South America
How Hacked Card Shufflers Allegedly Enabled a Mob-Fueled Poker Scam That Rocked the NBA
WIRED recently demonstrated how to cheat at poker by hacking the Deckmate 2 card shufflers used in casinos. The mob was allegedly using the same trick to fleece victims for millions. Security researcher Joseph Tartaro demonstrates how he can insert a hacking device into a USB on the back of the shuffler that alters its code, then transmits the deck's order via Bluetooth to a phone app. The Deckmate 2 automatic card shufflers used in casinos, cardhouses, and high-end private poker games around the world are designed to shuffle a deck in seconds with perfect, computer-generated randomness, vastly speeding up play. They're also, amazingly, sold with a camera inside that can observe every card in the deck before it's dealt--a fact that's become very convenient for poker-cheating hackers and, allegedly, members of the Cosa Nostra mafia.
Russia launches barrage of drone strikes across Ukraine
How much of Europe's oil still comes from Russia? Russia launched dozens of drones and decoy drones across Ukrainian territory, including one that hit a school building in Kyiv. Marco Rubio says implementing Gaza peace deal is'top priority' for Trump Body of'breadwinner' Thai captive held in Gaza returned home Displaced Palestinians forced to live in Gaza's graveyards
Ukraine urges EU to back loan using frozen Russian cash
Ukraine's president has urged the European Union to back a plan to release billions of euros in frozen Russian cash to help fund the country's defence. As EU leaders met in Brussels, Volodymyr Zelensky said he hoped they would make a positive decision about using €140bn (£122bn) in Russian assets currently held in a Belgian clearing house. The controversial move would would be on top of sanctions the block has imposed on Russia - the latest on Thursday targeting the Kremlin's oil revenues. They followed US measures against Russia's oil industry earlier - the first time President Donald Trump has sanctioned Moscow as he grows frustrated over President Vladimir Putin's refusal to end the war. On Wednesday evening, the US president confirmed that a planned meeting with Putin in Budapest had been shelved indefinitely.
The Andrew Cuomo Campaign Is All in on MAGA Influencers
With the NYC mayoral race coming to a close, Andrew Cuomo is courting right-wing creators. With only 13 days left before the New York City mayoral election, former governor Andrew Cuomo is partnering with some of the same influencers who helped President Donald Trump win the White House last year. Over the past week, right-wing creators like Logan Paul, the former vlogger turned podcaster and WWE wrestler, and Emily Austin, an influencer and sports commentator, have published content featuring Cuomo as a guest on their shows. The appearances have marked a new investment by Cuomo's team into cultivating attention online as a means of competing against the social media-savvy Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani . But instead of trying to cleave off Mamdani's online support, Cuomo appears to be trying to siphon off support from GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa.
Russian drone kills two Ukrainian journalists on Donetsk eastern front line
How much of Europe's oil still comes from Russia? A Russian drone has killed two Ukrainian journalists and wounded another in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, according to their outlet and the regional governor of the Donetsk region. Freedom Media, a state-funded news organisation, said on Thursday that Olena Gramova, 43, and Yevgen Karmazin, 33, had been killed by a Russian Lancet drone while in their car at a petrol station in the industrial city. Another reporter, Alexander Kolychev, was hospitalised after the attack. Freedom Media said that Gramova, a native of Yenakiieve in the Donetsk region, had originally trained as a "finance specialist", but turned to journalism in 2014, the year when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, and started arming a separatist movement in Donetsk and Luhansk in the Donbas.
Amazon's delivery drivers will be forced to wear AI GLASSES that give them turn-by-turn directions to shave seconds off deliveries
Tearful Kim Kardashian, 45, reveals doctors found brain aneurysm after MRI... as she blames stressful Kanye West divorce As royal insiders dish the dirt, this is what I'm told is the truth about Prince Andrew's daughters This is the exact plan I followed to supercharge my weight loss... and the surprising jab side-effect that cured me of my REAL problem: SUSAN ANDERSON Finance guru storms out of podcast with illegal migrants $420K in debt who insist they'deserve' new car and pool Dakota Johnson reveals her biggest'red flag' in men after Chris Martin split'Gaslighting' and'black out' fights: Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard's'volatile' marriage laid bare by insiders The secret calls and frantic meetings over Congressman's alleged affair with aide who set herself on fire in scandal that could upend Trump's future Pete Hegseth dealt another blow as judge shoots down effort to rebrand Pentagon with'warrior ethos' There's a taboo most men find repulsive... but if they can handle it, says JANA HOCKING, it's the biggest turn on ever The real reason behind Cracker Barrel's disastrous logo change... and it makes complete sense Astonishing new video shows Louvre robbers escaping in a mechanical delivery basket with £76m-worth of jewels - after evading CCTV that was'pointing the wrong way' Elon Musk's ex Grimes baffles fans with bizarre circular face tattoo as they insist inking looks like RINGWORM Putin ally accuses Trump of an'act of war' against Russia after US president imposed new oil sanctions French girl Lola, 12, who was'raped and murdered by Algerian woman' begged'please don't hurt me' before she was brutally killed, court hears Dave Grohl on'thin ice' with wife Jordyn Blum as insiders reveal her strict list of rules to save their marriage... and his plans for daughters to build relationship with his love child Amazon's delivery drivers will be forced to wear AI GLASSES that give them turn-by-turn directions to shave seconds off deliveries READ MORE: Amazon workers claim'kill switch' triggered massive outage In a bid to shave seconds off deliveries, Amazon will soon force its delivery drivers to wear smart glasses. The futuristic glasses use artificial intelligence ( AI) to feed drivers turn-by-turn directions leading up to customers' doorsteps. They're also fitted with cameras so drivers can scan packages and capture proof of delivery. Amazon claims the dystopian device will make deliveries'as safe and seamless as possible'. However, it seems not everyone agrees.
Sudan's Khartoum targeted by RSF drones for third day after airport reopens
Sudan's Khartoum targeted by RSF drones for third day after airport reopens The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have targeted Sudan's capital Khartoum and its main airport with drones, a day after the first passenger flight in two years landed in the city amid the civil war. The government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) intercepted the drones on Thursday, which caused no damage, a military official who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press news agency. The RSF and SAF did not immediately acknowledge the attack. The airport has come under repeated drone attacks blamed on the RSF since Tuesday. Al Jazeera's Hiba Morgan said "both sides seem to be stepping up the use of drones, with the RSF using them here in the capital, Khartoum, to target facilities such as the airport".
Inside Donald Trump's Attack on Immigration Court
Judges describe a campaign of firings and interference which threatens the system's independence. On a Thursday morning last month, Patrick O'Brien, a federal immigration judge, walked into his courtroom in downtown San Francisco. He was scheduled for a master-calendar hearing, a roll call, essentially, to get cases ready for trial. O'Brien was wearing a matte-black robe that seemed to absorb the artificial light overhead. He took his seat, scanned the room, and angled himself toward a computer monitor. The court was leanly staffed. There was a judicial clerk but no bailiff or stenographer. Opposite the judge were tables for the prosecution--the Department of Homeland Security--and for the respondent, a succession of immigrants who were applying for asylum. A Spanish interpreter appeared as a faceless box on a big screen. About ten people, all Latino, sat in wooden pews, gripping folders full of esoteric documents.
Blackouts hit Russia's Belgorod as Ukrainian drone attacks surge
Blackouts hit Russia's Belgorod as Ukrainian drone attacks surge Residents of Russia's Belgorod region say blackouts, air-raid sirens and the sound of gunfire aimed at incoming Ukrainian drones are becoming increasingly common, as Kyiv retaliates against repeated bombardments of its cities with cross-border strikes of its own. It's so loud and so terrifying, says Nina, a Belgorod resident who asked us to change her name. I was coming back from the clinic when a siren went off. As usual, I received Telegram alerts about a drone attack. Then bursts of automatic gunfire broke out, I ran into a nearby courtyard and tried to hide under an arch, she recalls.
The Feasibility of Training Sovereign Language Models in the Global South: A Study of Brazil and Mexico
Malagon, Sandra, Ruiz, Monica A. Ulloa, Plaza, Tatiana Elizabeth Sandoval, Bolívar, Gabriel Rafael Rosario, Mesa, Valentina García, Morales, Ivanna Alvarado
The rapid escalation of computational requirements for training large-scale language models has reinforced structural asymmetries between high-capacity jurisdictions and countries in the Global South. This paper examines the technical and fiscal feasibility of sovereign-scale language model training in Brazil and Mexico under conditions of constrained hardware access, energy availability, and fiscal ceilings. Using a dual-axis design that varies accelerator generation (NVIDIA H100 vs. A100) and training duration (90 vs. 150 days), we estimate compute demand, energy consumption, capital expenditures, and regulatory compatibility for the training of a 10-trillion-token model. Our findings show that while all configurations remain below export-control and electrical infrastructure thresholds, fiscal viability is determined by hardware efficiency. H100-based scenarios achieve training feasibility at a total cost of 8-14 million USD, while A100 deployments require 19-32 million USD due to higher energy and hardware demand. We argue that extending training timelines should be treated as a policy lever to mitigate hardware constraints, enabling the production of usable, auditable, and locally aligned models without competing at the global frontier. This study contributes to the discourse on AI compute governance and technological sovereignty by highlighting context-sensitive strategies that allow middle-income countries to establish sustainable and strategically sufficient AI capabilities.