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Marvelous Announces Weak Financial Results as Farmagia Flopped Marvelous Announces Weak Financial Results as Farmagia Flopped Today, Marvelous Entertainment announced its financial results for the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2025. Source link #Marvelous #Announces #Weak #Financial #Results #Farmagia #Flopped Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Children among several killed in Israel’s attacks on Gaza amid aid blockade Children among several killed in Israel’s attacks on Gaza amid aid blockade Seven people, including three children, have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip amid a months-long Israeli blockade that has deepened the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn coastal enclave. ************ news agency Wafa said Israeli warplanes bombed a tent in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City on Saturday morning, killing five members of the Tlaib family. “Three children, their mother and her husband were sleeping inside a tent and were bombed by an [Israeli] occupation aircraft,” family member Omar Abu al-Kass told the AFP news agency. The strikes came “without warning and without having done anything wrong”, added Abu al-Kass, who said he was the children’s maternal grandfather. In parallel, a drone attack on Gaza City’s Tuffah neighbourhood left one person dead. Further south, Wafa said Israeli gunboats opened “heavy fire” on the shores of Rafah, killing a man identified as Mohammed Saeed al-Bardawil. Two more civilians were injured in an attack on the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone, west of Rafah. In the past 24 hours, at least 23 Palestinians have been killed and 124 others injured in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. Israeli blockade The attacks came amid Israel’s continuing refusal to allow vital supplies into Gaza since March 2, leaving the enclave’s 2.3 million residents dependent on a dwindling number of charity kitchens, which have been shutting down in recent days as food runs out. Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said: “There’s barely food … We’re talking about bakeries not operating, we’re talking about zero distribution points and we’re talking about only a few hot meal kitchens still operating.” Khoudary said people queueing for hours would often leave empty-handed, with remaining kitchens stretching out food that would previously have fed 100 to serve up to 2,000 people. “We’re seeing more people dying, we’re seeing more children dying due to malnutrition and the lack of food. But it’s not only the lack of food, it’s also the lack of medical supplies, it’s the lack of fuel, cooking gas and it’s the lack of everything,” she said. Among the charities shuttering operations, the United States-based World Central Kitchen said on Wednesday that it had been forced to close down because it no longer had supplies to bake bread or cook meals. The United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs appealed for the blockade to be lifted. “Children are starving, and dying. Community kitchens are shutting down. Clean water is running out,” it said on Friday in a post on X. ‘Failure of humanity’ The blockade is also having a devastating effect on people with chronic illnesses, depriving Palestinians who suffer from diabetes, ******* and rare conditions, of life-saving medication. Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said: “Doctors here say the tragedy is not in what’s happening, but in what is preventable.” “These diseases have a treatment, but people of Gaza no longer have access to them, and they say that this is not just a failure of logistics, but of humanity,” he added. Mahmoud spoke to the father of a 10-year-old boy suffering from diabetes, who said insulin was not available across northern Gaza. “I spend entire days searching pharmacies, hoping to find it. Sometimes we hear that individuals might have it, so I go to their homes to barter,” he said. Said al-Soudy, head of emergency in the oncology department of Gaza City’s Al Helou International Hospital, told Al Jazeera: “A large part of patients are struggling to find their essential medications. Without them, their health conditions deteriorate and may become life-threatening.” Pharmacist Rana Alsamak told Al Jazeera that Palestinians were unable to obtain medication for “multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, hepatitis, chronic illnesses and … immune-related diseases”. “These conditions now go largely untreated,” she said. On Friday, the United States said it was establishing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to coordinate aid deliveries into Gaza, with Israel providing military security for operations. The United Nations rejected the move, saying it would weaponise aid, violate principles of neutrality and cause mass displacement. Source link #Children #among #killed #Israels #attacks #Gaza #aid #blockade Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Crimson Desert Performance Preview – IGN Crimson Desert Performance Preview – IGN IGN : Crimson Desert is a brand new, open-world, action-adventure game from Pearl Abyss. I was lucky enough to go hands on with the game, speak to the developers and get details on the BlackSpace engine that powers it. Just what technology is under the hood? Why it is so impressive, and why this could be one of the biggest games of 2025. All that and much more in our Crimson Desert IGN Performance preview. Source link #Crimson #Desert #Performance #Preview #IGN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Case closed: 'Suits LA' canceled after 1 season at NBC – Entertainment Weekly Case closed: 'Suits LA' canceled after 1 season at NBC – Entertainment Weekly Case closed: ‘Suits LA’ canceled after 1 season at NBC Entertainment Weekly‘Suits LA’ Canceled By NBC After One Season Deadline‘Suits LA’ Canceled Ahead of Season One Finale The Hollywood ReporterMultiple Fan-Favorite Shows Canceled at NBC Newsweek‘Suits LA’ Canceled After One Season at NBC Variety Source link #Case #closed #039Suits #LA039 #canceled #season #NBC #Entertainment #Weekly Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Karmelo Anthony’s rep says his family believes he’s innocent Karmelo Anthony’s rep says his family believes he’s innocent Texas teen Karmelo Anthony has been charged in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet. NewsNation’s Rich McHugh spoke with a representative for Anthony’s family, who maintains his innocence. #Texas #Crime #KarmeloAnthony Source link #Karmelo #Anthonys #rep #family #believes #hes #innocent Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Taylor Swift criticises being pulled into Lively-Baldoni row – BBC Taylor Swift criticises being pulled into Lively-Baldoni row – BBC Taylor Swift criticises being pulled into Lively-Baldoni row BBCTaylor Swift subpoenaed in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni case CNNTaylor Swift spokesperson responds to subpoena in Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni legal feud ABC NewsBlake Lively Rep Slams Justin Baldoni’s Legal Team for Subpoenaing Taylor Swift People.comTaylor Swift And Travis Kelce Dragged Into Hollywood Sex Scandal Yahoo Source link #Taylor #Swift #criticises #pulled #LivelyBaldoni #row #BBC Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

These stocks, including Microsoft, just entered overbought territory These stocks, including Microsoft, just entered overbought territory A few stocks that saw meaningful gains in an otherwise rough week could be due for sharp declines. The market notched its first losing week in three on Friday, with the S & P 500 finishing the five-day ******* with a 0.5% loss. The Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average also fell on the week, slipping 0.3% and 0.2%, respectively. The week’s losses came as investors waited for clarity on potential trade deals between the U.S. and its trading partners, especially China, given that the two countries are set to meet on the matter this weekend. That follows President Donald Trump unveiling a trade deal with the United Kingdom on Thursday, which helped to boost sentiment. Using the CNBC Pro stock screener tool , we identified the most overbought and oversold stocks on Wall Street by weighing their 14-day relative strength index, or RSI. An RSI above 70 signals that a stock might be overbought and could be due for a tumble. An RSI below 30, meanwhile, suggests that a name could be oversold and experience a move to the upside. Microsoft was among the most overbought names this week, having an RSI of 70.2. The “Magnificent Seven” name also made the list of Wall Street’s most overbought names for the week before after gaining 11% in that ******* following its latest earnings and revenue beat as well as its upbeat outlook. The stock advanced nearly 1% this week. Shares are outperforming the S & P 500 in 2025, up 4% while the broad market index is down nearly 4%. Microsoft is well-liked on Wall Street, with most analysts rating it a buy or strong buy, and consensus price targets calling for more than 14% upside, per LSEG. Rockwell Automation , which soared more than 16% this week, was another name in the overbought category. That stock had an RSI of 71.2, and its average target of almost $300 implies only limited upside potential of 1.7%. On Wednesday, shares of the automation company jumped nearly 12% after it reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the fiscal second quarter. The company also raised its full-year earnings guidance. Fertilizer producer Mosaic and HR and payroll software provider Paycom Software were two other overbought stocks this week, seeing an RSI of more than 70 for both. Mosaic gained more than 7% over the past week, while Paycom climbed more than 11% in the *******. In the health and science space, biotechnology stock Vertex Pharmaceuticals and insurer UnitedHealth Group made the list of oversold stocks. Vertex had an RSI of 28, while UnitedHealth had a 26.7 RSI. Vertex shares plunged more than 15% this week following its disappointing quarterly results . Shares are up more than 5% in 2025, but the stock has hit a rough patch in recent months, falling almost 18% in the past six. UnitedHealth, on the other hand, shed almost 5% this week, bringing its year-to-date losses to nearly 25%. It has also slid more than 34% in the past month amid the company slashing its annual profit forecast . Source link #stocks #including #Microsoft #entered #overbought #territory Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Pope Leo tells cardinals to continue legacy of Francis Pope Leo tells cardinals to continue legacy of Francis Pope Leo XIV is urging the world’s Catholic cardinals to continue the vision of his predecessor and renew their commitment to major church reforms. Source link #Pope #Leo #tells #cardinals #continue #legacy #Francis Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Five stocks with major upside following earnings, Morgan Stanley says Five stocks with major upside following earnings, Morgan Stanley says Morgan Stanley says there’s a slew of stocks that have plenty more room to run following quarterly earnings. The firm named five overweight-rated companies more upside ahead. They include: Colgate-Palmolive , Netflix , O’Reilly , Philip Morris and Blackstone. O’Reilly The risk/reward is too attractive to ignore despite a mixed earnings report in late April, according to the firm. Analyst Simeon Gutman said he’s sticking with the stock. “It’s possible ORLY could deliver meaningful EPS upside if it is able to uphold its gross margin rates going forward in a tariff environment,” he wrote. Gutman urged clients to accumulate shares immediately, adding the auto parts retailer has the chops to withstand a bumpy macro. “ORLY should be better positioned to navigate the current tariff environment than most Hardline/Broadline retailers, given the sector’s pricing power combined with the company’s buying leverage,” he said. O’Reilly shares are up more than 14% this year, and Gutman raised his price target to $1,580 per share from $1,450. “Ultimately, as long as ORLY is taking share, the bull case remains intact,” Gutman concluded. Philip Morris Shares of Philip Morris are “heating up,” the firm wrote. Analyst Eric Serotta and team raised the tobacco giant’s price target to $182 per share from $156 following the company’s better-than-expected earnings report in April. “PM’s robust 1Q results and upside to consensus are an outlier in a highly challenging CPG [consumer packaged goods] environment,” he wrote. The firm said it sees “upside to estimates and defensiveness” and noted the stock is “deserving [of a] further re-rating.” Serotta said he’s especially bullish on the company’s portfolio of smoke-free products. The stock is up 41% this year. Netflix The streaming giant is also defensive and resilient, analyst Brian Nowak wrote following the company’s first-quarter earnings report in April. “We remain confident in Netflix’s ability to grow ARM [average revenue per member] (price) and scale up its advertising business in-line to ahead of estimates in ’25 – even if macro softens,” he wrote. Novak raised his price target on the stock to $1,200 per share from $1,150 praising the company’s steady results. “Netflix, as measured in quarters, is a predictable business,” he said. The firm also says Netflix has pricing power along with a competitive advantage that’s unmatched. “Our OW thesis on NFLX shares reflects our view that there is durable growth over many years built on nearly two hours of engagement per subscriber, and growing,” he went on to say. Shares are up nearly 28% this year. Philip Morris “Heating Up. … Raising estimates and PT from $156 to $182 following better than expected 1Q, with PM’s highest in CPG growth, upside to estimates, and defensiveness deserving further re-rating. … PM’s robust 1Q results and upside to consensus are an outlier in a highly challenging CPG [consumer product goods] environment.” Blackstone “BX best placed to navigate uncertain macro, w/ strength & breadth across the franchise. Private wealth momentum persists, private credit opportunities expand, and fundraising/ deployment activity accelerate. 1Q results showcase BX’s ability to lean in w/ $177b dry powder & propel LT earnings power.” Netflix “Netflix, as measured in quarters, is a predictable business. … We remain confident in Netflix’s ability to grow ARM [average revenue per member] (price) and scale up its advertising business in-line to ahead of estimates in ’25 – even if macro softens. … Our OW thesis on NFLX shares reflects our view that there is durable growth over many years built on nearly two hours of engagement per subscriber, and growing.” Colgate “Better than expected Q1 EPS reinforces CL is better positioned than peers, with FX flex/defensive mix/recent reinvestment/solid pricing power vs HPC [home and personal care] peers, driving better EPS visibility, and OSG [organic sales growth] expected to improve sequentially going forward as pricing builds and category growth recovers.” O’Reilly “ORLY should be better positioned to navigate the current tariff environment than most Hardline/Broadline retailers, given the sector’s pricing power combined with the company’s buying leverage. It’s possible ORLY could deliver meaningful EPS upside if it is able to uphold its gross margin rates going forward in a tariff environment.” Source link #stocks #major #upside #earnings #Morgan #Stanley Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pope Leo XIV's Creole heritage highlights complex history of racism and the church in America – AP News Pope Leo XIV's Creole heritage highlights complex history of racism and the church in America – AP News Pope Leo XIV’s Creole heritage highlights complex history of racism and the church in America AP NewsPope Leo asks cardinals to make themselves ‘small’ in first Mass as pontiff as cardinals deny he’s a ‘counterweight’ to Trump CNNOpinion: My hometown pope NPRThe U.S. now has two world leaders. They could not be more different. NBC NewsJohn Prevost, Pope Leo XIV’s Brother, Reflects on His Election and Values The New York Times Source link #Pope #Leo #XIV039s #Creole #heritage #highlights #complex #history #racism #church #America #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Cowboys miss four field goals in draw with Panthers Cowboys miss four field goals in draw with Panthers North Queensland and Penrith have played out the first draw of the NRL season, the sides sharing the spoils 30-30 in Townsville. Source link #Cowboys #field #goals #draw #Panthers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump is about to drop a multi-trillion bomb on the stock market Trump is about to drop a multi-trillion bomb on the stock market Donald Trump’s trade war has already sparked a crisis of confidence in the US – Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Donald Trump has branded it the “big beautiful bill” that will save millions of jobs and boost Americans’ take-home pay by up to $5,000 (£3,700) a year. However, while recent focus has been on the market ructions caused by the trade war, the US president’s package of sweeping tax cuts will arguably be a ******* test of investors’ faith in the world’s biggest economy. Congress remains deeply divided over not only the scale of tax cuts, but also how they will be funded. And bond investors are watching every twist and turn closely. A cornerstone of the bill is a proposal to make permanent the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that came into effect under the last Trump administration, which cut corporation tax from 35pc to 21pc and reduced the top rate of income tax from just under 40pc to 37pc. The cuts are due to expire at the end of the year. But such a move will not come cheap. The independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that a permanent extension of the TCJA could cost $4.6 trillion over the next 10 years. Even so, Trump has already unveiled plans to go further by proposing to eliminate taxes on tips, a popular policy that would benefit restaurant workers but at an additional cost of $1.5 trillion, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF). This will no doubt pile further strain on America’s debt, which Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, admitted last week was on an “unsustainable” path. Currently, the US government spends more on debt interest than defence, with the country’s deficit expected to remain just shy of 7pc. Raghuram Rajan, a former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) who predicted the 2008 financial crisis, warns that America is already living beyond its means. “Simply extending the TCJA will not expand [the deficit],” he says. “However, additional tax cuts such as the elimination of taxes on tips, overtime, and social security are under consideration without any significant new sources of taxation or spending cuts. “These will put the US on an even more unsustainable fiscal path. Debt is already 98pc of GDP – higher than most large developed countries except for France, Italy and Japan.” Mr Rajan, a professor at Chicago Booth, adds that while the new policies will boost the incomes of working people, they could also end up costing the government much more than intended, without leading to a major increase in growth. “They may help redistribute incomes, especially if tips and overtime are not taxed. But it will be tough to ensure that what is called ‘tips’ and ‘overtime’ does not expand,” he says. The CBO agrees. Its long-term analysis of the TCJA found that extending it will not only increase the national debt by $37 trillion over the next three decades, but reduce economic output by 1.8pc by 2054 – or $1.5 trillion in cash terms. That’s because while lower taxes will provide a temporary sugar rush, the size of America’s debt will weigh more on growth – particularly through higher debt interest payments. Ken Rogoff, another former IMF chief economist, points out that failure to renew the 2017 Trump tax cuts “would be regarded as a huge and disruptive tax hike” that could itself see market sentiment sour. However, the Harvard professor warns that the tax cuts could also spell trouble. “Can America afford it? The US is on a very risky debt trajectory that likely will lead to another major burst of inflation over the next few years, though this may not be realised until the aftermath of the next big pandemic-level shock”. 1005 Extending tax cuts would push up debt Rogoff adds that the end of low interest rates has brought with it a reckoning: “Those many thought leaders who denied this would ever happen and argued debt was a free lunch had their heads in the sand. “When the shock hits, someday it will absolutely weaken the dollar’s grip on the global economy. Trump’s tariff war and flouting of the rule of law have already done lasting damage.” It’s a damning verdict but not an unusual one. Matthew Amis, a bond manager at Aberdeen Investments, warns that there are consequences to not caring about getting debt down. “It just adds to the credibility question surrounding the US,” he says – referring to Trump’s steep “liberation day” tariffs on April 2 that sparked a combined collapse in stocks, bonds and the dollar. Amis says: “What we saw in that first week in April was somewhat akin to the [Liz] Truss trade of 2022, where it just shows that the bond markets need to be on your side if you want to achieve your aims. “You need to show that you’re on top of borrowing. I don’t think you necessarily have to bring it down to a great extent – but you have to be aware of it.” He adds that market volatility in the wake of the tariffs offered a clear warning sign that the US “is not immune from the bond vigilantes”. “Its exceptionalism has been questioned,” he says. “They’re not as special as they thought they were.” This embedded content is not available in your region. Credit: Reuters With this in mind, Republicans are pressing ahead with the “big beautiful bill”. The GOP currently holds a three-seat majority with 53 seats. The remaining 47 are split between 45 Democrats and two independents. They had initially promised Trump that they would finalise the bill by Memorial Day later this month, but that deadline has since been extended to July 4. Many Republicans insist that a big chunk of the tax cuts can be paid for by revenue from higher tariffs, spending cuts and repealing net-zero tax breaks. But all are contentious. For example, the energy and commerce committee, which oversees Medicaid – the organisation that helps people on low incomes to cover their medical bills – has been tasked with finding $880bn in spending cuts. Officials say the insurance programme will have to bear the brunt of cuts if the numbers are to add up. That is out of the question for some Republicans. Others have different demands. Senator Ron Johnson has said he will not vote for the bill unless it reduces spending to pre-pandemic levels, while fellow Republican Rand Paul has vowed to block any bill that significantly raises America’s debt ceiling. Congressman Thomas Massie is also opposed to any bill that raises borrowing. “There’s actually almost no chance in hell I’m going to vote for this, because there’s no chance in hell they’re going to be fiscally responsible,” Massie told the Washington Post. The IIF has also warned that tariffs could backfire and even “reduce government revenues if it triggers foreign retaliation”. What’s evident is that Congress is running out of time and options. “It’s not clear how to get the deficit down without Congressional resolve,” says Rajan. “It will require a mix of spending cuts and tax increases. Right now, this does not seem to be a central focus for Congress.” But he warns that inertia has consequences. In a “worst-case scenario, foreign buyers of US Treasuries may end up shunning US debt, especially amid speculation about Fed independence, potential taxes on foreign holders, or even the risk of payment freezes to hostile governments. That volatility could spill over, straining bank capital.” While he says the Federal Reserve has the power to calm markets by buying bonds if needed, even this has its limits. “The Fed can intervene, but doing so while inflation remains elevated, and when fiscal policy is the root cause, will complicate its task.” Buyer beware. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Source link #Trump #drop #multitrillion #bomb #stock #market Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

US offers to help India and Pakistan start talks, G7 also urges dialogue – Reuters US offers to help India and Pakistan start talks, G7 also urges dialogue – Reuters US offers to help India and Pakistan start talks, G7 also urges dialogue ReutersView Full Coverage on Google News Source link #offers #India #Pakistan #start #talks #urges #dialogue #Reuters Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Cardinal reveals what it was like to be part of conclave to choose Pope Leo Cardinal reveals what it was like to be part of conclave to choose Pope Leo Getty Images Being sealed off from the world in the conclave to choose the new Pope was “immensely peaceful”, England and Wales’s most senior Roman Catholic has told the BBC. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, was one of 133 cardinals who were shut into the ********’s Sistine Chapel and later elected Pope Leo XIV on Thursday. He told BBC Breakfast on Saturday that nobody in the highly-secretive meeting was saying who to vote for or who to not vote for, adding that there was “no rancour” or “politicking” among the cardinals. “It was a much calmer process than that and I found it actually a rather wonderful experience,” he added. Conclaves have take place in the Sistine Chapel since the 15th Century and cardinals must have no communication with the outside world until a new Pope is elected. The recent conclave came after the death of Pope Francis on 21 April. The 79-year-old Cardinal Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, said that his mobile phone was taken off him, adding that he found he had “more time on my hands just to be prayerful, just to reflect, just to be still, rather than being constantly agitated… or prompted by what might be coming in” on his phone. “For me, one of the experiences of these last few days was to learn a bit of patience, to just take this step by step,” he said. “There was a calmness, a bit of solemnity,” he continued, adding that everyone he spoke to when in it was “peaceful and just wanting to do this well”. Cardinal Nichols spoke to BBC Breakfast on Saturday about the conclave There is no timescale on how long it takes for a conclave to elect a new Pope, with previous ones in 2005 and 2013 lasting two days. The conclave that elected Pope Leo lasted for one day. “I think it was a short conclave in part because Pope Francis left us with a good inheritance,” the cardinal said. “He left a college of cardinals who were dedicated, who had this desire for the church to be more missionary, and that led us forward actually very, very easily to the decision that we made.” Pope Leo will be formally inaugurated at a mass in St Peter’s Square on 18 May, which delegations from countries around the world will attend. The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, will attend on behalf of King Charles, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Saturday. Speaking about the new Pope, Cardinal Nichols said Pope Leo is “very decisive” in a “quiet way”, adding that he has seen him “make decisions which disappoint people but don’t destroy them”. “A good thing about a pope is if he’s able to say, ‘No’, to you when he thinks something is not right and then give you a hug so you don’t go away offended, and I think he’s got that ability to do both those things, which is very important.” Source link #Cardinal #reveals #part #conclave #choose #Pope #Leo Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump’s crypto agenda threatened by his pursuits of personal profits Trump’s crypto agenda threatened by his pursuits of personal profits U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as he gives remarks outside the West Wing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 8, 2025. Kent Nishimura | Reuters President Donald Trump is standing in his own way when it comes to passing crypto legislation. Lawmakers this week rejected the GENIUS Act — a bill meant to establish federal rules for stablecoins — due in part to concerns that President Trump’s personal cryptocurrency ventures have created an unprecedented conflict of interest. “Currently, people who wish to cultivate influence with the president can enrich him personally by buying cryptocurrency he owns or controls,” Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said in a statement to CNBC explaining his opposition to the bill. “This is a profoundly corrupt scheme. It endangers our national security and erodes public trust in government.” Stablecoins are digital currencies that are pegged to the value of other assets, like the U.S. dollar. Getting anything passed in Congress is a steep uphill battle for Republicans given their razor-thin majority in the House, filibuster-proof requirement in the Senate, and Democrats’ increasingly unified stance against President Trump’s agenda. But enough Democrats appeared to be on board with a stablecoin law to bring about a rare bipartisan win for the president. That’s until $TRUMP got in the way. The president’s meme coin, which he launched just before the inauguration in January, has added billions of dollars of paper worth to his coffers. Its value soared last month after the project ran a promotion offering top $TRUMP holders a dinner with the president and a “VIP White House tour.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called it a “pay-for-play scheme.” First Lady Melania Trump has a coin as well. The GENIUS bill failed to advance in the Senate on Thursday. It needed 60 votes to move to the Senate floor for final passage. The final tally was 48 in favor and 49 against. Three senators didn’t vote. Read more about tech and crypto from CNBC Pro Earlier in the week, Senate Democrats unveiled the “End Crypto Corruption Act,” spearheaded by Merkley and ********* Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, meant to prohibit elected officials and senior executive branch personnel and their families from issuing or endorsing digital assets. But the key defections to the stablecoin legislation came last weekend, when a group of nine Senate Democrats — four of whom had previously voted for the bill in committee — said that they wouldn’t support it and called for stronger provisions to address “anti-money laundering, foreign issuers, and national security.” ‘Ongoing self-dealing’ Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware was one of the four. She pointed directly at Trump’s financial entanglements. “I also remain concerned about the ongoing self-dealing and financial conflicts of interest being carried out by the Trump family,” she wrote in a statement on Thursday. It’s not just about the $TRUMP and $MELANIA meme coins. There’s also the Trump family crypto venture World Liberty Financial, which was established last year and launched a stablecoin just as the administration pushed for ******* regulations on digital assets. Reports have indicated that Abu Dhabi-based MGX is using Trump’s stablecoin for a $2 billion investment in crypto exchange Binance, creating yet another potential conflict of interest for a sitting president. For some investors and entrepreneurs in the crypto industry, the president’s pursuit of personal profits is creating a major impediment to long-awaited advancements. After years of setbacks during the Biden administration, the crypto lobby became a powerful force in funding Trump’s 2024 campaign and in successfully backing industry-friendly candidates for Congress. “It’s unfortunate that personal business is getting in the way of good policy,” said Ryan Gilbert, founder of fintech venture fund Launchpad Capital. “I would hope that everybody in the administration, including the president, gets out of the way of good policy.” The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment. At a press conference on Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, when asked about the meme coin dinner, that “the president is abiding by all conflict of interest laws.” “The president is a successful businessman, and I think it’s one of the many reasons that people reelected him back to this office,” Leavitt said. A number of top Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York have joined the parade of critics, targeting President Trump’s personal pursuits. Gillibrand helped introduce the GENIUS Act earlier this year, but she said this week that there are “a number of outstanding issues that needed to be addressed before the bill could pass the full Senate.” “I believe it is essential to the future of the U.S. economy and to everyday Americans that we enact strict stablecoin regulations and consumer protections where none currently exist,” Gillibrand said in a statement. “I remain extremely confident and hopeful that very soon we can finish the job.” Sen. Blumenthal called for an investigation into Trump-linked coins, demanding financial records from World Liberty Financial and slamming the president for “the attempted use of the White House to host competitions to prop up the value of $TRUMP.” Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, had supported the GENIUS Act but said he couldn’t move forward this week after Republicans declined to provide more time to negotiate. “Without more time to at least finish the bill, there was no true bipartisan path forward,” he wrote on X. Launchpad’s Gilbert said the GENIUS Act is just the first piece. More broadly, the president’s conflicts could have an impact on hopes for other legislative achievements and deregulation efforts as well as the reputation of the U.S. crypto industry on the world stage. “We will be the laughing stocks of the world for this particular reason, and it will hold back continued investment and innovation,” Gilbert said. “There was hope for the past six months that that we could lead in the United States, and that investment should pour into crypto-related businesses, and then it will be simpler and doable again, for all companies to take a lead and to invest in crypto assets.” However, he said, “if the GENIUS Act doesn’t pass, we’re back to square one.” WATCH: Ether surges nearly 25% for its best week in four years: CNBC Crypto World Source link #Trumps #crypto #agenda #threatened #pursuits #personal #profits Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Soviet-era probe finally crashes after decades in orbit Soviet-era probe finally crashes after decades in orbit A Soviet-era spacecraft has plunged to earth more than a half-century after its failed launch to Venus. The European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking confirmed its uncontrolled re-entry on Saturday based on analysis and no-shows of the spacecraft on subsequent orbits. The European Space Agency’s space debris office also indicated the spacecraft had re-entered after it failed to appear over a ******* radar station. It was not immediately known where the spacecraft came in or how much, if any, of the half-tonne spacecraft survived the fiery descent from orbit. Experts said before time that some if not all of it might come crashing down, given it was built to withstand a landing on Venus, the solar system’s hottest planet. The chances of anyone getting clobbered by spacecraft debris were exceedingly low, scientists said. Launched in 1972 by the Soviet Union, the spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 was part of a series of missions bound for Venus. But this one never made it out of orbit around earth, stranded there by a rocket malfunction. Much of the spacecraft came tumbling back to Earth within a decade of the failed launch. No longer able to resist gravity’s tug as its orbit dwindled, the spherical lander – an estimated one metre across – was the last part of the spacecraft to come down. The lander was encased in titanium, according to experts, and weighed more than 495 kilograms. After following the spacecraft’s downward spiral, scientists, military experts and others could not pinpoint in advance precisely when or where the spacecraft might come down. Solar activity added to the uncertainty as well as the spacecraft’s deteriorating condition after so long in space. As of Saturday morning, the US Space Command had yet to confirm the spacecraft’s demise as it collected and analysed data from orbit. The US Space Command routinely monitors dozens of re-entries each month. What set Kosmos 482 apart – and earned it extra attention from government and private space trackers – was that it was more likely to survive reentry, according to officials. It was also coming in uncontrolled, without any intervention by flight controllers who usually target the Pacific and other vast expanses of water for old satellites and other space debris. Source link #Sovietera #probe #finally #crashes #decades #orbit Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Can a methadone-dispensing robot free up nurses and improve patient care? | US news Can a methadone-dispensing robot free up nurses and improve patient care? | US news Lanea George pulls open a steel security door and enters a windowless room where a video camera stares at what looks like a commercial-grade refrigerator. The machine, dubbed Bodhi, whirrs and spins before spitting out seven small plastic bottles containing precisely 70ml of methadone, a bright pink liquid resembling cherry cough syrup. It is used as a substitute for morphine or heroin in addiction treatment. She scoops the bottles off the tray, bundles them with a rubber band and sets them on a shelf. It’s not yet 10am and George, the nurse manager at Man Alive, an opioid treatment program – known colloquially as a methadone clinic – in Baltimore, has already finished prepping the doses for the 100 or so patients who will arrive the next day. “Bodhi has changed my life and the lives of our patients,” she says. That’s because filling the prescriptions requires more than simply pouring medicine into a bottle. It means printing out and attaching the labels one by one, precisely measuring the amounts, sealing the bottles and screwing on the caps. A spill requires the nurse to stop the work, squeegee the lost liquid into a receptacle, measure it, record the incident and destroy the sample. Repeat that process 100 or more times, and it’s easy to see why, before Bodhi arrived, the task would have occupied a full day. The pressure to keep up causes many nurses to quit, as does the additional misery of carpal tunnel syndrome, which nurses often suffer from screwing on so many caps day after day, according to George. “I’ve seen nurses just leave during a shift and never come back,” she says about previous clinics where she has worked. Now, instead of pouring doses, George spends more time interacting with patients. “It lets me get more personal, have more in-depth conversations,” she says. “That’s where we get a lot of important information.” Injecting humanity into addiction treatment More patient interaction was the idea when Amber Norbeck came up with the idea for the machine George now uses daily. A pharmacist in the natal intensive care unit at a Montana hospital, Norbeck said so many pregnant women there struggled with opioid dependencies that as many as 50% of the newborns suffered withdrawal symptoms. Methadone therapy helped the new mothers and moms-to-be, but access undermined their efforts; some clinics she visited had 30- to 60-day waiting lists, while at others patients faced three-hour lines despite a flock of nurses toiling at service windows. Some methadone patients are required to return to clinics daily for their doses. “It didn’t look like healthcare, it looked like tellers in a bank pouring methadone,” Norbeck says. “For patients with kids and jobs and lives, getting the medication was so time-consuming that they’d just give up.” As US overdose deaths from opioids rose from roughly 8,000 in 2009 to more than 114,000 in 2022, Norbeck saw a country caught between an opioid crisis and a nursing shortage. In 2019, she and Mike Pokorny, an engineer who had developed his own electric motor, began brainstorming ways to automate the assembly of methadone doses. They devised a robotic device that could pour, seal, label and cap the liquid version of the drug – its most popular form – in seconds. A year later, Norbeck quit her job at the hospital and in January of 2021 the duo founded Opio Connect Inc, with Norbeck as CEO and Pokorny as vice-president. They called the device they built Zing, and it came together quickly because it used parts developed for other kinds of machines. “Existing pharmacy automation solutions weren’t built to handle the kind of variability [that dispensing methadone requires],” says Sam Wilson, Opio’s COO. “So while the components of Zing existed, such as robotics, pumps, labeling tech, etc, no one had applied them to this particular challenge.” Pandemic-era methadone rules favor automation The creation of Zing coincided with the rise of Covid-19, which provided a boost. Pre-pandemic, patients who were considered “stable” in their treatment could receive “take-homes”, allowing them to pick up seven or even 14 doses in one visit instead of making a daily trip to the clinic. To reduce in-person contact during the shutdown, federal administrators relaxed the rules on take-homes, making them available to a wider range of patients and in batches for up to 28 days. That policy shift led to more intensive prep and pouring for nurses, but post-Covid research showed that the change caused few problems and provided great benefits to patients, so the new take-home rules became permanent as of January 2024. skip past newsletter promotion A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion By then, the first Zing had arrived at CompDrug, an opioid treatment program in Columbus, Ohio, complete with its own nickname: Alfie. The seven other Zings that have since come online around the country have likewise received monikers, and the humanizing effect has made them the subjects of naming votes, birthday parties, gender-reveal ceremonies and Halloween dress-up. Together, the fleet has assembled more than 1m doses of methadone. Norbeck expects 30 to 40 more Zings to land by the end of 2025, and the company has its eyes on the 2,100 clinics around the country as well as the prisons, where, she says, “so many in the population need treatment, but they’re notoriously hard places to get nurses to work”. Automated labor: taking jobs or ameliorating a labor shortage? Norbeck knows of no Zing-driven layoffs, but several clinics have been able to leave open positions unfilled and direct the saved money to other treatment programs. “There were concerns that [Zing] would take nurses’ jobs, but the real mission is to free nurses up,” says Pokorny. CompDrug once employed six nurses to pour and distribute methadone all day. Now, three handle the task, aided by a Zing, and the other three take telehealth appointments. All six are still on staff. At Man Alive, Bodhi’s arrival gave George enough free time that she also became the clinic’s home health nurse, helping patients connect with medical care and following up with them on medications and general healthcare issues. Of course, there’s another side to those examples – the nurses who were not hired for open slots, telehealth roles or home health roles. Those jobs may have gone unfilled regardless of robot labor: the Health Resources and Services Administration projects a shortage of 63,720 nurses in 2030, a number that does not capture the attrition accumulated through the pandemic. Norbeck sees her field as one in which robot labor can ease employment shortfalls rather than create them. In Baltimore, George and Man Alive’s other nurse, Mandy Scott, have even started holding educational events in the community and attending in-house group therapy sessions to further connect with patients. Put more simply, George says, “Bodhi lets me be a nurse again.” Source link #methadonedispensing #robot #free #nurses #improve #patient #care #news Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Rare platinum Rolex heads to auction, could fetch $1.7 million Rare platinum Rolex heads to auction, could fetch $1.7 million A rare 1999 platinum Rolex Daytona featuring a mother-of-pearl dial with diamond hour markers — one of only four known to exist. Courtesy of Sotheby’s A legendary timepiece is about to step into the spotlight. A 1999 platinum Rolex Daytona is heading to auction on Sunday at Sotheby’s Geneva, and could sell for up to $1.7 million. The watch is made from platinum, a material Rolex did not use on Daytona models until 2013. Its face is mother-of-pearl, set with 10 diamonds. Unlike nearly every other Rolex on the market, it was not part of a standard collection. It was privately commissioned, custom-made for a client — something almost unheard of for Rolex. “It’s very unusual to come across a commission,” said Pedro Reiser, senior watch specialist at Sotheby’s. “There are other brands which might be more flexible and do these kinds of exercises, maybe on a regular basis — but not in the space of Rolex pieces where you barely can come across any commission whatsoever.” Only four of these watches are known to exist, made for the same family, each with a different dial. The watch heading to the auction block is the last one to be sold. The others have already gone for massive prices, topping $3 million. There is big hype around this small work of metal. It is believed to have been created under the leadership of Patrick Heiniger, Rolex’s CEO from 1992 to 2008. He ran the company during a time of major growth and secrecy and helped turn Rolex from a respected watch brand into a global luxury icon. Get Inside Wealth directly to your inbox While rumors have swirled that Heiniger personally commissioned or wore a similar platinum Daytona, Reiser cautions that there is no confirmed link to this watch. “That’s more of a rumor,” Reiser said. “Personally, I’ve never seen him with this piece, but I know that he used to love platinum watches — mainly Day-Date models. It’s a nice story that accompanies the watch, but I think it’s more of a myth.” The fact that Rolex made a platinum Daytona in 1999, long before it introduced platinum models publicly in 2013, is a major part of the watch’s mystique. “Back then, they only existed in stainless steel, yellow gold and white gold,” Reiser said. “Having a platinum — the only known platinum Zenith Daytona — is very special.” Rolex didn’t begin producing platinum Daytonas until 2013, making this 1999 custom-ordered timepiece a historic anomaly in the brand’s legacy. Courtesy of Sotheby’s This particular model stands apart even from its siblings. “This is the only one that has a diamond-set dial,” Reiser said. “The others had dark mother-of-pearl, lapis lazuli and turquoise stone dials, but no diamonds.” As more people, especially wealthy collectors and younger buyers, increasingly see rare watches as investments, the prices of these rare timepieces have climbed. According to Knight Frank’s latest index, watches have jumped more than 125% in value over the past decade, ranking them among the top-performing luxury investments, just behind rare whisky and high-end designer furniture. Even after a slight cooling, with prices rising only 1.7% over the past year, the five-year growth rate for watches of 52.7% signals the category remains a reliable long-term play. Demand has only broadened, with more international buyers and a wave of under-30 collectors entering the market, Reiser said. Source link #Rare #platinum #Rolex #heads #auction #fetch #million Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Caffeine in Your Blood Could Affect Body **** And Diabetes Risk, Study Shows Caffeine in Your Blood Could Affect Body **** And Diabetes Risk, Study Shows The levels of caffeine in your blood could affect the amount of body **** you carry, a factor that in turn could determine your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Those are the findings of a 2023 study that used genetic markers to establish a more definitive link between caffeine levels, BMI, and type 2 diabetes risk. The research team, from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, the University of Bristol in the ***, and Imperial College London in the ***, said calorie-free caffeinated drinks could be explored as a potential means of helping reduce body **** levels. “Genetically predicted higher plasma caffeine concentrations were associated with lower BMI and whole body **** mass,” the researchers wrote in their paper, published in March 2023. “Furthermore, genetically predicted higher plasma caffeine concentrations were associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Approximately half of the effect of caffeine on type 2 diabetes liability was estimated to be mediated through BMI reduction.” The study involved data from just under 10,000 people collected from existing genetic databases, focusing on variations in or near specific genes known to be associated with the speed at which caffeine is broken down. In general, those with variations affecting the genes – namely CYP1A2 and a gene that regulates it, called AHR – tend to break caffeine down more slowly, allowing it to remain in the blood longer. Yet they also tend to drink less caffeine in general. An approach called Mendelian randomization was used to determine likely causal relationships between the presence of the variations, illnesses like diabetes, body mass, and lifestyle factors. Caffeine in your blood may help determine your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. (StockSnap/Pixabay) While there was a significant link between caffeine levels, BMI, and type 2 diabetes risk, no relationship emerged between the amount of caffeine in the blood and cardiovascular diseases including atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and stroke. Previous studies have linked a moderate and relative increase in caffeine consumption to better heart health and a lower BMI, and this research adds more detail to what we already know about the effects that coffee has on the body. It’s important to also keep in mind the impacts of caffeine on the body aren’t all positive, which means care must be taken when weighing up the benefits of drinking it – but this latest study is an important step in assessing how much caffeine is ideal. “Small, short term trials have shown that caffeine intake results in weight and **** mass reduction, but the long term effects of caffeine intake is unknown,” the researchers explained. “Considering the extensive intake of caffeine worldwide, even its small metabolic effects could have important health implications.” The team thinks the association shown here could be down to the way caffeine increases thermogenesis (heat production) and **** oxidation (turning **** into energy) in the body, which both play an important role in overall metabolism. The research adds to what we know about caffeine’s effects. (Guido Mieth/Getty Images) While this study involved a large sample, Mendelian randomization isn’t infallible, and it’s still possible that other factors are at play that weren’t accounted for. More research will be needed to confirm cause and effect. “Randomized controlled trials are warranted to assess whether non-caloric caffeine containing beverages might play a role in reducing the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes,” said University of Bristol genetic epidemiologist Benjamin Woolf. The research was published in BMJ Medicine. An earlier version of this article was published in March 2023. Related News Source link #Caffeine #Blood #Affect #Body #**** #Diabetes #Risk #Study #Shows Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Arzani shines as Victory knock Wanderers out of finals Arzani shines as Victory knock Wanderers out of finals Daniel Arzani was the star of the show as Melbourne Victory edged past Western Sydney Wanderers before failing to finish his side’s 2-1 A-League Men elimination final win. Victory will play host premiers Auckland in the first match of a two-legged semi-final next Saturday after Arzani helped Arthur Diles’ men end the Wanderers’ finals campaign. But Arzani, who had to be helped off the field by Victory medical staff with 10 minutes to go, could be in doubt. The 26-year-old had a hand in both of his side’s goals on Saturday as they ended the Wanderers’ 11-game unbeaten run in front of 16, 399 spectators at CommBank Stadium. The Wanderers had chances to tie the game, but star import Juan Mata butchered a golden opportunity in the final quarter of an hour. Victory did a terrific job to nullify the Wanderers’ attacking threats, and it helped that at the other end Arzani was clearly in a mood to make an impact. The Socceroos winger has consistently had his work rate and effort questioned, particularly by former Victory manager and current national team boss Tony Popovic. But Arzani was popping up everywhere and he gave Victory their lead after taking charge of his side’s attack on the right. Arzani scampered in-field and, unchallenged, floated the ball past Gabriel Cleur and found left-back Kasey Bos, who buried the ball past Lawrence Thomas to give the away side a sixth-minute lead. The early goal seemed to spark the Wanderers into action, and after some encouraging waves of attack they eventually broke through courtesy of Zac Sapsford. Brandon Borrello poked a ball through the Victory defence in the 23rd minute and Sapsford raced ahead, turning the ball beyond the reach of Jack Duncan with his first touch. But Arzani took matters into his own hands to ensure Victory went in at halftime with a 2-1 lead. Jinking down the left touchline this time, the winger took on Cleur and beat him to the byline to squeeze a ball back across the face of the six-yard box. Bozhidar Kraev failed to beat Zinedine Machach to the ball and the Frenchman struck past Thomas. Arzani looked the most likely to conjure something for Victory to put the game to bed, but he trudged off with a limp. Wanderers boss Alen Stajcic had thrown Mata into the game in pursuit of a goal. And while the Spanish international nearly set up fellow sub Marcus Antonsson, he fluffed at the best chance of the night. Mata was unmarked in the middle of the box when the ball was played into him, but he skied it into the second tier of the grandstand. Source link #Arzani #shines #Victory #knock #Wanderers #finals Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Weapon-filled burials are shaking up what we know about women’s role in Viking society Weapon-filled burials are shaking up what we know about women’s role in Viking society When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Burials of females interred with weapons have been found across Scandinavia. But were any of these Viking Age women actually warriors?. | Credit: Grace Aldrich In Birka, Sweden, there is a roughly 1,000-year-old Viking burial teeming with lethal weapons — a sword, an ax-head, spears, knives, shields and a quiver of arrows — as well as riding equipment and the skeletons of two warhorses. Nearly 150 years ago, when the grave was unearthed, archaeologists assumed they were looking at the burial of a male warrior. But a 2017 DNA analysis of the burial’s skeletal remains revealed the individual was female. Skeptics scrambled to explain away the evidence, said Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, an archaeologist at Uppsala University in Sweden and first author of the 2017 study. Even now, despite further studies strengthening the case for the Birka individual’s martial profession, some archaeologists still insist she wasn’t a warrior. Science Spotlight takes a deeper look at emerging science and gives you, our readers, the perspective you need on these advances. Our stories highlight trends in different fields, how new research is changing old ideas, and how the picture of the world we live in is being transformed thanks to science. The Birka controversy highlights the fraught archaeological debate about the existence of Viking women warriors. Viking mythology and lore are filled with tales of women who lived for battle and engaged in violence, but whether these stories reflect real life is unsettled. Across Scandinavia, at least a few dozen women from the Viking Age (A.D. 793 to 1066) were buried with war-grade weapons. Collectively, these burials paint a picture that clashes violently with the hypermasculine image of the bearded, burly Viking warrior that has dominated the popular imagination for centuries. And it’s possible that, due to gendered assumptions, archaeologists may be systematically undercounting the number of Viking women buried with weapons. The finds hint at a nuanced picture of Viking society — one where most warriors were men but a person’s class and profession had the biggest impact on who went to war. “Women can be as strong, as skilled, as fast as men,” said Leszek Gardeła, an archaeologist at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and author of “Women and Weapons in the Viking World: Amazons of the North” (Casemate, 2021). “There is nothing in the biology there that would prevent them from being warriors.” Still, the poor preservation of Scandinavian graves, the enigmatic nature of Viking burials and the lack of historical texts leaves the meaning of many female burials up for debate. And even if women warriors existed, their significance in the broader Viking culture is unclear, Ole Kastholm, a prehistoric archaeologist and senior researcher at Roskilde Museum in Denmark, told Live Science. “It’s an area where we can’t find a secure answer,” he said. Related: What’s the farthest place the Vikings reached? A drawing, based on excavator Hjalmar Stolpe’s field records, showing the location of the skeleton and grave goods within the Birka burial. It’s possible, albeit controversial, that this woman was a warrior about 1,000 years ago. | Credit: Drawing by Harald Olsen; Public Domain What the burials hold Across Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland, there are thousands of known Viking burials typically thought to be of male warriors. In contrast, we know of around 30 graves in which women were buried with obvious martial equipment such as spearheads and shields; of these roughly 30, only three have swords. Of the known Viking Age burials, “statistically speaking, there would be less than 1%” of women buried with weapons among graves of men buried with weapons, Gardeła told Live Science. But there are many more female burials that included other gear, such as shield bosses (a round protective metal piece at the shield’s center), or possible weapons, such as arrowheads and ax-heads. Interpreting the latter burials is especially challenging because axes and arrowheads were used in battle, but they were also tools for hunting and farmwork. But one of the main reasons the female-warrior question is so controversial is that many Viking burials aren’t in great condition. The Birka burial is one example. In 1878, workers used dynamite to blast open the grave, damaging it in the process. Untrained locals then helped excavate the grave. This poor excavation work has given naysayers room to argue that the chamber once held a double burial with a man. Some of the metal weapons found in the burial at Birka, including a sword, ax-head, fighting knife, two lances, two shield bosses and 25 armor-piercing arrows. | Credit: Photo by Christer Åhlin; CC-BY Swedish History Museum According to the skeptics, “a woman would never be strong enough to use those weapons” — an argument that was ridiculous to Hedenstierna-Jonson, who had actually handled them. “There were all these opinions rather than scientific facts,” Hedenstierna-Jonson told Live Science. Yet modern-era damage isn’t the biggest obstacle to analysis. In many cases, bones and cremated remains are partially or completely decayed before archaeologists get a peek, largely due to Scandinavia’s acidic soil. “We need very good preservation of the skeletons before we can determine the sex” via DNA analysis or bone studies, Kastholm said. “So even though the Viking Age has been investigated for like 150 years or more, it has not been that easy” to assess these graves. “Occam’s razor, you know — the simplest explanation is usually the best. If you find a woman with a sword, then you should interpret it the same as you would a man with a sword.” As a result, archaeologists often guessed the deceased’s sex based on grave goods, such as mirrors, weaving tools and brooches, which archaeologists assumed were typically buried with females, and battle-related weapons, which archaeologists thought were typically buried with males. If a Viking Age sword was the only item recovered, for example, it was nearly always assumed to be a male grave. So it’s possible archaeologists may be systematically undercounting Viking women who were buried with weapons. “We could have a lot more of these [female] graves than we know about,” said Marianne Moen, head of the Department of Archaeology at the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo, calling the situation a catch-22. “You excavate a grave in Norway, you find a sword and you go, ‘Oh, it’s a man.’ And then, ‘isn’t it funny how all the swords are buried with men?'” In some instances, if a burial had both male- and female-associated artifacts, it is assumed, possibly incorrectly, that it was a double burial with a male and a female. Even with that potential bias, there is strong evidence that some women were buried with war-related objects across Scandinavia. Norway has several of what have been nicknamed “shield-maiden” burials, after the women warriors of Scandinavian folklore. One is the Nordre Kjølen burial in Solør, which had a young adult — likely a female, based on a skeletal analysis — interred with a sword, an ax head, a spearhead, arrowheads, a shield boss, a horse skeleton and tools. The skull and weapons, including a sword, ax head, spearhead and arrowheads, that were found in the Nordre Kjølen grave in Norway. | Credit: Ellen C. Holte/©Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo A second is the female boat burial from Aunvoll in Nord Trøndelag, in which a female was interred with a sword, eight gaming pieces, a sickle, a spearhead, shears, a knife and tools. The Klinta burial in Öland, Sweden has the cremated remains of what are thought to be an elite woman with valuable metal artifacts, including an ax-head, knives and an iron staff, causing some to wonder if she was a völva, or a Viking Age sorceress. And although they’re not buried with sharp weapons, “there’s quite a few female burials on the west coast of Norway that have shield bosses and nobody likes to talk about them,” Moen told Live Science. Difficult to interpret Still, many archaeologists struggle to make sense of these graves because the Vikings didn’t have a consistent way of dealing with the dead. “When we look at the Viking Age burials as a whole, they are weird and there’s a great variation,” Kastholm said. For instance, one had only a foot in it. Another was a triple burial of “a woman, then another woman buried some years later and then a half man buried later.” These mysterious, inconsistent burials make it hard to make straightforward conclusions. Take the example of a grave discovered in Gerdrup, Denmark, in 1981, Kastholm said. A woman was buried with a spear, with large stones on her body. Her adult son, who had bound ankles and may have been hanged, was also in the grave. The burial of the Viking Age mother (right) who had large stones placed on top of her, and her son (left) whose ankles were bound and whose neck is broken, likely from hanging. Although a spear was found by the mother, researchers don’t think she was a warrior. | Credit: Tom Christensen, ROMU The spear could be a sign the woman was a warrior. But that’s not how Kastholm interprets the grave. Instead, he thinks that the son was hanged in devotion to Odin, the stones represent the woman’s high status, and the valuable “spear was thrust into the bottom of the grave in a concluding ritual that dedicated the dead to Odin,” he co-wrote in a 2021 study. This would have been a form of complex “mortuary theater,” a play of sorts that would have been enacted at the grave site, which research suggests may have been common. As for the Birka burial, Kastholm doesn’t dispute that the deceased was biologically female and that she was buried with many weapons. “I’m totally convinced by that,” he said. “If that means she was a warrior, I’m not convinced there. But that would go for male graves as well.” How the Birka woman’s burial may have looked 1,000 years ago, with two horses buried on one end and the martial-related items placed around her. | Credit: Reconstruction by Þórhallur Þráinsson; Copyright Neil Price; Commissioned by the project What historical texts tell us To put the burials of women with weapons into context, archaeologists have looked at historical texts. The Vikings left behind only a few thousand runic inscriptions. So most descriptions of warlike women and “shield maidens” come from semihistorical works written during the post-Viking medieval *******. For instance, in “Gesta Danorum,” a semifictional history of Denmark by Saxo Grammaticus (who lived circa 1150 to 1220), the warrior woman Lagertha travels with a group of women dressed as men, marries a Viking king who later divorces her, and still fights with him in a pivotal battle. And some sagas, such as The Saga of Hervör and Heidrek, describe Norse women taking up arms to help protect family property, according to a 1986 analysis. Only men could inherit property, so if a man had only daughters, one was sometimes compelled to step into the role of a warrior as a “functional son” who could protect the family’s interests, according to the study. The Icelandic sagas, written by people who were likely the Viking’s descendants in the 13th and 14th centuries, include stories about “women leading troops and engaging in acts of violence,” Moen wrote in a 2021 article. But are these stories evidence that Viking women were warriors in real life? Or did some stories have other mythical or mystical significance? Some evidence points toward the latter. Sagas in which women wield weapons like axes often have magical overtones. In the Old Norse Ljósvetninga saga, for instance, a cross-dressing Norse sorceress strikes the water with an ax to see into the future. Axes are frequently associated with magic in folk traditions from Scandinavia, Finland and Central Europe, Gardeła noted in a 2021 article. Gender wasn’t destiny After the Viking Age, the stereotype of the burly and ruthless male Viking warrior arose in the medieval sagas that detailed their exploits, and again in the late 19th century during Scandinavia and Iceland’s National Romantic *******. But it’s possible that Viking Age society was “less governed by binary gendered ideals and more by fluid social obligations,” Moen wrote in the 2021 article. This would mean there wasn’t a simple male-female dichotomy in who did what. This is seen in Viking Age grave goods. For instance, at Viking Age cemeteries in Vestfold, Norway, Moen found that although weapons were more common in male graves, they were also found in female burials. Likewise, while jewelry was more pronounced in female graves, 40% of male graves also had them, “hardly a negligible proportion,” she wrote in the article. Given how much violence permeated Viking society, “it would be naïve to think that only one half of the population was invested in it,” she wrote in the article. But people should not see this as female warriors filling a “man’s role,” Kastholm said. Rather, “warrior” was probably a profession, like modern-day firefighting, in which most were male but some were female. An illustration depicting the possible likeness of the woman buried in Birka, Sweden who was interred with many weapons, including a sword and ax-head. | Credit: Reconstruction drawing by Valeri Tancredi; Copyright Neil Price; Commissioned by the project Even among Viking Age men, being a “warrior” meant different things. Farmworkers, fishers and other peasants may have fought occasionally. But for the most part, the warriors were the social elite. “Your biological sex was a factor [in your profession], but it was not the main factor,” Hedenstierna-Jonson said. “The main factor was your role and your position and your family.” Still, people should be cautious in using information about these burials to infer how gender was perceived in Viking society, Moen said. “I don’t think it even necessarily indicates any kind of gender equality,” she said. “What I do think is that you have much evidence women could be warriors and were warriors at certain times and in certain conditions.” “Occam’s razor” Moen splits archaeologists into three groups: those who think the burials clearly show that female warriors existed; people who say, “Yes, obviously women could be buried with weapons, but we need to question what it means”; and naysayers who think there’s no way women actually used the weapons they were buried with. “They find it really quite troubling, and they go to very long lengths of explaining it away,” she said. To Moen, the evidence of female Viking warriors is right in front of us. “Occam’s razor, you know — the simplest explanation is usually the best,” she said. “If you find a woman with a sword, then you should interpret it the same as you would a man with a sword.” RELATED STORIES —Hårby Valkyrie: A 1,200-year-old gold Viking Age woman sporting a sword, shield and ponytail —7 myths about the Vikings that are (almost) totally false —How do archaeologists figure out someone’s biological sex from their skeleton? In the end, Kastholm thinks “there will always be a lot of debate. And that debate is more about our time” and our modern-day attachment to gendered stereotypes about the Vikings than it is about the archaeological evidence, he said. “Of course there were warriors in the Viking Age, and I’m pretty sure that some of them were female,” Kastholm said. Yes, many graves are tricky to pin down, but at least a few have an impressive number of hard-core weapons buried with them. “If it was a man,” he said, “we would say ‘that’s a warrior grave.” Editor’s Note: In this article, we are referring to biological sex, as it’s impossible to know the gender of these deceased individuals. Viking quiz: How much do you know about these seaborne raiders, traders and explorers? Source link #Weaponfilled #burials #shaking #womens #role #Viking #society Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

G.Skill Trident Z5 CK DDR5-8800 C42 2x24GB Review: Top-Tier Performance With A Price Tag To Match G.Skill Trident Z5 CK DDR5-8800 C42 2x24GB Review: Top-Tier Performance With A Price Tag To Match Why you can trust Tom’s Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test. G.Skill has one of the fastest retail DDR5 memory kits in the Trident Z5 CK DDR5-8800 C42, but does it have the prowess to beat the best RAM? It’s incredible how a chip so minuscule as the clock driver (CKD) can make such a massive difference in obtaining higher frequencies on DDR5 memory. Thanks to the CKD, memory vendors have climbed the frequency ladder, and it won’t be long before we eventually hit that DDR5-10000 milestone. In the meantime, G.Skill already has a DDR5-8800 memory kit on the market, and while it isn’t as jaw-dropping as the DDR5-9600 one, it has up its sleeves; it’s still a high-speed memory kit by today’s standards. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) The Trident Z5 CK is the latest addition to the Trident Z5 family. The CK designation, which stands for clock driver, reflects G.Skill’s initiative to distinguish the new CUDIMMs from the brand’s standard DDR5 memory kits. Regarding design, the Trident Z5 CK memory modules retain the bold appearance characteristic of the Trident lineup. The notable difference with the aluminum heat spreader lies in its surface. The Trident Z5 CK features a ******, glossy, mirror-like finish that readily attracts dust and fingerprints, but that won’t be much of a consideration after installation and cleaning. Like the numerous other Trident Z5 memory modules, the CK variant still stands at 1.65 inches (42mm) tall. G.Skill offers both regular and RGB versions of the Trident Z5 CK memory. Whether you prefer the RGB flair or not, the heights of both variants remain the same. Only ****** is available, but we’re not complaining, as the memory modules look stunning in piano ******. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) All Trident Z5 CK memory modules are equipped with a ****** PCB. This 48GB memory kit comprises two 24GB modules designed with a single-rank configuration. It features eight SK hynix H5CGD8MGBDX021 (M-die) ICs arranged in a single-sided layout, each with a capacity of 3GB. The power management IC (PMIC) is the Richtek 0P=BA CG3, while the client clock driver is the Rambus DR5CKD1GC0. It is important to note that AMD’s current 800-series platform does not fully support CUDIMMs. They will operate, albeit in bypass mode, which results in the loss of the CKD functionality. Tailored for Intel’s Core Ultra 200S processors (codenamed Arrow Lake) and the latest 800-series platform, the Trident Z5 CK memory modules default to DDR5-6400, the native data rate supported by Arrow Lake. The timings are set at 52-51-51-102. This kit is designed specifically for Intel chips, so it only features XMP 3.0. The primary profile is optimized for rated DDR5-8800 at 42-55-55-104 timings with 1.45V DRAM voltage. In contrast, the backup profile caters to DDR5-6400 at 32-39-39-102 timings, operating with a 1.35V DRAM voltage. See our PC Memory 101 feature and How to Shop for RAM story for more timings and frequency considerations. Comparison Hardware Swipe to scroll horizontally Memory Kit Part Number Capacity Data Rate Primary Timings Voltage Warranty G.Skill Trident Z5 CK F5-8800C4255H24GX2-TZ5CK 2 x 24GB DDR5-8800 (XMP) 42-55-55-140 (2T) 1.45 Lifetime Corsair Vengeance RGB CUDIMM CMHC48GX5M2X8400C40 2 x 24GB DDR5-8400 (XMP) 40-52-52-135 (2T) 1.40 Lifetime TeamGroup T-Force Xtreem FFPD548G7200HC34ADC01 2 x 24GB DDR5-7200 (XMP) 34-42-42-84 (2T) 1.40 Lifetime G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB F5-7200J3646F24GX2-TZ5RK 2 x 24GB DDR5-7200 (XMP) 36-46-46-115 (2T) 1.35 Lifetime Corsair Dominator Titanium First Edition CMP48GX5M2X7200C36FEW 2 x 24GB DDR5-7200 (XMP) 36-46-46-116 (2T) 1.40 Lifetime Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) The Intel system comprises the Core Ultra 9 285K and the MSI MEG Z890 Unify-X (7E20v1A41 firmware). In contrast, the AMD system employs the Ryzen 9 9900X and MSI MPG X870E Carbon WiFi (7E49v1A23 firmware). The Corsair iCUE Link Titan 360 RX LCD CPU liquid cooler effectively maintains the operating temperatures of both the Arrow Lake and Zen 5 processors under optimal conditions. The MSI GeForce RTX 4080 16GB Gaming X Trio addresses the more graphics-intensive workloads, ensuring that our gaming RAM benchmarks do not have a graphics bottleneck. TeamGroup’s A440 Lite PCIe 4.0 SSD balances performance and storage capacity, with 2TB of high-speed storage up to 7,400 MB/s for our Windows 11 24H2 installation, benchmarking software, and games. Meanwhile, the Corsair RM1000x Shift ATX 3.0 power supply delivers a reliable and ample power source to our test systems, directly feeding the GeForce RTX 4080 with a native 16-pin (12VHPWR) power cable. Finally, the Streacom BC1 open-air test bench accommodates all of our hardware. Swipe to scroll horizontally Component Intel System AMD System Processor Intel Core Ultra 9 285K AMD Ryzen 9 9900X Motherboard MSI MEG Z890 Unify-X MSI MPG X870E Carbon WiFi Graphics Card MSI GeForce RTX 4080 16GB Gaming X Trio MSI GeForce RTX 4080 16GB Gaming X Trio Storage TeamGroup A440 Lite 2TB TeamGroup A440 Lite 2TB Cooling Corsair iCUE Link Titan 360 RX LCD Corsair iCUE Link Titan 360 RX LCD Power Supply Corsair RM1000x Shift Corsair RM1000x Shift Case Streacom BC1 Streacom BC1 Intel Performance Image 1 of 23 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) The Trident Z5 CK DDR5-8800 memory kit showcased solid performance, ranking below the Xtreem DDR5-7200 C34. Regarding gaming, G.Skill’s memory kit performed comparably to Corsair’s DDR5-8400 C40. During the bandwidth test, the Trident Z5 CK stood out by surpassing all competitors with a peak of 84.30 GB/s. Additionally, it achieved the highest score in the V-Ray 6 benchmark. AMD Performance Regrettably, DDR5-8800 exceeds the limitations of our Ryzen 9 9900X sample. The integrated memory controller (IMC) of the 12-core Zen 5 processor cannot accommodate memory of this speed. Consequently, our system would not post with DDR5-8800 memory. Unfortunately, AMD’s existing platform doesn’t fully leverage CUDIMMs’ potential. Although we had better luck with the Ryzen 7 9700X sample, our system remained unstable and frequently encountered BSOD errors. Due to the extent of the system instability, the Ryzen 7 9700X could not satisfactorily complete our benchmarking tests. Overclocking and Latency Tuning Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) It goes without saying that SK hynix M-die ICs are among the easiest ICs to overclock. A slight increase in voltage can go a long way on these ICs. Sometimes, the memory functions perfectly with the exact timings, as seen with the Trident Z5 CK DDR5-8800 C42 memory kit. The memory kit operates at 1.45V for DDR5-8800. Consequently, we elevated it to 1.5V. This additional voltage gave us the headroom to run the memory stably at DDR5-9200 with the same 42-55-55-140 timings as DDR5-8800. Lowest Stable Timings Swipe to scroll horizontally Memory Kit DDR5-7200 (1.45V) DDR5-7200 (1.5V) DDR5-7600 (1.45V) DDR5-7800 (1.45V) DDR5-8800 (1.45V) DDR5-9200 (1.50V) G.Skill Trident Z5 CK DDR5-8800 C42 N/A 40-52-52-134 (2T) N/A N/A N/A 42-55-55-140 (2T) Corsair Vengeance RGB CUDIMM DDR5-8400 C40 38-50-50-128 (2T) N/A N/A N/A 40-52-52-135 (2T) N/A Corsair Dominator Titanium First Edition DDR5-7200 C36 34-42-42-82 (2T) N/A N/A 36-46-46-116 (2T) N/A N/A TeamGroup T-Force Xtreem DDR5-7200 C34 N/A N/A 36-46-46-86 (2T) N/A N/A N/A G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-7200 C36 34-42-42-84 (2T) N/A 36-46-46-115 (2T) N/A N/A N/A SK hynix M-die ICs can occasionally be a little stubborn with tight timings. However, by increasing the DRAM voltage to 1.5V on the Trident Z5 CK, we successfully lowered the timings from 42-55-55-140 to 40-52-52-134! There might be a bit more leeway on the memory modules, but that would involve running the memory above 1.5V, and we generally suggest avoiding that for long-term use. Bottom Line The G.Skill Trident Z5 CK DDR5-8800 C42 ranks among the top tier of performance DDR5 memory. It boasts aesthetics that can impress anyone and performance that your system cannot complain about. Unfortunately, one significant limitation lies outside G.Skill’s control. Intel’s Core Ultra 200S is currently the only consumer chip to support CUDIMMs and has the highest possibility of playing nice with this memory kit, leaving AMD fans out in the cold. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t use this memory kit on an AMD platform; the DIMMs can run in bypass mode. They just require an AMD chip with an exceptional IMC to hit top speeds, which is not easy to find unless you have access to multiple samples. Naturally, the G.Skill Trident Z5 CK DDR5-8800 C42 comes with a hefty price tag of $319.99, likely more than most regular users would consider spending on RAM. The CUDIMMs came out recently, leading to an early adopter premium similar to the initial launch of DDR5. Therefore, we don’t anticipate a drop in the price of G.Skill’s memory kit anytime soon. If you’re determined to get DDR5-8800 memory with a 48GB capacity, the G.Skill Trident Z5 CK DDR5-8800 C42 is an excellent choice that you shouldn’t overlook. Source link #G.Skill #Trident #DDR58800 #C42 #2x24GB #Review #TopTier #Performance #Price #Tag #Match Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Don’t understand what I’m going through’: Darius Garland opens up about frustrating, painful injury – Cleveland.com ‘Don’t understand what I’m going through’: Darius Garland opens up about frustrating, painful injury – Cleveland.com ‘Don’t understand what I’m going through’: Darius Garland opens up about frustrating, painful injury Cleveland.comReturn of Garland, Mobley, Hunter sparks Cavs ESPNCavaliers injury updates: Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, De’Andre Hunter to return for Game 3, per report CBS SportsCavs optimistic on status of 3 injured stars for Game 3 vs. Pacers – The Athletic The New York TimesThe Cavaliers need Darius Garland to overcome adversity one more time NBC News Source link #Dont #understand #Darius #Garland #opens #frustrating #painful #injury #Cleveland.com Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Inside the Liberal Party’s disastrous Federal election campaign to win back WA, and how Labor kept its hold Inside the Liberal Party’s disastrous Federal election campaign to win back WA, and how Labor kept its hold Near the middle of last month, Liberals thought they had a masterstroke to galvanise support for Peter Dutton while he was campaigning in WA. Instead, it all went horribly wrong. Source link #Liberal #Partys #disastrous #Federal #election #campaign #win #Labor #hold Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Soviet Kosmos 482 spacecraft crashes into an unknown site on Earth Soviet Kosmos 482 spacecraft crashes into an unknown site on Earth A Soviet spacecraft launched in 1972 on a failed mission to Venus is believed to have crashed back onto Earth early on Saturday morning. The European Space Agency, which was monitoring the craft’s uncontrolled descent, said it was last spotted by radar over Germany. At at the time of its expected ******, radars could no longer detect the Kosmos 482, concluding that “it is most likely that the reentry has already occurred.” No injuries or damage have been reported. The Kosmos 482 spacecraft was part of the U.S.S.R’s Venera program, a series of probes that were developed to research the planet Venus. Ten of those missions successfully landed on the hot, barren planet, but the rocket carrying Kosmos 482 malfunctioned. Its upper stage, which contained the descent craft, got stuck in Earth orbit. Over the following fifty-three years, the approximately three-foot wide, 1,069 pound spacecraft circled the Earth in an ever-smaller elliptical orbit, until it came close enough to fall into the planet’s atmosphere. It’s not unusual for space junk to fall back to earth. More than 2,400 human-made objects fell from space in 2022, a record number, according to ESA. The vast majority of them burned up in Earth’s atmosphere, and most of those that didn’t splashed into an ocean. But Kosmos 482 was built to withstand a descent through Venus’ dense atmosphere, and to operate on the planet’s surface, where the mean temperature is 867 degrees Fahrenheit (464 C). That meant it was theoretically hardy enough to survive a comparatively easy re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere. There’s no record of space debris ever causing a human fatality. “The risk of any satellite reentry causing injury is extremely remote,” ESA officials wrote in a blog post about Kosmos-482. “The annual risk of an individual human being injured by space debris is under 1 in 100 billion. In comparison, a person is about 65,000 times more likely to be struck by lightning.” On Friday, the U.S. Space Force forecasted that the spacecraft would re-enter the atmosphere at 1:52 a.m. ET on Saturday morning above the Pacific Ocean, west of Guam. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Source link #Soviet #Kosmos #spacecraft #crashes #unknown #site #Earth Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]