BBC broadcaster steps down after Alzheimer diagnosis
BBC broadcaster steps down after Alzheimer diagnosis
Megan Bonar
BBC Scotland News
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Janice Forsyth has worked for the BBC for more than 30 years
BBC Radio Scotland presenter Janice Forsyth has stepped down after being diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
The broadcaster has worked for the BBC for more than 30 years, presenting shows on BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio Four and BBC Radio Three.
She also co-founded a podcast production company five years ago, a role she will continue.
Ms Forsyth, 65, said the diagnosis came as a “huge blow” but also provided her with some relief.
In a statement, she explained that since 2022 she had been finding some tasks such as navigation difficult, and had experienced anxiety.
“I’d hoped that I was simply worn out by my many years as a freelance broadcaster and perhaps exhausted following the loss of our dear Mother, Patricia, the previous Christmas, but sadly, I now have a firm diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s disease,” she said.
“It’s been a huge blow, but I’m also feeling some relief that I finally have an explanation for lapses I’d been experiencing, and I’m managing to remain buoyant most of the time.”
During her career, Janice Forsyth interviewed stars such as Leonard Cohen, David Bowie and Billy Connolly.
She presented the Culture Show on BBC Radio Scotland, which then became the Janice Forsyth Show and then the Afternoon Show, a role which she undertook from 2013 until early 2024.
She has also appeared on BBC titles such as Radio Café, Authors Live and the Hogmanay Show.
Janice Forsyth presented a long-running show on BBC Radio Scotland
Away from the airwaves, she has worked as a columnist and is also the chair of the Rothesay Pavilion charity, a group set up to restore the arts venue on the Isle of Bute.
She continued: “Much as I have loved seeking out and sharing the best of music/literature/theatre/cinema with you, I’m happy now to have the time and freedom to enjoy all of these simply for my own pleasure,” she continued.
“Call it living in the moment, and you won’t be far off!”
“I never took my role lightly and hope I always gave my best, both for your sake and that of my interviewees
“It’s been a blast, and I send a high five to everyone who tuned in on Saturday mornings or on more recent weekday afternoons and heard something interesting.”
Hugely popular
Louise Thornton, head of commissioning at BBC Scotland, said: “Janice has been a hugely popular personality on our airwaves for many years.
“The many production teams she has collaborated with have appreciated her outstanding skill as a presenter on radio and television.
“Her warmth, relaxed interviewing style, and peerless knowledge of arts, music, and culture in Scotland and beyond, have made her a firm favourite with audiences over the decades.
“Everyone at BBC Scotland wishes Janice all the very best and we’ll be pleased to continue to explore suitable opportunities where we can work together.”
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Q&A: Rose Zhang on her TGL investment, the LPGA’s future and slow play
Q&A: Rose Zhang on her TGL investment, the LPGA’s future and slow play
There are a lot of things to admire about Rose Zhang. Before turning pro two years ago, she was arguably the winningest amateur in the history of women’s golf. Now she’s competing on the LPGA and already has a pair of professional wins at age 21. Zhang is as poised as they get and her youth — combined with a swing that could make a robot look inconsistent — has allowed her to become one of the faces of the game’s Gen-Z movement.
Zhang is doing it all while attending Stanford University as a communications major, taking 22 credits this winter (she completes one 10-week quarter each year to balance school with the international LPGA schedule). As Zhang finishes her third-to-last quarter of classes en route to a 2027 graduation date, she caught up with The Athletic to talk about the state of the LPGA, her adjusted preseason game plan and her new foray into golf’s simulator experiment. Zhang is now a ********* investor in The Bay Golf Club, TGL’s San Francisco team. According to TGL, active discussions are taking place with the LPGA to devise competitions that could integrate top female players. With virtual holes, players in a mixed event could all hit from the same tee boxes with the technology adjusting for appropriate distances. The prospect of that arrangement is certainly enticing, and Zhang, for one, is intrigued by it.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
You’re the newest investor in TGL. How did that come about?
I’d heard about it on social media, but I never really thought about becoming an investor. My agency brought the opportunity to me. It’s low stakes for me because I’m not the one playing out there. It’s cool to be on the investing side of things, this is one of the first things I’ve invested in, in the golf world at least. The Bay Area has played a huge role in my life and career. I’m a student-athlete at Stanford, I play a lot of golf in the city of SF and being able to be a part of it in a more meaningful way was my first thought. To see other athletes like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala involved makes it even more amazing. It’s going to be cool to watch the team on TV and say, “Oh, I have a little part in that!” Not really … but I do. I’m invested in it emotionally too.
Have you watched much TGL?
I have, with the cool technology and the indoor facility it gives an energy that even non-golfers can enjoy. I think it’s a really good platform to expose different parts of the game, show people’s personalities, and have a little bit of fun. Some of my non-golf friends are like, “Oh, this thing is like a whole stadium and you’re playing golf indoors? What does that even mean?” You’ve got all these crazy lights — it basically turns into a show. It’s a good source of entertainment for those who aren’t exposed to it. You don’t get to see golfers’ personalities because we don’t talk. The entertaining side of all of this is that players are mic’d up and get to interact with fans and each other. People like to see competition and camaraderie but some kind of flare to each personality.
Should LPGA players be a part of TGL?
I think that’s a topic for discussion. That would definitely be very interesting. It brings a lot of variety with the format that it is — indoor golf, one vs. one or team vs. team. Having diversity really brings this sort of platform to life. I can definitely see the LPGA hopping on board with it, having specific players participate in a TGL event. I played “The Match” with Rory McIlroy, Lexi Thompson and Max Homa. It’s similar to that, but it’s inside and indoors so it’s fair play for everyone. I think a lot of people don’t understand, there are a lot of characters out there on the LPGA Tour. You’ve got a lot of people with personalities that are so suited for this type of format.
Who should TGL recruit from the LPGA?
We’re talking about popular characters here. To start off, in my opinion, I’d love to see Meghan Khang hop on there. She knows how to talk, that’s for sure. Charley Hull is a world renowned name, it’d be really entertaining to see what she does. If you want really good players, you’ve got Lydia Ko, you’ve got Nelly Korda.
A highlight of Zhang’s 2024 was her appearance on a winning Solheim Cup team. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
You made your season debut at the HGV Tournament of Champions and posted at T10 finish, but we know that was just a break from your winter studies at Stanford. How has your offseason been treating you?
It’s been a lot more academic than actual golf. I’m excited, I’m doing a lot of cool projects. I’m hosting an AJGA event. I’ve been focusing on school, hanging out with friends, and being with people I haven’t been able to hang out with in the last two years. It’s really nice to have some bonding time and just enjoy the offseason a little bit more. It’s a grind, given I’m still balancing academics and golf. But the grind honestly challenges me.
What classes are you taking this semester?
I’m taking a Politics of Algorithms, Deliberative Democracy and its Critics, a Hebrew Jewish Short Stories class, a Science Technology & Society class and a class called Sleep and Dreams. It’s a cognitive science class. You get bonus points if you fall asleep in lecture. You get woken up by a squirt gun.
Did you intentionally decide to take a step back from golf and throw yourself into school this year?
Definitely. Especially with last year, I was able to balance golf and school, but my social life was deterred a little bit. I had a lot of difficulty in balancing myself and my health, physically. It was a little bit hard to navigate in that sense. This year I was a lot more intentional. I’m taking 22 units of classes. That’s a big load for any student. I essentially decided to finish my academics and prioritize that, and then when I could rest and recover that’s when I could spend time with people. Just be a little bit lower maintenance, so when I start playing at the end of March I’m not completely tired and wiped out from the last three months. It’s been a lot better. I personally wish to prepare the best way I can starting in March. With a super long season my priority is to rest a little bit more.
What have been some of those hiccups in your health?
Everything piled up on its own. I did a lot of intense practicing at school, and I had a lot of class as well. I also just went full speed into the season. I spread myself a little thin in practice and the way I was doing things. By the end of the year, I had this recurring thing with my wrist that started back in 2020, and it just came back. I don’t want it to remain chronic, so that’s a priority. I’m slowly starting to load my wrist again to make sure it’s strong. You can go to physical therapy and have the inflammation resolved, but to strengthen it or at least bring it back to its normal performance, you’ve going to need to do circuits that involve resistance and weight. That’ll get me where I want to be.
Do you have any mindset changes or goals you’ve hoping to make in 2025?
The No. 1 thing that I have in mind — and I was talking to my entire team about it — is I just want to make sure I’m intentional with the things I’ve been doing and the schedule I curate with them. I want to stay accountable for balancing everything and actually do everything, for example. Making sure I’m going through workouts with my trainer, resting my body and relaxing it, giving myself times where I can work with my coach and practice efficiently. I created a schedule for myself, and I wish to just go with that. So when things happen on tour and there’s a lot going on, I have a plan to fall back on. Last year, I misdirected in the way I was preparing myself for events. So that’s the main priority this year. I’m not so worried about the results as much. If you’re able to plan the process and go with it, that’s when results come.
Do you find comfort in sticking to a process?
I find freedom in it. Once you know you’re on a trajectory that you curated, that’s when you have a little bit more agency to at least think about if you need to deviate plans. I was doing a little bit too much of going here, going there — not fulfilling my priorities.
You started using AimPoint this fall. Has it been helping you and what has the process been like learning it?
I started using it at The Annika, actually, and that week was my best putting week on tour to date. I feel very encouraged by it. Obviously, I still have to do some practice. I do believe that it’s helped me a lot, especially with my confidence. And the slow play thing — if you do it right, it doesn’t slow other people up. As long as you’re courteous, that’s the biggest thing.
Zhang changed her putting routine late last year, switching to the AimPoint strategy. (Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)
Speaking of slow play, the LPGA released a new slow play policy. Do you think the tour has a slow play problem?
It’s definitely been voiced by a lot of players. We take a lot of time waiting, especially on par 5s and par 3s. It slows up your day, and it slows things for those who are watching. At the end of the day, I think it’s up to players to create their routine to allow them not to be the slow player out there. There are players who struggle with that, which I understand. I’m just glad the LPGA has this regulation for everyone to follow. I’m not really a fast player, but I get paranoid about being slow. I grew up playing junior golf on the AJGA, and you get these red cards when you’re slow.
The LPGA is on the hunt for a new commissioner. What should their top priorities be?
There’s a difficult balance in the business aspect of golf and the actual competitive world of golf, so I understand how challenging it is. The biggest thing I’d wish for the new commissioner to do is at least provide communication or at least clear communication for what they intend on doing, and what you wish to relay to the players. You have to grow the LPGA through engagement, through deals, through sponsorships. This requires a lot of EQ and requires a lot of intelligence in that sense. I’d say with that, the new commissioner really needs to embody those basic things that could really elevate the LPGA. It’s not easy. They have to have the players’ best interests too, which is a fine line to tackle. That’s why I say communication is super key. If the players understand where the business mind comes from, they may want to critique things but they’d also be OK with things if they at least have a voice that can tell them what’s going on. That’s the biggest thing.
Do you think the LPGA does enough to promote its stars?
I don’t believe so. I speak for a lot of players who also believe that. The reason is, I think it takes characters to really showcase what the tour is about — to give people a story or something to engage with. The LPGA has been trying. I don’t think that it’s not happening. They’re in the process of creating more engagement for LPGA players to be exposed to the public. There are already characters on tour who are willing to fill those shoes. It’s honestly just the strategic side of things now. Exposing them to platforms, media and other people. A lot of players are already willing to do so. You need to have both ends of the stick. The player who is willing to put themselves out there, and a tour that is willing to push you out there. There are a lot of initiatives happening behind the scenes. I’m not discouraged by them not doing anything, it’s more so they just haven’t done much yet.
(Top photo: Cliff Hawkins / Getty Images)
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Nintendo Switch 2 Could Possibly Overcome the Reason Preventing Marvel Rivals Releasing on Its Predecessor
Nintendo Switch 2 Could Possibly Overcome the Reason Preventing Marvel Rivals Releasing on Its Predecessor
NetEase Games, the developer of Marvel Rivals, expressed interest in creating games for the Nintendo Switch 2 if given the opportunity during the 2025 DICE Summit in Las Vegas. The Marvel Rivals development team also acknowledged that they have been working on some development kits and have communicated with Nintendo.
Marvel Rivals wasn’t available on the Nintendo Switch. | Credit: NetEase Games.
Discussions regarding the Switch 2 have taken over social media since its announcement on January 16. Nintendo confirmed that the majority of Switch games will be backward compatible with the Switch 2, though there will be some exceptions. However, there are still some unanswered questions regarding the capabilities of Nintendo’s upcoming console.
Why was Marvel Rivals unavailable on the Nintendo Switch?
The Nintendo Switch 2 is going to be released in 2025. | Credit: Nitendo.
NetEase Games publicly stated interest in creating games for the Switch 2, which is scheduled to launch in 2025. Weicong Wu, the producer of Marvel Rivals, told IGN during the 2025 DICE Summit in Las Vegas that NetEase has been in discussions with Nintendo for a while and that the team has been working on some development kits.
Additionally, Wu claimed that technical limitations that made the game unplayable on Nintendo’s system were the reason Marvel Rivals was not released on the original Switch, which was “the first generation of that device.”
Wu did say that the developers would be willing to work on the Switch 2 if it could give players excellent performance in NetEase’s games. Given that Nintendo submitted a patent demonstrating the Switch 2’s Joy-**** controllers’ mouse-like capabilities, games like Marvel Rivals that require quick mouse movements might find use for it.
Regarding the Switch 2, additional details will be revealed on April 2 at a Nintendo Direct. Hopefully, Marvel Rivals will still be available on Nintendo’s upcoming system, and right now only the ****** marketeers know if it’s true or not.
Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-**** functionalities revealed
The Joy-Cons of Switch 2 is going to be revolutionary. | Credit: Nintendo.
The Switch 2 Joy-Cons will have a brand-new hardware feature that enables them to be used similarly to a computer mouse, per a Nintendo patent (via ArsTechnica) issued in August 2023 and published on February 6, 2025.
The patent demonstrates the internal design of these cutting-edge controllers, which work similarly to optical computer mice by using a light source and sensors to enable users to move the Joy-Cons across a flat surface and create movement on the screen.
In addition to using the joystick and the recognizable face and shoulder buttons, players can now hold the Joy-Cons with the sensor side down and move the controller around like a mouse.
Players have more control over how they use the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware when gaming thanks to the option between a standard hold and a mouse hold, which offers a deeper level of functionality than the current Switch Joy-**** model.
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Gen Alpha’s interests drive more than $5 trillion in spending. Here’s who benefits
Gen Alpha’s interests drive more than $5 trillion in spending. Here’s who benefits
It’s not too early for investors to start thinking about the impact of Generation Alpha on stocks, according to UBS. The generation, born between 2010 and 2024, is likely to be the largest of its lifetime, analyst Saranja Sivachelvam said in a note Wednesday. It is also the first to be born into a high-tech world of artificial intelligence, augmented reality and social media. An estimated $5.39 trillion is spent annually on the generation, as of 2024, and is projected to grow by $10 billion every year — surging past $5.46 trillion by 2029, according to research firm McCrindle . “This suggests that their direct and indirect spending decisions could have a wide impact on industry with immediate effect, with this influence getting stronger over time,” Sivachelvam wrote. “Their potential influence over, and combined spending power with, their Millennial (Gen Y) parents could make them an attractive consumer segment to understand early, and may drive trends that we are currently unaware of.” The firm sees three key areas where the generation differs from previous ones or can make a meaningful impact at the household level: gamification, wellness and sustainable living. Gamification Some 94% of Gen Alpha play video games, more than any other generation, according to a 2024 global study by Newzoo, a provider of video game data. They also engage in video games in different ways more so than their older counterparts. That could include following gaming channels or esport broadcasters, listening to gaming podcasts and/or attending large in-person gaming conventions, Sivachelvam said. In addition, the cohort spends an extra hour on video games and an hour less on social media compared to other game enthusiasts, she said. Already, brands are advertising and recruiting new customers through gaming platforms, she noted. Sivachelvam expects companies that cater to Gen Alpha gamers could be winners in the medium term. These are some of the names UBS sees as exposed to the Gen Alpha gamification theme. Gaming company Electronic Arts has games that are based on wholly-owned intellectual property, such as Battlefield, or licensed intellectual property, like Madden NFL, Sivachelvam said. “Game engagement skews to younger demographics, suggesting companies such as EA stand to benefit as these cohorts age and spending power increases,” she said. Take-Two Interactive , another gaming company, also skews to younger demographics, she said. Shares of Electronic Arts are down nearly 12% year to date, while Take-Two Interactive’s stock is up more than 13%. In January, Electronic Arts cut its full-year guidance , which sent the stock tumbling. Earlier this month, Take-Two Interactive posted net bookings for its fiscal third quarter that came in below expectations, but the stock rallied after the company gave updates about the timing of new game releases, including Grand Theft Auto VI. Meanwhile, Hasbro is a leading toy and game company. It has built successful franchises and has digitized analog games, Sivachelvam noted. Hasbro is set to report fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday. Wellness The Covid pandemic accelerated awareness of holistic health for Gen Alpha, Sivachelvam said. “Our research shows that Gen Alpha is concerned about its mental and physical wellbeing, with parents of Gen Alpha materially more concerned about their children’s diet than parents of Gen Z,” she wrote. “This is both an opportunity (larger [total addressable market], e.g. Ulta Beauty) and concern (inappropriate use of products.” In fact, the cohort is engaging in beauty products four to five years ahead of their Gen Z counterparts thanks to social media, she added. The personal care and beauty sector is the largest within the wellness industry, she said. The Global Wellness Institute estimates the sector will grow at a 4.8% compound annual growth rate from 2023 to 2028. In addition, the generation is also focused on healthy eating. Here are some of the names UBS said are exposed to the Gen Alpha wellbeing theme. Deckers Outdoor owns the Hoka brand, which has experienced outsized growth, Sivachelvam said. She expects demand to remain robust. Deckers posted an earnings and revenue beat for its fiscal third quarter in January. However, its full-year revenue guidance fell short of the consensus estimate. Meanwhile, On Holding is one of the fastest-growing athletic footwear brands, Sivachelvam noted. “Sportswear is still only 25% of total apparel and footwear industry sales, therefore we believe the industry can maintain strong growth rates,” she said. Lastly, Ulta Beauty is the largest beauty retailer in the U.S., with more than 1,000 stores across 48 states, Sivachelvam pointed out. “Ulta is engaging with younger consumers, and grouping this together with its legacy beauty enthusiast cohort (women over 18 years of age), takes its pool of potential addressable customers to around 140m of all genders aged 13-plus in 2024 versus 70m in 2021 of females aged 18-plus.” Sustainable living Finally, sustainability is something that may take some time to turn into an investable theme, Sivachelvam said. “While we think this cohort is more aware of the environment and therefore expect that this could — over time — result in behaviours that are more environmentally beneficial versus older generations, their consumption patterns do not necessarily reflect this right now,” she wrote. Eventually, Gen Alpha could change or influence behaviors around food waste, vegetarianism and fast fashion, Sivachelvam said.
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NYT Connections: hints and answers for Monday, February 17
NYT Connections: hints and answers for Monday, February 17
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
How to play Connections
Hints for today’s Connections
Today’s Connections answers
NYT Connection FAQs
Connections is one of the best puzzle games from the New York Times. The game tasks you with categorizing a pool of 16 words into four secret (for now) groups by figuring out how the words relate to each other. The puzzle resets every night at midnight and each new puzzle has a varying degree of difficulty. Just like Wordle, you can keep track of your winning streak and compare your scores with friends.
Some days are trickier than others — just like other NYT Games favorites The Mini and Strands. If you’re having a little trouble solving today’s puzzle, check out our Connections tips and tricks guide for some good strategies or check out the hints for today’s Connections puzzle below. And if you still can’t get it, we’ll tell you today’s answers at the very end.
How to play Connections
Connections is a daily game about finding common threads between words. Players must select four groups of four words without making more than three mistakes. Play now. pic.twitter.com/CqObVOqeUs
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 3, 2024
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You can play Connections on the New York Times website or with the NYT Games app on iOS or Android.
In Connections, you’ll be shown a grid containing 16 words — your objective is to organize these words into four sets of four by identifying the connections that link them. These sets could encompass concepts like titles of video game franchises, book series sequels, shades of red, names of chain restaurants, etc.
There are generally words that seem like they could fit multiple themes, but there’s only one 100% correct answer. You’re able to shuffle the grid of words and rearrange them to help better see the potential connections.
Each group is color-coded. The yellow group is the easiest to figure out, followed by the green, blue, and purple groups.
Pick four words and hit Submit. If you’re correct, the four words will be removed from the grid and the theme connecting them will be revealed. Guess incorrectly and it’ll count as a mistake. You only have four mistakes available until the game ends.
Hints for today’s Connections
We can help you solve today’s Connection by telling you the four themes. If you need more assistance, we’ll also give you one word from each group below.
Today’s themes
BIT OF HAIR
MEDIA ATTENTION
NOUN SUFFIXES
___ CIRCUS
One-answer reveals
BIT OF HAIR – CURL
MEDIA ATTENTION – COVERAGE
NOUN SUFFIXES – DOM
___ CIRCUS – FAMILY
New York Times
Today’s Connections answers
Still no luck? That’s OK. This puzzle is designed to be difficult. If you just want to see today’s Connections answer, we’ve got you covered below:
BIT OF HAIR – CURL, LOCK, RINGLET, TRESS
MEDIA ATTENTION – COVERAGE, EXPOSURE, PRESS, PUBLICITY
NOUN SUFFIXES – DOM, ION, NESS, SHIP
___ CIRCUS – FAMILY, FLEA, FLYING, MEDIA
Connections grids vary widely and change every day. If you couldn’t solve today’s puzzle, be sure to check back in tomorrow.
NYT Connection FAQs
What time does the Connections puzzle change?
The puzzle changes daily at midnight local time.
Who edits the NYT Connections game?
Wyna Liu, who has been editing puzzles at The New York Times since 2020, edits Connections daily.
“A few months ago, a new assignment crossed my desk: Create the game boards for Connections, a category matching game that had recently been greenlighted and was in search of an editor,” wrote Liu in an article explaining her process in June 2024. Most of my puzzle experience has been working with crosswords, and I was excited at the chance to try something different. I’ve enjoyed learning how puzzle editing plays out once a game is greenlighted, and seeing how our team fits into a larger ecosystem.”
On the one-year anniversary of Connections launching earlier this year, Liu posted this TikTok about her favorite puzzles so far:
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Young Australians turn backs on politics ahead of Federal and State elections
Young Australians turn backs on politics ahead of Federal and State elections
Young Australians are turning their back on the political system, with just a quarter of year 10s intending to take part in protests or demonstrations as civic interest plummets amongst teenagers.
As civics scores dropped, a new report from the Federal Government shows just 20 per cent of 15-year-olds could detail what a double majority to pass a referendum included, while a third knew who signed laws before they became an Act of Parliament.
The *********** Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority found just 28 per cent of year 10s were proficient in civics and citizenship issues last year — down from 38 per cent in 2019.
Western *********** teens ranked third in the country behind the ACT and Victoria, with 33 per cent reaching the benchmark.
But the survey of students found plummeting rates of interest and engagement with the political and legal system, with just 28 per cent saying they had been on an excursion to a parliament or law court in 2024. That figure was down on almost half of students in 2019.
More broadly, just a quarter of students said they were interested in *********** politics compared to more than two-thirds who engaged in global issues, and what was happening in other countries.
Among year 10s, there was a reported reluctance to participate or express political views including just 24 per cent saying they would wear a badge in support of an issue, down from 39 per cent in 2019.
The number of teens eager to join a protest almost halved from 50 per cent five years ago to just 26 per cent, while just 28 per cent would write an opinion about an issue on the internet, compared to 51 per cent a decade ago.
The falling rates of engagement and scores come just a week after a Federal parliamentary inquiry into civics and citizenship education called for mandatory lessons for all Year 11 and 12 students.
ACARA chief executive Stephen Gniel said the report, and the findings from the inquiry, showed how important teacher training and resources were to ensuring *********** kids were well versed in civics.
“Encouragingly, this latest report shows that most students rate citizenship behaviours, such as learning about Australia’s history, as important,” he said.
“Therefore, it is vital that all young Australians get a strong grounding with civics education to feel engaged with social and political issues so that they can make a valuable contribution as society’s future stewards.”
With the country amid a looming Federal election, shadow education minister Sarah Henderson said the report showed how the Albanese Government was failing young Australians.
“We need a knowledge-rich curriculum which prioritises literacy and numeracy and other fundamentals such as a deeper knowledge of civics and citizenship,” Senator Henderson said.
“Young Australians must understand the democratic principles which underpin our nation which is why civics education is so important.
“Teachers must have the training and curriculum resources to ensure students learn the value of our democracy.
“Getting back to the basics in education is part of our plan to get the country back on track.”
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Retired Thirsk teacher who has appeared on 32 TV quiz shows
Retired Thirsk teacher who has appeared on 32 TV quiz shows
Nathan Turvey
BBC News, Yorkshire
The Weakest Link/BBC
Cornelius was grilled by Anne Robinson on The Weakest Link in 2007
A quiz show fanatic who has banked thousands of pounds in prize money says he has no plans to quit while he’s ahead.
Retired maths teacher Cornelius O’Donovan, from Thirsk, has appeared on 32 TV quiz shows in 30 years and says he is “absolutely hooked” on them.
He began a lifelong love of quizzing when playing board game Trivial Pursuit in the 1980s, and has since gone on to face down Anne Robinson in The Weakest Link and take on the Chasers.
He enters into the spirit with brightly coloured outfits and his laugh, likened to that of actor Brian Blessed, is a hit with audiences.
The secret to his success is “to know as much as you can about as much as is out there,” he says.
BBC/Nathan Turvey
Cornelius O’Donovan has now retired from teaching and still loves quizzes
His first appearance was on Say the Word in 1997, and other credits include Pass the Buck, Breakaway and Two Tribes.
Cornelius says his favourite host was Bradley Walsh on The Chase in 2009 because “he did his best to put all the contestants at their ease” and has “grown with the show”.
He would even consider becoming one of the Chasers himself in future.
An avid collector of Trivial Pursuit editions, Cornelius says the board game has helped him accrue knowledge.
“Different versions have different questions in – I particularly like the style of questions in Trivial Pursuit,” he says.
BBC/Nathan Turvey
Cornelius uses old versions of Trivial Pursuit to boost his knowledge
Asked whether he finds the questions difficult, he says: “Not now, no – because very often I would remember a question for my wrong answer to it, rather than the right answer.
“It takes a while to get through 6,000 questions and answers and to remember the right answer, rather than the wrong answer.”
Cornelius has earned £17,500 in prize money from his attempts, but has never “won big” and regrets never being accepted onto Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
“I think most people who haven’t been on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? would have loved the opportunity, and I spent a lot of money trying to get on when we used to have to make a telephone call back in the late 1990s, to no avail.”
Breakaway/Gogglebox
Cornelius appeared on a show called Breakaway with Nick Hancock in 2012
He is getting close to the record set for the most appearances, being just two short of David St John’s 34, which was verified in London in 2014.
“I hope to beat the record one day, but a lot of the shows now have a push for new, younger players.”
Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
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FA look into racism claims against Preston’s Osmajic
FA look into racism claims against Preston’s Osmajic
The Football Association are looking into Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri’s allegation of racist abuse against Preston forward Milutin Osmajic during Saturday’s goalless Championship draw.
The stalemate at Deepdale was overshadowed by a second-half incident in which a heated exchange between Osmajic and Mejbri left ex-Manchester United youth-team product Mejbri incensed.
Mejbri spoke to referee Andrew Kitchen before he carried on until being replaced in the 71st minute. It is being reported that the The FA are aware of the incident and are looking into it ahead of a potential investigation being launched.
Tunisia international Mejbri later posted on his social media channels that he would “always call out racism”, but Preston released a statement which denied Osmajic had used racist language.
“I will not be silent about what happened,” Mejbri said on X and Instagram.
“I will always call out racism whenever I hear or see it. That is the only way we change as a sport and a society.
“I am a strong person but nobody should have to experience this disgusting abuse on the pitch.”
A Preston statement read: “Milutin Osmajic has strongly refuted the claims of a racist comment made towards Hannibal Mejbri in a post-match meeting with today’s match officials.
“The club would like to thank the match officials for the way they have handled the issue and will assist with the investigation until a conclusion has been found.
“In the meantime, the club feel it is unjust and inappropriate to post social media comments presuming guilt until there is the opportunity for a full investigation to take place.
“Preston North End utterly condemn any incidents of racism or discrimination wherever and whenever they occur, however Milutin Osmajic categorically denies the allegations made against him today. No further comment will be made at this time.”
Mejbri spoke with Burnley manager Scott Parker following the incident and the club have vowed to support their player.
“During the second half, Hannibal made referee Andrew Kitchen aware of the comment who has registered the complaint. The club would like to thank the officials for their professional handling of the incident,” a Burnley club statement read.
“The club will continue to show its complete support to Hannibal and there will be no further comment made until the investigation has been completed.”
Burnley travel back to Preston on March 1 for an FA Cup fifth-round tie.
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Mika and The Witch’s Mountain review – ChristCenteredGamer
Mika and The Witch’s Mountain review – ChristCenteredGamer
Console Obsession says: “If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a witch who swaps spellbooks for stamps, then Mika and the Witch’s Mountain is the game for you—because even witches know the real magic is getting a package delivered on time! Mika and the Witch’s Mountain follows the titular Mika in this serene game about an aspiring witch who, while attending a school for witches, is thrown off a mountain by her “wonderful” tutor and must make her way back up to the summit.”
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Leakers suggest AMD Strix Halo reviews dropping tomorrow — Asus ROG Flow Z13 launches February 25
Leakers suggest AMD Strix Halo reviews dropping tomorrow — Asus ROG Flow Z13 launches February 25
AMD’s beastly Strix Halo APUs might be closer than you expect, with reviews reportedly going live tomorrow per hardware leaker HXL at X (formerly Twitter). This rumor follows teasers from various content creators. Even Asus has announced a release date for its high-end ROG Flow Z13 laptops; slated for a February 25 launch. We’re yet to hear more from HP regarding its Strix Halo-equipped laptops and mini-PCs, but they should follow shortly afterward.
AMD pulled the veil off the Ryzen AI Max+ series, codenamed Strix Halo, at CES last month. Claimed to rival Nvidia’s RTX 4070 mobile, AMD has equipped the top-end config with a beefy 40 Compute Unit integrated GPU based on RDNA 3.5, hosted by the massive I/O die in the center. To the north are two Zen 5 CCDs with up to 16 cores / 32 threads and 80MB of total L2 and L3 cache, capable of pushing 5.1 GHz. The entire package is fed by 128GB of unified memory, where 96GB can be dedicated to the iGPU alone. AMD allows OEMs to configure these APUs between 45W and 120W, depending on the device.
Strix Halo reviews are reportedly embargoed until tomorrow. On-shelf inventory will be limited to two laptops and a mini-PC from HP and Asus, but wider adoption is expected as demand grows. In addition, Asus confirmed its “Illusion X 2025” laptops (the ******** variant of the ROG Flow Z13) featuring AMD’s Ryzen AI Max + chips, will launch on February 25 in a post on Weibo.
The 2-in-1 Flow Z13, functioning both as a laptop and a tablet, is configurable with the Ryzen AI MAX 395+, 128GB of LPDDR5X memory, a 13.4-inch 2.5K IPS display at 180 Hz with HDR support, and a 70Wh battery. All this power comes at a steep price of $2,699 which is comparable to high-end gaming laptops. Still, you get the advantage of a better battery life and more memory for inference. We’d love to see Strix Halo-powered mini-PCs but only HP’s Z2 Mini G1a has been announced thus far, with no set release date.
Strix Halo might easily stand as one of AMD’s most innovative and radical designs in recent memory. These APUs are designed to compete against Apple’s M-series SoCs and mobile workstations outfitted with dedicated Nvidia graphics. Given that AMD’s discrete GPUs never really took off in the laptop space, Strix Halo could signal a more APU-focused future, though it could be a while until we see a potential Strix Halo successor based on RDNA 4.
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India opposition slams Trump’s F-35 offer, Russia makes its own pitch
India opposition slams Trump’s F-35 offer, Russia makes its own pitch
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s opposition parties have criticised U.S. President Donald Trump’s offer to sell F-35 fighters to the country, citing their high costs, even as Russia has discussed producing its most advanced jets locally in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goals.
The offer from both U.S. and India’s long-time defence partner Russia comes at a time when the Indian Air Force’s squadrons have fallen to 31 from an approved strength of 42 and it is seeking to acquire more jets to counter China, which is rapidly building its military.
After meeting Modi in Washington last week, Trump said the U.S. will increase military sales to India starting in 2025 and will eventually provide the fifth-generation F-35 fighters made by Lockheed Martin.
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India’s main opposition Congress party has used Trump ally and billionaire Elon Musk’s past criticism of the fighter to target Modi’s government.
“The F-35, which Elon Musk has described as ‘junk’, why is Narendra Modi hell-bent on buying it?” asked a post on Congress’s official X account this weekend, saying that the aircraft was expensive and had high operational costs.
The U.S. government estimates that an F-35 costs around $80 million.
The Indian government has not said it intends to buy the plane and India’s foreign secretary told reporters last week that the U.S. offer was at a “proposal stage”, adding that the acquisition process had not started.
India’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Congress post cited a November 2024 post by Musk on X in which he shared a video of a drone swarm and captioned it: “Meanwhile, some idiots are still building manned fighter jets like the F-35”.
Musk later said in another X post: “Manned fighter jets are obsolete in the age of drones anyway”.
Last week, Russia offered to make in India its fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 fighter, with locally sourced components, saying production could begin as early as this year if India agreed.
“Russia has never shied away from transferring technology,” said Amit Cowshish, former financial adviser for acquisitions at the Indian defence ministry.
“The problem is not with Russia offering transfer of technology … we will continue to deal with Russia and buy oil and maybe buy a couple of other things, but such a big (defence) deal is likely to create its own difficulties vis-à-vis (the) U.S.,” Cowshish said.
(Reporting by Shivam Patel in New Delhi; Editing by David Holmes)
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AI models explained: The benefits of open source AI models
AI models explained: The benefits of open source AI models
Open source software has a number of benefits over commercial products, not least the fact that it can be downloaded for free. This means anyone can analyse the code and, assuming they have the right hardware and software environment configured, they can start using the open source code immediately.
With artificial intelligence (AI), there are two parts to being open. The source code for the AI engine itself can be downloaded from a repository, inspected and run on suitable hardware just like other open source code. But open also applies to the data model, which means it is entirely feasible for someone to run a local AI model that has already been trained.
In other words, with the right hardware, a developer is free to download an AI model, disconnect the target hardware from the internet and run it locally without the risk of query data being leaked to a cloud-based AI service.
And since it is open source, the AI model can be installed locally so it does not incur the costs associated with cloud-hosted AI models, which are generally charged based on the volume of queries measured in tokens submitted to the AI engine.
How does an open model differ from commercial AI?
All software needs to be licenced. Commercial products are increasingly changed on a subscription basis and, in the case of large language models (LLMs), the cost correlates to the amount of usage, based on the volume of tokens submitted to the LLM and the hardware consumed in terms of hours of graphics processing unit (GPU) time used by the model when it is queried.
Like all open source software, an LLM that is open source is subject to the terms and conditions of the licensing scheme used. Some of these licences put restrictions on how the software is used but, generally, there are no licence fees associated with running an open model locally.
However, there is a charge if the open model is run on public cloud infrastructure or accessed as a cloud service, which is usually calculated based on the volume of tokens submitted to the LLM programmatically using application programming interfaces (APIs).
What are the benefits of open source AI models
Beyond the fact that they can be downloaded and deployed on-premise without additional cost, their openness helps to progress the development of the model in a similar way to how the open source community is able to improve projects.
Just like other open source projects, an AI model that is open source can be checked by anyone. This should help to improve its quality and remove bugs and go some way to tackling bias, when the source data on which a model is trained is not diverse enough. The following podcast explores AI models further.
How to get started with open models
Most AI models offer free or low-cost access via the web to enable people to work directly with the AI system. Programmatic access via APIs is often charged based on the volume of tokens submitted to the model as input data, such as the number of words in a natural language query. There can also be a charge for output tokens, which is a measure of the data produced by the model when it responds to a query.
Since it is open source, an open model can be downloaded from its open source repository (“repo”) on GitHub. The repository generally contains different builds for target systems – such as distributions of Linux, Windows and MacOS.
However, while this approach is how developers tend to use open source code, it can be a very involved process and a data scientist may just want to “try” the latest, greatest model, without having to get into the somewhat arduous process of getting the model up and running.
Step in Hugging Face, an AI platform where people who want to experiment with AI models can research what is available and test them on datasets all from one place. There is a free version, but Hugging Face also provides an enterprise subscription and various pricing for AI model developers for hosting and running their models.
Another option is Ollama, an open source, command-line tool that provides a relatively easy way to download and run LLMs. For a full graphical user interface to interact with LLMs, it is necessary to run an AI platform such as Open WebUI, an open source project available on GitHub.
How open source AI models support corporate IT security
Cyber security leaders have raised concerns over the ease with which employees can access popular LLMs, which presents a data leakage risk. Among the widely reported leaks is Samsung Electronics’ use of ChatGPT to help developers debug code. The code – in effect, Samsung Electronics intellectual property – was uploaded into the ChatGPT public LLM and effectively became subsumed into the model.
The tech giant quickly took steps to ban the use of ChatGPT, but the growth in so-called copilots and the rise of agentic AI have the potential to leak data. Software providers deploying agentic technology will often claim they keep a customer’s private data entirely separate, which means such data is not used to train the AI model. But unless it is indeed trained with the latest thinking, shortcuts, best practices and mistakes, the model will quickly become stale and out of date.
An AI model that is open can be run in a secure sandbox, either on-premise or hosted in a secure public cloud. But this model represents a snapshot of the AI model the developer released, and similar to AI in enterprise software, it will quickly go out of date and become irrelevant.
However, whatever information is fed into it remains within the confines of the model, which allows organisations willing to invest the resources needed to retrain the model using this information. In effect, new enterprise content and structured data can be used to teach the AI model the specifics of how the business operates.
What hardware do you need
There are YouTube videos demonstrating that an LLM such as the ******** DeepSeek-R1 model can run on an Nvidia Jetson Nano embedded edge device or even a Raspberry Pi, using a suitable adapter and a relatively modern GPU card. Assuming the GPU is supported, it also needs plenty of video memory (VRAM). This is because for best performance, the LLM needs to run in memory on the GPU.
Inference requires less memory and less GPU cores, but the more processing power and VRAM available, the faster the model is able to respond, as a measure of tokens it can process per second. For training LLMs, the number of GPU cores and VRAM requirements go up significantly, which equates to extremely costly on-premise AI servers. Even if the GPUs are run in the public cloud with metered usage, there is no getting away from the high costs needed to run inference workloads continuously.
Nevertheless, the sheer capacity of compute power available from the hyperscalers means that it may be cost effective to upload training data to an open LLM model hosted in a public cloud.
How to make open source AI models more affordable to run
As its name suggests, a large language model is large. LLMs require huge datasets for training and immense farms of powerful servers for training. Even if an AI model is open source, the sheer cost of the hardware means that only those organisations that are prepared to make upfront investments in hardware or reserve GPU capacity in the public cloud have the means to operationalise LLMs fully.
But not everyone needs an LLM and that is why there is so much interest in models that can run on much cheaper hardware. These so-called small language models (SLM) are less compute intensive, and some will even run on edge devices, smartphones and personal computers (see box).
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Why Saudi Arabia is the venue of choice for Trump talks on Ukraine – BBC.com
Why Saudi Arabia is the venue of choice for Trump talks on Ukraine – BBC.com
Why Saudi Arabia is the venue of choice for Trump talks on Ukraine BBC.comTop Russian and American officials will hold talks on ending the Ukraine war without Kyiv The Associated PressPutin sending foreign minister to Saudi Arabia for talks with Trump officials Fox NewsTrump 2nd term live updates: Rubio in Saudi Arabia for Russia talks ABC News
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Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector Review | TheSixthAxis
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector Review | TheSixthAxis
NoobFeed editor Turzo writes – Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is absolutely a recommendation if you have played and liked the first one. Even if you haven’t, it’s still worth a try. It has everything from phenomenal writing to varied characters to an intriguing plot. The gameplay remains great without being overbearing.
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Jannik Sinner: Doping ban’s timing perfect for him – Liam Broady
Jannik Sinner: Doping ban’s timing perfect for him – Liam Broady
Britain’s Liam Broady believes Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban for doping has been timed to impact the world number one’s career “as little as possible”.
The Italian accepted an immediate three-month ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) on Saturday after reaching a settlement over his two positive drug tests last year.
The 23-year-old, who won the *********** Open in January, is suspended from 9 February until 4 May, so will be eligible to play at the French Open – the next Grand Slam of the year – which begins on 19 May.
“I do think a lot has been put into when the ban would take place, to impact Jannik’s career as little as possible,” Broady told BBC Sport.
“The ban ends the day before the Rome Masters, which is the biggest tournament in his home country and the perfect preparation for him to then go and play the French Open.
“I don’t think he loses any [ranking] points or his number one spot either, so it’s an interesting ban.
“I was speaking to some people earlier and they said it’s kind of like a Premier League footballer being banned over the summer. It’s a difficult one.”
Sinner was cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent panel after testing positive for the banned substance clostebol in March.
Wada had been seeking a ban of up to two years, having launched an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) following the 2024 decision by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) not to suspend Sinner.
However, it reached a deal after accepting the player was inadvertently contaminated by a banned substance and “did not intend to cheat”.
World number 766 Broady said he was a “little bit upset at the verdict”, adding that “it doesn’t seem like there’s much being lost from this ban”.
“It does appear to be favouritism towards the better players on the tour,” Broady added.
“I wouldn’t say that he’s done it on purpose, but if that had happened to another player, would we be treated the same way? Would we be afforded the same sort of dignity?”
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Rhys Bellinge labelled ‘arrogant, aggressive and intentional’ by police prosecutor over alleged Dalkeith ******
Rhys Bellinge labelled ‘arrogant, aggressive and intentional’ by police prosecutor over alleged Dalkeith ******
Rhys Bellinge was allegedly driving at 130km an hour, with a blood alcohol reading nearly four times the legal limit when he crashed and killed a 24-year-old woman.
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NASA’s SLS Block 1B Brings Enhanced Payload Capacity for Artemis IV
NASA’s SLS Block 1B Brings Enhanced Payload Capacity for Artemis IV
NASA’s Artemis campaign aims to propel astronauts, scientific experiments, and essential payloads into deep space, utilising the Space Launch System (SLS). The upcoming Artemis IV mission will introduce the Block 1B variant of the SLS, equipped with an upgraded Exploration Upper Stage (EUS). The enhanced system will enable the transportation of larger payloads, including the Orion spacecraft and the Lunar I-Hab module, developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), which will serve as a critical component of the Gateway lunar space station.
Structural Innovations for Deep Space Missions
According to NASA reports, a key structural component of the SLS Block 1B, the payload adapter, has undergone significant development at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Designed to accommodate a variety of payloads, the adapter consists of eight composite panels reinforced with an aluminium honeycomb core and secured by aluminium rings. Engineers have employed structured light scanning technology to ensure precise construction, eliminating the need for traditional, costly tooling during assembly.
Flexible Manufacturing Approach
As per NASA, the structured light scanning method has reduced costs while increasing adaptability, allowing engineers to modify adapter dimensions based on mission requirements. Brent Gaddes, Lead for the Orion Stage Adapter and Payload Adapter at NASA Marshall, stated in an official NASA release that the approach enables rapid design adjustments for different payload sizes without requiring extensive retooling. He explained that should a larger or smaller adapter be required, the structured light scanning system would allow quick modifications without significant resource expenditure.
Testing and Load Capacity Verification
Reports indicate that an engineering development unit of the payload adapter has been tested to withstand three times the expected load. A separate qualification unit is also being developed to meet NASA’s structural standards for composite materials. The payload adapter, designed in a conical shape, differs from historically tested cylindrical structures, making rigorous testing essential.
Future Prospects in Lunar and Martian Exploration
NASA’s Artemis programme aims to establish sustainable lunar exploration capabilities, providing critical data for future crewed missions to Mars. The SLS, combined with the Gateway lunar station, advanced spacesuits, and human landing systems, forms the foundation of deep space exploration efforts. Findings from ongoing structural testing will contribute to NASA’s database on spacecraft component resilience, offering insights that will benefit both governmental and commercial aerospace sectors.
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Cody Rhodes Will Be Your New Favorite WWE Star after Learning How Much He Loves Hideo Kojima’s Magnum Opus
Cody Rhodes Will Be Your New Favorite WWE Star after Learning How Much He Loves Hideo Kojima’s Magnum Opus
Cody Rhodes is known for his undeniable talent in the wrestling ring, but did you know he’s a gamer? And before you even ask, he is truly a based chad of a gamer. Last year, he revealed his top 5 games and you’d be hard-pressed to disagree with any of his choices.
The champion’s choices for the best games are impressive. | Image Credit: GQ Sports on YouTube
Among classics like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Red Dead Redemption 2, Rhodes included Metal Gear Solid, a game considered Hideo Kojima’s magnum opus. His love for the legendary stealth-action game is rare in the current generation with the games being limited to old consoles.
Cody Rhodes loves Metal Gear Solid and so do we
The game’s stealth mechanics were unlike ever seen before in its time. | Credit: Konami
Cody Rhodes shared his list of the top 5 games in an interview with GQ Sport last year, and we can say with confidence that the champion’s gaming taste is both diverse and refined. From the iconic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to the legendary Metal Gear Solid, his picks were nothing short of based. He and ****** Orton being true gamers is such a cool thing.
Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid series has long been regarded as one of the most innovative franchises in gaming. Released in 1998 on the original PlayStation, Metal Gear Solid redefined stealth gameplay and narrative depth. The series’ philosophical themes, anti-war messages, and legendary boss fights have left a lasting impact.
Rhodes isn’t alone in recognizing Metal Gear Solid as one of gaming’s most important titles. The game’s influence can be seen in the way games today have implemented stealth mechanics, narratives, and cinematic storytelling. But despite its legendary status, Metal Gear Solid isn’t the most accessible franchise.
WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes ranks his Top-5 favorite video games of all-time
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Metal Gear Solid Red Dead Redemption 2 Halo: Combat Evolved Ghost of Tsushima
(via: @GQSports) pic.twitter.com/LArxQcWvIT
— ScreenTime (@screentime) August 1, 2024
Until the Master Collection was released in 2023, playing the classic Metal Gear Solid games required older hardware, making it difficult for new players to experience them. Remakes like the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater are a big step towards making sure that these games can become accessible to new audiences.
You can’t find fault in any game on his list
His list includes other legendary classics. | Image Credit: Rockstar Games
The four other games in his top 5 are just as impressive. Leading the list is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a game he believes to be the pinnacle of gaming. Then we have Red Dead Redemption 2 at third, Halo: Combat Evolved at fourth, and Ghost of Tsushima at fifth. An honestly impressive list with other legendary games.
Despite its legendary status, the Metal Gear Solid franchise has seen a complicated history. After Hideo Kojima left Konami in 2015, the series has slowed down with no new mainline entries since Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. But worry not because Konami has recently shown interest in reviving the franchise, with the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 and the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater remake.
Both Metal Gear Solid and WWE are a part of larger-than-life storytelling that we’ve loved. WWE superstars are personas and they engage in long-term rivalries and have given us memorable moments throughout the years. It’s something Metal Gear Solid does in its own way. The game’s characters, like Solid Snake and Revolver Ocelot, are just as iconic as wrestling legends.
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Photos show damage done to USS Harry Truman after collision in Egypt
Photos show damage done to USS Harry Truman after collision in Egypt
New photos show extensive damage inflicted on the USS Harry S. Truman after it collided with a merchant ship near the Suez Canal in Egyptian waters.
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier was photographed docked at a naval facility in Souda Bay on the island of Crete in Greece, where it was stationed for emergency repairs on Sunday.
Pictures show a large gash to the exterior starboard quarter of the near-1,100 foot-long, 100,000-ton, nuclear-powered vessel.
An exterior wall of two storage rooms, a maintenance space, a line handling space the area above the storage spaces and the fantail – the overhanging part of a ship’s stern – were damaged in the collision, according to a statement by the Navy.
Structural engineers, naval architects and other personnel from the forward-deployed regional maintenance center and Norfolk Naval Shipyard are conducting a detailed assessment of the damage.
Exterior damage of the USS Harry S. Truman, viewed from a ship’s rigid-hull inflatable boat following a collision with merchant vessel Besiktas-M, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP)
A repair plan is due to be implemented, though a timetable was not immediately available.
Despite the incident, the ship’s capacity for combat has not been affected, with flight operations being conducted since the accident late last Wednesday in the crowded waters of Port Said, Egypt, per the statement.
The propulsion system was still in working order after the incident, the Navy said. There were no reported injuries among its 5,000 crew members.
“While the ship is fully mission capable and the ship conducted flight operations following the collision, pulling into port for [emergency] repairs will enable the ship to continue deployment as scheduled,” Captain Dave Snowden, commanding officer of the Harry S. Truman, said in a statement on Sunday.
The Truman collided with the Besiktas-M: a 617-foot-long, 53,000-ton bulk carrier registered in Panama. Both ships were moving in the Mediterranean Sea when they collided.
The damaged USS Harry S. Truman pulled into a facility in Souda Bay, Greece, for emergency repairs on Sunday (MCC Jose Hernandez/U.S. Naval Forces)
The naval ship was awaiting to enter the Suez Canal to transit back into the Red Sea, the Navy said.
The merchant ship was also damaged, however, no injuries were reported on either vessel, according to the Navy.
From images of the Besiktas-M, its starboard bow appears to have collided with underneath the deck overhang on Truman’s starboard quarter.
The 1,100-foot-long, 100,000-ton, nuclear-powered vessel is still combat-ready, according to the ship’s commanding officer (US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images)
Before the incident, the Truman was in Souda Bay for a “working port visit” after two months of combat operations in the Central Command region, the statement said.
The Navy ship, which is based in Norfolk, Virginia, deployed in September to the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The wider strike group had been in constant operations, with activity slowing after Israel’s ceasefire with ****** in mid-Janaury.
While the naval ship is being repaired, “the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group… units remain operational across geographic regions in support of their component commanders,” Rear Admiral Sean Bailey, commander of HSTCSG, said in the Navy’s statement.
“Our mission has not changed and we remain committed to responding to any challenge in this dynamic and global security environment.”
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CS2 Gets Closer To The Counter-Strike's All Time Player Peak With A New Record
CS2 Gets Closer To The Counter-Strike's All Time Player Peak With A New Record
CS2 has reached a new player peak record on Steam, getting closer to Counter-Strike’s all-time concurrent player record.
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European defense stocks lift markets higher; Best day for BAE Systems since 2022 – CNBC
European defense stocks lift markets higher; Best day for BAE Systems since 2022 – CNBC
European defense stocks lift markets higher; Best day for BAE Systems since 2022 CNBCEuropean shares break record highs on Ukraine peace hopes ReutersEurope Wakes Up to Defense Emergency After Munich Bloomberg
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Star Wars: Empire at War Released on This Day in 2006 A Timeless RTS Classic
Star Wars: Empire at War Released on This Day in 2006 A Timeless RTS Classic
Discover why Star Wars: Empire at War remains the best Star Wars RTS, its lasting impact, modding scene, and why it still thrives nearly 20 years later!
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Pope remains in hospital with a complex infection
Pope remains in hospital with a complex infection
The ******** says Pope Francis’ respiratory tract infection is presenting a “complex clinical picture” that will require a longer recovery time in hospital and a change of medication.
******** spokesman Matteo Bruni said on Monday the results of tests conducted in recent days indicate the 88-year-old is suffering from a “polymicrobial respiratory tract infection”.
He said there had been a further change in his drug therapy.
There was no time frame given for his stint in hospital, but Bruni said the complexity of his symptoms “will require an appropriate hospital stay”.
The pope’s upcoming commitments appear increasingly in question as he spent a fourth day in the hospital.
This respiratory tract infection has already sidelined him longer than a 2023 bout of pneumonia.
Bruni said Francis ate breakfast and read the newspapers Monday morning and was continuing his unspecified drug therapies.
Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital in a “fair” condition on Friday after his bronchitis worsened.
Doctors confirmed a respiratory tract infection and prescribed “absolute rest” alongside unspecified medication.
Subsequent updates said his slight fever had gone away and that he was in “stable” condition.
The Argentine pope, who had part of one lung removed after a pulmonary infection as a young man, is a known workaholic who keeps up a gruelling pace despite his increasingly precarious health.
While his private audiences are rarely announced with much advance notice, the pope’s next scheduled appointment is his weekly general audience on Wednesday.
Beyond that, he is scheduled to preside on Sunday at the ordination of deacons as part of a holy year weekend dedicated to deacons.
Francis’ participation in both appears in doubt, but they remain on the official ******** schedule.
When he missed the jubilee mass dedicated to artists this past Sunday, a cardinal stood in for him.
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Pelican News
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Where to find the cartographer in Emerald Stair in Avowed
Where to find the cartographer in Emerald Stair in Avowed
You will probably have a good grip on all the tips and tricks needed to beat Avowed by the time you reach the second zone, Emerald Stair. However, no matter how many abilities you have or how good your gear is, finding a missing person with just a vague hint never gets any easier. We already helped Sanza find a missing cartographer in Dawntrail, but he has lost another in Emerald Stair and needs us to track them down. Like last time, the Avowed won’t tell you where to go so we explored the entire region to show you exactly where to track them down.
Where to find the cartographer in Emerald Stair
Obsidian Entertainment
The first cartographer quest at least gave you the general direction to find them, but this time we are only given the name of the area within Emerald Stair. The area in question is called Naku Tedek and is the isolated island on the south end of the map.
Obsidian Entertainment
After crossing over the bride, swing around the west side and towards the cliffs. If you see the enemies you need to jump across a gap to reach, back up, and head further west and south. You will find the corpse of the second cartographer by the cliff with their map resting beside them. You will need to fast travel back to the emporium in Dawntrail to turn in this quest.
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#find #cartographer #Emerald #Stair #Avowed
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
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