Roberts-Smith, who has denied five charges of war crime murder, says he was always going to attend: ‘I never thought about not coming’

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Booing has marred Anzac Day commemorations in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, while on the Gold Coast, the Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith attended the dawn service at Currumbin beach.

One man was arrested at the Sydney dawn service at Martin Place, where there was a small but noisy interjection of booing during the Indigenous acknowledgment of country.

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OpenAI said the company had identified an account using abuse detection efforts, but determined at the time it didn’t meet threshold for legal referral

The head of OpenAI has written a letter apologizing that his company didn’t alert law enforcement about the online behavior of a person who shot and killed eight people in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.

In the letter posted Friday, Sam Altman expressed his deepest condolences to the entire community.

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Small boat destroyed in video posted on social media as US campaign has killed at least 178 people since September

The US military announced on Friday that it killed two people in an attack on a boat in the eastern Pacific, part of a series of deadly strikes on vessels in recent months which it claims are targeting “narco-trafficking” operations.

The US Southern Command declared in a social media post on X that Gen Francis L Donovan directed Joint Task Force Southern Spear, the counter-narcotics unit that operates in the region, to carry out a lethal strike. The US military posted a video, which it labeled unclassified, showing a small boat being destroyed in an explosion.

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Brussels officials will draw up a plan on how to use the EU’s little-known mutual assistance pact in the event of a foreign attack – key US politics stories from Friday 24 April

EU leaders have agreed that the European Commission “will prepare a blueprint” on how the bloc will respond if the little-known mutual assistance clause is triggered, according to Nikos Christodoulides, the president of Cyprus, who is hosting the talks.

They discussed the mutual defence clause, article 42.7 of the EU treaty, on Thursday night, before reports emerged that the US was exploring how to suspend Spain from Nato.

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ajpscs posted a photo:

the SQUARE
TOKYO DAY WALK
© ajpscs

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Greg Adams Photography posted a photo:

BMW's latest concept car moves the color-changing tech it debuted back at CES 2022 closer to reality by embedding an E Ink panel directly into the hood. The Verge reports: BMW's previous concepts wrapped the entire vehicle in a patchwork of E Ink panels that were all custom-sized and shaped to match its contours. It was an approach that wasn't practical for mass production, and one that wasn't very durable. The new BMW iX3 Flow Edition is potentially the most exciting of all of BMW's concepts as it embeds the E Ink Prism technology directly into the structure of the vehicle's hood panel, instead of just slapping it on top. The new approach has "undergone BMW's stringent quality testing" so that it meets the "requirements of automotive engineering and everyday use," according to a release from E Ink.

The BMW iX3 Flow Edition's color-changing capabilities are limited to its hood with eight different animations (which appear restricted to a grayscale palette) that can be changed by the driver at the push of a button. It's not exactly the color-changing car that BMW has been teasing for years and you still can't buy one, but by focusing on making this technology more practical and functional these vehicles are one step closer to moving past the concept phase.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

A report says Samsung's mobile division could post its first-ever annual loss in 2026, as rising memory costs, tougher competition, and pressure across products like foldables and smartwatches weigh on the business. SammyGuru reports: Samsung boss TM Roh reportedly told company leaders that the mobile (MX) business could lose money this year. That warning has clearly rattled management. The MX unit has long been a key pillar for Samsung. That's why the idea of it slipping into the red is a serious concern for the company's overall performance.

If this prediction holds, it would mark the first time the MX business reports a yearly loss since its inception. That's a sharp turn from its track record so far. It also raises bigger questions about future growth, rising competition, and how Samsung plans to steady the ship in its mobile division.

And it's not like the challenges are easing up. Samsung's foldable market share in the US, where it currently enjoys a dominant position, doesn't look as solid as before, and Apple could shake things up if it enters the segment. On top of that, market reports suggest Samsung's overall smartwatch share could dip in 2026. The Galaxy S26 series seems to be selling well for now, but whether that's enough to move the needle is still up in the air.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

uchi uchi has added a photo to the pool:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

uchi uchi has added a photo to the pool:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

mukao has added a photo to the pool:

banzainetsurfer has added a photo to the pool:

Kitagawa, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture, Shikoku, Japan
日本四国地方高知県安芸郡北川村

Looks like a painting, I know, but it was actually taken wth my iPhone. Truly amazing to see.

"All the way from France, Claude Monet’s only garden outside his home country has now been replicated in Kitagawa Village, Kochi, Japan. Impressionist artist Claude Monet devoted his heart and soul into planting attractive and exquisite plants and flowers. And he created many impressionistic style paintings, using his garden as a living canvas.
It is well-known that Claude Monet loved and treasured Japan’s ukiyo-e wood-block prints produced in the Edo period.
Monet’ Garden in Kitagawa Village consists of three gardens of Flower Garden, Water Garden and Garden of Bordighera. Strolling Flower Garden and Water Garden makes you understand Monet’s deep interest in Japanese artworks and culture. Garden of Bordighera was created by the inspiration through the works painted by Monet fascinated by the lignt and colors at the Mediterranean."
Source: www.kjmonet.jp/english/

banzainetsurfer has added a photo to the pool:

Kitagawa, Aki District, Kochi Prefecture, Shikoku, Japan
日本四国地方高知県安芸郡北川村

All the way from France, Claude Monet’s only garden outside his home country has now been replicated in Kitagawa Village, Kochi, Japan. Impressionist artist Claude Monet devoted his heart and soul into planting attractive and exquisite plants and flowers. And he created many impressionistic style paintings, using his garden as a living canvas.

It is well-known that Claude Monet loved and treasured Japan’s ukiyo-e wood-block prints produced in the Edo period.

Monet’ Garden in Kitagawa Village consists of three gardens of Flower Garden, Water Garden and Garden of Bordighera. Strolling Flower Garden and Water Garden makes you understand Monet’s deep interest in Japanese artworks and culture. Garden of Bordighera was created by the inspiration through the works painted by Monet fascinated by the lignt and colors at the Mediterranean.

Source: www.kjmonet.jp/english/

iain.davidson100 has added a photo to the pool:

iain.davidson100 has added a photo to the pool:

iain.davidson100 has added a photo to the pool: