and neglect. Selected wooden and metallic objects, along with pieces of historic machinery are being preserved in order to become part of the permanent collections in the museum building. Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture The former royal estate, north of Athens The Tatoi estate covers an enormous total area of 4,500 hectares, which is approximately 45 million square meters. It was first owned by the Greek royal family in the 1870s. Since then, it has endured numerous changes of ownership and usage, following the turbulent political life of the country during the late 19th and the 20th century. Located on a slope of Mount Parnitha, the estate lies 27 kilometers (16 miles) from downtown Athens, in an area covered by woods, with rivers and abundant wildlife. The Palace complex also includes a large number of buildings which all served different purposes for the royal family while they lived there. Originally designed as a summer retreat for the family, it later became the permanent residence of the Greek royals, who found its premises more private compared to the official Royal Palace in downtown Athens. It was Greece’s King George I who originally had the idea of establishing a summer retreat for his family. Source link #Royal #Estate #North #Athens #Restored Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Starbucks, McDonald’s, Chipotle to report Starbucks, McDonald’s, Chipotle to report People pass by a Starbucks coffee shop in Manhattan, New York, United States on January 15, 2025. Mostafa Bassim | Anadolu | Getty Images Starbucks is expected to report its quarterly earnings on Tuesday, kicking off several weeks of reports from restaurant companies as investors anticipate improving demand for dining out. A handful of restaurants released preliminary results earlier in January ahead of presentations at the annual ICR Conference in Orlando. For many, like Red Robin and Noodles & Company, their early report showed sales trends improved during the fourth quarter, giving investors more confidence and pushing their shares higher. Only Shake Shack saw its stock fall; its outlook disappointed shareholders, who were hoping for higher targets. But the largest restaurant companies have yet to announce any results. Starbucks paves the way with its announcement on Tuesday after the bell. Yum Brands and Chipotle won’t share their earnings until next week. McDonald’s, often considered a consumer bellwether, isn’t on deck until Feb. 10. However, a rollercoaster 2024 for restaurants might have ended on a high note — and that could bode well for the industry in the year ahead. Industry data suggests that the fourth quarter was better for restaurants overall than the rest of the year. Same-store sales grew in both October and November, according to data from market research firm ****** Box Intelligence. December was the only month same-store sales fell during the quarter, but ****** Box attributed the swing to the calendar shift caused by a late Thanksgiving. “We came out of [the fourth quarter] with a lot of momentum and started off really strong … That gives me a feeling that the consumer is still very resilient,” Shake Shack CEO Rob ****** said. “Consumers are still out there spending money. There’s still a lot of jobs for people who want to go out and get great jobs. We’re kind of bullish on ’25.” Shake Shack storefront with illuminated sign on a bustling street, New York City, New York, October 22, 2024. Smith Collection | Gado | Archive Photos | Getty Images Casual dining comeback Most casual-dining chains have been in turnaround mode, hoping that revamped menus and new marketing plans will reinvigorate sales. For most of last year, only Chili’s, owned by Brinker International, won over customers with its strategy, helping the chain report double-digit same-store sales growth. But some of Chili’s rivals saw an improvement in the fourth quarter. For example, Red Robin said it expects to report a 3.4% increase in its fourth-quarter comparable restaurant revenue, excluding a change in deferred loyalty revenue. “We’ve been doing a ton of work behind the scenes, and I believe that these stories take time, and you can’t skip the process,” Red Robin CEO G.J. Hart told CNBC earlier in January. Signage for Red Robin Gourmet Burgers outside the company’s restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky. Luke Sharrett | Bloomberg | Getty Images For two and a half years, the chain has implemented a broad comeback strategy, which included bringing back bussers and bartenders and overhauling its signature burgers. More recently, Red Robin has launched a loyalty program and unveiled promotions for certain days of the week, reintroducing customers to its revamped restaurant experience and helping it compete with Chili’s. California Pizza Kitchen also had a strong fourth quarter, and the momentum hasn’t slowed, according to the chain’s President Michael Beacham. “We had a great [fourth quarter], and we’re already starting out in 2025 with some really strong numbers, and that’s just with our in-dining guests,” Beacham said. CPK is privately owned and doesn’t publicly report its quarterly results, but its sales trends can offer clues about how other casual restaurants are performing. It helps, too, that diners aren’t feeling as strapped for cash as they were earlier in 2024. “It looks like the consumer is starting to feel a little bit better than they were in prior quarters,” Darden Restaurants CEO Rick Cardenas said on the company’s earnings conference call in December. Before the holidays, Darden, which operates on a different fiscal calendar than most of its peers, reported stronger-than-expected demand for its food during the quarter ended Nov. 24. In particular, same-store sales at LongHorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden beat Wall Street’s estimates. Executives credited more frequent visits from diners with annual incomes of $50,000 to $100,000. Big disappointments? Some of the biggest restaurant names might have the most disappointing quarters. Starbucks is still in turnaround mode. Now under the leadership of former Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol, the coffee giant is in the early innings of a turnaround. “[Fiscal quarter one] is expected to be another challenging quarter as SBUX implements a host of operational changes. Margin pressure is expected to be similar to Q4, but we believe investors likely look through [near-term] headwinds while focusing on evidence of [long-term] turnaround potential,” Wells Fargo analyst Zachary Fadem wrote in a research note on Thursday. People use laptops inside of a Starbucks on January 14, 2025 in New York City. Adam Gray | Getty Images While Niccol has already tweaked the company’s advertising and promotional strategy, it will take more time for Starbucks to implement larger changes, like a menu overhaul and faster service. The company also recently said it will lay off some of its corporate workforce, although it hasn’t shared how many jobs will be affected. Wall Street is expecting the Starbucks to report quarterly same-store sales declines of 5.5%, according to StreetAccount estimates. And then there’s McDonald’s, which spent much of its fourth quarter handling a foodborne illness crisis. In October, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention connected a fatal E. coli outbreak to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers. The chain reacted by temporarily pulling the menu item in affected areas and eventually switched suppliers for the slivered onions targeted as the likely culprit. Traffic to McDonald’s restaurants across the U.S. fell as consumers reacted to the headlines, although analysts expect the company to report that trend reversed later in the quarter. “We expect headwinds related to the E. coli outbreak likely weighed on 4Q US [same-store sales], with data indicating pressured trends in November, but our franchisee discussions and traffic trends highlighting recovering guest counts in December,” UBS analyst Dennis Geiger wrote in a note to clients on Wednesday. A look into 2025 Though some chains are lagging behind, restaurant executives generally seem more positive about 2025, citing improving consumer sentiment and wage growth. “I’m cautiously optimistic about where we’re headed, and it feels good — it really does,” Red Robin’s Hart said. Restaurants will also be facing easier comparisons to last year’s sales slump, making their growth this year look more impressive. But industry optimism doesn’t ensure smooth sailing for the year ahead. Investors will be listening carefully for executive commentary about how traffic and sales are faring so far in the first quarter. For example, restaurants have had to contend with the wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles, displacing residents and temporarily shuttering some eateries, in addition to the usual seasonal snowstorms and frigid temperatures that keep diners at home. “I think overall, if you take out weather, this tragic thing that’s happening in California, we see green shoots already for restaurants that aren’t impacted,” Fogo de Chao CEO Barry McGowan said. “We’re hopeful this year.” Source link #Starbucks #McDonalds #Chipotle #report Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8 Arrives Early on PS5 by Accident Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8 Arrives Early on PS5 by Accident Larian Studios recently informed players that the Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8 stress test began on PS5 earlier than intended by accident. Yesterday, Larian Studio released a tweet confirming that some PS5 users accidentally received early access to Baldur’s Gate 3 patch 8 before the stress test’s intended date. If you see version 01.800.000 or 4.1.1.6583053 on your main menu, you are also one of the users who received the automatic update. Moreover, the unintentional update on your PS5 doesn’t guarantee access to Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8 Stress Test when it officially arrives. Larian confirmed that some regions in Europe and Asia mistakenly received the new patch early “as an update to their live game version in preparation for the Patch 8 stress test.” Players should know that this version of Baldur’s Gate 3 patch 8 is unsupported, and the developers have suggested revert to patch 7. Players will face compatibility issues with save games, mods, and multiplayer if they continue to play Patch 8. If you have already updated Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8, here’s how to return to Patch 7. How to Return to Baldur’s Gate Patch 7 After Unintentional PS5 Update To know if your PS5 has received the unintentional Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8 updates, head to the Main Menu and read your version number. If it is 01.800.000 or 4.1.1.6583053, you have fallen victim to the unintentional update. However, there is a straightforward way to get rid of the issue. Just uninstall the Baldur’s Gate 3 application from your console and then reinstall it to be reverted to patch 7. In other news, check out all the new features of Baldur’s Gate 3 patch 8. Also, Larian Studios have moved their ‘full attention’ to the next game. What are your thoughts on Larian accidentally releasing Baldur’s Gate 3 patch 8 early for PS5 users? Let us know in the comments below or on our community forum! For more from Insider Gaming, read about new leaks claiming that Fortnite is receiving Red Hulk, Falcon and Superman skins, and don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter. SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Baldurs #Gate #Patch #Arrives #Early #PS5 #Accident Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]