Two prominent Chinese companies have been dropped from the Department of Defenses concerning companies list.

This was not a ransomware attack, BeyondTrust confirms, but users should still be wary.

Pastry chef Arnaud Delmontel rolls out dough for croissants and pain au chocolat that later emerge golden and fragrant from the oven in his Paris patisserie.The price for the butter so essential to the pastries has shot up in recent months, by 25% since September alone, Delmontel says. But he is refusing to follow some competitors who have started making their croissants with margarine.Its a distortion of what a croissant is, Delmontel said. A croissant is made with butter.One of lifes little pleasuresbutter spread onto warm bread or imbuing cakes and seared meats with its rich flavorhas gotten more expensive across Europe in the last year. After a stretch of post-pandemic inflation that the war in Ukraine worsened, the booming cost of butter is another blow for consumers with holiday treats to bake.Across the 27-member European Union, the price of butter rose 19% on average from October 2023 to October 2024, including by 49% in Slovakia, and 40% in Germany and the Czech Republic, according to figures provided to The Associated Press by the EUs executive arm. Reports from individual countries indicate the cost has continued to go up in the months since.In Germany, a 250-gram (8.8-ounce) block of butter now generally costs between 2.40 and 4 euros ($2.49-$4.15), depending on the brand and quality.The increase is the result of a global shortage of milk caused by declining production, including in the United States and New Zealand, one of the worlds largest butter exporters, according to economist Mariusz Dziwulski, a food and agricultural market analyst at PKO Bank Polski in Warsaw.European butter typically has a higher fat content than the butter sold in the United States. It also is sold by weight in standard sizes, so food producers cant hide price hikes by reducing package sizes, something known as shrinkflation.A butter shortage in France in the 19th century led to the invention of margarine, but the French remain some of the continents heaviest consumers of butter, using the ingredient with abandon in baked goods and sauces.Butter is so important in Poland that the government keeps a stockpile of it in the countrys strategic reserves, as it does national gas and COVID-19 vaccines. The government announced Tuesday that it was releasing some 1,000 tons of frozen butter to stabilize prices.The price of butter rose 11.4% between early November and early December in Poland, and 49.2% over the past year to nearly 37 Polish zlotys, or $9 per kilo (2.2 pounds) for the week ending Dec. 8, according to the National Support Center for Agriculture, a government agency.Every month butter gets more expensive, Danuta Osinska, a 77-year-old Polish woman, said while shopping recently at a discount grocery chain in Warsaw.She and her husband love butteron bread, in scrambled eggs, in creamy desserts. But they also struggle to pay for medications on their meager pensions. So the couple is eating less butter and more margarine, even though they find the taste of the substitute spread inferior.There is no comparison, Osinska said. Things are getting harder and harder.The cost of butter in Poland has become a political issue. With a presidential election scheduled next year, opponents of centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk are trying to blame him and his Civic Platform party. Other Poles want to blame the national banks governor, who hails from an opposing political camp.Some consumers decide where to shop based on the price of butter, which has led to price wars between grocery chains that in some cases kept prices artificially low in the past to the detriment of dairy farmers, according to Agnieszka Maliszewska, the director of the Polish Chamber of Milk.Maliszewska thinks domestic, EU-specific and global issues explain butter inflation. She argues that the primary cause in Poland is a shortage of milk fat due to dairy farmers shutting down their enterprises because of slim profit markets and hard work.She and others also cite higher energy costs from Russias war in Ukraine as impacting milk production. There is some debate about the potential effect of climate change. Maliszewska doesnt see a link.Economist Dziwulski, however, thinks droughts may be a factor in reducing production. Falling milk prices last year also discouraged investments and pushed dairy producers in the EU to make more cheese, which offered better profitability, he said.An outbreak of bluetongue disease, an insect-borne viral disease that is harmless to humans but can be fatal for sheep, cows and goats, may also play a role, Dziwulski said.The U.S. saw a butter price spike in 2022, when the average price jumped 33% to $4.88 per pound over the course of the year, according to government data. Dairy farmers struggled with feed costs and hot temperatures.U.S. butter prices fell in 2023 before rising again this year, hitting a peak of $5 per pound in September. Higher grocery prices in general weighed on U.S. voters during the presidential election in November.Southern European countries, which rely far more heavily on olive oil, are less affected by the butter inflationor they just dont consider it as important since they consume so much less.Since last year the cost of butter shot up 44% on average in Italy, according to dairy market analysis firm CLAL. Italy is Europes seventh-largest butter producer, but olive oil is the preferred fat, even for some desserts. The price of butter therefore is not causing the same alarm there as it is in butter-addicted parts of Europe.Delmontel, the Paris pastry chef, said the rising costs put business owners like him under pressure. Along with refusing to switch out butter for margarine, he has not reduced the size of his croissants. But some other French bakers are making smaller pastries to control costs, he said.Or else you squeeze it out of your profit margin, Delmontel said.Gera reported from Warsaw, Poland. Colleen Barry in Milan, Raf Casert in Brussels and Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit contributed.Vanessa Gera and Alex Turnbull, Associated Press

President Joe Biden is abandoning his effort to cancel student loans for more than 38 million Americans, the first step in an administration-wide plan to jettison pending regulations to prevent President-elect Donald Trump from retooling them to achieve his own aims.The White House expects to pull back unfinished rules across several agencies if there isnt enough time to finalize them before Trump takes office. If the proposed regulations were left in their current state, the next administration would be able to rewrite them and advance its agenda more quickly.Even as the Biden administration moves to pull back the rules, it pushed ahead with cancellation through other avenues on Friday. The Education Department said it was clearing loans for another 55,000 borrowers who reached eligibility through a program known as Public Service Loan Forgiveness, which was created by Congress in 2007 and expanded by the Biden administration.As the pending Biden regulations are withdrawn, nothing prevents Trump from pursuing his own regulations on the same issues when he returns to the White House, but he would have to start from scratch in a process that can take months or even years.This isnt the way I wanted it to end, said Melissa Byrne, an activist who has pushed for student debt cancellation. Unfortunately, this is the most prudent action to take right now.She blamed Republicans for putting the Biden administration in this position. Its a bummer that we have a GOP that is committed to keeping working-class Americans in debt, Byrne said.In documents withdrawing the student loan proposals, the Education Department insisted it has the authority to cancel the debt but sought to focus on other priorities in the administrations final weeks. It said the administration will focus on helping borrowers get back on track with payments following the coronavirus pandemic, when payments were paused.The department at this time intends to commit its limited operational resources to helping at-risk borrowers return to repayment successfully, the agency wrote.The withdrawals are beginning as Washington braces for a potential government shutdown that could further complicate efforts by the Biden administration to tie up loose ends.Another proposed rule that could face withdrawal is a measure that would have prevented schools from issuing blanket bans against transgender athletes. Trump could recast the pending modification to Title IX to forbid transgender athletes from playing in girls sports, one of his campaign promises.An administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the administration still supports the goals of its regulatory proposals. However, the process can be lengthy because it requires legal reviews and collecting input from the public.Federal agencies are now analyzing which rules to finish and which to pull back before the end of Bidens term, the official said.In recent years, presidents have tended to rely more on executive orders and federal regulations to sidestep gridlock in Congress. However, the rulemaking process can be less durable than legislation, leaving policies more vulnerable to shifts between administrations.There are dozens of other pending regulations across the Education Department and other agencies, ranging from relatively trivial updates to sweeping policies that carry weighty implications for the nations schools and businesses.If a rule has already gone through a public feedback process under Biden, Trump could simply replace it with his own proposal and move straight to enacting the policy, effectively bypassing the comment period.The pair of student loan proposals expected to be withdrawn Friday represented Bidens second attempt at widespread debt cancellation after the Supreme Court rejected his first plan.One of them is a proposal from April would have provided targeted debt relief to 30 million Americans. It laid out several categories of borrowers eligible for relief. Borrowers who saw their balances balloon because of interest would have had their accrued interest wiped away. Those who had been repaying loans for 20 years or more would have gotten their loans erased.That proposal was halted by a federal judge in September after Republican-led states sued, and it remains tangled in a legal battle.The second rule being withdrawn is a proposal from October that would have allowed the Education Department to cancel loans for people facing various kinds of hardship, including those struggling with steep medical bills or child care costs.Although Biden never achieved the sweeping loan cancellations that he initially promised, his administration has forgiven an unprecedented $180 billion in federal student loans through existing programs.Because of our actions, millions of people across the country now have the breathing room to start businesses, save for retirement, and pursue life plans they had to put on hold because of the burden of student loan debt, Biden said in a statement.On Friday, officials announced they were erasing debt for another 55,000 workers including teachers, nurses and law enforcement officialsthrough Public Service Loan Forgiveness. The program promises to cancel loans for borrowers who spend 10 years in government or nonprofit jobs.The $4.28 billion in relief is expected to be the final round of public service loan forgiveness before Biden leaves office in January.Bidens rule on transgender sports was proposed in 2023 but was delayed multiple times. It was supposed to be a follow-up to his broader rule that extended civil rights protections to LGBTQ+ students under Title IX.The sports rule would have barred schools from banning transgender athletes outright while allowing limits for certain reasonsfor example, if it was a matter of fairness in competition or to reduce injury risks.It sat on the back burner through the presidential campaign as the issue became a subject of Republican outrage. Trump campaigned on a promise to ban transgender athletes, with a promise to keep men out of womens sports.The Associated Press education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.Collin Binkley and Chris Megerian, Associated Press

Packaged foods in the U.S. will have to follow new rules in order to call themselves healthy, according to changes finalized Thursday by the Food and Drug Administration.Its an update of the agencys definition originally devised 30 years ago. The move is aimed at helping Americans navigate food labels at the grocery store and make choices that are aligned with federal dietary guidelines in hopes of reducing rates of diet-related chronic disease, the FDA said.Under the rule, products that claim to be healthy must contain a certain amount of food from one or more food groups such as fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy and protein. And for the first time, the rule sets certain limits for added sugars. Foods must also limit sodium and saturated fat at levels that depend on the type of product, the FDA said.The change banishes foods such as sugary cereals, highly sweetened yogurts, white bread and some granola bars from bearing a healthy label, while allowing foods such as avocados, olive oil, salmon, eggs and some trail mix to use it. Even water can now be labeled as healthy, the agency said.Its critical for the future of the country that food be a vehicle for wellness, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a statement. Improving access to nutrition information is an important public health effort the FDA can undertake to help people build healthy eating patterns.The new rule will take effect within two months and food manufacturers will have until February 2028 to comply. A label that designates certain foods as healthy is still being developed, FDA officials said. Under the previous rule, about 15% of products were eligible for the healthy designation, but only 5% made the claim.First proposed in 2022, the change is a much-needed update to horribly outdated guidance, said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University.Big picture, this is a huge improvement from a 30-year-old outdated definition based on 40-year-old science, he said.The new rule acknowledges that dietary and nutrition knowledge has progressed over three decades and that the previous definition didnt jibe with dietary guidelines that are the cornerstone of federal programs and policies.Consumer Brands Association, a food industry trade group, said that the new rule stands to exclude some packaged foods, despite countless years of industry innovation to provider healthier options.Sarah Gallo, an official for the group, said it is concerned the new rule is not based on clear and unambiguous scientific evidence and doesnt fully consider the full potential economic impact on consumers.The updated criteria are based on data that could improve public health, including diet-related chronic ailments such as heart disease and diabetes, the FDA said.More than three-quarters of Americans have diets low in vegetables, fruit and dairy, according to the FDA. Nearly 80% exceed limits on saturated fat, more than 60% exceed limits on added sugars and about 90% exceed limits on sodium that can reduce chronic disease.The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.Jonel Aleccia, AP Health Writer

Photographs have revealed the Casa de Vidrio greenhouse in Chile by architecture studio Max Nez Arquitectos, which hasvaulted roofs made of glass bricks.Located in a private garden, Casa de Vidrio was completed late in 2018 but was recently captured by Chilean photographer Cristbal Palma to show the fullness of the tropical plants inside.Max Nez Arquitectos has created a greenhouse in ChileThe 130-square metre structure was created as a "building for plants" according to Max Nez Arquitectos founder Max Nez, who took cues from modern greenhouses while emphasizing the "artificial nature" of the natural elements contained within.To do this, Nez created different elevations within the structure, so that the plants sit below ground level, accessible by a series of staircases that lead down from a concrete-and-steel platform ringing the interior.It has a double vaulted ceiling made of glass bricks"Having the plants at a lower level was a way to differentiate the horizon of these plants, which are strange to the rest of the park," Nez told Dezeen."It's a subtle way of changing the relation between the horizons of the tropical plants compared to the exterior flora as visitors move around the perimeter."The plants grow below ground levelThis subtle shift in elevation on the interior also allows tropical plants, such as palm trees, to grow to a fuller height.Two large vaulted ceilings also serve practical purposes. They allow the plants to plants to grow taller while refracting light so the plants inside remain in a warm environment without taking on direct sunlight.A walkway lines the perimeterNez noted that the use of vaulted ceilings is rare in Chile, which often sees powerful earthquakes.Though the frame of the structure appears slim, extra supports were placed throughout the vaults. Extra steel supports were also placed in the middle of the ceiling where the vaults meet and around the perimeter.Read: Forma transforms century-old glasshouse into Vksthuset climate classroomThese additional supports were then used to hide the water and electrical systems. Because of the low temperatures of Santiago's winter, heating elements were included around the perimeter, below the walkway.The vaults were supported by simple I-beams, and lighting was placed in the recesses to allow access during the night. Extra-translucent glass clads the exterior and the faces of the vaults."In this way the plants are more visible from the outside, turning the building into a large showcase that exhibits their habitants," said the studio.Lighting and environmental systems were placed in the steel structureOther international greenhouses include the conversion of a steelworks in China into the Expo Cultural Park Greenhouse and a research facility in California designed by Perkins&Will with greenhouses on top.The photography is by Cristbal Palma.Project credits:Architect in charge: Max NezCollaborator: Carlos RosasLandscape design: Juan GrimmLighting design: InterdesignThe post Max Nez Arquitectos tops greenhouse with vaulted glass block roofs appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen Showroom: a series of furniture and fittings rendered in Yves Klein's iconic deep blue hue is among 12 new products featured on Dezeen Showroom.Klein Blue collection by TiptoeThe Archives Yves Klein worked with Parisian furniture design brand Tiptoe to develop a range of monochrome pieces that are coloured with French artistYves Klein's eponymous shade of blue.The Klein Blue collection comprises seating, tables, stools and shelving, as well as table legs and wall brackets, all made from steel, wood or a combination of the two.The series was recently featured on Dezeen Showroom alongside a kitchen made from planks of solid oak and an armchair with a wraparound arm and backrest atop a pouf-like base.Read on to see more of the latest products:Micra tiles by VivesSpanish brandVives has released a large-format porcelain tile that comes in a range of styles and patterns but is unified by its terrazzo-like surfaces.Micra tiles are available in various sizes and colours that are intended to be applied in tandem with the brand's other tiles and surfaces.Find out more about Micra Green steel bathroom products by BetteGerman bathroom brandBette has enabled a selection of its products to be specified in green steel, a material which the company considers to be carbon-neutral.Green steel bathroom products are finished with the brand's signature glazed surface, which enhances hygiene and durability.Find out more about green steel products Tenon kitchen by Kristian Ahlmark for KongacphLithuanian brand Kongacph worked with Danish architect Kristian Ahlmark on a kitchen made from one single oak log.The Tenon kitchen is decorated with various natural cracks and knots as well as visible joinery to create a characterful aesthetic.Find out more about Tenon Azerocare Plus stone treatment by AntoliniItalian stone company Antolini has created a process that can be applied during the manufacturing of its stone surfaces that protects them from contact with potentially abrasive substances.The Azerocare Plus stone treatment can be applied in conjunction with marble, onyx and soft quartzite stones.Find out more about Azerocare Plus Marmi Maximum tiles by FiandreItalian brandFiandre has added three new designs to its Marmi Maximum tile collection, all of which mimic the appearance of highly-striated marble.Marmi Maximum tiles are now available in Dama Bianca, Breccia Imperiale and Silver Root patterns, and, like the rest of the range, are suitable for use across a variety of applications.Find out more about Marmi Maximum Light and Shadow rug collection by TenBerke for Warp & WeftDawn, midday and dusk inform the patterns present in this collection of rugs by architecture studio TenBerke for US brand Warp & Weft.The Light and Shadow rug collection comprises ten rugs in total, all of which feature various abstract shapes and soothing colour combinations.Find out more about Light and Shadow Ribbon textile by Sophie Smallhorn for DesigntexIntersecting and overlapping lines create a kaleidoscopic pattern on this material created by artist Sophie Smallhorn for UStextilecompanyDesigntex.Ribbon textilecomes in various colourways and background hues, which all aim to energise the spaces in which they are used.Find out more about Ribbon Nebulona armchair by E-ggs for MiniformsItalian brandMiniforms worked with design studio E-ggs to create a rounded, inviting armchair.The Nebulona armchair shares the rest of the collection's soft, plump forms, and can be upholstered in a selection of fabrics.Find out more about Nebulona Maya lamps by FraumaierUndulating lines are created by layers of fringing in the shade of this duo of lamps by German lighting brandFraumaier.Maya lamps come in both pendant and standing variations, and are available in various colourways for the inner and outer shade and base, in the standing lamp iteration.Find out more about Maya tude chair collection by TiptoeClassic classroom chairs meet grown-up aesthetics in this chair by French furniture brandTiptoe.The tude chair collection comes in dining and lounge variations with optional armrests that can be finished in a myriad of colourways.Find out more about tude Raffles rug by Azma's rugsTextile companyAzmas Rugs worked with designer David Mrugala on a kaleidoscopic rug decorated with frond-like patterns of vivid colours.The Raffles rug is made from hand-knotted wool and silk, and features 100 knots per square inch to create a dense and highly tactile finish.Find out more about Raffles SSD stool TiptoeFurniture design company Tiptoe has released a stool that takes visual cues from its SSD chair.The SSD stool has four gently splayed, cylindrical legs that support a round seat, and is available in both bright and neutral colourways.Find out more about SSD Dezeen ShowroomDezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.The post Klein Blue collection by Tiptoe among 12 new products on Dezeen Showroom appeared first on Dezeen.

Amid a fragile ceasefire, architects and designers in Lebanon are torn between hope and fear as they take stock of how Israel's military campaign has impacted their country's creative community.The last year of conflict has seen Lebanon face its most intense attacks in several decades, with Israeli strikes killing more than 4,000 people among them 316 children and displacing 1.3 million more."So many designers have moved abroad," interior designer Nour Saccal, of Saccal Design House, told Dezeen. "And I am not sure if they will indeed return.""Many have started looking into opening offices outside Lebanon in order to ensure a continuous workflow and protect themselves from any future instability.""Culture is the first thing that gets affected"As designers and craftspeople fled the violence, many Lebanese studios were forced to pause or delay projects.Now, they fear demand for their work might not return until there is some semblance of stability a prospect that still seems far off as both Israel and Lebanese militant political group Hezbollah continue to violate the ceasefire they agreed on 27 November."Culture is the first thing that gets affected when events like this happen," said architect Lina Ghotmeh. "Who's going to build a museum when everybody's bombarding everywhere?""But culture is very important because culture is what brings people together," she added. "Cultural places are ones where people can be confronted with different points of view. So it's essential, it's not a luxury."PSLab stockpiled materials to keep manufacturing in its northern Lebanon factoryIn fact, Lebanon's celebrated creative industries are needed now more than ever, argues We Design Beirut founder Mariana Wehbe, as the nation looks to rise from the ashes of the war and elect a new president after two years without a head of state and a parliament in deadlock."While we've rebuilt physically many times, rebuilding fundamentally as one united people is a challenge we have yet to fully undertake," Wehbe explained. "For the first time in our history, we have an opportunity to turn the page, to forgive and to come together to build a unified nation.""What I believe has always bonded us together as a country is the creative community it's an integral part of our moving forward," she added. "It is the only community far from politics, polarisation and finger-pointing, breaking all barriers of religion and political stands.""Lebanon has never been without its conflicts"Lebanon and Israel have been embroiled in an on-and-off conflict since the latter was founded in 1948. But the most recent clash erupted when Hezbollah fired on Israel after the country was attacked by Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023, triggering a year of tit-for-tat airstrikes.Israel escalated the conflict into an all-out war and ground invasion in September, which it claims to be targeted at Hezbollah militants but has resulted in many civilian deaths, leading human rights organisations to call for Israel to be investigated for potential war crimes.More than 500 people died on a single day that month, making it "the bloodiest day in Lebanon" since the country's civil war in 1990, according to UN secretary general Antnio Guterres.The conflict which saw Beirut heavily bombed until seconds before the ceasefire came into effect has also caused an estimated 6.7 billion worth of damage, with more than 100,000 homes either hit or entirely levelled.Read: Beirut explosion was "the funeral of my hometown"This destruction could not have come at a worse time for Lebanon, already battered by economic collapse, severe food shortages, the Covid-19 pandemic and a disastrous explosion in the capital's port in a span of only five years.Even before Israel's invasion, this amounted to "the most devastating, multi-pronged crisis in its modern history", according to the World Bank, with the country losing "the equivalent of 15 years of economic growth"."Lebanon has never been without its conflicts: the 15-year civil war, the Israeli invasion of 1982, the Israeli aggression of 2006, the Beirut Port explosion of 2020, and now this invasion that is above and beyond anything we have ever seen" Wehbe said."How many times can we be asked to rebuild our human selves? How many wars can we endure in a single lifetime?" she added. "The word 'trauma' feels like a euphemism.""This is not the first round of war that we've gone through," agreed architect Bernard Khoury. "We do hope that it will be the last one, as we did so many times."Studios forced to pause local projectsDesigner Paola Sakr is among those who have chosen to leave the country. She moved to Dubai in November "with a heavy heart", after many of the local artisans who make her products were forced to flee."Although this decision wasn't easy, it will allow me to work with more stability and plan for future growth," she explained. "That said, I am dedicated to maintaining a presence in Lebanon and will do everything possible to keep a foot in my production there."Similarly, Paris-based Lebanese architect Ghotmeh has seen three different projects put on hold due to Lebanon's ongoing political and economic crisis, among them a hotel set to be built among the vineyards of Bekaa Valley, which was hit by several deadly strikes."They're on hold and it will be at least a few years before anything big happens," she said. "It's a question of finance, a question of stability."Lina Ghotmeh's Lining Kefraya Hotel in Bekaa Valley was put on hold"It's affected my desire to set up a satellite office in Lebanon," Ghotmeh admitted. "But still, we're always trying to work on revival projects and trying to see how we can help and push in the best way possible, despite the situation."Meanwhile, the Saccal Design House office in Beirut's Verdun neighbourhood finally reopened its doors at the start of December after employees worked remotely for two months, with many moving abroad or into the countryside to escape the heavily bombed capital."We are trying our best to navigate this time while still staying resilient and keeping the work ongoing," said Saccal, who paused all local projects but continued to spearhead overseas endeavours from her satellite office in Kuwait."Part of the resilience is our feeling of responsibility to persevere harder by getting more work and projects from abroad in order to keep the Beirut office and its employees afloat.""When our atelier was struck we didn't stop"Studios without overseas outposts were forced to find circuitous ways to maintain their normal operations amid the frightening unpredictability of the fighting.Design duo Bokja had to abandon their studio in Beirut's central Basta neighbourhood after it was damaged by an Israeli air strike, moving their team of artisans to a temporary space in nearby Saifi."When our atelier was struck we didn't stop, we adapted," said co-founders Huda Baroudi and Mara Hibri. "Our artisans relocated, taking their craft with them, and continued creating."Lighting design studio PSLab continued production in its factory in northern Lebanon, where the team stockpiled extra raw materials and fuel for generators, with alternative sea freight on standby in case the local airport was shut down.Bokja moved to a temporary space in Saifi after its atelier was damaged"If you talked to any of our 150-plus team members you would think they have not been affected and it's business as usual," said PSLab communications director Rania Abboud."But in reality, Lebanese-based design studios, and especially manufacturers, work extra hard to achieve this 'business as usual'."Khoury also said he managed to stay on time with projects thanks to certain "defence mechanisms" he put in place, requiring tasks and responsibilities to be divvied up interchangeably between all team members rather than falling to certain individuals."This, alongside unconventional schedules that allow for a level of flexibility and adaptability, permits us to operate in what has become a highly unstable environment both politically and economically," he explained."The setup we have here remains, as far as I'm concerned, more effective than anywhere else," Khoury added. "Lebanon still has impressive human resources. This applies to design practices as much as it applies to most creative fields."Lebanese expertise "still not replicable" elsewhereEven studios that already have a foot in other markets across the Middle East and beyond say the war has given them a renewed appreciation for Lebanon's creative output that dissuades them from leaving for good."This experience has deepened my appreciation for the resilience, skill and cultural richness of Lebanese artisans," said Tara Sakhi of Europe-based design studio T Sakhi, which saw several client commissions paused or delayed."These projects often rely on techniques and craftsmanship specific to Lebanon, which are difficult to replicate elsewhere."Read: Eight highlights from the first-ever We Design Beirut event"What we have in Lebanon in terms of quality of work and sophistication is still not replicable," agreed designer Nada Debs, who is continuing the production of her furniture and homeware in Beirut while expanding in Dubai."We will be opening a space by early next year in order to create demand and to keep the livelihood of the craftsmen going."For Wehbe, the dogged perseverance shown by Lebanon's design community remains a beacon of hope."Designers have found creative ways to work, manufacture, and adapt, even in the face of immense adversity," she said."In many ways, they've been putting the pieces back together all along, and I believe the coming year will showcase the remarkable strength and resilience of this community."The main photo is by Matej Sulc via Shutterstock.Dezeen In DepthIf you enjoy reading Dezeen's interviews, opinions and features,subscribe to Dezeen In Depth. Sent on the last Friday of each month, this newsletter provides a single place to read about the design and architecture stories behind the headlines.The post "How many times can we be asked to rebuild?" demand Lebanese architects and designers appeared first on Dezeen.

Handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion GO, and ASUS ROG Ally have proven to be popular designs in a somewhat niche market. Despite their small sizes, at least relative to laptops, these computers are quite capable of driving even graphics-heavy triple-A games, at least with reasonable settings. And as with any gaming-worthy computer, these handheld PCs are also capable of doing just about anything, including office productivity or even content creation.That said, their designs are hardly conducive to use cases outside of gaming, especially for tasks that require at least a keyboard. There are alternative designs from the likes of AYANEO and GPD that do add a tiny keyboard, but those are meant more for chatting than actual work. This upcoming newcomer, however, wants you to have your cake and eat it too, and its using a rather ingenious design that supports both games and productivity without compromising too much.Designer: ONE-NETBOOKWeve seen handheld gaming PCs that look like laptops, but these usually compress the keyboard in order to make room for gaming controls like joysticks and buttons. This creates a usable but not ideal experience, where typing is doable but uncomfortable and gaming is bearable but not always enjoyable. And thats not even considering issues with ergonomics for both sides of the coin. Short of having a shape-shifting computer or a modular design (that has actually been done before as well), theres really no easy way to bridge these two together, at least until now.Unlike its predecessor that attempted to create a hybrid between a Nintendo Switch handheld and a Microsoft Surface tablet, the ONEXPLAYER G1 embraces the form factor of a small 8.8-inch laptop. Opening it up reveals what looks like a regular physical keyboard, complete with a tiny touchpad, so you might not even consider it as a gaming computer until you remove that keyboard. Yes, that keyboard is actually wireless and connected to the computer using magnets only, and lifting it up reveals the handhelds gaming chops.Underneath this removable keyboard are analog joysticks, a D-Pad, and face buttons, the essential parts of a game controller. Because there isnt a critical need to have a keyboard, the design is able to accommodate a more comfortable arrangement of buttons similar to an Xbox-compatible controller. Of course, there are also triggers and shoulder buttons at the back of the laptop, as well as a number of extra buttons.Whats interesting about this design is that even this gaming mode still has a split keyboard below the controls. Its not immediately clear whether these are capacitive keys on a glass surface or if theyre just very low-travel keys for basic chat needs. Either way, its definitely an interesting twist on the handheld gaming PC design, though the price for such a multi-functional beast will probably cost as much as a laptop as well.The post Mini gaming laptop has a removable keyboard to easily switch between work and play first appeared on Yanko Design.

Traditional art of the month; Inside the artist's contemporary images that work with themes of consumerism and identity