Blackfire

Name of the game: Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® Price: 19.79$$ Link Store:Here Offer ends up after X hours: Offer ends 15 May Requirements: MINIMUM: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows® 10 64-bit Processor: Intel® Core™ i3-4340 or AMD FX-6300 Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 670 / NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 or AMD Radeon™ HD 7950 DirectX: Version 12 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 175 GB available space RECOMMENDED: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows® 10 64-bit latest update Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-2500K or AMD Ryzen™ R5 1600X Processor Memory: 12 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 970 / NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660 or AMD Radeon™ R9 390 / AMD Radeon™ RX 580 DirectX: Version 12 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 175 GB available space

Amidst all the excitement of Google I/O 2023, the second beta of Android 14 was quietly released to a select few Pixel phones, bringing with it a handful of new features. Chief among these is the data sharing tool getting a “new section in the location runtime permission dialog”. According to the Android Developers Blog(opens in new tab), the tool will let you know when an app on your phone “shares location data with third parties, where [you] can get more information [on the process], and control the app’s data access.” Additionally, users will receive a "periodic notification" if any app suddenly begins sharing data with third parties so you're not caught unaware. Google states the revamped data sharing will work with apps from other online stores; not just whatever you download from the Play Store. Health Connect, “an on-device repository for user health and fitness data”, will now be a native app on the OS where it will receive automatic updates. That way, it’ll always have up-to-date security keeping your information safe "without requiring a separate download." ving past the security update, Google is adding support for HDR(opens in new tab) (high-dynamic range) to Android 14, allowing the OS to take photographs sporting “vibrant colors and greater contrast”. What’s different is the new Ultra HDR(opens in new tab) format which is said to be backward compatible with the JPEG format. This will give older phones a way to view those HDR pictures albeit more compressed, since it’ll be in a standard dynamic range. The operating system is also set to improve Camera Extensions. This performance boost will allow “apps to handle longer processing times” for certain types of images like those from low-light photography. There’s more to the beta than this handful of features. Bug fixes(opens in new tab) are a part of the package too. One addresses stability problems that would cause the user interface to either lag or crash. You also have a fix for a biometrics bug causing “some apps to not work properly.” A lot of the upcoming changes shown at Google I/O 2023 won’t be a part of this beta, but you can get a first-hand look on The Keyword blog(opens in new tab). Later down the line, users will be able to create their own phone wallpaper via generative AI. All you have to do is enter a prompt. And there's Magic Compose to help you write basic texts you’re too lazy to write. Availability If you’re interested, you can install Android 14 Beta 2 by joining Google’s Beta Program(opens in new tab). A list of compatible devices(opens in new tab) can be found in the Android Developer Blog which consists of but is not limited to the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and the Pixel 6a. The beta won't be available for the recently released Pixel 7a, unfortunately. Speaking of devices, the first Android 14 beta(opens in new tab) is now available on a handful of third-party phones like the OnePlus 11 and the Nothing Phone 1 if you want to try it out there. The third Android 14 beta is set to release in June with the official launch expected to be sometime in the late summer; most likely August. Be sure to check out TechRadar’s coverage of Google I/O 2023. The tech giant is going all in on AI, and a lot of what was shown was admittedly pretty impressive. [https://www.techradar.com/news/second-android-14-beta-will-let-you-know-when-your-app-is-sending-location-info]

So long, hard drives, and thanks for all the storage. The very last mechanical hard drive will be sold in 2028, bringing an end to the magnetic storage era. At least, that's what Shawn Rosemarin of Pure Storage reckons, a company that—you guessed it—specializes in solid-state storage. And his reasoning is not quite what you might think. "3% of the world’s power is in datacenters. Roughly a third of that is storage. Almost all of that is spinning disk. So if I can eliminate the spinning disk, and I can move to flash, and I can in essence reduce the power consumption by 80 or 90 percent while moving density by orders of magnitude in an environment where NAND pricing continues to fall, it’s all becoming evident that hard drives go away,” Rosemarin explained to Blocksandfiles(opens in new tab). If he's right, by 2028 it will bring to an end roughly 75 years of proud hard disk history. The very first commercially available computer running a hard drive with a magnetic disk was probably the IBM 305 RAMDAC of 1956(opens in new tab), a valve- rather than transistor-powered machine It sported no fewer than 50 24-inch magnetic platters for a total storage capacity equivalent to roughly 5MB in conventional binary storage. It also filled a decent sized room, as the image at the top of the page shows. Just over 50 years later in 2007, the first 1TB HDDs were introduced. Today, the largest available HDD is Western Digital's 26TB drive, though that's a data center model. The largest drive you can slap into a PC is Western Digital's Red Pro 22TB SATA III, model, yours for a piffling $500(opens in new tab) But here's the thing. The biggest SSD, the ExaDrive EDDCT100, clocks in at full 100TB. Of course, it also costs $40,000. So, the dollars-to-storage space ratio doesn't look too clever. But it does demonstrate that SSDs have already won the data density war. There's just, ahem, a little work to do on the cost efficiency side. Anyway, whether or not the very last HDD is sold in 2028 or the technology survives a little longer, it's already very nearly toast in desktop PCs. While GPUs remain annoyingly pricey, SSD prices have tumbled dramatically in the last few years. As you can see on our best SSD deals page(opens in new tab), you can now grab a decent 2TB SSD for just over $100. Flash memory prices are expected to fall yet further this year and it's not at all hard to imagine that, by 2028, there really will be almost no argument for one of those peculiar contraptions with spinning magnetic platters. [https://www.pcgamer.com/hard-drives-predicted-to-be-history-after-2028/]

Former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann will not be the next manager of Tottenham, BBC Sport understands. Spurs, who are sixth in the Premier League, have been without a permanent manager since Antonio Conte was sacked in March. Nagelsmann, 35, who was sacked by Bundesliga champions Bayern in March, has been linked with the vacancy. However, there have been no talks and Spurs are not considering him for the role. Spurs continue to search for a permanent replacement for Conte after interim manager Cristian Stellini was sacked in April and replaced by Ryan Mason. According to journalist Guillem Balague, Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi has been approached by Tottenham and some reports linked Burnley manager and former Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany with the vacant role. Nagelsmann, who was sacked by Bayern on 24 March after a run of five wins from 10 league games, has also been linked with Chelsea, who remain without a permanent manager since Graham Potter was sacked in April. Nagelsmann is recognised as one of the game's most promising managerial talents, having taking charge of Hoffenheim aged 28 before moving to RB Lepizig, leading the club to the Champions League semi-finals. He then joined Bayern in 2021 and won the league title in his first season alongside two German Supercups. Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel replaced Nagelsmann as Bayern manager. Speaking on Radio 5 Live's Friday Football Social, former Spurs and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson said: "Tottenham need to act and they need to act quickly. Why wouldn't they be interested in Nagelsmann? He is one of the most innovative, modern-thinking, modern-day coaches. "If Spurs aren't in the hunt for a manager like that it is worrying. I potentially think they have sounded his people out and they have gone 'no, don't waste your time'." Former West Ham and Aston Villa captain Nigel Reo Coker added: "I think Nagelsmann has looked at this Tottenham situation and said it is not for me. I am too good, too focused, I want to be part of that greatness and Spurs doesn't shout greatness right now. "You have to think of a manager of his stature, do we even know what is happening with Harry Kane right now? For all the top teams we know how important it is to have a top-class striker. If he loses Harry Kane, who fills in those boots at Spurs?" Nagelsmann has been linked with the Tottenham job so often, and the rumours around apparent discussions were getting so strong, the club felt they had to do something to correct them or risk looking like they had missed out on someone they weren't actually chasing. Given the general chaos around the club at the moment, it is an additional narrative they are keen to avoid. It is not entirely clear why Tottenham wouldn't want Nagelsmann and the answer may only become clear when they appoint Antonio Conte's permanent successor. Many feel the 35-year-old was unfortunate to be sacked by Bayern Munich and he built up an impressive body of work before that, enhancing his status as one of the most progressive coaches in the game. It could be that chairman Daniel Levy wants to sort out the director of football gap in his management team first, so that individual has a significant say in who follows Conte. Equally, the more mischievous might argue Tottenham are pulling away from a candidate they have established didn't want to join them. So, for now, Ryan Mason continues in the role without the spectre of Nagelsmann hanging over him, unsure of the identity of the coach he is trying to secure European football for next season. [https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65578127]

Honda is poised to reveal a new sports car in 2023 as it celebrates its 75th anniversary, building on decades of motorsport-honed performance expertise. The Japanese manufacturer has previously stated its intent to continue offering performance vehicles and recently told Autocar that the Type R sporting brand will continue beyond today's hot Civic. Now, it has suggested it will soon give a first look at the maiden sports car of its new era, and suggested it could follow in the footsteps of the acclaimed S2000. The firm has just revealed a trio of crucial new electrified SUVs, aimed predominantly at the mass market, but the enthusiast sector remains an important part of the brand's business, according to Europe vice president Tom Gardner. When asked by Autocar if it still needs enthusiast-focused halo models, Gardner said: "We will characterise the brand, particularly in Europe, as two words – we work very closely with R&D to ensure that our products will embody this – which are 'advanced' and 'sporty'. Honda has a very strong technology base. Not technology just for the sake of technology, but technology that adds new value to customers. "And we love a sports car. We love performance, and we're very grateful for the strong reaction we've had to the latest Type R. There is huge demand for it, and the performance has been very well appreciated. We really enjoyed seeing it nail the Nürburgring record in the last month, and that is an important part of our brand." He would not go so far as to reveal the positioning of the new model, nor its powertrain, but did suggest that it's imminent, and that it could be as important as the last sports car that marked a Honda anniversary: "Watch this space: [2023 is] 75 years - we had the S2000 at 50. Who knows…" Reports of a revived S2000 have been circulating for several years. In 2017, then Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo expressed a keen interest in the prospect of a follow-up to the seminal roadster, launched in 1999: “I’ve already heard many voices expressing they’d like a next-generation S2000. Honda development engineers are quick to develop sporty cars if the requests are there," he said. All over the world – in Japan, North America, Europe, China – more and more voices are expressing the desire to reinvent S2000. However, it has not matured yet. It’s not time yet. We need time to decide if S2000 is reinvented or not. If the sales people investigate, look at it and they’re really enthusiastic, maybe we look at it.” Other possibilities remain for a new sports car remain, however. Last year, Honda confirmed that it would introduce an electric successor to the NSX supercar and a new 'flagship' GT-style model as part of a wave of 30 new EVs being launched globally by 2030. [https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/honda-hints-new-sports-car-75th-anniversary-2023]

A wild male lion believed to be one of the world's oldest has died after being speared by herders, authorities in Kenya have said. Loonkiito, who was 19, died in Olkelunyiet village on Wednesday night after preying on livestock. The village borders Amboseli National Park - in southern Kenya. Conservation group Lion Guardians said he was "the oldest male lion in our ecosystem and possibly in Africa". Most lions live to around 13 in the wild. Almost all lions live in Africa with a small po[CENSORED]tion in India, according to the World Wildlife Federation. Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) spokesperson Paul Jinaro told the BBC the lion was old and frail and wandered into the village from the park in search of food. Mr Jinaro could not confirm if he was the oldest lion in the country but noted he was "very old". The Maasai-operated Lion Guardians group works to conserve the lion po[CENSORED]tion in Amboseli National Park, and said the end of a drought was "habitually marked by an uptick in human-lion conflict" as "wild prey recover and become more difficult to hunt". "In desperation, lions often turn to take livestock," it said. It added the killing of Loonkiito was a "tough situation for both sides, the people and the lion", and eulogised him as "a symbol of resilience and coexistence". Paula Kahumbu, a wildlife conservationist and chief executive officer of WildlifeDirect, said she was pained by the killing of the lion and called for measures to protect wildlife in the country. "This is the breaking point for human-wildlife conflict and we need to do more as a country to preserve lions, which are facing extinction," Ms Kahumbu told the BBC. The average lifespan of a lion is about 13 years in the wild, although they can live much longer in captivity. [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-65574623]

The Kremlin has denied interfering in Turkey's elections after the opposition candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, accused Russia of "meddling". Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russians did not interfere in internal affairs of other states. He added: "If someone has presented Mr Kilicdaroglu with such information, then they are liars." Mr Kilicdaroglu is seriously challenging strongman President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in power for 20 years. The opposition leader has not provided details about his claims. However, in a Twitter post which was also shared in Russian on Thursday, Mr Kilicdaroglu said that Russians were behind "montages, plots, deep fake content and tapes released in this country". Mr Kilicdaroglu also said that if Russia wanted Turkey's "friendship" after this weekend's election it should "get [its] hands off the Turkish state. We are still in favour of cooperation and friendship." Mr Peskov insisted that Russia "very much values" its relations with Turkey. The Republic of Turkey has so far taken a very responsible, sovereign and thought-out stance on a whole range of regional and global problems that we face. And this position has made a positive impression on us," he said on Friday. The Twitter post was not the first reference to alleged Russian meddling that Mr Kilicdaroglu has made. Earlier this month, he warned government officials against making deals with what he called the "dark web" to "interfere" in the vote. He alleged that deals had been made by the Turkish government with "serious foreign hackers" who were were paid in Bitcoin currencies. Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun dismissed the remarks as "irrational slander". The soft-spoken challenger to Turkey's powerful Erdogan Turkey decides: Voters face stark choices for presidency Mr Kilicdaroglu recently told the BBC that, if he wins the presidency, he will reorient Turkey, and prioritise relations with the West, not the Kremlin. However, his foreign policy adviser Unal Cevikoz told the Russian state-backed channel RT that "there will not be serious change in foreign policy" towards Russia and that he believes Mr Kilicdaroglu "will have good relations" with Russia's Vladimir Putin. Former civil servant Mr Kilicdaroglu, who is 74, will represent a coalition of opposition groups at Sunday's election. He is thought to have a serious chance to unseat Mr Erdogan. More than 64 million people are expected vote at home and abroad. If no candidate gets at least 50% plus one vote in the first round, the presidential election will go to a second round on 28 May between the two who received the most votes. [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65574312]

Pakistan's ex-prime minister Imran Khan has left court premises in Islamabad, a day after the Supreme Court ruled his dramatic arrest on corruption charges was illegal. On Friday evening, Mr Khan's party said he was heading for the city of Lahore. Judges granted Mr Khan protected bail, meaning he can not be re-arrested on those charges for two weeks. The court also ordered he could not be arrested on any charges filed after last Tuesday until 17 May. Despite the rulings, the corruption charges against Mr Khan still stand. "The head of the country's largest party was abducted, kidnapped from the high court, and in front of the entire nation," Khan told AFP from the court building. "They treated me like a terrorist, this had to have a reaction," he said of the protests that followed. Mr Khan remained within court premises after the hearing on Friday seeking preventive bail against other charges, which he told the BBC included counts of terrorism, sedition and blasphemy. Conviction would disqualify the former international cricket star - and Pakistan's prime minister from 2018 to 2022 - from standing for office, possibly for life. Elections are due later this year. Mr Khan had arrived at the hearing under heavy armed guard, and greeted supporters with a single raised fist. Speaking during Friday's hearing, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said the arrest was unlawful because it took place on court premises. He ordered that the "whole process" of Mr Khan's arrest "needs to be backtracked". The 70-year-old - who was arrested on Tuesday as he arrived at a courthouse in Islamabad - pleaded not guilty to the charges when a judge formally indicted him with corruption for the first time in the dozens of cases he faces. Officials say Mr Khan unlawfully sold state gifts during his premiership, in a case brought by Pakistan's Election Commission. Imran Khan was surrounded by a crowd of people as he left court on Friday The dramatic saga has significantly escalated tensions between Mr Khan and Pakistan's powerful military. Many analysts believe Mr Khan's election win in 2018 happened with the help of the military, which both parties denied. But he later fell out with the army. After a series of defections, and amid mounting economic crises, he lost his majority in parliament. Since being ousted less than four years into his term, he has become one of the military's most vocal critics, and analysts say the army's po[CENSORED]rity has fallen. And his PTI party says the charges against him - which relate to gifts given to him by foreign leaders while he served as prime minster - are politically motivated. His dramatic arrest outside the courthouse on Tuesday sparked outrage among Mr Khan's supporters. At least 10 people were killed and some 2,000 arrested as unrest swept the country. Those protests included an attack at a military commander's home residence in Lahore, which was set on fire. While this week's violence petered out after the army was deployed in Islamabad and other areas, such as Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the country remains on edge. Critics say the PTI has been fuelling unrest through social media posts calling for protesters to take to the streets, and judges told Mr Khan that he must condemn the violence and tell supporters to stop. Mr Khan says he and his party only call for peaceful protest. Pakistan's current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who took power after Khan was ousted, criticised the Supreme Court's ruling to free Khan in a cabinet speech aired on state TV. He alleged that judges had favoured Imran Khan, and their ruling had caused "the death of justice in Pakistan". He further criticised Mr Khan and his party for their inflammatory language and encouraging protesters to take to the streets. "Imran Khan has divided the nation," he said. Additional reporting by Frances Mao. [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65571796]

Removing @XZoro™ From VGR Team, Reason :Retirement

Voted

Apple has announced two of its best creative apps are set to launch on iPad, delivering editing tools for professional content creators in and out of the studio. Widely considered some of the best video editing software by those in the industry, Final Cut Pro is now coming to Apple’s portable devices sporting an “all-new touch interface” and tools for faster workflows. Joining the pro-grade video editor in the App Store on May 23 is Logic Pro. FCP's arrival could show that firms are starting to take mobile content creation seriously. - but what's the catch with what the company is calling, “the ultimate mobile studio"? Final Cut Pro on iPad: What to expect Vying to become one of the best video editing apps for iPad, FCP features include a new jog wheel, Multi-Touch gestures, and a stock library of hi-res graphics, effects, and audio Look out, too, for Live Drawing with support for Apple Pencil. It just might turn out to be one of the best drawing apps of its type, letting users write and draw directly onto their videos. For professionals, the new multi-camera editing and Pro camera modes promise more control over every project - whether you’re working with a single or a multi-cam set-up. This includes monitoring audio, and controlling focus, exposure, white balance, and more. Users on an iPad Pro with M2 can even record in Apple’s high-resolution ProRes video format. The app, which packs in the ubiquitous machine learning, will also let users import projects made in iMovie for iOS, Apple’s best video editing software for beginners. It's another display of the company's embrace of the mobile studio. Accompanying FCP’s App Store debut comes Logic Pro, a strong contender for best audio editor, with its own set of portable, touch-friendly tools and professional plugins For professionals, the new multi-camera editing and Pro camera modes promise more control over every project - whether you’re working with a single or a multi-cam set-up. This includes monitoring audio, and controlling focus, exposure, white balance, and more. Users on an iPad Pro with M2 can even record in Apple’s high-resolution ProRes video format. The app, which packs in the ubiquitous machine learning, will also let users import projects made in iMovie for iOS, Apple’s best video editing software for beginners. It's another display of the company's embrace of the mobile studio. Accompanying FCP’s App Store debut comes Logic Pro, a strong contender for best audio editor, with its own set of portable, touch-friendly tools and professional plugins [https://www.techradar.com/news/apple-wants-you-to-produce-an-8k-blockbuster-with-its-dollar50-video-app]

Nvidia's RTX 40-series graphics card generation seems to be one of U-turns. First we had the unlaunching of its RTX 4080 12GB(opens in new tab) card and now we're seeing rumours of a 16GB version of its upcoming RTX 4060 Ti. Which is all kinds of odd The rumours have all sprung from a single set of tweets from Zed Wang(opens in new tab) (via Videocardz(opens in new tab)), a regular GPU leakerer, who has mentioned release dates of RTX 40-series cards in the past which have more or less lined up. Their latest lists the RTX 4060 Ti 8GB, RTX 4060 Ti 16GB, and RTX 4060 8GB cards citing the first launching at the end of May, with the other two cards following in July. The 8GB versions of the RTX 4060/Ti themselves aren't a surprise; we had been expecting that VRAM capacity from the get-go. But that 16GB level certainly is. We are pretty certain about many of the RTX 4060 Ti cards' specifications by now, with an ADA106 GPU sporting 4,352 CUDA cores, a bunch of extra cache, and a 128-bit memory bus. That last one is the key one here if we're talking about video memory capacities, because it limits the amount available to be attached to the card. With only 16Gb (2GB) modules available for GDDR6 as a maximum, you're going to be severely restricted by how much memory you can physically fit on a board. And with a 128-bit aggregated memory bus you can only work in multiples of four in order to maintain balance across each of the 32-bit discrete memory bus built into the GPU. That means you can have 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB capacities. Nvidia was never going to stick 4GB on there, and we had expected 16GB to be too rich for the green team to attach to an effectively mid-range GPU. But apparently not. At least not now. Were it not for the current furore over the level of VRAM demands from modern games, particularly the slew of poorly optimised PC ports(opens in new tab) we've had to endure recently, I doubt Nvidia would have thought of releasing a 16GB RTX 4060 Ti. At least not just a couple of months after an initial 8GB version had launched. But the noise around the rumoured GPU specs(opens in new tab) and the perilous state of PC game releases, has pushed VRAM capacities to the forefront of gamers' minds. AMD has certainly been keen to point out that it has been slapping 16GB of GDDR6 onto cards costing as low as $499(opens in new tab), and that all looks to have had an impact on Nvidia's plans for these new GPUs. It's rare to see a company such as Nvidia making such changes seemingly so close to launch, but it's gratifying to see it listening. Or at least looking like it is. The 'unlaunching' was unprecedented, and this itself is a surprise. We don't know what either the 8GB or 16GB cards are going to cost, though the latest rumours are for a $399 price point for the 8GB RTX 4060 Ti(opens in new tab) coming at the end of May. That's a cut from the $499 we were expecting, but does give Nvidia that window in which to drop a more expensive 16GB version of the card and still make bank. Theoretically then it gives the green team the chance to have its cake and eat it—it can still ship a cheaper 8GB card at a price point that sounds good in marketing taglines, and a more expensive one that both matches the expected original $499 price and satiates demand for a 16GB card [https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidia-reportedly-prepping-a-16gb-rtx-4060-ti-for-july/]

Kevin de Bruyne's screamer earned Manchester City a Champions League semi-final first-leg draw at Real Madrid to keep their dream of a Treble on track. City know any win next Wednesday at home against Madrid will send them to only their second Champions League final, against either Inter Milan or AC Milan. Pep Guardiola's side dominated the early stages at a nervy Bernabeu, with Thibaut Courtois denying De Bruyne, Rodri and Erling Haaland twice. But Vinicius Jr scored with Real's only chance of the first half, a 25-yard thunderbolt which flew past Ederson following a brilliant run by Eduardo Camavinga. Just as Real began to dominate a period of the second half, City found a way back with De Bruyne fizzing a shot from a similar distance into the bottom corner. Aurelien Tchouameni almost gave Real, looking to extend their record tally to 15th European crowns, the lead again with another strike from range but it was well saved by Ederson. City are now unbeaten in 21 games in all competitions, a run which includes 17 wins. Seven more victories and they get the Treble. Follow live text and radio commentary here Man City take step closer to glory The Champions League is the one that has been missing for City and they are arguably the best European team of the current era never to win it. It sounds so simple, but they just need to beat Real, who are third in La Liga, at home and then either the team fourth or fifth in Italy's Serie A in the final in Istanbul. Milan face Inter on Wednesday. Not that Guardiola will let his players get carried away with that scenario. They lead the Premier League from Arsenal with four games to go and face Manchester United, the only English team to win a Treble, in the FA Cup final in June. Talk before the game was of revenge, with Real beating City at this stage last season in a 6-5 aggregate classic. But, a year on, City look more grown up and almost unbeatable. This game was edgy and heated but lacked some of the chaos of last season's first leg, which ended 4-3. Guardiola knows his best team now so the days of throwing a tactical shock, which often did not work, in a game like this seem a thing of the past. They played this game as if they were at home, with Real supporters booing their relentless possession. Courtois had four saves to make in the opening 16 minutes alone. But then they trailed to Vinicius' goal - with the Brazilian also scoring against City last year. However their heads did not drop, and their three-month unbeaten run continues thanks to De Bruyne. Ilkay Gundogan laid the ball off for De Bruyne, who thrashed a shot past his Belgium team-mate Courtois. Having also netted in 2020, De Bruyne is the first player in Champions League history to score in separate away games against Real in the knockout stages. City - who did not make any substitutions - never had a chance to win the game, with that their last shot of the game. Next week they will hope to see 51-goal Haaland get more joy in front of goal. Never write off Real Madrid Madrid's aura in the Champions League is something special. They are not the defending champions - and 14-time winners - by accident. Domestically they sit 14 points behind champions elect Barcelona, with Atletico Madrid also above them. But they have won five Champions Leagues in nine years, with two of them coming in seasons they finished third. Carlo Ancelotti's side came into this game on a good bit of domestic news, having won the Copa del Rey final against Osasuna on Saturday. But this is where Real thrive - often against English clubs too. This is their sixth knockout round in a row against City, Chelsea or Liverpool - they have come through the other five. The first half was a smash and grab to some extent with Vinicius' goal coming from their first real attack. Only Haaland (13 - 12 goals, one assist) has been involved in more Champions League goals than Vinicius this season (12 - seven goals, five assists). They grew into the game in the second half, with De Bruyne giving them a taste of their own medicine by scoring after the end of a good spell for Real. Camavinga, who set up their goal, gave the ball away to Rodri in the build-up, highlighting the pros and cons of playing a central midfielder at left-back. Madrid boss Ancelotti was booked for his angry reaction to the goal, claiming the ball went out of play in the build-up. His side had chances to win the game with Benzema's header saved by Ederson, before French sub Tchouameni went close. [https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65527338]

A 15-year-old equestrian was killed Sunday during a competition in Florida after a horse knocked her off and fell on her head. Hannah Serfass, of Webster, Florida, was competing in the Fox Lea Farm Spring Concours I in Venice, about 70 miles from Tampa, when "the horse tripped and suffered a rotational fall," the U.S. Equestrian Federation said in a statement. The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said Serfass was about halfway through the course in a jumper event when she tried the sixth jump. "The horse landed the jump successfully and took two or three steps/gallops toward the next hurdle and for unknown reasons planted its left foot, which caused the horse to lean down significantly towards its left front hoof," authorities said. "This action caused the rider to then topple forward and off the horse in the same direction and onto the ground," the sheriff's office said. "The horse then continued to fall in the same direction falling over and onto the rider's head on the ground." The equestrian federation said the fall was "unrelated to a jumping effort." Fox Lea Farm personnel rushed to Serfass' aid until deputies arrived. She was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead. The horse, Quaxx 2, a 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding, was not injured. Serfass was described as a talented up-and-coming rider. The federation said she was known for her work ethic and her love of horses. Fox Lea Farm said in a statement that it sends its "sincere condolences to the family, trainer, friends, & the whole equestrian community. We are all heartbroken." The federation will review the accident "to learn what we can do to minimize risk and increase safety in equestrian sport," it said. [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/teen-equestrian-dies-horse-falls-florida-competition-rcna82484]

This is a critical week for negotiations on raising the debt ceiling, as the US may default as soon as 1 June if the limit is not raised by Congress before then. On Tuesday, Joe Biden and the House and Senate leaders of both parties met in the White House to discuss this impending economic crisis of their own making. As early as next month, the US government could reach the legal cap on the national debt. This means that the federal treasury will be unable to borrow additional funds. It will exhaust the money it has to spend on everything from existing debt payments to government salaries and retirement payments to the elderly. Congress could vote to raise the debt limit at any point, but Republicans in the legislature only want to do so if they can extract policy concessions from Mr Biden and the Democrats. The president and his allies, however, have so far refused to engage in what they consider to be a negotiation conducted under the threat of economic ruin. The meeting itself is already somewhat of a concession for Mr Biden, as he had up until now rejected discussing Republican proposals. Before this, he had insisted that spending and policy negotiations be conducted separately from the debt-limit situation. A simple guide to US debt ceiling crisis This sets up a high-stakes encounter that is fraught with peril, the greatest of which is the potential that the US will actually hit its debt limit and cause a global economic catastrophe. Short of that, however, there are other risks - and rewards - for both sides. Here's a look at them. Biden and the Democrats What do they want? Debt-limit brinksmanship is a game Democrats don't play. They haven't threatened a default, for instance, if the Republicans refuse to raise the minimum wage, expand government-funded healthcare or raise taxes on the wealthy - all party priorities. They don't want Republican to play the game, either. It's been more than a decade since congressional Republicans first used raising the legal cap on the national debt as a means of extracting policy concessions from a recalcitrant Democratic president. Democrats view such a tactic as extremist brinksmanship. Many, including high-ranking Biden administration officials who were around for the first debt-limit showdown, want to put an end to the practice once and for all. They are calling for a "clean" measure to raise the debt limit - that is, one that is not tied to any other legislative measures. They claim their opponents only care about the national debt when Democrats control the White House. As evidence, they point to the three times the debt limit was raised or temporarily waived during the Trump administration, and the hundreds of billions added to the national debt from Republican-backed spending and tax cuts. What are the risks? The closer the nation approaches to the edge of the debt limit brink, the more skittish US and global financial markets may become. The last time this happened, the US saw its credit rating downgraded and interest rates on its existing debt go up. Even if the nation avoids tumbling over the fiscal cliff, the US economy could suffer. The political consequences for this are difficult to predict. One recent poll shows that opinion on this is evenly divided - while a third of the public would blame Mr Biden in such a scenario, a third would blame Republicans and a third is uncertain. And for the president and Democrats in Congress seeking re-election next year, that uncertainty is the stuff What do they want? Republicans want to roll back the expansion of federal programmes backed by Mr Biden and the Democrats. They want to limit federal spending - or, at least, spending on Democratic priorities. With control of one chamber of Congress, their ability to enact legislation to achieve these ends through the traditional means of negotiation and compromise is limited. The debt limit gives Republicans in the House of Representatives a method by which to extract larger concessions. For instance, House Republicans unanimously passed legislation over unified Democratic opposition two weeks ago that would tie an increase in the debt limit to budget cuts and spending caps. It has no hope of passing the Senate. Getting Democrats to agree to even a few of these legislative actions would be a victory for Republicans. However, some hard-liners in the party view the package as the minimum they would accept for a debt-limit increase, not a starting point for negotiations. What are the risks? Republicans are playing a dangerous game. Like Democrats, they risk an economic crisis that makes their party the target of public blame and the electoral consequences that go along with it. While Republicans have fewer incumbents to defend at the ballot box next year, the party's margin in the House of Representatives is exceedingly narrow. Even a modest swing in the mood of the electorate could put the party back in the minority in the chamber. Senate Republicans sense a path back to the majority next year, but one misstep could change that. If the public views Republicans as a party of extremists incapable of governing, it would play directly into one of the central messages of Mr Biden's re-election campaign. The debt-limit brinksmanship also presents particular challenges for Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. His grip on power in that chamber is tenuous. If he holds the line in negotiations, he could anger centrists eyeing difficult re-election battles. If he negotiates a compromise with Democrats, conservative hard-liners in chamber - ones who only grudgingly supported his speakership - could vote to remove him from his post. [ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65505687]

A US householder has been charged with shooting a girl who was playing hide-and-seek outside his home, police said. The 14-year-old was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after she was shot in the back of the head in rural Louisiana, police said. David Doyle, 58, is charged with aggravated assault and battery. He told officers he opened fire after seeing "shadows outside his home". It is the latest US shooting sparked by a seemingly trivial misunderstanding. They did something by accident. Then they were shot Police responded in the early hours of last Sunday to calls about the shooting of the girl in the town of Starks, 250 miles (400km) west of New Orleans. Officers learned that "several juveniles were playing hide and seek in the area and were hiding on the neighbour's property", said a press release from Officers at the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office. The homeowner, Mr Doyle, "stated he observed shadows outside his home, at which time he went inside and retrieved his firearm," added the press release. "He then advised detectives he went back outside and observed people running away from his property, at which time he began shooting at them and unknowingly hit the girl." Mr Doyle remained in custody on Tuesday, a day after he was arrested and charged. The shooting is the latest US gun violence incident involving young Americans to make headlines: In Texas, 18-year-old cheerleader Payton Washington was shot and seriously injured on 18 April after she mistakenly tried to enter the wrong vehicle in a parking lot near Austin, Texas In New York state, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis was shot and killed on 15 April after a friend drove their car down the wrong driveway In Missouri, 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot on 16 April in the head and arm when he rang the doorbell at the wrong address In North Carolina, a six-year-old girl and her father were shot on 18 April after police said their basketball rolled into the alleged shooter's yard [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65539174]

Name of the game: Black Mesa Price: 4.99 $ Link Store:Here Offer ends up after X hours:Offer ends 11 May Requirements: MINIMUM: OS: Windows® 7 (32/64-bit)/Vista or Greater Processor: 2.6 Dual Core Processor or Greater Memory: 6 GB RAM Graphics: 2 GB Dedicated Video Card or Greater DirectX: Version 9.0c Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 20 GB available space RECOMMENDED: OS: Windows® 7 (32/64-bit) or Greater Processor: 3.2 Quad Core Processor or Greater Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: 4 GB Dedicated Video Card or Greater DirectX: Version 9.0c Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 20 GB available space

It's hard to get away from AI at the moment, whether it's ChatGPT helping house buyers or Snapchat users getting their own AI friend. Now a new rumor suggests that Google Messages will be getting its own generative AI features. This comes from screenshots shared with 9to5Google(opens in new tab), as well as hidden code previously spotted in the app. It seems that the feature will be called Magic Compose, and expand on the smart replies that already pop up in Google Messages. We can see from the screengrabs that there are different tones to choose from, including Excited, Formal, and Lyrical – which drafts out a response in the form of a short poem, based on a prompt given by the user. It seems as though you can give Magic Compose a start when it comes to a response, or let it come up with one entirely on its own based on the context of the conversation. It's also labeled with an Experiment badge in these images. We shouldn't be surprised that something like this is rolling out for Google Messages in the near future: Google has been pushing similar tools into its Gmail, Google Docs and Google Sheets apps in recent weeks As for when we'll see this feature announced and rolled out, Google IO 2023 seems like a good bet. The keynote day is this Wednesday, May 10, and we will of course be bringing you all the news from the event as it happens. [https://www.techradar.com/news/Google-Messages-could-be-the-next-app-to-get-added-AI]

An Nvidia researcher, presenting at SIGGRAPH in the summer(opens in new tab), will show off the most realistic barbershop simulator I've ever seen. And weirdly now I really want to get my hands on some virtual scissors and go to town on this digital Barbie head. The tens of thousands of hairs simulated here are using neural physics, a technique which harnesses the AI processing power of your graphics card to predict how something will move and interact with other objects in the real world. Looking at the video, there's an RTX Real-Time at the top, suggesting Nvidia's RTX cards will be the ones with the specific processing power for this technique. "This technique finally enables both accurate and interactive physically based hair grooming," reads the description on the video. Now, the 'finally' is doing a lot of heavy lifting for me there, because I wasn't aware there was such a genuine desire out there for hair grooming simulators. But now I've seen one in action, it could be a real nice cozy game for those times where you don't want the stress of saving the universe, or blasting zombies/Nazis. To be fair, the sim genre is a bit of an oddity in gaming terms, because even the most banal of endeavours can be transformed into the most absorbing hobby simply by its recreation as a PC-based sim. Farming Simulator is huge; Bus and Truck Simulators have large followings; Jet Wash Simulator picked up its share of fans, and I've whiled away hours on Car Mechanic Simulator myself. That's not to mention the people simming of The Sims, the classic bug-tracking Sim Ant, and of course Flight Simulator. So yeah, I could absolutely get behind Hair Salon Simulator. You get the combination of business management, the joy of brand marketing, potential franchising, and the heady thrill of seeing your follicle creations rendered in physically accurate 3D on-screen. I've seen enough Queer Eye, I reckon I could ace it. Gilles Daviet, the author of the paper, Interactive Hair Simulation on the GPU using ADMM(opens in new tab), mostly references the difficulty for digital artists to create high-quality hair strands for virtual characters. This new method is designed to make it both more realistic than the current mostly geometry-based methods, and less computationally intensive as it leverages the parallel processing power of modern GPUs. Should you wish to bathe in the algorithmic beauty of Daviet's hair sim techniques then you can download the .pdf(opens in new tab) and give it a look ahead of its publication at SIGGRAPH in August. And it really goes to highlight the statements from earlier this week about how the majority of Nvidia's work goes into the software(opens in new tab) rather than the hardware. Anyways basically, it should lead to a really awesome new version of Hairworks. Hopefully in time for The Witcher 4, eh? [https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidias-dropped-a-video-of-an-incredible-ai-powered-hairdressing-sim-and-now-i-want-a-digital-barbershop/]

A howler from David de Gea gifted West Ham victory over Manchester United to boost their chances of Premier League survival and deal a blow to the Red Devils' top-four hopes. De Gea let a tame Said Benrahma effort from distance slip through his grasp to put the Hammers in front midway through the first half. The win moved David Moyes' side seven points clear of the relegation zone with a superior goal difference to all the sides below them. Fourth-placed Manchester United missed the chance to move above Newcastle into third as they remain just a point ahead of Liverpool in fifth, with a game in hand. Tomas Soucek twice went close for the home side after the break as they pushed for a second, while Michail Antonio had a goal disallowed for a foul on De Gea. Marcus Rashford and Antony both struck the post early on for the visitors, who started the brighter of the two teams but faded after the opening goal. Substitute Anthony Martial came closest to an e qualiser in stoppage time, but Lukasz Fabianski palmed away his rasping effort from a tight angle. De Gea error opens door to top-four rivals David de Gea has saved Manchester United on plenty of occasions during his 12-year career at Old Trafford, but his terrible error at the London Stadium has just opened the door for their rivals looking to pip them to a Champions League qualification spot. Benrahma was surrounded by three Manchester United players and without a team-mate in sight when he attempted a hopeful effort from distance, but De Gea appeared to lose his footing before allowing the ball to slip from his grasp and into the net. His reaction said it all, with the Spaniard lying face down on the turf as the West Ham fans erupted. With Liverpool and Tottenham both winning on Saturday and Brighton playing the first of their three games in hand on Monday, Erik ten Hag's side now find themselves under pressure to cling on to a top-four spot with four games still to play. The visitors had actually started the brighter of the two sides before the opening goal but lacked a cutting edge, having 10 shots without hitting the target before Christian Eriksen finally found Fabianski's gloves in first-half stoppage time. Their energy levels dipped in the second half, with their only real opportunities a Rashford shot tipped over from a tight angle before Martial went close late on. Their tame finish to the match suggests their relentless schedule, in which they have played 57 matches already this season, may be taking its toll. Europe next for Hammers with safety all but secure This is the perfect start to a huge fortnight for West Ham, who face a two-legged Europa Conference League semi-final against Dutch side AZ Alkmaar either side of a Premier League trip to London rivals Brentford. Like Manchester United, the Hammers have had a long and hard season, with their exploits in Europe meaning this was their 51st match of the campaign. But after a slow start, they put in a performance full of zeal and verve that suggests there is plenty of energy left in the legs for the closing weeks of the season. Although not technically safe, it would take an extraordinary set of results for them to get dragged into the bottom three, meaning they can fully focus on trying to reach a first European final since 1976. They were excellent in the second half as they took the game to Manchester United, driven on by the superb Declan Rice, who showed no ill effects of the sickness big that caused him to miss the midweek defeat at Manchester City. It was also a satisfying night on a personal level for Moyes, who secured his first victory over Manchester United since he was Everton boss in 2012, a year before he succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford. `https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65439740]

the British firm behind electric conversions of the Citroën DS, Land Rover Defender and Jaguar E-Type, has launched a ‘plug and play’ powertrain for the classic Mini. The pre-assembled kit swaps the Mini’s A-Series engine for a water-cooled electric motor outputting 60bhp and 100lb ft through a fixed-ratio gearbox. That’s on a par with the twin-port-injection variant of the A-Series featured in the 1997-2000 Rover Mini, which produced 63bhp and 70lb ft. However, it is a significant uplift compared with the 34bhp, 44lb ft powerplant in the original 1959 Mini (then called the Austin Seven). A 20kWh battery pack gives the Electrogenic kit an 80-mile range around town – where the motor can nearly constantly recover energy in stop-start traffic, and at low speeds – but this figure is likely to fall significantly on faster roads. An extended-range variant, which adds a second battery inside the boot, will be offered at a later date. Type 2 charging port can be accessed through a replacement front grille that features a cutout for the cable. The conversion kit requires no modification to the Mini’s structure, which makes it completely reversible – similar to the existing Electrogenic Porsche 911. It is incorporated into a replacement front subframe to make it easier to swap with the Mini’s existing petrol engine. A mechanic just bolts the new subframe in and wires the powertrain into the dashboard. The Electrogenic package goes on sale this autumn, priced from £15,000 (excluding VAT). Electrogenic co-founder Steve Drummond said: “We’ve converted a number of beautiful Minis over the years to electric drive and have seen significant demand for a solution that’s both easy to fit and budget-friendly. Our new drop-in kit meets those requirements perfectly. It’s cost effective and simple to install, yet still delivers superb electric performance, thanks to our latest-generation EV powertrain tech. “It turns the iconic classic Mini into an ideal modern city machine, one that’s perfect for zipping about town cleanly and reliably – and sure to bring a smile to the faces of drivers and pedestrians alike." https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/electrogenic-launches-ev-conversion-kit-classic-mini