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Pregnant GB shooter Ruth Mwandumba competes six months pregnant with twins Pregnant GB shooter Ruth Mwandumba competes six months pregnant with twins *** Sport recently released enhanced pregnancy guidance, pledging to “increase and improve support” for female athletes. Mwandumba’s British team-mate Amber Rutter was one of the first to receive this additional assistance in the lead up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she ultimately won silver, three months after becoming a mother. “British Shooting have been so supportive from the beginning and I think the experience with Amber before the Olympics means they can use a lot of the same support and resources,” said Mwandumba, who was a travelling reserve for the Paris 2024 Games. While optimistic about the future, one area of concern is becoming a parent and bringing ****** children into the world. The shooter, who has Malawian heritage, has been a prominent figure in the push for greater diversity in the sport, launching the #TargetChange initiative in 2022, while she has also previously spoken about her own concerns around racism in the ***. “I think we’re still very much in a scary world, and it definitely is something that scares me,” she said. “Change might be slow, but it is happening and I’ll always be open with them about how they might be viewed or how they might approach certain situations, but hopefully by the time they are teenagers, things will be a bit different.” Well before her children reach their teen years though, Mwandumba is hoping to not only return to the sport, but become an Olympian. She was the reserve to Seonaid McIntosh in the 10m air rifle event at the 2024 Games and has set her sights on the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. “Once upon a time, I felt as though pregnancy within elite sport automatically meant retirement, and obviously we’re at a point now where that’s not the case,” said Mwandumba. “So many people have been successful at their sport, gotten pregnant, had a family, then come back and have still managed to be just as successful, if not more so and I think that’s so inspiring to those of us who are going through the journey. “It’s definitely motivated me to because my plan is to come back and still hopefully aim for those major competitions, with the Olympics the long-term goal. “To do it with my twins watching on, would be all the more special.” Source link #Pregnant #shooter #Ruth #Mwandumba #competes #months #pregnant #twins Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Battery swapping stations for EVs may be the way of the future Battery swapping stations for EVs may be the way of the future Range anxiety and the time it takes to charge an EV is a thing of the past as quick and easy battery swapping stations emerge world-wide Source link #Battery #swapping #stations #EVs #future Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘There definitely seems to be an increase’ ‘There definitely seems to be an increase’ A La Niña pattern typically means a colder-than-average winter in Alaska. This season has bucked the trend, as relatively warm conditions blanketed our 49th state. What’s happening? Winter was warmer than average for Alaska for the first two months of the season. The ******* of December through January was the state’s second-warmest on record, a whopping 12 degrees Fahrenheit above average. Through the first three weeks of February, Anchorage had received just a trace of snowfall, nearly a foot below average. The city had also received only a little more than four inches since Dec. 1. That means Anchorage’s winter snowfall was just over 38 inches below average. An Alaskan TikToker recently shared her frustration about the lack of snowfall in the state, noting her dogs were shedding their winter fur prematurely. A southerly flow of air over the relatively warm Pacific Ocean has made the difference. Nearly half the precipitation in Anchorage through the middle of winter has been rain. “As the air flows over that really, really warm water, it warms up more than it used to,” according to National Weather Service climate researcher Brian Brettschneider, per Newsweek. “So that’s one part, and then it also holds more moisture, because warmer air has the capacity to hold more moisture.” Watch now: Giant snails invading New York City? Brettschneider pointed out that while warm winters have occurred in the past, their frequency has increased. “It’s happened before, but it’s happened now three or four times since about the year 2000. So there definitely seems to be an increase in the propensity for that to happen,” he said. Why are warm temperatures and a lack of snowfall in Alaska important? A Climate Central study analyzed 245 locations across the country to find which season has been warming the fastest. It found winter was the fastest-warming of all four seasons for 76% of the areas. “Warming winters can disrupt snowfall patterns, which can in turn limit snowfed water supplies critical for people, agriculture, and ecosystems,” the researchers noted in their analysis. “Limited snowpack accumulations reduce the amount of water stored for drinking, hydropower, and irrigation.” The University of Alaska Anchorage’s Institute of Social and Economic Research estimated that the economic impacts of the overheating planet on Alaska are between $340 million and $700 million per year. That represents 0.6-1.3% of the state’s gross domestic product. Our warming world has eaten away at a major glacier in southern Alaska, too. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Columbia Glacier has retreated 12 miles and lost more than half its volume since the 1980s. It is one of the fastest-retreating glaciers on the planet. Melting permafrost is one reason several rivers in Alaska have started to turn orange. This allows toxic metals to enter the waters, staining them to the point that it’s visible from space. What’s being done about the warming in Alaska? Raising awareness of critical climate issues is crucial to get people to act. Exploring issues such as the warming in Alaska and talking to family and friends about them can inspire people to take local action. Using your voice to advocate for change at work and lending your support to pro-climate-action politicians can also make a difference. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don’t miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Source link #increase Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Everything to know about college basketball’s 2025 Championship Week(s) – SB Nation Everything to know about college basketball’s 2025 Championship Week(s) – SB Nation Everything to know about college basketball’s 2025 Championship Week(s) SB NationMagomed Ankalaev Has The Light Heavyweight Summit In Sight UFCExpert picks, best bets: How Ankalaev can dethrone Pereira at UFC 313 ESPNUFC 313 odds, picks: MMA analyst releases picks for Pereira vs. Ankalaev and other matchups for March 8 showcase SportsLineUFC 313: Magomed Ankalaev discusses adjustments he made for weight cut during Ramadan MMA Junkie Source link #college #basketballs #Championship #Weeks #Nation Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mass blackouts as tropical storm nears *********** coast Mass blackouts as tropical storm nears *********** coast Katy Watson Australia correspondent Reporting fromThe Gold CoastEPA More than 300,000 properties are without power as a tropical storm edges closer to Australia’s east coast, lashing the region with heavy rain. Storm Alfred has been downgraded from a cyclone to a tropical low, but local authorities have warned that the threat it poses is “not over”. Violent winds have already downed trees and power lines, with roads flooded in low-lying areas as the storm approaches landfall. Alfred is forecast to hit the coast near Brisbane before moving further inward later on Saturday. Tens of thousands of people have been told to evacuate from the storm’s path, while others have been urged to stay indoors. Four million people across Queensland and northern New South Wales are in the firing line of the storm, with dozens of weather warnings in place across both areas. The emergency services say they are working with energy companies, after some residents were told they could be without power for days. Around 287,000 customers are experiencing outages in south east Queensland, according to energy provider Energex, while Essential Energy said more than 42,600 homes and businesses in New South Wales had experienced blackouts. People in Brisbane, Queensland’s capital, went to bed on Friday bracing for strong winds and heavy rain. They woke up on Saturday to learn that the cyclone had been downgraded and the city would escape the worst of the weather. But the danger’s not over in other parts of southeastern Queensland and northern New South Wales. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said “the worst is yet to come”, and along the Gold Coast, which has been pummelled by bad weather the past few days, conditions are still pretty extreme. There is driving rain and strong winds. There are power lines down, hundreds of trees have blown over in gardens, parks and along the main roads. There is lots of debris and emergency services have sectioned off areas most at risk. EPA The approaching storm has already damaged holiday apartments at Labrador on the Gold Coast. “This emergency is not over,” said New South Wales state premier Chris Minns, adding that it is “crucially important” that the public does not “dismiss” the storm. “It really doesn’t matter to us whether it’s been downgraded from a tropical cyclone to a weather event,” he said. The state’s emergency service operations commander, Stuart Fisher, warned people not to be “complacent” and said authorities in the region expect flooding to continue over the next few days. As the storm has edged closer to landfall, nearly 1,000 schools have closed, public transport has been suspended and airports are shut. Elective surgeries have also been cancelled. Flights are not expected to resume until Sunday at the earliest. The BBC has spoken to several people from Brisbane’s homeless community, who have taken refuge at Emmanuel City Mission, which has become a round-the-clock shelter. At the Treasure Island Holiday Park in the Gold Coast, just north of Surfer’s Paradise, a gum tree had come down between two cabins, damaging a third. Nearby, a boat was half submerged in one of the canals a block away from the beach. On the coast itself, many paths down to the beach are now unpassable. Instead, there’s a sudden drop to the ocean where the powerful waves have eaten away at the sand. But the clean-up operation won’t happen for a few days – the wind is still powerful and there’s driving rain. Residents are starting to venture out to look at the damage, but plenty are remaining indoors to keep themselves safe. Source link #Mass #blackouts #tropical #storm #nears #*********** #coast Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Denmark lost 52 soldiers fighting alongside the US. Now it feels threatened by Trump Denmark lost 52 soldiers fighting alongside the US. Now it feels threatened by Trump Nick Beake Europe correspondent BBC All his adult life, Colonel Soren Knudsen stepped forward when his country called. And when its allies did. He fought alongside US troops, notably in Afghanistan, and for a time was Denmark’s most senior officer there. He counted 58 rocket attacks during his duty. “I was awarded a Bronze Star Medal by the United States and they gave me the Stars and Stripes. They have been hanging on my wall in our house ever since and I have proudly shown them to everybody.” Then something changed. “After JD Vance’s statement on Greenland, the president’s disrespect for internationally acknowledged borders, I took those that Stars and Stripes down and the medal has been put away,” Soren says, his voice breaking a little. This week before Congress, the US president doubled down on his desire to seize the world’s biggest island: Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. “My first feeling was that it hurts, and the second is that I’m offended,” Col Knudsen laments. I meet him in the first weeks of his retirement outside Denmark’s 18th Century royal residence, Amalienborg Palace in the heart of Copenhagen. Abruptly, pipers strike up and soldiers stream by. Today’s Changing of the Guard comes at a time when the Trump administration has not just tweaked but defenestrated most assumptions around US-European security that have held fast for 80 years. “It’s about values and when those values are axed by what we thought was an ally, it gets very tough to watch.” Soren says with his American wife Gina at his side. “Denmark freely and without question joined those efforts where my husband served,” she says. “So it comes as a shock to hear threats from a country that I also love and to feel that alliance is being trampled on. Tthis feels personal, not like some abstract foreign policy tactic.” Soren has not given up all hope though. “It’s my hope and my prayer that I will one day be able to put [the flag] back on the wall”, he confides. Getty Images Denmark lost 44 soldiers in Afghanistan – more than any other nation than the US, as a proportion of its population There’s no sign his prayers will be answered soon. Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, goes to the polls next week with all the main parties backing independence at some point in the future. A takeover by Donald Trump – potentially by force – is not on the ballot paper. Not far from the royal palace stands Denmark’s memorial to its soldiers lost in recent battle. Carved on the stone-covered walls are the names of those killed alongside their Western allies. The section honouring the fallen in the US-led invasion of Afghanistan is particularly sizeable. Denmark lost 44 soldiers in Afghanistan, which as a proportion of its less than six million population, was more than any other ally apart from the US. In Iraq, eight Danish soldiers died. This is why the president’s words sting so much. Getty Images Former Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen doubts the US will try to take Greenland by force One man very well placed to consider what Trump’s ambitions for Greenland actually amount to is Anders Fogh Rasmussen. “President Trump’s declaration of intention to maybe take Greenland by force is very similar to President Putin’s rhetoric when it comes to Ukraine,” he tells the BBC. The former prime minister of Denmark and ex-secretary general of the Nato alliance argues this is the moment Denmark and the rest of Europe must step up to better protect itself if the US is not willing to. “Since my childhood, I have admired the United States and their role as the world’s policeman. And I think we need a policeman to ensure international law and order but if the United States does not want to execute that role, then Europe must be able to defend itself, to stand on its own feet.” Fogh Rasmussen doesn’t though believe the policeman is about to turn felon. “I would like to stress I don’t think at the end of the day that the Americans will take Greenland by force.” Students Luukas, Molly and Clara say it’s “scary” how easily President Trump can affect their daily lives from thousands of miles away President Trump first talked about a Greenland takeover in his first term of office before returning to the theme at the start of this year. But now, after blindsiding supposed allies with his latest moves on Ukraine, tariffs, as well as the Middle East, Denmark is urgently trying the assess the true threat. For many younger Danes, control of Greenland is plain wrong – an unfathomable colonial hangover. It doesn’t mean they want it handed straight over the US instead. “We do have connections to Greenland,” says music student Molly. “Denmark and Greenland are quite separated I would say but I still have friends from there so this does affect me quite personally.” “I find it really scary,” says 18-year-old music student Luukas. “Everything he sees, he goes after. And the thing with the oil and money, he doesn’t care about the climate, he doesn’t care about anyone or anything.” His friend Clara chips in that Trump is now so powerful he can “affect their day-to-day life” from thousands of miles away, in what is an era of unprecedented jeopardy. In light of President Trump’s suspension of military aid for Ukraine and his deep reluctance to fund Europe’s security, Denmark has been at the heart of the drive to boost defence spending across the continent. The country has just announced it will allocate more than 3% of its GDP to defence spending in 2025 and 2026 to protect against future aggression from Russia or elsewhere. Meanwhile, security analyst Hans Tino Hansen stands in front of a huge screen in what he calls his “ops room”, at his Copenhagen headquarters. “This map is where we update on a daily basis our threat picture based on alerts and incidents all over the world,” says Hans, who has been running Risk Intelligence for the past 25 years. As part of Denmark’s increased defence spending, it’s bolstering its strength in the “High North” with an extra two billion euros announced in January and three new Arctic naval vessels and investment in long-range drones. Hans believes Arctic security can be tightened further, not by an American takeover – but with new deals that restore US influence. “If you make more agreements, both on defence and security, but also economic ones and on raw materials, then we are more or less going back to where we were in the 50s and 60s.” Security analyst Hans Tino Hansen says it would be in Denmark’s interests to do deals with the US on Greenland’s defence and raw materials But the story stretches further back than the mid-20th Century. “If you look at this globe, Greenland is the most centrally located place on Earth,” says world-renowned geologist Prof Minik Rosing, gesticulating in his wood-panelled office. The serenity of his room reflects the temperament of a man who grew up in a settlement of just “seven or eight people” in the Nuuk fjord of the island. But a key reason his homeland is now coming under increasing scrutiny from outsiders is the rich mineral deposits beneath the Arctic ice. We’ve seen how Ukraine’s natural resources have caught President Trump’s eye in much the same way. “All these minerals that they talk about like rare metals, rare earth elements – they are actually not rare. What is rare is the use of them,” he reasons. Prof Rosing says the vastness of Greenland and the lack of infrastructure are just two elements why the island may not be the cashpoint some Americans are hoping for. “They are a minuscule part of the mining industry and the economy of extracting them is very uncertain, whereas the investment to start extracting is very high. The risk of the investment is too high relative to the potential gain.” Reuters The US now has just one military base in Greenland – Pituffik, in the far north The current Greenlandic government says there will be a vote on independence at some point following next week’s election. Although surely unintentional, President Trump’s designs on the island have shone a light on a desire found among the Inuit to finally break free from 300 years of Danish control. But Prof Rosing believes, despite all the latent mineral wealth, his fellow Greenlanders are in no hurry to forego the annual block grant of the equivalent of £480m (€570m) it receives from Copenhagen. This accounts for easily more than half of the island’s public budget. “People talk about health services, schools, the next outboard engine they want on their boat and what is the price of gas and all of these things that normal people do,” he says. “It’s not like they stand up with a big knife, wave it in the air and shout independence, independence.” Prof Minik Rosing says most Greenlanders have good jobs, and are not seeking to work in the mining industry In terms of Trump’s apparent obsession with taking Greenland, Fogh Rasmussen fears there may be a troubling conclusion to be drawn. One that would render the Danes unable to do business with a man whose view on territorial integrity is so wildly incompatible from theirs. “I understand very well the American strategic interest in the minerals, but when it comes to mining in Greenland, they have shown no interest,” he says. “That leaves me with the concern that maybe it’s not about security, maybe it’s not about minerals, maybe it is just a question of expanding the territory of the United States. “And that’s actually a point where we are not able to accommodate President Trump.” Additional reporting by Kostas Kallergis Source link #Denmark #lost #soldiers #fighting #feels #threatened #Trump Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

At least 12 injured in shooting at pub in Canada At least 12 injured in shooting at pub in Canada At least 12 people have been injured in a shooting at a pub in Toronto and the suspect remains at large, police say. Four victims had non-life-threatening injuries and the extent of injuries to the rest was not known, the police said in a post on X early on Saturday that did not describe the suspect. “I am deeply troubled to hear reports of a shooting at a pub in Scarborough,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow posted on X, adding the police chief had assured her “all necessary resources have been deployed”. Toronto paramedics told Canada’s CP24 Media the injuries ranged from minor to critical. Source link #injured #shooting #pub #Canada Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nintendo Switch 2 is launching soon, here’s everything we know so far Nintendo Switch 2 is launching soon, here’s everything we know so far As the world turns, so do the console generations. The Nintendo Switch is over seven years old, so it’s due for a refresh. Nintendo Switch 2 rumors have been swirling for years, but now we have some signs of life. The company officially revealed the sequel to its most successful home console ever in a brief trailer on January 16. The Switch 2 looks functionally very similar to the original system, albeit with a larger display, magnetic Joy-Cons and a sleeker design. The company also reaffirmed that the upcoming console will be backwards compatible with Switch games. While the reveal did confirm some rumors and have a few interesting details for those who were paying close attention, Nintendo is still largely keeping its cards close to its chest. We’ll have to wait until a special Nintendo Direct at 9AM ET on April 2 for all the juicy information. Annoyingly, that date is a Wednesday and not a Two-sday. The Nintendo Switch 2 was announced on January 16 The rumor mill had heavily suggested that Nintendo would pull back the curtain on the Switch 2 on January 16, and that turned out to be the case. Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. The company hasn’t changed the core form factor. It’s a portable console with detachable Joy-Cons. The Switch 2 can be placed in a dock for big-screen gaming. There are some significant differences from the original console, however. The most obvious one is that the next-gen Joy-Cons will no longer slide into place mechanically. Instead, they’ll attach to the main unit magnetically. There is a small connector that’s likely used to charge the controllers and perhaps remove the need to link them via Bluetooth. It’s unclear at this point if Joy-Cons from the original system will be compatible with the Switch 2. One other big (and very welcome) change is the addition of a second USB-C port on the top of the device. That should make it much easier to plug in accessories while the Switch 2 is docked. It’s great to see that Nintendo has kept the headphone jack as well. Let’s just hope that Bluetooth headphone support is live from the jump this time and Nintendo doesn’t leave everyone waiting four years for that feature. The kickstand is getting an upgrade as well. As with the Switch OLED, it spans the length of the console. But, according to the trailer, this one looks fully adjustable, so you can tweak the viewing angle to one that works for you. However, there are still a great many unknowns regarding the upcoming console. We don’t really know the specs yet, or what type of display it uses. We also don’t know anything about battery life, the UI or launch games. We’ll likely learn a whole lot on April 2. When will the Nintendo Switch 2 come out? 2025. That’s all we know for sure at this point. It’s highly unlikely that Nintendo will release the console before the dedicated Direct on April 2, and not only because that’s at the start of Nintendo’s next financial year. However, accessory manufacturer Genki, which has been a major source of leaks in recent months, claims the console will be released in April. Other reports have put the release window sometime in June. In any case, we should learn the release date during the April 2 Direct if we haven’t already by then. When can I try the Nintendo Switch 2? Nintendo is planning a worldwide roadshow to let gamers go hands-on with the console. These events start in New York and Paris on April 3-6, with others taking place throughout the following two months. That lends credence to some suggestions that Nintendo will release the Switch 2 in June. Ticket registration for the Switch 2 Experience events in the US (in New York, Los Angeles and Paris) starts on January 17 at 3PM ET and will remain open until January 26. A Nintendo Account is required to sign up. Nintendo will randomly select the recipients of the free tickets. The full list of Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events is as follows: North America: New York, April 4-6, 2025 Los Angeles, April 11-13, 2025 Dallas, April 25-27, 2025 Toronto, April 25-27, 2025 Europe: London, April 11-13, 2025 Berlin, April 25-27, 2025 Amsterdam, May 9-11, 2025 Oceania: Melbourne, May 10-11, 2025 Asia: Tokyo (Makuhari), April 26-27, 2025 Seoul, May 31-June 1, 2025 Hong Kong, To be announced Will the Nintendo Switch 2 have some weirdness? Everything we’ve seen and so far about this console has been fairly, well, traditional. It looks like the original Switch, but better. That’s awesome, but will there be any of that unpredictable Nintendo magic? Maybe! There are two puzzling additions that folks can’t make hide nor hair of. Keen eyes will have noticed a new button on the bottom of the right Joy-****. It it not yet clear what this does. Could it initiate voice chat during gameplay? Could it calibrate the controllers? Could it create a room-sized hologram of Bowser in your living room? We’ll have to wait and see. Now onto the updated Joy-Cons. There appears to be a new sensor on the connecting side of each controller. It looks a whole lot like an optical sensor, which is what a computer mouse uses. This has led to speculation that players will be able to flip the Joy-**** over and use it like a mouse. Of note: the trailer shows the Joy-Cons moving along a flat surface, connector side down and looking suspiciously like a mouse. But why would anyone even want this? I can think of three words. New Mario Paint. Mouse control isn’t the only “too strange for any company but Nintendo” rumor floating around. A patent filed by the company suggests you can swap the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons, snapping them onto either side of the console. That would align with the magnetic Joy-**** attachment scheme. But much like the weird mouse rumors, it doesn’t necessarily align with, well, any logical reason for why you’d want to do that. The patent suggests it could allow for more user choice in where the headphone jack is. But since it’s Nintendo, the company that brought us Labo cardboard peripherals and the Game Boy Advance e-reader attachment, we have to wonder if there are… quirkier designs at hand. Is the Nintendo Switch 2 backwards compatible? The company confirmed in November 2024 that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be backwards compatible. It will also feature access to Nintendo Online, so users will be able to play all of those old retro titles. In the initial Nintendo Switch 2 press release, Nintendo reiterated that physical and digital Switch games will work on the new system. However, it noted that “certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2.” More details about which games those are will be revealed later. Will old games be enhanced in any way? The original Switch has, to put it mildly, struggled to run some of the late-generation software that’s come down the pike. Could these games be enhanced to take advantage of the increased horsepower of the Switch 2? We have no idea. We also don’t know if any of these releases will receive graphical upgrades, perhaps taking advantage of upscaling tech. What will the cartridges taste like? You may remember that the original Switch cartridges taste absolutely awful. This was on purpose, to discourage folks from putting the games in their mouth. Will the successor follow suit and continue to dip cartridges in a foul-tasting bitter coating? Only time will tell. What about specs? The rumors regarding specs are all over the place, so it’s tough to pin down. We know one thing for sure: It’ll be more powerful than the ancient Switch hardware, which was already antiquated back in 2017. One analyst allegedly got a hold of a spec sheet from the Korean United Daily News that said the Switch 2 would boast an eight-core Cortex-A78AE processor, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal eMMC storage. This tracks for me, as these specs are about as underpowered in 2024 as the original Switch was in 2017. However, some reports do indicate that the console will include 12GB of RAM. Another source suggests that the eight-core CPU will be packaged inside an NVIDIA-produced Tegra239 SoC (system on a chip). Given the current Switch runs on an NVIDIA chip, that makes a lot of sense. The CPU will be more powerful, but it’s the Switch 2’s new GPU that will be a major differentiator. It’s all-but-confirmed that the Switch 2 will support DLSS, NVIDIA’s “deep learning supersampling” upscaling tech, which would allow the console to render games at a low resolution internally while outputting a high-resolution image. (Fun fact: We actually wrote about how perfect DLSS was for the Nintendo Switch 2 when the technology was announced alongside the RTX 20 series back in 2018.) There are still questions about the Switch 2 and DLSS: Will the system support newer DLSS features like frame generation? Will existing games be automatically tidied up by NVIDIA’s algorithm? Regardless of the exact implementation, DLSS upscaling will be a huge leap over the rudimentary techniques available to Nintendo Switch developers. As for the display, there are many conflicting rumors. Early reports from solid sources suggested the Switch 2 would have an 8-inch display LCD display. The Switch 2’s display certainly looks larger than that of the original Switch in a side-by-side comparison in the reveal trailer. Some folks have worried that the Switch follow-up may actually be too big, especially for kids. Certain analysts have suggested this would be an OLED screen, while others have said it would be a Mini-LED display. A Mini-LED display is basically an LCD display that has a backlight made of (surprise!) mini-LEDs rather than edge lighting. This allows for local dimming, making the ******* more ******. I’m hedging my bets here. I think it’ll be a standard LCD, to cut costs, with an OLED or Mini-LED model coming later down the line. However, Mini-LED screens are slightly cheaper than OLED displays, so that’s certainly a possibility at launch. As for resolution, recent reporting suggests that the console will output 1080p in handheld and 4K when docked. That’s much better than the OG Switch. More tenuous “leaks” have intimated that the Switch 2 could also support a faster microSD card standard known as microSD Express. This allows for significantly faster transfer rates than the common UHS-I cards supported by the Switch today. It’s technically been around for several years, but we’ve only recently started to see microSD cards that take advantage of the spec hit the market. We actually tested one of them from SanDisk for our microSD card buying guide and found it could reach sequential read speeds up to around 900 MB/s. With the current Switch, microSD transfer speeds top out closer to 100 MB/s. So, in theory, all of this could bring a sizable boost in load times and general storage performance for the Switch 2 (though it’s still not likely to be on par with the SSDs in the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S). But again, these rumors are far from concrete. It’s also worth noting that microSD Express cards cost significantly more than what we usually see today — the SanDisk card we tested, for instance, starts at $45 for just 128GB of storage. Recently-unearthed FCC filings also indicate that the console will support WiFi 6 and NFC. The latter indicates that the Switch 2 will continue Amiibo integration. How much will the Nintendo Switch 2 cost? We don’t have too much information regarding price but we do have plenty of history to work with. The original Nintendo Switch launched at $300, which is pretty much the “magic number” when it comes to Nintendo console releases in recent years. The Wii U also came in at $300. However, there are plenty of rumors circulating that Nintendo could be upping the asking price for the Switch 2. Numerous outlets have reported it’ll be $400, or potentially even more expensive. However, the same analysts who say the console will be $400 were also fairly certain it would be out by the end of 2024 and, well, that didn’t happen. Dipping back into history, there is some precedence for a price uptick. The GameCube was $200 and the Wii was $250. The Wii U and Switch increased to $300 and, well, numbers like to go up. A $400 price tag would make it nearly as expensive as a PS5 and Xbox Series X. That would also put it at the same price as the 256GB LCD Steam Deck. Again, we should get confirmation of the price during the April 2 Nintendo Direct. Do we know about any launch games? Not so much. The reveal trailer offered a peek at a new Mario Kart game. Nintendo released Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U over a decade ago and it’s been milking that cash cow ever since, having sold more than 64 million copies of the game across that console and the Switch. It’s definitely time for a new entry! It’s certainly been a long time since we’ve gotten a proper 3D Mario adventure as well, so a new one could be a launch title. That would be one heck of a system seller. Other than that, your guess is as good as mine. Past as prologue, we can expect something from Ubisoft and an off-the-wall title like 1-2-Switch. If there’s a gimmick or hook involved with the console, we’ll also get a game that takes advantage of that. A dual release of Metroid Prime 4, just like Breath of the Wild and Twilight Princess before that, is also a possibility. It’s all but nailed on that we’ll learn much more about the Switch 2 launch lineup during the April 2 Nintendo Direct, which starts at 9AM ET. You’ll definitely want to set your Alarmo for that one. That’s everything we know about the Nintendo Switch 2 today. We’ll update this article with rumors we trust and with information we gather directly from sources. Any changes made to the article after its initial publishing will be listed below. Update, February 24, 2025, 12:30 PM ET: This story has been updated to include speculation about storage and information about the new microSD Express standard. Update, January 24, 2025, 12:36 PM ET: This story has been updated to include speculation about price, potential game enhancements and the taste of cartridges. Update, February 5, 2025, 9:30AM ET: This story has been updated to note the time when the April 2 Nintendo Direct starts. Update, March 6, 2025, 2:30PM ET: This story has been updated to note recent FCC filings to indicate the presence of WiFi 6 and NFC support. Jeff Dunn contributed to this report. Source link #Nintendo #Switch #launching #heres Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Ukraine will struggle to strike targets inside Russia without US intelligence – The Associated Press Ukraine will struggle to strike targets inside Russia without US intelligence – The Associated Press Ukraine will struggle to strike targets inside Russia without US intelligence The Associated PressCan the U.S.-Ukrainian Rift Be Healed? War On The RocksUkrainians in NJ say Trump’s cuts to war aid are a betrayal NJ Spotlight NewsDonald Trump’s chokehold on Ukraine The Economist Source link #Ukraine #struggle #strike #targets #Russia #intelligence #Press Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Labour ministers yet to hold talks over Abramovich funds Labour ministers yet to hold talks over Abramovich funds Joshua Nevett Political reporter Nizaar Kinsella Senior football reporter Getty Images Labour ministers have yet to hold talks with key figures involved in unlocking the £2.5bn promised for Ukraine after Roman Abramovich’s ***** of Chelsea football club. Abramovich sold Chelsea in 2022, after he was sanctioned by the *** government over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The £2.5bn raised was meant to be used for humanitarian causes linked to the Ukraine war but it remains frozen in a *** bank account. Labour ministers are coming under increasing pressure to meet Abramovic’s representatives or the members of the foundation that was set up to manage the funds. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) told the BBC its officials are in talks with Abramovich’s representatives. But multiple sources said there have been no meetings between any Labour ministers and members of the foundation set up to oversee the funds since the general election last year. Sources close to the foundation said there was a deadlock and a political decision by a minister is needed to negotiate and sign off an agreement that can break the impasse. One source said: “For three years, the government has been saying it’s been working very hard to release the money. But they are not having meetings with the foundation. There has been no meeting with a minister since Labour took over, for example.” The BBC understands the FCDO has acknowledged a request for a meeting between the foundation’s board and Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Abramovich’s representatives did not wish to comment, but those with knowledge of the situation acknowledged little contact or progress had been made on releasing the funds under the four prime ministers to have held power since the ***** of the club. The issue has taken on new urgency after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that part of the ***’s overseas aid budget was being diverted to defence. In 2024/25, the *** is sending £282m in aid to Ukraine. The £2.5bn – and the interest accrued on the funds – would make up for some of money taken from the aid budget, which was £15.3bn in 2023. Alison Griffin, of charity Save the Children, said: “This money has been sitting gathering dust – and interest – when it could and should have been spent helping the children of Ukraine cope with the horrors of a full-scale war that has lasted over three years.” The delay in releasing the funds centres on a disagreement between the *** government and Abramovich’s lawyers. Abramovich was granted a special licence to sell Chelsea, providing he could prove he would not benefit from the *****. At the time, Abramovich said proceeds from the ***** would be donated via a foundation “for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine”, and his position has not changed. Abramovich – a Russian billionaire who made his fortune in oil and gas – cannot access the £2.5bn under *** sanctions but the money still legally belongs to him. He is alleged to have strong ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, something he has denied. Sources said Abramovich’s lawyers have insisted on using the money for all victims of the war in Ukraine including those outside the country, but the *** government has pushed back and argued the funds should only be spent on humanitarian efforts inside the war-torn country. Portugal has also had a say in the matter because Abramovich has Portuguese citizenship and has been sanctioned by the EU. Elusive resolution The Portuguese authorities issued an exemption to the EU sanctions to allow the Chelsea funds to be used for “exclusively for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine”. “The EU and the *** have worked closely together to ensure that the proceeds of this ***** be used for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine, via a charitable organisation, in line with the conditions laid out in the derogation,” said Olof Gill, a Commission spokesperson for financial services. “The conditions under which the ***** was authorised by the Portuguese authorities and which was accepted by the *** authorities must be respected and cannot be changed retroactively. “The humanitarian needs in Ukraine remain extremely high.” Members of the foundation, which is headed by Mike Penrose, the former boss of Unicef *** and Norwegian diplomat Jan Egeland, met former Foreign Secretary David Cameron and his deputy Andrew Mitchell in the spring last year. Those with knowledge of the situation said the outcome of the meeting left a positive impression that the stalemate could be ended by allowing some of the funds to be used on humanitarian causes outside Ukraine. The BBC understands the former foreign secretary believed a workable solution was in progress and a statement of intent about how the funds would be used was being drawn up by the foundation. Lord Cameron had spoken to the European Commission about the proposal and had sought buy-in from Downing Street to sign off the agreement. But there was no resolution to the dispute before last year’s general election and there have been no meetings with any ministers since Labour took office. ‘Working hard’ The foundation has a plan ready to roll out immediately once the funds have been unlocked. There have been talks about programmes to help orphans of Ukrainian soldiers and cover health, housing and education needs for those fleeing the war. A report by a House of Lords committee last year said the government’s failure to release the funds to support Ukraine was “incomprehensible”. This week, The Guardian reported ministers were preparing to take Abramovich to court to free up the money. Meanwhile, western countries are using the interest on frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine and there is talk of seizing them. An FCDO spokesperson said: “This government is working hard to ensure the proceeds from the ***** of Chelsea FC reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine as quickly as possible. “The proceeds are currently frozen in a *** bank account while a new independent foundation is established to manage and distribute the money. “*** officials continue to hold discussions with Mr Abramovich’s representatives, experts and international partners, and we will double down on our efforts to reach a resolution.” Source link #Labour #ministers #hold #talks #Abramovich #funds Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Animal ******** probe amid mass salmon farm deaths Animal ******** probe amid mass salmon farm deaths An animal ******** body is investigating an aquaculture company operating in southern Tasmania, where more than 5500 tonnes of salmon have died. Source link #Animal #******** #probe #mass #salmon #farm #deaths Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Flight Attendant Who Filmed Girls in Airplane Lavatory with Hidden Phone Pleads Guilty Flight Attendant Who Filmed Girls in Airplane Lavatory with Hidden Phone Pleads Guilty The former American Airlines flight attendant who secretly recorded several minors in airplane bathrooms pleaded guilty to two felony charges on Thursday, March 6, according to a Massachusetts District Attorney Leah Belaire Foley’s news release. Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, was first arrested in January 2024 and indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston in April 2024. The subsequent investigation later revealed that his iCloud also had hundreds of AI-generated images depicting child ******* abuse. More than a year after his arrest, Thompson pleaded guilty to one count of attempted ******* exploitation of children and one count of possession of child ************ depicting a prepubescent minor. He faces up to 30 years in prison. U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts Lavatory in case for Estes Carter Thompson III Ahead of his Thursday, March 6 court appearance, authorities previously recovered videos from his iCloud account showing minors aged 7, 9, 11, and 14 being secretly recorded in the airplane restroom, federal prosecutors said in a statement. Thompson’s activity, which spanned from January through September 2023, was uncovered on Sept. 2, 2023, when a 14-year-old girl discovered his phone was secretly recording her during a flight from Charlotte, N.C., to Boston. At the time, Thompson allegedly convinced the 14-year-old girl to use the facilities in the first-class section of the plane and escorted her there. Related: American Airlines Flight Attendant Allegedly Filmed Girl, 9, in Bathroom. The Company’s Legal Filing Blamed Her He allegedly entered the bathroom before her and told her that the toilet seat was broken. When she entered the bathroom, the alleged victim saw red stickers on the underside of the toilet seat lid that indicated the toilet seat was broken. Thompson’s iPhone was allegedly taped and hidden under the stickers so that he could record video, per D.A. Foley’s news release. “The minor victim informed her parents of what she saw and showed them the picture upon returning to her seat. The victim’s father confronted Thompson, who then locked himself in the lavatory with his iPhone for three to five minutes prior to the flight’s descent,” per the news release. “Upon the flight’s arrival at Boston’s Logan Airport, law enforcement observed that Thompson had restored his iPhone to factory settings.” Bruce Bennett/Getty A general view of an American Airlines jet at LaGuardia Airport on February 4, 2024 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. It was then discovered that the Sept 2, 2023 incident was the fifth of the year. He also had over 50 images of a nine-year-old unaccompanied minor in his iCloud. “The images included photos taken while the minor victim was seated in her seat pre-flight and close-ups of her face while sleeping,” per the news release. All the involved victims have been identified and law enforcement has contacted their families. Thompson was arrested in January 2024 in Lynchburg, Va., and remained in federal custody since. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday, June 17. If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. Read the original article on People Source link #Flight #Attendant #Filmed #Girls #Airplane #Lavatory #Hidden #Phone #Pleads #Guilty Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

February jobs report: US labor market adds 151,000 jobs, unemployment rate ticks up to 4.1% – Yahoo Finance February jobs report: US labor market adds 151,000 jobs, unemployment rate ticks up to 4.1% – Yahoo Finance February jobs report: US labor market adds 151,000 jobs, unemployment rate ticks up to 4.1% Yahoo FinanceUS hiring falls short of expectations in 1st full month of Trump term ABC NewsChip stocks just formed a worrying chart pattern CNBC Source link #February #jobs #report #labor #market #adds #jobs #unemployment #rate #ticks #Yahoo #Finance Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Helldivers 2 Leaving Out Bows From Super Earth’s Armory Feels Weird and Needs to Be Addressed Soon Helldivers 2 Leaving Out Bows From Super Earth’s Armory Feels Weird and Needs to Be Addressed Soon Helldivers 2 has been a resounding success for Arrowhead Game Studios. The game is currently one of the biggest live service titles and has consistently gotten regular content since its launch. We’ve seen the regular addition of new weapons, vehicles, and enemies. But the one thing that still feels weird is that we don’t have a bow in game yet. The devs have listened before, we hope they listen now. | Image Credit: Arrowhead Game Studios Given Arrowhead’s own name and the game’s tactical nature, it feels like a natural fit. CEO Shams Jorjani has hinted that bows might arrive “at some point.” He has also acknowledged the demand, saying he’d be “surprised” if a bow never made it in. We hope there are already plans in motion to make it a reality. Helldivers 2 could get a bow in the future, according to Arrowhead’s CEO The game has a big arsenal of weapons. It can fit one more. | Image Credit: Arrowhead Game Studios Arrowhead Game Studios has not announced any official plans for a bow and arrow, so we can calm down in advance. However, CEO Shams Jorjani’s comments suggest that the idea isn’t off the table. “I haven’t seen any plans for a bow afaik,” he said in a Discord Q&A (reported by GamesRadar), “but I’d be surprised if we didn’t see one AT SOME POINT.” This suggests that a bow isn’t a priority right now, but could be introduced in the future. A Bow and Arrow would be sooooo ******** dope man! Great runner desgin as Well! — TJ (@TJ_2905) November 15, 2024 ******** GIMME DAT BOW! — Neela the Tarantula & Friends 88w88 (@Neela_88w88) January 17, 2025 Now you might argue that bows don’t belong in a futuristic war setting, but Helldivers 2 has already shown a willingness to include unconventional weapons. The addition of a sci-fi bow wouldn’t be that big of a surprise to us since we already have throwing knives to crossbows. And despite Helldivers 2‘s futuristic setting, the idea of a high-tech bow makes a lot of sense. Modern compound bows already let us fire precise, long-range shots. Imagine what Arrowhead could do with the sci-fi aspects. There’s a lot of room for creativity. Fans have suggested a variety of arrow types, including EMP, incendiary, smoke, and explosive-tipped arrows. Comment byu/4N610RD from discussion inHelldivers Despite Helldivers 2‘s impressive weapon selection, the game still lacks a true silent weapon. The closest options we have right now are the crossbow and throwing knives. And not to trash talk, but they are underwhelming compared to most of the guns. That’s where a bow could fit in perfectly. The balance argument is irrelevant because even Arrowhead doesn’t care The fun first mentality is cool. | Image Credit: Arrowhead Game Studios You might be conflicted about the idea of a bow because of what it would mean for weapon balance. But don’t forget that Helldivers 2 is a PvE-focused game, meaning strict balance isn’t as crucial as it would be in a competitive shooter. And that’s not just an opinion, Creative director Johan Pilestedt has previously stated that balance is secondary to fun, so long as the weapon remains viable. One of the best ways to introduce a bow would be through a new Warbond. We could have a themed Warbong that introduces weapons, armor, and perks. A sci-fi ninja or stealth-themed Warbond could feature a high-tech compound bow alongside armor designed for speed and agility. Helldivers 2 has had an incredible first year, and a lot of the game’s success is because of the bond Arrowhead has with us, the community. Player feedback has been a big part of the updates and balance changes that have been implemented over the last year. And while this isn’t balance related, we hope Arrowhead listens sooner than later. Source link #Helldivers #Leaving #Bows #Super #Earths #Armory #Feels #Weird #Addressed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Russian strike kills 11 in Dobropillya town near Donetsk, Ukraine says Russian strike kills 11 in Dobropillya town near Donetsk, Ukraine says At least 11 people were killed and 30 injured in a Russian strike on Dobropillya, a town in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Ukrainian authorities say. Eight residential buildings and an administrative building were damaged in the attack late Friday, local emergency services reported. The town lies north-west of Russian-held Donetsk city. The report also said Russian forces launched a second strike on emergency responders while they were fighting a blaze. It comes after intense fighting in nearby areas, with Ukrainian prosecutors reporting five killed in Russian attacks on Thursday night. Source link #Russian #strike #kills #Dobropillya #town #Donetsk #Ukraine Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Albany’s Bald Head walk Albany’s Bald Head walk Sam Combs with ‘one of WA’s best day hikes’ Source link #Albanys #Bald #walk Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

2 men arrested after reportedly trying to kill possible witness in Sheng Thao corruption case 2 men arrested after reportedly trying to kill possible witness in Sheng Thao corruption case OAKLAND, Calif. – Two men have been arrested after reportedly trying to kill a possible witness in the corruption case involving former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. The Chronicle reports the men shot at Mario Juarez back in June, a few days before the FBI raided the homes of Thao and Duong family, who own Cal Waste. Juarez, described by the paper as a businessman and political operative, was not hurt. Oakland police arrested the two men in December. They have since been freed. The paper did not name them. The Chronicle said police had no additional information and that the Alameda County district attorney declined to file charges. It is not clear if the attempted killing was related to Juarez’s involvement in the corruption probe. The Chronicle reports federal documents suggest that the shooting and the FBI investigation are connected. Juarez is quoted in the paper as saying, “Why was I targeted? Because I know too much.” Source link #men #arrested #reportedly #kill #witness #Sheng #Thao #corruption #case Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

SpaceX's Starship lost control, spun wildly, and exploded just as it reached space – Business Insider SpaceX's Starship lost control, spun wildly, and exploded just as it reached space – Business Insider SpaceX’s Starship lost control, spun wildly, and exploded just as it reached space Business InsiderSpaceX’s Starship spacecraft explodes midflight for a second time, disrupting Florida air traffic CNNSpaceX Starship megarocket upper stage lost again during 8th test flight; booster catch is successful Fox BusinessElon Musk’s SpaceX Starship Explodes and Grounds Flights at Florida Airports PEOPLE Source link #SpaceX039s #Starship #lost #control #spun #wildly #exploded #reached #space #Business #Insider Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

International Women’s Day a reminder to keep marching despite long road ahead International Women’s Day a reminder to keep marching despite long road ahead Normally journalists are full of cynicism, but it’s a stereotype I, as a young woman in a male-dominated industry, try to beat. Source link #International #Womens #Day #reminder #marching #long #road #ahead Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Battlefield 6 Leaks Reveal a Battlefield 4 Vibe, and I’m Here For Every Second Of It Battlefield 6 Leaks Reveal a Battlefield 4 Vibe, and I’m Here For Every Second Of It Just as we all expected, the recent behind-closed-doors playtests for Battlefield 6 (not a confirmed title) have resulted in countless leaks hitting social and streaming platforms worldwide. The first tests took place this week, and participants were quick to screengrab as much as possible and leak it all over the internet. What has emerged is something quite tantalising. It looks as though the Battlefield 6 leaks are uncovering a Battlefield 4 – or dare I say it, Battlefield 3 – vibe, and I am truly here for every ounce of it. This could be the return of peak. Battlefield Back Again Battlefield has struggled in recent years; that much is obvious. The series has undergone a tumultuous time that began after Battlefield 1 hit the market and became one of the best-selling games in the franchise. It was all kind of downhill from there. In 2021, Electronic Arts released Battlefield 2042, the worst game in the series by far, which flopped hard at launch. Recently, the Battlefield Labs playtest sessions have given way to stacks of leaks for Battlefield 6. That was fairly predictable, and some have theorised that it was engineered by Electronic Arts as a way to earn free publicity. In the Battlefield 6 leaks, we’re seeing a present-day theatre of war populated by traditional soldiers, vehicles, and locales. It’s a back-to-basics shooter with recognisable weapons and a clean UI that’s entirely representative of the heyday of the Battlefield franchise. We can see classic destructive elements, snippets of the class system, and the no-holds-barred action sequences unfold. In 2011, the team released Battlefield 3, and in 2013, Battlefield 4 came out. For many, those two titles represent the peak of the franchise – and I count myself among that crowd. It’s important to stress that the Battlefield leaks we’re seeing are from a pre-alpha build of the game, and everything is subject to change. That’s why they’re testing things now and standing up a community-led feedback pipeline. It has been far too long since a Battlefield game dominated the market, but Battlefield 6 could hit the spot for gamers eager for a broader, more ambitious first-person shooter title. If it’s anything like Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4, including a campaign and a couple of side options and added modes, it could be a smash hit. Let me know what you think about the Battlefield 6 leaks in the comments, or join the discussion on the Insider Gaming forum. For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Escape from Tarkov’s player scavs have been upgraded. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Insider Gaming newsletter SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Battlefield #Leaks #Reveal #Battlefield #Vibe Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

I’m lucky to be alive, says journalist tracked by Russian spies I’m lucky to be alive, says journalist tracked by Russian spies A journalist targeted by a Russian spy cell run from a former guest house in Norfolk has said he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin personally ordered the operation against him. Roman Dobrokhotov, editor-in-chief of The Insider, was followed through Europe by Bulgarian spies who were working for Moscow – three of whom were convicted on Friday. Dobrokhotov told the BBC: “I’m very lucky to be alive”. The Russian national believes he and his fellow investigative journalist, the Bulgarian Christo Grozev, were targeted because of their exposés on Russia. They revealed Russia’s role in a string of deadly incidents, including the nerve agent attacks in Salisbury in 2018 and on the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2020. In December 2020, on the day that investigative group Bellingcat published its exposé on the Navalny poisoning, the man who directed the Russian spy cell sent a message saying: “We’d be interested in a Bulgarian guy working for Bellingcat Christo Grozev.” Jan Marsalek, who instructed the spy ring on behalf of the Russian intelligence services, wrote that Grozev was the “lead investigator in the Navalny case”. His friend and fellow target Dobrokhotov said this was the moment when they became a major focus, as Putin was so disturbed by what had been revealed. “I think that it was Putin directly,” he said. “In this dictatorship, you would never take responsibility on your own to do such a political stuff. You will always have a direct order from the president.” A message sent by Marsalek to fellow spy Orlin Roussev – who ran the ***-based group from a former guest house in Norfolk – demonstrated inside knowledge of Putin’s thinking. He wrote: “Personally I find Grozev not to be a very valuable target but apparently Putin seriously hates him.” Roman Dobrokhotov is the editor-in-chief of investigative website The Insider [BBC] After 2020, the spy cell followed Grozev and Dobrokhotov throughout Europe, spying on them on airplanes, in hotels and in private properties. They discussed kidnapping and even killing the men. There was talk of smuggling Dobrokhotov out of the *** in a small boat from the Norfolk coast, after which he would be taken back to Russia. Dobrokhotov said it was clear this would have resulted in his death. It was in January 2023, the month before police arrested members of the cell in the ***, that Dobrokhotov said he was “warned that I shouldn’t leave the country because it can be dangerous”. He had not realised that he was being followed by the Bulgarian spies, who got so near to him on one flight that they saw the Pin code for his mobile phone. Pictures of Roman Dobrokhotov onboard the flight were retrieved by police from a surveillance report [Metropolitan Police] He thinks the police action sends a signal. “Vladimir Putin doesn’t understand messages in words, only in actions,” Dobrokhotov said. “So he understands messages like, for example, Ukraine got long-range missiles. That’s a message that he can understand. “And when his spies are arrested and imprisoned for a big sentence, that’s also a message that he can understand.” He thinks the use of Bulgarians working in normal jobs shows the limits of Russian espionage after so many professional spies were expelled from the West, but that spy cells like the Bulgarian one are no less dangerous. Speaking about what motivates him, Dobrokhotov said he wants “to change Russia” because he does not want to live in a country that “kills people just because they’re doing journalism or because they are criticising the government”. He said that “while we are existing, it is very difficult for Vladimir Putin to feel strength inside the country” and that “we will be someone who he will try to eliminate for the rest of his life”. “We’re in a situation that only some of us will survive, either we or Vladimir Putin and his team.” On Friday Vanya Gaberova, 30, Katrin Ivanova, 33, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, were found guilty of conspiracy to spy, while Roussev, 47, and Biser Dzhambazov, 43, had previously admitted the same charge. A sixth Bulgarian, Ivan Stoyanov, 34, pled guilty to spying. Ivanova was also convicted of possessing multiple false identity documents. Source link #lucky #alive #journalist #tracked #Russian #spies Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

US employers add a solid 151,000 jobs last month though unemployment up to 4.1% – WTOP US employers add a solid 151,000 jobs last month though unemployment up to 4.1% – WTOP US employers add a solid 151,000 jobs last month though unemployment up to 4.1% WTOPFebruary jobs report: US labor market adds 151,000 jobs, unemployment rate ticks up to 4.1% Yahoo FinanceUS hiring falls short of expectations in 1st full month of Trump term ABC NewsChip stocks just formed a worrying chart pattern CNBC Source link #employers #add #solid #jobs #month #unemployment #WTOP Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Daniel Curtin: Adelaide Crows captain Jordan Dawson full of praise for former top WA draft pick Daniel Curtin: Adelaide Crows captain Jordan Dawson full of praise for former top WA draft pick Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson believes young utility Daniel Curtin could develop into a midfield star, declaring the former top WA draft pick is ‘going to be a beast’. Source link #Daniel #Curtin #Adelaide #Crows #captain #Jordan #Dawson #full #praise #top #draft #pick Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

What is going on with Jeep in Australia? What is going on with Jeep in Australia? Jeep just axed the Grand Cherokee, one of its longest-running nameplates in Australia and a model that once challenged the Toyota Prado for large SUV sales supremacy, and even beat it one year. It’s the culmination of years of sales declines for not only the Grand Cherokee, but also the Jeep brand as a whole, which saw last year’s tally the worst on record in the past 27 years. Is it time to start the Jeep Australia deathwatch, or does the brand have a future in our market? Jeep says it’s fully committed to our market and has fresh product coming, with the Wagoneer S crossover and Recon off-roader expected to arrive here in 2026. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Camera IconWagoneer S Credit: CarExpert Both use the new STLA Large architecture which supports combustion, plug-in hybrid and electric powertrains, though these vehicles have thus far been revealed only with electric power. There’s a new-generation Compass and a Cherokee replacement set to be revealed this year, though we haven’t received official confirmation yet of these vehicles for our market. Jeep has, however, hinted that more affordable mild-hybrid versions of its new entry-level Avenger could come here. If all those cards fall into place, Jeep Australia’s future looks a little brighter. Camera IconRecon Credit: CarExpert But there’s a caveat there, and that’s pricing. Despite protestations from executives that Jeep is a premium brand, high prices – no doubt affected by lousy exchange rates – have strangled sales. Jeep had to slash Avenger prices by up to $4000 prior to its launch, and has flagged more price cuts could come. With a base price of $49,990 before on-roads, however, the Avenger is still a tough sell against a Leapmotor C10 that can be found across the forecourt at many Jeep Australia dealers and which is priced from $45,888 before on-roads. Camera IconAvenger Credit: CarExpert The C10 is larger, more practical and has a longer range, though it’s admittedly less style-focused. The Compass switched from Indian to Italian sourcing, which allowed it to offer mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid options. But with this came a price hike for a model that was already priced uncomfortably close to mid-sized SUVs from rival brands, instead of similarly sized ones. Now, the cheapest Compass asks mid-range Toyota RAV4 money for a smaller, less efficient vehicle. Camera IconCompass Credit: CarExpert The Wrangler and Gladiator received multiple price increases over the past few years, though recent pricing for model year 2023 (MY23) stock of the latter saw drive-away pricing slashed by up to $25,000. MY23 Grand Cherokee models also received price cuts of up to $28,000, with entry-level examples now being advertised for under $60,000 drive-away – a flashback to simpler times when Jeep’s large SUV was one of the most popular and affordable vehicles in its segment. The brand evidently grew too large, too quickly in the 2010s – something then-Fiat Chrysler Australia managing director Kevin Flynn acknowledged back in 2020. Camera IconWrangler Credit: CarExpert Over the past decade or so, Jeep’s reputation took a hit from myriad recalls and poor service and support, eventually leading to a court-enforceable undertaking from the *********** Competition and Consumer Commission. But Jeep Australia is also being dragged down in part by its parent’s poor decisions. The mid-sized SUV segment is a huge one in markets like ours, as well as the much ******* US market. So what does Jeep do? It lets its Cherokee wither on the vine and then axes it without replacement. The move away from diesel in Europe led Stellantis to slash its diesel offerings, which included the Grand Cherokee. While that made little impact in the US market, it was bad news for Grand Cherokee buyers in Australia, where around 57 per cent of previous-generation (WK2) models sold were diesels. Camera IconGladiator Credit: CarExpert We also never received turbo-diesel V6 versions of the Wrangler and Gladiator which could have broadened the appeal of those vehicles here. These iconic vehicles are holding on largely due to the fact they have no real direct competition here but, as ******** brands in particular roll out ever more rugged, boldly styled SUVs, it remains to be seen how dramatically sales of the Gladiator and Wrangler will dip. Jeep has a new global CEO, Bob Broderdorf, who has acknowledged some of the mistakes the brand has made; he’s about to get a new boss too, with a replacement for Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares set to be announced imminently. New leadership may well help Jeep turn things around, not just in Australia but also in markets like the US where sales have been falling for the past few years. Camera IconGrand Cherokee L Credit: CarExpert But for now, Jeep Australia sales are down, some of its dealers are spooked, one of its key models has been axed, and fresh product seems far away. Pessimists would say at some point the brand’s downward sales trajectory simply won’t be sustainable, that the damage to the brand has been done by high prices and a spotty service record, and that the glut of brands in the *********** market will see weaker brands like Jeep perish. Optimists would say Stellantis surely believes in Jeep’s future in our market if it green-lit the Avenger for Australia, and that giving Jeep dealers Leapmotor franchises will help keep them afloat. Either way, Jeep remains one of the two most iconic SUV brands in the world, and Australians are obsessed with SUVs. The early-mid 2010s were an anomalous ******* for the brand, and now Jeep is back in more familiar territory, volume-wise. It remains to be seen who is more correct, the optimists or the pessimists. Source link #Jeep #Australia Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

WA election 2025: Labor’s hold on ‘crucial’ battleground Kalamunda weakened as Liberals swoop in WA election 2025: Labor’s hold on ‘crucial’ battleground Kalamunda weakened as Liberals swoop in Labor hopes of holding onto Kalamunda — one of the most hotly contested seats at this State election — have dwindled over the course of the campaign. Source link #election #Labors #hold #crucial #battleground #Kalamunda #weakened #Liberals #swoop Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]