Robert Downey Jr. to receive Modern Master Award
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced Monday that the Oscar-nominated Oppenheimer star Robert Downey Jr. will be presented with the highest honor — the Maltin Modern Master Award — later this week.
Leonard Maltin, the film scholar for which the award was renamed in 2015, will moderate a panel with the star after the presentation on Friday, February 9, at the Arlington Theatre.
For his part, Maltin commented, "Robert Downey Jr. has staged one of the most spectacular second acts in show business history ... and we in the audience are the beneficiaries. He commands the screen without any visible effort, which is perhaps the greatest feat of all."
Previous Maltin Master Award winner — and Oppenheimer's Oscar-nominated director Christopher Nolan — expressed, "It's thrilling to see audiences responding not just to Robert Downey Jr.'s incredible charisma, but to a performance which, stripped of any movie star trappings, shows once again that he is one of the greatest actors."
Source-ABC
Israeli airstrikes kill dozens in Gaza
Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip have killed dozens of people, including two children ages 12 and 2, while the Israeli army said Monday its ground forces were fighting Hamas militants who remain in northern and central Gaza.
The Health Ministry in Gaza said 113 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours alone, raising the known Palestinian death toll to 27,478 people after nearly four months of war. A quarter of Gaza’s residents are now starving and 85% of the population has been driven from their homes, with hundreds of thousands crammed in makeshift tent camps.
Source-ABC
King Charles III, 75, has cancer, Buckingham Palace announced on Monday.
"During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. "Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer."
On Monday, Charles started "a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties," the palace said. "During this time he'll "continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual."
The type of cancer or treatment was not specified.
"The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure," the palace continued. "He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible."
The statement added, "His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer."
One week ago, on Jan. 29, Charles was discharged from The London Clinic after undergoing a procedure to treat an enlarged prostate, according to Buckingham Palace. Charles was expected to resume public engagements after a "short period of recuperation," the palace said at the time.
The palace first shared the news of Charles' medical condition on January 17, announcing that he would be hospitalized for a "corrective procedure." At the time, the king's condition was said to be benign, meaning non-cancerous.
Source-ABC
Kylian Mbappe set to join Real Madrid
French soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé will be on the move this summer, as he’s reportedly agreed to join Real Madrid once his contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) ends at the end of the season, according to multiple reports, including Le Parisien and ESPN, citing unnamed sources.
Mbappé has been linked to a possible move to the Spanish giants over the last couple of years, but nothing ever unfolded as he remained in Paris.
According to ESPN, Mbappé has not informed PSG or Real Madrid of his decision but is expected to make an announcement next week.
Last year, the 25-year-old said he would not renew his contract at PSG, which expires at the end of the 2023-24 season when he could leave Paris for free. He is now free to sign a pre-contract agreement with a new club.
Source_ESPN
Facebook and Instagram to label fake AI images
Meta says it will introduce technology that can detect and label images generated by other companies' artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
It will be deployed on its platforms Facebook, Instagram and Threads.
Meta already labels AI images generated by its own systems. It says it hopes the new tech, which it is still building, will create "momentum" for the industry to tackle AI fakery.
But an AI expert told the BBC such tools are "easily evadable".
In a blog written by senior executive Sir Nick Clegg, Meta says it intends to expand its labelling of AI fakes "in the coming months".
In an interview with the Reuters news agency, he conceded the technology was "not yet fully mature" but said the company wanted to "create a sense of momentum and incentive for the rest of the industry to follow".
But Prof Soheil Feizi, director of the Reliable AI Lab at the University of Maryland, suggested such a system could be easy to get around.
"They may be able to train their detector to be able to flag some images specifically generated by some specific models," he told the BBC.
"But those detectors can be easily evaded by some lightweight processing on top of the images, and they also can have a high rate of false positives.
"So I don't think that it's possible for a broad range of applications."
Meta has acknowledged its tool will not work for audio and video - despite these being the media that much of the concern about AI fakes is focused on.
The firm says it is instead asking users to label their own audio and video posts, and it "may apply penalties if they fail to do so".
Sir Nick Clegg also admitted it would be impossible to test for text that has been generated by tools such as ChatGPT.
"That ship has sailed," he told Reuters.
On Monday, Meta's Oversight Board criticised the company for its policy on manipulated media, calling it "incoherent, lacking in persuasive justification and inappropriately focused on how content has been created".
The Oversight Board is funded by Meta but independent of the company.
The criticism was in response to a ruling on a video of US President Joe Biden. The video in question edited existing footage of the president with his granddaughter to make it appear as though he was touching her inappropriately.
Because it was not manipulated using artificial intelligence, and depicted Mr Biden behaving in a way he did not, rather than saying something he did not, it did not violate Meta's manipulated media policy - and was not removed.
The Board agreed that the video did not break Meta's current rules on fake media, but said that the rules should be updated.
Sir Nick told Reuters that he broadly agreed with the ruling.
He admitted that Meta's existing policy "is just simply not fit for purpose in an environment where you're going to have way more synthetic content and hybrid content than before."
Source-BBC
From January, the company has had a policy in place which says political adverts have to signal when they are using digitally altered images or video.
Tesla owners told not to wear Apple virtual reality headsets while driving
Tesla owners have been reminded to keep their eyes on the road after videos of drivers wearing Apple's virtual reality headset have gone viral.
US Secretary for Transport Pete Buttigieg posted on X (formerly Twitter) to say that all current vehicles require the driver to be engaged "at all times".
However, one driver admitted his video was a prank.
Tesla and Apple have been contacted for comment.
Videos posted online show people in the drivers seats of cars which have an autonomous mode, while wearing the Apple headset over their eyes.
One was reposted by Pete Buttigieg, who wrote: "Reminder - ALL advanced driver assistance systems available today require the human driver to be in control and fully engaged in the driving task at all times."
Another video, posted on the day the Apple Vision Pro became publicly available, showed a man appearing to get pulled over by the police while wearing the headset in a Tesla.
However, Gizmodo reports that he said it was a "skit" he made with friends, reporting that he "drove with the headset for 30-40 seconds".
Apple's user guide warns against using its headset while driving, while Tesla says drivers should always "maintain control and responsibility for your vehicle," even when it is in autonomous mode.
The Apple Vision Pro headset went on sale in the US on 2 February with a $3,499 (£2,749) price tag. There is no release date for it in the UK.
While users can see through the glass in some modes, it would still severely restrict vision while driving.
The company has tried to stay clear of calling it virtual reality or any other similar name, instead referring to it as "spatial computing".
"Don't describe your app experience as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), extended reality (XR), or mixed reality (MR)," it said in a blog post targeting developers.
Videos have been posted online of people wearing the headset on the New York subway and at the gym.
Source-BBC
New Appointee to Crown Counsel & Deputy Director to Survey & Mapping
The Office of the Deputy Governor is pleased to announce the appointment of Tesharna Williams as Crown Counsel effective December 1, 2023.
Williams obtained her undergraduate degree with honours in Law from the University of Leicester in July 2018 and in Mach 2023 she was awarded a postgraduate Diploma in Professional Legal Practice at the University of Law.
Deputy Governor and Head of the Turks and Caicos Islands Public Service Her Excellency Anya Williams in extending congratulatory remarks to Ms. Williams stated:
“Congratulations to Ms. Tesharna Williams on the successful completion of her legal studies and on her official appointment as a Crown Counsel in the Turks and Caicos Islands Attorney Generals Chambers. We are committed to strengthening our legal capacity and on improving service delivery across all areas of the public service through the successful recruitment and retention of qualified, competent staff." End quote
In another appointment...
Office of the Deputy Governor is pleased to announce the appointment of Demarco Williams as the new Deputy Director of the Survey & Mapping, which took effect on effective January 1, 2024.
Williams, a seasoned professional with a remarkable journey within the department, brings a wealth of experience and dedication to his new role.
Demarco Williams commenced his career with the Survey and Mapping Department in 2003 at the age of 18, serving as a Junior Land Information Systems Officer, where he was responsible for filing documents. Demonstrating exceptional drive and ambition, Williams consistently sought more significant challenges and roles within the department.
His commitment to professional growth led him to pursue higher education, culminating in the acquisition of a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Geographical Analysis, with a minor in Sociology, from the Toronto Metropolitan (Ryerson) University in Canada.
This educational achievement paved the way for Mr. Williams to rise through the ranks, eventually being promoted to Assistant Director, overseeing the Mapping sector, where he served for 12 years.
Throughout his tenure, Williams exhibited unwavering integrity and technical knowledge.
Due to his exceptional qualities, he was periodically appointed as Acting Deputy Director to further develop his technical and managerial competencies and through which he was able to garner valuable experience in the dynamic Survey and Mapping Industry.
Williams is currently enrolled at the University of Technology, Jamaica, as he continues to expand his technical knowledge by pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Land Surveying and Geographic Information Sciences. Additionally, he is also dedicated to enhancing his managerial expertise and is also pursuing an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program at Arden University in the United Kingdom.
Deputy Governor and Head of the Turks and Caicos Islands Public Service Her Excellency Anya Williams in extending congratulatory remarks to Mr. Williams stated:
“Congratulations to Mr. Demarco Williams on his appointment as the new Deputy Director of the Turks and Caicos Government Survey and Mapping Department. Williams has dedicated over 20 years of service to the Survey and Mapping Department, having worked his way up from an entry level position to his appointment now as Deputy Director. Williams also serves as the President of the Turks and Caicos Islands Civil Service Association and is a champion for public service matters across government.
Every time an appointment photo is released, he is often one of the first to celebrate and often expressed his excitement to one day be featured on one of those announcements.
This is your time Mr. President!" End quote
Congratulations on your well-deserved promotions!
Governor and Premier talk about new strategies to combat crime...
Starting from Thursday February 1st, the Turks and Caicos Islands saw an increase in gun related incidents which claimed the lives of 4 male members of the community, and injured innocent bystanders.
On Thursday February 1st, officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force responded to reports of a shooting at the IBO plaza on Leeward Highway, next to Air and Sea Agency.
Upon arrival officers confirmed that two males were deceased.
Other persons were injured during the incident and had been taken to hospital for further medical treatment.
And then on Friday February 2nd, Detectives of the Serious Crime Unit of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force responded to a shooting scene in the Glass Shack community.
Preliminary reports state around 8:55 pm, a call was placed to the Police Control Room, informing officers that gunshots were heard at a location in Glass Shack, Providenciales.Based on the information received, police officers and medical personnel were dispatched to the location.
Upon arrival, officers found the bodies of two males with what appeared to be gunshot wounds.
Another male and a female, who were in the vicinity of the incident, received injuries and were transported for medical treatment.
Both incidents remain as active investigations and updates will be given as further information becomes available.
The RT&CIPF is asking the public to share any videos and information with detectives at the Serious Crime Unit, South Dock Road, Providenciales, at 231-1842, 911, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 and give any information anonymously.
We would like to express our sincere condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones and hope that you can find strength in the Lord during this difficult time.
After the incidents which took place the Premier and the Governor hosted a joint press conference to address crime and National Security.
On the immediate operational response, they have secured a rapid deployment package with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO):
• This includes the deployment within the next seven days of six firearms officers and a firearms commander to provide an immediate boost in tactical manpower.
• Five investigators are also being deployed to drive forward investigations of the recent incidents to support operations of arrest in bringing those responsible to justice.
• It is also critical we build our strategic intelligence-led operations and therefore, the deployment also includes a firearms operations planner and a criminal and intelligence analyst.
These individuals will expand our capabilities greatly to target our resources against the criminal networks.
They have extended Operation Shepherd for the TCI Regiment to continue to provide operational support to the police and are actively pursuing additional tactical support from regional partners.
In building longer term capability and resilience within the RTCIPF, we will be launching a targeted recruitment campaign for experienced tactical officers and serious investigators.
In addition, we are working with the FCDO to secure a wider comprehensive package of critical assets to strengthen intelligence and operational tactics. These assets will provide a step change for our law enforcement agencies in the fight against organised crime.
We are also working to strengthen border security and have secured UK investment in maritime support to improve our surveillance capabilities and domain awareness.
We continue to work with the US and Canadian law enforcement partners to underpin interdiction operations and enhance our resilience.
The National Security Council is marshalling a multi-agency effort across law enforcement, immigration, prison, education, social services, health and the judiciary to reinforce efforts to tackle crime, stop its causes and mitigate its effects.
This is our end-to-end to plan to detect, disrupt and dismantle criminal networks, with an emphasis on addressing the drivers of crime.
Curry drops 60 points & lost to the Hawks
Steph Curry exploded for a season-high 60 points on Saturday but the Golden State Warriors still lost on the road to the Atlanta Hawks 141-134 in overtime despite his efforts.
It was Curry’s second-ever 60-point game, just two short of his career best total of 62 points, and he joined Kobe Bryant as only the second player to record such a total aged 35 years or older.
But rather than offering a cause for celebration, it ultimately marked yet another milestone in the Warriors’ frustrating season, as they slipped to a 21-25 record and 12th in the West.
Neither team could pull away from the other at State Farm Arena as the lead changed hands 14 times. Five of those lead changes came in the fourth quarter, during which Curry scored 22 points to keep his team close, before Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray scored with 4.6 seconds remaining in regulation as the game would go into overtime.
The Hawks quickly accumulated an 11-point lead in overtime which proved too much of a deficit to close for the Warriors, despite Curry scoring eight points in 63 seconds.
Zuckerberg wins on Wall Street after Washington hit
Mark Zuckerberg's Meta had a bad day in Washington this week. But on Wall Street, it took a victory lap.
The social media firm updated investors with a slew of good news: quarterly profits that tripled year-on-year to more than $14bn (£11bn), a surge in users, lower costs and higher ad sales.
Even its much ridiculed, money-losing virtual reality unit hit a milestone, generating $1bn in revenue.
Lest anyone doubt its confidence, the company declared a first-ever dividend.
That is a payout to shareholders - in this case of 50 cents per share.
The company, owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, also pledged to keep the money flowing, saying it was in a strong financial position, and could invest in the business while still making plans for such payments on a quarterly basis "going forward".
Shares in the company, already at record highs, surged more than 12% in after-hours trade.
Analysts said the decision to offer a dividend was a sign of maturity, as Facebook approaches its 20th birthday.
It confirmed the shift in investor sentiment from 2022, when shares in the company had swooned and a high-profile investor wrote a public letter to Mr Zuckerberg that the company had "drifted into the land of excess — too many people, too many ideas, too little urgency" and "needed to get its "mojo back"
Elsewhere in big tech, business was also good.
Amazon sales leaped 14% year-on-year during the September-to-December period. It beat analysts' expectations for its earnings after seeing strong growth in festive online shopping underpinned by stable growth in its cloud computing business.
The results sent Amazon shares up more than 8% in after-hours trade.
At Apple, revenue returned to growth for the first time in a year and its earnings also beat expectations thanks to growing sales of iPhones, However, its shares slipped 3% in after-hours trade after it forecast a drop in iPhone sales as it faces tough competition in China.
Meta's performance was the most head-spinning, coming just a day after it faced blistering critique in Washington, where senators told Mr Zuckerberg that his product was "killing people" and he was pushed to apologise to families of victims of child sexual exploitation.
Speaking to analysts on Thursday, Meta acknowledged that it was facing regulatory challenges that could "significantly" affect its business.
But it spent little time on the topic.
And for now, whatever the product may be doing, there is little doubt that people, and advertisers, are sticking with it.
Meta said nearly 3.2 billion people were active on one of its platforms daily in December, up 8% year-on-year.
Revenue in the September-December period grew 25% year-on-year to more than $40bn.
Meanwhile the cost cutting drive that Mr Zuckerberg launched last year, which included thousands of job reductions, helped push expenses down 8%. Head count was 22% lower.
Jasmine Engberg, principal analyst at Insider Intelligence, said the company had exceeded expectations, as its investment in using AI to enhance advertising paid off.
"It was a stellar Q4," she said. ""Meta's 2023 earnings are cause for more celebration as Facebook's 20th anniversary nears."
Source-BBC