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After learning the U.S. doesn't officially recognize the bald eagle as its national bird, a Minnesota man swooped in. This week the House passed his bill, which now heads to Biden's desk.

(Image credit: Bruce Weaver)

Arne Slot's Reds look to move a step closer to another trip to Wembley.

• AWS to invest a further $10 billion in Ohio, bringing 2030 total to $23 billion+
• Amazon says it has created 110,000 jobs in total across the state since 2010
• Ohio’s renewable energy projects will generate 2.9 GWh of energy annually

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has confirmed plans to invest another $10 billion in Ohio by the end of the decade as part of an ongoing spending spree to fuel its AI-related growth.

Together with the $7.8 billion AWS announced for Ohio earlier in 2024, and $6 billion invested in 2022, total AWS data center investment in the state is set to reach more than $23 billion by 2030.

Overall Amazon investment since 2010 stands at $35 billion, as it aims to meet the increasing demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence and data centers.

AWS invests billions in Ohio

Roger Wehner, AWS VP of Economic Development, said the multi-billion dollar sum will go into creating hundreds of new AWS jobs in technical roles like data center engineers, network specialists, engineering operations managers and security specialists. Locally, telecommunications, facilities maintenance and electricity generation roles are also set to benefit indirectly from increased AWS activity in the region.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine commented: “AWS’s substantial investment in Ohio will help keep our state at the forefront of the global technology.”

Amazon says that since 2010, it has contributed $31 billion to Ohio’s state GDP, including 38,000 direct jobs and a further 72,000 indirect roles.

Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted added: “These are significant investments from AWS that support Ohio’s growing reputation as the tech hub of the Midwest.”

The company also noted its commitment to matching its consumption with renewable energy generation, and its Ohio projects have proven instrumental to this, including 23 wind and solar projects that will generate 2.9 gigawatt hours of electricity annually.

Wehner concluded: “The cloud is powering innovation across all sectors of the modern economy. AWS is proud to expand our cornerstone investment beyond Central Ohio to help drive the next generation of cutting-edge technologies such as AI.”

More broadly, the company has been on a spending spree to back its AI advancements, including an $11 billion injection into Indiana and $10 billion in Mississippi, all announced in 2024.

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Botto is a 'decentralized AI artist' whose work has fetched millions. As AI improves, its creators may give it fewer guardrails to test its emerging personality.

According to the Twitch 2024 community recap, viewers watched 20.35 billion hours on the live-streaming service. A forthcoming book explains why.

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The Magpies look to avenge their recent EPL defeat to the Bees.

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(Image credit: Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register)

• Elden Ring: Nightreign will feature enemies from the Dark Souls series
• Game director Junya Ishizaki confirms this "small number" of enemies will be featured "thanks to the influence of the Night King"
• The Elden Ring spin-off game is expected to launch next year

FromSoftware has confirmed Elden Ring: Nightreign will feature enemies from Dark Souls.

The 10th-anniversary ceremony for The Game Awards 2024 was an exciting night filled with world premiere trailers and announcements, and among them was the surprise reveal of a brand new Elden Ring spin-off game called Nightreign, a standalone co-op roguelite experience coming in 2025.

The announcement arrived alongside an action-packed trailer, but eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice a few familiar faces from previous FromSoftware releases, notably Dark Souls 3's most formidable boss, the Nameless King.

Although the studio is keeping quiet about the bosses players will be able to encounter in Nightreign, game director Junya Ishizaki has now shared a teaser of what to expect.

Speaking to Famitsu (translated by Eurogamer) Ishizaki confirmed that the spin-off will feature a "small number" of enemies from the Dark Souls series "thanks to the influence of the Night King", adding that it reinforces the sense of "chaos" of the night.

What this means, we can't be sure, but the developer has since shared a teaser on social media hinting at the game's plot, which reads, "In the Night, ancestral foes await - remnants of a fire that once burned bright."

At this time, it's unclear if enemies from other FromSoftware games will appear in Nightreign, but there may be references to Bloodborne's Lady Maria and a grappling hook similar to the one used in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice featured in the game (via IGN).

There's no release date for Elden Ring: Nightreign just yet, but a network test is scheduled for next year.

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• The Witcher 4 officially revealed at The Game Awards 2024 with brutal trailer and confirms that Ciri will star as the titular Witcher
• Split Fiction is a new co-op game from the studio behind the award-winning It Takes Two
• As Marvel Rivals prepares to release its Winter Celebration update, the online shooter hits 20 million players within 2 weeks of launch

A place is the last four is up for grabs in this London derby.

• Meta has been hit with a €251 million GDPR fine
• Punshment follows Facebook data breach incident in 2018
• Ireland's Data Protection Commission is yet to collect many of the fines

Meta has received yet another GDPR fine, with the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp facing a €251 million (around $263 million) hit following a 2018 data breach which exposed around 29 million Facebook accounts globally, 3 million of which were EU-based users.

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) has been one of Europe’s leading regulatory bodies when it comes to holding tech firms to account, handing out huge penalties for GDPR violations, including the largest ever GDPR fine, a $1.3 billion charge, also against Meta, for data handling.

The most recent violations refer to the attack in which malicious actors used the ‘view as’ feature, which ordinarily allows users to see what their account looks like to their friends and family, to steal access tokens in order to take over the users account.

Millions of users affected

Of the users whose tokens were stolen, 15 million had their phone numbers and email addresses exposed, and a further 14 million also had their usernames, gender, relationship status, and location check-ins accessed. One million lucky users targeted had no data stolen.

Following the breach, the DPC found Facebook infringed GDPR by not including enough information in its breach notification, failing to properly document the facts of the incident. The DPC also found the company failed to ensure the data protection principles were protected, and that Facebook had failed in its ‘obligation as controllers’ to ensure that only necessary personal data is processed.

“This enforcement action highlights how the failure to build in data protection requirements throughout the design and development cycle can expose individuals to very serious risks and harms, including a risk to the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals,” said DPC Commissioner Graham Doyle.

This may seem like a hefty fine, and it is, but the reality of these GDPR fines is not quite what it seems. So far, only 1% of these DPC fines have been collected, so there's a chance this fine could also get tied up in the appeals process indefinitely.

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• DC Studios has released the first teaser for James Gunn's Superman movie
• The 30-second montage took flight 24 hours before the official trailer's December 19 debut
• The footage gives us the tiniest peek at David Corenswet's Clark Kent in his superhero suit

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's the first official footage from James Gunn's Superman movie!

Well, sort of. The DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) film's inaugural trailer isn't here yet – indeed, the first Superman movie trailer won't actually be released publicly until tomorrow (December 19). But, to whet our appetite ahead of its arrival, DC Studios co-chief James Gunn has given us a taste of what's to come by way of a 30-second teaser.

There's not a lot we can glean from the DCU Chapter One movie's first round of footage. The teaser is filled with sweeping shots, such as an overhead view of a 3D version of The Daily Planet's iconic logo that sits atop its Metropolis-based building, and crowds of people staring up at an unknown object. Among those present in one group is Rachel Brosnahan's Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane, aka Clark Kent/Superman's perennial love interest.

It's not until the 0:10 mark that we actually catch the briefest of glimpses at Corenswet's Man of Steel. It's a blink and you'll miss it moment, which shows the camera closely following Superman as he flies over an icy location. The legendary DC hero's Fortress of Solitude base is often found in remote areas of the world, such as the Arctic, so this shot is likely taken from a part of the film that shows Kent in his home away from home.

Gunn's Superman film takes flight in cinemas worldwide in July 2025 (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

The rest of the teaser comprises similar shots to those mentioned above. Indeed, there are a couple more crowd shots, one of which shows people running away from... something. I'm willing to bet they're not fleeing from the Kryptonian metahuman, but rather the main villain who was seemingly teased in Superman's first image and who'll appear in one of 2025's most anticipated new movies.

Anyway, the final clip shows Superman launching himself into the sky to hide among the clouds. My best guess is this is part of a montage depicting his first flight in his iconic blue and red supersuit, or in a bit to hide from prying eyes. Either way, you'll believe a man can fly once Superman takes flight in theaters on July 11, 2025.

For more Superman movie coverage, read my articles on the film's various on-set leaks, which gave us our first looks at Kent's fellow superheroes. Alternatively, see which Superman movies, all of whom are available on Max (US), Sky/Now TV (UK), and Binge, Foxtel, and iView (Australia), made it onto my best superhero movies list.

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• Leaked Superman film images tease first look at Hawkgirl and Guy Gardner – and their curious ties to the villainous Maxwell Lord
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Early interactions with the Earth may have heated up the Moon and caused it to remelt, producing new lunar rocks and erasing old craters. 

• Google launches Gemini Code Assist tools in private preview
• It will integrate with GitHub, GitLab, Google Docs and more
• Gemini 2.0 Flash is also available to use

Google has announced a handy update to its Gemini Code Assist platform, expanding the AI-powered coding assistant’s capabilities even further by including support for third-party data sources.

“[Gemini Code Assist tools] enable developers to retrieve information from, or act on any part of their engineering system, which is especially helpful for services outside the IDE," noted a blog post update by Senior Director for Product Management Ryan J Salva and Group Product Manager Prithpal Bhogill.

The news comes shortly after the tech giant announced its latest Gemini Flash 2.0 model, which the company hopes will produce higher-quality responses with lower latency.

Gemini Code Assist is even more powerful

Salva and Bhogill highlighted how the update will enable developers to work more seamlessly with uninterrupted flows; third-party integrations will surface information and tools from other applications without having to leave the IDE.

Google also says that by having access to more data and insights, more efficient development cycles, reduced errors and better software are all possible.

Already, Atlassian (Rovo), GitHub, GitLab, Google Docs, Sentry and Snyk have all been announced as launch partners, offering full support for Gemini Code Assist tools.

Atlassian Head of Product for Agile and DevOps AI, Josh Devenny, commented: “This integration ensures every developer can instantly access technical specifications, tasks in progress, blockers, or even identify the right person to ask for help, all without leaving their coding environment.”

Google also boasted about how it can support other businesses, saying the launch of its new tools will enhance developers’ productivity and “[provide] immense value to [its] partners, offering exciting new opportunities for growth and engagement.”

Developers can express their interest in joining the Gemini Code Assist tools private preview, and signups are also open to use Gemini 2.0 Flash in Gemini Code Assist.

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• Bad Monkey is coming back for a second season
• A third season is possible, as the original pitch was for three seasons
• Plot details are under wraps but could be inspired by Carl Hiaasen's book

One of my absolute favorite shows on any of the best streaming services this year was Bad Monkey on Apple TV Plus. It's one of the reasons Apple's streaming service was one of our Techradar award winners this year, and my determination to talk endlessly about it at every opportunity may explain why I haven't been invited to any Christmas parties this year.

One of the problems with falling in love with a streaming show is the Netflix curse, which sadly applies to all streamers: it's a business as cut-throat as any of the baddies you'll find in Bad Monkey and many favorite shows end up sleeping with the fishes.

But it looks like Apple is the good guy this time around, because Bad Monkey, one of the best Apple TV Plus shows, is coming back. Back! BACK!

Bad Monkey. Good news. pic.twitter.com/GEzPMd4xiHDecember 17, 2024

More monkey business

The news was posted on the official Apple TV account on X with just four words: "Bad Monkey. Good news." The post included a short clip of Vince Vaughn and John Ortiz on their familiar beachside chairs before cutting to black and the words: "renewed for season 2".

If you haven't already seen Apple TV Plus' next big comedy from Ted Lasso's co-creator, stop what you're doing and binge it right now. You can thank me later. Based on the book by Carl Hiaasen it's an absolute blast of a Floridian crime caper that's often very funny, occasionally heartbreaking and never less than gripping.

Part of the reason it's such a good show is that every single member of the cast is exceptional. Vaughn as kinda-cop Andrew Yancy is funny and just the right side of annoying to remain likeable rather than insufferable; Jodie Turner-Smith is astonishing as the fierce and frightening Dragon Queen; Rob Delaney and Ronald Peet were spectacular as two very different people whose lives end up in collision; and Crystal the Monkey, who plays Driggs (a monkey), is very good at being a monkey.

I could go on, and often do.

And if news of a second season wasn't enough, it looks like there could be a third. According to writer Bill Lawrence, the show was pitched with a three-season arc in mind. "They were really receptive to it," he says.

As for plot details, they're currently under wraps. But given that Carl Hiaasen's Bad Monkey has a sequel, Razor Girl, that also features Andrew Yancy – and given that Lawrence has previously said he intends to use that book to inspire the second season, you know where to go if you want some spoilers.

Season 1 of Bad Monkey is streaming now on Apple TV Plus.

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• The EU is launching a probe into TikTok following suspected foreign election interference
• The investigation will examine political ads and TikTok's algorithm
• Romania cancelled its presidential election as a result of a spate of cyberattacks

Regulators from the European Union have revealed that they are investigating whether TikTok breached the Digital Services Act in regards to its ‘obligation to properly assess and mitigate systemic risks linked to election integrity’, particularly in regards to the Romanian election.

The investigation will focus on TikTok’s ‘recommender systems’, and the risks associated with ‘coordinated inauthentic manipulation or automated exploitation of the service’. Also being investigated, are TikTok’s policies surrounding paid for political content and advertising.

The Romanian election was recentl annulled following a series of cyberattacks which targeted electoral systems. In the run up to the first round of the contest, the electoral systems suffered over 85,000 attacks, in which access credentials for electoral sites were stolen by threat actors.

Freedom of speech or election interference?

The probe has already sparked outrage from members of far-right groups in the European Parliament, with Poland’s Patryk Jaki calling the investigation ‘censorship’ and France's Catherine Griset accusing the EU of looking like a ‘totalitarian regime’ in its fight against misinformation.

Foreign interference into elections has been seen across the world this year, and social media has been a catalyst for the spread of propaganda and misinformation. This EU investigation could potentially lead to action against the platform and set a precedent for other tech organizations.

“We must protect our democracies from any kind of foreign interference. Whenever we suspect such interference, especially during elections, we have to act swiftly and firmly," said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EU Commission.

“Following serious indications that foreign actors interfered in the Romanian presidential elections by using TikTok, we are now thoroughly investigating whether TikTok has violated the Digital Services Act by failing to tackle such risks. It should be crystal clear that in the EU, all online platforms, including TikTok, must be held accountable.”

Via Politico

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