Beyonce's mom does not want her granddaughter to go into showbusiness
Tina Knowles doesn't want her granddaughter to go into show business. The 71-year-old is the mother of global superstar Beyoncé - who has Blue Ivy as well as seven-year-old twins Rumi and Sir.
Nicola Sturgeon JEERED at...while outside an International Women's Day event! Female protesters accuse the former First Minister of betrayal over controversial gender self-ID laws
Nicola Sturgeon was booed and subjected to chants of 'shame on you' by female protesters at an International Women's Day event yesterday.
Undocumented 'Backdoor' Found In Chinese Bluetooth Chip Used By a Billion Devices
"The ubiquitous ESP32 microchip made by Chinese manufacturer Espressif and used by over 1 billion units as of 2023 contains an undocumented 'backdoor' that could be leveraged for attacks," writes BleepingComputer.
"The undocumented commands allow spoofing of trusted devices, unauthorized data access, pivoting to other devices on the network, and potentially establishing long-term persistence."
This was discovered by Spanish researchers Miguel Tarascó Acuña and Antonio Vázquez Blanco of Tarlogic Security, who presented their findings yesterday at RootedCON in Madrid. "Tarlogic Security has detected a backdoor in the ESP32, a microcontroller that enables WiFi and Bluetooth connection and is present in millions of mass-market IoT devices," reads a Tarlogic announcement shared with BleepingComputer. "Exploitation of this backdoor would allow hostile actors to conduct impersonation attacks and permanently infect sensitive devices such as mobile phones, computers, smart locks or medical equipment by bypassing code audit controls...."
Tarlogic developed a new C-based USB Bluetooth driver that is hardware-independent and cross-platform, allowing direct access to the hardware without relying on OS-specific APIs. Armed with this new tool, which enables raw access to Bluetooth traffic, Targolic discovered hidden vendor-specific commands (Opcode 0x3F) in the ESP32 Bluetooth firmware that allow low-level control over Bluetooth functions. In total, they found 29 undocumented commands, collectively characterized as a "backdoor," that could be used for memory manipulation (read/write RAM and Flash), MAC address spoofing (device impersonation), and LMP/LLCP packet injection.
Espressif has not publicly documented these commands, so either they weren't meant to be accessible, or they were left in by mistake.
Thanks to Slashdot reader ZipNada for sharing the news.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Dancing On Ice's Michaela Strachan, 58, discusses being the oldest finalist as she sets her sights on becoming the first female winner in 12 years
Michaela Strachan has said that she 'doesn't feel old' despite being the most senior finalist on Dancing On Ice.
Pregnant Jesy Nelson breaks down in tears as she reveals she needs emergency procedure to save unborn twins after receiving serious diagnosis
The Little Mix star, 34, revealed earlier this week that she's been diagnosed with pre-twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, meaning one or both babies could be at risk of death.
Pete Wicks 'glad relationship with Maura Higgins is over' as drama surrounding her kiss with Danny Jones rumbles on
Sources have claimed that the 'attention' surrounding her kiss with Danny is exactly what Pete tries to avoid.
Etiquette expert reveals the controversial wedding rules women are accidentally breaking
Content creator Just Mindy went viral when she outlined 'some rules of etiquette' she's 'seen young women break.'
Royal Academy plunged into financial crisis amid plummeting visitor numbers as iconic art institution announces nearly 100 redundancies
The prestigious art institution in central London is getting rid of staff in a bid to secure its future amid plummeting visitor numbers and a lack of revenue following the coronavirus pandemic.
America Lost 22% of Its Butterflies Within Two Decades
Butterflies "are vanishing from U.S. landscapes at an alarming rate," reports CBS News:
A comprehensive study, published Thursday in the journal Science, found that 22% of butterflies in the United States disappeared between 2000 and 2020... The researchers behind the Science study used data from more than 12.6 million butterflies spanning 342 individual species, drawing from 76,000 surveys across 35 nationwide monitoring programs. Funded by the U.S. Geological Survey, the study was the first to integrate such a vast dataset, its authors said.
The findings revealed that 33% of butterfly species have experienced significant population declines over the past two decades, with 107 out of the 342 species examined losing more than half of their population — including 22 species that declined by more than 90%. Meanwhile, only 3% of species showed population increases...
Ultimately, the butterfly decline is part of a larger global trend of insect population loss, with insects declining by about 1-2% annually, the study's authors said. Butterflies play an essential role in ecosystems, pollinating flowers, crops, and other plants. Their decline could have far-reaching impacts on plant reproduction and the health of ecosystems.
Just three months ago the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said America's western migratory populations of monarch butterflies had declined by more than 95% since the 1980s, putting them "at greater than 99% chance of extinction by 2080." (America's eastern migratory population were estimated to have declined by approximately 80%.)
This latest study found that one factor is climate change, according to CBS News, which reduces food sources, disrupts breeding cycles and increases habitat stress. (Another factor is pesticide use, which fortunately can be adjusted with various policy interventions and farming practices.)
And one of the study's co-authors tells CBS News that "the things we do in our own backyards actually make a difference." They recommend allowing backyard to "grow wild" with native plants (and reducing pesticide use) — even creating "habitat spaces" for insects like small piles of brush. "Even simple actions — like leaving a strip of wildflowers or planting species that support pollinators — can provide crucial resources for butterflies and other insects."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Xavier Worthy makes lurid sex claim against fiancee as Chiefs star breaks silence after 'strangling' arrest
Kansas City Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy is claiming to be the victim of an extortion plot following his arrest for allegedly strangling a family or household member on Friday night.
Much-loved shopping centre which became a landmark in the 80s announces it is suddenly closing as shoppers cry it is 'end of an era'
Connswater Shopping Centre in east Belfast is set to close its doors for good before this month is out, with the blame being placed on difficult trading conditions and the loss of high profile stores.
It's the end of the bachelor pad as men embrace 'status-driven' trend that shows huge generational shift
Male decorated spaces typically paint a certain picture - but gone are the bachelor pads we expect to see as men on social media have embraced 'boy apartments.'
Donald Trump's iconic Scottish golf course is vandalised by pro-Palestinian protesters as clubhouse is defaced with red paint and enormous 'Gaza is Not For Sale' slogan is painted across a green
Pictures from Turnberry, in Scotland, show sweary insults sprayed across the plush estate where buildings have been smeared in red paint.
Annie Kilner 'issues husband Kyle Walker with new relationship rule' after his night out with two mystery brunettes
Annie Kilner is reportedly standing by her husband Kyle Walker and has issued him with a new relationship rule after his recent antics.
How Gene Hackman's wife Betsy could have been saved from rat disease that caused her death
Autopsies have finally revealed how Hackman and Arakawa died, solving the mystery that hung over them after their corpses were discovered at home last week.
Sam Bankman-Fried Gives a Jailhouse Interview, Seeking a Pardon
Sam Bankman-Fried — one of the largest donors to the Democratic Party — "was convicted of fraud, sentenced to 25 years in prison and mostly went silent," reports the Wall Street Journal. "Until recently..."
Now, from behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, Bankman-Fried is orchestrating an extraordinary public-relations blitz that looks very much like a campaign to make the most audacious trade of his career: support for President Trump's agenda in return for a presidential pardon...
There is little downside to Bankman-Fried's long-shot effort to secure a pardon. As the appeal that he filed last year works its way through the courts, Bankman-Fried, 33, is staring down a prison sentence that could extend until his 50s... The crowning touch of his campaign came on Thursday, when Bankman-Fried gave a jailhouse interview to "The Tucker Carlson Show," which was released on social-media channels including X and YouTube. Appearing on video in a brown jumpsuit, he criticized Washington bureaucrats and crypto regulators — and suggested that he went to prison out of political retribution... [Carlson's title for the interview? "Sam Bankman-Fried on Life in Prison With Diddy, and How Democrats Stole His Money and Betrayed Him."]
The interview hadn't been approved by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, according to a person familiar with the matter. Bankman-Fried spoke with Carlson through a link that is typically used by inmates to communicate with their lawyers, the person said. After the interview, Bankman-Fried was placed in solitary confinement, but he was out by Friday afternoon, according to a person familiar with the matter... Bankman-Fried is trying to highlight in media appearances and in any interaction with Trump's team that FTX customers are set to be made whole with interest through the bankruptcy proceedings — at least in dollar terms. Many of those creditors remain furious that they missed out on bitcoin's rally since November 2022.
Bankman-Fried "wants to set the record straight on his political beliefs, which he believes have been misconstrued," according to the article. "While he has given heavily to Democrats, he has also donated to Republican causes, including the contribution of millions to a group supporting Senator Mitch McConnell."
But the New York Times, citing "people with knowledge" of his pardon-seeking efforts, reported that "So far, the push does not appear to have gained traction."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Barefoot protester is STILL up Big Ben after bringing key central London route to a standstill as his one-man Gaza demo leaves greatly-loved British landmark covered in blood
A barefoot pro-Palestine protester is still on Big Ben's Elizabeth Tower four hours later, as crowds descend on the city centre brought to a standstill.
Major movie star 'in talks' to replace the late Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall in HBO's new Harry Potter series - after Albus Dumbledore's casting was confirmed
A major Netflix star is reportedly 'in talks' to take over from the late Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall in HBO's new Harry Potter series.
How Geri Horner REALLY dealt with husband Christian Horner's text scandal
The 52-year-old pop star 'had questions' of the Red Bull boss, 51 - with a source adding that she is 'no pushover'.
LOUISE THOMPSON: I've had horrendous symptoms since my birth ordeal - from terrifying backside bleeding to delirium. Now I'm taking control... for a very special reason
Monitoring my health has turned into a full-time job. The truth is, if I want to have a second child (and I very much do), it won't be as straightforward for me as it is for some women.