Latest news with #Midas'
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Daily Mirror
'I felt like I was stuck in a video game in this impossible city'
Regardless of whether that thought has gone through your head, the answer is, of course, Hong Kong – the eclectic outcome of the merge of eastern and western cultures cradled by a prehistoric landscape. After a comfortable 12-hour flight with Finnair from my connection at Helsinki, the Airbus A350 descended over skyscrapers seemingly borne out of Midas' touch, thrusting up by green mountains and atmospherically wrapped together by a slow roll of mist. Passengers have to walk through a temperature scanner when leaving the airport – that and the wall of humidity is certainly a combination to put your heart rate through its paces. The journey to explore Hong Kong begins – and so does the fight to not be overcome by jet lag. It's clear I won't be lacking in views during my time here, everywhere you look there's a sight to intrigue – even out of the window of my base for the first part of the trip, the four-star Dorsett Wanchai hotel. I'm hypnotised by the brilliant absurdity of a road filled with red taxis, rows of skyscrapers, exotic foliage and the Happy Valley Racecourse. It's like being in a video-game map. The racecourse costs HK$10 (£1) to get in, so a bargain night out. The catch? Wednesdays are the new Fridays in Hong Kong, though I spot the golden arches of a McDonald's, so a pint can be offset by a burger if needed. The morning after, my hotel proves to be the perfect location to step out into the commercial Central and residential Sheung Wan districts to explore the entertainment, shopping and arts scene. Looking up at the never-ending storeys, I spot washing draped outside apartment windows, a testament to their small size and the sheer confidence of airing your smalls to the world below. Impressively, there were no pants on the street but, instead, an abundance of street art. Corner by corner, more of Hong Kong's personality reveals itself, helped by the trail of creations sprawled on walls left by artists, some native, others drawn in from across the globe. Passionate street-art hunter Alex, of Wanderlust Walks, points out Pac-Man – inspired mosaic art left by French-artist 'Invader' and social commentary creator Go Hung's paper-made nest eggs hidden among the imposing Banyan trees and thigh-defeating steps. It literally turns into quite the egg hunt, fulfilling both my inner child and the art aficionado developing within. While I keep an astute eye out for any more paper eggs, it's time to understand the art of herbal medicine – something that has been mastered culturally for centuries. And for 110 years, the Good Spring Company, a generational family-run tea and medicinal shop, has been dishing out their expertise. They have the '24-herbs tea' on tap, and I oblige without knowing what I'm putting in my body, but am reassured by the many others who have swept by for a takeaway cup of the the glass jars lining the shop wall of dried tortoise shells, locusts and liquorice give me a good idea of what is going down the gullet. I sip with intrigue, not just out of politeness, as Dr Lam – who also offers medical advice as well as tea-brewing expertise – tells me that, culturally, people are concerned with their throat and respiratory health. The 24 herbal tea certainly made it known to my throat and wrestled the baying jet. The talk of health makes me thirsty and hungry. Handily, Hong Kong boasts some of the most upmarket food and drink venues on the planet. It didn't take long for my palate to be tickled at Italian-themed Bar Leone – the best bar in the whole of Asia, and second in the world. It's the place to be for a negroni and it's cosy, candlelit and has a communal feel. The liver now might be lined with excellence, but what about the gut? A trip to the ''demon's lair'' will do. Nothing about Cafe Bau is demonic – more like heavenly. It's one of the Hong Kong restaurants of Canadian TV chef Alvin Leung, or 'Demon Chef' as he likes to be known. This was where I comprehended the style of eating in Hong Kong – grub in copious amounts. Individual and sharing courses continued to come out of the kitchen, a true heaven for the palate and hell for my waistband. Oxtail pancakes, clam pasta and the signature custard tart were standouts. But, I managed to devour each part of the eight-course menu. With another day to explore another side of this multifaceted city, it's an early start for a walking tour to discover the diversified communities of Kowloon. It's a district rich in history and in food, my stomach will be nervous to know. The infamous Kowloon Walled City, a notorious slum, was demolished in the Nineties and is now a peaceful garden with a small monument. Walking out of the garden, the call of the distinctive 'uwu' or koel bird follows, as does an 'Uncle' – the respectful term to refer to an older man – who continues to chat to us about the area. A few minutes later he passes me a piece of paper which he had torn around the edges to form my silhouette. You don't have to go looking for art here – it finds you. It's things like this that make it such a magical place, impromptu connections and little moments. Food time, again. Cantonese cuisine remains dominant despite being under British rule from 1841 to 1997, opening up the kitchen to western influences. Ladies Street Sik Faan Co is a stone's throw from the iconic Ladies Night Market and the restaurant is a nod to neon-soaked Nineties Hong Kong. Black truffle shrimp toast proved to be something I didn't know I desired – prawn toast's better cousin. The roasted whole chicken was moreish beyond belief, even though it was plated with its decorative head – beak and all. The same goes with the scaled grouper fish, which I eventually managed to transfer from plate to mouth with chopsticks after a lengthy battle. Despite tea making an appearance at every meal, another aid to the throat and digestion, buckets of beer are not out of place either. The bottles are shared around the table in bowls which made me feel like an alcoholic cat. But a happy and lucky one. It's not every day where it's socially acceptable to drink from crockery, even in boozy Britain. One thing we also don't get at home is braised jellyfish. Let's just say it's an acquired taste. Waking up at my second hotel, the five-star Dorsett Kai Tak is out of the way of the more buzzy areas, but this isn't an issue with the metro close by. It's right next door to the Kai Tak Sports Park, featuring a sports stadium and music arena, and features rooftop cocktail bar Jin Bo Law – the Hong Kong version of the fabled London venue loved by socialites. It's back down to the ground floor and then a journey to head to new heights. The Peak Tram in Central offers a quick journey up to Victoria Peak, arguably the best place to soak up the sights. I find myself there on a day that is misty, perhaps a disappointment to some who paid HK$99 (£9.50) for the short return journey. But, not for me. The rolling clouds offer new views, discovering different skyscrapers as the mist shifts. A red kite emerges from the trees, seeming as if a pterodactyl will shortly follow. What a spectacle. It's time for the trip to come to an end, but not before a nice cold pint of Gweilo, Hong Kong's craft beer, that translates as the Cantonese term for ''Westener''. Looking back out at the skyscrapers lining Victoria Harbour, I take in the last couple of days that have been a masterclass in culture and cuisine. Everywhere you look, and sniff, there is something on offer. If you haven't already discovered its eclectic, diverse offering, it should be at the top of your bucket list. I wish it had been on mine earlier. Book the holiday Finnair flies to Hong Kong from Heathrow via Helsinki starting at £534 return; Premium Economy £1,105; Business £1,823. Manchester and Edinburgh departures also available. Rooms at the Dorsett Kai Tak, Hong Kong hotel start at around £148 a night. Rooms at the Dorsett Wanchai Hong Kong hotel start at around £116 a night.
Business Insider
01-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Midas and 0G Partner to Bring Real-World Assets to AI-Native Blockchain Infrastructure
Tokenization protocol Midas and AI blockchain 0G have announced a strategic partnership to unlock the next wave of onchain finance through modular design. By combining Midas' tokenisation infrastructure with 0G's decentralized AI-native compute, the partners will develop new solutions that intelligently leverage real-world assets (RWAs). As part of the partnership, Midas will deploy on the 0G mainnet, scheduled for late Q3 2025, bringing its full stack of tokenization infrastructure. In parallel, 0G will integrate Midas' tokenized instruments and vault logic into its optimized AI layer. This will position both platforms to serve institutions, developers, and liquidity providers at scale. Midas offers a compliant protocol suite for issuing tokenized certificates tracking institutional-grade strategies. Its tokens, including mF-ONE, mMEV, mEDGE, mRE7YIELD, mBASIS and mTBILL, provide exposure via tokenized certificates to reference real-world assets across private credit, US short-term treasuries, and market-neutral strategies. 0G Labs CEO Michael Heinrich said: 'Midas have made huge strides in expanding compliant access to tokenized RWAs and we're delighted that they've chosen to build on 0G. We're excited to be collaborating with them to develop new financial products that will combine AI with tokenized assets, giving users greater onchain opportunities than ever before.' By launching on 0G, Midas will introduce compliant, composable tokens into a modular environment optimized for AI-powered workflows and smart contract automation. Use cases range from onchain lending vaults and automated credit exposures to AI-enhanced risk analytics and composable strategy deployment. 0G's modular Layer 1 blockchain is purpose-built for AI-native applications. It combines high-performance compute, decentralized storage, data availability, and low-latency smart contract execution, ideal for deploying data-intensive financial applications and real-time DeFi logic. 0G's architecture supports seamless integration with EVM and non-EVM ecosystems, while its recent Galileo testnet demonstrated sustained throughput and low gas costs. It also saw significant developer adoption with over 170 million transactions and 13 million accounts in under two months. The collaboration between Midas and 0G reflects a shared vision: to make programmable, compliant financial infrastructure natively interoperable with the AI applications of the future. About Midas Midas is a tokenisation platform building institutional-grade financial products for the open web. Its ERC-20 tokens are structured to track dedicated strategies with verifiable on-chain performance, combining TradFi-grade standards with DeFi composability. Midas is backed by leading investors like Framework Ventures, BlockTower Capital, and GSR, and partners with regulated custodians to ensure strong compliance and risk controls. Learn more: About 0G 0G is the first decentralized AI protocol (AIP), purpose-built to power a truly democratized future of intelligence. As a modular and infinitely scalable Layer 1, 0G enables the execution of decentralized AI applications at scale. It unifies high-performance decentralized storage, compute, and data availability (DA) to support the next generation of AI-native use cases. With verifiable AI processing and a permissionless agent ecosystem, 0G is laying the foundation for an open and unstoppable AI economy. Learn more: Disclaimer This announcement is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer to sell or buy any financial instrument. Midas-issued tokens are not available to US & UK persons and entities, or those from sanctioned jurisdictions. This is not investment advice. Past performance is no indicator of future returns. Investors have no legal rights in the underlying assets, and their claims are subject to qualified subordination. Contact CMO 0G Labs
Time of India
23-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Untouched 2,800-year-old tomb from King Midas' era discovered—here's what was found inside
Source: Canva In the heart of ancient Phrygia, beneath a mound of earth untouched for nearly three millennia, archaeologists have uncovered a royal tomb so pristine it's as though time itself stood still. Buried in silence since around 750 B.C., the tomb—dubbed Tumulus T-26—was found at the Gordion archaeological site, about 60 miles southwest of Ankara, Turkey. This is the same city that once served as the capital of the Phrygian kingdom, a place forever etched into legend as the domain of the fabled King Midas. The discovery, made after four intense months of excavation, is being hailed as one of the most significant archaeological finds in years—not just for its incredible preservation, but for what it reveals about ancient royal burial practices, family lineages, and long-lost customs of the 8th century B.C. A tomb of royal wealth, left untouched The burial chamber, hidden beneath the earth for nearly 2,800 years, has remained miraculously untouched by looters. Inside, researchers found bronze cauldrons, iron tools, and other high-value artifacts, all suggesting the burial belonged to someone of royal blood—very likely a member of Midas' own family. Credit: Facebook/Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı's post 'This tomb was located very close to the burial mound of King Midas' father,' said C. Brian Rose, an archaeologist from the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Gordion excavations, in a conversation with Fox News Digital. 'Royal tombs are often clustered together, and given its location and richness, it's reasonable to believe this individual was a close relative.' The body inside had been cremated, another significant find that offers insight into Phrygian burial rituals. The bronze vessels, Rose said, 'attest to a high level of wealth,' and would have likely been used during the funeral feast—a ceremonial meal to honor the deceased. What the ancient Phrygians ate at a funeral While the newly found cauldrons didn't contain any food residue, earlier discoveries at the same site provide clues about what was likely served. During the excavation of Midas' father's tomb in 740 B.C., researchers found remnants of a spicy stew made from lentils and barbecued sheep or goat, paired with a ceremonial drink blending grape wine, barley beer, and honey mead. 'That was a funeral feast,' Rose noted. 'It gives us a remarkably detailed glimpse into the culinary and ritualistic life of the Phrygian elite.' The T-26 tomb joins a growing list of extraordinary finds at Gordion. Another nearby burial site, Tumulus T-52, contained more than 3,000 amber beads, forming what Rose called 'one of the largest assemblages of amber found anywhere in the ancient world.' Scientific testing revealed that the amber originated in the Baltic region, pointing to extensive trade routes that connected the Phrygian kingdom with far-off lands. Credit: Facebook/Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı's post 'This is the kind of feature one would expect in a royal assemblage,' Rose added. Who was King Midas—legend vs. reality In ancient Greek and Roman mythology, Midas was the king of Phrygia, known less for his governance and more for the fantastical tale of the 'golden touch.' According to the myth, after showing hospitality to Silenus, a satyr companion of the god Dionysus, Midas was granted a wish. He asked that everything he touched turn to gold. At first delighted, Midas soon found his food, his drink, and even his daughter transformed into lifeless metal. Realizing the curse, he begged Dionysus to take the power away. The god instructed him to wash in the Pactolus River, and from that moment, the sands of the river were said to carry gold. Another tale tells of Midas judging a music contest between Apollo and Pan. When he ruled in favor of Pan, Apollo punished him by giving him the ears of a donkey. Ashamed, Midas wore a turban to hide them. But his barber, unable to keep the secret, whispered it into a hole in the ground. Reeds later grew from that spot—and when the wind blew through them, they whispered the truth to the world: 'Midas has ass's ears.' Though wrapped in myth, the recent discoveries at Gordion bring us closer to understanding the real world that inspired the legend—a world of power, trade, ritual, and royal splendor buried beneath centuries of soil, now seeing the light once again.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
An abandoned ship full of EVs is burning in the Pacific
A cargo ship transporting 3,000 cars was abandoned in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday after a massive fire broke out. As of Friday, the ship was still burning. The blaze may have been fueled by the vehicles' lithium-ion batteries, which are notoriously difficult to extinguish once ignited. The ship, named Morning Midas, was reportedly carrying 3,000 cars on a journey from Yantai, China to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico. Of those vehicles, about 750 were fully electric or partial hybrids, powered at least in part by large lithium‑ion batteries that can short‑circuit and ignite extremely hot fires. Although the exact cause has yet to be determined, the Morning Midas crew reported smoke rising from the deck around midnight on Tuesday. A representative from Zodiac Maritime, a UK-based ship manager overseeing the vessel, told The Register that the 22 sailors on board responded to the fire on Tuesday and attempted to extinguish it using the available onboard fire suppression systems. It wasn't enough. As the blaze grew out of control, the crew reportedly issued a distress call and abandoned the ship in lifeboats. A nearby merchant vessel responded and rescued all 22 sailors, according to a statement released by the U.S. Coast Guard. As for the Morning Midas, it remains afloat and burning in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, approximately 304 miles south of Adak, Alaska. It's unclear what makes or models of cars were aboard—or whether any of them will be recoverable. In a statement sent to Popular Science, Zodiac Maritime said the decision was made to prioritize safety crew and abandon the vessel due to the intensity of the fire. Zodiac has appointed salvage company Resolve Marine to respond to the ongoing fire. A separate team of salvage specialists are expected to arrive on the scene by June 9. Zodiac says it's continuing to monitor the Midas' status via its onboard satellite-connected systems. 'As the search and rescue portion of our response concludes, our crews are working closely with the vessel's manager, Zodiac Maritime, to determine the disposition of the vessel,' US Coast Guard Seventeenth District Commander Rear Admiral Megan Dean said in a statement. 'We are grateful for the selfless actions of the three nearby vessels who assisted in the response and the crew of motor vessel Cosco Hellas, who helped save 22 lives.' Related: [Electric vehicle fires are rare, but challenging to extinguish] You've likely seen images of firefighters struggling to put out fires in Teslas and other large EVs. While EVs are statistically less likely to catch fire than vehicles with internal combustion engines, the fires that do occur are significantly more difficult to extinguish. That's due to a phenomenon known as thermal runaway. The large lithium-ion batteries that power EVs can short-circuit, triggering a chain reaction that eventually leads to ignition. Thermal runaway can take days, or even weeks, to manifest. But once ignited, these fires burn much hotter than those caused by traditional internal combustion engines. They can also reignite after being extinguished, making them especially challenging for firefighters to manage. Cargo ships are a perfect breeding ground for potentially dangerous fires. They're often tightly packed with vehicles and have limited ventilation, meaning a fire in one vehicle can quickly spread to others. And while ships are typically equipped with some firefighting systems, those measures may be insufficient once a blaze spreads across multiple vehicles. In 2022, a cargo ship transporting 4,000 vehicles caught fire in the Atlantic Ocean and eventually sank. Just a year later, another ship carrying around 3,000 vehicles caught fire off the Dutch coast. That incident killed one person and injured several others. Carmakers and battery suppliers are making efforts to improve the durability and reduce the risk of lithium ion fires. Just this week, Texas-based Alkegen, a major supplier of cell spacers used in batteries, announced commercial production of a new type of aerogel insulation they say can protect EV batteries from thermal runaway. Other companies have made improvements in monitoring systems to keep tabs on a battery's health and more intelligent charging protocols that prevent damage from occurring from overcharging. Even with those improvements though, the sheer scale of new EVs being shipped to meet increasing global demand means fires, either on ships or out on streets, aren't likely to go away anytime soon.
