Everything posted by X A V I
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In February, Leicester City lost 3-1 away to Leeds - reducing what had been a 17-point gap to the Whites to just six. Manager Enzo Maresca came into the changing room and said just one thing: "We will finish ahead of Leeds." A deliberately timed, measured message with the purpose of spreading confidence. Three months later, after just one season in the Championship wilderness and in his first full campaign as a number one in senior football, Maresca and Leicester are back in the big time as champions. But there are clouds on the horizon. Leicester's fate could be set as much by decisions made off the field as those on it. Maresca unimpressed by Leicester issues The euphoria created by promotion can not disguise the fact that not everything is well. The news that Leicester face potential financial fair play issues is something Maresca only became aware of after the start of the season. It is disingenuous to imagine that the club knew nothing about the potential problems they could be facing and not informing their Italian manager earlier is not a good look. This is evidenced by the highly unsatisfactory January transfer window involving two deals in particular. Cesare Casadei was very much part of Maresca's plans after signing him on loan from Chelsea at the start of the season. Then Chelsea recalled him in the winter window. Stefano Sensi, from Inter Milan, had come to the UK to help complete the deal once the two clubs had negotiated a fee for the player. Suddenly everything fell apart over concerns surrounding the club's FFP standing. To say Maresca was unimpressed on both occasions would be an understatement. Surviving in the top flight will be hard enough even without the handicap of having to start next season with a points deduction. While Leicester's fortunes are not yet fully known, the one thing that is certain is that Maresca has no intention of changing his way of playing for the Premier League. He also won't want to make some of the mistakes Vincent Kompany made at Burnley, believing most of his promoted squad could keep them up. Changes to Leicester's squad are required. Maresca and his family are comfortable in Leicester. His children have stayed in England for most of their lives and any change of location always brings with it a degree of personal drama. But the Italian coach doesn’t see himself having a long career in management, so every step along the way has to be calculated with care. It is logical that Maresca, with offers from European Cup winners and Spanish and Italian teams, and interest from English clubs, would consider all of his options after listening to the chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha during the squad break in Monaco on the Thai businessman's yacht. On 3 June, Maresca, as assistant to Pep Guardiola, helped Manchester City win the FA Cup against Manchester United. The following day, he was speaking to Leicester's owner about becoming head coach. He almost never made the meeting. The 44-year-old agonised long and hard before attending the appointment, not because he didn't want the job, but because he would miss the 10th birthday party of his son, Paolo. If he was to choose a business appointment ahead of the celebration of the eldest of his four children, then he told himself it had better be worth it and he left a note on a board behind his desk in the training ground office saying as much. It became a regular thought during the season. 'It has to be worth it. It will be worth it.' Chairman Srivaddhanaprabha said he wanted the team to play like Manchester City. "Not possible," Maresca told him. "Nobody has that level." He promised though the team would dominate games, would be offensive and brave. It was a way of playing that he fell in love with ever since losing to Guardiola's Barcelona as a player for Sevilla. Maresca left City with the blessing of everyone. Guardiola had told him from the start he knew he was a number one. He was too capable and ambitious, to settle for being an assistant. The advice he got from some of the City bosses was not to go to the Championship, it was too risky and demanding. But Maresca, who had offers from Premier League clubs, wanted one with history and with the potential to re-establish themselves in the top tier. Leicester ticked all the boxes, despite the fact that anything less than returning to the Premier League would be deemed as a failure. On 16 June 2023, Maresca was appointed manager of Leicester, having signed a three-year contract with the newly-relegated club. He spent his first two months living at the club's training base. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c4n1v47jl42o
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The Ukrainian security service (SBU) says it has foiled a Russian plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky and other high-ranking Ukrainian officials. Two Ukrainian government protection unit colonels have been arrested. The SBU said they were part of a network of agents belonging to the Russian state security service (FSB). They had reportedly been searching for willing "executors" among Mr Zelensky's bodyguards to kidnap and kill him. Ever since Russian paratroopers attempted to land in Kyiv and assassinate President Zelensky in the early hours and days of the full-scale invasion, plots to assassinate him have been commonplace. The Ukrainian leader said at the start of the invasion he was Russia's "number one target". But this alleged plot stands out from the rest. It involves serving colonels, whose job it was to keep officials and institutions safe, allegedly hired as moles. Other targets included military intelligence head Kyrylo Budanov and SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk, the agency added. The group had reportedly planned to kill Mr Budanov before Orthodox Easter, which this year fell on 5 May. According to the SBU, the plotters had aimed to use a mole to get information about his location, which they would then have attacked with rockets, drones and anti-tank grenades. SBU head Vasyl Malyuk said the attack was supposed to be "a gift to Putin before the inauguration" - referring to Russia's Vladimir Putin who was sworn in for a fifth term as president at the Kremlin on Tuesday. The operation turned into a failure of the Russian special services, Mr Malyuk said. "But we must not forget - the enemy is strong and experienced, he cannot be underestimated," he added. The two Ukrainian officials are being held on suspicion of treason and of preparing a terrorist act. The SBU said three FSB employees oversaw the organisation and the attack. One of them, named as Dmytro Perlin, had been recruiting "moles" since before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Another FSB employee, Oleksiy Kornev, reportedly held "conspiratorial" meetings "in neighbouring European states" before the invasion with one of the Ukrainian colonels arrested. In a released interrogation with one of the suspects, they can be heard describing how they were paid thousands of dollars directly by parcels or indirectly through their relatives. It is not clear whether he was speaking under duress or not. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68968256
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Pro Staff need Members activ Good Luck !!
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Pro Staff need member and good activty Good luck
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Pro !
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Vivo X100 Ultra, Vivo X100s, and Vivo X100s Pro will launch next week, the Chinese smartphone brand confirmed on Monday. Vivo has listed the new handsets up for pre-reservations on its online store in China, disclosing their colour options. The Vivo X100 Ultra, Vivo X100s, and Vivo X100s Pro are tipped to pack up to 16GB RAM and up to 1TB of onboard storage. Additionally, a tipster has suggested the pricing of the new Vivo X100 series phones. The Vivo X100 Ultra, Vivo X100s, and Vivo X100s Pro will be announced on May 13, the company revealed on Weibo. The launch event will be held in China at 7pm local time (4:30pm IST). All three phones are currently up for pre-reservations through Vivo's online store in China and the listing shows their colourways. Both Vivo X100 Ultra and Vivo X100s Pro are listed in Space Gray, Titanium, and White Moonlight colour options. The Vivo X100s, on the other hand, is shown in Space Gray, Blue Cloud, Titanium, and White Moonlight colour options. They are shown with Zeiss-branded cameras. Vivo V30e With 50-Megapixel Front Camera, Aura Light Debuts in India As per a post by Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station (translated), the Vivo X100 Ultra and Vivo X100s Pro will be available in three RAM and storage configurations — 12GB + 256GB, 16GB + 512GB, and 16GB + 1TB. The Vivo X100s could be offered in 12GB + 256GB, 16GB + 256GB, 16GB + 512GB, and 16GB + 1TB RAM and storage options. Additionally, Indian tipster Abhishek Yadav (@yabhishekhd) has leaked the pricing and sale dates of upcoming phones. As per the post, the VivoX100 Ultra will cost CNY 6,699 (roughly Rs. 77,500) for the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage variant. The Vivo X100s is said to be priced at CNY 3,999 (roughly Rs. 46,200) for the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage model, while the Vivo X100s Pro will cost CNY 4,999 (roughly Rs. 57,000) for the same variant. Vivo Y18 Series With MediaTek Helio G85 SoCs Debut in India: See Price The Vivo X100 Ultra is said to go on sale from May 28, while the Vivo X100s and X100s Pro could be available for purchase from May 17. https://www.gadgets360.com/mobiles/news/vivo-x100s-pro-ultra-launch-may-13-colourways-price-ram-storage-leak-weibo-5599782#pfrom=topstory
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Cuándo pensamos en un mini PC está claro que lo primero que se nos viene a la cabeza es el hecho de que ocupan poco espacio, pero también que suelen ofrecer una potencia muy inferior al de un ordenador normal por el precio que pueden llegar a alcanzar. Minisforum ha presentado unos nuevos dispositivos de este tipo que no tendrán un problema con ofrecer un rendimiento alto, ya que algunos de los que han presentado son de alta gama. Los ordenadores en miniatura que ha presentado la compañía ofrecen especificaciones dignas de algunos modelos que podemos encontrar actualmente de ordenadores de gran rendimiento, incluyendo procesadores que permiten sacar un gran rendimiento en muchos juegos. Está claro que una de las mayores preocupaciones puede ser la forma que tienen de disipar el calor, pero no hay de que preocuparse, ya que incluyen soluciones que permiten evitar que se sobrecalienten, incluyendo un mini PC que tiene refrigeración líquida para evitar este problema. Los ordenadores gaming han representado una gran cantidad de ventas para el hardware relacionado con PC, ya que al final uno de los usos principales que se le suele dar a este dispositivo (además de para trabajar) está relacionado con el ocio. Es por ello que es normal ver nuevas soluciones que permiten acceder a esto, ya sea mediante consolas portátiles basadas en sistemas operativos de PC o directamente con ordenadores con distintas formas y tamaños para poder llegar a un mayor público. En este caso está claro que el tamaño es lo más importante, ya que a diferencia de lo que podemos esperar de un ordenador de gama medio-alta normal, el espacio que ocupan estos mini PC es mucho menor. Esto puede resultar un problema, ya que como bien sabemos la potencia suele estar relacionada con el flujo de aire y la refrigeración, estando estas ligadas al tamaño de la caja junto con su sistema de disipación de calor. De esta forma la compañía Minisforum ha introducido sus nuevos ordenadores que buscan ofrecer el mejor rendimiento en un diminuto tamaño, siendo además una solución con una refrigeración que permite evitar el sobrecalentamiento. Existen tres modelos que hay que destacar para este uso relacionado con videojuegos, el UM890 WE, el HX200G y el HN149, los dos primeros incluyen componentes de AMD mientras que el último incluye un procesador Intel y una gráfica de NVIDIA. Los tres modelos que hemos mencionado ofrecen un rendimiento bastante alto para videojuegos, pero los componentes que incluyen son distintos, así como seguramente su precio, aunque de este todavía no sabemos nada ya que el lanzamiento oficial tendrá lugar el día 20 de mayo. Hasta entonces tendremos que esperar con conocer sus especificaciones técnicas: UM890 WE El primer modelo que debemos destacar está claro que es el que incluye la solución de refrigeración más extraña para un mini PC, ya que esta versión es la que incluye la refrigeración líquida, siendo además, el único del que no sabemos realmente la fecha de lanzamiento. Contiene una APU de AMD, el Ryzen 8945HS, se le puede instalar un máximo de 64 GB de RAM DDR5-5600 y tiene un diseño cúbico con una caja de 3,5 litros, siendo una forma bastante similar a la que podíamos ver en la GameCube, aunque obviamente es completamente distinta en el resto de los aspectos. HX200G Por otra parte tenemos otro modelo relacionado con AMD, un poco más distinto en diseño siendo más similar a lo que podemos ver en un mini PC, aunque en características técnicas es bastante más potente que otros del mercado. Contiene un procesador Ryzen 9 7945HX junto con una RX 7600m XT para portátiles, ofreciendo una combinación bastante buena para jugar a cualquier título actual, además de incluir un sistema de refrigeración basado en 8 heat pipes con metal líquido tanto en el procesador como en la GPU. HN149 Y por último pero no menos importante, tenemos la solución de Intel junto con NVIDIA que ha presentado la compañía Minisforum para un ordenador en miniatura gaming de última generación. En este caso el PC incorpora un procesador Intel 14900HX junto con una gráfica RTX 4070, aunque en este caso el diseño resulta bastante más extraño que los anteriores, ya que el tamaño es similar al que podemos encontrar en un portátil pero sin pantalla, haciendo que sea bastante alto, pero extremadamente delgado, ya que tiene una posición vertical. https://hardzone.es/noticias/equipos/minipc-potente-refrigeracion-liquida/
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Al margen de todos los beneficios que nos aportan y aportarán las plataformas de Inteligencia Artificial, también tienen sus puntos más oscuros. Y es que los ciberdelincuentes se están aprovechando de su gran aceptación y uso para diseñar ataques más complejos y eficaces. Esto es algo que más tarde o más temprano iba a suceder, más si tenemos en cuenta la alta demanda de estas aplicaciones y plataformas IA para crear todo tipo de contenidos. Así, los atacantes han encontrado un excelente aliado en todo aquello relacionado con la Inteligencia Artificial. De hecho, recientemente se han detectado multitud de ataques impulsados por IA a través de las redes sociales. Para ello se utilizan plataformas tan utilizadas y po[CENSORED]res como Facebook, Instagram o YouTube. Desafortunadamente en muchas ocasiones con éxito. Utilizando estas técnicas, los ciberdelincuentes se han apoderado de perfiles de Facebook, por ejemplo, para realizar campañas de publicidad maliciosa patrocinada. Se hacen pasar por plataformas como Midjourney, Sora, DALL-E 3 y más. Los atacantes crean páginas maliciosas en Facebook para engañar a los usuarios y que descarguen versiones de escritorio supuestamente oficiales de po[CENSORED]res programas IA. Además, cada cierto tiempo cambian las cargas maliciosas para evitar que el antivirus las detecte. Estos falsos enlaces redirigen a los usuarios a webs falsas que descargan todo tipo de malware para recopilar información confidencial de los equipos. Aquí se incluyen credenciales de acceso, información de tarjetas de crédito, o incluso información de monederos de criptomonedas. Decir que estas campañas de publicidad maliciosa, impulsadas por supuestas Inteligencias Artificiales, tienen un enorme alcance a través del sistema de anuncios patrocinados de Meta. Se dirigen a usuarios europeos e incluyen descripciones con vídeos y fotos generadas por IA. Todo para atraer a usuarios y hacerles acceder a esas cargas de ataque. Así nos engañan usando la IA en redes sociales Sirva como ejemplo una página de Facebook que se hacía pasar por Midjourney y que tenía más de un millón de seguidores. Estuvo activa durante casi un año hasta que fue cerrada. Y de esas podemos encontrar una enorme cantidad de páginas maliciosas en redes sociales para engañar a los usuarios. En resumidas cuentas, los atacantes utilizan la enorme penetración de mercado de la IA para extender malware a través del sistema de anuncios de Meta. Estas campañas comienzan cuando los ciberdelincuentes se apoderan de una cuenta de Facebook existente. Ahí empiezan a cambiar las descripciones, fotos de portada y todo el perfil. Hacen que la página parezca gestionada por conocidos generadores de imágenes y vídeos basados en IA para engañarnos. Además, y para que nos confiemos, empiezan a publicar noticias y fotos generadas por IA con enlaces que ofrecen acceso gratuito a pruebas de la herramienta. Evidentemente, si picamos, lo que hacemos es descargar un software plagado de código malicioso que incluso engaña a los antivirus para instalarse en nuestro PC. A partir de ahí intentan hacerse con todos los datos privados posibles: contraseñas, monederos de criptomonedas, datos bancarios y más. Al mismo tiempo, debemos tener presente que estos ataques son cada vez más sofisticados y rentables para sus creadores. Con todo esto, lo que os queremos decir es que deberíais desconfiar de los anuncios que aparecen en este tipo de redes sociales. Si deseamos descargar aplicaciones IA, lo mejor es acceder a su web oficial de manera directa, así evitamos riesgos. https://www.softzone.es/noticias/metabits/ia-usar-facebook-instagram-robar-datos/
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Xi Jinping has hailed "new vistas" in China's relationship with France on his first trip to Europe in five years - one that feels much like a charm offensive. Mr Xi will be looking to avert the trade war that is looming with Brussels, driven by fears of cheap Chinese electric vehicles entering the European market. The West also accuses China of helping Vladimir Putin wage war in Ukraine by supplying technology and equipment for the Russian military. Both issues echo Washington’s words of warning to him in recent weeks, but it is not what Mr Xi wants his own people, or indeed those in France, to hear. Instead, he is trying to win over the French and bolster China’s influence in Europe to counter any narrative coming from the United States. He will also meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during his visit to France. She has embraced a policy of "de-risking" from China, which includes tougher talk and cutting Europe's dependence on Chinese imports and tech. Later this week, he will make stops in Serbia and Hungary, allies of Moscow that have courted Chinese investment. Mr Xi will spend most of Monday in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. Mr Macron will want to press Mr Xi on Beijing's friendship with Moscow - and how far it is prepared to go to settle the war in Ukraine, especially as President Putin is scheduled to visit Beijing later this month. The West says China makes too much. Its workers disagree Blinken says China helping fuel Russian threat to Ukraine The two will also discuss French brandy, China's most imported type of spirit - Beijing is threatening to impose tariffs on it in response to the EU's investigation into Chinese EVs. That is an alarming prospect for French brandy makers who said last week that high tariffs would be a blow to the future of the industry. Beijing is likely to be just as concerned about the results of the EU's investigation into Chinese subsidies for EVs. Europe is a key market for China's hugely successful electric car makers. So, winning over Mr Macron is key if Beijing is to, as China’s ambassador to France put it, “resist anti-China relations”. To do that Mr Xi is highlighting the ties that bind Franco-Chinese relations together as the two celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations. The Chinese leader wrote an opinion column for the French newspaper Le Figaro and said he was coming to France with three messages: that Beijing was committed to opening up “new vistas” in its relationship with France; opening up “ever wider” to the world and to upholding world peace and stability. Keeping with Beijing's message, Chinese state media is also upbeat. Hungary opens up to Chinese tech despite protest Europe’s good cop and bad cop meet Xi Jinping “China and France will light up their way forward with the torch of history, open a brighter future of China-France relations and make new contributions to world peace, stability and development,” said Xinhua. It also highlighted President Xi’s love of French writers and artists and reported that his book has now been translated into French. But there was also a word of caution: a Global Times editorial urged Europe to be independent and "especially not controlled by any third party", a not-so-subtle reference to the US. To put Paris in his corner, Mr Xi may see an opening with his French counterpart. President Macron has in the past pushed back on following US policies on China. He caused controversy during his trip to Beijing last year by saying Europe should not follow Washington “blindly” on Taiwan. And while Mr Macron is one of the strongest backers of a raft of trade measures that have angered Beijing in recent weeks, he also wants Chinese companies to build their EV plants in France. Even so, Mr Macron has proved he will be no pushover. Last week, as he was preparing to roll out the carpet for President Xi’s visit, he met Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile, in Paris. One of Mr Macron’s key priorities will also be to warn China of the danger of backing Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. Like the United States, France and most of the EU want Beijing to stop supplying weapons components to Moscow. “It is in our interest to get China to weigh in on the stability of the international order,” said Mr Macron in an interview with the Economist published on Thursday. “We must, therefore, work with China to build peace,” he added. President Xi has so far refused to do anything to stop Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In his Le Figaro opinion column he wrote that China “understands the repercussions of the Ukraine crisis on the people of Europe” and emphasised that Beijing is not “a party to or a participant in it”, adding that “China has been playing a constructive role in striving for peaceful settlement of the crisis”. Whatever the outcomes of his visit to France, President Xi‘s visits to Hungary and Serbia will prove that China still has allies in the eastern corner of Europe. Additional reporting by BBC Monitoring https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ck5kxkjpekgo
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Honda is typically very good at naming cars. Look at the Civic, Accord, Beat, Prelude, and Odyssey. These are all memorable names for cars that fit their own individual product. A good history does not guarantee good future results, and the brand's choice to sell a car called "e:Ny1" in Europe and China seemed confounding at the time. Honda has apparently noticed, because the name is reportedly already in line for replacement. e:Ny1 may seem like a clever play on "Anyone," but it is actually a confusing combination of letters and numbers just meant to indicate an electric (e:N) car produced in partnership with automakers in China. According to a report from Autocar, the brand is dropping the e:N prefix on all of its Chinese-market EVs going forward because customers "just can't pronounce it." The new system would switch to a more straightforward naming convention of a single letter and a single number, making the e:Ny1 a simple Y1. Unfortunately for customers, this decision was made after the launch of a car called e:NS2. Honda refers to its GM Ultium–based American EV as the Prologue, a simple and memorable name that makes sense as the name of an electric SUV. U.S. buyers have mercifully been spared the e:N naming convention, and the new naming rules mean that the market should still be spared if cars based on this architecture arrive on the U.S. market in the future. The change is good news for Honda buyers in China and Europe, but the era of confusing EV names is far from over. Jaguar still offers a gas-powered E-Pace and an electric I-Pace at the same time, Mercedes still sells a sedan called the EQS and an SUV called the EQS SUV side by side, and Toyota still sells a car called the bZ4X. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a60701639/honda-worst-car-name-eny1/
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Honda is typically very good at naming cars. Look at the Civic, Accord, Beat, Prelude, and Odyssey. These are all memorable names for cars that fit their own individual product. A good history does not guarantee good future results, and the brand's choice to sell a car called "e:Ny1" in Europe and China seemed confounding at the time. Honda has apparently noticed, because the name is reportedly already in line for replacement. e:Ny1 may seem like a clever play on "Anyone," but it is actually a confusing combination of letters and numbers just meant to indicate an electric (e:N) car produced in partnership with automakers in China. According to a report from Autocar, the brand is dropping the e:N prefix on all of its Chinese-market EVs going forward because customers "just can't pronounce it." The new system would switch to a more straightforward naming convention of a single letter and a single number, making the e:Ny1 a simple Y1. Unfortunately for customers, this decision was made after the launch of a car called e:NS2. Honda refers to its GM Ultium–based American EV as the Prologue, a simple and memorable name that makes sense as the name of an electric SUV. U.S. buyers have mercifully been spared the e:N naming convention, and the new naming rules mean that the market should still be spared if cars based on this architecture arrive on the U.S. market in the future. The change is good news for Honda buyers in China and Europe, but the era of confusing EV names is far from over. Jaguar still offers a gas-powered E-Pace and an electric I-Pace at the same time, Mercedes still sells a sedan called the EQS and an SUV called the EQS SUV side by side, and Toyota still sells a car called the bZ4X. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a60701639/honda-worst-car-name-eny1/
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Following Karan Johar’s expression of disappointment over comedian Kettan Singh’s mimicry act, the comedian has issued an apology to the filmmaker, clarifying that his intention was not to cause harm. Johar had taken to Instagram stories on Sunday to convey his frustration upon witnessing Singh’s portrayal of him in the promo for the new comedy show Madness Machayenge – India Ko Hasayenge. While Johar refrained from explicitly mentioning the channel or the comedian’s name, he criticised the act, labeling it as being in “poor taste.” Karan’s Instagram post conveyed his disappointment at stumbling upon Singh’s mimicry act while watching television with his mother. He lamented the lack of respect from within the industry and expressed sadness rather than anger at the situation. He wrote, “I was sitting and watching television with my mom… and saw a promo of a reality comedy show on a supposedly respectable channel… a comic was mimicking me in exceptionally poor taste… I expect this from trolls and faceless and nameless people but when your own industry can disrespect someone who has been in the business for over 25 years it speaks volumes about the times we live in… this doesn’t even anger me it just makes me sad!” Following Karan Johar’s expression of disappointment over comedian Kettan Singh’s mimicry act, the comedian has issued an apology to the filmmaker, clarifying that his intention was not to cause harm. Johar had taken to Instagram stories on Sunday to convey his frustration upon witnessing Singh’s portrayal of him in the promo for the new comedy show Madness Machayenge – India Ko Hasayenge. While Johar refrained from explicitly mentioning the channel or the comedian’s name, he criticised the act, labeling it as being in “poor taste.” Karan’s Instagram post conveyed his disappointment at stumbling upon Singh’s mimicry act while watching television with his mother. He lamented the lack of respect from within the industry and expressed sadness rather than anger at the situation. He wrote, “I was sitting and watching television with my mom… and saw a promo of a reality comedy show on a supposedly respectable channel… a comic was mimicking me in exceptionally poor taste… I expect this from trolls and faceless and nameless people but when your own industry can disrespect someone who has been in the business for over 25 years it speaks volumes about the times we live in… this doesn’t even anger me it just makes me sad!” https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/karan-johar-criticises-comedian-for-mimicking-him-in-exceptionally-poor-taste-kettan-singh-apologises-dont-want-to-offend-9310502/
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I’d been feeding the stray cat for months before she brought them to our door: a gang of feral and frail-looking kittens. I’d never had a pet before, and, like many people who do not grow up with animals, I perhaps lacked a certain emotional dimension. The arrival of this bunch of spitters and shakers cracked me wide open, and right when I needed it. It was 2016, and I was living as a property guardian in a disused care home in east London. I was 23, and I was broke, ambitious and ill. Back then I could be found having routine panic attacks in a PPE-blue ex-NHS bathroom. These days, I know all this to be the ripples of complex post-traumatic stress disorder. At the time, however, I just assumed this was what happened to unemployed writers. Enter Kitten Babyleaf and her fluffy kin – seemingly as traumatised, adrift and desperate for security as me. With that, a dormant paternal instinct (or maybe a saviour complex) kicked in, as I set about literally herding cats, who would scatter like dust. They mewed louder than their size suggested, and it was only after I had spent three hours getting all three into a box that I heard the rest. When I poked my head over the wall of a neighbouring cubicle, my eyes met with six more, staring back like marbles lost in long grass. Babyleaf with her mother and siblings. Photograph: Courtesy of Jonnie Bayfield We got to work; ladders were placed, deckchairs set. We waited and watched. For eight hours the mother stray laboriously dragged each kitten by its scruff to the top of the wall and then just … let go – a fresh take on helicopter parenting. For the weeks that followed, I would creak open the door of that disused bathroom – now their panic room, not mine. I would sit still for hours, waiting. Slowly, day by day, step by step, the kittens came to me, tentatively from abandoned U-bends, led by Babyleaf, a prophet of domestic promise. As their fear was replaced by curiosity, my anxiety was ordered by action. Ours was a monastic life – together, all our untamed edges were being rounded. However, reality knocked. The strangers we lived with were wondering why the pipes kept meowing, and, ultimately, a surprise landlord inspection meant that the game was up. If I wanted to keep my home, I would have to eject the kittens from theirs. No charities would take them, nor friends, nor enemies. Eventually, in a fugue, I stood by and watched as a pet shop owner earnestly inspected each kitten’s genitals, then put them in a cardboard box. And that was that. I never saw Babyleaf or her siblings again. I often wonder what became of her. Is she an Insta-cat, raking in ad revenue by unboxing PlayStations? Does she have a politics podcast? Either way, despite the fact this pet barely had time to fill the role, I hope she remembers me, and I hope she forgives me. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/may/06/the-pet-ill-never-forget-babyleaf-the-feral-kitten-who-tamed-me
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Manager David Moyes will leave West Ham at the end of the Premier League season, the club have confirmed. It comes after BBC Sport's Guillem Balague reported earlier on Monday that former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui had agreed a deal to replace Moyes. Moyes, 61, had come under increasing pressure after a poor run of results, including Sunday’s 5-0 defeat by Chelsea. "I have enjoyed four and a half brilliant years at West Ham, and the club is in a stronger position than when I returned back in 2019,” Moyes said. The Scot took over for his second spell at the club in December 2019 and guided the Hammers to Europa Conference League success last season - their first major trophy for 43 years. But his side have won just one of their past 10 games across all competitions, losing five, and, sitting ninth in the Premier League, are likely to miss out on a fourth successive season in Europe. “When I joined West Ham for a second time, the club was one place above the relegation zone, and it has been a terrific journey to have achieved three consecutive seasons in Europe,” Moyes added. "I would like to thank all the players for their support, and all the success they have achieved, over the last four and a half years. While nothing has been signed yet, former Spain and Real Madrid boss Lopetegui is close to making a return to management with the Hammers, following his departure from Wolves in August last year. Though West Ham confirmed the search for Moyes' successor had begun, they said they will not comment until an appointment is made. The club's joint chairman David Sullivan said Moyes had been "responsible for a period of great progress and success" in West Ham's history. "David has been an absolute professional to work with and he will leave with our greatest respect and good wishes – he deserves to be held in the highest esteem for the service he has given to West Ham United, and we wish him every success in the future," Sullivan added. "By making this announcement now, it allows David to get the send-off he deserves from the West Ham supporters and for us all to show our appreciation to him at our final home fixture of the season against Luton Town Moyes had a first stint in charge of West Ham when he took over following the dismissal of Slaven Bilic in November 2017. The Hammers were in the relegation zone at the time but, despite leading the club to Premier League safety, he left in May 2018 before the appointment of Manuel Pellegrini. Moyes then succeeded Pellegrini in late 2019, with the club just one point away from the relegation zone. The Hammers went on to secure European football through their league position in successive seasons for the first time in their history, finishing sixth in 2020-21 and seventh the following season. He then delivered European success with victory in the Conference League final against Fiorentina in June 2023 on a memorable night in Prague, followed by a trophy parade through east London. However, the Hammers’ heavy loss at Chelsea means they have conceded 70 goals in the Premier League this season, their joint-most in a single campaign in the competition. Only bottom three clubs Burnley (74), Luton (78) and Sheffield United (100) have worse defensive records. After hosting Luton on Saturday, West Ham travel to Manchester City for their last game of the season on 19 May. West Ham thinking of changing for 'two years' Analysis: Guillem Balague, BBC Sport Spanish football writer There has been success under Moyes. There is no doubt about that. But for two years, to my knowledge, West Ham bosses have been thinking 'Should we change direction or not, should we give a little bit more spectacle to the fans?' - more possession and the kind of thing you get with Lopetegui. One thing clear in the Spaniard's mind was that he wanted to stay in the Premier League if possible, having left the Wolves job on the eve of this season. When West Ham approached him - and it wasn't the first conversation he has had with him - then it became clear that was this was the kind of club he was after. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c90z7w94wy4o
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Argentina's President Javier Milei has denied that it is ordinary Argentines who are paying for his radical austerity measures. In a BBC interview, Mr Milei, who campaigned with a chainsaw to symbolise his desire to slash public spending, insisted that the political class were paying for his huge cuts, not the people. The right-wing economist was voted in after years of high government spending and high debt. Inflation is now starting to fall after it initially soared when he took office in December, but it remains the highest in the world annually. The president's critics argue millions of Argentines are paying the price for his austerity programme. Meeting him for the interview in his presidential office, there were clues to his unconventional political background as a celebrity TV economics pundit: a photo of the Rolling Stones (he was in a tribute band), a bust of himself on the desk, a toy model with a chainsaw, and a water bottle with a photo of himself on it. Gifts from his fans, his team said. His face lit up with glee when he told me his favourite Rolling Stones song is Rip This Joint, which he said was off an album with "libertarian components". Since he became president, he has maintained his radical rhetoric about the economy, but has toned it down on other issues. He refused to repeat his past criticism of China, one of Argentina's biggest trading partners, a nation which he labelled an "assassin" during his presidential campaign. As far as economics is concerned, he has made cutting inflation, which stands at 287% annually, his clear priority, arguing that "the most regressive tax that most afflicts people is inflation". But many of his policies have caused prices to rise in the short term, at a time when salaries and pensions are not keeping up with inflation. Julia is one of those who can no longer make ends meet on her monthly pension of about US$190 (£150). https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-68935255
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Nothing Phone 2a was launched in India on March 5. The smartphone comes with an octa-core 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro chipset, two 50-megapixel rear cameras, and a 5,000mAh battery with 45W fast charging support. It ships with Android 14-based Nothing OS 2.5. The phone recently received the Nothing OS 2.5.5 update with new camera features, general improvements, bug fixes, and Google's April security patch. Now, the Nothing OS 2.5.5a update is rolling out for Phone 2a users worldwide with ChatGPT integration and more new features. In a post on X, Nothing confirmed that the Nothing OS 2.5.5a update is rolling out for Phone 2a users. One of the key elements in this changelog is the ChatGPT integration. To be able to access all features, they have to ensure that the latest version of the ChatGPT application is downloaded on their Phone 2a handsets from the Play Store. After installing the Nothing OS 2.5.5a update, Phone 2a users will be able to access ChatGPT via their Nothing Ear or Nothing Ear A true wireless earphones. The Nothing X application has an option to customise a gesture to start a direct voice conversation with ChatGPT. The company noted that this feature will soon be available to other Nothing audio products as well. iQoo Z9x 5G Listed on Company's India Website; Could Launch Soon The easy access to ChatGPT will allow Nothing Phone 2a users to utilise the AI chatbot almost as a virtual assistant. The Nothing OS 2.5.5a update for the Phone 2a also gets new ChatGPT widgets on the home screen. The upgrade also adds a button on the screenshot and clipboard pop-up which allows users to directly paste content from a file to a new conversation in ChatGPT. Nothing OS 2.5.5a update for Phone 2a also brings better colour consistency in the primary wide-angle camera, improved portrait brightness in HDR scenes, and optimised camera app opening performance. An earlier issue with abnormal noise in portrait mode images is also claimed to be resolved with this update. According to the changelog, the Nothing OS 2.5.5a update for Phone 2a has also resolved call stability and clarity-related issues, as well as problems with unlocking fluidity, and ease of swiping. It also incorporates an AI-backed algorithm for auto-brightness adjustments. The update has improved the visual display of battery levels in the Battery widget and optimised power-saving mode. https://www.gadgets360.com/mobiles/news/nothing-phone-2a-os-2-5-5a-update-chatgpt-integration-features-rolling-out-5578491#pfrom=topstory