Windows on Arm vs Intel: Which laptop platform is right for you?
Windows on Arm vs Intel: Which laptop platform is right for you?
In just over a year, the landscape of Windows laptops has changed with the arrival of machines that draw power from Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, instead of those from Intel. Or even AMD. Think of it as the same kind of transition that Apple pulled off with the Mac, but instead of one, there are multiple brands carrying the torch for Microsoft.
The overarching project is called Windows on Arm, and it has solid a few solid products in the past few months. The ultra-slim Asus ZenBook A14 and the Dell XPS 13 have been my favorite Snapdragon machines so far, and more are yet to come. The core premise behind these machines is to deliver snappy performance (with a special focus on AI) and long battery life in a thin and light chassis.
In their current shape, think of them as the MacBook Air equivalent on the Windows side of the ecosystem. In fact, a couple of Snapdragon devices that I’ve tested even leapfrog Apple’s smash-hit laptop and deliver an astounding multi-day battery life. But can they really beat legacy laptops on the x86 architecture, when the latest generation of Intel chips has also started to embrace the Copilot+ badge for top-tier performance?
Let’s unfold the conundrum:
What about my apps?
Luke Larsen / Digital Trends
Are my Intel-based PC apps going to work on an Arm-based Windows laptop? Yes, they will. If the developer has created a separate codebase for the Arm version of their app, even better. If not, you can still download the Intel (or x86) version of the app and run it on your Snapdragon-powered Arm-based laptop or PC.
One of the biggest challenges with bringing Windows to an entirely different architecture is the situation with non-native software aka the stuff made by other developers. Now, Microsoft has developed an emulation layer that can run x86 apps just fine, with a small performance hit, that is. The secret sauce here is Prism, which essentially translates x86-64 code into ARM64 instructions.
So, if an app was originally developed to run on an x86 PC powered by Intel and AMD processors, it will technically work on Windows on Arm machines with a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor at their heart. Microsoft is using Prism to pull it off, while Apple relied on the Rosetta 2 emulator when it shifted Macs from an Intel (x86) to M-series (Arm) silicon. What about the performance hit that comes with emulation?
Luke Larsen / Digital Trends
Well, it is definitely here, but you likely won’t run into it. Microsoft says that 87 percent of the total app minutes spent by users of Copilot+ PCs are inside software that is now written natively for Windows on Arm. In a nutshell, you won’t have to worry about the emulation hit by Prism, which itself got a performance boost with the Windows 11 24H2 update.
Windows on Arm is right for…
If your primary requirements from a laptop are fast wake up, thin and light design, reliable productivity performance, and above all, a fantastic battery life that can easily last a full day, you can safely pick a Windows on Arm laptop. In my time with Windows on Arm machines, I have noticed that they are pretty fast, especially at running apps for office-based work.
If your typical work day entails browsing, task management software such as Asana or Trello, communication, and workplace platforms such as the Office suite, these laptops will run just fine. Even if you are trying a creative suite of apps such as Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro, they work without any major red flags.
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
If you’re interested in making the best of AI tools, such as Recall or Copilot Deep Research, these machines can handle the workflow without breaking a sweat. At benchmarks, the underlying Snapdragon X series laptops beat Intel and AMD machines, so there’s that. The only major hiccup is the graphics performance, and especially the scalability part of it.
In my time, I never found Windows on Arm a limitation for my work, which is spread across web browsers, task management apps, communication platforms, and a bit of media editing. For a majority of business customers and even students, the experience would be similar, unless you are running specialized software.
Why pick the Windows and Intel combo
Emulation has its limits, and for a certain audience, it totally doesn’t work. Gaming is one such scenario. “Drivers for hardware, games, and apps only work if they’re designed for a Windows 11 Arm-based PC,” says Microsoft. Likewise, any program that requires custom drivers, such as an antivirus package, printing utilities, and virtualization software, will give you a hard time. Games that rely on anti-cheat software simply won’t work.
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
But there is more to it. There are only three Windows on Arm processors currently on the market viz. Snapdragon X Elite, X Plus, and X. The latter is pretty weak, and often gave me a “processor not supported” warning message for a large number of games in the Xbox Game Pass library. The graphics situation is to blame here. The top-end Snapdragon X Elite won’t fare dramatically better at AAA games, either.
Likewise, if you are planning to run CAD software or engage in hi-res multi-stream video editing, a powerful processor paired with a beefy graphics engine is a must. You will also need a lot of RAM and onboard storage. Unfortunately, even the most powerful Windows on Arm laptops won’t offer the graphics chops needed for that kind of work, nor the memory upgradability you seek.
Gaming laptops are here to stay, and so are mobile workstations with “Pro” grade processors such as the HP Zbook series for creative professionals. In a nutshell, if scalability and flexibility are what you seek, you can skip Windows on Arm.
Another crucial part is the pricing. Windows on Arm laptops are still struggling to go below the $700 price point. That leaves out a huge chunk of buyers. For nearly half the price, or close to the $450 margin, you can get competent laptops with Intel (and AMD) processors that can handle light workloads with ease. So yeah, if affordability and hardware versatility are what you desire, look on the Intel side of the Windows laptop ecosystem.
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PlayStation Plus Free Games For June 2025 Revealed
PlayStation Plus Free Games For June 2025 Revealed
PlayStation has revealed this month’s batch of free games for PlayStation Plus subscribers. All PS Plus members will be able to claim several freebies starting June 3: NBA 2K25, Alone in the Dark, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, and Destiny 2: The Final Shape (the Destiny 2 expansion will be available starting May 28). If you haven’t claimed May’s PlayStation Plus free games yet, make sure to do so before next Tuesday.
This story is developing…
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Interview: Richard Masters, vice-president of data and AI, Virgin Atlantic
Interview: Richard Masters, vice-president of data and AI, Virgin Atlantic
Richard Masters, vice-president of data and artificial intelligence (AI) at Virgin Atlantic, is an expert in enterprise data, but his career began somewhere different – space. Before moving into analytics, Masters completed a PhD in astrophysics at the University of Oxford, working on two major projects.
“One was building an instrument in the Very Large Telescope in the Atacama Desert in Chile, which is weighing galaxies, and the other one was looking at dark matter in galaxies using data from the Hubble Space Telescope,” he says, reflecting on his academic experiences and time as an astrophysicist.
An outsider looking in might assume there’s little relationship between high-level science and creating customer-focused services for major companies. However, Masters says his work observing the grandeur of the cosmos provided the perfect preparation for dealing with the minutiae of enterprise information at Virgin.
“You have a lot of noisy data that comes in from those telescopes,” he says. “You spend most of your time removing noise so you can look at the galaxies and the stars. Once you’ve removed that noise, you’re left with a signal that you’re going to do some analysis on to get your insight.”
It’s an approach that echoes through to his present role. Masters says his longstanding focus on fine details has become an obsession as a data leader: “Can I simplify and remove as much noise as possible from anything we’re doing?”
Leading data initiatives
After leaving academia, Masters applied his experience in a range of industries, including as a data analysis consultant looking at cyber intelligence and graph networks at Detica. He then worked as a data science manager with consultant EY before his first three-year stint at Virgin between 2018 and 2021, where he rose to head of data science and engineering.
Masters left the airline to return to EY, where he was given the chance to build products for compliance and behavioural analytics as an assistant director. After two-and-a-half years honing his craft at EY, he returned to Virgin Atlantic in November 2023. He was eager to step into a senior data leadership role at a company he knew and respected.
“I want to build things, and I want to work with people who understand and trust me to build those things. What led me back to Virgin is that they’ve got the right platforms and mindsets within the teams”
Richard Masters, Virgin Atlantic
“I came back because of the conversations with the executive team. We considered the opportunities where AI could be applied across the sector. They weren’t just thinking, ‘We want you to come and build a chatbot’,” he says.
“It was more like, ‘We know how this technology could be used to make some of the delivery pipelines quicker and the quality assurance better, but we also want to consider the foundational elements and make our data right’. That focus on multiple areas was attractive. I came back to Virgin to focus on customer behaviour and optimisation in the airline industry and to think about the things we can do to fine-tune decision-making practices.”
The draw of the Virgin brand was also a big factor. “I want to build things, and I want to work with people who understand and trust me to build those things,” he says. “What led me back to Virgin is that, like at EY, they’ve got the right platforms and mindsets within the teams. But the opportunity to own the end-to-end process here was fantastic.”
Looking back on his career journey, Masters says focusing on fine details has allowed him to help his executive peers see the benefits of data-led change. “Clarity of thought is essential,” he says, summarising the characteristics that define a successful data leader in the age of AI.
“You need to distil everything that’s going on. Even at the strategic level, there’s noise and opinions, nomenclature and obfuscation. Technical people use lots of acronyms. At all levels, you want to simplify things as much as possible. That means asking yourself, ‘Do I understand what I’m talking about?’,” he says.
“The way I can do that is to provide clearer explanations. An academic background helps with that requirement because you have experience in distilling complex concepts into something more straightforward. That simplification is also important when you talk to your team, so you can translate and say, ‘If we can boost our Net Promoter Score, for example, we can show how we’re using data to improve people’s experiences on the plane’.”
Managing new implementations
Masters says his responsibilities cover all aspects of data use across the organisation, from analytical data engineering and maintenance through to the operation control centre and customer and commercial applications. The other critical element of his role is leading AI developments and asking key questions about implementations.
“So, how are we using AI?” he says. “What platforms should we use and who should we partner with? How do we ensure technologies are effective and that we’re investing in the right areas? And what does responsible AI mean for us? For me, that question comes down to our use of data and augmentation – that human loop of assurance around data lineage.”
Masters says the significance of strong AI practices across business processes continues to increase, particularly for governance and ethics.
“AI has become an extension of our data protection process. We ensure that focus is critical to our work,” he says.
“Even before recent developments in generative AI [GenAI], bias in machine learning has always been a consideration when you’re building or using models. You must make people aware of the potential for bias and help them understand that, when they use these tools, they generate more data. Our people then have responsibility for managing that data.”
Masters says some of his big achievements during the past 18 months at Virgin have been centred on data-enabled decision-making support for key business areas. He says insight is used to boost operational processes, hone customer services and develop new knowledge management capabilities.
“Our ability to assure the data and models are correct has been a big achievement for us,” he says. “I’ve got the team into a mindset of asking, ‘Is it right?’, and building capabilities. We’ve created this factory on the platform, which I’m proud of because I can see where we can keep extending that approach.”
Developing AI capabilities
One area of significant progress is data foundations. When Masters returned to Virgin in late 2023, the airline’s executive team was eager to exploit AI.
He helped implement the Databricks platform during his first spell with the business. After rejoining the firm, Masters explored how the technology could provide the foundations for generative AI applications that optimise services and quicken decision-making processes.
Virgin is now using Databricks, particularly the technology specialist’s Unity Catalog, to bring disparate data sources together and create a centralised location for the information that powers the firm’s AI-enabled services. The airline is using GenAI, including Databricks’ interface Genie, for a range of initiatives.
One example is summarisation and categorisation. The health and safety team is using AI to identify priority incidents rather than trawling through a long list. This approach is being applied as a model for sifting and prioritising issues in other areas of the business, including customer care messages via email.
The latest application of the approach is for knowledge management. Virgin’s staff use different systems, such as Genesys for the call centre, Dynamics for customer care, and apps for the crew that traditionally store data in separate places. Using Databricks, data is stored in a single location. Employees then run language models to search and summarise information.
“You can maintain that one dataset as policies update and then make sure everyone’s singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to our different systems,” says Masters. “So, that’s where GenAI can help you manage data as well.”
He says the key lesson from exploration into GenAI is that a solution in one area of the business can be reused somewhere else: “What we’re doing is building a bunch of capabilities, so as things come up, such as doing something with our app when it comes to GenAI, we can draw on these capabilities as we need them later on.”
Delivering seamless experiences
Masters recognises that the endpoint for data-enabled travel during the next few years is more personalisation and higher-quality, seamless experiences. However, reaching that point means answering some challenging questions.
“How much do you want to know about AI as a customer?” he says. “The answer is, you don’t, you just want your experience to be better. So, customers want us to know more about them within the right context – to deal with things quickly in the event of something happening or provide better information along their journey.”
We want to move to a point where you shouldn’t need to check in [for your flight]. We should know enough about you that we just need to ensure you turn up on the day of your flight. Everything else is handled through identity and the system
Richard Masters, Virgin Atlantic
Masters wants to use AI, digital experiences and data to augment the airline’s professionals. Virgin’s staff should be able to blend these technological capabilities with their own experiences to enable better services without AI being part of the conversation with the customer. Across the broader industry, he notes the shift to AI-enabled automation.
“We want to move to a point where you shouldn’t need to check in [for your flight],” he says. “We should know enough about you that we just need to ensure you turn up on the day of your flight. Everything else is handled through identity and the system. That’s where the industry is moving. And actually, AI can help us in the transition to that state, versus building big solutions that will become obsolete or prohibit us from moving quickly.”
Masters says reaching that stage will require industry alignment on frameworks, terminologies and tools, particularly when it comes to integrations with other elements of the passenger journey, such as connecting transportation and destination hotels. However, he expects progress to be rapid as the promise of emerging technology is realised.
“You’ll see more alignment across the industry during the next few years,” he says. “At Virgin Atlantic, that progress is going to be around where we can use data to let our teams unleash more of what makes our airline special.”
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Ethereum: Retail Still Absent, but Rally Is Gaining Strength
Ethereum: Retail Still Absent, but Rally Is Gaining Strength
Ethereum’s rally is gaining strength—but retail investors are still watching from the sidelines.
With institutions piling in and TVL surging, the next breakout may just be warming up.
All eyes now on $2,730—will ETH push through, or pause for breath?
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While moved in a bearish trend during the first half of 2025, it has shown promising signs of recovery over the past month. Notably, a resurgence in institutional investor interest has driven substantial capital inflows into Ethereum—both in the spot market and through ETFs. However, data suggests that retail investors remain on the sidelines. This divergence may be a strong signal that any potential rally is still in its early stages.
Institutional Demand Rises
According to CoinShares’ latest report, institutional inflows into crypto investment products have reached $10.8 billion since the start of 2024—a record high. While 88% of these flows have gone into Bitcoin, Ethereum has also seen a meaningful rise in inflows. Spot Ethereum ETFs recorded net inflows of $248 million last week alone. The largest contributor was BlackRock iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (). This data clearly underscores institutional confidence in Ethereum.
Early May saw a notable surge in the Ethereum market, breaking past the $2,000 threshold. During the first half of the month, strong buying activity countered selling pressure, leading to a more balanced market structure in the second half. The recovery that began after breaking through $1,850 extended to the $2,700 range—demonstrating buyer dominance. The strong spot market volume confirms this trend.
Blockchain data also indicates that large holders are expanding their positions. Since early March, wallets holding 102 million ETH have grown by 1.5%, now totaling 103.5 million ETH. This pattern of accumulation typically reflects long-term bullish expectations.
TVL Data Supports Ethereum
Ethereum’s core metrics also suggest robust underlying strength. Over the last 30 days, Ethereum’s total value locked (TVL) has surged by 26%, reaching over $132 billion. In addition, Ethereum continues to lead the industry with a bridged TVL of $408 billion. For comparison: stands at $22.5 billion, and BSC trails with just $9.3 billion.
This increase points not only to rising price confidence but also growing trust in Ethereum-based DeFi, NFT platforms, and enterprise applications.
Ethereum Outlook Cautiously Optimistic
Ethereum’s current outlook is supported by strong institutional demand, positive technical indicators, and ongoing consolidation of its ecosystem. The ETH price is being sustained by a solid base of buyers despite recent consolidation. However, the lack of participation from retail investors suggests that the uptrend could still be in an early phase. If retail demand starts to mirror institutional enthusiasm, Ethereum could see greater momentum and potentially test new highs in the medium to long term.
That said, altcoin market demand has remained relatively subdued, as investors have shifted focus toward , which reached a new record last week. Should positive sentiment in the crypto sector persist—and if macroeconomic conditions continue to favor risk assets—we could see funds rotate more aggressively into altcoins. This would likely trigger a new wave of buying in Ethereum, the leading altcoin. However, any new global developments that increase uncertainty could quickly dampen risk appetite. For now, investor sentiment toward altcoins remains cautious.
Ethereum Technical Outlook
Ethereum began trading sideways after reaching the $2,700 level in mid-May. During this *******, buyers successfully defended the $2,430 support zone, and downside moves have been limited. The consolidation between $2,430 and $2,730 aligns with Fibonacci levels based on the Q1 decline, suggesting a potential breakout from this range is likely.
ETH recently tested the $2,430 support level before turning moderately upward. In the short term, Ethereum continues to trade within a defined channel, with intermediate support at $2,560. Meanwhile, both short- and medium-term exponential moving averages (EMAs) remain in a bullish configuration, and ETH continues to trade above these averages. As a result, Ethereum may re-test the $2,730 resistance level this week. This is further supported by the Stochastic RSI, which has reset during the recent sideways movement and is now signaling a potential upward move.
If ETH achieves a daily close above $2,730 in a resistance breakout, the next targets could be $3,020 followed by $3,500. Historically, the $3,000–$3,500 range has acted as a strong resistance zone.
Conversely, if Ethereum fails to break through $2,730, selling pressure could increase. In the case of a pullback, the $2,730 support would again come into focus, and a failure to hold that level could open the door for a decline toward the $2,000 zone. Therefore, the $2,730 level—where the 21-day EMA and Fib 0.382 coincide—will serve as a critical support threshold in the event of a retracement.
In conclusion, technical indicators and rising institutional demand suggest significant upside potential for Ethereum. However, caution remains warranted in a crypto market where global developments can quickly reverse investor sentiment.
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Disclaimer: This article is written for informational purposes only. It is not intended to encourage the purchase of assets in any way, nor does it constitute a solicitation, offer, recommendation or suggestion to invest. I would like to remind you that all assets are evaluated from multiple perspectives and are highly risky, so any investment decision and the associated risk rests with the investor. We also do not provide any investment advisory services.
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‘Extinction Rebellion on wheels’ threatens to shut down Brisbane’s Story Bridge over missing bike lane
‘Extinction Rebellion on wheels’ threatens to shut down Brisbane’s Story Bridge over missing bike lane
One of Brisbane’s busiest bridges could be shut down by protesters during peak-hour traffic to demand a lane be allocated for bikes.
Members of Space for Cycling Brisbane and its supporters plan to march across all six lanes of the Story Bridge between 8am and 9am on Friday.
The protest, calling for one of the lanes to be altered to a bike, scooter and pedestrian only travelway, comes following the closures of the footpaths on either side of the bridge in March ahead of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
A structural assessment was later carried out by engineers, who found water to be leaking through the concrete.
Camera IconCommuters looking to travel across the Story Bridge on Friday morning may need to look for other options. NewsWire / John Gass Credit: News Corp Australia
According to organisers of the protest, there has been “no time frame” given to the public on the reopening of the footpaths nor an appropriate alternate detour made available.
“There are thousands of people who use the Story Bridge daily who have had their commutes and travel impacted for well over two months now,” a message from the organisers read.
“It is now clear that the footpaths over the bridge are unsafe to travel on, however more frustrating than the closure is the lack of communication from the council and the lack of a suitable detour.
“Council has multiple times published suggested detours that aren’t possible.”
A detour is in place for cyclists and pedestrians using the new Kangaroo Point Bridge, while CityCat and KittyKat services also link Kangaroo Point to the city and Howard Smith Wharves.
Camera IconProtesters are marching to demand one of the bridge’s six lanes be converted into a pedestrian and bike crossing. Supplied Credit: Supplied
The move has been slammed by Brisbane City councillor Andrew Wines, after the group was coined “Extinction Rebellion on wheels” by Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner during a council meeting on Tuesday.
“Brisbane commuters need to be aware of a dangerous and disruptive protest that will shut down traffic on the Story Bridge during peak hour on Friday morning,” Mr Wines said in a statement.
“The cycling activists, who are taking a leaf out of the Extinction Rebellion playbook, plan to proceed with their ******** protest at 8am on Friday despite concerns raised by Queensland Police and Brisbane City Council.
Camera IconBrisbane City councillor Andrew Wines slammed the march, declaring protests will “cause chaos” during the peak-hour stint. Supplied Credit: Supplied
“They plan to hold Brisbane commuters to ransom and cause chaos, just like Extinction Rebellion did a few years ago.
“The protesters are trying to force the closure of a lane of Story Bridge to traffic so it can be used by cyclists and pedestrians while work is underway to repair the bridge footpaths.
“However, the chaos this protest will cause will just prove the point that it’s simply not practical to close traffic lanes on the Story Bridge for the benefit of cyclists.”
Mr Wines said expert analysis by council found two lanes of the bridge would need to be closed to safely allow cyclists and pedestrians to cross – causing “daily traffic chaos” not just on the Story Bridge but across the city’s road network.
Camera IconThe group has been likened to radical protesters Extinction Rebellion, who have shut down Brisbane’s corridors before. NewsWire / Sarah Marshall Credit: News Corp Australia
He added: “We’re working to ensure the footpaths are reopened within months.”
Queensland Police are set to make a last-minute bid to stop the demonstrators from marching and will appear at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The court application was lodged after talks reportedly broke down between the two parties.
“Police and Brisbane City Council attempted to engage with the protest organiser in relation to suitable protest plans, however mediation was not successful,” the spokesperson told ABC News.
“Under provisions of the Peaceful Assembly Act, police will lodge documentation with Brisbane Magistrates Court for a decision to be made with respect to the Notice of Intention to Hold a Public Assembly.”
Camera IconIt comes as the bridge’s footpaths were closed in March ahead of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred’s landfall and haven’t been reopened since. NewsWire / Dan Peled Credit: News Corp Australia
Protest organiser Kathryn Good said the protest would not go ahead if the court ruled it to be ********.
“Brisbane City Council have accused us of holding an ******** protest,” she wrote to supporters on Tuesday.
“This is not only factually untrue, but an absolutely outrageous statement to make.”
She confirmed the organisers has submitted a Notice of Intention and informed Brisbane City Council ahead of time.
“The organisers including myself have engaged in good faith with QPS and BCC,” Ms Good added.
“We are aware that they are seeking a court order to prevent the process and we have every intention of complying with any court orders made.”
Ms Good said the protest had no affiliation with Extinction Rebellion, or any other political party or group.
More than 100 people are expected to march.
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Donald Trump grows angrier as Vladimir Putin exposes his impotence
Donald Trump grows angrier as Vladimir Putin exposes his impotence
As Washington settled in for a typically sleepy Memorial Day following the passage of Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” in the House, the president fired off one of his trademark furious rants on Truth Social, but the target was a surprise.
This time, the target wasn’t any of his domestic political foes — like the Democrats who voted in lockstep against the budget package he endorsed, or the handful of Republicans who refused to fall into line. It wasn’t even aimed at the various law enforcement figures who have attempted to hold him to account over the years.
Sunday evening’s rant was aimed squarely at Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite what he called a “very good relationship” with Putin, Trump in his latest statement on the Ukraine-Russia war blasted the Russian leader as “absolutely crazy.”
“He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!” Trump warned.
He echoed the same thoughts as he spoke to reporters in New Jersey on Sunday ahead of his return to Washington that day.
“He’s killing a lot of people,” said the president. “I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin, I’ve known him for a long time.”
Donald Trump speaks to reporters on Sunday about the war in Ukraine (AFP/Getty)
Trump sudden harsh turn was illuminative, if not for the reason he may have intended. A throwaway jab aimed at Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky (“everything out of his mouth causes problems … it better stop”) in the same post solidified the underlying intention of the screed: Trump was massaging a bruised ego.
With his pride wounded, Trump has turned to lashing out at the Russian leader who is now publicly refuting his repeated claim that he could end the destructive three-year-old conflict in “24 hours.” Four months after Trump took office, supposedly poised to immediately shut down the war, attacks on Ukrainian targets intensified over the weekend, with Russia launching its largest aerial assault of the war thus far.
Loath as he is to give Zelensky any credit for correctly predicting that Russia’s leadership had no real intentions of ending the war, Trump’s emotional outburst comes as he seems to be realizing that the issue could become a major blemish on the “dealmaker” perception he has sought to cultivate.
More importantly than representing a threat to his ability to live up to his own boasting, the attacks also refute many of Trump’s more recent statements about the Russian president and his supposed desire to see the war end. Trump, who famously hates being made to look foolish by his allies, said as recently as last Monday of Putin: “I do believe he wants to end it.”
But France’s president Emmanuel Macron believes Trump is beginning to realize the truth about Putin’s war stance.
“I believe that President Trump has realized that when President Putin told him he was ready for peace, he was lying,” Macron said on Monday. He pointed to the severity of Russian offensives as the persuading factor.
“You cannot claim to be ready for negotiations and carry out attacks at the same time. Such double rhetoric demonstrates the insincerity of any statements about dialogue,” said the French president.
Volodymyr Zelensky, flanked by Keir Starmer and Emanuelle Macron (AFP/Getty)
Now, Washington is already beginning to wonder if Trump will back up his rhetoric with action. He has repeatedly vowed to slap damaging sanctions on Russia if the invasion continues without a resolution, most recently doing so this month in an interview with Fox’s Bret Baier.
But in a press gaggle days after those remarks, Trump also suggested that his administration may “just back away” from the conflict, which would “keep going” without U.S. involvement if a deal was not reached.
Capitol Hill is not keen to let that happen — a bipartisan resolution to impose a new slate of sanctions on Russia hit 81 co-sponsors in the Senate last Wednesday, according to a press release from joint co-sponsors Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal.
The bill, which is designed to be snapped into place if peace talks fall apart, would slap sanctions on a range of Russian top ministers, as well as on businesses and entities that transact with the Russian armed forces.
“Russia has agreed to provide its term sheet for a ceasefire in the next few days. Its contents will speak volumes as to whether or not Russia is serious about peace. We suspect it will be more of the same,” the pair said in a joint statement.
“If it is more of the same, Russia can expect decisive action from the United States Senate.”
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Southwest Airlines reveals how much it will cost to check a bag – CNN
Southwest Airlines reveals how much it will cost to check a bag – CNN
Southwest Airlines reveals how much it will cost to check a bag CNNFinal boarding call for free bags at Southwest as airline abandons a cherished perk NBC NewsIt’s the last chance for Southwest plane tickets with two free checked bags, as policy ends in days CNBCSouthwest sets its first checked bag fee, starting at $35 CBS NewsThe ‘old’ Southwest Airlines officially ends on Wednesday SFGATE
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NPR sues Trump over executive order cutting federal funding
NPR sues Trump over executive order cutting federal funding
The National Public Radio (NPR) headquarters in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, May 5, 2025.
Stefani Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images
National Public Radio on Tuesday sued President Donald Trump over his executive order to cease all federal funding for the nonprofit broadcaster.
Trump’s May 1 order violates the First Amendment’s protections for speech and the press and steps on Congress’ authority, NPR and three other public radio stations wrote in the lawsuit filed in federal court Washington, D.C.
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Adidas says customer data stolen in cyber attack
Adidas says customer data stolen in cyber attack
Tom Gerken
Technology reporter
Getty Images
Adidas has disclosed it’s been hit by a cyber attack in which customers’ personal information has been stolen.
The sportswear giant said criminals had obtained “certain consumer data” which “mainly consists” of the contact information of people who had been in touch with its help desk.
Adidas said passwords and credit card and other payment data were not compromised.
“We remain fully committed to protecting the privacy and security of our consumers, and sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern caused by this incident,” it said in a post on its website.
It comes as retailers including Marks & Spencer and Co-op have been targeted in major cyber attacks.
In their cases, the hacks severely compromised business operations – there is no indication anything similar has happened with Adidas.
“Adidas recently became aware that an unauthorized external party obtained certain consumer data through a third-party customer service provider,” the firm said.
“We immediately took steps to contain the incident and launched a comprehensive investigation, collaborating with leading information security experts.
“Adidas is in the process of informing potentially affected consumers as well as appropriate data protection and law enforcement authorities consistent with applicable law.”
There have been several cyber incidents reported since April 2025, with some experts finding links between them.
The BBC understands *** police are focusing on a notorious group of English-speaking hackers, known as Scattered Spider, as potentially being behind the M&S cyber attack.
The same group is believed to have been behind hacks on the Co-op and Harrods, but it was M&S that suffered the biggest impact.
M&S estimates the cyber-attack will cost the firm around £300m, equivalent to a third of its profit.
There is no suggestion that this group is behind the data breach at Adidas.
But the firm revealed earlier this month it had faced data breaches in other parts of its global empire – including its Turkish and South Korean arms.
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Square Enix settles lawsuit with mobile studio accused of copying assets from a cancelled Front Mission game
Square Enix settles lawsuit with mobile studio accused of copying assets from a cancelled Front Mission game
Square Enix has settled its lawsuit with a mobile game publisher it accused of using assets from a cancelled title they worked on together.
The publisher and HK Ten Tree have agreed to settle a lawsuit filed in March, in which Square Enix had claimed that Ten Tree’s developer BlackJack Studio was using assets from Front Mission in its mobile game Metal Storm (known as Mecharashi in China and South Korea).
When Ten Tree made known its intention to release Metal Storm in the West, Square Enix filed a lawsuit in Seattle, attempting to block the game’s Western release until the matter had been resolved.
The two companies came together to develop Front Mission 2089: Borderscape, which was announced in April 2022. According to the lawsuit, Square Enix cancelled the game and terminated the deal with BlackJack a few months later, in October 2022.
Square Enix’s lawsuit claimed that the developer went on to use assets from Front Mission 2089: Borderscape for its own mobile mech game, which was released in 2024. The publisher wanted to have the game’s Western release blocked, as well as “maximum statutory damages of $150,000 for each copyright infringed”.
Following the filing of the lawsuit, Ten Tree publicly acknowledged the situation and started replacing some of Metal Storm’s in-game graphics, in an apparent attempt to remove infringing assets.
A statement on Ten Tree’s website (as spotted by Automaton) says the matter has been resolved, though the details of the settlement have not been publicly confirmed. A new trailer for the game was also posted on its official YouTube channel.
“The company and Square Enix Co Ltd have agreed to settle the dispute regarding the Company’s game application Metal Storm: Steel Storm for smart devices,” the statement reads.
“The company will continue to strive to provide better services to its users. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused. We hope you will continue to enjoy the game.”
Metal Storm is described by developer BlackJack on the game’s official Steam listing as a “mecha-themed tactical turn-based game” with customizable mechs and more. Notably, the Steam description also directly mentions Square Enix’s IP, describing the game’s “Front Mission-style combat system.”
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Imec ITF World 2025: The hardware horizon for AI
Imec ITF World 2025: The hardware horizon for AI
Imec CEO Luc Van den hove opened ITF World 2025 by calling for “disruptive innovation over incremental change”. He underscored the need for tighter global collaboration to overcome looming bottlenecks in compute power, energy use and chip architecture. “By supercharging our innovation engine, we can future-proof our prosperity,” said Van den hove.
The message resonated across sectors. Artificial intelligence (AI’s) march into everyday applications – from language models to autonomous driving – is raising the stakes for semiconductor R&D. Europe, facing renewed geopolitical pressure to secure its technology stack, is betting on advanced research and industrial pilot lines as strategic assets.
Van den hove highlighted a paradox: AI is moving so fast that traditional chip design cycles can’t keep up. By the time an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) reaches production, the target model may already be obsolete. Large language models (LLMs) like GPT-4 are hitting diminishing returns in performance despite rising computational demands.
To address this, Imec is pursuing what it calls system-technology co-optimisation: tighter integration of chip design and software architecture. The goal is to build smarter, more efficient hardware capable of adapting to dynamic AI workloads. “It’s not just about more chips,” said Van den hove. “It’s about bridging the gap between algorithms, architectures and technology platforms.”
This effort spans several fronts. In healthcare, Imec is advancing organ-on-chip platforms for AI-driven drug testing. The company’s microfluidics technology now supports biologically accurate models of the human blood-brain barrier, allowing researchers to test drug delivery for diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s with unprecedented realism and scale.
In automotive, Imec presented updates on its chiplet-based architecture designed to power edge AI in vehicles. The modular approach allows sensor data from lidar, radar and cameras to be processed on compact, high-performance electronic control units (ECUs). “We’re talking about supercomputers in cars,” said Van den hove.
Meanwhile, Imec’s work in quantum hardware focuses on scale. Rather than building entire systems, the organisation is leveraging its foundry capabilities to produce silicon qubits on 300mm wafers – an essential step towards building practical quantum processors. “This is where Imec’s foundry-scale expertise becomes critical,” he said.
Pushing beyond Moore’s Law
Much of Imec’s current roadmap hinges on solving three interrelated problems: compute density, power consumption and memory bandwidth.
To extend Moore’s Law, Imec is advancing a “CMOS 2.0” approach based on vertical scaling. Stacking transistors and chiplets into 3D configurations allows for functional customisation at each layer – an architecture aimed at squeezing more performance from smaller footprints.
However, higher power densities bring thermal challenges. Imec is working on novel thermal management techniques, including direct liquid cooling and architectural designs that minimise heat concentration.
The company is also rethinking memory. With most of AI’s energy cost tied to data movement rather than computation, Imec is exploring ferroelectric and magnetic memory, including vertical memory arrays under development by its spin-off, Vertical Compute.
Optical interconnects are the final piece. By embedding lasers on photonic interposers, Imec aims to dramatically increase data transfer rates between chiplets, overcoming one of the key barriers to next-generation high-performance computing.
Apple’s perspective: Engineering at unprecedented scale
One of the standout keynote speakers at ITF World 2025 was Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice-president of hardware technologies, who shared insights into how the company is meeting the demands of AI, performance and energy efficiency. “Our job at Apple is to ship, at scale, on time, with uncompromising performance and efficiency,” he said. “That requires not just innovation, but industrial discipline.”
Central to Apple’s hardware strategy is customised silicon. Srouji explained that Apple designs chips not as general-purpose components, but as tailored engines for specific use cases. “We don’t start with a chip and ask what it can do – we start with the experience and design the silicon to make that possible,” he said.
This approach allows Apple to tightly couple hardware and software, and optimise across the entire stack, from power management to machine learning accelerators.
Customisation also helps Apple hit ambitious energy efficiency targets. “Every microwatt matters,” said Srouji. “If you want to deliver billions of devices that last all day and perform complex AI workloads, you can’t rely on off-the-shelf solutions.”
He acknowledged that this level of integration adds complexity, but said Imec’s role in the process is vital. “Imec gives us early access to process technologies and insights into what’s coming next,” said Srouji. “That lets us make better design decisions and de–risk what would otherwise be highly speculative innovation.”
He called Imec’s collaborative model “a rare combination of academic depth and industrial pragmatism”, and noted that Imec’s pilot lines had helped Apple validate cutting-edge packaging and transistor concepts. “Without institutions like Imec, we wouldn’t be able to move at the speed we do,” said Srouji.
Europe’s semiconductor sovereignty strategy
Beyond the technology, Imec’s conference served as a reminder of Europe’s broader ambitions. The €2.5bn infrastructure expansion – supported by the European Chips Act – is part of a plan to reinforce the region’s position in global semiconductor development. That includes new R&D hubs in Belgium, Spain and Germany.
“The Chips Act isn’t about doing everything – it’s about doing the right things exceptionally well,” said Van den hove.
Europe’s strengths, he argued, lie in advanced R&D, photonics and pilot-scale production – areas where Imec plays a central role.
Ultimately, the message from Antwerp was less about blue-sky visions and more about hard choices. If Europe wants to lead in AI, quantum computing and advanced semiconductor design, it will need to move quickly, invest wisely and collaborate across borders.
“Let’s supercharge our innovation engine and future-proof our prosperity together,” said Van den hove.
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Dan Cole: England and Leicester Tigers prop to retire at end of season
Dan Cole: England and Leicester Tigers prop to retire at end of season
England and Leicester Tigers prop Dan Cole will retire at the end of season.
The 38-year-old is the second most capped men’s player in England history, having made 118 appearances for his country.
Cole, who also twice toured with the British and Irish Lions, came through Leicester’s academy and has played 340 senior games and won four Premiership titles with his boyhood club.
Cole said his decision to retire had been influenced by Ben Youngs, his long-time team-mate for club and country, who recently announced he would be hanging up his boots.
“As you get older, physically, it’s definitely harder to carry on and, looking around the changing room, I am 10 years older than most of the guys in there with me and that’s challenging as well,” Cole said.
“I don’t want to be the old guy, just sat around and hanging on to something for too long.”
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Previously cancelled Destined Rivals Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Boxes being reinstated
Previously cancelled Destined Rivals Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Boxes being reinstated
Previously cancelled Pokémon Destined Rivals Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Boxes are being reinstated as “scalper” orders are cancelled en masse.
VGC can confirm that some customers who previously had their order of the Destined Rivals Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Boxes cancelled are now being charged for the item.
Affected customers can verify whether or not their order has been restored by checking their order history on the Pokémon Center website.
This is believed to be because the Pokémon Center has cancelled orders that it believes have broken its terms and conditions. These conditions forbid customers from making multiple accounts to bypass the purchase limits on select items.
VGC understands that stock that was freed up from these cancelled orders is being reassigned to customers who only purchased one box, per the conditions, and subsequently had their orders cancelled.
In recent months, the Pokémon Center has faced significant issues with widespread scalping, resulting in virtual queues that have at times caused customers to wait hours for the chance to purchase in-demand cards.
The Pokémon Company has vowed to fix the problem, promising to reprint popular sets so that more customers have a chance to acquire the cards, and the secondary market value drops, theoretically freeing up more stock.
Pokémon Destined Rivals will be released on May 30 at all major retailers. Following this, Pokémon ****** Bolt and Pokémon White Flare will be the English Pokémon TCG’s first-ever dual set when they release in July. The set will feature all 156 Unova Pokémon and will introduce a brand-new rarity.
The Pokémon Trading Card Game will close out the Scarlet and Violet era with ****** Bolt and White Flare later this year.
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Frustrated Air Canada pilot slams air traffic controller shortage to passengers on flight
Frustrated Air Canada pilot slams air traffic controller shortage to passengers on flight
An Air Canada pilot vented his frustrations over air traffic controller shortages on a recent flight, telling passengers to write their MPs to address ongoing delays at the country’s airports.
The pilot on a Vancouver-Montreal flight on Saturday vented over the intercom, with a CBC reporter capturing a portion of his message announcing a 50-minute delay.
In the message, he says that the air traffic controller sector — which is operated by private company Nav Canada — was understaffed, and sick calls had meant there was a holdup at the airport that day.
“It’s very annoying,” the pilot told the passengers. “It’s cost the company a lot of money. It costs business people a lot of money, and it would be great to have this addressed.”
WATCH | Air Canada pilot sounds off about air traffic controller shortages:
The pilot goes on to accuse Nav Canada of keeping the number of new trainees low in order to keep overtime numbers high and asks passengers to tell their representatives about it.
“Please write your MP and let them know what’s going on and how it’s affecting your business or your leisure plans,” he urged.
Air Canada confirmed that Nav Canada ‘restrictions’ had affected airlines’ schedules at YVR for several weeks. (Daniel Thomas/CBC/Radio-Canada)
The frustration expressed by the pilot comes a little over a month after Nav Canada said that “resource constraints” had led to dozens of flights being cancelled or delayed.
An Air Canada spokesperson confirmed in a statement that Nav Canada restrictions had affected airline schedules at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) for several weeks.
A spokesperson for the company denied that trainees were being intentionally rejected as unsuitable to protect overtime, and said it is scaling up training operations in response to the shortage of air traffic controllers.
An airline CEO and the pilots’ union both say that the labour crunch is a nationwide challenge that requires a wholesale effort to solve.
Small airlines affected
Tim Perry, the president of the Air Line Pilots Association, says that if a passenger gets frustrated with delays, it’s natural that pilots would too.
He said that, however, delays were not the fault of individual air traffic controllers but rather a systemic issue.
“If we need more people at work, let’s direct our collective attention to doing that,” he said.
“We really need to look to the future, work collaboratively with all the stakeholders,” Perry added. “That means government. That means labour representatives, and it means employers, to make sure that the entire system is staffed appropriately.”
Cancelled flights are announced on an arrivals/departures board at Toronto Pearson International Airport on July 3, 2023. The head of Canada’s pilots’ union said that an air traffic controller shortage was a systemic issue. (Alex Lupul/CBC)
Teara Fraser, the CEO of Indigenous-owned airline Iskwew Air, operates short flights between YVR and Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island.
While the flights are very short — usually clocking in just under half an hour — Fraser says there have been delays every day on most flights, and the shortage of air traffic controllers wasn’t “a new problem, but it’s certainly worsening.”
Teara Fraser, the CEO of Iskwew Air, says the federal government has to step up and properly fund the country’s airline sector. (Josh Neufeld/Iskwew Air)
“We’re getting delays of anywhere between 20 minutes and two hours,” she told CBC News. “When you are operating a 20-25 minute flight, that’s significant.”
Fraser urged the federal government to properly fund airports, airlines and service providers.
Nav Canada cites training efforts
In a statement, a Nav Canada spokesperson confirmed that “resource constraints” necessitated a temporary traffic management initiative on Saturday, which led to delays.
The spokesperson said the company is in the process of significantly expanding its training capacity across the country to meet growing demand.
“We currently have close to 500 students within our training programs today,” they said. “By 2028, we expect the total number of students who will have entered [Nav Canada’s] training program to be approximately 1,500.”
The spokesperson denied the Air Canada pilot’s allegation that air traffic controller trainees were being intentionally rejected in order to protect overtime.
“Prior to any decision being made to cease training for an individual, a multidisciplined panel evaluates opportunities to further support the candidate or to restream them to another program,” the spokesperson said. “We leave no stone unturned in supporting a candidate’s success.”
A spokesperson for Nav Canada denied the allegation that trainees were being disqualified to protect overtime. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
The spokesperson said that close to 40 licences for air traffic controllers had been issued in Vancouver over the last year, something they called a clear sign of progress.
“Certain specialties in Vancouver present some of the most complex training environments in the country, due to the intricate airspace structure and high traffic volumes,” they added.
“That said, our significant investments and efforts in training and development are yielding tangible results.”
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Don’t Feel Bad For Killing The First Dark Brotherhood Target In Oblivion Remastered
Don’t Feel Bad For Killing The First Dark Brotherhood Target In Oblivion Remastered
From GamesReviews:”Originally released in 2006, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion changed the standards for open-world RPGs. Its vast world, dynamic AI, and emergent gameplay set the stage for Skyrim and several other genre efforts. Oblivion Remastered now, nearly two decades later, comes not just as a visual facelift but also as a creative reinterpretation that treads the line between respect and innovation./”
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Europe pivots back to nuclear in pursuit of more energy independence
Europe pivots back to nuclear in pursuit of more energy independence
The Cofrentes nuclear power plant, on 17 October, 2024 in Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain. The Regional Minister of Industry, Innovation, Trade and Tourism, Nuria Montes, asked the central government last Wednesday, October 16, not to close the Cofrentes nuclear power plant (Valencia) because it generates the equivalent of 45% of the energy consumed by the Valencian Community and “there will not be enough renewables to supply its production”.
Europa Press News | Europa Press | Getty Images
A European-wide shift to nuclear power appears to be gathering momentum as countries hedge their bets in pursuit of more energy independence.
In just the last few weeks, Denmark announced plans to reconsider a 40-year ban on nuclear power as part of a major policy shift, Spain reportedly signaled an openness to review a shutdown of its nuclear plants and Germany dropped its long-held opposition to atomic power.
The renewed European interest in nuclear shows how some countries are hedging their bets in pursuit of more energy independence.
The burgeoning trend appears to be driven, at least in part, by some of the costs associated with renewables, notably solar and wind technologies.
“Solar and wind are still the cheapest and fastest way to drive the green transition, and that remains our focus. But we also need to understand whether new nuclear technologies can play a supporting role,” Lars Aagaard, Denmark’s minister for climate, energy and utilities, told CNBC via email.
The renewables-heavy Scandinavian country said in mid-May that it plans to analyze the potential benefits and risks of new advanced nuclear technologies, such as small modular reactors, to complement solar and wind technologies.
Denmark’s government, which banned the use of atomic energy in 1985, added that it does not plan a return to traditional nuclear power plants.
“We have no recent experience with nuclear power, and we lack the necessary knowledge regarding safety and waste management. That’s why we must begin a serious analysis — not to replace solar and wind, but to see whether new nuclear can complement our energy system in the future,” Aagaard said.
Wind turbines of Vestas, a global leader in sustainable energy solutions, is pictured at the Port of Odense, Denmark on October 15, 2024.
Jonathan Nackstrand | Afp | Getty Images
Georg Zachmann, senior fellow at Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank, said nuclear power remains the most divisive electricity generation technology in Europe.
“Thereby, the renaissance of nuclear in the political discourse is somewhat surprising, given that the cost of main competing technologies, new wind and solar plants, have dropped by more than 80 percent, while those of nuclear plants have rather increased,” Zachmann said.
The so-called “hidden cost” of balancing and transporting electricity from renewables has been increasing with rising shares of wind and solar generation, Zachmann said, noting that this theme has recently become more apparent.
Revived European interest in nuclear
Spain signaled its openness to atomic energy late last month. In an interview reported by Bloomberg, Spanish Environmental Transition Minister Sara Aagesen said that while the government is proceeding with plans to retire nuclear energy reactors over the next decade, extensions beyond 2035 could not be ruled out.
Aagsen said at the time that the government was not considering anything, and no specific proposals had yet been tabled.
Widely regarded as anti-nuclear power, the southern European country has been mired in a blackout blame game over green energy in recent weeks. It follows a catastrophic power outage affecting much of Spain, Portugal and the south of France.
The discussion whether to prefer nuclear or renewables only helps natural gas — that continues to be burnt as long as investments in clean electricity do not happen at scale.
Georg Zachmann
Senior fellow at Bruegel
Some external observers have flagged renewables and net-zero emissions targets as possible reasons for the outage, particularly given Spain and Portugal both rely on high levels of wind and solar for their electricity grid.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the country’s grid operator Red Electrica de Espana (REE), however, have both said record levels of renewable energy were not at fault for the blackout.
Germany, which closed the last of its three remaining nuclear plants in 2023, recently scrapped its opposition to nuclear power in what marked a rapprochement with France.
Onlookers watch as the first of the two cooling towers of the nuclear power plant collapses during a controlled demolition in Grafenrheinfeld, Germany on August 16, 2024.
Daniel Peter | Afp | Getty Images
Led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the newly elected government was said to have dropped its objection to French efforts to ensure that nuclear power is treated on a par with renewables in EU legislation, the Financial Times reported on May 19, citing French and ******* officials.
Spokespeople for France and Germany’s respective governments were not immediately available to comment when contacted by CNBC.
Natural gas
As it is low-carbon, advocates argue that nuclear power has the potential to play a significant role in helping countries generate electricity while slashing emissions and reducing their reliance on fossil fuels.
Some environmental groups, however, say the nuclear industry is an expensive and harmful distraction to cheaper and cleaner alternatives.
Bruegel’s Zachmann said the ability of fully depreciated nuclear power plants to continue operating much beyond their lifetime, as well as the “highly uncertain” hope that next-generation small modular reactors “can be built very cheaply captures the imagination of industry and policymakers.”
In all likelihood, Zachmann said “new nuclear power plants will remain difficult to finance and will at very best only pay off in decades. In the meantime, the discussion whether to prefer nuclear or renewables only helps natural gas — that continues to be burnt as long as investments in clean electricity do not happen at scale.”
Data published by energy think tank Ember found that the EU’s electricity system continued a rapid shift toward renewables in the first half of last year. Indeed, wind and solar power rose to record highs over the six-month *******, reaching a share of 30% of the bloc’s electricity generation and overtaking fossil fuels for the first time.
Alongside renewables growth, Ember said at the time that nuclear generation across the EU increased by 3.1%.
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Is This Yours? offers fast-paced zen puzzle solving, out now
Is This Yours? offers fast-paced zen puzzle solving, out now
Is This Yours? is out now on iOS and Android
Mix, match and sort items to return to customers
Enjoy fast-paced puzzle solving, or a slower-paced ‘zen’ mode
One of the more underappreciated factors of modern life is that of the ‘lost and found’ desk. Back in the day, you’d be lucky to see a lost item ever again, but now you’ve got a good chance of it being handed in and returned. But what’s the job actually like? Well, the recently released Is This Yours? might offer the answer.
In Is This Yours? you play as the administrator of a lost and found desk, trying to return the correct item to worried customers. It’s a simple matching puzzler, where you’re given a (very) brief description of the item, such as ‘I need my sunglasses back, it doesn’t matter if they’re broken!’ and then need to find the relevant match.
As far as concepts go, this is a relatively simple and straightforward one. But a glance at the trailer alone offers a very zen, yet fast-paced experience. Teasing just the right part of your brain that is satisfied with making matches and guessing correctly.
Lost, found, lost again
While the concept may be deceptively simple, the gameplay is anything but. Is This Yours? is perhaps one of the best examples of the kind of puzzler that mobile does exceptionally well. As your fingers move almost as fast as your brain, it’s the speed of touch that decides whether or not you’re going to do well.
Promising pure gameplay with no ads or IAPs, and the aforementioned zen mode for a slightly slower-paced experience, Is This Yours? is well worth checking out if you’re curious.
But if it doesn’t seem like your kind of thing or you want more of a challenge, there are plenty of other puzzle options out there. Why not check out our list of the top 25 best puzzlers on iOS and Android for our own personal picks?
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Top Wall Street analyst calls like Nvidia
Top Wall Street analyst calls like Nvidia
Here are Tuesday’s biggest calls on Wall Street: Piper Sandler reiterates Nvidia as overweight Piper said it’s sticking with the stock ahead of earnings on Wednesday. “We advise investors to weather the uncertainty and stay long the stock as this is likely largely the last wave of negative news for NVDA this year. Reiterate OW rating.” UBS upgrades LifeStance Health to buy from neutral UBS said the long term growth thesis is intact for the health company. “We are upgrading our rating of LFST to Buy (50%+ upside on $8.50 PT) as we see a fundamental disconnect between underlying performance and valuation today.” Piper Sandler initiates SoundHound as overweight Piper said it’s bullish on shares of the AI voice company. “We are initiating coverage of SoundHound with an OW rating and $12 price target based on 22x EV/CY26E Sales.” Barclays downgrades CoreWeave to equal weight from overweight Barclays downgraded the stock on valuation . “We continue to like the role Coreweave is playing in the new GenAI world. However, after a 157% move since the IPO we see valuation at levels that could be stretched to move higher off fundamentals in the near term. As such, we downgrade to Equal Weight.” Goldman Sachs upgrades Cummins to buy from neutral Goldman said it sees “improved supply and structurally higher unit profitability.” “We upgrade CMI to Buy from Neutral as we see (i) structurally higher Power Systems profitability (pricing structure beyond data center), (ii) derisked EPA 2027 expectations, and (iii) US truck demand expectations that have been significantly reduced while used sleeper inventory levels that are now down 30% yoy.” Baird upgrades Envista to outperform from neutral Baird upgraded the dental equipment company on tariff relief. “We’re also upgrading NVST today to Outperform, with our call focused more on stock factors than pure end-market fundamentals, with stable end markets/recent China tariff relief (for now) likely helping this upside become increasingly apparent next couple quarters.” Morgan Stanley reiterates Apple as overweight The firm said it’s standing by Apple despite concerns over an import tariff on the iPhone. “While ‘time to market’ of a US-produced iPhone is one major impediment, our math says a 25% tariff on iPhone imports isn’t enough incentive for Apple to reshore US-bound iPhone production. This means tariff costs are likely to increase beyond the June qtr; we have largely already accounted for this Truist upgrades Wingstop to buy from hold Truist said it’s bullish on the wing-themed restaurant company. “We are upgrading our rating on WING to a Buy, from Hold, and increasing our ests. and PT to $400, from $274. Bernstein names Royal Caribbean a top pick Bernstein calls the cruise company the “vanguard” of the “industry renaissance” and said the stock is a top idea in the second half. “Add in a highly constrained supply environment, set to grow below demand, and Cruise should offer an attractive investment opportunity. Royal Caribbean is at the vanguard of this industry renaissance with the biggest ships and leading the industry on private destinations.” Citi initiates DLocal as buy Citi said the cross border payment company is well positioned. “dLocal is a cross-border payment platform, connecting global merchants with customers from emerging economies in Africa, Asia and Latin America, through a unified platform and a single API [application programming interface].” UBS reiterates Tesla as sell UBS said its survey checks showing declining interest in Tesla and EV’s. “Survey shows declining interest in EVs and the Tesla brand around the world.” Wells Fargo initiates Expro Group Holdings as overweight The firm said it sees a slew of positive catalysts ahead for the energy company. “Initiate coverage of XPRO with an Overweight rating and $12 PT.” Jefferies upgrades Southwest to hold from underperform Jefferies upgraded Southwest on the management’s new initiatives. ” LUV’ s $1.8BB of initiatives EBIT in ’25: $1BB from tactical changes of yield/inventory mgmt, new distribution channels, cuts to underperforming cities, & new intentional connections.” Wolfe downgrades U.S. Steel to peer perform from outperform The firm said it assumes the deal for Nippon to take over U.S. Steel will occur. “We downgrade to Peer Perform in light of shrs trading near the Nippon takeout value. It seemed President Trump was set to approve the deal, which had been awaiting a final White House decision since January.” Citi opens an upside catalyst watch on Dell Citi said it sees upside for Dell shares ahead of earnings this week with improved demand for Nvidia’s GB200 AI super chip which Dell uses. “We open a ST [short term] Upside View on DELL shares on improving GB200 demand profile, showing a marked improvement.” TD Cowen reiterates Microsoft as buy TD Cowen raised its price target on the stock to $540 per share from $490. “As AI revenue is rapidly building in the Azure model, especially OpenAI’s contribution, we think this will start to put stronger upward pressure on total Azure growth. We think a return to Azure upside trends and firmer growth in the mid-30% level should help drive a stronger narrative around Azure and greater fund flows back into MSFT. ” JPMorgan upgrades MSC Industrial to overweight from neutral JPMorgan said the industrial supplies company is a “turnaround story.” ” MSM has historically been among the most levered in the group to domestic IP trends given its status as industry leader in metalworking distribution.”
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What to Know About the Liverpool FC Parade Car ****** – The New York Times
What to Know About the Liverpool FC Parade Car ****** – The New York Times
What to Know About the Liverpool FC Parade Car ****** The New York TimesWhy police released details about Liverpool ****** suspect so quickly BBCFour people still ‘very ill’ in hospital after Liverpool parade collision, says mayor The GuardianLiverpool parade ****** driver may have tailgated ambulance before car driven in to crowds Liverpool EchoLiverpool has come together after the horrors at Water Street – community does that This Is Anfield
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Assassin’s Creed Shadows update adds Balatro and Dead by Daylight crossover content
Assassin’s Creed Shadows update adds Balatro and Dead by Daylight crossover content
The latest title update for Assassin’s Creed Shadows is released today, adding new crossover content based on Dead by Daylight and Balatro.
The Version 1.0.5 patch goes live today at 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm BST and applies to all formats.
According to Ubisoft, the update adds a special Dead by Daylight event which includes a new free quest, which can be accessed from the Hideout after unlocking Yasuke. Completing the event earns players a free trinket and banner.
“As villagers begin to disappear, Naoe becomes suspicious of the strange presence attacking the local people of Harima,” the quest’s description reads. “To succeed, you will need to master unique mechanics and confront a formidable otherworldly threat.”
The game’s store will also add a new Dead by Daylight pack which includes outfits, weapons and trinkets based on the horror game, as well as the ability to ride its ****** horse Maurice.
As well as the Dead by Daylight collaboration, the new Assassin’s Creed Shadows update also includes new items based on Balatro. “We are also adding a new trinket for Naoe, and an amulet for Yasuke called Winning Hand,” Ubisoft says. These items include a perk that lets the player trigger a random affliction on enemies on combo enders.
Ubisoft doesn’t explain how to get the Balatro content, however, simply saying “you will need to work together to figure out how to get it”.
Title Update 1.0.5 is inbound tomorrow, May 27th @ 12 PM UTC.
Parkour Improvements + side & back ejects. New Photo Mode Features.
Bug fixes across all platforms.
Click here to read the full patch notes #AssassinsCreedShadows pic.twitter.com/Z3V8KlBIwX
— Assassin’s Creed (@assassinscreed) May 26, 2025
Other additions and improvements in version 1.0.5 include improved parkour mechanics and the unlocking of the Thrown to the Dogs quest. This was a pre-order bonus quest but is now available to everyone.
A new vertical jump move allows Naoe and Yasuke to jump straight up and grab any ledge, instead of having to look for a vertical wall-run instead. Sprinting will also now stay activated following a parkour move.
Photo mode has also been given a large revamp, with numerous new features including the ability to change the time of day, tweak poses and facial expressions, toggle headgear and various frames and camera speeds.
The full list of improvements and bug fixes can be found on the official Assassin’s Creed website.
Last month ratings board PEGI listed a new rating for a Switch 2 version of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but Ubisoft has still to officially announce one. It has announced, however, that Star Wars Outlaws will be coming to Nintendo’s new console on September 4.
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Matti Schmid reignites broom-handle golf putter debate on PGA Tour – Iain Carter column
Matti Schmid reignites broom-handle golf putter debate on PGA Tour – Iain Carter column
The rule was introduced in 2016 after a spate of majors were won by golfers using extended putter shafts.
Keegan Bradley anchored in his midriff to win the 2011 US PGA, as did Ernie Els for his Open triumph the following year. There were broom-handle major wins for Webb Simpson in the 2012 US Open and Adam Scott a year later at the Masters. The Aussie continues to use the long putter, but with daylight between his stroke and his body.
Protecting the “fundamental characteristics of the putting stroke” was the reason for banning anchoring nine years ago.
It is OK for an extended shaft to be clamped against a forearm (as US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau does) because that moves to make the hit.
But there are those in the game who feel even this technique makes putting “too easy”.
And there are plenty more exponents who continue to shun convention and go with longer implements. Along with Schmid, the likes of Akshay Bhatia, Si Woo Kim and Lucas Glover use these potentially contentious clubs to great effect.
Bernhard Langer and Scott McCarron have long endured their techniques being questioned on the Seniors tour, and Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra’s Indian Open win on the DP World Tour last March drew focus.
Langer and McCarron have vehemently denied breaching the rules.
Back in 2017, Langer said: “I personally don’t understand it because I’m a man of integrity, and the last thing I want to do is break rules and be known as cheating.
“I know when I’m anchoring and when I’m not anchoring because I control my hand. It goes sideways, you can see it.
“So when my knuckle is away from the body, I’m not anchoring or touching any part of my body and I know I’m within the rules.”
The problem is that in many cases it is not evident to the naked eye and is impossible to enforce either way.
It means an issue as fundamental as the putting stroke is shrouded in more grey areas than a flotilla of battleships, which is highly unsatisfactory and not fair on the likes of Schmid when they dominate so brilliantly on the greens.
DP World Tour winner Eddie Pepperell believes the solution is “quite simple”.
“Insist on the putter being the shortest club in the bag,” he told the Chipping Forecast podcast.
Some referees agree.
“Easy solution is just limit the maximum length of the putter and be done with it,” said one official.
Another said: “The powers that be should be looking at it. If there is a rule, we should be able to enforce it.”
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Panasonic’s new Let’s Note laptops could be the final death knell for the humble VGA port
Panasonic’s new Let’s Note laptops could be the final death knell for the humble VGA port
Earlier today, Panasonic announced refreshed models of its long-established Let’s Note laptop series. However, for the first time in its history, we have a Let’s Note portable that doesn’t have a VGA port. According to a report by Nikkei Japan (machine translation), this is probably the beginning of the end for laptops sporting VGA output, with “other companies to follow suit.”
A number of factors have precipitated Panasonic’s removal of the venerable VGA port. The Nikkei report highlights the strong competition from HDMI, which can simultaneously transmit audio. We also see that the new Panasonic Let’s Note CF-SC6 models feature a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, which can also be used for video out. That’s three separate ports remaining on the Let’s Note to drive external displays.
Let’s Note CF-SC6 2025 has no VGA port (Image credit: Pansonic Japan)
Another disadvantage of VGA highlighted was that it is a rather bulky port for thin and light designs like the Let’s Note. At the refreshed laptop product launch today, size and weight were confirmed to be key considerations driving forward Panasonic’s consumer designs. The newest Let’s Note laptop is just 919g in its 12-inch edition, and Panasonic Connect Executive Officer Kiyotaka Yamamoto said, “In addition to durability and long operating times, we will continue to focus on reducing the weight by even one gram.”
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In its favor, the Nikkei report cites the ruggedness of the VGA port. Moreover, a university professor it talked to indicated that turning to VGA can often be the answer when connection problems with HDMI occur. It seems like the educational market is one of the few remaining segments that appreciates the inclusion of a VGA port.
The 15-pin VGA port is a very old standard, originally arriving with the 1987 IBM PS/2 PC. This analog output doesn’t support as high resolutions and refresh rates as its modern rivals, of course, with the maximum specs 2048×1536px (QXGA) @85 Hz. Naturally, VGA is also losing support from visual output peripheral makers releasing new monitors, TVs, and projectors.
VGA ports long-gone from western brand laptops
Mainstream laptop brands available in the West mostly phased out VGA ports in the 2010s. Usually, HDMI took its place. More recently, popular American brands have sought to minimize laptop ports and standardize on Thunderbolt / USB-C for everything. This offers simplicity, standard docking equipment, and facilitates thinner/lighter portables.
Reading this news from the West, we are again struck by how ‘futuristic’ Japan seemingly clings to the oldest technologies. For example, we reported on Japanese bureaucracy still requiring floppy disks and/or optical media in the 2020s, despite efforts to phase them out.
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Nikkei reports that Panasonic was basically the last bastion of support for the VGA port in consumer laptops. Fujitsu phased out the port in 2019, and NEC too. Yet both these rivals appear to retain some designs with VGA ports for corporate markets.
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Can Ross Stores Be the Safety Cushion in Retail Stocks?
Can Ross Stores Be the Safety Cushion in Retail Stocks?
A new economic regime is hitting the stock market’s future like never before. With the developing trade tariffs rolled out by President Trump recently, economists and analysts are now scrambling to find a path forward when it comes to growth and activity, not to mention margins and earnings for companies exposed to the new costs that will come about from tariffs in the coming months and quarters.
Specifically, those who are underweight in the retail sector should start looking for some exposure during this uncertainty, as volatility often serves as a two-edged sword of risk and opportunity. With this in mind, investors must also be aware that not all retail stocks are treated equally (nor should they) as their exposure to tariffed countries varies, though overall, the market has been discounting them all the same.
The most recent stock to fall victim to the new tariff world in the retail space was Ross Stores (NASDAQ:). This brand is known for its affordability, which is always an attractive proposition during times of inflation and uncertainty, such as today’s economy.
However, in its most recent quarterly earnings figures, the stock has sold off as if to say the results weren’t all that great. Here’s why that might not be the case.
Unfortunate Timing for Ross Earnings
The same morning that Ross Stores reported its quarterly earnings results, President Trump also announced that he would impose a 50% tariff on the European Union, sending the lower by about 1.5% in the pre-market hours.
Whether the 12.5% decline in Ross Stores stock has to do more with this broader market sell-off or its quarterly figures is up for debate, but investors can at least attribute a decent portion of the move to the wider market’s decline. However, that remains speculation, so investors would be better off digging deeper into what happened.
As it turns out, Ross Stores is still part of the beaten-down retail sector, but the numbers and guidance provided by management would suggest otherwise.
What Numbers Actually Matter for Ross Stores Shareholders?
Starting with the most common indicator, sales, investors can see that Ross Stores reported flat sales growth compared to last year, much better than the declining figures reported by peers in the space. However, sales won’t tell investors how the company expects to weather these higher costs and uncertainty.
There is a much more powerful metric that can answer that concern and justify a swift recovery in the stock price as one of the safest in the retail sector today.
According to the earnings press release, because Ross only imports a small portion of its merchandise, it can afford to have more wiggle room in marking up its items.
Surely, more than half of the products they sell originate from China, but the first-hand chains will have to absorb these tariffs. If volume declines for those, Ross might be able to acquire inventory from them at a discount, born from the need to liquidate in time.
This might explain why management has guided for 3% to 4% comparable sales growth for the second quarter of this year and why the company decided to boost its store count by 3.6% over the year to signal potential new demand coming ahead under this inflationary tariff dynamic.
Despite concerns about the consumer budget, Ross Stores still reported a net operating cash flow of up to $409.7 million for the quarter, a net jump of 11% from last year’s reported $368.9 million.
Now, how can a company report better cash flows during a quarter full of uncertainty and tariff volatility?
That’s where ROST stock’s safety comes into play.
A Good Hedge at This Price?
Even at 83% of its 52-week high, Ross Stores stock seems to have a fantastic risk-to-reward ratio for buyers today, where some (if not all) potential downside could already be priced in.
Now, building on the attractive operating cash flow growth, management has a trick up its sleeve to save the company from tariff increases.
Ross Stores generated up to 17.6% in returns on invested capital (ROIC), meaning they have ample room to absorb some of the tariff costs and remain the low-cost retail offer for consumers worried about price spikes elsewhere.
ROIC also matters because it’s what allows companies to compound on their own value and provide shareholder benefits.
Benefits such as the intended $1 billion worth of stock repurchases Ross Stores has announced for 2025 will definitely cushion the stock’s recovery during dips like this week’s.
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