Europe
Even humans love a good mating call
Volunteers listened to animal mating calls and played a computer game--for science. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. It's important to remember that we humans are simply animals . A very advanced species, but members of the animal kingdom nonetheless. We all need water, food, and shelter to survive, but we also share another similarity.
Watch: Trump compares attack on Iran to Pearl Harbor in meeting with Japanese PM
In a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump was asked why he didn't inform allies about his plan to attack Iran. Trump responded by raising Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II, saying, Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Watch: Sean Penn receives'Oscar' in Ukraine after skipping US ceremony The Academy Award winning US actor won his third Oscar on Sunday, but skipped the ceremony to visit Ukraine. Voiced by Domhnall Gleeson and directed by John Kelly, Retirement Plan is nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards. 'I don't know why we're doing it' - Americans divided on Iran war Ten days since President Trump first announced the attack, people from across the US tell the BBC what they think the best outcome of the conflict could be.
Meta Will Keep Horizon Worlds Alive in VR 'for the Foreseeable Future'
Meta Will Keep Horizon Worlds Alive in VR'for the Foreseeable Future' A day after saying it would shut down its metaverse, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth announced the service will remain available in VR--with limited support. One day after Meta announced it was shutting down Horizon Worlds in virtual reality, the company's chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, announced that it's reversing course. "I have a little bit of good news for you here," Bosworth said in a video AMA on Instagram. "We have decided, just today in fact, that we will keep Horizon Worlds working in VR for existing games, to support the fans who reached out." Meta initially sent an email to Horizon Worlds users on Tuesday saying it would end Horizon Worlds in VR on June 15 but keep the platform afloat on mobile.
A New Game Turns the H-1B Visa System Into a Surreal Simulation
Inspired by real immigrant stories, H1B.Life captures the uncertainty, trade-offs, and pure luck that shape the lives of people trying to build a future in the US. When Allison Yang moved to the US from China two years ago, she noticed that immigrants often talked about their visa status like they were playing cards. The former Chinese journalist and founder of the game studio Reality Reload was at an event in New York when she heard fellow Chinese immigrants talking in confusing terminologies, like playing a Queen, Knight, or Ace. Everyone introduced themselves by words like H-1B, OPT, L-1, O-1, NIW--names of legal immigration categories in the US. With their cards on the table, they could start talking in greater depth about each person's immigration journey.
Rivian will provide 50,000 robotaxis to Uber in a deal worth 1.25 billion
Rivian will provide 50,000 robotaxis to Uber in a deal worth $1.25 billion Initial deployments will start in San Francisco and Miami. Rivian and Uber, with the former to provide the latter with 50,000 robotaxis in funding. This starts with Uber purchasing 10,000 Rivian R2 robotaxis, which will be deployed in San Francisco and Miami by 2028. If all goes well, Uber will scoop up 40,000 more robotaxis by 2030. The company plans to scale the initiative to 25 major cities by 2031.
Medieval chess was more inclusive than the world around it
Black, white, Muslim, or Christian: Players found common ground across the board. A black chess player about to win against a light-skinned cleric. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Chess is widely seen as a great equalizer. Players from every social, racial, and economic class have squared off across the board for nearly 1,500 years, with victories determined solely by skill and strategy.
Essex police pause facial recognition camera use after study finds racial bias
Academics discover black people'significantly more likely' to be identified when compared with other ethnic groups Essex police have paused the use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology after a study found cameras were significantly more likely to target black people than people of other ethnicities. The move to suspend use of the AI-enabled systems was revealed by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), which regulates the use of the technology deployed so far by at least 13 police forces in London, south and north Wales, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Hampshire, Bedfordshire, Suffolk, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Surrey and Sussex. The ICO said Essex police had paused LFR deployments "after identifying potential accuracy and bias risks" and warned other forces to have mitigations in place. LFR systems are either mounted to fixed locations or deployed in vans. In January, the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, announced the number of LFR vans would increase five-fold, with 50 available to every police force in England and Wales. Essex commissioned University of Cambridge academics to conduct a study, which involved 188 actors walking past cameras being actively deployed from marked police vans in Chelmsford.
Crimson Desert: The all-you-can-eat video game divides critics
Video game fans and big, blockbuster releases have had an uneasy relationship in recent years. As so-called triple-A games get more expensive to make, the publishers behind them are accused of taking fewer risks and failing to try new things. But highly anticipated new release Crimson Desert asks a different question - what if a big-budget, graphically advanced game tried to do absolutely everything? The ambitious action-adventure's been compared to a buffet, presenting players with a smorgasbord of ideas, gameplay styles and quests to gorge on. While some have praised it as a feast, others have found it overstuffed, with some undercooked morsels behind the impressive presentation.