Month: August 2022

Categories
Technology

Samsung’s self-repair program has finally launched – but there are limits

Samsung self repair phone and tool

Samsung and iFixit have finally launched their self-repair program, allowing owners of a phone from the Galaxy S20 and S21 lines as well as the Tab S7 Plus to buy replacement parts.

The initial announcement of the self-repair program was made back in late Marchand not much has changed since. Across the three product lines (opens in new tab), you’ll be able to purchase repair kits for the screen and battery, charging port, and back glass; standalone batteries are not included. What’s new is access to free online repair guides that tell you how to fix the phone via step-by-step guidance that includes images.

repair packages

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Sports

In Perrottet and V’Landys’ stadium stoush, two men are appealing to two very different audiences | Andy Marks

There’s a saying: “Politics is a blood sport.”

New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, could be forgiven for thinking it’s true after weathering a ministerial resignation and sacking another minister in a matter of days. It makes his decision to challenge the stadium upgrade aspirations of the Australian rugby league commission chair, Peter V’landys, to courageous play.

On declining to set a timeframe with the commission for up to $350m in slated stadium investments, the premier advised taxpayer funds would instead be prioritized for people “devastated by the major floods across NSW”.

V’landys in turn accused the government of using “human tragedy” to back out of what he described as a “deal” to refurbish suburban stadiums, among them Cronulla, Leichhardt and Brookvale.

Details of the proposed deployment of repurposed stadium funds have not been released. In justifying his decision, however, the premier cited his receipt of his government’s Floods Inquiry Report noting at least 1,366 people remain homeless because of the floods.

Despite early moves by the premier to visit affected areas and meet with residents and business owners, he has granted the immediate emergency response was “unacceptable”. The timing of the government’s subsequent response has also attracted criticism.

The promised Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation, with an initial budget of $300m, was not established until July, more than four months after the initial floods. Staffing and advisory positions are reportedly yet to be finalized. Meanwhile, displaced residents are contending with winter conditions and the prospect of further rains, with one local Lismore feeling he is “stuck in limbo”.

Flood recovery sits against the backdrop of the recent preview of the Perrottet government’s newly reconstructed Sydney Football Stadium.

This $824m facility foregrounds an additional $250-$300m for the planned upgrade of the rugby league stadium at Penrith. This outer western Sydney project, in the electorate of recently resigned deputy NSW Liberal leader, Stuart Ayres, is set to proceed, despite the halting of other proposed suburban ground renovations, and the abandonment of the promised $810m Sydney Olympic Park stadium refurbishment.

New facilities aside, the national rugby league competition has had its own challenges. Most recently, it was contending with the fallout from a seven-player boycott, for religious reasons, of a pride jersey the Manly club worn to promote LGTBQ+ awareness during the league’s women’s round. The move attracted accusations of hypocrisy over the willingness of the boycotting players to compete in a stadium named after an alcohol sponsor, and in jerseys branded with a gambling sponsor.

Questioned on the issue, V’landys observed his code is “the greatest game of all”, adding that “it’s inclusive” while being respectful of “people’s religious and cultural beliefs”. The social dimension of sport might prove challenging terrain to navigate for a sporting code that generates an estimated $115ma season in broadcast rights alone, with plans to explore access to US sports betting, which V’landys believes “could be one of the big revenue earners” for the NRL.

The NRL’s expansionist verve may also present a contrast with the ambitions of a premier seeking to emphasize the social and ethical values ​​of a 12-year-old government facing an election in March 2023. This is a contest the premier seeks to frame as people- focused. It is a campaign in which he will look to rebalance built or “hard” and social infrastructure priorities.

Not so long ago, the NSW government seemed to have heard the lessons from the election loss inflicted on its federal election colleagues. The June budget provided the clearest indication of that shift, when Perrottet’s treasurer, Matt Kean, emphasized the limits of hard infrastructure projects. “We must invest in more than just bricks and steel,” he said in pitching the pre-election economic blueprint. “We must,” he added, “choose to invest in our greatest asset – our people.”

There looks to be little room for a stadium push in that narrative.

In a none-too-subtle nod to the values ​​that swept the teal independents into power across blue-ribbon federal Liberal seats, the Perrottet-Kean budget made big commitments on the environment and clean energy. Less so on integrity.

An investment of $16.5bn in programs for women was a budget centrepiece. Contrast this with the NRL’s trajectory, which – despite the strong emergence of, and investment, in a female competition – remains comparatively male-dominated in terms of revenue generation, sports-betting profile, and broadcast coverage. In this light, a clash of values, certainly priorities, was perhaps inevitable. It seems an appeal is being made to two very different audiences.

He has threatened he will be forced within “two or three” days to make a call on whether to hold the NRL grand final in NSW or take it interstate.

V’landys has in the past been lauded for his “strong leadership” of the NRL, even dubbed “Saint Peter” by one commentator, for ensuring his code was “the first major sport in Australia to emerge from the [2020] Covid-19 shutdowns”. Just last month, in his capacity as Racing NSW chief executive, he lunched with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle in recognition of his “contribution to racing”.

The demonstrable influence of V’Landys stands in contrast to a relatively new premier striving to maintain his authority over a government hobbled by an integrity crisis, contending with a record budget deficit, and staring down a looming election against a highly competitive Labor opposition.

Underestimating political resolve, even in these circumstances, would be a mistake.

Having featured heavily during the 2019 state election campaign, the issue of stadiums is again shaping as a spectator sport in NSW politics. Two men are locked in a contest unlikely to produce a clear victor.

Meanwhile, the voices of flood victims might continue to remain lost in the crowd.

Categories
US

Pentagon deleted texts from key Trump officials after Jan. 6, watchdog group says

Pentagon deleted texts from key Trump officials after Jan. 6, watchdog group says

A government watchdog group said Tuesday that the Pentagon “wiped” text messages from the cell phones of key Trump administration Defense Department officials after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and is now urging Attorney General Merrick Garland to launch a “cross-agency investigation into the possible destruction of federal records.”

American Oversight, which describes itself as a nonprofit watchdog that uses public records requests to fight corruption, filed several Freedom of Information Act requests within days of Jan. 6, 2021, seeking text messages and other communications among senior Pentagon officials including acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller, his chief of staff, Kash Patel, and Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy.

In March, the Pentagon filed court documents acknowledging that text messages belonging to those individuals had been deleted — but framed that action as standard operating procedure whenever an employee leaves the department.

“When an employee separates from DOD or Army he or she turns in the government-issued phone, and the phone is wiped,” the Pentagon wrote in response to American Oversight’s FOIA lawsuit. “For custodians no longer with the agency, the text messages were not preserved and therefore could not be searched.”

But in their letter to Garland on Tuesday, American Oversight accused the Pentagon of knowingly erasing records under active FOIA — and framed this deletion as another effort by these agencies to obscure the actions of administration officials.

“In short, DOD has apparently deleted messages from top DOD and Army officials responsive to pending FOIA requests that could have shed light on the actions of top Trump administration officials on the day of the failed insurrection,” American Oversight Executive Director Heather Sawyer wrote.

The deletion of DOD officials’ text messages was first reported by CNN.

PHOTO: In this July 3, 2022, file photo, an aerial view of the Pentagon is shown.

In this July 3, 2022, file photo, an aerial view of the Pentagon is shown.

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images, FILE

Sawyer urged Garland to probe not only the Pentagon’s conduct, but also the US Secret Service’s apparent deletion of their agents’ text messages.

“American Oversight accordingly urges you to investigate DOD’s actions in allowing the destruction of records potentially relevant to this significant matter of national attention and historical importance,” the letter said.

Reached for comment, Army spokesperson Col. Cathy Wilkinson told ABC News, “It is our policy not to comment on ongoing litigation.”

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Technology

Researchers Warns of Large-Scale AiTM Attacks Targeting Enterprise Users

AiTM Phishing Attacks

AiTM Phishing Attacks

A new, large-scale phishing campaign has been observed using adversary-in-the-middle (AitM) techniques to get around security protections and compromise enterprise email accounts.

“It uses an adversary-in-the-middle (AitM) attack technique capable of bypassing multi-factor authentication,” Zscaler researchers Sudeep Singh and Jagadeeswar Ramanukolanu said in a Tuesday report. “The campaign is specifically designed to reach end users in enterprises that use Microsoft’s email services.”

Prominent targets include fintech, lending, insurance, energy, manufacturing, and federal credit union verticals located in the US, UK, New Zealand, and Australia.

CyberSecurity

This is not the first time such a phishing attack has come to light. Last month, Microsoft disclosed that over 10,000 organizations had been targeted since September 2021 by means of AitM techniques to breach accounts secured with multi-factor authentication (MFA).

The ongoing campaign, effective June 2022, commences with an invoice-themed email sent to targets containing an HTML attachment, which includes a phishing URL embedded within it.

AiTM Phishing Attacks

Opening the attachment via a web browser redirects the email recipient to the phishing page that masquerades as a login page for Microsoft Office, but not before fingerprinting the compromised machine to determine whether the victim is actually the intended target.

AitM phishing attacks go beyond the traditional phishing approaches designed to plunder credentials from unwitting users, particularly in scenarios where MFA is enabled – a security barrier that prevents the attacker from logging into the account with only the stolen credentials.

AiTM Phishing Attacks

To circumvent this, the rogue landing page developed using a phishing kit functions as a proxy that captures and relays all the communication between the client (ie, victim) and the email server.

“The kits intercept the HTML content received from the Microsoft servers, and before relaying it back to the victim, the content is manipulated by the kit in various ways as needed, to make sure the phishing process works,” the researchers said.

CyberSecurity

This also entails replacing all the links to the Microsoft domains with equivalent links to the phishing domain so as to ensure that the back-and-forth remains intact with the fraudulent website throughout the session.

Zscaler said it observed the attacker manually logging into the account eight minutes after the credential theft, following it up by reading emails and checking the user’s profile information.

What’s more, in some instances, the hacked email inboxes are subsequently used to send additional phishing emails as part of the same campaign to conduct business email compromise (BEC) scams.

“Even though security features such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) add an extra layer of security, they should not be considered as a silver bullet to protect against phishing attacks,” the researchers noted.

“With the use of advanced phishing kits (AiTM) and clever evasion techniques, threat actors can bypass both traditional as well as advanced security solutions.”

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Categories
Sports

Daniel Ricciardo return to Renault, Otmar Szafnauer, 2023 contracts

Daniel Ricciardo return to Renault, Otmar Szafnauer, 2023 contracts

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has left the door open for a Daniel Ricciardo to return with uncertainty surrounding his future, and that of Oscar Piastri.

Having lost Fernando Alonso to Aston Martin for 2023, Alpine announced that Australia’s Piastri would take the Spaniard’s spot next year.

But in a major bombshell to shake the F1 paddock, Piastri denied on social media that a deal had been made, and emphatically declared: “I will not be driving for Alpine next year.”

Watch Every Practice, Qualifying & Race of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship™ Live on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

That has sent the rumor mill into overdrive about whether Piastri has a deal secured elsewhere already — possibly at McLaren to replace the struggling Daniel Ricciardo.

Ricciardo has a third year to run on his McLaren contract but has been under pressure, while Piastri’s manager, Mark Webber, is understood to have aggressively lobbied the team to snap up Piastri prior to Alonso’s shock departure.

Should a McLaren move materialize for Piastri, it would leave Ricciardo without a seat for 2023.

One option for Ricciardo could be an awkward return to Alpine (formerly Renault), who was disappointed in 2020 by quitting after just two seasons.

Nonetheless, the team has since undergone a change of management, while Szafnauer sees no reason why Ricciardo can’t be a potential option.

Szafnauer confirmed to motorsport.com.au that the team has already fielded numerous calls from other drivers.

READ MORE

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Alonso OUT Piastri IN? Aussie’s big move | 05:37

Asked about the possibility of Ricciardo returning, he pointed to the example of Alonso, whose F1 career has included two stints at McLaren, and three at Alpine-Renault.

“I mean, if you look at Fernando, for example, he comes and goes, and I think that happens to other drivers too,” he told the publication.

“And I don’t think that’s an issue at all. I think what we need to focus on is, like I say, the plans that we have for the next 89-88 races.

“We’ve got to make sure that we complement that plan with the best driver that we can, and there are some options out there for us. And we put the best driver in next to Esteban [Ocon]so that we can move forward towards what we’ve been planning.”

Nonetheless, Alpine hopes to hold onto Piastri, saying: “We believe we are legally correct in our statement (about his signing).”

Szafnauer told the publication — albeit before Piastri’s statement — that there is no reason a healthy working partnership can’t be maintained with the Australian should the team get its wish.

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Categories
US

Democrats see Kansas abortion win as good sign for midterm elections

Democrats see Kansas abortion win as good sign for midterm elections

Comment

In the wake of a decisive victory for the abortion rights movement in Kansas, Democrats on Wednesday sought to capitalize on indicators of strong voter anger over conservative efforts to curtail access to abortion, as they looked ahead to the midterm elections and other ballot measures with new vigor.

In what was the first direct test at the ballot box of attitudes about abortion law since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, Kansas voters on Tuesday strongly rejected a constitutional amendment that would have opened a path to stripping abortion rights in the state. Democrats pointed to the moment as the strongest evidence yet that the conservative-leaning high court’s ruling and other efforts by Republicans to curb abortion rights would backfire politically on the GOP.

“It is time to reevaluate the conventional wisdom about the midterms after this vote in Kansas,” Sen wrote. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) on Twitter. “People are mad as hell at having their rights taken away.”

Voter turnout was high in Kansas, a conservative state — a major surge during a midsummer vote and in the eyes of many Democrats the first major data point that abortion could prove to be a significant motivator in the fall.

President Biden highlighted the vote on Wednesday, saying that Republicans “don’t have a clue about the power of American women. Last night in Congress and Kansas, they found out.”

Weighed down by Biden’s low approval ratings and rising prices, Democrats have been eyeing the fall campaign with trepidation, eager to tap into more favorable issues that motivate voters to vote for their candidates. After the Supreme Court ruling, many Democrats started re-orienting their campaigns more heavily on abortion, framing their candidacies as bulwarks against GOP efforts to stop reproductive rights.

But until Tuesday, there were no indicators that such a strategy might be successful as concrete as what has been unfolded in Kansas.

With constitutional right to abortion established in gnaws no longer applicable, abortion rights activists are turning to ballot measures, state races and legislative battles to protect and expand abortion rights on an ad hoc basis. Democrats and abortion rights activists, who are largely aligned with the party, are sounding increasingly hopeful notes the two efforts can dovetail.

Democrats are also trying to boost turnout and generate energy for House and Senate races, where many candidates are also touting efforts they would take at the federal level, including trying to codify abortion rights into law through a congressional vote.

Still, it remains to be seen if Democrats can effectively connect abortion as an issue to the choice voters make between candidates in the fall. Most Republicans have sought to campaign on inflation and the economy, steering away from abortion when possible. They were much quieter on the issue than their Democratic counterparts in the aftermath on Tuesday’s vote in Kansas.

At least four other states will have abortion measures on the ballot this November, which party strategists say could drive up Democratic turnout in those places, on top of deciding abortion law in those states. These include initiatives in California and Vermont, where measures would protect abortion access within those states.

Michigan voters are expected to see a measure that would expand and protect abortion access in the state on the November ballot after activists turned in more than 750,000 signatures, which was more than twice the number required. The ballot measure must still receive final clearance, and is pending a sign-off on the signatures.

“The extraordinary turnout in Kansas today is a bellwether for what’s to come this November in the midterm elections and it’s crucial that we keep this momentum,” said Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood, in a statement.

Some Republicans downplayed the impact of the Kansas results—particularly for Senate races. They noted that there are not currently any abortion referenda on the ballot in places that will have targeted Senate races. But several House races in California and Michigan, where abortion will be on the ballot, are already expected to be closed.

Antiabortion activists vowed to redouble their efforts in the wake of the Kansas results. “The stakes for the pro-life movement in the upcoming midterm elections could not be higher, and there will be many more factors in play,” said Mallory Carroll, spokeswoman for SBA Pro-Life America. “It is critical that pro-life candidates go on offense to expose the extremism of Democrats’ policy goals for nationalized abortion on demand paid for by taxpayers.”

The group put $1.7 million into their unsuccessful Kansas effort, and along with affiliated groups, plan to pour an additional $78 million in elections this year.

Michigan, a key swing state in recent presidential elections, has a closely watched gubernatorial election this fall, where incumbent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is hoping to be reelected. Democrats also hope to flip the state Senate from red to blue and win key battleground US House races.

Some activists who oppose the proposed measure on Michigan’s ballot say the question voters face in November would be different than the one Kansans decided on Tuesday.

“It’s very difficult to compare the two ballot measures,” said Christen Pollo, a spokeswoman for Citizens to Support Michigan Women and Children, a coalition of anti-abortion activists opposing the ballot measure. “What happened in Kansas does not affect our campaign.”

Michigan’s ballot measure would add language that protects access to abortion and other reproductive health services and block a 1931 abortion ban from taking effect if it prevails in the courts. But Pollo said that the Michigan measure goes much farther than the Kansas proposal by tying the hands of lawmakers from creating limitations on abortion, from parental consent laws to bans on late-term abortions.

“People are extremely confused by and very concerned by how extreme this abortion amendment is,” Pollo said. Although she sees the abortion battles in Michigan and Kansas as very different, Pollo conceded one similarity, “I think it will be a top issue for voters,” she said. “Even for those who wouldn’t say [abortion] is a top issue for them, it is taking center stage.”

Abortion rights advocates in Michigan cheered the Kansas vote and suggested the win may foreshadow success on the Michigan ballot in November.

“This is a HUGE win for Kansans and a great sign that direct democracy is the *best* way for voters to safeguard our reproductive freedom,” Reproductive Freedom for All, a collective of abortion access activists who put forward the Michigan ballot measure, said in a series of tweets late Tuesday. The group celebrated the result in Kansas for “setting the stage for more success from our repro measures at the ballot box this November.”

Meanwhile, Kentucky and Montana voters will consider new abortion restrictions.

The Kentucky ballot measure would make explicit that the state constitution does not guarantee the right to an abortion or require any government funding of abortions. The Montana measure would create personhood protections and require doctors to provide lifesaving treatment to infants “born alive” after an attempted abortion.

Democrats signaled that they will intensify their focus on the issue in coming months all across the country, even beyond states where abortion measures on the ballot, and take the fight directly to Republicans.

“Theirs is a deeply unpopular position that will backfire in battleground House districts,” said Helen Kalla, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “And we look forward to reminding voters of Republicans’ toxic agenda every day until November.”

John Wagner and Mariana Alfaro contributed to this report

Categories
Business

Metricon: Construction giant tells dozens of staff they will be sacked on Microsoft Teams

In a Microsoft Teams video call, Metricon announced it would cut its NSW sales team, which is roughly 60 employees, down to 18 and would terminate 15 trainee sales consultants

Construction giant tells DOZENS of staff they will be sacked via Microsoft Teams – as the building company confirms major ‘restructure’

  • Metricon announced it would reduce its NSW sales staff down to 18 employees
  • Redundancy payments and redeployment was not offered to 15 trainee staff
  • In a statement read out to staff, Metricon said its decision was not made ‘lightly’

By Antoinette Milienos For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

Building giant Metricon has fired dozens of its sales staff via an online video chat as the company confirms it is in the middle of a restructure and will shed jobs.

In a Microsoft Teams video chat on Monday, Metricon told its staff it would cut its NSW sales team, which is roughly 60 employees, down to 18 and would let go 15 trainee sales consultants.

Staff unable to be redeployed were offered redundancy payouts while trainee staff were terminated without job offers elsewhere in the company or severance payments.

In a Microsoft Teams video call, Metricon announced it would cut its NSW sales team, which is roughly 60 employees, down to 18 and would terminate 15 trainee sales consultants

In a Microsoft Teams video call, Metricon announced it would cut its NSW sales team, which is roughly 60 employees, down to 18 and would terminate 15 trainee sales consultants

Metricon’s NSW state sales manager David Shorten reportedly read out a statement to staff which explained the decision was ‘not undertaken lightly’ but was made for the company’s short and long term goals.

‘To better accommodate and reflect the requirements of the current market and ensure the most appropriate deployment of resources, we have undertaken an important review of the sales team,’ Mr Shorten read, according to news.com.au.

‘This is necessary to ensure we remain competitive in both the short and long term. The review was not undertaken lightly and has resulted in proposed changes to the current structure of the team.

‘We understand that you may feel anxious at this time and that you are likely to have a number of questions. Under the proposed structure, the number of new home advisors will be reduced to 18.’

Employees have until 12pm on Wednesday to offer their ‘thoughts, insights or feedback’ regarding the restructure while terminated employees will be informed by the end of the week.

The construction giant said it will select the most ‘appropriately skilled individuals’ for the limited remaining roles at the company.

Those who turn down an opportunity to remain with the company may not be entitled to redundancy payments.

A statement letter (pictured) was read out to employees explained the company's staff restructure

A statement letter (pictured) was read out to employees explained the company’s staff restructure

It comes as construction companies in Australia are unable to meet fixed price contracts as they face mounting financial challenges caused by supply chain issues, labor shortages and the soaring costs of raw materials.

‘With the current headwinds buffeting the industry, specifically labor costs due to competition for skills, combined with present global material cost hikes and with our very strong existing pipeline of work,’ Metricon’s Acting CEO Peter Langfelder said in a statement given to Daily Mail Australia .

‘We need to carefully balance the pipeline of new builds with the construction side of the business.

‘We are working to restructure our front-end of the business given the current climate and the need to move forward efficiently.

‘We are committed to looking after any of our people who may be impacted by these proposed changes, and they will continue to have ongoing access to the company’s support and mental health services.’

Metricon’s financial stability was under intense scrutiny earlier this year before its lender, Commonwealth Bank, agreed to a rescue deal in May.

Metricon held crisis talks amid cashflow pressures after its founder, Mario Biasin, 71, (pictured) suddenly died on May 16

Metricon held crisis talks amid cashflow pressures after its founder, Mario Biasin, 71, (pictured) suddenly died on May 16

Mr Langfelder said the company’s owners would also give $30million to help the business.

In early May sales staff were reportedly told to increase cash flow by securing more deposits.

Metricon held crisis talks amid cashflow pressures in the building industry after its founder, Mario Biasin died on May 16.

The company confirmed the ‘sudden and unexpected’ death of Mr Biasin and added the 71-year-old had been ‘experiencing mental health issues’.

Last month, Metricon listed at least 56 display properties worth almost $65million for sale despite reports the company was struggling financially.

The sales include homes in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland ranging from $650,000 to $3.2million.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Metricon for comment.

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Technology

Fan favorite Kickstarter game ‘Outbreak’ coming to Stadia with click to play demo

Fan favorite Kickstarter game 'Outbreak' coming to Stadia with click to play demo

At absolutely every turn, I’m looking for ways to support my fellow indie game devs, and today’s news does bring a smile to my face (insert meme here, I guess). A project called Outbreak: Contagious Memories is launching on Kickstarter soon, and its loyal fans have taken to swarm the Stadia Community blog to show support.

The game launches soon, and with it, a Stadia click-to-play demo for anyone who wants to try it out. It’s an impressive strategy – launching a Kickstarter and gaining support from Google via its new and awesome zero friction demo system during the campaign’s lifespan. This means that anyone potentially looking to back the project can do more than just look at GIFs and text, they can play it!

In addition to Outbreak, Stadia has announced the upcoming release of The Dungeons of Naheulbeuk: The amulet of Chaos and ‘From Space’, an appropriately named sequel to ‘It Came From Space and Ate Our Brains’.

All three of these games look pretty fun, and I’m personally most excited for The Dungeons of Naheulbeuk (and yes, I had to look at the word to properly spell it each time) as it has a quirky and humorous take on something like Dungeons & Dragons. I wish the best of luck to the developers of Outbreak, and I hope their strategy garners a ton of support. Please be sure to check the game out and play a free 60 minute demo of it before heading over to their Kickstarter page!

Outbreak: Contagious Memories

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kdph4kZkoqw

Outbreak: Contagious Memories is a chilling love letter to classic 90’s horror games where your survival will be determined by moment-to-moment decisions, what you decide to carry, and how good you are at spotting conveniently written notes.

You’re trapped in a city ravaged by the undead – can you make it out alive? Join Lydia in her desperate struggle to escape, either alone or with a friend in co-op play. With plenty of unlockable bonus content like Operation: Rabid Wolf, work with your friends or compete against them, whether it’s fighting through the city to rescue survivors, or to beat the main game in record time with nothing but your fists.

Release Date: Coming soon

The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos

Step into the wacky heroic fantasy universe of the Dungeon of Naheulbeuk. Lead a team of unlikely and clumsy heroes in an epic and challenging tactical RPG. Live an adventure filled with humor, surprises and silly encounters.

The Naheulbeuk universe is an original creation by French author John Lang. It started as a very popular audio comedy series parodying role-playing games and heroic fantasy tropes. Now the story is available in English and as a video game for the first time!

Release Date: Coming soon

FromSpace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ9Ord_mAuc

From Space is a solo and co-op action-shooter for squads up to four players. Take on the challenge of liberating the earth from an alien infestation with your friends, using over-the-top weaponry in a post-apocalyptic world with awesomely stylized graphics. The apocalypse has never been so much fun!

That’s no bubblegum army, that’s an endless horde of menacingly pink aliens taking over our planet! Enough sweet talk, grab your gear, we need you and your squad to defeat the pink pests! Explore the world and help the human resistance regain ground against the invaders, improving skills and building your arsenal of weapons as you explore every corner of this post-apocalyptic world.

Release Date: Autumn 2022

Categories
Sports

Sam Gaze, Ben Oliver give NZ gold and silver at Commonwealth Games

Sam Gaze, Ben Oliver give NZ gold and silver at Commonwealth Games

Sam Gaze has won his second Commonwealth Games gold medal – and had already decided what to dedicate it to.

Gaze led New Zealand 1-2 in the men’s cross-country mountain bike race at Cannock Chase Forest on Wednesday night (NZ time), with NZ team-mate Ben Oliver taking silver against a weakened field.

The two black-clad bikers led from the outset and had established a break on the field by the end of the first of eight laps, and rode in tandem with a comfortable advantage until Gaze broke away after the midway stage.

Sam Gaze (front) and Ben Oliver (background) won gold and silver respectively.

Stephen Pond/Getty Images

Sam Gaze (front) and Ben Oliver (background) won gold and silver respectively.

Oliver was fourth in the memorable 2018 event on the Gold Coast, while it was Gaze’s third Commonwealth Games gong after taking silver in 2014.

Gaze declared pre-race he would be competing for mental health awareness and would be donating his skin suit to the Sir John Kirwan Foundation.

The 26-year-old has had depression in recent years, partly sparked by his victory in the same event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, when his gold medal triumph over team-mate Anton Cooper was highlighted by Gaze giving Cooper the finger as he rode past him heading into the last lap.

Sam Gaze was involved in New Zealand's biggest moment of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

Sam Gaze was involved in New Zealand’s biggest moment of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

“Obviously the last four years have been a pretty turbulent one,” Gaze said soon after his victory.

“I’m very grateful for it, in hindsight – it’s made me who I am today and to come back this year has… I’d like to think, a version of myself I’m proud of.

Gaze had entered the pits to fix a puncture on his rear tire in 2018 and Cooper attacked immediately, but Gaze chased him down before accusing Cooper of bad sportsmanship soon after hopping off his bike.

Gaze later apologized for his response, was fined NZ$282 by cycling’s governing body and later said if he had his time again he would “completely change my post-race interview”.

While he didn’t blame people for being “upset and mad” after fiery post-race comments, he said it had also been a difficult period of his career.

“I didn’t uphold that responsibility [of representing his country] the best I could have. But of course, it has been hard; it is never nice to have death threats sent to you.”

Cooper, the 2014 champ, withdrew from this year’s race the previous day after contracting Covid-19.

Gaze’s career hit a major bump following a crash in a race in South Africa in April 2019, which also played a part in developing mental health issues.

“I suffered a pretty bad head injury on the first stage of the Cape Epic and there were a lot of things over the year before that which added to it including my disappointment at the Commonwealth Games and a few other things.” Gaze said.

The Tokoroa-born rider said he had double knee surgery after the first World Cup event of the year “and Covid before the last two – just all sorts of stuff this year.

“To come here, it’s really special. Going into the season I had big goals – today sort of makes it all worth it.”

Sam Gaze rode away from New Zealand team-mate Ben Oliver to seal victory.

Stephen Pond/Getty Images

Sam Gaze rode away from New Zealand team-mate Ben Oliver to seal victory.

Gaze said he had known Oliver since the runner-up was 14 and was hoping this result would help him receive a professional contract.

“He’s really up there in the world of mountain biking. It’s very special to share a podium with a team-mate, but also a very good guy.”

“He’s a hard man to follow,” Oliver said of the winner.

“I kept the same speed, Sam just got quicker. I fly under the radar in these things so just stoked to get on the podium.”

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US

Alabama kidnapping: Girl’s escape leads investigators to 2 decomposed bodies, Tallapoosa County officials say; Jose Reyes arrested

Alabama kidnapping: Girl's escape leads investigators to 2 decomposed bodies, Tallapoosa County officials say; Jose Reyes arrested

DADEVILLE, Ala. — A kidnapped girl’s escape in Alabama has led to the discovery of two decomposing bodies and the arrest of a man now facing murder and kidnapping charges, authorities said.

Police got a call Monday morning from a driver about a 12-year-old girl walking alone along County Road 34 in Dadeville, Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett said Tuesday at a news conference.

The girl had been restrained to bed posts for about a week, according to a criminal complaint. She had chewed off her restraints — breaking her braces — and her wrists show marks consistent with restraint, it states.

The 12-year-old had been given alcohol to stay “in a drugged state” and was assaulted in the “head area,” the complaint states. She had not been reported missing, the sheriff said.

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Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes, 37, was arrested Monday about 25 miles away in Auburn on suspicion of first-degree kidnapping by US Marshals and police, the sheriff said, adding other agencies are also on the case.

While searching Pascual-Reyes’ home, detectives found two decomposed bodies, the sheriff said. A forensics team is working to identify the corpses, he said, and how and when they died wasn’t immediately known. The sheriff further stated that “other people” were living in the residence, CNN reported. The sheriff did not say whether these people were being charged or held in connection with the alleged crimes at the residence.

Pascual-Reyes also faces three counts of capital murder and two counts of abuse of corpse, Abbett said in a news release.

“We’re looking at multiple counts of capital murder, along with kidnapping in the first degree,” Tallapoosa County District Attorney Jeremy Duerr said during the news conference. “And of course, once we continue and finish our investigation, I feel certain that several more charges will follow.”

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Pascual-Reyes awaits a bond hearing at the Tallapoosa County Jail, Abbett said. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had a lawyer.

“This is horrendous to have a crime scene of this nature and also a 12-year-old juvenile to deal with this horrendous situation,” Abbett said, calling the girl “a hero.”

While the sheriff did not give any details about when the girl might have been kidnapped or any possible relationship with Pascual-Reyes, he did say she had received medical care and was doing well.

“She’s safe now and… we want to keep her that way,” Abbett said.

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