Assassin’s Creed Shadows Preorders In Line With Odyssey
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Preorders In Line With Odyssey
Ubisoft is happy with the pre-launch build for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Despite multiple delays that pushed the game out of 2024 to March 20, 2025, Ubisoft’s CEO Yves Guillemot says that the interest in the game has seen strong preorders overall.
During Ubisoft’s Q3 2025 earnings call on Thursday, Guillemot said that preorders for Assassin’s Creed Shadows are “tracking solidly, in line with those of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, the second most successful entry of the franchise”.
Aside from the pre-orders, Ubisoft says that the previews of the game have been strong from multiple angles.
“Early previews have been positive, praising its narrative and immersive experience, with both characters playing critical roles in the game’s storyline, as well as the quality and complementarity of the gameplay provided by the dual protagonist approach,” Guillemot said.
He continued: “I want to commend the incredible talent and dedication of the entire Assassin’s Creed’s team, who is working tirelessly to ensure that Shadows delivers on the promise of what is the franchise’s most ambitious entry yet.”
Assassin’s Creed Shadows was originally scheduled for release on November 15, 2024. The game was then delayed to February 14, 2025 for more polish and updates. In January, it was delayed again to March 20.
What do you think of Assassin’s Creed Shadows preorders being as strong as they are? Let us know down below, and join more discussions in the official Insider Gaming forums.
For more Insider Gaming, read exclusive details on the recent layoffs at Funko Fusion developer 10:10 Games. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter.
SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam.
Source link
#Assassins #Creed #Shadows #Preorders #Line #Odyssey
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Lava and smoke emerge from a snowy Mount Etna
Lava and smoke emerge from a snowy Mount Etna
Drone footage shows Europe’s tallest volcano spewing smoke and lava on a snow-capped Mount Etna.
Lava and ash emissions have increased in the last few days, primarily from the summit craters.
Located on the Italian island of Sicily, Etna is also Europe’s most active volcano, though its outbursts rarely cause significant damage.
Source link
#Lava #smoke #emerge #snowy #Mount #Etna
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Within Hours of Being Revealed, WWE 2K25’s Island Mode Is On the Edge of Stirring Multiple Controversies
Within Hours of Being Revealed, WWE 2K25’s Island Mode Is On the Edge of Stirring Multiple Controversies
WWE 2K25 recently received a major update for its ‘Island Mode’, a standalone section of the game that offers a way for players to experience the sights and sounds of the WWE 2K franchise.
This online multiplayer map offers a multitude of challenges, events and interesting lore tidbits that should have resonated well with its player base, save for one important set back. The mode is littered with microtransactions, and of the particularly obnoxious variety that has not sat well with its players.
WWE 2K25’s Island Mode launches to an overwhelmingly negative response
WWE 2K25’s Island has evoked a negative response from fans | Image Credit: 2K
Players of the WWE 2K franchise were in for a rude awakening once they got to enter the Island, which turned out to be a microtransaction-ridden hellscape. While these in-game purchases entirely include cosmetic items, the prices charged for some of these items is quite ludicrous.
For example, having to pay 36,000 VS for a jacket swap. To make matters worse, these prices are a lot higher than comparable items in other sections of the game as well. Even if one were to avoid paying money upfront and instead choose to grind their way through the campaign, it would take ages until they managed to unlock the item.
The cost of in-game items is outrageous | Image Credit: 2K
Sinking in a few dozen games just to be able to unlock an item is ridiculous, and 2K seems to be banking on this very fact to have players take the ‘easy way out’ – which is, to purchase these items directly with real-world money.
The fact that WWE 2K25 has a rather non-functional multiplayer only adds salt to the injury, as the developers seem to have shifted their priority elsewhere, as it would appear.
This is not unlike what happened to NBA 2K, which also suffered the same fate after being riddled with microtransactions and a literal casino/slot machine. The game is barely recognizable, and is in an overall unhealthy state.
Comment byu/Sufficient-Effort919 from discussion inWWEGames
A lot of players seem to be unhappy with these changes, with many even choosing to abandon purchasing all 2K games from this point on. The fact that the game already costs over $100 and manages to have invasive microtransactions on top of it makes it even worse.
Comment byu/Sufficient-Effort919 from discussion inWWEGames
Indeed, the Island Mode seems more like a nostalgia fuelled cash grab. It is clear that this was the intended development from the first place, which makes it all the more unfortunate.
WWE 2K25 needs to act before it is too late
2K needs to stand up and get their head out of the sand | Image Credit: 2K
WWE 2K25 is not the first game to feature invasive microtransactions, and it most certainly will not be the last. However, a common theme shared across such games is their eventual decline, and slump into mediocrity – if not a slow, painful death.
2K needs to step up and address these issues, and work toward solving the game’s core problems instead of diverting focus away toward more short-term benefits. Not doing so will only alienate its player base further, and result in the eventual decline of the WWE 2K brand.
After all, a game without players to play it is not a good outlook and certainly not bringing in a lot of revenue either.
Source link
#Hours #Revealed #WWE #2K25s #Island #Mode #Edge #Stirring #Multiple #Controversies
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Arm shares rise on report that Meta will buy its first chip
Arm shares rise on report that Meta will buy its first chip
Outside view of the newly completed Meta’s Facebook data center in Eagle Mountain, Utah on July 18, 2024.
George Frey | Afp | Getty Images
Arm shares rose 5% after a Thursday report that it was developing its own chip and that it had secured Meta as one of its first customers.
The Financial Times report indicates that Arm is developing a new product that will compete with many of its customers. The semiconductor company currently licenses its technology, called an instruction set, as well as more complicated core designs, to its customers so they can build their own chips.
Arm has historically been known as the “Switzerland” of chip technology firms, a reputation it received by dealing neutrally with competing chipmakers. It counts Apple, Google, Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft, Qualcomm and Intel as customers.
Meta is spending as much as $65 billion this year on capital expenditures for artificial intelligence development. While much of its spending is on Nvidia-based systems, Meta has also purchased other chips, including AMD’s competitor, and said it’s developing its own chip internally.
Arm’s chip will be a central processor for servers, according to the report, not the kind of graphics processor typically used for the heaviest AI workloads.
Nvidia tried to purchase Arm in 2020 from Softbank for $40 billion before it the deal was blocked by regulators over Arm’s key role in the chip market. Arm went public in 2023 and now has a market cap over $173 billion.
Arm shares have risen nearly 29% so far in 2025 as it’s seen as a core enabler of AI systems. Company leadership has told investors that it’s looking to sell more advanced technology to its existing customers to grow revenue.
Rene Hass, Arm’s CEO, cited billions of dollars in planned data center spending from Google for $75 billion, Microsoft for $80 billion and Meta for $60 billion as an opportunity for Arm earlier this month. “No one is pulling back,” Hass said.
“No one is pulling back,” Hass said earlier this month on an earnings call.
Arm is also a technology partner of the Stargate initiative, which plans to spend as much as $500 billion building AI infrastructure for OpenAI.
Arm declined to comment, and Meta did not return a request for comment.
WATCH: Arm CEO: Stargate is an amazing opportunity for technology and innovation
Source link
#Arm #shares #rise #report #Meta #buy #chip
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
Inside the Royal Free – what it tells us about the NHS
Inside the Royal Free – what it tells us about the NHS
Nick Triggle, Hugh Pym, Chloe Hayward, Vicki Loader & Jim Reed
BBC News
BBC News
The BBC has been reporting live from the Royal Free Hospital in London to illustrate the pressures facing the health service this winter.
By 10am the A&E unit was full and within hours the hospital had to declare it had reached alert level four, signifying to NHS central command it was under huge strain.
Some patients had to be treated in corridors and patients needing to be admitted were sent to wait outside wards on trolleys and chairs to free up space in A&E.
Staff told the BBC they were just about coping – although they never had to take the ultimate step of diverting ambulances to nearby hospitals.
This, though, is not unusual. Hospitals up-and-down the country have found themselves in this position regularly this winter.
But beyond the busy, stressed A&E unit, there were plenty of other stories to tell. A look at what we have learned from a day on the frontline.
This is what a day in a London hospital tells us about the NHS.
Staff feel system working against them
Frailty consultant Dr Martin Glasser looks after a 32-bed ward.
It was packed when the BBC visited – not one bed was empty. But he said close to half of the patients did not need to be there.
“The patients could be out either in a care home, or at home with care if the services they needed were available.
“It makes us feel really demoralised actually. We’re trying our very best in a system that often feels like it’s failing and working against us.
“It’s not fair to the people stuck who actually want to be home and will be better off there – hospitals are great places to be when you are ill, when you are not ill they are pretty horrible.”
This, of course, is not unique to the Royal Free. Across the NHS, one in seven beds are occupied by patients who are ready to be discharged – and on Thursday it was revealed the numbers had got their highest level of winter.
Ageing equipment worsens waits
The Royal Free has two radiotherapy machines to help treat ******* patients. Both are nearly a decade old, which is the upper limit of how long they should be used for.
Radiotherapy service manager Clare Hartill says: “We need new machines.
“Old machines are 50% less efficient – so with new machines we could treat more people and then they would wait less time for their ******* treatment.”
This is a common complaint across the NHS.
In England, there is a backlog of £13.8bn for buildings and equipment that needs upgrading and replacing. That is double what is was a decade ago.
Patients in 30s having heart attacks
As one of London’s eight specialist heart attack centres, the Royal Free gets patients from across the north of the capital.
Most patients they see are in their 50s, 60s and 70s, but sometimes they will get people in their 30s brought in by paramedics, says senior charge nurse Rui Tinoco.
“It is quite shocking to see people that young,” he says. “Lifestyle is the big factor with these cases. Many of us working here are in our 30s, so it is quite upsetting to see.”
In the ******* department, staff also highlight how lifestyles are causing illness.
About 40% of cancers are estimated to be related to diet, alcohol, a lack of activity and smoking.
“We are seeing a rising number of referrals,” says lead ******* nurse Jemma O’Reilly. “There are a variety of factors – the ageing population, genetics and ******* recurring, but the way we live is definitely a factor.”
Operation backlog could take 10 years to clear
The government has pledged the NHS will be back to hitting its 18-week target for routine treatments by the end of this parliament. But doctors here reckon it will take at least twice as long.
One consultant surgeon told the BBC it would take “at least a decade” to clear.
This is telling. The Royal Free has managed to increase the number of operations it carries out by 18% over the past year.
Key to that has been the barn theatre, part of a £200m refurbishment carried out before the pandemic.
It allows up to four operations can take place simultaneously in the same room, with senior consultants overseeing multiple patients.
Medical director Dr Ash Saini says it is helping the hospital to increase productivity.
“We’re working really hard to try and get our waiting lists down,” he says. “But it’s a slow process.”
Amazing things do happen
Margaret Georgiou is being treated for pancreatic *******
Margaret Georgiou, 72, went to see her GP in early December suffering from bloating and jaundice. She was referred to a specialist and pancreatic ******* was diagnosed.
The majority of cases – around 85% – cannot be treated.
But doctors think Margaret’s ******* had been caught early so she underwent what is called a Whipple procedure three days ago.
She had half her pancreas, bile duct and gall bladder removed, along with part of her gut and stomach.
Mid operation they had to pause after a lesion was found on her liver – but after a quick examination it was found to be benign and the surgery could continue.
It was a complex operation that lasted eight hours. “It was fraught with risks,” says her surgeon David Nasralla. “But it went as well as it could.”
She has a long recovery ahead of her and will have to take medication every time she eats.
“For a significant ********* Whipple procedure can be curative. That’s why we put patients through such complex surgery,” adds Mr Nasralla.
Source link
#Royal #Free #tells #NHS
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Avowed Interactive Map | N4G
Avowed Interactive Map | N4G
Avowed Map (Interactive): A full map for the various regions of Avowed: Fort Northreach, Dawnshore, Emerald Stair, Shatterscarp, and Galawain’s Tusks. Find and track all Quests, Locations, NPCs, Merchants, Bosses, other Points of Interest, and more. This Avowed Interactive Map is updated regularly with new information and provides detailed information for whatever you are looking for. Use the sidebar to navigate different regions and access a full list of features that can be filtered while searching.
Source link
#Avowed #Interactive #Map #N4G
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Liberal Party contender Wade De Campo matches Labor commitments and eyeballs Augusta, national park
Liberal Party contender Wade De Campo matches Labor commitments and eyeballs Augusta, national park
The WA Liberal Party have opened the cheque book to address more longstanding challenges within the Augusta-Margaret River shire.
The election pledges – which depend on the party forming government – add to a series of commitments on education and health already promised before the official start of campaigning heading into the March 8 poll.
At the weekend, party leader Libby Mettam and Warren-Blackwood candidate Wade De Campo confirmed they would match Labor’s $12 million commitment to significant upgrades at Cowaramup Primary School, and would pitch in $2 million for Augusta’s main street redevelopment.
They also promised to add $5 million to the funding needed for the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, and $500,000 to assess the feasibility of a bypass around Cowaramup.
Ms Mettam’s neighbouring seat of Vasse included Cowaramup for many years and she spoke about her commitment to issues she had long campaigned on.
“The South West is a vital part of our State’s economy and lifestyle,” she said.
“Ensuring safe and efficient transport routes is essential for the wellbeing of regional communities and for the prosperity of local businesses.”
The party leader said commitments across the electorate continued to show the Liberals were focused “on delivering practical solutions for regional WA, with safety and economic sustainability at the forefront”.
Mr De Campo seized on comments from Premier Roger Cook who had questioned why his rival wasn’t on the campaign trail, arguing it showed the Premier had a blind spot when it came to regional WA.
“Labor continues to fail the regions — something that was clear today (at the weekend),” Mr De Campo said.
“WA is much ******* than just Perth. Rural and regional WA need support too, something that seems to have slipped (Mr Cook’s) mind.”
A WA Labor spokesperson said the Opposition was outspending themselves with a hefty shopping list of promises.
“The Liberals simply cannot be trusted to deliver on their unfunded, uncosted election promises,” the Labor spokesperson said.
“They have announced a $400 million infrastructure fund for regional hospitals, but Liberal candidates across the State are dipping into that every day with their own local commitments.
“Unlike the Liberal Party’s irresponsible bottomless pit of unfunded promises, Labor has a properly costed plan to deliver improved health care in the South West.”
The weekend Liberal pledges would address ongoing concerns about facilities and biodiversity risks in the national park as well as address growth issues in Cowaramup’s school and ongoing traffic issues.
The Augusta contribution would kickstart the currently unfunded Shire of Augusta-Margaret River renewal project.
Source link
#Liberal #Party #contender #Wade #Campo #matches #Labor #commitments #eyeballs #Augusta #national #park
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
8BitDo’s Pro 2 controller with Hall Effect thumbsticks drops to $38
8BitDo’s Pro 2 controller with Hall Effect thumbsticks drops to $38
Those who are in the market for a new game controller that works with pretty much any device outside of a PlayStation or Xbox could do a lot worse than consider the options from 8BitDo. The brand’s Pro 2 controller is certainly worth your attention, not least because it’s on *****. The ****** version of the peripheral has . That’s a record low price.
The other two colorways — G Classic and Gray — have been discounted as well, but the deals aren’t quite as generous there. Those versions have each dropped by $10 to $40, which is still a solid offer.
8Bitdo
You can currently get the 8Bitdo Pro 2 Controller for up to 23 percent off. The peripheral works with Nintendo Switch, phones, tablets, PCs, Apple TV, Mac, Steam Deck and Raspberry Pi.
$38 at Amazon
These discounts are for variants of the Pro 2 with Hall Effect thumbsticks. These should prevent stick drift (an issue that had emerged with Nintendo’s own Joy-**** controllers for the Switch) and help you to aim more precisely. In fact, the 8BitDo Pro 2 is among our picks for .
Along with the Switch, the Pro 2 controller is (i.e. those running iOS, iPadOS, tvOS and macOS), Android devices, Windows PC, Steam Deck and Raspberry Pi. The controller is deeply programmable, thanks to 8BitDo’s Ultimate software, which you can even use to set up macros for the controller.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Source link
#8BitDos #Pro #controller #Hall #Effect #thumbsticks #drops
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
La Playa Hotel, The Grand Dame of Carmel, Receives a Stunning Refresh
La Playa Hotel, The Grand Dame of Carmel, Receives a Stunning Refresh
The La Playa terrace affords views of picturesque sunsets
Of the myriad hotel choices within Carmel-by-the-Sea, only one is known as the region’s Grand Dame. Longevity, history, and welcoming hospitality have afforded La Playa Hotel the generous designation—which it proudly has embraced throughout its 100+ years and throughout its various incarnations. Its most recent refresh, led by hotel owner Marc & Rose Hospitality, finds inspiration in the writers, poets, artists, and innovators who long have gathered within the property to share creative camaraderie. Award-winning design studio Post Company credits Henry Miller, Jack London, Ansel Adams, the “King of Bohemia” George Sterling, poet Nora May French, and countless others as its muses in redesigning La Playa’s interiors. The result is an ambiance of familiar warmth, tinged with a bit of eccentricity, emblematic of Carmel itself.
La Playa’s ambiance is warm and welcoming. Photo by Fran Miller
Originally built in 1905 by artist Christian Jorgensen as a luxurious mansion for his chocolate heiress wife Angela Ghirardelli, La Playa once served as an artist studio for the couple and their Bohemian friends. Within just a few years, it was converted to a hotel, and has seen only five owners since its founding. Marc & Rose purchased the property in 2011, and led a renovation and reopening in 2012 prior to today’s reimagined vision.
Today, the hotel stands as a testament to its storied past, artfully blending high-design and historical architectural details for a result that is warm and convivial—a place where guests are welcome to celebrate and mingle just as the hotel’s past kindred spirits once did. “Our design honors the hotel’s history and vernacular, while ushering in the works and objects of contemporary artists and muses,” state Jou-Yie Chou, Leigh Salem, and Ruben Caldwell, partners at Post Company. “Each space is of singular and inviting design, much like the diverse cast of patrons and local characters engrained in its extensive past—resulting in an eclecticism that is a deeper reflection of what has always been, and paves the way for a new generation to gather, create, and explore.”
Where the former design highlighted a lighter and classic summer aesthetic of wicker and rattan, new elements celebrate dramatic, old-world craftsmanship such as in the restored wood box beams and corbels. The designers at Post Company embraced the building’s original Mediterranean stylings (Jorgensen initially designed the building in homage to the Spanish-founded Carmel Mission) and enhanced the vibe with sultry spaces such as a curtained nook just off of the main lobby, where a grand fireplace provides a warm welcome. Guest rooms, of which exist a great variety of sizes and orientations, are elegantly appointed with curated bars that include ********* recipes and the makings for such, curated by San Francisco’s West Bev bar team. Curvaceous furniture balances clean architectural elements and contemporary details, such as modern sconces and original plaster shell pendants by Frances Adler Elkins, and plein-air paintings by Virginia Grossman. Bathrooms feature colorful tile by Fireclay, and blackened nickel Waterworks fixtures alongside decadent Le Labo bath amenities in their signature Santal 33 fragrance.
Outside, a verdant, natural landscape beckons. Lush, native flora surrounds shaded arcades and ocean-poised seating areas. Walking paths (lit by lantern in the evening) encourage exploration. A heated pool welcomes swimmers in every season, and a giant chess set provides a bit of visual whimsy.
La Playa’s heated swimming pool is a hotel focal point
A La Playa Hotel stay is studded with special little extras, such as the offer of sparkling wine upon check-in, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in the evening, and Ghirardelli chocolates placed upon each pillow at turndown. One of the hotel’s most gracious complimentary amenities is its bountiful breakfast buffet featuring made-to-order omelets, waffles, frittata, bread pudding, yogurts, cheeses, granola, fruits, pastries, and bottomless mimosas, all enjoyed within the breakfast room and terrace, with its panoramic views of the coastline.
And then there is Bud’s, named for one of the hotel’s former owners. A Carmel institution, Bud’s Bar, located just off of the lobby, is a favorite of both hotel guests and locals who store their high-end spirits in personal lockers that line a hallway, inviting the curious to examine the brass name plaques for a “who’s who” tour of Carmel’s current bon vivants. Post Company leaned into the bar’s original dark and moody vibe, merely augmenting the space’s warm, amber glow.
Bud’s Bar at La Playa is a Carmel institution
Post Company leaned into the bar’s original dark and moody vibe
“Respecting the history and heritage of a place is at the heart of what we most value at Marc & Rose,” said John Grossman, president of Marc & Rose. “Being the stewards of La Playa Hotel is an honor and a privilege that we don’t take lightly. With this remodel, we focused on letting the building lead us to a design that supports the stories of the past, while infusing thoughtful amenities to meet the expectations of the modern traveler.”
Photos by Chris Mottalini, courtesy of La Playa, unless otherwise noted.
Source link
#Playa #Hotel #Grand #Dame #Carmel #Receives #Stunning #Refresh
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
Trump’s tariffs will hit these EU products Americans buy the hardest
Trump’s tariffs will hit these EU products Americans buy the hardest
Workers walk past manufacturing equipment at Eli Lilly & Co. manufacturing plant in Kinsale, Ireland, on Sept. 12, 2024. Lilly has been bulking up its production capacity since 2020, investing more than $17 billion into developing new plants and expanding existing facilities for the weight-loss and diabetes drugs that are expected to become some of the best-selling medicines of all time.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The U.S. imported roughly $600 billion worth of goods from European Union member states in 2024, and as President Trump prepares to potentially extend his tariffs beyond metals to a wide range of products from allies, some product categories would be hit much harder than others in the latest “reciprocal” trade war move by the U.S. government.
The top U.S. import from the EU in 2024, by category and dollar value, was pharmaceutical products, according to data from the U.S. Trade Census analyzed by ImportGenius. Included in that $127 billion worth of EU imports was semaglutide, an ingredient used in the popular GLP-1 weight loss drugs from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. The GLP-1 compound was the sixth-largest import from the EU to the U.S., at $15.6 billion.
The drug and medical industry, overall, will experience among the most significant tariff impacts by sector. Surgical and medical instruments imports were valued at $37 billion; medical devices, which span CRT Machines, respirators, orthopedic devices, and surgical equipment, tallied $22 billion. Vaccines, hearing aids ($1.3 billion) and artificial joints ($2.5 billion) were also among top imports in 2024.
Trump said Sunday that he planned to slap reciprocal tariffs on “every country” that imposes import duties on the U.S. “Very simply it’s if they charge us, we charge them,” he said on Air Force One, NBC News reported.
President Trump’s action for now is only issuing a presidential memorandum on the tariffs, and CNBC learned on Thursday that the tariffs would likely not go into effect for at least a few months. The White House said on Thursday that tariffs could be levied in response to VAT taxes, which are used in the EU, Canada, Mexico and many other countries, or devalued currencies. Sending merchandise through another country to avoid tariffs will lead to reciprocal tariffs as well. Exemptions for various industries such as pharmaceuticals or autos could be offered as well, according to previous reporting including comments from House Speaker Mike Johnson to Reuters.
Trump indicated on Thursday that auto import tariffs are on the way, too, according to a Reuters report.
Whether Trump will follow through on these tariffs, on which countries and in which product categories, remains uncertain. “I’ve decided for purposes of fairness that I will charge a reciprocal tariff,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Thursday. “It’s fair to all. No other country can complain.”
Trade experts say a reciprocal trade war is easier said than done.
“Declaring reciprocal tariffs will not be easy,” said Josh Teitelbaum, senior counsel of Akin, who helped craft the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. “It would be a logistical nightmare to identify gaps in tariff rates across products in multiple counties. More research needs to be done in order to carry out something of that magnitude.”
There are several examples of U.S. exports tariffed by the EU. US apparel, accessories, cotton, and t-shirts are subjected to a 12% tariff. The EU also charges a 10% tariff on U.S. vehicles while the U.S. levies a 2.5 percent tariff on European cars, and a 25% tariff on all imports of light trucks.
According to Trade Partnership Worldwide’s analysis of the approximate value of the new EU tariffs, businesses in the United States will pay a price tag of around $2.9 billion per week, or $409.5 million per day, with the drug industry taking the biggest hit.
“Nationally, about a quarter of all EU imports are pharmaceuticals,” said Dan Anthony, president of Trade Partnership Worldwide. “For pharmaceuticals alone, businesses nationwide will be paying $100 million/day in new potential tariffs.”
Teva Pharmaceuticals, the world’s largest manufacturer of generic drugs, is also among the top importers from Europe in the pharma space.
U.S. states will feel the pinch to varying degrees, with the top-state paying EU tariffs, according to Tax Foundation analysis, being Indiana, the corporate headquarters of Eli Lilly. Medical equipment and pharmaceuticals account for more than 75% of the potential new tariffs paid by companies in Indiana.
The state of New Jersey also has significant exposure, spread across passenger vehicles (15%), petroleum products (11%), pharmaceuticals (8%), personal care products, like perfumes and makeup (6%), and medical devices (5%).
Overall, makeup and perfume imports to the U.S. from the EU reached $12.4 billion in 2024.
North Carolina ranks No. 3 in the nation, with pharmaceuticals accounting for more than 44% of the state’s imports.
U.S. has collected $264 billion in tariff duties under Trump, Biden
The impact of the tariffs will be felt by the businesses that import EU products in for their business. Companies have been dealing with higher tariff bills for years, with more than double the level of tariffs collected during the Biden administration than during Trump’s first term.
U.S. trade war tariffs have generated more than $264 billion of higher customs duties collected for the U.S. government from importers, as of the end of last year, according to analytics and analysis from the Tax Foundation.
Out of that total, $89 billion (34%) was collected during the Trump administration. The remaining $175 billion (64%) was collected during Biden’s term.
Currently, the national tariffs bill to the business world is $78 billion, based on the 2024 data from Trade Partnership Worldwide. That could rise to over $400 billion if all of Trump’s new and threatened tariffs, from steel and aluminum, to Mexico, Canada, China and the EU, are enacted. Overall, companies in the U.S. will pay $43 billion relating to tariffs imposed by Trump on China using powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of the executive branch, and another $11 billion in steel-aluminum tariffs. The IEEPA tariffs bill related to ********* imports is $103 billion; while it’s $126 billion for ******** trade; and $149 billion for EU products, according to data provided by Trade Partnership Worldwide.
Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer of Bleakley Financial Group, said while understands the desire to push back against countries that tariff U.S. products more than we tariff their goods, the trade war needs to be short-term, not long-term in nature.
“If we’re doing it to raise money and to protect U.S. industries, there will be more losers than winners on the business side and consumers will be left paying more for things,” said Boockvar. “Yes, higher tariffs can be just a one-time step up in pricing, but the last thing consumers need after a 20%+ cumulative rise in their cost of living over the past few years, is another increase.”
The latest U.S. consumer inflation data for the month of January showed a larger than expected rise, another sign among many that the recent progress the Federal Reserve had made in bringing inflation back down closer to its 2% target has stalled out, though wholesale inflation numbers this week were slightly more encouraging.
From Ikea to industrials to luxury buyers
From an overall perspective, including freight forwarders who move a large portion of trade on behalf of companies, Ikea appears to be the top U.S. consignee of EU shipments. Wine and spirits logistics company Hillebrand (part of DHL), and Amazon, are among the top ranked U.S. companies importing from the EU.
Outside of pharmaceuticals, machinery and mechanical parts ($89.8 billion), vehicles ($60.3 billion) and electrical machinery and parts ($39.2 billion), are top EU import categories. In autos, that includes Mercedes, Michelin, Ford, Volvo, Volkswagen, and BMW.
A review of the Bills of Lading, which detail the items inside import containers, show a much more expansive list of products, from imports for Bosch and John Deere, to tiles from Ireland and Spain, lithium-ion batteries from Poland, BMW-specific lithium-ion batteries, truck seats, Irish ********, Goya Foods imports from Spain, wind turbines and spare parts from Denmark (where renewable energy giant Vestas Systems is based), steel pipes, and scaffolding.
The luxury consumer, and collector, will face a ******* bill, too.
“You have $9.4 billion in precious metals, stones, and pearls being imported from the EU,” said William George, director of research for ImportGenius. “For the luxury investor, $5.5 billion in works of art, collector’s pieces, and antiques were imported last year.”
Paintings topped this category at $4 billion, followed by sculptures, at $800 million. Leather handbag imports were valued at around $2.5 billion.
Americans enjoying their bubbly from sparkling water to Moet Hennessy may also see an increase in their favorite beverage.
Sparkling water from four major brands (Evian, Perrier, Pelligrino, and Gerolstiner) shows an average of 2400 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) a month, year-over-year.
Overall, wine imports were $5.5 billion in 2024, according to George. “That’s around 14,000 containers a month from EU countries. Almost half a container vessel.”
Grape-based brandies (cognac, armagnac) topped the spirits category at $1.3 billion. Vodka was second at $1.1 billion. Sparkling wine was $1.7 billion. Extra virgin olive oil imports from the EU were a $1.8 billion industry in 2024.
Imports represent 15 percent of GDP, according to Larry Lindsey, CEO of the Lindsey Group. “If we pay the whole thing (which we most definitely will not) a 10 percent tariff on everything would be about 1.5 percent of GDP. My back of the envelope says we will pay about 0.9 percent of GDP,” he said.
But in his view, the impact of not maintaining the current tax rates and rules would be two to three times as large due to behavioral effects.
“Right now, our deal maker is picking the low-hanging fruit and building momentum to establish that he is unstoppable. It is working. The end game is going to be a 10 percent tariff on everybody with a unified much higher rate on China. That is going to take care of the [transferring of cargo] problem of ******** goods.”
India is also being targeted by the latest tariffs. While President Trump has cited the example of Harley-Davidson motorcycles in threatening India for retaliation based on its own trade duties on foreign products — an issue India has responded to directly as India Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes to the White House on Thursday — there are many categories of products from the key emerging markets trade partner that the U.S. market and businesses rely on.
“India has more tariffs than nearly any other country,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Thursday.
According to Trade Partnership Worldwide’s database, potential new steel/aluminum tariffs on India could reach $190 million, based on 2024 import levels. The U.S. company most-exposed to reciprocal tariffs is Walmart, which represented 62% of all imports from India to the U.S. in 2024. Other imports include items for IKEA; the antibiotic doxycycline; shafts for Kawasaki; Lockheed Martin aircraft structural parts; aluminum castings; McCormick spices like celery seeds and cumin seeds; parts and accessories for transportation company International (formerly Navistar); hundreds of items destined for retailers, from T.J. Maxx to Ralph Lauren; and imports for Schneider Electric.
Source link
#Trumps #tariffs #hit #products #Americans #buy #hardest
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
Ubisoft CEO says the plan is to focus on open-world and live service games ‘year after year’
Ubisoft CEO says the plan is to focus on open-world and live service games ‘year after year’
The CEO of Ubisoft says the publisher is focusing mainly on open-world action adventure games and live service games in the coming years.
During a Q&A following a presentation on the company’s financial results for Q3 of its 2024-25 financial year, one caller asked if the executives on the panel could shed more light on their development pipeline going forwards.
CEO Yves Guillemot replied that the focus was mainly going to be on open-world adventures (like the Assassin’s Creed games) and live service games (like Rainbow Six Siege or The Crew Motorfest) for the foreseeable future.
“We have been investing significantly for a big pipeline of products for the coming years along our two verticals, [these] being open-world action adventure as well as ‘Game as a Service’-native experiences,” Guillemot said. “And that’s what we want to deliver year after year.”
Ubisoft says The Crew Motorfest, which recently started its Year 2 content roadmap, “continues to significantly outperform” The Crew 2 in terms of player retention and monetisation.
Going on to discuss games already confirmed, he added: “As you know, we are preparing a big launch for Assassin’s Creed Shadows in the very short term. Next year we’ll have big plans that will benefit Rainbow Six across all platforms, that’s focusing well, and that’s a key milestone in the gross plan for the company.
“We’ve announced that Anno 117: Pax Romana will also come next year, as well as The Division: Resurgence on mobile. All this is coming along well. We haven’t provided more colour for FY 2026 but we’ll have more to share by the time of May, and as I’ve just said, we have a strong platform for the future years across these two verticals.”
During the presentation Guillemot also claimed that Assassin’s Creed Shadows pre-orders were in line with those of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, which went on to be the second most successful entry in terms of unit sales.
Source link
#Ubisoft #CEO #plan #focus #openworld #live #service #games #year #year
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Flanagan says she’ll run for U.S. Senate after Sen. Smith rules out reelection
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Flanagan says she’ll run for U.S. Senate after Sen. Smith rules out reelection
After U.S. Sen. Smith rules out reelection, Lt. Gov. Flanagan announces intent to run for seat
After U.S. Sen. Smith rules out reelection, Lt. Gov. Flanagan announces intent to run for seat
01:19
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan announced she plans to run for U.S. Senate on the same day Sen. Tina Smith announced she will not be seeking reelection next year.
Flanagan announced the news on Instagram Thursday.
“I love Minnesota and my intention is to run for United States Senate and continue to serve the people of this state,” Flanagan said. “I’ll make a formal announcement later this month. In the meantime, I’m talking with community and my family and friends. I will have more to say soon.”
Flanagan also released a statement on Smith.
“Senator Smith has paved the way for so many women like me throughout her entire career,” Flanagan said. “She uses her voice to fiercely defend the people of Minnesota. She’s fought for small businesses, farmers, and those who’ve been overlooked so they can have a fair shot at economic success. Senator Smith is also an organizer at heart. She knows we all do better when everyone has a seat at the table. Thank you, Tina, for your leadership. I look forward to continuing our work together for Minnesotans.”
Had the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz ticket won in the presidential election, Flanagan would have become the first Native American woman to become a U.S. governor.
In a recent interview with WCCO, Walz praised Flanagan for her work as second-in-command but did not confirm if she would be joining him if he were to run for a third term.
“Lt. Gov. Flanagan has been a voice for children. She has been a voice to make sure our communities are represented. She’s been a voice on looking to make sure our tribal communities are listened to,” Walz said. “I think she — she and I together — have been highly successful, and when we get to that bridge, we’ll cross it.”
Flanagan is Minnesota’s 50th lieutenant governor and as a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, she is the country’s highest-ranking Native American woman elected to executive office.
She has served as a Minneapolis School Board member, a state representative from St. Louis Park and a trainer for the progressive group Wellstone Action — a nonprofit that promotes progressive policies and candidates.
More from CBS News
Cole Premo
Cole Premo is digital manager for CBS Minnesota. For more than a decade, he’s been covering breaking news and weather, daily topics, stories from the Native community and more in Minnesota.
Source link
#Minnesota #Gov #Flanagan #shell #run #U.S #Senate #Sen #Smith #rules #reelection
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Landslide fears mount in Orange County communities built on hillsides as heavy rain is expected – ABC7 Los Angeles
Landslide fears mount in Orange County communities built on hillsides as heavy rain is expected – ABC7 Los Angeles
Landslide fears mount in Orange County communities built on hillsides as heavy rain is expected ABC7 Los AngelesEvacuations issued in Southern California as heavy rain brings threat of debris flows in areas scarred by wildfires CNNEvacuation warnings issued for fire burn zones as storm soaks Southern California KTLA Los AngelesStrong Storm Threatens Fire-Weary Los Angeles The Wall Street Journal
Source link
#Landslide #fears #mount #Orange #County #communities #built #hillsides #heavy #rain #expected #ABC7 #Los #Angeles
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Astro Bot’s Success at The Game Awards 2024 is Pushing Sony to Work on More Family Offerings Moving Forward
Astro Bot’s Success at The Game Awards 2024 is Pushing Sony to Work on More Family Offerings Moving Forward
Astro Bot took the world by storm when it was released back in September of 2024. It is a platformer game that was developed by Team Asobi and was released exclusively for the PlayStation 5. The game is an absolute delight to play and every moment is filled with cute tiny robots waving hi to the players.
Astro Bot’s level design is more engaging than any other platformer game | Image Credits: Sony Interactive Entertainment
The title received universal acclaim from critics and it won the Game of the Year award in 2024. The title sold 1.5 million units within nine weeks of its release and 99% of critics recommended the game. What made Astro Bot this successful and what is Sony planning for the series? Let’s find out.
How Astro Bot captivated its players
The game has easter eggs of other PlayStation games | Image Credits: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Astro Bot is a 3D platformer game very similar to Nintendo’s Mario Galaxy. The player controls a little cute robot who goes by the same name as the game and he can jump, hover, punch, and spin attack. The title has a total of 90 levels, split across six galaxies and 60 planets, with each level introducing its own mechanic in the game.
Astro Bot is the fifth installment in the franchise. Its direct predecessor, Astro’s Playroom which was released in 2020, although the game served as a tech demo for players who bought the PlayStation 5 and wanted to experience the full extent of their Dualsense controllers, players loved the idea wanting more and Sony listened.
Sony delivered on the players’ demands of wanting a full-fledged Astro title. In an earnings call between VideoGameChronicles and Sony president Hiroki Totoki, he highlighted how Astro Bot won four awards in the Game of the Year awards.
At The Game Awards 2024, our first-party title Astro Bot won four categories, including Game of the Year and Best Family Game – the most of any title,
He also mentioned how they are inclined towards expanding the game’s universe and how these awards are a step up towards building a broad portfolio. PlayStation Studios boss, Hermen Hulst also exclaimed about Astro’s significance and how the character is very important to PlayStation.
Astro is very, very important to PlayStation, Obviously we had the pre-install with the PlayStation 5 that millions have embraced and loved, and I think that’s becoming a little bit of a platform to launch this new game now. It’s remarkable that a very small team is able to deliver a game that is so big, it’s really become a great game in itself, and it’s become a celebration of everything PlayStation at this point.
He also praised how a small team like Team Asobi, is able to deliver a game this big and how the game has become a celebration of everything PlayStation related.
Sony’s vision of expanding more in the family genre
Sony is willing to expand onto more family games | Image Credits: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Astro Bot gained worldwide attention and quickly dominated the 3D platformer genre. From its captivating plot line to the highly engaging gameplay, the title truly pulled the players into a world full of adventure in a ship that looks like a PlayStation 5.
The success of Astro Bot undoubtedly demonstrates that the size of the development team doesn’t determine a game’s impact but rather, it’s the creativity and innovation poured into the project that truly matters. With Sony now willing to extend their genres and focus on releasing more family games in the future, fans of Astro Bot are eagerly waiting for what Team Asobi will produce next.
Source link
#Astro #Bots #Success #Game #Awards #Pushing #Sony #Work #Family #Offerings #Moving
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Hegseth says of Ukraine negotiations “everything is on the table”
Hegseth says of Ukraine negotiations “everything is on the table”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said of potential negotiations to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine that “everything is on the table.”
“I want to be clear about something as it pertains to NATO membership not being a realistic outcome for negotiations,” Hegseth said Thursday at the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in Brussels. A day earlier he had said it was “unrealistic” for Ukraine to expect NATO membership in any peace deal.
“That’s something that was stated as part of my remarks here as part of a coordination with how we’re executing these ongoing negotiations, which are led by President Trump. All of that said, these negotiations are led by President Trump. Everything is on the table.”
On Wednesday, Hegseth, in addition to casting doubt on Ukraine’s ability to join NATO, also said that a return to its pre-2014 borders — before Russia’s first invasion resulting in the annexation of Crimea — was not a realistic goal for any negotiated settlement. He reiterated that point Thursday.
“Simply pointing out realism like the borders won’t be rolled back to what everybody would like them to be in 2014 is not a concession to Vladimir Putin,” Hegseth said. “It’s a recognition of the hard power realities on the ground after a lot of investment and sacrifice.”
Biden administration officials, too, had cautioned against hopes for a full restoration of Ukraine’s territory. Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said at the beginning of 2023 that “for this year it would be very, very difficult to militarily eject the Russian forces from all — every inch of Ukraine and occupied — or Russian-occupied Ukraine.”
Russia today controls about 20% of Ukraine, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. The U.S. and most of the world do not recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
There have been hundreds of thousands of casualties on both sides of the war that will soon enter its third year, and the past few months have favored Russia’s ability to keep expending large numbers of troops on the front lines to make slow and steady gains in eastern Ukraine.
The Biden administration contributed about $66 billion in military weapons and equipment to Ukraine, and the U.S. government still has about $3.8 billion in presidential drawdown authority to commit more weapons from current Defense Department stocks to Ukraine.
Hegseth said Thursday that any future assistance to Ukraine, “either less or more, could be on the table in, in negotiations as well.”
“I’m not going to I’m not going to be involved in those intimate diplomatic negotiations,” Hegseth said. “That’s for the pros atop the Trump administration who do diplomacy and negotiations.”
In an interview with Fox News over the weekend, Mr. Trump said of Ukraine that aid could depend on a trade deal giving the U.S. access to its rare earth minerals.
“We are going to have all this money in there, and I say I want it back. And I told them that I want the equivalent, like $500 billion worth of rare earth,” he said. “They have essentially agreed to do that, so at least we don’t feel stupid.”
More
Eleanor Watson
Eleanor Watson is a CBS News multi-platform reporter and producer covering the Pentagon.
Source link
#Hegseth #Ukraine #negotiations #table
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
Trans doctor had the ‘right’ to use women’s room
Trans doctor had the ‘right’ to use women’s room
BBC
Esther Davidson led the initial stages of the investigation into Dr Beth Upton’s complaint
A transgender doctor had the right to use a female changing room under a health board’s equality and diversity policy, an employment tribunal has heard.
Nurse Sandie Peggie took NHS Fife and Dr Beth Upton to tribunal after she was suspended over an incident in the female changing room in Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy.
Ms Peggie objected to having to share the room with Dr Upton – a trans woman – and claims her treatment amounted to unlawful harassment under the Equality Act.
Clinical nurse manager Esther Davidson told the tribunal that she took advice on the matter and was told the doctor had a right to use the female changing facilities.
Ms Davidson initially led an investigation after Dr Upton made a complaint of bullying and harassment against the nurse.
But she was removed from it about two months later when it was recognised that she would be a witness, and the probe was restarted.
Ms Davidson was not Ms Peggie’s direct line manager, however, she oversaw complaints in the department. The two had worked together for 30 years.
Ms Davidson told the tribunal, held in Dundee, that Ms Peggie raised concerns about sharing a female changing room with Dr Upton with her in late August 2023.
The nurse manager said she felt “empathetic” and she would “look into it”.
She looked up relevant polices and contacted NHS Fife’s equality and diversity lead, who told her it was “Beth’s right as she identified as a woman”.
“I found nothing that supported me being able to exclude Beth from the changing room,” she said.
“Beth identified as a woman and she was entitled to use the changing room.”
Dr Beth Upton made a bullying and harassment complaint about Sandie Peggie
Ms Peggie’s lawyer Naomi Cunningham asked Ms Davidson whether she would have “warned” the nurses that Dr Upton was trans.
Ms Davidson replied: “I didn’t think there was any need because the staff had accepted Beth as a female.
“I didn’t think there was any need to do any further communication. I just feel like we should not single people out because we’re meant to be respectful of people’s beliefs.
“I also didn’t want to make Beth feel unwelcome in the department either.”
The tribunal previously heard how the situation came to a head on Christmas Eve 2023 when Ms Peggie said Dr Upton should not have been in the women’s changing room because she believed the doctor was a man.
Ms Davidson said it was “clearly a distressing situation for both Sandie and Beth”.
When asked by Ms Cunningham if she had any reason to doubt whether Ms Peggie’s feelings of intimidation and embarrassment were genuine, she said no.
But she added: “There are other nurses who go into the toilet cubicles to get changed because they don’t like getting changed in front of other women.”
PA Media
Sandie Peggie was put on special leave during the investigation
Jane Russell, the lawyer representing NHS Fife and Dr Upton, asked her if she was aware of Ms Peggie’s “beliefs”.
“Sandie is a strong person,” Ms Davidson replied. “She has views and I would say this openly, Sandie can express herself if she likes something or doesn’t like something.
“I didn’t know her belief on transgender but I do know she has strong beliefs on other things.
“She very much likes Donald Trump so we would know about that and some of his values.”
Ms Cunningham asked whether a man who grew his hair, wore make-up and women’s clothes was a woman.
“Not unless he was under gender changes and identified as a woman,” said Ms Davidson.
“I’m not an expert on transgender women, I just have to be respectful of people’s beliefs in line with my standards of professional conduct.
“It would give an indication he wants to be a woman.”
Ms Peggie was put on “special leave” by her line manager after the Christmas Eve incident – meaning she was paid to stay at home – to avoid her “getting into a situation that could cause her problems”.
Ms Davidson told the tribunal that human resources was unavailable due to the festive season.
On 3 January when HR returned, Ms Davidson told Ms Peggie she was temporarily suspended.
She said this course of action felt “safest” to avoid any further “confrontations”.
During the meeting, she said Ms Peggie was “shaking” and “tense” and she declined to leave by a side exit, saying “I’ve got nothing to hide”.
Ms Davidson said: “We only had heard Beth’s account of what had happened. There was to be a formal investigation.
“In my 30 years I have never had to be involved in a formal investigation or lead a formal investigation.”
Ms Peggie returned to work on day shifts at the end of March last year before returning to her normal night shifts.
The tribunal continues.
Source link
#Trans #doctor #womens #room
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Urban Myth Dissolution Center – A Stylish, Supernatural Mystery – MonsterVine
Urban Myth Dissolution Center – A Stylish, Supernatural Mystery – MonsterVine
“The Tokyo-based (Japan) indie games publisher SHUEISHA GAMES and indie games developer Hakababunko, are today very delighted and excited to announce that their mystery adventure game “Urban Myth Dissolution Center”, is coming to PC (Steam) and the Nintendo Switch in February next year (2025).” – Jonas Ek, TGG.
Source link
#Urban #Myth #Dissolution #Center #Stylish #Supernatural #Mystery #MonsterVine
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Bowen: Trump's call with Putin will force Ukraine and allies into tough choices – BBC.com
Bowen: Trump's call with Putin will force Ukraine and allies into tough choices – BBC.com
Bowen: Trump’s call with Putin will force Ukraine and allies into tough choices BBC.comRussia’s war on Ukraine at critical moment as Trump and Putin push to end conflict CNN‘I feel angry and betrayed’: Ukrainians react to Donald Trump’s call to Putin The GuardianPutin’s Call With Trump Delivers a Victory for Russian Leader The New York TimesDonald Trump starts “immediate” talks with Vladimir Putin on Ukraine The Economist
Source link
#Bowen #Trump039s #call #Putin #force #Ukraine #allies #tough #choices #BBC.com
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Fortnite is Receiving Yakuza Skins Soon, It’s Claimed
Fortnite is Receiving Yakuza Skins Soon, It’s Claimed
According to a reliable leaker, Fortnite’s next game collaboration could be with the popular Like a Dragon series (formerly Yakuza).
ShiinaBR, known for providing players with Fortnite leaks at the earliest, recently posted about the Yakuza collaboration on X. Their post revealed that the series’ beloved characters, Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima, will be coming to Epic’s popular battle royale. The information comes from Wensoing and Loolo_WRLD on X. Kiryu was the initial protagonist for the series, whereas Majima leads their latest game, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
Fans are already pumped for the Fortnite x Yakuza collaboration, with many hoping for a slew of emotes and song tracks for which the Like a Dragon series is popular. Players have also started discussing alternate outfit options for the characters, such as “the Mad Dog style and the Cabaret Manager style”. Some wonder if Ichiban Kasuga could be added in the future, too.
Yakuza is a Good Fit for Fortnite’s Lawless Season
In other news, Fortnite is gearing up for a new season called Lawless, which will be released on February 21, 2025. The next adventure takes players to Crime City, where Big Dill is dropping their new single. According to ShiinaBR, the upcoming season’s vaults can’t be opened with key cards and must be broken into with thermite. Releasing the Yakuza collaboration with the upcoming season makes sense, too, as it matches the “Lawless” theme.
In other news, the Fortnite Jujutsu Kaisen Wave 2 skins that leaked recently are live now. Also, the game might receive more DC collabs after the Multiversus shutdown. What are your thoughts on Yakuza skins arriving in Fortnite? Let us know in the comments or on our new community forum!
For more information from Insider Gaming, read about Pokemon TCG Pocket cards being listed on eBay. Don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam.
Source link
#Fortnite #Receiving #Yakuza #Skins #Claimed
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Three guilty of targeting family
Three guilty of targeting family
Reuters
Michael Schumacher has not been seen since he suffered serious brain injuries in a ski accident in 2013
Three men have been convicted by a ******* court of trying to blackmail the family of ex-Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher.
Yilmaz T, 53, was jailed for three years for threatening to upload 900 personal photos, almost 600 videos and confidential medical records to the dark web unless the Schumacher family paid €15m (£12m).
His 30-year-old son was given a six-month suspended sentence for aiding and abetting extortion. A former security guard at Schumacher’s home, who denied any involvement, received a two-year suspended sentence.
Schumacher has not been seen in public since a 2013 ski accident which resulted in serious brain injuries. His family have kept his medical condition private.
The father and son had admitted most of the charges and Yilmaz T, a nightclub bouncer in Constance in southern Germany, told the court that what he had done was “very, very disgusting”.
“I realised that on the second day in prison. I will answer for it.”
In his confession he said he had received two hard drives from the security guard, Markus F, who was accused of passing the sensitive files for a “five figure sum”.
One hard drive is believed never to have been recovered.
The judge blamed the security guard for allowing the blackmail attempt to start. The Schumacher family’s lawyer said they would challenge his suspended sentence.
Markus F had been working for the family 18 months before Schumacher’s ski accident.
According to the defence, Schumacher’s wife Corinna had asked him to digitise the family’s private photos. They argued that the material went missing after his contract was terminated.
The court heard that the father and son had emailed the Schumacher family samples of the stolen files.
Recordings of phone calls made to the Schumacher family were also played in court.
In one of these conversations, Yilmaz T told the family that rather than trying to blackmail them, he was offering to act as a broker in returning the files and identifying their source in what he called a “clean deal”.
The family alerted local authorities in Switzerland who tracked the source of the threat to Germany and the three men were arrested in June 2024.
The Schumachers’ lawyer, Thilo Damm, said the sentences were too lenient for what was the “ultimate betrayal” and they planned to appeal.
“We do not agree with everything the court said. You can rest assured that we will exhaust all legal possibilities at our disposal,” he said.
He also voiced concern that a hard drive remained missing despite multiple searches of the defendants’ properties.
“We don’t know where the missing hard drive is,” Mr Damm said, “I don’t have a crystal ball but there is the possibility of another threat through the *********.”
Source link
#guilty #targeting #family
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
Petition To Remove The Surrender Button in Marvel Rivals Ranked Matches
Petition To Remove The Surrender Button in Marvel Rivals Ranked Matches
NetEase Games’ Marvel Rivals offers a unique roster of 35 iconic superheroes from the Marvel Universe, but it has been observed that some players are complete opposites of an ideal superhero. Players are quickly giving up in competitive games, initiating a surrender vote as soon as the game becomes slightly challenging.
Some Marvel Rivals players are unnecessarily using the surrender feature (Image via NetEase Games)
The Marvel Rivals community joked that the Marvel Universe would’ve never existed if superheroes started giving up like these players. Many live service games were released in 2024, but Marvel Rivals has emerged as the most successful one. The game has been competing with other popular games in the hero shooter genre such as Overwatch 2 and Valorant.
Some Marvel Rivals players are giving up without even trying
A viral post on the r/marvelrivals subreddit has put the spotlight on a new problem that players are facing in competitive matches. It seems like many players initiate a surrender vote without even trying, which ruins the gaming experience for others.
The community joked that the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or even comics for that matter, would’ve ended sooner if Marvel superheroes gave up as quickly as these players. The challenging nature of the game is what made it popular in the first place, so players need to stop using the surrender feature for no reason. Other hero shooters also have this feature but it is not as widely used as it used by Marvel Rivals players.
Many players refuse to understand their duties and start blaming the team for no reason. Many Duelists, for example, might be causing more harm than good by inflicting more damage. In hindsight, that may seem like a good move, but it only feeds the Ultimate Abilities of the opponent team.
Marvel Rivals has wiped out its competition
Marvel Rivals is currently maintaining a higher active player count than many popular live service games (Image via NetEase Games)
NetEase Games’ Marvel Rivals was released for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on December 6, 2024, and upon release, it quickly became a worldwide sensation.
Despite sharing some elements with Blizzard’s Overwatch 2, Marvel Rivals managed to prove itself as one of the best hero shooters in the world. In fact, the game even convinced Blizzard to improve Overwatch 2 as it is now introducing some features that players have been asking for a long time now.
Many assumed that Marvel Rivals would also fade away just like Sony’s Concord did, but it went to compete with the best live service games. NetEase Games’ perfect roadmap proves that the studio is determined to give fans a lot of fresh content. Marvel Universe has thousands of superheroes, so it’s safe to say that NetEase will never have to worry about it.
Source link
#Petition #Remove #Surrender #Button #Marvel #Rivals #Ranked #Matches
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
Parents of freed ****** hostages give details of ordeal
Parents of freed ****** hostages give details of ordeal
Orly Gilboa says her daughter Daniella was only properly fed in the months before release.
Parents of four young female Israeli hostages freed from ****** captivity in Gaza have told the BBC about how their daughters were abused, including being starved, intimidated and threatened by armed men, and forced to cook and clean.
They recounted how the hostages were held in underground tunnels and buildings, witnessed physical abuse and were made to participate in ****** propaganda videos, including, in one case, by faking her own death.
They said the women found strength through sharing stories, drawing and keeping a diary.
None of the women have given interviews to the media since their release, and their parents say the full details of what they endured are still emerging. There are also things they can’t speak about due to fears it could put the hostages still in Gaza at risk.
Three of the four women whose parents spoke to the BBC were female soldiers kidnapped by ****** from the Nahal Oz army base near Gaza on 7 October 2023.
The hostages’ access to food and their treatment by male guards varied over the 15 months they were held, their parents said. They were moved between locations, rarely seeing sunlight.
“It was very different between the places that she went – it could be a good tunnel, it could be a very bad tunnel. It could be a good house or a bad house,” said the father of Agam Berger, 20, a soldier who had been at Nahal Oz.
Some of the places had good food, some had “very bad food… they just tried to survive,” Shlomi Berger said.
Reuters
(L-R) Five female hostages Naama Levy, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Liri Albag and Daniella Gilboa were released last month
“They [and their captors] had to run away from one place to another because they are in a war zone there. It was very dangerous to be there,” said Orly Gilboa, whose daughter Daniella was also kidnapped from the base.
When Daniella watched the release of three male hostages last week – who came out thin and emaciated – she told her mother: “If I had been released two months ago I would have probably looked like them.”
“She got thinner, she lost a lot of her weight through the captivity. But in the last two months they were given a lot of food to gain weight,” Ms Gilboa says.
Other parents have also reported significant weight loss. Meirav Leshem Gonen’s daughter was taken by ****** from the Nova music festival.
Romi, 24, was released in the first week of the ceasefire in January – she had lost “20% of her body weight”, says her mother.
Ms Gilboa says the hardest thing she endured was seeing a video that suggested her daughter had been killed. Her captors poured powder on her so she looked like she was covered in plaster, as if she was killed in an Israeli military strike.
“I think everyone who saw it believed it, but I just kept telling myself that it can’t be,” she told the BBC.
GPO/Reuters
Agam Berger was reunited with her family at an Israeli facility on 30 January
The war was triggered by ******’s unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, when gunmen killed about 1,200 people and took another 251 hostage.
More than 48,230 people have been killed in Gaza since, according to the territory’s ******-run health ministry. About two-thirds of Gaza’s buildings have been destroyed or damaged, estimates the UN.
So far, 16 Israeli and five Thai hostages have been exchanged for more than 600 ************ prisoners held in Israel under the ceasefire deal that began on 19 January.
Mr Berger says his daughter, Agam, was threatened by her captors and witnessed physical abuse while in captivity.
“Sometimes they tortured other female hostages in front of her eyes,” he says, referring specifically to an assault on Amit Soussana, a former hostage who was released in November 2023.
Mr Berger says his daughter told him how they were constantly watched over by armed men, “playing all the time with their guns and their hand grenades”.
He says the male captors treated the women with “big disrespect”, including forcing them to clean and prepare food.
“That was really bothering her. She’s a girl that if she has something to say, she’ll say it. She’s not shy. And sometimes she told them what she was thinking about them and their behaviour,” he says.
He adds that in a small act of resistance, Agam had refused to perform any jobs on the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest. The men detaining her accepted this.
They were also not allowed to speak loudly.
“When Agam came [back to Israel] she wanted to speak all the time… After a day, she had no voice because she’d spoken so much,” Mr Berger says.
Yoni Levy, whose daughter Naama, 20, was also taken from the army base, says she was sometimes held in locations where there was a TV or radio playing.
Once, Naama saw her father talking on TV. “It gave her a lot of hope and optimism… that nobody would forget her, and we’ll do whatever is needed to take her out of this hell.”
GPO
The Levy family reunited in Israel in late January
He says for Naama, the ****** attack on the army base was “was much more traumatic than the captivity itself”.
“It may change but at this stage we think that this is the most tragic day that she’s talked about,” Mr Levy says.
Footage of Naama that day shows her and other female soldiers in bloodstained clothing surrounded by armed men in a room at the base before being forced into a vehicle and taken to Gaza.
The three female soldiers whose parents spoke to the BBC are among five from an all-women unarmed military unit at Nahal Oz freed in the first round of the ceasefire.
Members of the unit, known in Hebrew as Tatzpitaniyot, are tasked with observing the Gaza border and looking for signs of anything suspicious. Survivors and relatives of some of those killed that day say that they had been warning for months that ****** had been preparing for an attack.
A few days before the 7 October attack, Daniella had been at home on a break from service. She had told her mother then: “Mummy, when I go back to the army, there’s going to be a war.”
“I didn’t think it was going to be such a war and of course that my daughter would be taken hostage,” Ms Gilboa says.
Ms Gilboa and the families of the two other observers who spoke to the BBC say they are joining calls for an inquiry into what happened.
They say their daughters remain concerned about the conditions of those still in Gaza and have called for the ceasefire to continue.
Reuters
Daniella Gilboa returned home on 5 February
Meanwhile, Ms Leshem Gonen says she is still learning what happened to her daughter Romi.
She was shot at the Nova music festival and her mother says she was not properly treated, leaving her with “an open wound where she could see the bone”.
“This is something we can know and that she speaks about. The other things, I think it will take time.”
Ms Leshem Gonen says Romi described her release in the first week of the truce as “intimidating” and “frightening”. She was surrounded by gunmen and crowds. But the moment of their reunion was “so powerful”.
Reuters
Romi Gonen stepping out into freedom
The parents also described how their daughters had found ways to get through each day in captivity – through drawing, making notes or sharing stories with each other.
“They wrote as much as they could, every day – what was happening, where were they moving, who were the guards and things like that,” says Mr Berger.
While in captivity, the young women had dreamt about the things they wanted to do when they got home: getting a haircut and eating sushi.
Daniella had drawn a butterfly with the word “freedom” while in captivity – she now has that tattooed on her arm.
They are adapting to life back in Israel, and their families say they are taking the recovery step by step.
The moment of reunion with his daughter Naama is still a blur, says Mr Levy, but he remembers the emotion.
“The feeling was that… I will take care of you now, and everything’s going to be OK. Daddy’s here. That’s all. And then everything was quiet.”
Additional reporting by Naomi Scherbel-Ball
Reuters
Naama Levy, in her parents’ arms again
Source link
#Parents #freed #****** #hostages #give #details #ordeal
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
Privacy Notice: We utilize cookies to optimize your browsing experience and analyze website traffic. By consenting, you acknowledge and agree to our Cookie Policy, ensuring your privacy preferences are respected.
