Science and technology

Stalker 2 has received a fresh update as developer GSC Game World rolls out Stalker 2 Update 1.4.1, addressing key problems faced by players. While this isn’t the biggest update for the game, Stalker 2 Update 1.4.1 brings some much-needed stability improvements after previous patches caused new issues. Stalker 2 Update 1.4.1 focuses mainly on fixing crashes that occurred when certain mods were installed. Specifically, the patch solves problems where the game would crash at launch if the Simple Mod Loader was in use. Another issue causing crashes when loading save files with mods like UETools has also been fixed. Read More: Infinity Nikki 1.6 update gets new date after player complaints These crash fixes may seem minor, but they’re important for fans who have faced trouble since the release of the previous major patch, Stalker 2 Update 1.4, which introduced hundreds of changes. Unsurprisingly, that large update also led to some unexpected problems, now being addressed in Stalke...

Dell Technologies on Monday unveiled new servers powered by Nvidia’s Blackwell Ultra chips, aiming to capitalize on the booming demand for artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The servers, available in both air-cooled and liquid-cooled variations, support up to 192 Nvidia Blackwell Ultra chips but can be customized to include as many as 256 chips. These servers can train AI models up to four times faster than previous models, Dell said. The pricing of these products will be “competitive,” Arthur Lewis, President of Dell’s Infrastructure Solutions Group, told Reuters, adding that “there’s a lot of interest on what’s next.” Dell and Super Micro Computer have benefited from the growing demand for servers designed to handle the computer-heavy AI tasks, but the high cost of producing the systems and tough competition have pressured their margins. Dell in February forecast a decline in adjusted gross margin rate for fiscal 2026, while Super Micro projected fourth-quarter revenue below...

Elon Musk’s xAI responded to widespread reports that its Grok chatbot made claims about a genocide against white citizens in South Africa, saying there had been an unauthorized change to the artificial intelligence bot. In a post on X on Thursday, xAI said it would update the system to address the problem. Issues of political biases, hate speech and accuracy of AI chatbots have been a concern since at least the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022. XAI said that early on Wednesday the unauthorized change was made to Grok’s response software, circumventing the normal review process. “This change, which directed Grok to provide a specific response on a political topic, violated xAI’s internal policies and core values,” xAI said. Some X users on Wednesday noticed that Grok brought up the topic of “white genocide” in South Africa in unrelated discussions about other matters, sharing screenshots of their exchanges. Read more: How will Gemini chatbot change the way kids interact with AI...

11 Bit Studios’s action-adventure survival game, The Alters, is one of the most anticipated games of this year. The single-player sci-fi game allows players to assume the role of Jan Dolski, a man on a mission to a planet rich in a valuable element. Tragically, Jan’s entire team is wiped out during the approach to the planet, leaving him to complete the mission alone in this perilous environment. The planet is plagued by radiation storms, so Jan must gather essential resources during the day and return to a wheel-shaped mobile base to upgrade his gear while hunkering down through the night. However, one of the planet’s suns scorches everything in its path when it rises, forcing Jan to get the base up and running before the sun hits and sets both him and the base ablaze. 11 Bit Studios has set June 13 as the release date for The Alters. Read more: Take-Two reaffirms confidence in new GTA 6 release date According to reports, the action-adventure survival game will arrive on Play...

WhatsApp, the world’s top messaging app, owned by Meta, is working on a status sharing feature to give users better control over status and updates. This new feature will let users choose if their contacts can forward or share their status or not. Initially, the Status sharing feature was discovered in the Android Beta version 2.25.16.16 and is likely to be launched globally in the coming weeks. The update introduces a forwarding toggle within the Status Privacy Settings, enabling users to turn the feature on or off. The functionality brings a forwarding toggle in the status privacy settings, which users can turn on or off. If disabled, the contacts will not be able to share or forward the status of the user. Read More: WhatsApp parts ways with ‘THESE’ phones Likewise, WhatsApp will add an “Allow Reshare” option under the Privacy Menu, which, when switched off, will remove the forward icon from viewers’ screens. Moreover, to ensure privacy protection, users’ phone numbers and p...

Activision has announced its plans to delist Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile from Google Play and App Store as it has not met the studio’s expectations. The mobile version of the game is set to be taken down from the App Store and Google Play on Sunday, May 18, as per Activision. According to the developer, the game, which was launched on March 21, 2024, did not meet expectations. In a post shared on X, the company acknowledged the shortfall, stating the game has not met the expectations of mobile-first players. “We deeply appreciate your dedication and passion for Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile. Going forward, we will be streamlining the scope of the game. This decision was made after careful consideration of various factors and while we’re proud of the accomplishment in bringing Call of Duty: Warzone to mobile in an authentic way, it unfortunately has not met our expectations with mobile-first players like it has with PC and console audiences,” Activision stated in the post. Read mo...

The CEO of Take-Two Interactive, parent company of Rockstar Games, has reaffirmed confidence in the new release date of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6. Originally scheduled to hit the shelves in Fall 2025, the game was delayed to May 26, 2026, as Rockstar Games said that they needed “extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.” At the time, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick said that the company supported the developer in its decision to push GTA 6 to 2026. “We support fully Rockstar Games taking additional time to realise their creative vision for Grand Theft Auto VI, which promises to be a groundbreaking, blockbuster entertainment experience that exceeds audience expectations,” he said in a statement. Zelnick has now reiterated his confidence in the developer to release the sixth title in the Grand Theft Auto series on the revised release date. “Generally, when we announce a date [for] certain, we’re able to hit that date,” he said during a recent int...

PESHAWAR: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has developed a mobile app for the online registration of birth, death, and change in marital status. The mobile application was prepared for the online registration of changes in marital status, births, and deaths, says the spokesman of NADRA in a press release here Saturday. NADRA spokesman stated that through this app, citizens will be able to register important life events from the comfort of their homes. The mobile app will initially be introduced in Punjab, where biometric verification facilities are being provided in all union councils. The NADRA spokesman also mentioned that NADRA one-window counters are being established in Union Councils of Islamabad for facilitation of people. In a separate development, the authority has partnered with provincial governments to modernise civil documentation to introduce a digital birth and death registration system across hospitals and healthcare centres in Pakistan. R...

After months of speculation, Rockstar Games announced a delay in the release date of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6 earlier this month. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick is now opening up on the reason behind their decision to push the game to May 2026 from the Fall 2025 release date. Speaking during the company’s recent financial results, he said that the need for more polish “became clear” as GTA 6 got closer to launch. “As we get closer to completion of a title that’s seeking perfection, the needs or lack thereof, for continued polish become clear,” the Take-Two Interactive boss said. “In this case there was an opportunity with a small amount of incremental time, we thought, to make sure Rockstar Games achieves its creative vision with no limitations. And I supported of course that approach,” he added. Strauss Zelnick, however, admitted that the delay in the release of GTA 6 pains him. Read more: GTA 6 release date could face another delay: report “I feel really good about ...

Apple has blocked the Fortnite video game on its iPhones in the United States and through the game maker’s own store in the European Union, its maker Epic Games said on Friday. Access to Fortnite via iPhone Operating System and through its App Store will be unavailable worldwide until Apple unblocks it, Epic Games said. The tech giant did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Epic Games did not give a reason why Fortnite had been blocked. Epic Games, a US-based studio backed by China’s Tencent, is the world’s largest game studio. It was launched in 2017 and its last-player-standing, “battle royale” format became an instant hit, drawing millions of players. Since 2020, however, it has been in a legal battle with Apple, after the gaming firm alleged that Apple’s practice of charging up to 30 precent in commission on in-app payments violated US antitrust rules. Read more: Fortnite Chapter 6 goes full Star Wars with new map and vehicles Apple banned Fortnite from its...

Coinbase (COIN.O), forecast a hit of $180 million to $400 million from a cyberattack that breached account data of a “small subset” of its customers, the crypto exchange said in a regulatory filing on Thursday. The company received an email from an unknown threat actor on May 11, claiming to have information about certain customer accounts as well as internal documents. While some data — including names, addresses and emails — was stolen, the hackers did not get access to login credentials or passwords, Coinbase said. It would, however, reimburse customers who were tricked into sending funds to the attackers. Hackers had paid multiple contractors and employees working in support roles outside the U.S. to collect information. The company had fired those involved, it said. Separately, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had begun scrutinizing whether Coinbase had misstated its user figures, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The agency had also been interest...

Apple is going to pay a $95 million settlement in a Siri privacy lawsuit for violating the privacy of its voice assistant. The Siri privacy lawsuit was filed in 2019, alleging Apple’s voice assistant ‘Siri’s’ unintentional activation and recording of users’ private discussions without permission. The reported recordings had personal, medical, and confidential information which were being shared with third-party contractors for different purposes. Out of two complainants, one claimed to have started receiving advertisements related to specific brands just after they had the general discussion, while the other one claimed to start having ads for medical treatment following the discussion with the doctor. Apple has opted to settle the case to avoid prolonged proceedings, despite denying any misconduct. The company highlights that Siri was designed with privacy protection and that no user data was shared or sold for any marketing or other purposes. Read More: Apple introduces new ac...

WASHINGTON, May 15، 2025: Two sprawling digital black markets operating on the communications platform Telegram have been removed, the service said on Thursday. Xinbi Guarantee and Huione Guarantee – Chinese-language markets known for serving cybercriminals and scammers – appeared to be inactive on Thursday. Telegram provided little further detail in a message to Reuters except to say that “criminal activities like scamming or money laundering are forbidden by Telegram’s terms of service and are always removed whenever discovered.” Blockchain research firm Elliptic said the two markets had collectively facilitated more than $35 billion in transactions since 2021, many multiples higher than other black markets such as the drug-focused Silk Road, which drew international notoriety for distributing drugs over the dark web. “This is a big blow for online fraudsters, who relied on these markets for stolen data, money laundering services and telecoms infrastructure,” Elliptic said in a s...

Waymo is recalling more than 1,200 self-driving vehicles to update software and address risks of collisions with chains, gates and other roadway barriers after U.S. auto safety investigators opened a probe last year. The recall affects 1,212 Waymo vehicles operating on the company’s fifth-generation automated driving system (ADS) software, the company said. Waymo has over 1,500 vehicles on the road across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Austin. Waymo said it was aware of 16 collisions with chains, gates and other barriers between 2022 and late 2024. But they did not result in any injuries, according to a report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA opened an investigation into the performance of Waymo self-driving vehicles in May 2024 after reports of its robotaxis exhibiting driving behavior that potentially violated traffic safety laws. The agency said several incidents under investigation “involved collisions with clearly visible objects ...

Solar panels are a vital part of the clean energy revolution, converting sunlight into electricity for homes and businesses. However, their efficiency can drop by 15–25% when covered in dust, pollen, bird droppings, or debris, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Regular cleaning is essential to maintain peak performance. This guide outlines expert-recommended tools, cleaning techniques, and safety practices for both homeowners and professionals. Essential tools and materials Soft-bristled brush : Prevents scratching the panel surface. Opt for a long pole version to reach rooftop installations. Squeegee : Ensures streak-free drying. Low-pressure hose : A standard garden hose is sufficient for rinsing without damaging the solar panels. Telescopic pole : Useful for high or awkwardly placed solar panels. Deionized or distilled water : Prevents mineral spotting. Mild dish soap : Safe for removing grime without harming panel coatings. Vinegar solution : A...

Apple said on Tuesday it is bringing a host of new features later this year that are geared towards making its devices more accessible, including a braille note taker and expanded ‘zoom’ for its mixed-reality headsets, Vision Pro. For users who are blind or visually impaired, vision accessibility features will be expanded using Vision Pro’s camera system. The updated zoom features can help users magnify everything in view using the main camera, the iPhone maker said. “We are dedicated to pushing forward with new accessibility features for all of our products,” said Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives. Apple will allow approved apps to access the main camera on Vision Pro to provide live, person-to-person assistance for visual interpretation in apps such as Be My Eyes. Be My Eyes is an application that connects people who are blind or visually impaired with volunteers and companies worldwide through live video. The Vision Pro, l...

SEOUL: Samsung Electronics made public on Tuesday its slimmest flagship model to date, S25 Edge, complete with enhanced artificial intelligence features, as it seeks to get ahead of rival Apple in the premium market. The S25 Edge launch is designed to tap increasing demand, especially from consumers in their 20s and 30s, for more portable smartphones. “The feedback was clear – users wanted something slimmer and easier to carry without sacrificing performance,” said Samsung, which made structural changes to reduce the thickness of internal components, including the printed circuit board and thermal systems. Analysts said the launch was strategically timed to pre-empt Apple, which is expected to launch a thinner iPhone in the second half of this year. “By releasing the product a few months ahead, Samsung could inflict some impact on Apple and attract consumers looking for thinner smartphones. It appears to be a calculated decision to capture that segment of demand,” Ryu Young-ho, a ...

THE HAGUE, Netherlands: The universe is poised to die much faster than previously thought, according to new research by Dutch scientists. But there’s no great need to panic. We still have 10 to the power of 78 years before it happens — that’s a one with 78 zeroes. However, that is a major revision from the previous estimate of 10 to the power of 1,100 years, notes the research paper from Radboud University, published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics. “The final end of the universe is coming much sooner than expected but fortunately it still takes a very long time,” said lead author Heino Falcke. A trio of scientists at Radboud set out to calculate when the most “durable” celestial bodies — white dwarf stars — would eventually die out. They based their calculations on Hawking radiation, named after celebrated British physicist Stephen Hawking. Hawking postulated in the mid-1970s that black holes leak radiation, slowly dissolving like aspirin in a glass of wat...

Mind Control’s Cash Cleaner Simulator became a fan-favourite soon after it was launched officially for PC users on May 8, 2025. The game sees players step into the shoes of a money laundering expert, tasked with cleaning and organising dirty cash, coins, and valuables. Cash Cleaner Simulator provides a laid-back experience without any time pressure, allowing players to use a variety of tools to scrub, stack, and sort piles of money while enjoying a bass-heavy trap soundtrack. Players can also access the darknet on a hacked phone to find new clients and convert part of their earnings into untraceable cryptocurrency. The game is currently only available on PC via Steam, however, it is expected to arrive on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in the fourth quarter of 2025. Read more: Battlefield 6 publisher shares update on pricing of upcoming titles Before the launch of the game, Mind Control CEO Leonid Gorbachev had said that the developer wanted to focus on the joy and satisfactio...

Rockstar Games has announced May 26, 2026, as the release date for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6. Originally scheduled for Fall 2025, the studio announced that the game was delayed to 2026 because they “need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.” Days after confirming the release date, Rockstar Games dropped the second trailer for GTA 6. The new trailer for the sixth title in the Grand Theft Auto series shared more details about the story of dual protagonists Jason and Lucia. While gamers welcomed the news about the release date, other studios have reportedly been left in panic. According to a report in Bloomberg , studios that were planning to release their games next year are reportedly holding meetings about the release dates for their titles. As per the publication, the delay in the release date of GTA 6 is likened to a ‘massive game of 4D chess’ which is ‘playing out across the entire video game industry.’ Read more: R...