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Biogen (BIIB) earnings Q4 2024 Biogen (BIIB) earnings Q4 2024 A test tube is seen in front of displayed Biogen logo in this illustration taken on, December 1, 2021. Dado Ruvic | Reuters Biogen on Wednesday posted fourth-quarter revenue and profit that topped expectations as its cost cuts showed progress and new products, including its breakthrough Alzheimer’s treatment Leqembi, saw growth. But the biotech company’s guidance for the current year missed Wall Street’s expectations. Biogen issued a full-year 2025 adjusted earnings outlook of $15.25 to $16.25 per share, which fell short of the $16.34 per share that analysts were anticipating, according to LSEG. That reflects a foreign exchange headwind of 35 cents per share, Biogen said. Biogen expects revenue to decline by a “mid-single digit” percentage in 2025 compared to 2024, as sales of its multiple sclerosis products fall. That portion of the business has declined for several quarters as some of those therapies face generic competition. But Biogen expects Leqembi, along with its new rare disease and depression treatments, to help offset that sliding revenue this year. Leqembi generated $87 million in revenue for the fourth quarter, including $50 million in the U.S. Analysts had expected the drug to book $67 million in sales, according to estimates from StreetAccount. Leqembi, which Biogen shares with the Japanese drugmaker Eisai, became the second drug proven to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s to win approval in the U.S. in 2023. The therapy’s launch has been gradual due to bottlenecks related to diagnostic test requirements, the need for regular brain scans and the difficulty of finding neurologists, among other issues. Here’s what Biogen reported for the fourth quarter compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG: Earnings per share: $3.44 adjusted vs. $3.35 per share expected Revenue: $2.46 billion vs. $2.40 billion expected Biogen booked sales of $2.46 billion for the quarter, which is up around 3% from the year-earlier *******. The drugmaker posted net income of $266.8 million, or $1.83 per share, for the quarter. That compares with a net income of $249.7 million, or $1.71 per share, for the same ******* a year ago. Adjusting for one-time items, including certain restructuring charges and costs associated with intangible assets, the company reported earnings of $3.44 per share. Biogen first initiated a cost-cutting program in 2023. The company expects to generate $1 billion in gross savings, or $800 million net savings, by the end of 2025. Also on Wednesday, Royalty Pharma announced an agreement to provide $250 million in research and development funding to Biogen for litifilimab, a key drug in its pipeline that is being studied to treat lupus. Royalty Pharma, a leading funder of the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, will be eligible for regulatory milestones and certain royalties. Other new drugs Another new drug, Skyclarys, booked $102 million in sales for the fourth quarter, almost double what it reported in the year-earlier *******. Analysts had expected sales of around $112 million for the quarter, according to StreetAccount. Skyclarys came from Biogen’s acquisition of Reata Pharmaceuticals in July 2023. The Food and Drug Administration greenlit Skyclarys in 2023, making it the first approved treatment for Friedreich’s ataxia, a rare inherited degenerative disease that can impair walking and coordination in children as young as five. Zurzuvae, the first pill for postpartum depression, generated fourth-quarter sales of $22.9 million. Analysts had expected it to post $26 million in sales, StreetAccount estimates said. Meanwhile, Biogen’s second-quarter sales from multiple sclerosis treatments fell 8% to $1.07 billion. Source link #Biogen #BIIB #earnings Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Apple launches Apple Health Study with Brigham and Women’s Hospital Apple launches Apple Health Study with Brigham and Women’s Hospital Apple CEO Tim Cook delivers remarks before the start of an Apple event at the Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California, on Sept. 9, 2024. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Apple is deepening its investment in health-care research by launching a new, years-long project called the Apple Health Study, the company announced on Wednesday. The study will analyze how data from devices like iPhones, AirPods and Apple Watches can monitor, manage and predict changes in users’ health. It will also explore connections between different components of health, like how mental health affects heart rate, for instance. The Apple Health Study is the first major health research project the company has announced since it unveiled the Apple Women’s Health Study, the Apple Hearing Study and the Apple Heart and Movement Study in 2019. Those projects are ongoing, and they’ve inspired many of the health features that Apple has introduced in recent years. Apple rolled out a hearing test in the fall, for instance, which was developed using insights from the Apple Hearing Study, the company said. The new study will likely influence future product development. Apple CEO Tim Cook previously said he believes health features will be the company’s “most important contribution to mankind.” “We’re thrilled to bring forward the Apple Health Study, which will only accelerate our understanding of health and technology across the human body, both physically and mentally,” Dr. Sumbul Desai, Apple’s vice president of health, said in a statement. The Apple Health Study will be available through the company’s Research app, and participation is voluntary. Users will select each data type they’re willing to share with researchers, and they can stop sharing or completely discontinue their participation at any time. Apple has no access to participants’ identifiable information, the company said. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a research hospital, is collaborating with Apple on the study. The project will last at least five years and may expand past that. “We’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of how technology can improve our understanding of human health,” Dr. Calum MacRae, the principal investigator of the study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said in a statement. Source link #Apple #launches #Apple #Health #Study #Brigham #Womens #Hospital Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Apple launches Apple Health Study with Brigham and Women’s Hospital Apple launches Apple Health Study with Brigham and Women’s Hospital Apple CEO Tim Cook delivers remarks before the start of an Apple event at the Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California, on Sept. 9, 2024. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Apple is deepening its investment in health-care research by launching a new, years-long project called the Apple Health Study, the company announced on Wednesday. The study will analyze how data from devices like iPhones, AirPods and Apple Watches can monitor, manage and predict changes in users’ health. It will also explore connections between different components of health, like how mental health affects heart rate, for instance. The Apple Health Study is the first major health research project the company has announced since it unveiled the Apple Women’s Health Study, the Apple Hearing Study and the Apple Heart and Movement Study in 2019. Those projects are ongoing, and they’ve inspired many of the health features that Apple has introduced in recent years. Apple rolled out a hearing test in the fall, for instance, which was developed using insights from the Apple Hearing Study, the company said. The new study will likely influence future product development. Apple CEO Tim Cook previously said he believes health features will be the company’s “most important contribution to mankind.” “We’re thrilled to bring forward the Apple Health Study, which will only accelerate our understanding of health and technology across the human body, both physically and mentally,” Dr. Sumbul Desai, Apple’s vice president of health, said in a statement. The Apple Health Study will be available through the company’s Research app, and participation is voluntary. Users will select each data type they’re willing to share with researchers, and they can stop sharing or completely discontinue their participation at any time. Apple has no access to participants’ identifiable information, the company said. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a research hospital, is collaborating with Apple on the study. The project will last at least five years and may expand past that. “We’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of how technology can improve our understanding of human health,” Dr. Calum MacRae, the principal investigator of the study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said in a statement. Source link #Apple #launches #Apple #Health #Study #Brigham #Womens #Hospital Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Advocate for Elgin Marbles return named Greek president Advocate for Elgin Marbles return named Greek president A former Greek parliament speaker and a leading advocate for the return of the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum to Greece has been elected as the country’s new president. Constantine Tassoulas, 65, was elected by MPs with 160 votes in the 300-member parliament in the fourth round of voting for the largely ceremonial post. He takes over from Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the first woman to serve as Greece’s head of state, who was not nominated for a second five-year term. Speaking shortly after the vote results were formally announced, Tassoulas said his election was “a supreme honour for me but above all a precious responsibility”. A lawyer by trade, Tassoulas is also a member of the governing conservative New Democracy party and served as culture minister a decade ago. During this time, he helped reinvigorate Greece’s campaign to reclaim the 2500-year-old Elgin Marbles, also known as the Parthenon sculptures. During his tenure as culture minister, he hosted lawyer Amal Clooney in Athens, who lent her support to the country’s bid for the sculptures’ return. Clooney, the wife of actor George Clooney, helped raise international awareness of the campaign. The sculptures were removed from the Acropolis in Athens by British diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 1800s and have since been kept in the British Museum. The Greek government contends their removal was ******** and has long sought their return, seeking to reunite them with other Parthenon artefacts displayed in a museum in the Greek capital. Greek officials believe the return of the sculptures is more likely now due to the United Kingdom government’s perceived openness to loan agreements. Ongoing discussions on a potential arrangement would likely include an offer to facilitate rotating exhibitions of ancient Greek artefacts at the British Museum. Source link #Advocate #Elgin #Marbles #return #named #Greek #president Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Light de Deux review – ChristCenteredGamer Light de Deux review – ChristCenteredGamer CCG writes – “Light de Deux is a pleasant but short visual novel from this new but improving storyteller. The voice acting is really good, and the art and music is quite nice also. I do wish it was longer; if it had a bit more it would justify the price better, and I want to know more about what happens past the end. It’s a really good effort, even if the formula is a bit cliche. I recommend it for visual novel lovers who enjoy simple romances, especially on a *****.” Source link #Light #Deux #review #ChristCenteredGamer Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Snowflake’s new Cortex Agents enables agentic AI development Snowflake’s new Cortex Agents enables agentic AI development Snowflake on Wednesday unveiled Cortex Agents, a managed service that enables developers to build agentic AI applications. Agents are generative AI applications built using a combination of an enterprise’s proprietary data and large language models (LLMs) so the applications understand the enterprise’s business. With that knowledge, agents — unlike AI-powered assistants and chatbots that respond to questions and directives — can be trained to act autonomously, surfacing insights on their own and taking on specific tasks. Generative AI agents gained prominence during the second half of 2024 and are now the dominant trend in AI development, given their ability to make users smarter and more efficient. Vendors such as Google Cloud and Salesforce, the parent company of Tableau, provide capabilities for developing agents that can perform tasks that previously had to be done manually. Cortex Agents, now in public preview, is Snowflake’s version. Because service lets developers build natively within the confines of the governed Snowflake platform, it is a significant addition for the vendor’s customers, according to Stephen Catanzano, an analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group, now part of Omdia. “Cortex Agents is a major step forward,” he said. “It enables Snowflake customers to deploy AI agents at scale with unified governance, integrating data retrieval from both structured and unstructured sources.” Andy Thurai, an analyst at Constellation Research, similarly noted that Cortex Agents is an important new feature for Snowflake customers. “[Cortex Agents] allows Snowflake customers to use a native platform to build AI to solve business needs,” he said. “Most customers prefer a native platform to build things rather than creating tool sprawl. In this case, Snowflake being one of the dominant data lake players, it is easy for users to engage Cortex Agents.” New capabilities Generative AI has evolved quickly in the two-plus years since OpenAI’s November 2022 launch of ChatGPT marked a significant improvement in generative AI capabilities. Initial applications included chatbots that enabled users to query and analyze data using natural language rather than code and text-to-code translation tools. Quickly, however, generative AI has matured to the point at which applications can be trained to act autonomously. As a result, enterprises are rapidly increasing their investments in AI development. With data providing AI its intelligence, data management and analytics vendors have responded by building environments where customers can use their data in conjunction with generative AI models to do their development. While not at the forefront, Snowflake, along with its competitors, has been in on the trend. Cortex, Snowflake’s AI development environment, became generally available in May 2024, and in November, the vendor introduced tools to streamline the development of conversational AI applications. Now, with Cortex Agents, Snowflake is providing customers with capabilities to build generative AI agents. “Data is what unlocks and powers generative AI, and generative AI is what unlocks and powers business transformation,” said Christian Kleinerman, Snowflake’s executive vice president of product, during a virtual press conference. “Cortex Agents is the next frontier for Snowflake to help customers innovate and obtain better business outcomes.” Cortex Agents is available as a REST API. With the REST API, developers can access structured data through Cortex Analyst and unstructured data through Cortex Search, combine their governed Snowflake data with an LLM to create an agent and integrate that agent into any application. Following the establishment of a partnership between Snowflake and Anthropic, Cortex Agents is optimized for Anthropic’s Claude LLM with agents providing greater accuracy when used with Claude than other LLMs. However, Snowflake customers have choice when selecting LLMs. Because optimal development is limited to one LLM, Cortex Agents, while an evolution for Snowflake, is not as robust as competing agentic AI development environments, according to Thurai. “It’s an OK solution,” he said. “It limits the users … whereas many other agentic platforms provide options to use a choice of many underlying LLMs.” In addition, though a fully managed service that simplifies agentic AI development, it limits how developers can build agents, failing to provide options such as low-code/no-code visual development capabilities, Thurai added. Despite limitations, Cortex Agents is nevertheless a solid framework for carrying out its intended purpose of enabling Snowflake customers to build AI agents, according to Catanzano. Claude is one of the highest-performing LLMs, and the REST API provides a straightforward method for retrieving relevant data. “It’s a strong, well-rounded framework,” Catanzano said. “Cortex Analyst ensures accurate SQL generation for structured data, while Cortex Search provides state-of-the-art unstructured data retrieval. Anthropic Claude offers robust reasoning and complex workflow execution, making it highly effective for developers.” Competitive standing With Cortex Agents, Snowflake continues to build up its AI development environment. However, unlike Databricks and tech giants such as Google Cloud and Microsoft, Snowflake sat back for much of the first year after ChatGPT was launched and has had to catch up. The vendor has fully embraced AI since Sridhar Ramaswamy became CEO in February 2024. However, its capabilities still don’t quite measure up, according to Thurai. “They are still way behind when it comes to AI and generative AI embracement,” he said. “Other vendors, including Databricks and hyper-scalers, are innovating and offering tools much faster.” To further catch up, the vendor should add support for more LLMs and provide a full platform for agentic AI development that includes more than an API, Thurai continued. “Snowflake offerings are a decent stop in the right direction, but they have a lot to catch up on to be a good player in agentic AI platforms,” he said. However, given the point at which Snowflake started after spotting competitors the better part of year, Snowflake is making noteworthy progress, according to Catanzano. “Snowflake is catching up quickly,” he said, adding that Cortex Agents represents progress if not revolutionary innovation. “While [Snowflake] started slower than competitors, Cortex Agents seems well positioned with its focus on unified governance, scalability and integration with enterprise data.” Regarding what Snowflake can do to catch up, Catanzano suggested improving AI observability, refining multi-modal data integration and improving real-time monitoring and governance capabilities. Eric Avidon is a senior news writer for Informa TechTarget and a journalist with more than 25 years of experience. He covers analytics and data management. Source link #Snowflakes #Cortex #Agents #enables #agentic #development Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Waste surveillance at just 20 airports could spot the next pandemic Waste surveillance at just 20 airports could spot the next pandemic A network of airports like Hong Kong International Airport could effectively detect disease outbreaks Yuen Man Cheung / Alamy A global early-warning system for disease outbreaks and even future pandemics is possible with minimal monitoring: testing the waste water from a fraction of international flight arrivals at just 20 airports around the world. When passengers fly while infected with bacteria or viruses, they can leave traces of these pathogens in their waste, which airports collect from a plane after the flight lands. “If you’re going to the bathroom on an aircraft, and if you blow your nose and put that in the toilet – or if you do whatever you have to do – there’s some chance that some of the genetic material from the pathogen is going into the waste water,” says Guillaume St-Onge at Northeastern University in Massachusetts. St-Onge and his colleagues used a simulator called the Global Epidemic and Mobility model to analyse how airport waste-water surveillance networks could detect emerging variants of a virus like the one that causes covid-19. By testing the model using different numbers and locations of airports, they showed that 20 strategically placed “sentinel airports” worldwide could detect outbreaks nearly as quickly and efficiently as a network involving thousands of airports. The larger network was just 20 per cent faster but cost much more. To detect emerging threats from anywhere in the world, the network should include major international airports in cities such as London, Paris, Dubai and Singapore. But the team also showed how networks involving a different set of airports could provide more targeted detection of disease outbreaks that were likely to originate in certain continents. “This modelling study is the first to provide the actual number of sentinel airports required to support effective global surveillance while optimising resource use,” says Jiaying Li at the University of Sydney in Australia. Airport-based networks could also provide useful information about disease outbreaks early on during an epidemic, including estimates of how quickly the disease can spread from person to person and how many people are likely to be infected from exposure to a single case, says St-Onge. Such waste-water surveillance could provide early warning for known diseases and possibly track new emerging threats too – if the bacterium’s or virus’s genomic data is available. “I don’t think we’d be able to look in the waste water and say: ‘There is a new pathogen that’s out there,’” says Temi Ibitoye at Brown University in Rhode Island. “But when a new pathogen is announced, you can very quickly look at that previous waste-water data and say: ‘Is this present in our sample?’” A map of sentinel airports, with colours indicating how quickly this network would detect a novel disease outbreak originating at various sites around the world Northeastern University There are still some nuances to work out, such as how often to take waste-water samples to track different pathogens. Other challenges include figuring out the most efficient ways to sample waste water from aircraft and evaluating the system’s real-world effectiveness, says Li. A long-term monitoring programme would also require cooperation from airlines and airports, along with a consistent source of funding, she says. Individual airports could hesitate to participate because of perceived risk to their operations if infectious disease statistics are made widely available – unless data-handling agreements could assuage such concerns, says Trevor Charles at the University of Waterloo in Canada. He emphasised the importance of coordinated international funding to offset “local political considerations”. But even coordination through an international body like the World Health Organization carries its own political complications, given that President Donald Trump has initiated the US’s withdrawal from the organisation, says Ibitoye. Still, research such as this “contributes towards making [the monitoring network] a reality sooner rather than later”, she says. Topics: Source link #Waste #surveillance #airports #spot #pandemic Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Ukraine looks to entice younger men into the military by offering special rewards Ukraine looks to entice younger men into the military by offering special rewards KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s Defense Ministry is offering new financial and other benefits that it hopes will attract men between ages 18 and 24 to military service, as its short-handed armed forces toil on the front line against Russia’s ******* army in the almost three-year war. Men in that age group are currently exempt from the country’s draft, which covers men between 25 and 60 years old. Last spring, Ukraine lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25, but that has failed to replenish ranks or replace battlefield losses. Also, some draft-age men have moved abroad, while desertions have undermined the army. Ukrainian forces are slowly being pushed backward in some eastern areas, as uncertainty has taken root over whether the Trump administration will keep sending vital military aid. The Biden administration had urged Ukraine to lower the draft age to 18. Volunteers joining the new program are eligible for a one-time signing fee of 1 million hryvnias (around $24,000) in addition to a monthly salary of 120,000 hryvnias (around $2,900), Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on the ministry’s website late Tuesday. Other benefits include being eligible for a 0% mortgage rate, a government scholarship for higher education, additional health care benefits such as dental care, permission to leave the country after one year of service, and a draft waiver for 12 months after the end of their contract. The offer risks vexing people already in uniform. For example, military personnel engaged in rear guard activities such as command, planning, air defense, supply and logistics start at approximately 30,000 hryvnias ($720) a month, according to public information on the Defense Ministry website. Only soldiers engaging in “direct participation in hostilities” and deployed to the front line are currently eligible for monthly pay of at least 120,000 hryvnias ($2,900). It wasn’t clear whether the Defense Ministry proposes paying that amount to younger recruits if they serve in rear guard areas. The Defense Ministry’s proposal also comes as the government faces continuing criticism for its refusal to establish a legal framework and time frame for demobilizing soldiers. ___ Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at Source link #Ukraine #entice #younger #men #military #offering #special #rewards Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NYT Connections: hints and answers for Wednesday, February 12 NYT Connections: hints and answers for Wednesday, February 12 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 Please enable Javascript to view this content 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 DOCUMENTS OF OWNERSHIP BITS IN A VARIETY SHOW PROPS FOR CHARACTERS ON “THE SIMPSONS” STARTING WITH “SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL” One-answer reveals DOCUMENTS OF OWNERSHIP – CERTIFICATE BITS IN A VARIETY SHOW – DANCE PROPS FOR CHARACTERS ON “THE SIMPSONS” – DONUS STARTING WITH “SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL” – ANDROID 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: DOCUMENTS OF OWNERSHIP – CERTIFICATE, DEED, RECEIPT, TITLE BITS IN A VARIETY SHOW – DANCE, MONOLOGUE, SKETCH, SONG PROPS FOR CHARACTERS ON “THE SIMPSONS” – DONUS, PACIFIER, SAXOPHONE, SKATEBOARD STARTING WITH “SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL” – ANDROID, RATTLESNAKE, ROLLERBLADE, SHAKESPEARE 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: Source link #NYT #Connections #hints #answers #Wednesday #February Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

JPMorgan says Super Micro Computer is still a sell despite company’s lofty revenue forecast JPMorgan says Super Micro Computer is still a sell despite company’s lofty revenue forecast Super Micro Computer issued a lofty fiscal 2026 outlook, lifting the the stock by more than 13%. JPMorgan remains skeptical, however. The company said it expects revenue to reach $40 billion in fiscal 2026, overshadowing a much more tepid near-term forecast. Super Micro issued fiscal 2025 revenue guidance ranging between $23.5 billion and $25 billion, while analysts polled by LSEG forecast $24.92 billion. Analyst Samik Chatterjee also noted that the company’s fiscal second-quarter figures were pressured by supply chain troubles. But Chatterjee is still not convinced, reiterating his underweight rating on the stock. His new price target, while raised to $35 from $23, implies downside of 9.3% from Tuesday’s close. For a comeback to take hold, the company has to bring “execution proof points before credit for [its] aggressive FY26 revenue / margin expectations.” “While the updated outlook for F4Q25 and FY26 is well above JPM and consensus, and presents a nice upside surprise … we believe it is likely too early to underwrite such a positive outlook given: 1) limited visibility around the easing of supply chain constraints for next-generation GPUs; and 2) upcoming AI Server product cycle represents a much higher competitive backdrop compared to previous generation of Hopper-based products with many of its peers now boasting stronger portfolios and looking to more meaningfully participate in the industry,” he said in a Tuesday note. The analyst also cited low visibility due to its challenges with the Securities and Exchange Commission for his skepticism. To be sure, Super Micro CEO Charles Liang said he is “confident” the company will file its delayed annual report by the Feb. 25 deadline. SMCI 1D mountain SMCI shares on Wednesday Other analysts on Wall Street were more constructive on Super Micro Computer. Loop Capital analyst Ananda Baruah, who has a buy rating on the company, raised his price target to $50 from $40 — the second time in three weeks, he noted. SMCI remains an important company in an important space,” Baruah said in a note Wednesday. “Additionally, SMCI’s two largest customers have huge plans for 2025, and we believe it is inevitable that SMCI benefits.” Wedbush analyst Matt Byrson increased his target price on shares to $40 from $24 on the back of the company’s forward guidance. He said that if the company submits its yearly regulatory filing on time, uncertainty around the stock should ease. “We see reasons to believe SMCI’s business should expand significantly in 1H’26,” Bryson wrote in a note to clients on Wednesday. “At the same time, we are hesitant to model as aggressively as management’s forecast (with our revised outlook still anticipating healthy 44% Y/Y growth) and we also believe SMCI’s second flirtation with questionable financials will necessarily continue to weigh somewhat on the company’s perceived risk profile (and the multiple investors are willing to pay),” Bryson added. He has a neutral rating on shares. Source link #JPMorgan #Super #Micro #Computer #sell #companys #lofty #revenue #forecast Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Meta warns users not to fall for romance scammers posing as celebrities or military Meta warns users not to fall for romance scammers posing as celebrities or military Think you might have met someone “attractive, single and successful” on Facebook or Instagram? You might want to think again, Meta says. Ahead of Valentine’s Day, the company is once again warning users not to fall for romance scams. These kinds of schemes, in which scammers create fictitious identities to form online relationships with unsuspecting victims, aren’t exactly new. (The FTC says that people lost more than a half billion dollars to romance scams in 2021.) But the people behind these scams are apparently persistent. Meta says that already in 2025 it’s taken down more than 116,000 accounts and pages across Facebook and Instagram that were linked to romance scams. In 2024, it removed more than 408,000 such accounts. According to Meta, these scam accounts often originate in West African countries with scammers impersonating members of the US military or famous celebrities. In both cases, they’ll claim to be “looking for love” and will strike up conversations with people on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp as well as other messaging platforms. Eventually, the scammer will request gift cards, crypto, or other types of payments. Meta has taken steps to fight these types of schemes. The company said last year it would bring back facial recognition tech to address celebrity impersonation. It also works with other companies to shut down organized groups of scammers. Still, David Agranovich, director of threat disruption at Meta, noted that “scammers evolve consistently.” Researchers also say that AI has made it even easier for scammers to assume convincing fictitious identities. “In the last three or four months, there’s a couple of different tools that have come out where they’re free, they’re accessible, they’re easy to use, and they allow the attacker to transform their face dynamically within the video call,” Rachel Tobac CEO of SocialProof Security said during a call with reporters. “They can also use these deepfake bots that allow you to build a persona, place phone calls, use a voice clone and a human actually doesn’t even need to be involved.” Source link #Meta #warns #users #fall #romance #scammers #posing #celebrities #military Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Tropical Cyclone Zelia will cross Western Australia’s shores as a category three system Tropical Cyclone Zelia will cross Western Australia’s shores as a category three system Residents are gearing up for days of wild weather as Tropical Cyclone Zelia is expected to cross the coast over the coming days. Source link #Tropical #Cyclone #Zelia #cross #Western #Australias #shores #category #system Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NYT Strands today: hints, spangram and answers for Wednesday, February 12 NYT Strands today: hints, spangram and answers for Wednesday, February 12 Table of Contents Table of Contents How to play Strands Hint for today’s Strands puzzle Today’s Strand answers Strands is a brand new daily puzzle from the New York Times. A trickier take on the classic word search, you’ll need a keen eye to solve this puzzle. Like Wordle, Connections, and the Mini Crossword, Strands can be a bit difficult to solve some days. There’s no shame in needing a little help from time to time. If you’re stuck and need to know the answers to today’s Strands puzzle, check out the solved puzzle below. How to play Strands You start every Strands puzzle with the goal of finding the “theme words” hidden in the grid of letters. Manipulate letters by dragging or tapping to craft words; double-tap the final letter to confirm. If you find the correct word, the letters will be highlighted blue and will no longer be selectable. If you find a word that isn’t a theme word, it still helps! For every three non-theme words you find that are at least four letters long, you’ll get a hint — the letters of one of the theme words will be revealed and you’ll just have to unscramble it. Every single letter on the grid is used to spell out the theme words and there is no overlap. Every letter will be used once, and only once. Each puzzle contains one “spangram,” a special theme word (or words) that describe the puzzle’s theme and touches two opposite sides of the board. When you find the spangram, it will be highlighted yellow. The goal should be to complete the puzzle quickly without using too many hints. Hint for today’s Strands puzzle Today’s theme is “‘Don’t stop believin”” Here’s a hint that might help you: we all know the lyrics. Today’s Strand answers NYT Today’s spanagram We’ll start by giving you the spangram, which might help you figure out the theme and solve the rest of the puzzle on your own: Today’s Strands answers SMALL LONELY TOWN GIRL WORLD TOOK MIDNIGHT TRAIN Source link #NYT #Strands #today #hints #spangram #answers #Wednesday #February Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump administration declares ‘most powerful’ AI chips will be built in America Trump administration declares ‘most powerful’ AI chips will be built in America US Vice President JD Vance took to the podium as he gave a keynote on the final day of the Paris AI Action Summit, where he gave several key insights on the Trump administration’s strategy on the technology. During his speech, Vance focused on the opportunities that AI brings, and that the White House will continue supporting the technology through its policies. “The United States of America is the leader in AI and our administration plans to keep it that way. The US possesses all components across the full AI stack, including advanced semiconductor design, frontier algorithms, and, of course, transformational applications,” said the Vice President. “Now the computing power this stack requires is integral to advancing AI technology, and to safeguard America’s advantage, the Trump administration will ensure the most powerful AI systems are built in the US with American-designed and manufactured chips.” VP JD Vance on the future of artificial intelligence – YouTube Watch On This announcement is good news for the semiconductor industry, especially as Trump has previously voiced opposition to the CHIPS and Science Act during his campaign. This is in addition to the act currently making its way through the U.S. Congress that would give tax credits to chip designers and manufacturers, helping boost semiconductor innovation within the country. He added that Washington is already working on an AI strategy that will remove overly precautionary regulations while remaining beneficial to the American public. Vance invited other countries to partner with the U.S. and also welcomed them to replicate this policy. But he also criticized the European Union’s regulations—specifically, the Digital Services Act and GDPR — which he called “onerous international rules.” The VP said these are costing smaller firms excessive legal costs and are stifling free speech by preventing an adult from “accessing an opinion that the government thinks is misinformation.” He also emphasized AI’s need for electricity, saying that it needs high-quality semiconductors and reliable power sources, but that many countries are choosing to de-industrialize while removing stable power sources from their grids. Lastly, he also warned against partnering with hostile authoritarian regimes, saying that even though they deliver cheap technologies right now, long-term partnerships with them will not pay off. While he didn’t directly mention China (whose representative was seated close by), Vance called out cheap 5G and CCTV equipment, ******** exports that are widely used in the U.S. and its allies until they were banned and removed starting in 2019. “Some of us in this room have learned from experience, partnering with them means chaining your nation to an authoritarian master that seeks to infiltrate, dig in, and seize your information infrastructure,” VP JD Vance said. “Should a deal seem too good to be true, just remember the old adage that we learned in Silicon Valley, ‘If you aren’t paying for the product, you are the product.’” Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Trump #administration #declares #powerful #chips #built #America Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

PM pledges to close loophole which let Gazans settle in *** PM pledges to close loophole which let Gazans settle in *** The government is working to close a loophole which allowed a ************ family the right to live in the ***, after they originally applied through a scheme designed for Ukrainians. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch raised the case during Prime Minister’s Questions, saying it was “completely wrong”. In response Sir Keir Starmer said he agreed, adding that “it should be Parliament that makes the rules on immigration”. The family of six, whose home in Gaza was destroyed by an air strike, applied to join the father’s brother in the *** using the Ukraine Family Scheme. The application was refused in May last year, after the Home Office concluded the requirements of the scheme were not met. The family’s initial appeal was dismissed by a first-tier immigration tribunal judge in September. But following a hearing in January, a further appeal has been allowed by upper tribunal judges on the grounds of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to a family life. Badenoch said the decision “cannot be allowed to stand” and asked the prime minister whether the government was planning to appeal. She added: “We cannot be in a situation where we allow enormous numbers of people to exploit our laws in this way.” In response, Sir Keir said: “It should be Parliament that makes the rules on immigration. “It should be the government that makes the policy, that is the principle, and the home secretary is already looking at the legal loophole which we need to close in this particular case.” Badenoch also urged the PM to back her call to make it harder for people to get British citizenship. Referring to the brother the ************ family had applied to join, she said: “This case has arisen because a ************ came to the *** from Gaza in 2007, he is now a British citizen. “This is precisely why we need to break the conveyor belt from arriving in the ***, to acquiring indefinite leave to remain, and then a British passport, and now a right to bring six family members here as well.” Sir Keir accused Badenoch of presiding over record levels of immigration when the Conservatives were in power. “It was a one nation experiment in open borders, and she was the cheerleader, she was the one campaigning for more people to come,” he added. The family had applied unsuccessfully to come to the *** under the Ukraine Family Scheme, which closed last February. However, the upper tribunal judge in their appeal case concluded there were “very compelling or exceptional circumstances” meaning they should be allowed the right to live in the ***. In his judgement, he said the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains “exceptionally dangerous” and “dire”. He added that the youngest children – now aged seven and nine – are “at a high risk of death or serious injury on a daily basis” and that it is “overwhelmingly” in their best interests to be in a safe or safer environment together with their parents and siblings. The *** currently has schemes for some Afghans, Ukrainians and people from Hong Kong to come to the *** but no route for Palestinians. Some Labour MPs have argued the government should create more legal routes for asylum seekers to settle in the *** to deter people from crossing the Channel in small boats. However, this did not form part of the government’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which is focused on cracking down on people-smuggling gangs. [BBC] Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the *** and stay up to speed with the big moments. It’ll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday. Source link #pledges #close #loophole #Gazans #settle Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

With the Galaxy S25, Samsung finally nailed a truly repairable battery With the Galaxy S25, Samsung finally nailed a truly repairable battery Samsung is making a play to, well, repair its repairability image. The new Galaxy S25 UItra offers a slew of helpful features, including an accessible, easy to remove battery. Instead of Samsung’s adhesives of the past, the S25 Ultra’s battery can just pop right out, iFixit reports. This time around Samsung has included four sticky tabs that wrap around the battery. All you need to do is lift up these tabs and the battery comes out in a matter of seconds. This shift aligns with Europe’s right-to-repair laws, which push companies to make repairs more accessible for device owners. iFixit We gave the Galaxy 25 Ultra an 89 in our review, thanks to its nearly 30 hours of battery life, anti-reflective Gorilla Armor 2 panels and slimmer bezels. It also offers a new 50MP ultra-wide sensor on its ultra-wide lens (rather than the previous 12MP) and an excellent screen. Source link #Galaxy #S25 #Samsung #finally #nailed #repairable #battery Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

OpenAI Says it Does Not Use Indian Media Groups’ Content to Train ChatGPT, Court Filing Shows OpenAI Says it Does Not Use Indian Media Groups’ Content to Train ChatGPT, Court Filing Shows OpenAI is seeking to stop Indian media groups, including those of Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, from joining a copyright lawsuit against the U.S. company, saying it does not use their content to train ChatGPT, a legal filing seen by Reuters shows. The Microsoft-backed company said that it is not obligated to enter into partnership deals with the media groups to utilise their content which is publicly available, the 31-page OpenAI court filing, reported by Reuters for the first time, showed. The filing relates to a lawsuit by Indian news agency ANI last year, which alleges that ChatGPT uses its published content without permission to help train its artificial intelligence chatbot. Since then book publishers and media groups in India have banded together to join the proceedings. Adani’s NDTV, the Indian Express, the Hindustan Times and Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA), which represents many including Ambani’s Network18, allege that OpenAI is using their news websites to scrape content and reproduce their work on ChatGPT. OpenAI’s filing, dated February 11, said the company denies it “has used any of the applicants’ or the DNPA’s members content” to train its AI models. OpenAI and its lawyer did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The DNPA and the other news outlets did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. OpenAI has previously said in a statement: “We build our AI models using publicly available data, in a manner protected by fair use and related principles, and supported by long-standing and widely accepted legal precedents.” Courts around the world are hearing claims by authors, news organisations and musicians which allege technology companies are using their copyrighted work to train AI services without permission or payment. OpenAI has signed deals with many news publishers globally to display content. But the Indian groups have alleged in their legal submissions that the US company has not entered into similar deals in India. OpenAI’s filing said its other partnerships abroad are simply not “licensing arrangements for the purpose of training” its AI models. The company also said in the filing that the use of content, which is publicly available, is permissible under Indian copyright law. Last week, while on an Asian tour, OpenAI chief Sam Altman visited India and met India’s IT minister in New Delhi and discussed the country’s plan of creating a low-cost AI ecosystem. © Thomson Reuters 2025 (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source link #OpenAI #Indian #Media #Groups #Content #Train #ChatGPT #Court #Filing #Shows Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

CPI January 2025: CPI January 2025: Inflation perked up more than anticipated in January, providing further incentive for the Federal Reserve to hold the line on interest rates. The consumer price index, a broad measure of costs in goods and services across the U.S. economy, accelerated a seasonally adjusted 0.5% for the month, putting the annual inflation rate at 3%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. They were higher than the respective Dow Jones estimates for 0.3% and 2.9%. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, CPI rose 0.4% on the month, putting the 12-month inflation rate at 3.3%. That compared to respective estimates for 0.3% and 3.1%. Shelter costs continued to be a problem for inflation, rising 0.4% on the month and accounting for about 30% of the entire increase, the BLS said. Food prices jumped 0.4%, pushed by a 15.2% surge in egg prices related to ongoing problems with avian bird flu that have forced farmers to destroy millions of chickens. The bureau said it was the largest increase in egg prices since June 2015 and it was responsible for about two-thirds of the increase in food at home prices. Egg prices have soared 53% over the past year. Markets tumbled following the news, with futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average sliding more than 400 points while bond yields scaled sharply higher. This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates. Source link #CPI #January Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Control 2 Entered Full Production this Month Control 2 Entered Full Production this Month · · February 12, 2025 Remedy Entertainment has revealed that Control 2 entered full production in February 2025. Remedy Entertainment revealed its financial results today and discussed Control 2’s production status. The developers said the game is “finalizing the production readiness stage ” and entered full production in February of this year after the fourth quarter of last year. They have “verified the velocity of asset creation, established production pipelines, and are ready for scaling up for full production.” Apart from Control 2, the Max Payne 1 and 2 remakes are also in full production, making “steady progress.” Remedy stated that, along with the publisher, Rockstar Games, their progress is “heading towards key development objectives.” Moreover, FBC: Firebreak, the developer’s first multiplayer title, is also in full production. The developers recently tested match-making and other technical components during a closed technical test. They plan to self-publish the game in 2025. Furthermore, Remedy stated that they took over “Control-related publishing operations and community management handled by 505 Games” in the second half of 2024. They are preparing for their 30th anniversary in 2025, which will be “their biggest year as a developer and publisher yet.” In other news, Alan Wake 2 is finally profitable after selling over 2 million copies. Also, the developer partnered with Annapurna to bring Control and Alan Wake to film and television. What are your thoughts on Control 2 entering full production this month? Let us know in the comments or on our new community forum! For more information from Insider Gaming, read about Hunt: Showdown 1896 developer letting go of 15% of its workforce. 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 #Control #Entered #Full #Production #Month Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

L.A. wildfire financial recovery tips from a financial advisor L.A. wildfire financial recovery tips from a financial advisor An aerial view of homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire on January 27, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, California. Mario Tama | Getty Images When the Los Angeles wildfires started dominating social media feeds, I reached out to a dear friend and client to check in. “We just found out an hour ago, our house is gone,” he replied. Enduring a wildfire or any other natural disaster can be emotionally and financially overwhelming. Here in Southern California, many of our clients and community are displaced and in shock by what the flames have taken. Families are trying to navigate the insurance red tape, worrying about where they will live and trying to make difficult decisions — such as if they can afford to rebuild or if they need to absorb the losses and move on. More from CNBC’s Advisor Council While rebuilding or restoring stability is challenging, taking specific steps can help you regain control of your finances and better prepare for future emergencies: 1. Ensure your safety and apply for disaster aid Register for assistance immediately. The Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, provide help including temporary shelter, emergency financial assistance and emotional support. Apply for disaster relief at disasterassistance.gov, and see if your state has wildfire or disaster-specific aid programs. 2. Assess your financial situation Take inventory of accessible financial resources, including savings accounts, emergency funds or credit card limits for immediate needs. List financial obligations — such as rent, mortgages and utility bills — and begin looking into payment deferral options. The Hughes Fire grows near Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park and the community of Santa Clarita on January 22, 2025 in Castaic, California. David Mcnew | Getty Images 3. Adjust spending and budgeting If you work with a financial advisor, let them know what has transpired. We’ve had clients recently tell us they’ve lost their homes and had to evacuate, and we are putting notations on their accounts and discussing short-term liquidity/income needs. Use free budgeting tools to track spending. Prioritize spending on essentials such as food, water, housing, and medication. Cancel subscriptions, defer large purchases and cut non-essential expenses to preserve cash flow. Consider temporarily reducing the amount of money you are saving for retirement in order to build a ******* financial cushion to help you now. Contact utility companies, credit card issuers and other lenders to let them know your situation and negotiate payment plans or request hardship assistance. Many companies offer disaster forbearance programs that allow you to defer payments without penalty. 4. Protect your credit If personal documents such as Social Security cards are lost or stolen after a disaster, freeze your credit at all three major credit rating agencies. You can always unfreeze your credit once the crisis has passed if you need to borrow. Also freeze any credit cards not in your possession. In many cases, you can do this easily in the card issuer’s app or online. It’s always a good idea to set up push notifications of any charges that occur. This way you can make sure all the charges are true and yours. 5. Begin the insurance claims process Insurance claims may take weeks or months to process, so the sooner you get started, the better. Request “additional living expenses,” or ALE, coverage to pay for temporary housing, meals and other expenses. Make a detailed list of damaged or lost items with photos and receipts (if available), and estimated replacement costs. This will support insurance claims. Document communications with your insurer. If you believe your insurer has undervalued your claim, consider hiring a licensed public adjuster to negotiate on your behalf. — By Winnie Sun, co-founder and managing director of Irvine, California-based Sun Group Wealth Partners. She is also a member of the CNBC Financial Advisor Council. Source link #L.A #wildfire #financial #recovery #tips #financial #advisor Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

White House nominates new chiefs for bank, market regulators: Reuters White House nominates new chiefs for bank, market regulators: Reuters The entrance to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) headquarters is seen during a protest on Feb. 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images The White House plans to nominate Jonathan McKernan, a former member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, as full-time director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The White House also intends to nominate Jonathan Gould as the head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and Brian Quintenz as chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The nominations were first reported by Punchbowl News. A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, McKernan would take over an agency currently going through a major upheaval after the Trump administration effectively froze the watchdog. McKernan recently stepped down from the FDIC’s board, where he had served since January 2023. He previously worked as counsel to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee under Republican Senator Pat Toomey, and before that was senior counsel at the Federal Housing Finance Agency and a Treasury Department adviser. Gould most recently was a partner at law firm Jones Day in Washington, and before that worked for crypto firm Bitfury as its chief legal officer. In 2018, Gould was chief counsel for the Senate Banking Committee under then-Chairman Mike Crapo, an Idaho Republican. If confirmed to the OCC, Gould would lead the regulator charged with monitoring large national banks. The CFTC, which oversees commodity derivatives markets, has traditionally been a junior player in financial policy, but is expected to play a more prominent role as the Trump administration starts to overhaul cryptocurrency regulations. Quintenz, who is currently head of policy for a16z crypto, the crypto arm of venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz, had been advising the Trump transition team on crypto policy, Reuters previously reported. Source link #White #House #nominates #chiefs #bank #market #regulators #Reuters Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Editorial: Vile nurse video shows creep of anti-Semitism Editorial: Vile nurse video shows creep of anti-Semitism The term ‘anti-Semitism’ – now so frequently used in our national discourse – isn’t a strong enough word to capture the despicable boasts of two NSW nurses made on a TikTok video circulating online. Source link #Editorial #Vile #nurse #video #shows #creep #antiSemitism Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Some Americans’ Social Security checks may have been suspended — here’s who is being targeted and what you can do Some Americans’ Social Security checks may have been suspended — here’s who is being targeted and what you can do Some Americans’ Social Security checks may have been suspended — here’s who is being targeted and what you can do Around 68.5 million people receive Social Security benefits, which act as a reliable source of steady income for disabled and retired workers. But what if those checks suddenly stopped appearing? Some U.S. Embassy websites have posted notices warning beneficiaries their payments may have been suspended. The alert targeted those whose official address on record is outside the U.S. Here’s exactly who is affected, and if that’s you, what you can do about it. Over 700,000 of those who receive Social Security benefits live abroad. A number of them may be surprised to find they haven’t received a payment in February, prompting embassy websites to put up notices explaining why. It’s to do with confirming one’s eligibility to receive payments. Every one or two years, depending on where they live and the exact form that needs to be filled out, those who live abroad and collect Social Security need to submit a Foreign Enforcement Questionnaire (FEQ), which is a document used to update or confirm certain pieces of information. This includes your name (or the representative payee’s name), address, Social Security number and other details. Further detail can be found on the Social Security Administration website. Forms are sent out in the middle of the year and must be returned by the due date to ensure beneficiaries continue receiving payments on time. If not, their benefits might be suspended. Remember, this applies to those whose address on record is outside the U.S. Read more: Home prices in America could fly through the roof in 2025 — here’s the big reason why and how to take full advantage (with as little as $10) There are several steps you can take if your Social Security payments have been suspended. First, contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate and mention your situation, and someone there should be able to help. You may be told to contact the local Federal Benefits Unit (which provides services to the Social Security Administration) to give them the needed information. Once everything is processed, you could start receiving a paycheck again in a matter of days. Story Continues While you wait, it might be a good time to take a careful look at your finances. Now would be the time to tap in your emergency fund or rainy day savings if you need to pay for any immediate necessities. You may also want to consider temporarily cutting back on certain expenses and stretch your dollars where you can. It may not be fun, you can try cutting back on entertainment costs or beauty services until your Social Security payments get back on track. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Source link #Americans #Social #Security #checks #suspended #heres #targeted Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Court orders the CDC and FDA to restore deleted web pages related to gender identity Court orders the CDC and FDA to restore deleted web pages related to gender identity US District Judge John D. Bates has ordered (PDF) the Center for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration to restore the web pages and resources they had previously removed to comply with President Trump’s executive order related to gender ideology. Bates gave the agencies until February 11, 11:59 PM Eastern time, to comply. As of this writing, the CDC website on “Transgender and Gender Diverse Persons” is already back online with a note up top that says the CDC’s website “is being modified to comply with President Trump’s Executive Orders.” The judge’s decision is part of a temporary restraining order that he has granted as requested by the Doctors for America. Represented by Public Citizen, the non-profit organization sued the CDC (PDF), the FDA and the Department of Health in February. It also sued the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which issued the memo for the pages’ removal. As The Washington Post notes, the memo ordered agency heads to “end all agency programs that use taxpayer money to promote or reflect gender ideology.” In response, the CDC and FDA removed a number of web pages covering a wide variety of topics. In its lawsuit, Doctors for America said the pages that were removed provided healthcare workers with treatment guidance and important datasets necessary for research and for formulating appropriate public health responses. The pages contained resources for **** monitoring, contraception, assisted reproductive technologies like IVF, health risks for youths, social vulnerability and environmental justice. In addition, the organization pointed out that the agency didn’t provide any notice before removing those pages. The non-profit organization gave some specific examples in its lawsuit. Dr. Reshma Ramachandran, who has a research program at Yale School of Medicine, said that the CDC’s removal of its resources about contraceptives and STIs caused delays in her “patients’ access to appropriate contraception.” Meanwhile, a Dr. Stephanie Liou said the the pages’ removal impeded her ability to formulate a quick and appropriate response to a chlamydia outbreak in her high school, as her employers didn’t have access to “many expensive clinical resources.” Doctors of America accused the CDC and the FDA of violating the Paperwork Reduction Act that requires officials to “ensure that the public has timely and equitable access to the agency’s public information.” In addition to bringing back the pages that were removed, the agencies were also ordered to restore any resources that were modified to their original state by February 14. The resources that were brought back online will remain available while the non-profit org’s lawsuit is ongoing. Source link #Court #orders #CDC #FDA #restore #deleted #web #pages #related #gender #identity Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

A Star With a Planet May Be Racing Through the Galaxy at Record Speed A Star With a Planet May Be Racing Through the Galaxy at Record Speed A potential record-breaking exoplanet system has been identified, moving at a speed of at least 1.2 million miles per hour (540 kilometers per second). The discovery suggests a low-mass star is traveling through the Milky Way with a planet in orbit, marking a significant find in the study of high-velocity celestial bodies. If confirmed, this would be the first instance of a planet orbiting a hypervelocity star, nearly doubling the speed at which the solar system moves through the galaxy. Microlensing Data Reveals a High-Velocity Star According to a study published in The Astronomical Journal, the system was detected through microlensing observations. Scientists analyzed data from the Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA) project, which recorded a significant lensing event in 2011. Microlensing, a phenomenon where a massive object bends light from a background star, allowed researchers to infer the presence of two celestial bodies with a mass ratio of approximately 2,300 to 1. However, the exact masses remain uncertain due to the unknown distance of the system from Earth. David Bennett, Senior Research Scientist at the University of Maryland, College Park and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, stated in an official press release by NASA, that while determining the mass ratio is straightforward, calculating the actual masses requires further observation. The initial findings suggested two possible scenarios: a star about 20 percent the Sun’s mass with a planet approximately 29 times Earth’s mass, or a rogue planet around four times Jupiter’s mass accompanied by a smaller moon. Follow-Up Observations Strengthen Findings To determine the most probable explanation, astronomers examined data from the Keck Observatory in Hawaii and the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite. A potential host star was identified around 24,000 light-years away, located in the Milky Way’s galactic bulge. By tracking its movement between 2011 and 2021, its exceptionally high speed was calculated. Aparna Bhattacharya, Research Scientist at the University of Maryland, College Park and NASA Goddard, said that further observations will confirm whether the identified star is the same one responsible for the microlensing signal. If the star remains in a fixed position, the possibility of a rogue planet with a moon would be favored instead. Future Research to Confirm System’s Nature The system’s true velocity may exceed the Milky Way’s escape speed of approximately 1.3 million miles per hour (600 kilometers per second). If so, it could eventually leave the galaxy, entering intergalactic space. Sean Terry, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Maryland, College Park and NASA Goddard, told that NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will help refine the understanding of planetary systems around fast-moving stars. The telescope’s high-resolution imaging will eliminate the need for multiple observatories, providing clearer insights into these rare celestial formations. Source link #Star #Planet #Racing #Galaxy #Record #Speed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]