Microsoft to sell reality goggles to army
US tech giant Microsoft is to sell augmented reality headsets to the US army in a bumper deal worth up to $21.9bn (£15.9bn) over 10 years.
The headsets are based on its HoloLens product, which allows users to see holograms laid over their actual environment.
The contract is for more than 120,000 headsets, which will be manufactured in the US.
Microsoft shares surged 3% after the announcement was made on Wednesday.
Augmented reality differs from virtual reality, in that it adds graphics to the user's existing field of view instead of replacing it with an entirely new environment.
As a result, users can see "heads-up displays" or holographs, which can add more information to what they already see.
HoloLens is commercially available for $3,500 per headset, with Microsoft selling it primarily to businesses, who often pair it with customised software applications.
Architecture firms, hospitals, universities, car manufacturers and US space agency Nasa are among the technology's users.
Over the past two years, Microsoft has worked with the US Army on the prototyping phase of what is called the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), which is a military-grade version of the Hololens.
The company said that the Army had moved into the production phase of the project.
In a blog post, Microsoft said the headsets "will keep soldiers safer and make them more effective".
"The program delivers enhanced situational awareness, enabling information sharing and decision-making in a variety of scenarios," the post said.
After Microsoft announced the $480m IVAS contract in 2018, at least 94 workers petitioned the company to cancel the deal and stop developing "any and all weapons technologies".
Source-BBC
Cardi B, Burna Boy, Childish Gambino among the 2021 Brit Awards nominees
Cardi B, Burna Boy, Childish Gambino and more are among the nominees for the 2021 Brit Awards.
The U.K. equivalent of the Grammys has nominated the "WAP" rapper for International Female Solo Artist against Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Billie Eilish.
Cardi was previously nominated in 2019 following the release of her debut album, Invasion of Privacy.
Following his big win at the Grammys, Nigerian superstar Burna Boy received a nod for International Male Solo Artist. His competition includes Childish Gambino, The Weeknd, Bruce Springsteen and Tame Impala.
Burna Boy was likely nominated for his latest chart-topping album, Twice As Tall, which earned him his first Grammy for Best Global Album earlier this month.
The 2021 Brit Awards take place on May 11. For more info, visit Brits.co.uk.
Source-ABC
Lauren London, Snoop Dogg and Nas pay tribute to Nipsey Hussle on the second anniversary of his death
March 31st marks the second anniversary of the passing of Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle. His music and influence have continued to affect many -- including, not surprisingly, his longtime girlfriend, Lauren
London shared a photo of the rap legend Wednesday on her Instagram, along with a special message.
"The Day Of Ermias' transition changed the course of my life forever. Two years, and it feels like yesterday and eternity all at the same time," London writes in the caption. "Grief and Healing have been constant companions on this journey. In Honor of His life and demonstration... May all of Heaven exalt your name for all you did on Earth and beyond. You are missed deeply. You will forever be. I love you eternally. Your Boogie."
London described Nipsey as a "brave and beloved soul" who was and is still "loved immensely."
Lauren London and Nipsey Hussle dated for five years until he was shot and killed outside of his Los Angeles clothing store, The Marathon, in 2019 at age 34. They share one son, Kross, and co-parented Lauren's son, Kameron, and Nipsey’s daughter, Emani, from a previous relationship.
Nip's friend and mentor Snoop Dogg also paid tribute with a Instagram video of himself dancing to Meli'sa Morgan's "Do You Still Love Me?"
"I wanna feel good today for my man Nip. I got this Nipsey blue on. Nevermind the tears, they're tears of joy," says Snoop, rocking a blue leather jacket and pant suit. "Get the whole attire, I'm with Nip today man."
Sharing his own tribute post on Instagram, Nas wrote, "The king still shines."
Source-ABC
Minister of Home Affairs Visit Her Majesty's Prison
On Thursday 25th March 2021, the Honourable Otis Morris, Minister for Home Affairs, Public Utilities & Transportation visited Her Majesty's Prison (HMP) accompanied by:
His Excellency the Governor, Mr. Nigel Dakin
Premier & Minister of Finance, Honourable Charles Washington Missick
Honourable Akerria Missick, Leader of Government Affairs & Minister of Infrastructure Honourable Josephine Connolly, Minister of Tourism & Environment
Honourable Rachel Taylor, Minister of Education: and
Ms. Althea Been, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Public Utilities & Trans.
The Minister and the team had the opportunity to tour the entire facility and also held discussions concerning the current state of affairs at the Prison and the 2023 Prison Visionary Plan.
The site visitwith staff, management and inmates of HMP, was well received. Staff members were thanked for all their work, particularly, the work undertaken during an outbreak of Covid-19 among staff late last year, to keep prisoners and staff safe.
During his visit the Hon. Morris stated,"I know that this has been an incredibly difficult time for staff, prisoners and indeed for their families who have been unable to make physical visits to their loved ones since March 2020". The inmates were elated by the show by the show of interest by the Minister in their well-being.
This site visit was the second for Hon. Morris during the week, whereas a similar visit took place onTuesday 23rdMarch 2021as part of the Minister's tour of his departments. During this visit earlier in the week, he was accompanied by senior staff members of the Ministry, along with Honourable Rev. John Malcolm, who is a well-known local advocate in correctional facilities and rehabilitation.
WHO report details origins of COVID-19 breakout, rules out conspiracy theories
The World Health Organization on Tuesday released a report aimed to identify the source of the COVID-19 breakout, ruling that the infectious virus came from bats, was transferred to another animal before making its way to humans.
The study claims it was "possible to likely" that the virus was a result of direct transmission from animals to humans, noting the likelihood of the pangolin being the intermediary host of the virus before passing it onto people.
The study also says it is "possible" the virus was introduced to humans via the frozen food chain.
It also called the COVID-19 outbreak the result of a laboratory accident "extremely unlikely."
Despite the findings, the research has yet to find "ground zero" of the outbreak and dubbed the Hunan seafood market a "super spreader."
The joint-study was conducted between January 14 and February 10 in Wuhan, China. The report also acknowledged that it is the first step in a years-long investigation.
Said WHO Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, "This report is a very important beginning, but it is not the end... We have not yet found the source of the virus, and we must continue to follow the science and leave no stone unturned as we do."
However, the report is not without controversy, as 14 countries -- including the United States -- pointed out that the WHO team working on the report was "significantly delayed and lacked access to complete, original data and samples."
Adds the opposition, "Scientific missions like these should be able to do their work under conditions that produce independent and objective recommendations and findings."
"Together, we support a transparent and independent analysis and evaluation, free from interference and undue influence, of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic," the countries expressing skepticism about the study's results maintained, "In this regard, we join in expressing shared concerns regarding the recent WHO-convened study in China."
As for how long it may take before an answer regarding COVID-19's origins is found, researchers have pointed to the 2003 SARS outbreak. SARS, a close cousin of COVID-19, was traced back to a single population of horseshoe crab bats -- a breakthrough that took over five years to discover.
COVID-19 has infected more than 128 million people globally, killing nearly three million. In the U.S., the total number of infections are closing in at 30.4 million and the death toll has surpassed 550,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Source-ABC
BCA, GCB 'mistake' has increased support for Skerritt, says Bassarath
Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board chief Azim Bassarath believes both the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) and Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) had more than enough time to peruse the audited financial statements sent by Cricket West Indies (CWI), leaving them with no excuse not to attend last Sunday's annual general meeting (AGM).
Further, Bassarath believes the decision by both boards to snub the virtual AGM and force its postponement until April 11 was “a mistake” and had resulted in a strengthening of support for incumbent President Ricky Skerritt, and Vice-President Dr Kishore Shallow.
The veteran administration said while CWI had sent out the financials late, the management had given “reasonable excuses” for doing so. And after territorial boards received the e-mail containing the financials just before midday last Friday, Bassarath believes there was sufficient time to have reviewed them.
“The management of the board had submitted a reason, an excuse for not submitting the financials on time,” Bassarath said.
“I think the Barbados Cricket Association did waive the notice as was asked for by the management team and then they withdrew.
“The other territorial boards, with the exception of the Guyana Cricket Board, did not waive so I don't think that should really be any major excuse and reason for not attending the meeting.”
He continued: “How long will you take to really peruse a financial statement? If you take six hours, you got the statement about 48 to 60 hours before the meeting, and if you take six hours to peruse the document, it was enough time.
TCI Weather
A STRONG HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO GENERATE MODERATE TO STRONG BREEZES ACROSS THE BAHAMAS
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BEACH GOERS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE RIP CURRENTS ALONG EASTERLY SHORES
ALL AREAS
WEATHER: PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY, WARM, AND BREEZY WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY, MILD, AND BREEZY WITH PASSING SHOWERS TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS BECOMES A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS INCREASING 15 TO 25 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
SEAS: 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST BUILDING 5 TO 8 FEET IN THE CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEASTERN ISLANDS
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 86 °F 30 °C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE 68 °F 20 °C
SUNSET: 7:24 PM
SUNRISE: 7:02 AM THUR
WEATHER OUTLOOK: THE HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN ACROSS THE BAHAMAS PRODUCING BREEZY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
VW rebrand turns out to be April Fool's joke
German carmaker Volkswagen will not change its name to "Voltswagen" in the US despite earlier saying it would in a press release.
The name change was in fact an April Fool's joke that was leaked to the media several days early by mistake.
It was initially said to mark VW's shift to electric vehicles, and was backed by US boss Scott Keogh.
The carmaker will put out an official press release clearing up the matter on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the carmaker went as far as changing its name on its US website and even launched a new Voltswagen Twitter handle.
It denied speculation it was just a prank, leading to numerous media outlets picking up the story, including BBC News.
Source-BBC
Police bust 'world's biggest' video-game-cheat operation
A collaborative effort between Chinese police and gaming giant Tencent has led to the closure of what police say is the biggest ever video-game-cheat operation.
The gang designed and sold cheats to popular video games, including Overwatch and Call of Duty Mobile.
Roughly $76m (£55m) in revenue was made by the organisation which charged a subscription fee to clients.
Police seized assets worth $46m, including several luxury cars.
The operation was called "Chicken Drumstick", and had a website selling to "hundreds of countries and regions", local media reported.
Subscription prices for users began at around $10 a day, and up to $200 a month.
Kunshan police found and destroyed 17 cheats and arrested 10 people in connection with the ring.
It said it was the "world's biggest" cheating case due to the large sums of money and games involved.
With players able to win millions in gaming tournaments around the world, a crackdown on cheating has intensified in recent years.
In 2019, a survey revealed around a third of gamers admit to using cheats to improve their chances online.
Several high-profile gamers have also quit platforms over the rise of cheating on some games.
Cheating is literally ruining gaming and large companies like Tencent know it.
This latest operation shows how seriously the Chinese company, and other games-makers, are taking the issue.
Source-BBC
US$383 million replenishment for CDB fund to reduce poverty
The Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) Board of Directors today endorsed a US$383 million programme for the 10th cycle of the Bank’s Special Development Fund (SDF), the programme devised to reduce poverty and inequality and transform the lives of citizens in its Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs).
The SDF represents the principal pool of concessional resources available to the Bank to assist BMCs in addressing poverty, sustainable development, governance, capacity development, gender inequalities, environmental sustainability, climate change, disaster risk management, and regional cooperation and integration. Established in 1970, the Fund is a unique partnership among the Bank’s stakeholders with both borrowing and non-borrowing members contributing to its resources.
With support from CDB and other development partners, the BMCs have been making consistent efforts over the past two decades to reduce poverty and inequality. However, pressing development challenges persist and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has undermined some of the socio-economic gains achieved.
“A key concern for the Special Development Fund over this cycle will be the need to respond meaningfully to the challenges of poor and vulnerable groups whose conditions have been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. The priority will be a focus on developing social resilience by building the capacity of individuals, communities and countries so that they are prepared for shocks, and can cope when they do occur,” CDB President Dr Wm Warren Smith said.
Member countries have pledged to contribute US$188.2 million to the SDF for the period 2020-2024 while the Bank has allocated US$162.8 million from internal resources, such as loan repayments. The remaining gap in the programme funding of US$32 million is expected to be provided by existing and prospective contributors. About two-thirds of the Fund will be used for concessional loans to BMCs with the remainder allocated to grants.
The top five contributors to SDF 10 are: Canada (C$81.4 million / US$59.6 million), United Kingdom (£21 million / US$26.5 million), Germany (€12.4 million / US$13.7 million), Jamaica (US$13 million) and Trinidad and Tobago (US$11.3 million).
“The impact of Covid-19 has put tremendous stress on social protection systems that were already challenged to respond to the needs of the poor and vulnerable. The Bank welcomes the sustained commitment of the Contributors to the Special Development Fund. Through this solid partnership, CDB can continue to lift people out of poverty and support countries in the recovery phase,” Smith said.
To tackle the fall-out of the pandemic and make further development gains, the overarching goal of SDF 10 is to assist BMCs to reduce poverty and inequality, and to transform the lives of BMC citizens consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals. The strategic direction of the Fund is built on three pillars, namely:
· social resilience and leaving no-one behind, which includes social infrastructure, education and training, initiatives geared toward capacity-building, youth development, agriculture, rural development, water, and sanitation;
· economic resilience for inclusive growth, which encourages the expansion of climate-resilient economic infrastructure; private sector development, including micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and blue economy initiatives, and;
· environmental resilience, which encompasses environmental management, climate adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk management and promoting sustainable energy solutions.
Four cross-cutting themes, namely gender equality, good governance, digitalisation, and regional cooperation and integration run through these pillars.