Technologies

Award-Winning Polar Bear Image Offers Heartbreaking Climate Change Reminder

The Natural History Museum announces its annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards, highlighting animals’ struggle to stay alive.

A polar bear’s plight in an award-winning photo is a blunt reminder that emissions from burning fossil fuels are warming up the planet and leading to more extreme weather. Nima Sarikhani’s image of a polar bear snatching a nap on a small iceberg won top honors in the People’s Choice category of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, developed and produced annually by the Natural History Museum, London.

«I am so honored to have won this year’s People’s Choice award for WPY, the most prestigious wildlife photography competition,» Sarikhani said in a statement. «This photograph has stirred strong emotions in many of those who have seen it. Whilst climate change is the biggest challenge we face, I hope that this photograph also inspires hope. There is still time to fix the mess we have caused.»

Climate change is upsetting natural processes in numerous ways, including the melting of Arctic sea ice, which contributes to rising global sea levels and coastal flooding. As governments, businesses, communities and individuals reckon with the potentially dire environmental, humanitarian and economic consequences, they’re also looking for ways to minimize the impact and find a better way forward. (For more on that, see our CNET Zero climate coverage.)

Polar Bear Cuddles Up to Shrinking Iceberg in Winning Wildlife Photograph

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«Nima’s breathtaking and poignant image allows us to see the beauty and fragility of our planet,» museum director Douglas Gurr said in a statement. «His thought-provoking image is a stark reminder of the integral bond between an animal and its habitat and serves as a visual representation of the detrimental impacts of climate warming and habitat loss.»

More than 50,000 images competed in the competition, with only 100 receiving finalist honors. Other images include an orphaned chimpanzee at a rehabilitation center, an inquisitive lion cub strolling toward the photographer and a swirling flock of starlings taking the form of one giant bird over Rome.

Several honored photos, including a fox digging through trash in a London rubbish bin, a Celebes crested macaque trying to drink from a discarded drink bottle and a bull elephant scavenging in a garbage dump, show how the wild world of these animals has been forced into conflict with the trash humans unthinkingly leave behind.

All of the shortlisted images are on display in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London until June 30.

For CNET’s insights and advice on photography, see how AI factors into what’s true in photos, how HDR technology brings striking realism, depth and detail and how an old phone can still take awesome photos.

Technologies

Apple CEO Tim Cook Steps Down, John Ternus Replaces Him

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, April 21

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 21

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought that 4-Across, 7-Across and 3-Down were pretty fun — little puzzles inside of the puzzle. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Like the name Phil Quickley, for a speedy crossword solver?
Answer: APT

4A clue: What connects these names: Al Green, Betty White, Rose Byrne
Answer: COLOR

6A clue: Star ___ (plant with a pointy pod)
Answer: ANISE

7A clue: What connects these names: Tennessee Williams, Georgia O’Keeffe, Denzel Washington
Answer: STATE

8A clue: Teslas and Rivians, for short
Answer: EVS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Assumed name
Answer: ALIAS

2D clue: Washington paper
Answer: POST

3D clue: What connects these names: Chris Pine, Zach Cherry, Willow Smith
Answer: TREE

4D clue: Detective’s assignment
Answer: CASE

5D clue: Currently broadcasted
Answer: ONTV

Technologies

OnePlus Reveals New Phones Despite Uncertain Future

Amid rumors of leaving certain markets, the company introduces the Nord CE6 and Nord CE6 Lite.

There’s uncertainty about OnePlus’ future in the UK and Europe, but it’s full steam ahead in Asia for now. The Chinese-based tech company said Monday in a post on X that it will launch two new phones — the Nord CE6 and Nord CE6 Lite — in India on May 7. OnePlus didn’t say when the phones would be available in the US and other markets and didn’t say how much they would cost.

That’s unfortunate, as both Nord phones build on the brand’s recent set of phones with large-capacity batteries. But whereas last year’s flagship OnePlus 15 has a 7,300-mAh one, the Nord CE6 has a massive 8,000-mAh battery, which should last for 2.5 days on a full charge, according to the phone’s listing. While it doesn’t share how fast the phone’s wired or wireless charging is, it does note that the Nord CE6 has 27-watt reverse charging to donate battery charge to other devices. The Nord CE6 Lite, presumably the cheaper version, has a 7,000-mAh battery.

The Nord CE6 and CE6 Lite, visible in a listing on Amazon in India, don’t have prices yet, but they do have a launch date of May 7.

The OnePlus Nord CE6 is powered by a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 system on a chip alongside a Touch Reflex chip. The Nord CE6 has a 1.5K AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate that reaches up to 1,800 nits of peak brightness. The cheaper Nord CE6 Lite includes a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Apex chipset, and its screen also has a 144Hz refresh rate.

The Nord CE6 will be available in three colors — fresh blue, lunar pearl and pitch black — while the Nord CE6 Lite will have two options: vivid mint and hyper black.

The announcements come amid uncertainty about OnePlus’ status in non-Asian markets. Android Authority reported that several high-level employees in the UK and Europe have recently left the company, which is reportedly «evaluating its regional roadmap and product strategy.» There were also rumors that the company might shut down its operations in the UK and Europe. OnePlus is owned by Chinese conglomerate BKK Electronics, which also owns phone brand Oppo.

A representative for OnePlus did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

We loved the OnePlus 15’s battery

Earlier this year, CNET revealed its picks for the best battery life among phones, after rigorous testing of 35 models. The iPhone 17 Pro Max was our winner, and the iPhone 17 and OnePlus 15 were both tied for second place.

CNET also compared the OnePlus 15 and OnePlus 15R, with the choice basically coming down to whether you want a bit more premium (at a higher price) or a decent version for $100 to $200 less.

Austin Evans, a tech tester with 5.76 million subscribers to his YouTube channel, said he’s «really happy» that the Nord CE6 and Nord CE6 Lite phones are at least launching in India for now.

«I like OnePlus, they’ve been a disruptive force for years and generally provide pretty good value,» Evans said. «That being said, I’m wary of how ironclad their commitment to the US market will be. Everything I’ve heard suggests they’re narrowing scope significantly to focus on growth markets like India. Fair play, but I’m still a bit concerned about the long-term plans for the company.»