Latest news with #Zeus
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chinese university expels student over 'inappropriate behavior' with Ukrainian
[Source] A university in northeastern China has sparked debate in the country by expelling a student for what it calls 'inappropriate behavior' with a Ukrainian e-sports player that allegedly damaged national dignity. What the school is saying: Dalian Polytechnic University, located in Liaoning province, issued the expulsion notice on July 8, telling the student, 'Your inappropriate behavior on December 16, 2024, has caused a severe negative impact.' The university applied disciplinary regulations stating that students engaging in 'improper relationships with foreigners that undermine national dignity and the university's reputation may face a demerit or more serious disciplinary action, depending on the circumstances.' The notice was posted publicly on the university's website, revealing the student's full name. The student and the foreigner: The controversy centers on former Ukrainian 'Counter-Strike' professional gamer Danylo Teslenko, nicknamed 'Zeus,' who shared videos of himself with the student on his Telegram channel during a December tournament visit to Shanghai. In his posts, Teslenko reportedly referred to the student as an 'easy girl.' Video screenshots circulating online also show the pair in a hotel room — with the student appearing aware of being filmed — though no explicit content was displayed. The Ukrainian national later apologized and clarified he was neither married nor in a relationship. Reactions: Chinese social media users are divided about the student's expulsion. On Weibo, one blogger with 14 million followers noted that 'fawning over foreigners' would never be respectable. On the other hand, Peking University law professor Zhao Hong wrote that 'the online spectators who frantically humiliated an ordinary woman under the banner of so-called justice' were the real threat to national dignity. The hashtag 'disciplined student should not be publicly shamed' also garnered over 57 million views on Weibo, with many condemning the sharing of the student's identity and private content as excessive punishment. Trending on NextShark: The big picture: Beyond the university's action, the incident unveils tensions over China's complex relationship with foreigners, particularly given Ukraine's precarious position amid Beijing's close ties with Russia. Critics also highlighted gender disparities in public reactions, noting that Chinese men who pursue foreign partners typically face no similar scrutiny. Meanwhile, legal scholars questioned whether the university violated higher education laws and China's Civil Code provisions protecting personal data. The student has 60 days to appeal the expulsion decision. Trending on NextShark: This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what we're building, consider becoming a paid member — your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Subscribe here now! Trending on NextShark: Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!
Forbes
16 hours ago
- Forbes
How Crypto Companies Should Use AI, And How They Shouldn't
Greek mythological figure, Prometheus, chained to a rock in Caucasus where he is constantly preyed ... More upon by an eagle. Original Artwork: Lithograph after drawing by Lavigne. (Photo by) If you were lucky enough to study ancient Greek, or interested enough in history to learn from their mistakes, you'll be familiar with the story of Prometheus. Before fire could heat homes, cook food and forge tools, legend has it that fire was the preserve of the gods who kept it selfishly to themselves. Prometheus, a Titan, climbed to the summit of Mount Olympus to steal it for humans. Zeus, furious that humans had been given something powerful without permission, chained Prometheus to a rock where an eagle would eat his liver every day. The comparison to AI as modern Promethean fire is particularly relevant for crypto. AI has a fundamental trust problem that blockchain technology is uniquely positioned to solve. While most crypto companies are still using AI for lightweight applications, the potential for deeper integration is massive. And yet, as the crypto industry grows increasingly eager to merge these technologies, some applications make perfect sense while others threaten to burn down the very foundations of security that crypto was built upon. Most user-facing crypto companies today are using AI in relatively harmless ways. For example, ChainGPT, Eternal AI and Virtuals Protocol all deploy social chatbots to answer user questions, create natural language interfaces for complex dashboards, or give products a fun character on socials that users can interact with. These applications treat AI as what it fundamentally is, a sophisticated pattern-matching system that excels at understanding and generating human language. Large language models are remarkable at understanding context and generating helpful responses, but they still remain fundamentally unpredictable. The Temptation Of Deep AI Integration Where crypto companies begin to play with fire is when they grant AI systems direct access to sensitive operations. Some startups are experimenting with autonomous agents that can move user funds, execute smart contract calls, and tap external resources using new tooling like Model Context Protocol, all without human oversight. AI models don't reason through problems the way humans do. They predict what comes next based on patterns learned from training data. This makes them vulnerable to attacks that don't exist in traditional software systems. Prompt injection attacks can trick an AI into ignoring its instructions. Data injections and jailbreaks aren't hypothetical risks; they're already happening. Freysa was launched as a jailbreak challenge, an autonomous agent holding funds to not be released under any circumstances. One user successfully tricked the agent to ignore its system prompt by introducing a 'new session', reinterpreted the definitions of approveTransfer and rejectTransfer, then offered a $100 'incoming transfer' which, due to the twisted logic, triggered the release of the entire prize pool (about 13.19 ETH, ~$47, 000). The real problems begin when companies grant these models deep access, including internal tooling, sensitive data, and even on-chain signing authority. That's a massive red flag. When you give an AI system the ability to sign transactions or access financial data, you create a fundamentally new attack surface. The crypto industry learned the hard way that "code is law" only works when the output is predictable and deterministic. The Strategic Path To AI Innovation Ideally, we should avoid merging AI and blockchain systems entirely. Instead, we should be surgical about what goes on-chain. The less on-chain, the better. Crypto doesn't need to host AI software, it just needs to secure and govern AI. Blockchains should handle only the parts that genuinely need to be trustless: payments, identity, access management, and governance. The actual AI computation should happen off-chain. This pragmatic approach unlocks massive potential. Agents can be governed by on-chain policies, become more autonomous via blockchain payment rails, and build a reputation tied to wallet addresses. The hottest topic at any crypto conference today is agent-to-agent communication, negotiation, and collaboration. Picture AI agents with their own wallet addresses, making their actions auditable and revocable. AI computation will not be on-chain for a while, and we need ways to allow non-deterministic computation to interface with the deterministic on-chain world. Fortunately, there are multiple cryptographic methods to achieve confidential and verifiable compute: Trusted execution environments , zero-knowledge proofs, and multi-party computation. Blockchain-based reputation systems can track AI agent behavior over time, creating much-needed accountability mechanisms. This approach solves AI's fundamental trust problem. Instead of forced merging of technologies, we get a more elegant solution where agents have wallets for identity, permissions, and payments. The result could be trustless agents that become part of our everyday life without concerns for fraud, privacy invasion, or security issues. The one area where crypto and AI integration shows genuine promise is in decentralized compute networks. Projects that use token incentives to coordinate distributed GPU resources address a real bottleneck in AI development. Today's AI landscape is dominated by a handful of cloud providers who control access to the massive computing resources required for training and running large models. This isn't about putting AI on the blockchain but rather using blockchain mechanisms to coordinate and incentivize a new kind of infrastructure layer. The comparison between AI and Prometheus is more than a little overblown. AI is a truly remarkable achievement that comes with its own potential to grow and iterate on itself. Something we should be excited about. The challenge isn't to be like Prometheus, but to avoid being like Zeus. AI should be applied liberally but with caution. Poor application in crypto might not leave us with our liver being eaten out for all eternity, but it could risk the one thing the industry built over the years: trustless systems. That would turn away builders and users for good. At least trustless systems are still something worth protecting.
National Geographic
2 days ago
- Climate
- National Geographic
What is lightning?
Here's everything you need to know about lightning, from how it forms to common myths and how to stay safe. Lightning flashes during a tropical storm in Guatemala. Photograph By Babak Tafreshi, Nat Geo Image Collection By National Geographic Staff Lightning flashing across a darkened sky makes an unforgettable image. With their drama and power, it's no wonder people have infused them with symbolic meaning. They're associated with mythological deities, such as Zeus and Thor, and even an emoji, in popular culture. In daily life, these electric currents can be dangerous, sparking intense forest fires and causing deaths. It doesn't help that there are many myths about lightning behavior. From its causes to safety tips, here's everything you need to know about these bolts from the blue. Lightning is an electrical discharge caused by imbalances between storm clouds and the ground, or within the clouds themselves. Most occur within the clouds. During a storm, colliding particles of rain, ice, or snow inside storm clouds increase the imbalance between storm clouds and the ground, and often negatively charge the lower reaches of storm clouds. (Summer storms can strike suddenly. Here's what causes them.) Where guests are guardians Objects on the ground, like steeples, trees, and Earth itself, become positively charged. That creates an imbalance that nature seeks to remedy by passing current between the two charges. These flashes are extremely hot. They can heat the air around it to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit—five times hotter than the sun's surface. This heat causes surrounding air to rapidly expand and vibrate, which creates the pealing thunder we hear a short time after seeing a flash. Lightning strikes off the coast of Portland, Maine. Photograph By Robbie George, Nat Geo Image Collection Cloud-to-ground bolts are common—about 100 strike Earth's surface every second. Yet, their power is extraordinary. Each bolt can contain up to one billion volts of electricity. A typical cloud-to-ground lightning bolt begins when a step-like series of negative charges, called a stepped leader, races downward from the bottom of a storm cloud toward Earth along a channel at about 200,000 mph (300,000 kph). Each of these segments is about 150 feet (46 meters) long. (The most otherworldly, mysterious forms of lightning on Earth) When the lowermost step comes within 150 feet (46 meters) of a positively charged object, it is met by a climbing surge of positive electricity, called a streamer, which can rise up through a building, a tree, or even a person. When the two connect, an electrical current flows as negative charges fly down the channel toward Earth and a visible flash streaks upward, transferring electricity as lightning in the process. Some types, including the most common types, never leave the clouds. Instead, they travel between differently charged areas within or between clouds. Other rare forms can be sparked by extreme forest fires, volcanic eruptions, and snowstorms. (See how volcanoes spark spectacular lightning storms) 'Sheet lightning' describes a distant bolt that lights up an entire cloud base. Other visible bolts may appear as bead, ribbon, or rocket lightning. About one to 20 cloud-to-ground bolts is 'positive lightning,' a type that originates in the positively charged tops of storm clouds. These strikes reverse the charge flow of typical bolts and are far stronger and more destructive. Positive lightning can stretch across the sky and strike 'out of the blue' more than 10 miles from the storm cloud where it was born. As a result, positive lightning is one of the rarest types of lightning. Ball lightning is another rare type. It's a small, charged sphere that floats, glows, and bounces along, oblivious to the laws of gravity or physics. This type still puzzles scientists. What happens when lightning strikes Each year, lightning causes about 24,000 fatalities worldwide. Hundreds more survive strikes but suffer from a variety of lasting symptoms, including memory loss, dizziness, weakness, numbness, and other life-altering ailments. Strikes can cause cardiac arrest and severe burns, but nine of every 10 people survive. In the United States, the odds of being struck by one is one in a million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lightning's extreme heat will vaporize the water inside a tree, creating steam that may blow the tree apart. It can also send electrical currents quickly through water and metal. (The science of 'superbolts,' the world's strongest lightning strikes) Contrary to popular belief, lightning can strike the same spot several times. When you see lightning or a thunderstorm, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration advises people to avoid areas with water, metal objects, and tall trees, especially if you're working outdoors. Instead of seeking shelter in small structures like sheds, the agency recommends people go indoors. Many houses are grounded by rods and other protection that conduct a bolt's electricity harmlessly to the ground. Homes may also be inadvertently grounded by plumbing, gutters, or other materials. (Follow a Nat Geo Explorer as he tries to capture lightning the moment it strikes) Grounded buildings offer protection, but occupants who touch running water or use a landline phone may be shocked by conducted electricity. Cars are havens—but not for the reason that most believe. Tires conduct current, as do metal frames that carry a charge from lightning harmlessly to the ground. Stay inside for 30 minutes after you last see one or hear thunder. People have been struck by lightning from storms centered as far as 10 miles away. This story originally published on October 9, 2009. It was updated on July 21, 2025.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Gates of Olympus slot review: Spin the reels with the Gods
ONLINE slots in the United Kingdom share a common theme: simple to play and full of thrills. Gates of Olympus is a classic casino game that brings Greek mythology to your screen (mobile or PC). Zeus stands front and centre of this slot, ready to shower you with multipliers. This Gates of Olympus slot review explores what makes this slot tick among British gamblers, how to play it, and where you can spin its reels safely. Fishin' Frenzy slot quick overview 👨💻 Software Provider Pragmatic Play 🎰 Slot Type Video slot with 'win anywhere' clusters 💫 Reels 6 💰 Paylines 5 💸 RTP 96.50% 🔥 Volatility High 🤑 Max Win Potential Up to 5,000x 🎞️ Theme Ancient Greece, Mount Olympus, gods, and gemstones 🎉 Bonus Features Cascading reels, multipliers (from 2x to 500x), free spins, Ante Bet, Bonus Buy 📉 Min Bet 0.20 📈 Max Bet £100 (standard), £125 (with Ante Bet), Bonus Buy is 100x your wager Gates of Olympus slot features overview 2 Gate of Olympus is one of the best online slots with high volatility and cluster wins. The good part? It's simple to learn and packed with features. Wins occur when eight or more matching symbols land anywhere. After each win, these symbols vanish, and new ones tumble down. This can happen again in the same round. Random multiplier orbs may drop on any spin, with values ranging from 2x up to 500x, and are applied to current winnings. Scatter symbols of Zeus also appear; four or more icons grant free spins. There's also an Ante Bet option that boosts your stake by 25% and doubles the chance of scatters. Bonus Buy lets you skip straight to the free spins round for 100x your stake. These features ensure fast, action-packed play and the potential for huge payouts. However, if you prefer consistent, smaller wins, the gameplay may drag on for a while. So, weigh your wager appetite before you spin. 👍 Pros Cascading reels keep the action flowing Massive multipliers to amplify wins Free spins offer limitless multiplier stacking Stake options suit both casual and serious players 👎 Cons: High volatility; dry spells are common Bonus Buy is pricey (100x stake) No traditional paylines or wild symbols Gates of Olympus slot graphics, sound, & gameplay mechanics One thing we appreciate about Gates of Olympus is how bold and colourful it is. Gems and artefacts spin against a cloudy sky backdrop. The Zeus character looms above the reels, summoning lightning whenever multipliers hit. The animations are smooth and dramatic. In addition, the soundtrack is epic. Thunder rumbles and choirs sing as wins land. On the desktop, the visuals fill the screen neatly. Mobile adapts perfectly; buttons stay easy to tap, and the grid remains clear. Quick Spin and Turbo modes are available for faster sessions. Overall, the gaming experience is polished and engaging. How to play Gates of Olympus slot Here are the steps to play the Gates of Olympus slot Load the game at a UK-licensed casino Set your stake (from £0.20 to £100 or up to £125 with Ante Bet) Press 'Spin' or switch on Autoplay Form clusters of eight or more matching symbols Watch for cascades, multipliers, and Zeus Scatters Keep an eye on your balance and play responsibly The slot features helpful prompts on-screen, and you can adjust your budget at any time. For any help related to gameplay, contact the casino's support. Gates of Olympus slot symbols 2 Here's a symbols guide featured on the Gates of Olympus slot. Low-value symbols These icons appear frequently on the reels and can give you 0.25x to 10x your stake. They include various coloured gemstones, such as blue, green, yellow, purple, and red. High-value symbols These icons include a crown, chalice, ring, and hourglass. They appear less frequently but have larger payout potential, up to 50x your stake. Scatter symbols Zeus is the Scatter. Four or more Scatters award 15 free spins and an instant cash prize of up to 100x your stake. Special icons Multiplier orbs (2x to 500x) land randomly and apply during cascades. There are no wild symbols. All wins rely on clusters and multipliers alone. During free spins, only gem symbols and multipliers appear, further boosting bonus potential. Gates of Olympus slot RTP, payout, & volatility The slot features a standard return-to-player (RTP) of 96.50%. This means that £96.50 is returned for every £100 staked, on average. Being high volatility, wins can be rare but substantial. The top prize of 5,000x your stake is most likely in the free spins round, where multipliers stack without limit. Due to its high volatility, players should tread cautiously when playing; it's vital to set limits and gamble with funds you're comfortable losing. Gates of Olympus bonus features and free spins Free spins are triggered by landing four or more Zeus Scatters. 15 spins are awarded, plus an instant prize based on the number of scatters. In addition, multipliers collected in cascades are added together across all spins. There's no cap on multiplier accumulation, though the overall max win remains 5,000x of your stake. The Ante Bet option boosts your bet and doubles the chance of scatters. The Bonus Buy option costs 100x your stake and opens free spins immediately. However, not all the best online slot sites in the UK allow this feature due to local rules. Regardless, these features give choices; you can chase big multipliers or take it slow. Either way, no two spins feel the same. Where to play Gates of Olympus slot in the UK Gates of Olympus by Pragmatic Play is offered by Casushi, one of the best online slot sites that offer this slot. They're regulated by the UK Gambling Commission and use secure payment methods like Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal. These platforms provide responsible gaming tools like deposit limits, self-exclusion, and reality checks to ensure you don't over-gamble. Customer support is available via live chat and email. For any bonus or game queries, you can contact support. You may find this slot available on other casinos, but we recommend trying it out at these trusted UK-licensed platforms as they help keep funds and player data safe and secure. Key takeaway This video slot serves mythic thrills and high-volatility excitement. With a 96.50% RTP and top prize of up to 5,000x of your stake, it's among the best online slots out there. However, bear in mind that lengthy losing streaks can occur. Gates of Olympus Slot is a good pick for UK players who enjoy high‑volatility and feature‑rich gameplay. You can try it out at a trusted, UK-licensed online casino; a thrilling adventure awaits you. 🔎 More slot reviews Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Read our guide on responsible gambling practices. For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Chinese university student expelled over sexual relationship with foreign man
A Chinese university has announced the expulsion of a female student for "damaging national dignity" due to her relationship with a foreign man. The move has sparked heated debate across Chinese social media. The decision by Dalian Polytechnic University, located in the country's northeast, said the student would be "expelled" in 60 days for violating a rule against "having improper interactions with foreigners that damage national dignity". 'Your misbehaviours on December 16, 2024, caused a terrible negative impact,' the announcement said, without going into further detail. The university also published the student's full name. Over recent days, the expulsion has drawn thousands of comments on platforms like Xiaohongshu and Douyin, China 's version of TikTok. Many users are questioning whether the university has the right to judge her personal life and elevate it to a matter of national importance, debating if the institution has gone too far. The university's actions illustrate a number of issues percolating in modern Chinese society, including discussions around gender bias and a full-on push toward nationalism. Chinese internet users have connected the accused university student to videos posted by Danylo Teslenko, also known as Zeus, a professional Ukrainian gamer. The videos showed him being intimate with a young woman in a hotel room. The Associated Press could not independently verify if the woman in the video is the student. Some on social media called the school's decision to expel the student a sign of the 'Taliban style', by which a particular nation or group claims ownership over a woman's body. Others call it misogyny, asking if a Chinese man would be considered a 'national pride' if he had sex with a foreign woman. The Paper, a state-run newspaper in Shanghai, said it was not just 'inappropriate' to publish the student's full name but also "may even violate the Personal Information Protection Law.' 'It is improper to graft private affairs onto the public domain for public disposal,' said The Paper. Mr Teslenko confirmed on Sunday that he posted 'a few videos on Telegram with a girl I met in Shanghai' but later deleted them 'as soon as I understood the seriousness of the situation', according to his post on X, formerly known as Twitter. 'Our faces were visible, but there was no explicit content or anything disrespectful in those videos,' the post said. 'I have never said that Chinese girls are easy.' Media reports have said Mr Teslenko and the student met at the final of the Perfect World Shanghai Major, a gaming competition held in December 2024. An email sent to Dalian Polytechnic University was not immediately answered.
