MERNIZ

Microsoft will not raise salaries for full-time employees this year and is reducing budget for bonuses and stock awards, Insider reported on Wednesday, citing an internal email by CEO Satya Nadella. The tech giant did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. "Last year, we made a significant investment in compensation driven by market conditions and company performance, nearly doubling our global merit budget...this year the economic conditions are very different across many dimensions" the report quoted Nadella saying. In January, Microsoft said it would let go of 10,000 workers, adding to the tens of thousands layoffs announced before that across the technology sector as it deals with slowing growth in a turbulent economy. Microsoft has now squarely placed its focus on generative AI, an area the industry sees as a bright spot. In collaboration with ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which also has received billions of dollars in funding from Microsoft, the tech giant has been infusing the AI tech into its Office products as well as search engine Bing. Last week, Microsoft expanded public access to its generative artificial intelligence programs, despite fears that tech firms are rushing ahead too quickly with potentially dangerous technology. In March this year, it was reported that Microsoft-owned GitHub laid off 142 people in India, including the entire staff in its engineering division. Those affected by the decision were deployed across the company's offices in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi. A GitHub spokesperson termed the decision as a part of the company's reorganisation plan. https://www.gadgets360.com/internet/news/microsoft-salaried-staff-no-raise-2023-reveals-leaked-mail-ceo-satya-nadella-report-4023362

New leaked images suggest Google Photos will soon be optimized for tablets as the app is slated to make better use of a device’s screen while in landscape view. This batch of information comes from industry tipster Nail Sadykov who runs the Google News Telegram channel(opens in new tab), which is not affiliated with the company itself. Looking at the images Sadykov provides, the redesigned Photos app looks quite similar to how Adobe Lightroom appears on tablets: a side-by-side view with the image on the left and a variety of editing tools across six sections on the right. It doesn’t appear there will be any changes to those editing tools, since users will still be able to adjust the shadows in a photo or tweak the aspect ratio, for example. The goal with the redesign, it seems, is to help people make more precise edits since the app will better fit the screen. Portrait mode, however, will be staying exactly the same, according to Sadykov on Twitter(opens in new tab). At the time of this writing, Google Photos on tablets is essentially the mobile version just stretched out. The narrower interface is fine for smartphones, but on bigger screens, you end up with a lot of wasted space in landscape mode. It’s unknown when the redesign will roll out, if at all. Sadykov claims you can enable the changes in the “latest version of the Google Photos app,” although it is currently “hidden from users.” So, it’s possible the software is going through some internal testing at the moment. Updating the old It is worth pointing out the changes follow a trajectory that Google has been on since Google I/O 2022 where the company revealed it would be rolling out tablet-optimized versions of old apps(opens in new tab). One of the earlier waves(opens in new tab) updated multiple Google Workspace apps like Google Drive, Docs, and Sheets to better fit large Android screens. The update even added new features like the ability to drag and drop files. Optimization continues to this day as Google Drive recently obtained “several modernizations” back in March(opens in new tab) that make it easier to see file details on screen, among other things. Speaking of Google I/O, the 2023 event is happening tomorrow, Wednesday, May 10. During the event, the world will see the debut of the company’s first foldable phone, the aptly named Google Pixel Fold. We also hope to hear about the official launch date of the long awaited Pixel Tablet, so be sure to follow our coverage of Google I/O 2023 as it happens. And while we have your attention, check out TechRadar’s list of the best Google Photos alternatives for the year. https://www.techradar.com/news/google-photos-is-about-to-get-a-lot-better-on-your-tablet-with-upcoming-redesign

It's on the high-end for a gaming laptop, with top-of-the-line hardware and a large high refresh rate screen for great gaming performance. This Lenovo Legion Pro 7i laptop holds within its belly a 16 GB Nvidia RTX 4090 laptop GPU and also an Intel Core i9-13900HX processor. Originally priced at $3,599, you can get $540 off this laptop if you use code GAMINGOFFERS at checkout. That means you can get the Legion Pro 7i Gen 8 for only $3,059(opens in new tab). Also using the latest 40-series GPU is the new Dell XPS 17 gaming laptop that's been reduced to $2,999 (opens in new tab)from $3,499. This gaming laptop features the Nvidia Geforce RTX 4070 laptop GPU and a 13th Generation Intel Core i9-13900H processor. Another standout feature of this machine is the large 17-inch 4K touchscreen which will allow you to view content and play games with incredible detail. A much more affordable option and using the last generation of hardware, this laptop could easily be included in a list of the best laptops under $1000. The Acer Predator Triton 300 SE comes in at $999(opens in new tab) - saving $600 off of its original markup price. With an Intel Core i7-12700H CPU and RTX 3060 GPU, this is a very capable hardware setup for playing the latest and greatest gaming titles See below for more laptop Real Deals. https://www-tomshardware-com.translate.goog/news/save-dollar540-off-an-rtx-4090-gaming-laptop-real-deals?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=ar&_x_tr_hl=ar&_x_tr_pto=sc

The government has ditched its plan for thousands of EU-era laws to expire automatically at the end of the year. The plan - dubbed a post-Brexit bonfire - would see laws that were copied over to the UK after Brexit vanish, unless specifically kept or replaced. Critics of the bill had voiced concern that it could lead to important legislation falling away by accident. But the climbdown is likely to trigger anger from Brexit-backing Conservative MPs. Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch said the cut-off point would be replaced with a list of 600 laws the government wants to replace by the end of the year. In a statement, she said the change would be made through an amendment when the Retained EU Law Bill returns to Parliament next week. MPs push back against timeline to scrap EU laws Senedd votes against plan to scrap EU-era laws Plan to scrap EU laws undermines NI deal - report Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, who introduced the bill when he was in government, called the move an "admission of administrative failure". It showed an "inability of Whitehall to do the necessary work and an incapability of ministers to push this through their own departments," he added. He said the move to ditch the deadline represented the triumph of "the blob" - a term used by some Tory MPs to describe the Whitehall establishment. The UK incorporated an estimated 4,000 EU laws into UK law to minimise disruption to businesses when the UK officially left the EU in 2020. Since September 2021, it has been reviewing this body of legislation to identify opportunities to give British firms an edge over European competitors. The Retained EU Law Bill, which began its journey through Parliament during Liz Truss's premiership, would have introduced a 31 December cut-off date for most of these laws to expire, unless ministers replaced or decided to retain them. 'Humiliating u-turn' However opposition parties, trade unions and campaign groups cast doubt on whether the deadline was realistic, given the huge workload in reviewing the legislation. In a statement on Wednesday, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch acknowledged the deadline had created "legal uncertainty" for businesses. She added that the "growing volume" of EU laws identified during an ongoing audit of laws carried out by civil servants meant the process had started to prioritise reducing legal risk over "meaningful reform". Labour called the move a "humiliating u-turn," accusing ministers of trying to "rescue this sinking ship of a bill". "After wasting months of parliamentary time, the Tories have conceded that this universally unpo[CENSORED]r bill will damage the economy," said Jenny Chapman, Labour's shadow Cabinet Office minister. Liberal Democrat peer Lord Fox said the Conservatives had "dug themselves into a hole" with the bill, adding: "While they may have stopped digging, they're still in the hole". The bill was passed by MPs in January, but was expected to run into significant opposition when it faces further scrutiny in the House of Lords. Peers were meant to start debating the bill last month, but the government was reported to have put it on hold until last week's local elections in England were over. The government is still expected to face opposition from peers over new powers for ministers to amend or replace EU laws using secondary legislation, a fast-track process that attracts less scrutiny in Parliament. Some Conservative MPs say this would rob Parliament of a meaningful say over what is changed. EU laws covering financial services had been exempted from the deadline as they have been carved out into another bill making its way through the Commons. The same is expected for EU legislation affecting VAT and customs. Environmental laws However, the footprint of EU-era legislation is particularly large when it comes to environmental regulation. Campaign groups have warned about a loss of rights and legal protections in areas including water quality, air pollution standards and protections for wildlife. However, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had faced pressure from some Brexiteers not to change the end-of-year deadline. He promised during his unsuccessful leadership campaign last summer to publish a list of which EU laws would be retained or scrapped within 100 days of taking office. However, he did not keep the pledge after taking office in October after he was chosen to replace Liz Truss as prime minister by Conservative MPs. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-65546319

Wild sheep on St Kilda have been left to starve to death, say island vets. They have raised a petition urging action from the Scottish government and the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) - which helps to manage the uninhabited archipelago off the west of Scotland. The two vets said the number of animals outstripped the available grazing. NTS said the animals were related to ancient wild sheep and were treated as feral, so there was a presumption against intervention. And the Scottish government said St Kilda's sheep were similar to wild deer in that they were unowned and unmanaged. Evidence St Kilda was inhabited 2,000 years ago The last families who lived on St Kilda St Kilda sheep study 30 years old But Western Isles-based vets David Buckland and Graham Charlesworth argue the animals were managed in some way for thousands of years until the last islanders abandoned St Kilda in 1930. Mr Buckland, who has worked in Uist and Barra for more than 40 years, described the sheep as domestic animals left to live in a "wild state". He said: "It is the manner of their dying that vets are concerned with. I think starvation is a very bad death." Mr Buckland said scientific monitoring of po[CENSORED]tions on St Kilda's islands of Hirta, Boreray and Soay suggested sheep had been dying from starvation on a regular basis for years. He added: "For the last six years we have been trying to persuade NTS and Scottish government to take measures to reduce the starvation and improve welfare of sheep, but have got nowhere." NTS said it took its responsibilities relating to animal welfare seriously and always followed relevant legislation. A spokeswoman said: "The Soay sheep are an important part of the St Kilda archipelago's heritage, and originate from the po[CENSORED]tion on the island of Soay where they were treated as a wild po[CENSORED]tion for hundreds of years, unmanaged save for periodic hunting by the archipelago's inhabitants. "The sheep will continue to be treated as feral animals with a presumption against intervention, except in exceptional circumstances, such as a serious outbreak of disease that threatens the sheep po[CENSORED]tions." NTS said it had been in long-running communication with the vets regarding the management and welfare of the sheep. The spokeswoman added: "We will continue to comply with Scottish government legislation relating to St Kilda's sheep po[CENSORED]tions and are happy to contribute to any review it decides to undertake." The Scottish government said the history of the sheep meant they were not considered to be a species that was commonly domesticated within the British Islands. A spokesman said: "This means that provisions contained within the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2006 would not apply. This has been the consistent position of the Scottish government for many years." He added: "We recognise that within any wild po[CENSORED]tion of animals in Scotland there will be different challenges from year to year which may impact po[CENSORED]tion numbers. "For the St Kilda sheep the harsher climatic conditions of the winter months can unfortunately lead to increased natural deaths among the po[CENSORED]tion." The St Kilda Soay Sheep project, which has been studying the animals since 1985 said the sheep had been evolving to their environment for hundreds of years. It said the deaths over winter were potentially comparable with other wildlife in Scotland. A spokesman said: "There is no evidence whatsoever Soay sheep on St Kilda suffer more or differently than other wild po[CENSORED]tions experiencing harsh Hebridean winters." St Kilda is a group of small islands and rocky sea stacks more than 40 miles (64km) west of the Western Isles. The main island of Hirta is inhabited but only on a temporary basis by visiting NTS workers, scientists and also contractors who work at small Ministry of Defence site. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-65532834

As the Paris Olympic Games are fast approaching (July 26 – August 11, 2024), the issue of sanctions against Russian and Belarusian athletes continues to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis by the federations. The IOC assures that it will decide "in due time", even if it means allowing absurd situations to develop. Should Russian and Belarusian athletes be admitted to Paris-2024 as war continues to rage in Ukraine? Fourteen months before the Olympics , the debate is far from settled. The greatest vagueness reigns around the participation of Russians and Belarusians : the international federations deal on a case-by-case basis with the lifting of sanctions in the light of their interpretation of the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ). Their presence, or not, at the Games (July 26 – August 11, 2024), has yet to be decided by the IOC, which will do so "in good time", without having set a deadline. In the meantime, the International Federations are divided between those having opened the door to their return and others having closed it. Athletics, for example, maintained its exclusion measures. Badminton too –: the secretary general of its International Federation (BWF), Thomas Lund, however explained “to be in good dialogue with the IOC to obtain more clarity on the ways forward”, in a statement sent to AFP . "Clarity" is the key term because the sports, more and more numerous, having endorsed the end of generalized sanctions - this is the case of fencing, table tennis or canoeing - are groping. The conditions recommended by the IOC, under a neutral banner and on an individual basis, are interpreted differently. Playing doubles ok, team judo no Russian and Belarusian athletes "can only compete as neutral individual athletes", indicates the body chaired by Thomas Bach in its recommendations. These clearly exclude "teams", therefore collective sports, without removing any ambiguity on the collective events of individual disciplines. "The definition of team sports or team events is established in accordance with the corresponding regulations of the IFs (International Federations, editor's note)", evacuates the IOC in a note. Thus, table tennis prepares the return of eligible athletes in singles tournaments, but also in doubles. If by chance, their participation in the 2024 Olympics was authorized, Russian and Belarusian table tennis players could try to win a medal in mixed doubles. But not in the team event, mixing four singles and a double. More surprisingly, four fencers from these two countries could not shoot in teams, in the current state of the decisions of their International Fencing Federation (FIE). But four ceists (for canoeing) or kayakers of these same two nationalities could paddle in the Vaires-sur-Marne basin, since their International Federation, the ICF, is moving towards authorizing crews of two to four. Neutrality survey Several International Federations such as those of judo (IJF) or that of fencing (FIE) have recourse to private companies, specialized in e-reputation, to ensure that athletes comply with the principle of neutrality recommended by the IOC. Namely that they are not "athletes who actively support the war". It is a question of scrutinizing the media and social networks to ensure the absence of "public declarations" or "wearing of a symbol", "for example the symbol Z", in favor of the war, cites the example of the movement Olympic. Not all the Federations use these services, but all those who have lifted the generalized sanctions have announced the creation of an independent committee to decide on a case-by-case basis. "There will be outside and inside people so as to both retain knowledge of the sport and have legal and human rights expertise", describes the vice-president of the International Federation of Modern Pentathlon, Joël Bouzou, "from so as to avoid conflicts of interest". A major challenge in the reduced biotope of certain sports. A pressing question as qualifying begins Except in judo, where nineteen “neutral individual athletes” are currently participating in the Worlds in Doha, the sports that have lifted the suspensions have not yet recorded a return to competition of Russian or Belarusian athletes. However, the qualification period for the Olympics has begun for several of them, particularly in fencing. Thus, the Russian swordsmen and swordswomen could not shoot at the Seoul Grand Prix (April 27-29), "due to a bureaucratic mess and the slowness of the International Federation", criticized the president of the Federation Russian to the Russian news agency Tass. The latter, Ilgar Mamedov, therefore asked that "all the qualifying points for this tournament be canceled". However, the Olympic movement has given its position on this scenario: the IOC "will not ask international federations to retroactively adapt their qualification systems". All eyes are therefore on the European Games, in Krakow, from June 21 to July 2, because they weigh heavily in qualifying in several sports, for example archery or fencing, among those reinstating Russians and Belarusians . Could these be there? Last month, a fencing World Cup stop in Poznan, Poland, was canceled due to the Russian return. Not to mention that some European confederations – a continent where rejection weighs heavier than on a global scale – are considering excluding Russians and Belarusians. They would then be deprived of the Continental Championship and therefore precious points in the eventual race for the Olympics. https://www.france24.com/fr/sports/20230510-jeux-olympiques-le-cio-dans-le-flou-artistique-concernant-les-sportifs-russes-et-biélorusses

Re dog names (The pet I’ll never forget, 8 May), I remember, some 30 years ago, a dog running down our village street, its owners in hot pursuit calling out its name: “Tiptoe! Tiptoe!” It didn’t. Joy Webb Penistone, South Yorkshire When we got a cairn terrier puppy, he had already been named Achilles. I could always spot English speakers in the park by their reaction to my urgent shouts as I tried to train him to walk just behind me. Charles Osborne Prague, the Czech Republic I agree that we have an unhealthy obsession with sleep (Our obsession with sleep is doing more harm than good – and ignores the real problem, 9 May). But if the “sleepalyser” – blood tests for drivers after a road accident to determine whether they are under the “sleep limit” – is to be introduced, surely the police should be similarly tested to check that they’re fresh enough to carry out the test? Stan Labovitch Windsor, Berkshire Re the “enigma wrapped in pastry” (Breakfast pie: the British delicacy that doesn’t exist – but absolutely should, 8 May), breakfast pie is on the menu at the tea rooms in the Antiques Village in Levenshulme, Manchester. Carole Ludlow Mooney Bacup, Lancashire Mary Burgess (Letters, 9 May) wonders why we have letterboxes at ground level. My European friends wonder why we cut holes in our doors at all. Val Seddon York Is anyone who cycles to a demonstration carrying a D-lock or a bike chain now breaking the law? Prof Jonathan Bard Oxford The free press is under attack from multiple forces. Media outlets are closing their doors, victims to a broken business model. In much of the world, journalism is morphing into propaganda, as governments dictate what can and can’t be printed. In the last year alone, hundreds of reporters have been killed or imprisoned for doing their jobs. The UN reports that 85% of the world’s po[CENSORED]tion experienced a decline in press freedom in their country in recent years. Last week marked the 30th annual World Press Freedom Day, a day for everyone to reflect on the importance of free expression as fundamental for all other rights. It is also an opportunity to pledge support for independent media – because without a robust and free press, a healthy democracy is impossible. As you’re joining us today from Algeria, we hope you will consider marking this day by supporting the Guardian. Despite the financial challenges plaguing the media industry, we’ve decided to keep our journalism paywall-free, because we deeply believe everyone has the right to access high-quality, fact-checked reporting. And we maintain our independence thanks to generosity from readers all over the world, who understand that supporting the free press is an investment in an informed and empowered public. Unlike many others, we have no billionaire owner – this helps us maintain the freedom to fearlessly chase the truth and report it with integrity. Your support will allow us to continue to work with trademark determination and passion to bring you journalism that’s always free from commercial or political interference. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/may/10/talk-about-giving-a-dog-a-bad-name

Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan has pleaded not guilty to corruption charges a day after his arrest sparked nationwide protests. Eight people have died nationwide in the protests and about 1,000 have been arrested, police say. The army is being deployed in some areas, and has issued a stern warning after crowds attacked its properties. Mr Khan's arrest dramatically escalated tensions between Mr Khan and the military at a time of economic crisis. Conviction would disqualify the former cricket star - prime minister from 2018 to 2022 - from standing for office, possibly for life. Elections are due later this year. Dramatic footage showed dozens of security officers forcibly removing the 70-year-old from court on Tuesday, then bundling him into a police vehicle. There is tight security at the police guesthouse where he is being detained, which is also serving as a courtroom. On Wednesday Mr Khan was indicted on charges that he unlawfully sold state gifts during his premiership, in a case brought by the Election Commission. He denies the allegations and says he fulfilled all legal requirements. It was the first of dozens of cases against him in which he has been formally charged. For months he had avoided arrest, with his supporters at times fighting pitched battles with police to keep him out of custody. Tuesday's arrest was based on a new warrant for a separate corruption case, connected to the alleged transfer of land for Al-Qadir University, near Islamabad. The judge remanded Mr Khan in custody for eight days in this case. One of his lawyers, Sher Afzal Marwat, said his client was faring well and relayed a message to supporters not to give up: "You have to stand your ground for Rule of Law," Mr Khan said. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said it would challenge the legality of his arrest in court. The action by Pakistan's anti-corruption body has led to violent protests across the country. The government has called the army in to maintain order in several regions of the country, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Balochistan, and Islamabad. Extraordinary scenes on Tuesday evening showed Mr Khan's supporters ransacking the corps commander's residence in Lahore, smashing chandeliers and making away with peacocks - among other things - which they said were bought with "citizen's money". Pakistan's army described 9 May as a "dark day" and warned protesters of an "extreme reaction" if properties of the state were attacked again. Police in Islamabad used shipping containers to try to block routes to the compound where Imran Khan was appearing before a judge. The BBC witnessed clashes between protesters and the police in the middle of one of Islamabad's main motorways. Protesters began gathering after midday, some carrying with them PTI flags or wearing Imran Khan face masks. Canisters of tear gas were fired into the crowd soon after they began to gather. The protesters attempted to hit the metal casings away using their sticks. There were no arrests during the 90 minutes the BBC were present. "We came to do a peaceful protest, but these police are shelling us," one man, who was holding stones and a stick and wearing a surgical mask, told the BBC. "Until our death we will continue this protest or until they free Imran. Otherwise we will shut the whole country." Mr Khan was ousted last April, less than four years into his term as prime minister. In November, he was shot in the leg while campaigning among crowds in the city of Wazirabad. He has accused a senior intelligence official of carrying out the attack - an accusation strongly denied by the military. A day before his arrest, the military had warned Mr Khan against repeating the allegation. Mr Khan's party says he faces more than 100 court cases, which he says are politically motivated. His supporters argue that the current government wants to bar him from contesting general elections due in October. Dr Shireen Mazari, the former Minister for Human Rights in Mr Khan's PTI government, told the BBC that the way Mr Khan had been detained amounted to state abduction. "We don't expect even the military to abuse the sanctity of the court in this way," she said, adding that people in Pakistan were "seething with anger" at the way he had been treated, as well as wider economic problems. However, Islamabad's High Court declared the arrest legal. "Mr Imran Khan will face the law, if innocent, [he] can contest the election. But if found guilty of corruption, he will have to face the consequence of that," Minister of Planning Ahsan Iqbal told a press conference on Wednesday. Police have arrested supporters of Mr Khan's party, including Asad Umar, its secretary-general. The cricket hero bowled out as Pakistan's PM Polarised politics are tearing Pakistan apart Mobile internet services remain heavily restricted across the country. Pakistan's telecommunication authorities said they had suspended services on instructions from the interior ministry. Schools also remain closed, some highways have been blocked and there is little traffic on roads in major cities. Many analysts believe Mr Khan's election win in 2018 happened with the help of the military. But amid a growing economic crisis, observers say he fell out of favour with the powerful military, the crucial behind-the-scenes player in nuclear-armed Pakistan. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65541215

The ex-Riot devs at Odyssey Interactive know why there are so few truly crossplatform live service games out there right now. Because making one is really hard. They made one anyway: Omega Strikers arrived last month on PC, mobile, Switch and PS5, with an Xbox edition coming soon. Founded in 2020 by Dax Andrus, David Capurro, Eric Lawless and Richard Henkel, the Odyssey team has credits on League of Legends, mobile spin-off Wild Rift and Teamfight Tactics. The studio raised $6m in a seed funding round led by a16z, and later $18m in a series A raise led by Makers Fund. With the studio’s debut now live, we asked Odyssey cofounder and designer David Capurro (ex-Riot) and marketing director Ryan Rigney (ex-Riot, Respawn) why it doesn’t have many peers working in the crossplatform, live service space. “It’s hard, right?,” says Capurro. “It’s hard to manage all these platforms…we’ve got Sony, we’ve got Microsoft, we’re talking to Steam all the time, we’re talking to Apple, we’re talking to Google… you have to get so many ducks in a row. In some ways it’s actually harder to get your ducks in a row in a bigger studio…it’s one of the advantages we have.” Odyssey is currently around 35 people, and Rigney cites Supercell as a big inspiration for the team, which has experience across mobile, PC and console. “It’s really hard to do live service – like, it’s so hard it’s kind of crazy,” says Rigney. “Really competitive games tend to be isolated to PC. Some of the best competitive games ever – Counter Strike, League of Legends – tend to be limited to one platform. There’s some on console, and Apex is a great example of console plus PC, but there’s very, very few competitive games that are fully crossplatform. No one has really captured the opportunity.” Future-sports multiplayer game Omega Strikers has been designed with mobile play baked in from the start. Capurro is keen to stress that it has not been ported to mobile as an afterthought. “A lot of games in that real-time, fast-paced category went from being a PC or console game to getting ported in a kind of a negative sense to mobile,” he tells us. “We wanted to get out ahead of that.” “We set the challenge for ourselves that if we can make this a great experience on mobile from the get-go we’re not going to be fighting and lamenting certain decisions we made along the way.” Rigney says over a million people have played the game to date across all platforms, and that’s rising all the time. “We got a lot out of the beta, and it validated that we’re not crazy for trying to do this competitive crossplatform thing,” he says. Omega Strikers is designed to work intuitively whether you’re on a pad or touchscreen. The PC and console editions also level out the risks around mobile UA right now too, says Rigney. “If you’re trying to get players with just UA, you’re not gonna make it,” he tells us. “We feel like we’ve got to go hard across all platforms, and we’re doing a very large influencer campaign.” “If we have trouble acquiring on one platform, it won’t be that those players are falling into some very thin matchmaking pool,” Ringey continues. “They’ll be plugged in with everyone else and they’ll have a great time. So there’s certain advantages to the crossplay thing that helps mitigate some of the challenges with UA.” With a relatively tight team of 35 and millions in VC backing, the Odyssey team’s main goal with Omega Strikers right now is retention, says Capurro. Omega Strikers is targeted at what Odyssey describes as a new generation of platform-agnostic players. “If somehow we brought in millions of players and no one’s spent a penny, of course that would be a problem,” he says. “But it’s not one that would be threatening to the studio right away. What is more existential is if the efforts to gain players – and more importantly keep them engaged – are unsuccessful.” “We’re in a position where even if we make no money for the next six months or a year, it’s not lights off – we have good flexibility.” There’s already early talk of game two, in fact, which will also be a multiplayer crossplatform game. This is where Odyssey sees the opportunity: in a new, younger generation of players who love playing together and don’t care what platform their game is on. “The team had a clear vision of this before I joined,” adds Rigney. “They’d recognised how difficult it is if you have totally separate mobile and PC ecosystems, which is the case for Wild Rift and Apex Legends Mobile. There are so many things where you’re like: we’re going to do this cool thing and it’s not going to reach half our audience. You want to avoid that.” https://mobilegamer.biz/so-hard-its-kind-of-crazy-ex-riot-devs-odyssey-on-launching-omega-strikers-cross-platform/

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor developer Respawn has a fresh patch arriving this week for its Fallen Order sequel, which launched with several bugs on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5 last month. The console patches will be available today, with the PC patch arriving later this week. One major issue being fixed on PS5 specifically is an HDR value mismatch that would cause HDR setups to display incorrectly for PS5 users. On both consoles, expect a number of bugs to be addressed, ranging from various crash fixes to a "severe" animation issue that would result in the game breaking at a crucial narrative sequence. PC players have had a rougher time with Jedi: Survivor, and they'll be receiving a number of fixes targeted solely at that platform. Performance improvements are where the bulk of these fixes lie, and Respawn says that this patch will launch "as soon as possible" on PC. There'll still be more fixes coming in future updates, and Respawn says that it's working on improving performance on newer i7 and i9 CPUs, general performance improvements to both CPU and GPU utilization, and various bug fixes. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor players have reported a number of issues with the game since it arrived on April 28, including a bug that caused players to permanently lose XP, missing preorder items, and generally shoddy performance on every platform. Publisher Electronic Arts promised that it's working on a fix for these many issues--especially on PC--and that it will continue to monitor the game's performance. "We are aware that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor isn't performing to our standards for a percentage of our PC players. We are committed to fixing these issues as soon as possible." In GameSpot's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor review, Jordan Ramée said the game "improves upon its predecessor's gameplay and storytelling to deliver an engrossing story of a Jedi grappling with morality." Star Wars Jedi: Survivor patch 4 details PC Updated occlusion behavior for ray tracing, reducing idle time stalls. Updated streaming budgets that will help alleviate traversal hitching. Performance improvements for some VFX. Updated data handling when toggling raytracing, improving non-raytraced performance. PS5 Fixed an HDR value mismatch that would cause HDR setups to display incorrectly for PS5 users. Xbox Series X|S and PS5 Fixed various save state errors. Fixed a streaming issue that causes some streaming scenarios to end on a black screen. Fixed an issue where one of the vents did not properly activate in Stone Spires. Audio fix for a narrative moment where music was behaving incorrectly. Fixed lightsaber marks not displaying correctly in some scenarios. Fixed a scenario where the player could enter a progression-blocked state in the Lucrehulk. Fixed an elevator to prevent the player from falling through it and entering a progression-blocked state. Fixed a bug where Rayvis would become unbeatable. Fixed a severe animation issue that would break a late-game narrative sequence. Fixed a collision bug where players can get stuck inside a Meditation Chamber. Added a note explaining that some of BD-1's abilities are not available while in combat. Improved text scrolling. Minor text translation fixes. Various crash fixes. Upcoming patches (PC only) Improving performance on newer i7 and i9 CPUs that have efficiency cores. (PC only) General performance improvements to improve both CPU and GPU utilization while reducing idle time, both with and without raytracing. (PC only) Improving some hitching which can be attributed to streaming raytracing data, assets, and a gap in our prebuilt shaders. Various bug fixes. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-wars-jedi-survivor-patch-fixes-ps5-hdr-issues-pc-patch-coming-later-this-week/1100-6513932/

Evercore Heroes looks like a MOBA, but doesn't play like one. It's a team-based competitive action game where, instead of attacking the other teams, you travel around the map to level your heroes up and prepare to defend your base from waves of monsters. It has a variety of playable heroes with abilities that are inspired from Riot and Blizzard games, which also happens to be where some of its lead developers came from. This genre-bending PvE game has been tested by a number of players in the last year, but will go live as a closed beta on June 20. Evercore Heroes will transition into a free-to-play game when it fully launches, which the developer, Vela Games, expects to be by the end of the year. To get into the closed beta, you'll have to purchase one of three founder's packs from the Evercore Heroes site(opens in new tab), which includes an exclusive battle pass, instant hero unlocks, a spare beta key for a friend, and various skins and cosmetics. Evercore Heroes' founder's packs look like this: Founder ($20): Founder's battle pass, 1 friend key, Lotus, Sydian Legend ($50): Everything in the Founder pack plus Blink, Luumtech Blink legendary skin, legendary beta Magigraph, $10 of currency, exclusive Discord role Evercore Hero ($80): Everything in the Legend pack plus 2 extra friend keys, Cynder, Celestial Cynder mythic skin, legendary Cynder Magigraph, Celestial Cynder mythic emote, and an extra $5 of currency The Founder's battle pass contains exclusive skins, emotes, voice lines, and in-game currencies, and it won't expire. And players who buy any pack will get heroes Beko, Fyn, Shade, and Zari when they log into the game. In his Evercore Heroes preview(opens in new tab) last year, Josh Wolens spoke to developers at Vela Games about their goal to expand the definition of competitive gaming. Without direct PvP, Evercore Heroes seeks to emphasize collaborative play and avoid the frustration of being crushed by a dominant opponent. This was clear in the three matches I played during a recent preview event. My four-person team lost every match, but it was simply because we couldn't quite keep up with how fast the other teams were clearing through objectives. Our team comp may not have been as synergistic as others or we may have misused enough abilities that we fell behind in the race to collect Luum, the resource that determines your score. No single player or team directly kept us from winning, which is a key reason the developers wanted to make a competitive game like this. Every match is a challenge to work with your team to level up, empower your abilities, and collect Luum. Scattered around each of the game's maps are unique objectives and bosses that work a lot like MMO encounters. In one fight, I played a support hero and had to balance healing my team and a rock that, when healed to full, significantly weakens the enemy. In another scenario, the two DPS players had to focus-fire certain enemies to quickly light torches and stop more creatures from attacking. Each objective pressures your team of a tank, support, and two DPS to combine your unique abilities (which are all on low cooldowns) and withstand a global event where everyone protects their Evercore from waves of enemies. Evercore Heroes will start with a healthy roster of 16 heroes split among its three roles. Vela Games says it's looking into ways for matchmaking to recognize players who are still testing out new heroes to put them with people of a similar mindset. A core principle of the game is to avoid the toxicity that can foster when everyone on a team has conflicting goals. Some people might be dead set on winning, while others may just want to goof off as a particular hero. Matching players together based around those intentions is an ambitious idea that will surely need a lot of playtesting to refine, but after three losses that were surprisingly fun to play, I'm interested in seeing it try. Evercore Heroes' closed beta begins on June 20 and doesn't currently have a date for when it will transition into the full, free-to-play game. https://www.pcgamer.com/this-moba-mutation-where-you-dont-fight-other-players-will-get-a-closed-beta-next-month/

Nickname: Merniz Video author: Marshal No Commentary Name of the game: Call of Duty Warzone 2 Link video:

Poco F5 5G and Poco F5 Pro 5G smartphones have been launched in select global markets on Tuesday, May 9. The flagship gaming-focused smartphones feature top-end Snapdragon SoCs, apart from Dolby Vision capable AMOLED displays with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and triple rear cameras. The vanilla Poco F5 5G also made its debut in India. It is powered by a Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 SoC, while the Poco F5 Pro has a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC under the hood. The former comes with a 5,000mAh battery with support for 67W Turbocharging. Poco F5 5G price in India, availability The price of Poco F5 5G has been set at Rs. 29,999 for the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant. The model with 12GB RAM + 256GB storage is priced at Rs. 33,999. As a special introductory offer, Poco is offering the base variant at Rs. 26,999 and the top-end model with 12GB RAM for Rs. 30,999. The phone will go on sale via Flipkart on May 16 in Carbon Black, Electric Blue, and Snowstorm White shades. Poco is offering the Poco F5 5G in India with a one-year warranty. Poco F5 5G specifications The dual (SIM) Poco F5 5G runs on Android 13 based on MIUI 14 and features a 6.67-inch full-HD+ (1,080x2,400 pixels) AMOLED display with adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, 240Hz touch sampling rate, 93.5 percent screen to body ratio and 1920Hz PWM dimming. The display is rated to offer 100 percent coverage of DCI-P3 colour gamut and has Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ support. The screen also has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The new Poco handset is equipped with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 SoC, along with 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM. The onboard memory can be expanded up to 19GB with 7GB of unused storage. For thermal management, the Poco F5 5G is equipped with a Vapour Chamber Cooling System with a 3725mm square heat dissipation area and 14 layers of graphite sheets. For optics, the Poco F5 5G has a triple rear camera setup led by a 64-megapixel primary sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS). The camera setup also includes an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle sensor and a 2-megapixel macro camera. For selfies and video chats, there is a 16-megapixel selfie camera up front. Poco has packed 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage on the new handset. It has an IP53-rated splash-resistant build as well. Connectivity options on the handset include 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The Poco F5 5G has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for authentication. It packs dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support. The Poco F5 5G is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 67W Turbocharging. The bundled charger is claimed to charge the battery from zero to 100 percent in just 45 minutes. https://www.gadgets360.com/mobiles/news/poco-f5-pro-5g-price-in-india-rs-29999-33999-launch-specifications-sale-date-may-16-flipkart-features-4019019

Windows 11 just made using Android apps a more secure experience thanks to a new update for Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), plus a useful ability has been introduced to ramp up performance, too. Windows Latest(opens in new tab) spotted the update to WSA with the release notes on GitHub(opens in new tab) showing the changes Microsoft has applied here (with WSA version 2304.40000.3.0). That includes package verification for Android apps being installed on a Windows 11 system. What that means is when you go to install an app to use via WSA, before the installation kicks off, it’ll be scanned by your default antivirus software. If anything suspicious is uncovered, the setup will be canceled (obviously enough). The other main feature addition piped through with this update is you can now specify how much system RAM is allocated to the Android subsystem. Crank up the memory allowance for WSA above the default level, and apps will open quicker and perform better as you might expect. Aside from that, there are miscellaneous performance improvements for WSA, and just as importantly, tweaks to make the system more reliable. Analysis: More pep in your Android step It’s good to see Microsoft implementing a useful extra layer of security for those on Windows 11 who enjoy running Android apps on the desktop. Of course, with WSA you’re pulling apps from the Amazon Appstore, which is a trusted repository, but when it comes to defending your PC, you can never be secure enough, really. And with the ability to pep up the performance of Android apps, and the speed with which they open, by giving them more RAM to take advantage of – plus overall tuning of performance in the background – WSA should be a much snappier place for running your Android goodies. Microsoft keeps improving WSA at a commendably rapid pace, with other performance-boosting measures having been taken last month, too. https://www.techradar.com/news/windows-11-just-made-it-safer-to-use-android-apps-and-speedier-too

(Reuters) - Donald Trump's onetime lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen asked a court to throw out the former U.S. president's $500 million lawsuit against him, calling it an "abusive act of pure retaliation and witness intimidation." Cohen's lawyers in a filing late Monday in Miami federal court said the lawsuit combined the "worst of Mr. Trump's vindictive impulses," and that its timing was no coincidence. Trump sued Cohen on April 12, eight days after pleading not guilty to 34 criminal charges from the Manhattan district attorney's office over a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. Cohen made the payment on Trump's behalf, and is expected to be a key witness against Trump if the case goes to trial. He had previously testified before a grand jury that charged Trump with falsifying business records. Authorities have said that the $130,000 payment was meant to silence Daniels about her alleged sexual encounter with Trump, which he denies. Cohen served part of a three-year prison term after pleading guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations and tax evasion. His 2020 book "Disloyal: A Memoir" was a New York Times' best-seller. Trump's lawsuit accused Cohen of violating rules governing lawyers' conduct by revealing his "confidences" and "spreading falsehoods" in books, podcasts and media appearances. It also said that Cohen damaged Trump's reputation by calling him "racist," and making up conversations. Cohen's lawyers said Trump missed a statute of limitations to sue over the book. They also said it was hard to imagine how Cohen's sharing his views on Trump "moved the needle" on how people perceived the former president. https://www.investing.com/news/world-news/michael-cohen-calls-trumps-500-million-suit-against-him-pure-retaliation-3077099

Campers have spotted a dead whale washed up on a beach in north Wales. Abersoch Coastguard Rescue Team announced the sighting of a beached whale at Porth Neigwl, also known as Hell's Mouth, Gwynedd, on Monday morning. It is the second whale to have washed up onto a UK beach in two days. People have been urged not to approach the animal, which experts believe is a young sperm whale. The rescue team said after locating it, it had directed a team from British Divers Marine Life Rescue to the cliff top who confirmed the whale was dead. How did Wally the walrus end up in Tenby? Two octopuses spotted walking on a Ceredigion beach "With a full and very high tide preventing any access to the beach a full assessment and post mortem will be carried out later," the coastguard said. "Please do not attempt to approach the whale as this part of the beach is fully cut off at high tide and any contact will impair the valuable results to be gained from a full autopsy." Sperm whales, which are considered vulnerable globally, can grow up to 59ft (18m) and weigh up to 45 tonnes. In 2019, a young sperm whale was found washed up on the same beach. Experts believed it was the first time a sperm whale calf had been stranded on Welsh shores. Monday's sighting follows the discovery of a dead minke whale on North Berwick beach in East Lothian, Scotland on Sunday morning. Further north, a dead humpback whale was found on a sand bank at Loch Fleet nature reserve in the Scottish Highlands on Friday. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-65530854

Le Real Madrid affronte Manchester City, mardi, lors de la demi-finale aller de Ligue des champions. Un match de gala pour un remake de 2022 : les deux équipes avaient alors joué deux matches de haut niveau, et les Merengues s’étaient imposés notamment grâce à Karim Benzema. Cette année, le Mancunien Erling Haaland pourrait jouer les trouble-fête. Un an après, on reprend les mêmes équipes au même niveau de la compétition et on recommence. Le Real Madrid accueille Manchester City, mardi 9 mai, au Santiago Bernabeu, pour le match aller de la demi-finale de la Ligue des champions. Une rencontre de gala entre deux équipes performantes mais au palmarès diamétralement opposé sur la scène européenne. Là où les Madrilènes ambitionnent de soulever une quinzième Coupe aux grandes oreilles le 10 juin prochain, les Citizens courent encore après leur premier trophée dans la plus prestigieuse des compétitions européennes. Mais quel que soit le vainqueur de cette demi-finale, il aura encore fort à faire avant de triompher face à l'AC Milan ou à l'Inter Milan – qui s'affrontent mercredi 10 mai lors d'un derby au sommet. L'an dernier, les Citizens avaient pris le meilleur sur les Merengues à l'Etihad Stadium (4-3) avant que le Real Madrid ne renverse la vapeur au match retour (3-1). "Demain (mardi), on cherchera un résultat positif. Le match décisif sera à Manchester, pas demain", a déclaré le 1er mai l'entraîneur des Merengues, Carlo Ancelotti. "On cherchera à prendre un petit avantage. Et pas forcément au tableau de marque : quand tu as de bonnes sensations, que tu ne souffres pas trop, que tu évites les problèmes et que tu en crées à l'adversaire, c'est aussi positif." Cette année, les Madrilènes abordent le premier round de cette demi-finale avec une confiance retrouvée au bon moment : largués en championnat (3e à 14 points du FC Barcelone, 1er), ils ont remporté un vingtième sacre en Coupe du Roi, le 29 avril, à Séville contre Osasuna (2-1) grâce à un doublé de Rodrygo. Le jeune ailier brésilien du Real a retrouvé ses qualités de finisseur au meilleur des moments, et au grand désespoir des Citizens : Rodrygo avait été leur bourreau au match retour en mai 2022, inscrivant un doublé en deux minutes dans le temps additionnel (90e, 90e+1) – avant que Karim Benzema donne la victoire à son équipe en prolongation (95e). L'expérimenté "KB9" et le cyborg Haaland Outre Rodrygo et Vinicius, l'attaquant français et capitaine du Real Madrid va aussi donner le ton lors du match face à Manchester City. "KB9", désigné Ballon d'Or 2022 après une saison stratosphérique, a porté son club sur ses épaules en Ligue des champions l'année dernière. Mais à 35 ans, il vit une saison en demi-teinte à cause de plusieurs pépins physiques – dont un qui l'a conduit à un forfait douloureux pour le Mondial-2022. Ceci étant, Karim Benzema a inscrit 29 buts en 38 matches joués cette année, un bilan comptable très honorable ponctué par plusieurs coups d'éclat : des triplés contre Valladolid (6-0), le Barça (4-0) et Almeria (4-2), tout comme ses buts contre Liverpool en huitièmes et Chelsea en quarts de finale de Ligue des champions, ont montré qu'il n'avait rien perdu de ses qualités de finisseur. Sa présence face aux Citizens sera donc déterminante mardi, comme elle l'avait été l'an dernier (trois buts inscrits sur les deux matches). D'autant que "KB9" rêve d'entrer encore un peu plus dans l'Histoire avec la "Maison Blanche". Il est devenu, le 29 avril, le joueur le plus titré de l'histoire du Real Madrid – à égalité avec le Brésilien Marcelo – avec 25 trophées remportés en 14 ans. Le club madrilène pourrait, quant à lui, remporter le 100e trophée de son histoire en cas de triomphe à Istanbul, le 10 juin prochain. Karim Benzema est aussi devenu récemment le quatrième meilleur buteur de l'histoire du championnat d'Espagne (avec 236 buts inscrits) et est, pour l'instant, le quatrième meilleur marqueur de l'histoire de la Ligue des champions (90 buts) – à une unité de Robert Lewandowski. Erling Haaland, qui sera l'atout offensif majeur des Citizens face au Real, est encore loin des sommets atteints par l'attaquant français. Mais à 22 ans, le jeune attaquant de Manchester City se positionne sur des standards encore jamais vus sur la scène européenne : il a déjà inscrit 35 buts en seulement 27 matches de C1. Le cyborg norvégien affole aussi d'autres compteurs : il a déjà marqué 12 fois cette année en Ligue des champions avant le double affrontement contre le Real, et il a inscrit 35 buts (un record) pour sa première saison dans le championnat anglais. Toutes compétitions confondues, Erlin Haaland en est à 51 buts en 46 matches. Aucun joueur de l'élite anglaise n'avait atteint les 50 buts sur une saison… depuis 1931. "Arrêter une équipe qui paraît inarrêtable" Avec deux buts inscrits lors des deux matches face au Bayern Munich en quarts de finale de la Ligue des champions, Erling Haaland devrait être surveillé comme le lait sur le feu à Santiago Bernabeu. "C'est évidemment un joueur très dangereux, qui montre des qualités impressionnantes, surtout devant les buts. C'est une menace évidente", a commenté Carlo Ancelotti. Le Real Madrid affronte Manchester City, mardi, lors de la demi-finale aller de Ligue des champions. Un match de gala pour un remake de 2022 : les deux équipes avaient alors joué deux matches de haut niveau, et les Merengues s’étaient imposés notamment grâce à Karim Benzema. Cette année, le Mancunien Erling Haaland pourrait jouer les trouble-fête. Un an après, on reprend les mêmes équipes au même niveau de la compétition et on recommence. Le Real Madrid accueille Manchester City, mardi 9 mai, au Santiago Bernabeu, pour le match aller de la demi-finale de la Ligue des champions. Une rencontre de gala entre deux équipes performantes mais au palmarès diamétralement opposé sur la scène européenne. Là où les Madrilènes ambitionnent de soulever une quinzième Coupe aux grandes oreilles le 10 juin prochain, les Citizens courent encore après leur premier trophée dans la plus prestigieuse des compétitions européennes. Mais quel que soit le vainqueur de cette demi-finale, il aura encore fort à faire avant de triompher face à l'AC Milan ou à l'Inter Milan – qui s'affrontent mercredi 10 mai lors d'un derby au sommet. L'an dernier, les Citizens avaient pris le meilleur sur les Merengues à l'Etihad Stadium (4-3) avant que le Real Madrid ne renverse la vapeur au match retour (3-1). "Demain (mardi), on cherchera un résultat positif. Le match décisif sera à Manchester, pas demain", a déclaré le 1er mai l'entraîneur des Merengues, Carlo Ancelotti. "On cherchera à prendre un petit avantage. Et pas forcément au tableau de marque : quand tu as de bonnes sensations, que tu ne souffres pas trop, que tu évites les problèmes et que tu en crées à l'adversaire, c'est aussi positif." Cette année, les Madrilènes abordent le premier round de cette demi-finale avec une confiance retrouvée au bon moment : largués en championnat (3e à 14 points du FC Barcelone, 1er), ils ont remporté un vingtième sacre en Coupe du Roi, le 29 avril, à Séville contre Osasuna (2-1) grâce à un doublé de Rodrygo. Le jeune ailier brésilien du Real a retrouvé ses qualités de finisseur au meilleur des moments, et au grand désespoir des Citizens : Rodrygo avait été leur bourreau au match retour en mai 2022, inscrivant un doublé en deux minutes dans le temps additionnel (90e, 90e+1) – avant que Karim Benzema donne la victoire à son équipe en prolongation (95e). L'expérimenté "KB9" et le cyborg Haaland Outre Rodrygo et Vinicius, l'attaquant français et capitaine du Real Madrid va aussi donner le ton lors du match face à Manchester City. "KB9", désigné Ballon d'Or 2022 après une saison stratosphérique, a porté son club sur ses épaules en Ligue des champions l'année dernière. Mais à 35 ans, il vit une saison en demi-teinte à cause de plusieurs pépins physiques – dont un qui l'a conduit à un forfait douloureux pour le Mondial-2022. Ceci étant, Karim Benzema a inscrit 29 buts en 38 matches joués cette année, un bilan comptable très honorable ponctué par plusieurs coups d'éclat : des triplés contre Valladolid (6-0), le Barça (4-0) et Almeria (4-2), tout comme ses buts contre Liverpool en huitièmes et Chelsea en quarts de finale de Ligue des champions, ont montré qu'il n'avait rien perdu de ses qualités de finisseur. Sa présence face aux Citizens sera donc déterminante mardi, comme elle l'avait été l'an dernier (trois buts inscrits sur les deux matches). D'autant que "KB9" rêve d'entrer encore un peu plus dans l'Histoire avec la "Maison Blanche". Il est devenu, le 29 avril, le joueur le plus titré de l'histoire du Real Madrid – à égalité avec le Brésilien Marcelo – avec 25 trophées remportés en 14 ans. Le club madrilène pourrait, quant à lui, remporter le 100e trophée de son histoire en cas de triomphe à Istanbul, le 10 juin prochain. Karim Benzema est aussi devenu récemment le quatrième meilleur buteur de l'histoire du championnat d'Espagne (avec 236 buts inscrits) et est, pour l'instant, le quatrième meilleur marqueur de l'histoire de la Ligue des champions (90 buts) – à une unité de Robert Lewandowski. Erling Haaland, qui sera l'atout offensif majeur des Citizens face au Real, est encore loin des sommets atteints par l'attaquant français. Mais à 22 ans, le jeune attaquant de Manchester City se positionne sur des standards encore jamais vus sur la scène européenne : il a déjà inscrit 35 buts en seulement 27 matches de C1. Le cyborg norvégien affole aussi d'autres compteurs : il a déjà marqué 12 fois cette année en Ligue des champions avant le double affrontement contre le Real, et il a inscrit 35 buts (un record) pour sa première saison dans le championnat anglais. Toutes compétitions confondues, Erlin Haaland en est à 51 buts en 46 matches. Aucun joueur de l'élite anglaise n'avait atteint les 50 buts sur une saison… depuis 1931. "Arrêter une équipe qui paraît inarrêtable" Avec deux buts inscrits lors des deux matches face au Bayern Munich en quarts de finale de la Ligue des champions, Erling Haaland devrait être surveillé comme le lait sur le feu à Santiago Bernabeu. "C'est évidemment un joueur très dangereux, qui montre des qualités impressionnantes, surtout devant les buts. C'est une menace évidente", a commenté Carlo Ancelotti. https://www.france24.com/fr/sports/20230509-ligue-des-champions-real-city-et-benzema-haaland-pour-une-demi-finale-de-gala

Files purloined during the substantial MSI hack last month have started to proliferate around the dark web. One of the more worrying things spotted among the digital loot is an Intel OEM private key. MSI would have used this to sign its firmware/BIOS updates to pass Intel Boot Guard verification checks. Now hackers can use the key to sign malicious BIOS, firmware and apps, which will look entirely like official MSI releases. Update (5/8/2023): Intel has now issued a statement, nothing that the keys are generated by the OEM (MSI) not Intel itself. “Intel is aware of these reports and actively investigating. There have been researcher claims that private signing keys are included in the data including MSI OEM Signing Keys for Intel® BootGuard. It should be noted that Intel BootGuard OEM keys are generated by the system manufacturer, and these are not Intel signing keys.” In the wake of being hacked last month, MSI began to urge customers to source firmware/BIOS updates exclusively from its official website. The well known PCs, components and peripherals firm was being extorted by a ransomware group called Money Message. Apparently the extortionists had swiped 1.5TB of data, including various source code files, private keys, and tools to develop firmware. Reports said that Money Message were asking for over four million dollars, to return the entirety of the data back to MSI. Over a month has passed, and it looks like MSI hasn't paid up. Therefore, we are now seeing the fallout. Intel Boot Guard ensures that PCs only can run verified apps before boot. In a white paper about 'below-the-OS-security (PDF), Intel talks with some pride about its BIOS Guard, Boot Guard, and Firmware Guard technologies. Boot Guard is a "key element of hardware-based boot integrity that meets the Microsoft Windows requirements for UEFI Secure Boot." Sadly, it is not longer going to be a useful 'guard' for a wide range of MSI systems. Tweets published by Binarly (a supply chain security platform) and its founder Alex Matrosov, neatly spell out the dangers presented by this leak of Boot Guard keys and other data in the MSI haul. A GitHub page linked by Binarly lists the 57 MSI PC systems which have had firmware keys leaked, and the 166 systems which have had Intel Boot Guard BPM/KM keys leaked. If you care to look through the lists of affected machines, you will see all the familiar MSI series, such as Sword, Stealth, Creator, Prestige, Modern, Cyborg, Raider, Titan. Owners of these systems with Intel Core 11th Gen Tiger Lake CPUs or newer will have to strictly adhere to MSI-site only updates. In addition to the Boot Guard worries, it is possible that hackers will try and phish users into heading to a fake MSI site or downloading fake MSI apps. These apps can now be signed and will appear to genuinely be from MSI, so could execute without triggering your AV. This leak has certainly made a mess, and it isn't clear whether the leaked keys can be revoked, or what the next steps from parties involved will be. At the time of writing we haven't seen any official reaction from MSI or Intel regarding the files which are now going public. Please avoid checking the stolen files on the dark web or other sources, as they might now be laced with malware. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/msi-bootguard-keys-leaked-to-internethttps://www.tomshardware.com/news/msi-bootguard-keys-leaked-to-internet