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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — The patio of the storied Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel was packed to the brim with Hollywood stars for the annual Chanel and Charles Finch dinner on Saturday, the final event before the 97th Academy Awards. Everyone was ready to celebrate, undaunted by the long day ahead or the pressure of the awards show Sunday. Oscar nominees at the dinner included Adrien Brody, Demi Moore, Jeremy Strong, Ralph Fiennes and Fernanda Torres.Lupita Nyong’o, who voiced the robot Roz in “The Wild Robot,” which is up for best animated film, said she is just…

LONDON: Jos Buttler made an unceremonious exit as England’s white-ball captain on Friday, endorsing the popular perception that great players do not always make great captains. Buttler is arguably England’s greatest white-ball batter and was tipped to scale similar heights as skipper after he led the side to the T20 World Cup title in Australia in 2022. Since then, England have instead made a steady decline. In the last 16 months, England have failed to defend either of their World Cup titles and on Wednesday were sent packing from the ICC Champions Trophy by Afghanistan. As the captain of England’s…

DUBAI: New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips on Saturday said his team’s recent victories more than past records gave them confidence in their final group game against India in the Champions Trophy. Both teams are already into the semi-finals of the 50-over event and Sunday’s clash will determine who tops Group ‘A’. The prize is a semi-final against Australia, who finished second to South Africa in Group ‘B’. New Zealand registered a surprise 3-0 Test whitewash in India in October-November last year. The Black Caps have been in top form ever since and recently won a tri-nation tournament in Pakistan with an…

KARACHI: England’s dismal Champions Trophy campaign concluded with a whimper on Saturday as South Africa’s ruthless seven-wicket victory in Karachi sealed their semi-final berth. A shell-shocked Jos Buttler watched his captaincy tenure end in tatters, his side bowled out for 179 before the Proteas romped home in just 30 overs, powered by Rassie van der Dussen’s unbeaten 72 and Heinrich Klaasen’s explosive 64. Head coach Brendon McCullum did not sugarcoat the failure. “Tonight was probably the example of why we’re out of the tournament,” he admitted, citing England’s inability to handle pressure. “We weren’t able to withstand it when applied…

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Miami Beach broke up with spring break last year and city leaders still aren’t interested in couples counseling.Officials recently announced they were bringing back enhanced security measures for practically the entire month of March, including parking restrictions and increased fees for nonresidents. The new rules were introduced last year after three consecutive years of spring break violence. The city is again warning visitors to expect curfews, bag searches at the beach, early beach closures, DUI checkpoints and arrests for drug possession and violence.“Last year’s spring break was a success on any level you measure it,”…

A public meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy descended into a spat.A visit that Ukraine’s President Volodymr Zelenskyy hoped would secure US support in the face of Russia’s invasion, instead ended in a very public argument. The meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House was supposed to be about signing over rights to some of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. Kyiv hoped that would keep US assistance coming, despite not containing any guarantees of security against Russian aggression. Instead, President Zelenskyy got a dressing down from Trump and his Vice President JD Vance, who accused the wartime…

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek recently declared that its AI models could be very profitable — with some asterisks. In a post on X, DeepSeek boasted that its online services have a “cost profit margin” of 545%. However, that margin is calculated based on “theoretical income.” It discussed these numbers in more detail at the end of a longer GitHub post outlining its approach to achieving “higher throughput and lower latency.” The company wrote that when it looks at usage of its V3 and R1 models during a 24-hour period, if that usage had all been billed using R1 pricing, DeepSeek…

Since its founding in 2021, OpenAI Startup Fund has raised $175 million for its main fund and secured an additional $114 million through five separate special purpose vehicles, which are investment pools for specific opportunities. Unlike many sizable tech companies, OpenAI says it doesn’t use the company’s money to invest in startups.  The ChatGPT maker says its OpenAI Startup Fund is raised from outside investors. This includes participation from significant OpenAI backer Microsoft, as well as “other OpenAI partners,” according to the fund’s website. The OpenAI Startup Fund, which is managed by a dedicated team, has so far invested in…

Time is ticking to get AI industry insights — and major savings. There are just two days left to save up to $325 and secure your spot at TechCrunch Sessions: AI. But act fast, this special offer ends on March 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT. TC Sessions: AI is an event like no other that will let you explore the AI industry with a focus on the startup ecosystem. Whether you’re a founder or an investor or you’re simply curious about the wild world of AI, join us on June 5 in Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley to get inspired…

MILAN (AP) — Creative director Maximilian Davis designed Ferragamo’s co-ed collection for next winter with comfort and movement in mind.Inspired by both the late German neoexpressionist dancer Pina Bausch’s work and lifestyle, the collection previewed Saturday during Milan Fashion Week featured soft cashmere knitted into form-hugging long sheer dresses or bodysuit-and-legging combos, worn with playful furry flip flops. Shearling fur accented jackets and became panels on sheer dresses in a game of conceal and reveal. A big black faux fur was finished with a pair of glossy black leather bags belted at the hip. Leather and satin were draped to…