## Prankster arrested for spraying pesticide on Walmart produce

Authored by ktar.com

PHOENIX — A male prankster has been arrested in connection with a social media post involving the spraying of pesticide on produce and other foods at a Mesa Walmart store.

According to police, Charles Smith, 27, entered the Walmart at 1955 S. Stapley Dr. on Dec. 19 intending to film pranks for social media platforms.

Instead, police said Smith grabbed a can of Hot Shot Ultra Bed Bug and Flea Killer from a shelf without paying for it and then sprayed the pesticide on various vegetables, fruit and rotisserie chickens that were available for purchase.

Smith recorded his face, the pesticide can and the act of him spraying its contents.

Police said Smith turned himself in and admitted to the theft and to the spraying of the pesticide.

Pass it along to the KTAR News team here. »

### Ukraine’s First All-Robot Assault Force Just Won Its First Battle

Authored by forbes.com

A Ukrainian national guard brigade just orchestrated an all-robot combined-arms operation, mixing crawling and flying drones for an assault on Russian positions in Kharkiv Oblast in northern Russia.

It was an impressive technological feat—and a worrying sign of weakness on the part of overstretched Ukrainian forces.

Unmanned ground vehicles in particular suffer profound limitations, and still can’t fully replace human infantry. »

### Tencent directors step down from Epic Games' board after US Justice Department "expressed concerns"

Authored by gamesindustry.biz

Two Tencent directors have left Epic Games' board of directors after the US Justice Department "expressed concerns" about their positions.

The law states that directors and officers should not serve simultaneously on the boards of competing companies, such as Epic and Riot.

Consequently, Tencent has amended its shareholder agreement with Epic to "relinquish its unilateral right to appoint directors or observers" on the latter's board given it owns a minority stake in Epic whilst also being the parent company of Epic competitor, Riot Games. »

### Texas A&M alumnus accidentally joins band, says he pretended to play for 4 years

Authored by lonestarlive.com

A Texas A&M alumnus has gone viral after claiming he accidentally became a part of the university marching band and pretended to play an instrument for four years.

“I tried choosing the cheapest dorms, not knowing they were the band dorms,” the user explained in the post.

However, as a member of the Corps, which is required for band membership, housing costs about $3,300 per semester. »

### The Price of Humiliating Nicolás Maduro

Authored by theatlantic.com

Since the July 28 election, in which plausibly two-thirds of voters rejected incumbent President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelans have entered a “silent tunnel,” the historian Edgardo Mondolfi told me.

Since Maduro, Chávez’s successor and heir, came to power, one in four Venezuelans has left the country.

Maduro looked aside as businesses skirted some of his most ludicrous regulations, allowing certain segments of the economy to flourish. »

## In pictures

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