Russian drone attack 'damaged Chernobyl plant's confinement structure'
A Russian drone attack badly damaged the confinement structure around the disused Chernobyl nuclear power plant intended to prevent the release of nuclear substances, a senior nuclear industry official said Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the International Atomic Energy Agency had earlier reported that radiation levels remained normal at the plant, site of the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986. "The barrier, which was supposed to prevent the spread of radioactive substances, has ceased to function according to its original design," Oleksandr Tytarchuk, the plant's chief engineer, told reporters at the stricken plant.
iOS 18.4 beta: 5 cool iPhone features that may be coming soon
Apple is set to launch a few new products next week. Well, no one knows for sure. There have been rumors of a new iPhone SE or perhaps something new for the Apple Vision Pro line. But we do know of one of Apple's anticipated releases: iOS 18.4 beta, which, according to Bloomberg's Apple insider Mark Gurman, is set to roll out next week. Here are some of the cool things that iPhone users can expect.
DeepSeek sparks investor pessimism on SoftBank's 500 billion Stargate push
For SoftBank Group investors looking for the stock to climb back to all-time highs on a revival of the artificial intelligence boom, DeepSeek poses a major hurdle. SoftBank is steering a 500 billion fundraising for the Stargate Project to develop AI infrastructure in the U.S., a plan that is key to founder Masayoshi Son's drive to establish a leading position in the emerging field. But now DeepSeek's low-cost AI model is begging the question of whether such massive spending is even necessary. DeepSeek may spark a "near-term market correction" for SoftBank and other AI stocks, said Jung In Yun, chief executive officer at Fibonacci Asset Management Global Pte. While the AI rally should pick up again longer term, the focus will be on monetization, he said, adding that "will take years."
OpenAI rejects 97.4bn Musk bid and says company is not for sale
OpenAI on Friday rejected a 97.4bn bid from a consortium led by billionaire Elon Musk for the ChatGPT maker, saying the startup is not for sale. The unsolicited approach is Musk's latest attempt to block the startup he co-founded with CEO Sam Altman โ but later left โ from becoming a for-profit firm, as it looks to secure more capital and stay ahead in the AI race. "OpenAI is not for sale, and the board has unanimously rejected Mr Musk's latest attempt to disrupt his competition. Any potential reorganization of OpenAI will strengthen our nonprofit and its mission to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity," OpenAI said on X, quoting its chair Bret Taylor, on behalf of its board. On Tuesday, Altman told news website Axios that OpenAI was not for sale.
OpenAI's board 'unanimously' rejects Elon Musk's 97.4 billion takeover bid
Elon Musk launched a 97.4 billion bid to take control of OpenAI. The Wall Street Journal reported a group of investors led by Musk's xAI submitted an unsolicited offer to the company's board of directors on Monday. The group wants to buy the nonprofit that controls OpenAI's for-profit arm. When asked for comment, an OpenAI spokesperson pointed Engadget to an X post from CEO Sam Altman. "No thank you but we will buy twitter for 9.74 billion if you want," Altman wrote on the social media platform Musk owns.
Days after losing a crew member at sea near Mexico, Coast Guard Cutter returns with 275-million narcotics haul
After months at sea, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche returned to San Diego on Thursday, with over 37,000 pounds of confiscated cocaine and one less crew member, lost at sea, officials said. The offloading of their massive narcotics haul -- which weighs about as much as a full grown humpback whale and is estimated to be worth 275 million -- comes days after search efforts were ended for 23-year-old Seaman Bryan Lee, according to the Coast Guard. Lee, who hails from Rancho Cordova, was discovered missing at 6:45 a.m. last Tuesday while the Waesche was conducting a routine counter-drug patrol around 300 nautical miles south of Mexico. Search crews dedicated over 190 hours to scouring 19,000 nautical miles for Lee using drones, aircraft and vessels, before suspending the search on Monday. The confiscated cocaine was netted through 11 drug interdiction missions off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America from December through mid February.
3 easy side hustles OpenAI's Operator just made possible - plus how you can get started
OpenAI recently announced Operator, an AI agent designed to perform tasks on the web. After testing it (yes, I paid the 200 bucks, but, more importantly, I kept the subscription), this is a game-changer, but not for the reason you think. This article will probably get me in trouble with my business partner. Also: Will AI kill creativity and destroy human innovation? I'm going to tell you the secret sauce behind how our ecom business generates millions in revenue and how Operator can help.
This Oscar Season's Great Underdog Story Is the Story of a Cat
Just as there are cat people and dog people, there are cat filmmakers and dog filmmakers. Sean Baker, who brought his pup Bunsen to Cannes along with his Palme d'Orโwinning Anora, is a dog filmmaker. That's not to say one can't appreciate both, whether we're talking movies or pets. I myself am a cat person who currently has two dogs. But I think that on some level you are either drawn primarily to the sly, withholding spirit of cat movies or the energetic emotionality of dog movies, and nothing can alter that fundamental orientation.
Who should run OpenAI? 50% say Altman and only 23% say Musk, in ZDNET poll
Earlier this week, Elon Musk made waves by offering Sam Altman 97.4 billion for OpenAI -- which Altman swiftly rejected, countering with a taunt about buying Twitter for a fraction of that. As ZDNET's Tiernan Ray explained, Musk's offer appeared to be a stunt to force Altman's hand in what has become a bromance-gone-sour between the two tech CEOs. Regardless, it got us thinking: Who should run what is arguably the most powerful AI company in the world? We asked, you answered: here's who ZDNET readers think should run OpenAI. ZDNET's LinkedIn poll offered voters three options: Altman, Musk, or another candidate.
Which AI agent is the best? This new leaderboard can tell you
What's better than an AI chatbot that can perform tasks for you when prompted? AI that can do tasks for you on its own. AI agents are the newest frontier in the AI space. AI companies are racing to build their own models, and offerings are constantly rolling out to enterprises. But which AI agent is the best?