Belgium Hosts Exhibition for Huge Chocolate Statues

A chocolate sculpture of an elephant is seen during the chocolate sculpture festival in Durbuy, Belgium March 29, 2018. (Reuters/Francois Lenoir)
A chocolate sculpture of an elephant is seen during the chocolate sculpture festival in Durbuy, Belgium March 29, 2018. (Reuters/Francois Lenoir)
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Belgium Hosts Exhibition for Huge Chocolate Statues

A chocolate sculpture of an elephant is seen during the chocolate sculpture festival in Durbuy, Belgium March 29, 2018. (Reuters/Francois Lenoir)
A chocolate sculpture of an elephant is seen during the chocolate sculpture festival in Durbuy, Belgium March 29, 2018. (Reuters/Francois Lenoir)

Dreams of chocolate lovers will come true in the Belgian city of Durbuy, which hosts an exhibition featuring giant sculptures of elephants and flamingos all crafted from Belgian chocolate.

According to Reuters, the animal creations, up to three meters tall, are the centerpiece of an exhibition in Belgium of around 50 chocolate pieces by 40 international artists.

The ChocoPalace festival, in the small city of Durbuy, southeast of Brussels, also features a chocolate river and stalls selling macaroons and boozy chocolate drinks.

The festival has already attracted more than 30,000 visitors and is set to draw in plenty more over the Easter holidays until it closes on April 8.

Durbuy, with a population of around 10,000, light-heartedly bills itself as “the smallest city in the world”, and attracts sightseers from nearby Brussels and Luxembourg.

Laura Trommelen, from PLG, the advertising group that has organized the festival, said: “The idea was to bring the biggest chocolate sculpture festival in the world to the smallest city in the world.”



Microsoft's Linkedin Sued for Disclosing Customer Information to Train AI Models

FILE PHOTO: Small toy figures are seen between displayed US flag and Linkedin logo in this illustration picture, August 30, 2018. To match Exclusive LINKEDIN-CHINA/ESPIONAGE  REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Small toy figures are seen between displayed US flag and Linkedin logo in this illustration picture, August 30, 2018. To match Exclusive LINKEDIN-CHINA/ESPIONAGE REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Microsoft's Linkedin Sued for Disclosing Customer Information to Train AI Models

FILE PHOTO: Small toy figures are seen between displayed US flag and Linkedin logo in this illustration picture, August 30, 2018. To match Exclusive LINKEDIN-CHINA/ESPIONAGE  REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Small toy figures are seen between displayed US flag and Linkedin logo in this illustration picture, August 30, 2018. To match Exclusive LINKEDIN-CHINA/ESPIONAGE REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Microsoft's LinkedIn has been sued by Premium customers who said the business-focused social media platform disclosed their private messages to third parties without permission to train generative artificial intelligence models.
According to a proposed class action filed on Tuesday night on behalf of millions of LinkedIn Premium customers, LinkedIn quietly introduced a privacy setting last August that let users enable or disable the sharing of their personal data, Reuters said.
Customers said LinkedIn then discreetly updated its privacy policy on Sept. 18 to say data could be used to train AI models, and in a "frequently asked questions" hyperlink said opting out "does not affect training that has already taken place."
This attempt to "cover its tracks" suggests LinkedIn was fully aware it violated customers' privacy and its promise to use personal data only to support and improve its platform, in order to minimize public scrutiny and legal fallout, the complaint said.
The lawsuit was filed in the San Jose, California, federal court on behalf of LinkedIn Premium customers who sent or received InMail messages, and whose private information was disclosed to third parties for AI training before Sept. 18.
It seeks unspecified damages for breach of contract and violations of California's unfair competition law, and $1,000 per person for violations of the federal Stored Communications Act.
LinkedIn said in a statement: "These are false claims with no merit."
A lawyer for the plaintiffs had no immediate additional comment.
The lawsuit was filed several hours after US President Donald Trump announced a joint venture among Microsoft-backed OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank, with a potential $500 billion of investment, to build AI infrastructure in the United States.
The case is De La Torre v. LinkedIn Corp, US District Court, Northern District of California, No. 25-00709.