Norovirus outbreak sickens nearly 120 guests, crew on Holland America cruise ship
Norovirus outbreak sickens nearly 120 guests, crew on Holland America cruise ship
A norovirus outbreak on a Holland America Line cruise sickened nearly 120 people.
Among 2,614 guests aboard the line’s Rotterdam ship, 107 reported being ill during its current voyage, along with a dozen crew members, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their main symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea.
Rotterdam departed on a 12-day Panama Canal cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Feb. 2, according to CruiseMapper.
A Holland America spokesperson said the “cases were mostly mild and quickly resolved.”
“We initiated enhanced sanitation protocols in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to minimize further transmission, including continuous disinfection of the ship,” the spokesperson told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. The cruise line also isolated sick guests and employees, among other steps, the CDC said.
Holland America Line’s Rotterdam cruise ship in the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands on Oct. 14, 2021.
The cases mark the seventh outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on cruises that has met the health agency’s threshold for public notification in 2025. There were 18 outbreaks last year – including on Rotterdam in December – most of which were caused by norovirus.
Outbreaks tend to happen more frequently in the winter when the weather is colder, according to the health agency. But while the illness is frequently associated with cruises, those account for just 1% of all outbreaks reported.
Dr. Dean Winslow, a professor of medicine and pediatrics at Stanford Medicine, told USA TODAY last month that outbreaks typically happen in congregate settings, especially where people are eating and drinking. Those include cruise ships, universities, nursing homes and “even hospitals,” he said.
This story was updated to add new information.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at *****@*****.tld.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 115+ sick with norovirus on Holland America cruise ship
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Trump Argues That Courts Cannot Block Elon Musk’s DOGE Team From Treasury Systems – The New York Times
Trump Argues That Courts Cannot Block Elon Musk’s DOGE Team From Treasury Systems – The New York Times
Trump Argues That Courts Cannot Block Elon Musk’s DOGE Team From Treasury Systems The New York TimesJustice Department seeks to stop order keeping DOGE out of Treasury systems The Washington PostThe Government’s Computing Experts Say They Are Terrified The AtlanticTrump admin files motion to vacate restraining order prohibiting DOGE access to Treasury payment systems Fox NewsMusk’s DOGE Team Now Seeks Access to Treasury’s Accounting Data Bloomberg
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****** says it will postpone hostage release, blaming Israel
****** says it will postpone hostage release, blaming Israel
A spokesperson for the armed wing of ****** says the group is postponing the next scheduled release of Israeli hostages, blaming what he said were Israeli violations of the ceasefire deal.
Three hostages held in Gaza are due to be freed on Saturday in exchange for more ************ prisoners held in Israel.
Abu Obeida said the releases would not go ahead until Israel complied with its obligations. He said violations included delaying the return of displaced Palestinians to the north, firing on people, and failing to allow into Gaza humanitarian aid “in all its agreed-upon forms”.
Israel’s defence minister called the announcement “a complete violation of the ceasefire agreement”.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “to prepare at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza and to protect the communities.
“We will not allow a return to the reality of 7 October [2023],” when ****** attacked Israel, triggering the war.
******’s announcement came shortly before people gathered in Tel Aviv to mark the 24th birthday of Israeli hostage Alon Ohel, his second in captivity.
He was taken hostage from the Nova festival on 7 October 2023.
Mia Goldstein, an attendee of the rally for Ohel, told the BBC there should “immense pressure” to get the rest of hostages out, adding ******’s delay is “horrifying”.
United Nations spokesperson Farhan Haq said “any delays” to the fragile ceasefire deal would be an issue, and said all parties involved should adhere to their previously stated agreements and timelines.
But ****** has said the “door remains open” to the exchange going ahead on Saturday – if Israel “complies”, according to news agency AFP.
The allegations made by ****** on Monday include that Israel is “delaying the return of displaced persons to northern Gaza”, “targeting them with shelling and gunfire in various areas of the Strip”, and of breaching the agreement on aid supplies.
But the announcement did not reference Donald Trump or US policy, but it comes after strong remarks made last week by the US president about the US taking ownership of Gaza and redeveloping it.
His proposal included the resettlement of Palestinians outside of the territory, and has been praised as “revolutionary and creative” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The militant group’s statement is the latest in a series of recriminatory actions between the two sides.
Israel delayed by two days allowing displaced Palestinians to return to the north of the Gaza Strip, accusing ****** of reneging on a commitment to free a female Israeli civilian hostage.
Israel also recently briefly delayed buses taking ************ prisoners to be released into the occupied West Bank, after expressing anger over the way in which hostages were released through crowds of spectators in Gaza hours earlier.
On Friday, ****** exceeded by a short time a deadline to release the names of hostages to be freed on Saturday – as required under the ceasefire – prompting concern in Israel. This came after it accused Israel of failing to abide by its commitment to boost the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza –contradicting what had been described by the UN’s humanitarian chief as a “massive surge”.
Since the ceasefire began on 19 January, 16 Israeli and five Thai hostages have been released in exchange for 566 prisoners.
By the end of the first stage of the ceasefire in three weeks’ time, 33 hostages and 1,900 prisoners are expected to have been freed. Israel says eight of the 33 are dead.
****** took 251 hostages and killed about 1,200 people when it attacked in October 2023. Israel launched a military campaign in response, killing at least 48,000 Palestinians, according to the ******-run health ministry.
Seventy-three hostages taken on 7 October, and three others taken a decade earlier, are still being held in Gaza.
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Austrian police search for ‘shaman fraudster’ suspect
Austrian police search for ‘shaman fraudster’ suspect
Police in Austria have issued a European arrest warrant for a woman they believe posed as a shaman to defraud victims out of large sums of money.
Police said they discovered cash, jewellery and gold worth over 10m euros (£8.3 million) at the woman’s house in Mödling, near Vienna.
They said the suspect is a 44-year-old Austrian citizen named only as Mariana M, who went by the name Amela.
Her 29 year-old son has been arrested and is in custody in the town of Wiener Neustadt.
Police say they believe Mariana M may have defrauded people in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
Police say Mariana M told one victim that a “close relative had been cursed and that she foresaw her death. In order to break this alleged curse, the accused then demanded 730,000 euros for ‘cleansing rituals'”.
They said after the victim had handed over the money to the accused in several instalments, the suspect broke off contact. Another woman then informed the victim by telephone that the “shaman” had fallen into a severe coma as a result of the ritual.
Director of Police in Lower Austria, Franz Popp, said: “In a world in which many people are looking for answers to the essential questions of life, profiteers have established themselves who claim to possess supernatural powers.”
“They exploit the trust of their victims who are in emotional or financial distress and are looking for help and support,” he added.
Police have appealed to any other victims to contact the Lower Austrian State Office of Criminal Investigation.
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*** must respect Trump’s mandate, new US ambassador tells BBC
*** must respect Trump’s mandate, new US ambassador tells BBC
The *** must respect President Donald Trump’s “strong and clear mandate for change”, the new *** ambassador to the US has told the BBC on his first day in the role.
Lord Peter Mandelson said the *** would not necessarily agree with every detail of Trump’s agenda, but added: “We have to respect and understand what drives him, what his mandate is to do, and how his allies need to adjust sometimes.”
Earlier on Monday, he presented his diplomatic credentials (a formal letter from King Charles) to the US State Department and officially became the new ambassador.
The 71-year-old, one of the best known figures in British politics having served in several Labour governments, is the first political appointee to the role in 50 years.
Asked how he would approach the position of US ambassador, Lord Mandelson said there was already a “strong relationship between our government and a very warm personal relationship between [Trump] and our prime minister”.
“Each of us wants to grow our economies,” he said. “I think that what we need to do is to build a technology and investment relationship between the US and the *** that’s fit for the 21st Century. That’s where I want to focus.”
Last week, Trump told the BBC that tariffs on EU goods could happen “pretty soon” – but suggested a deal could be “worked out” with the ***.
US allies are also waiting nervously for possible tariffs on steel and aluminium, which could upend markets around the world.
Lord Mandelson said he is “concerned” about the possibility of tariffs, but added: “We actually have a very balanced trade relationship between Britain and the US. I don’t believe that his tariffs are actually directly targeted at us.”
“But of course, that shouldn’t make us complacent, and I’m not complacent. I’m going to focus, in a laser-like way, on the dialogue between us to make sure that we do not become collateral damage in the US,” he continued.
“But in the meantime, I don’t think we should be overreacting.”
The political veteran who helped mastermind Labour’s renewal in the 1980s and 1990s, and was twice forced to resign from Tony Blair’s government, has staged a political comeback with his arrival in Washington.
He is understood to already be planning how best to deploy Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with officials considering inviting the president on a second state visit to London.
Lord Mandelson told the BBC that Starmer and Trump share a “warm personal relationship”, which should make trade negotiations easier.
“I’m not just going to stay in Washington DC. I’m going to go out right across this country in order to spread the message of Britain’s strengths, our qualities, our attributes, and why we are such an important and worthwhile country for Americans to invest in,” he said.
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Inter sink Fiorentina to go second in Serie A
Inter sink Fiorentina to go second in Serie A
Marko Arnautovic’s first league goal of the season has given Inter Milan a 2-1 win over Fiorentina and lifted them back into second place in Serie A.
The win was revenge for La Viola’s 3-0 victory in last week’s rescheduled league game and moved Inter to within one point of leaders Napoli after 24 games.
More than 67,000 fans at the San Siro on Monday night saw Austria international forward Arnautovic glance home the winner with his head, seven minutes into the second half.
Inter took a first-half lead thanks to the intervention of in-form striker Lautaro Martinez. His header took a deflection on the way in and was given as an own goal by Marin Pongracic.
Fiorentina levelled a minute before halftime with the help of the video referee. The match referee initially waved away shouts of a handball by Matteo Darmian but awarded a spot kick after looking at the VAR, and Rolando Mandragora made no mistake from the spot.
But Arnautovic’s header was a killer blow for Fiore, who remain one point behind Juventus in sixth place on the table and 13 behind Napoli.
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Trump tariffs reportedly spark display panel stockpiling from monitor manufacturers
Trump tariffs reportedly spark display panel stockpiling from monitor manufacturers
Monitor makers are allegedly stockpiling display panels in response to tariffs imposed on China by the Trump administration. DigiTimes Asia reports that screen stockpiling volume is expected to reach 3 million units, with monitor prices allegedly increasing by 5% due to tariffs.
The implication of the new tariffs could cause a chain reaction in the monitor panel industry, on top of just stockpiling. Heavy competition in the industry is expected to choke second-tier monitor brands (think those without a long history in or close ties to the display business), hampering their negotiating power, and forcing these lower-tier brands to pay higher prices to ensure they get enough product capacity for their products.
“First-tier” brands, by comparison, will be less affected, having more room to compensate for the new tariffs with their reportedly better capacity and selection capabilities.
Panel demand is reportedly increasing progressively in the first quarter of 2025, as the biggest players in the display market such as Dell, HP, and Samsung build their inventory to combat tariff pricing. This initial wave in demand seemingly began in late 2024, and has led to slight price increases for some monitor panels already.
Displays are far from the only part of the tech industry feeling the impact. ASRock is planning to move production outside of China due to the same Trump-imposed tariffs. And it doesn’t seem to be planning a move to the U.S., but rather Vietnam and Taiwan, countries where tariffs have yet to be applied.
Even though Tariffs have not yet been applied to those nations, Trump has threatened Taiwan with up to 100% tariffs on semiconductor chips. The U.S. president’s stated aim is to bring back semiconductor manufacturing jobs to the U.S., many of which have shifted to Taiwan.
Newegg also blamed tariffs (before deleting its Tweets) for the frustrating limited availability and price issues plaguing the new RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards. They company’s social media pointed to tariffs in addition to scalpers as being responsible for hiking prices by 18% on Nvidia’s flagship GPUs. MediaTek is also conducting impact simulations to see how U.S. tariffs might impact its business operations.
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Judge tosses opera singer’s lawsuit against the University of Michigan over firing
Judge tosses opera singer’s lawsuit against the University of Michigan over firing
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DETROIT (AP) — A judge dismissed a lawsuit Monday by an acclaimed opera singer who sued the University of Michigan over his firing for what the school deemed ******* misconduct.
David Daniels waited too long to sue the university, U.S. District Judge Sean Cox said.
Daniels, 58, was hired as a voice professor in 2015 and granted tenure three years later in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. He was fired in 2020 after an investigation found that he had solicited at least three students and shared a ********* explicit video with one, officials said.
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Separately, Daniels and and his husband, Scott Walters, pleaded guilty in 2023 to ******* assault and were placed on probation in Texas. A Rice University graduate student said the couple drugged and ********* assaulted him years earlier after they met at a Houston Grand Opera reception.
Daniels claimed that his rights were violated during the process that led to his University of Michigan firing. The school denied it and noted that he had been represented by a lawyer.
In a court filing, the university said waiting more than three years to sue was “inexcusable neglect” by Daniels or a “strategic decision.”
Daniels’ attorney, Francyne Stacey, said the criminal case in Texas presented “exceptional circumstances.”
Daniels also sued a student who had accused him of ******* misconduct. Cox, a federal judge, dismissed those claims, too, saying they were based on state law, not federal law.
Daniels has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the San Francisco Opera.
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Trial Lawyers Denounce Musk Attack on New York Federal Judge – Law.com
Trial Lawyers Denounce Musk Attack on New York Federal Judge – Law.com
Trial Lawyers Denounce Musk Attack on New York Federal Judge Law.comElie Honig responds to JD Vance’s controversial post about Trump and the courts CNNTrump allies suggest defying court orders after stinging legal rebukes The Washington PostWhat would happen if Musk tries to defy court orders? ABC News
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Mufasa: The Lion King Releases On Blu-Ray In April – Preorder 4K Steelbook At Amazon
Mufasa: The Lion King Releases On Blu-Ray In April – Preorder 4K Steelbook At Amazon
After finding success with The Lion King’s photorealistic adaptation in 2019, Disney returned late last year with Mufasa: The Lion King. The film technically takes place after Simba begins his reign as King of the Pride Lands, but as the title suggests, it also examines Mufasa’s formative years and rise to power (as told by the wise mandrill Rafiki). Lion King fans and Disney collectors who want to add the hybrid prequel/sequel to their shelf can preorder Mufasa: The Lion King on 4K Blu-ray for $66 or Blu-ray for $41 ahead of its April 1 release.
Mufasa: The Lion King Limited Edition Steelbook
Mufasa: The Lion King is following the same release model as a few other recent Disney films. In the US, the only 4K version is the Limited Edition Steelbook for $66. Disney previously followed this approach with Inside Out 2 and the recently announced Moana 2 Blu-ray release. Moana 2’s 4K Limited Edition Steelbook launches March 18 and is also priced at $66.
Amazon and Walmart offer preorder price guarantees and don’t charge until the product ships. If the price of Mufasa: The Lion King drops between the time you order and release, you’ll automatically get the lowest listed price.
$66
Mufasa: The Lion King’s steelbook features Mufasa and Simba on the front/back covers, while the interior art includes the core cast with Rafiki’s tree in the background. In addition to the 4K Blu-ray disc, you’ll get a standard 1080p Blu-ray disc and voucher to claim the digital version of the movie.
After watching the film on 4K, Lion King fans can check out a bunch of bonus features, including a sing-along version of the film and a handful of featurettes.
Mufasa: The Lion King Special Features:
Finding Milele: The Making of Mufasa: The Lion King
Sing-Along Version
Songs of the Savanna
Ostrich Eggs with Timon & Pumbaa
I Always Wanted A Brother
Protect the Pride
Song Selection
Deleted Scenes
Outtakes
$41
The standard 1080p Blu-ray combo pack comes with DVD and digital versions of Mufasa: The Lion King and all of the special features outlined above. At Amazon, you can preorder the Blu-ray release for $41. Walmart is also taking preorders for this edition, but the price is slightly higher at the time of writing ($44.39).
Beyond the two standalone movies above, there’s a Lion King 3-Movie Collection up for preorder. It also arrives on April 1, but it costs $56 and gets you the films on DVD instead of Blu-ray or 4K.
The better option for those who want to add all three movies to their collection is buying each film separately, especially since the 4K editions of the original animated film and 2019 live-action remake are so cheap right now. Consider pairing your Mufasa preorder with The Lion King (2019) 4K UHD for $13.84 (was $31) and The Lion King (Original) 4K UHD for $13 (was $35).
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Met Police officers rescue people and fight blaze at hostel
Met Police officers rescue people and fight blaze at hostel
Nine Metropolitan Police officers have been commended for bravery after rescuing 20 people from a fire at a hostel in Euston, London.
The officers were the first emergency responders on the scene when the fire started in the early hours of 8 February and searched the smoked-filled five-storey building, leading trapped and disorientated people to safety.
The nine officers and three members of the public were taken to hospital for minor injuries caused by smoke inhalation, and have since been discharged.
You can watch bodycam footage from the incident above.
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Nintendo has “got something up their sleeves” for Switch 2
Nintendo has “got something up their sleeves” for Switch 2
Nintendo finally revealed the Nintendo Switch 2, with a Direct scheduled for April 2, and it seems like it’s got something to entice people to make the leap.
Speaking to GamesRadar, 32-year vet Takaya Imamura, who has retired from Nintendo, notes that the original Switch had a “really long lifespan” and it’ll be difficult to sway people to take the leap to the next generation.
“The Switch has had a really long lifespan, and it sold really well, which must mean that this is something that is a global success. It’s got supporters all around the world, and I was thinking it would be difficult to really change that. But having said that, I think they’ve still got something up their sleeves.”
Frankly, he’s right, while leaks have established the barebones of the Switch 2, and some of its capabilities, we’re sure Nintendo’s still got some unique stuff buried below where not even leakers can find it.
April 2 will be a massive day for Nintendo fans, that’s all we can really say.
Gabriel Stanford-Reisinger Editor-in-Chief
Gabe has been a gamer since he was young, playing games like Pajama Sam, Freddi Fish, Guitar Hero, and whatever looked cool on GameFly. Ever since 2018, he’s been infatuated with the inner workings of the gaming and entertainment industries, covering a wide range of topics from video games to TV and film. Starting as a contributor for PSX Extreme, he’s worked his way up to its Managing Editor. Using what’s he learned over the years, he founded Smash Jump to remind everyone to smash jump.
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Banks agree to no regional branch closures – until 2027
Banks agree to no regional branch closures – until 2027
Major banks won’t be able to close regional branches until the middle of 2027, after a moratorium deal was struck with the federal government.
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What to expect from Fed Chair Powell’s testimony, tariff reactions
What to expect from Fed Chair Powell’s testimony, tariff reactions
Equities (^DJI, ^IXIC, ^GSPC) are moving higher ahead of Monday’s session close after President Trump announced plans to enact a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports into the US.
Slatestone Wealth chief market strategist and host of Yahoo Finance’s Trader Talk, Kenny Polcari, joins the Market Domination team in discussing today’s market reactions and what to expect from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s two days of testimony before Congress this week.
“I think Jay Powell made it very clear that they’re [Fed officials] in no rush to cut rates, that they’re being very data dependent,” Polcari tells Julie Hyman and Josh Lipton. “But I really think now that they’re going to take a step back and they’re going to watch what are these tariffs, [what are] these tariffs going to do. Are they, in fact, going to be inflationary?”
See more of Kenny Polcari as the host of Yahoo Finance’s newest podcast, Trader Talk with Kenny Polcari. Catch the latest episode where Polcari sits down with former Moody’s chief economist John Lonski.
To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination here.
This post was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.
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Justice Department seeks to stop order keeping DOGE out of Treasury systems – The Washington Post
Justice Department seeks to stop order keeping DOGE out of Treasury systems – The Washington Post
Justice Department seeks to stop order keeping DOGE out of Treasury systems The Washington PostTrump Argues That Courts Cannot Block Elon Musk’s DOGE Team From Treasury Systems The New York TimesTrump admin files motion to vacate restraining order prohibiting DOGE access to Treasury payment systems Fox NewsDOGE Data Block at Treasury Also Limits Bessent, DOJ Says Bloomberg
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Elon Musk-led group makes $97.4bn bid for ChatGPT maker OpenAI
Elon Musk-led group makes $97.4bn bid for ChatGPT maker OpenAI
A consortium of investors led by Elon Musk offered $97.4bn to take over OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT.
The billionaire’s attorney, Marc Toberoff, confirmed he submitted the bid for “all assets” of the tech company to its board on Monday.
The offer is the latest twist in a longstanding battle between Musk, the world’s richest man and right hand to US President Donald Trump, and Open AI chief executive Sam Altman over the future of the start-up at the centre of the AI *****.
In response to the bid, Altman posted on Musk’s social media platform X: “no thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”
OpenAI is widely credited with helping bring artificial intelligence tools into the mainstream and sparking huge investment in the sector.
Musk and Altman co-founded the start-up in 2015 as a non-profit company, but the relationship has soured since the Tesla and X boss departed the firm in 2018.
Altman is said to be restructuring the company to become a for-profit entity, stripping it of its non-profit board – a move Musk argues means the company has abandoned its founding mission of developing AI for the benefit of humanity.
But OpenAI argues its transition into a for-profit firm is required to secure the money needed for developing the best artificial intelligence models.
“It’s time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force for good it once was. We will make sure that happens,” Musk said in a statement.
“As the co-founder of OpenAI and the most innovative and successful tech industry leader in history, Musk is the person best positioned to protect and grow OpenAI’s technology,” Musk’s attorney added on his behalf and other investors.
The bid to take over Open AI bid is being backed by Musk’s AI company xAI, as well as several private equity firms, including Baron Capital Group and Valor Management.
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Tech weapon in war on vaping as ****** market booms
Tech weapon in war on vaping as ****** market booms
Attempts to crack down on vaping with tougher penalties and increased inspections of suppliers continue as new methods to help cut down on demand come online.
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Call Of Duty Double XP Event Extended Due To PSN Outage
Call Of Duty Double XP Event Extended Due To PSN Outage
Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 and Warzone’s latest double XP event was supposed to end on February 10, but Activision is extending the promotion for 48 more hours due to the PSN outage.
In a social media post, the developer said, “Didn’t get to play as much as you wanted over the weekend? We got you.” The double XP event will now end at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET on February 12. It was previously expected to end at the same time on February 10.
This double XP ******* covers double XP for player progression, weapons, and Gobblegum earn rate. Only the PSN went down this weekend, but the double XP event is extended across all platforms. Activision also held a ****** Ops 6 free trial February 6-10, but that event doesn’t appear to be part of the extension.
Didn’t get to play as much as you wanted over the weekend? We got you. We’re extending 2XP Weekend for 48 hours, now ending at 10 AM PT on Feb. 12.
— Treyarch (@Treyarch) February 10, 2025
Activision isn’t the only company compensating players for the downtime, as Capcom is extending the Monster Hunter Wilds beta due to the outage.
The PSN went down on Friday, February 7 and didn’t come back online for about 24 hours. Sony said the downtime was due to an “operational issue,” but that answer wasn’t enough for many fans who are asking Sony to provide more specifics as to what happened and why, and what’s being done to help ensure this does not happen again.
This was the second-longest PSN downtime ever, only surpassed by the infamous 2011 PSN downtime that was the result of hackers attacking the network. As compensation, Sony is offering all PlayStation Plus members an extra five days on their subscription for the 2025 outage.
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RBC Raises Price Target Amid AWS Strength and AI Investment
RBC Raises Price Target Amid AWS Strength and AI Investment
We recently published a list of 10 AI News Updates You Should Not Miss. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) stands against other AI news updates you should not miss.
Europe is putting itself on the artificial map with France and the United Arab Emirates having agreed to a framework accord for a 1 gigawatt data center dedicated to artificial intelligence. The French presidency said in a statement that the center will be the core of a new AI “campus” and will have up to 1 gigawatt of capacity, “which represents investments of 30 to 50 billion euros”.
READ ALSO: Top 10 AI Stocks Trending On Wall Street and 12 High-Flying AI Stocks This Week
The move is said to be a part of a larger AI agreement signed between French President Emmanuel Macron and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Paris. President Emmanuel Macron hosted his Emirati counterpart on Thursday.
“The two leaders expressed their desire to create a strategic partnership in the field of AI and committed to exploring collaborations on projects and investments supporting the development of the AI value chain”.
According to the leaders, the investments would go into both French and Emirati AI and would include buying advanced chips, building data centers, talent development, and establishing virtual data embassies to secure AI and cloud systems in both countries.
France is also going to be hosting the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit at the Grand Palais on February 10-11, 2025. The country has deemed the summit a “wake-up call” for Europe in the global race for AI.
“The summit comes at exactly the right time for this wake-up call for France and Europe, and to show we are in position” to take advantage of the technology, an official in Macron’s office told reporters.
Attendees at the summit will include Sam Altman, head of OpenAI, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Nobel Prize winner Demis Hassabis, who leads the company’s DeepMind AI research unit, amongst many other industry leaders, government officials, and similar figures from around the world.
For this article, we selected AI stocks by going through news articles, stock analysis, and press releases. These stocks are also popular among hedge funds.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
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Amazon.com (AMZN): RBC Raises Price Target Amid AWS Strength and AI Investment
A customer entering an internet retail store, illustrating the convenience of online shopping.
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 286
Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is an American technology company offering e-commerce, cloud computing, and other services, including digital streaming and artificial intelligence solutions. On February 7, RBC Capital analyst Brad Erickson raised the firm’s price target on the stock to $265 from $255 and kept an “Outperform” rating on the shares. The analyst told investors in a research note that the company’s Q4 results were mixed with a slight miss on third-party seller services and advertising revenues. There is also an implied $100B+ capex guide. These factors outweigh the company’s solid figures from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and continued EBITDA outperformance. The firm also stated that Amazon.com shares are “crowded” and the AI “spend money to make money” debate will undoubtedly continue, but AWS’s high margin growth and further network cost efficiencies will help the company grow its earnings at a level that justifies its valuation.
Overall, AMZN ranks 1st on our list of AI news updates you should not miss. While we acknowledge the potential of AMZN as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than AMZN but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and Complete List of 59 AI Companies Under $2 Billion in Market Cap
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
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Hegseth orders immediate pause on gender-affirming medical care for transgender service members – ABC News
Hegseth orders immediate pause on gender-affirming medical care for transgender service members – ABC News
Hegseth orders immediate pause on gender-affirming medical care for transgender service members ABC NewsOpinion | What’s Lost if the Government Pushes People Like Me Out of the Military The New York TimesSupport slips for openly transgender service members: Gallup The HillPentagon revives ban on transgender troops joining U.S. military USA TODAY
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Trump ousts director of Office of Government Ethics
Trump ousts director of Office of Government Ethics
Legal blowback to Trump executive orders
The legal blowback to Trump’s executive orders
07:41
Washington — President Trump on Monday removed the director of the Office of Government Ethics, the independent agency responsible for overseeing ethics rules and financial disclosures for the executive branch.
“OGE has been notified that the President is removing David Huitema as the director of OGE,” the office said in a notice on its website. “OGE is reverting to an Acting Director.”
Huitema was appointed to a five-year term by former President Biden. He was confirmed by the Senate in November 2024 and sworn in on Dec. 16, 2024. The office’s website now lists Shelley Finlayson as its acting director. Finlayson has been at the agency since 2006, serving most recently as chief of staff.
The move to oust Huitema comes two weeks after Mr. Trump fired at least 17 inspectors general from their roles as watchdogs without explanation, and as Mr. Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency task force have upended multiple government agencies.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Six months into Mr. Trump’s first term in 2017, Walter Shaub resigned as the head of OGE, saying the Trump White House abandoned the “norms and ethical traditions of the executive branch that have made our ethics program the gold standard in the world until now.”
OGE collects both confidential and public financial disclosures, as well as ethics agreements and other forms from government officials, from the president and vice president to high-ranking appointees and Cabinet nominees. The office works to identify and prevent conflicts of interest.
“The primary mission of the executive branch ethics program is to prevent conflicts of interest on the part of executive branch employees, by working to ensure that they make impartial decisions based on the public interest, serve as good stewards of public resources, and loyally adhere to the Constitution and laws of the United States,” OGE’s mission statement reads.
Kathryn Watson
Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.
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Spy Rider: Impossible Mission brings ******* trials to mobile with exciting action
Spy Rider: Impossible Mission brings ******* trials to mobile with exciting action
Spy Rider: Impossible Mission sees you drop into the boots of a bike-riding super-spy
Take on obstacle-strewn courses, escape exploding bases and take out enemy agents
All this and more, free-to-play on Android
Need action? Excitement? Can’t make it to the cinema because your favourite genre isn’t available? Well if you’re a spy aficionado who just so happens to also have a fondness for dirt bikes then you’ll be extra excited about today’s topic, Spy Rider: Impossible Missions!
This Trials-like has everything you’d expect from a dirtbike stunt experience. In this side-scrolling racing-slash-action racer you’ll navigate tracks filled to the brim with obstacles, enemies and a variety of near-impossible stunts to perform as you step into the shoes of a bike-riding super-spy.
Naturally, you’ll also get the chance to customise your chosen ride for even greater performance. And you’ll need it as you perform Bond-esque leaps over huge chasms, escape exploding secret bases and even take a break from the saddle in favour of other vehicles like jet skis!
The Spy who stunted me
I think the only thing that may put off certain players is the low-poly aesthetic of Spy Rider. This is a shame because it’s one of the things that I find quite appealing, and the additional features certainly seem impressive. What stands out to me though is the addition of other vehicles, which we sadly don’t see in the trailer but which (if pulled off well enough) could really make this the dream release for those of you who’re fond of those Bond-esque stunts.
If you’re looking for exciting Trials-like action on mobile I reckon you could do a lot worse than Spy Rider. And although there’s not an iOS release on the horizon you can still jump into it over on Google Play right now!
Meanwhile, if high-speed action is your thing why not check out our list of the top 25 best racing games for iOS and Android once you’re finished with Spy Rider to find even more rubber-burning fun?
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Trump removes director of government ethics office
Trump removes director of government ethics office
David Huitema, Director of the Office of Government Ethics, sits down with Reuters for his first interview on the job, at his office in Washington, U.S., Jan. 2, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
President Donald Trump has removed the director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, the agency said Monday.
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
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‘Your Time Is Finished!’ Facing Shocking Antisemitism, British Jews Prepare to Leave
‘Your Time Is Finished!’ Facing Shocking Antisemitism, British Jews Prepare to Leave
LONDON – In Britain today, one only needs to watch anti-Israel, pro-****** demonstrations to hear where the nation is headed. An angry man calls Zionists “filthy animals.” A man with a bullhorn bellows at passersby, “Like obedient sheep, you obey Israel.” Another protestor says on camera, “This whole condemning ******, I’m not going to condemn them. And Israel doesn’t exist.” And an angry woman in a burqa shrieks at Jewish protestors, “Your time is finished. You’re finished!
Most British Jews now believe they no longer have a future here. Recent polling has also found that most hide their Jewishness in public and do not feel welcome in the United Kingdom.
Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism says, “A lot of people have talked about whether they have a future in this country. Do I think the Jewish community in the *** is going to evaporate? No. But I do think there is a sizable conversation now happening within the community of people saying, ‘Hey, is this the place that we’ve got a future?'”
There were nearly 2,000 antisemitic incidents reported in the first half of 2024 – the highest number ever recorded for a six-month *******. Nine out of ten British Jews say the government is not doing enough to stop the violence and discrimination.
Jewish investigative journalist David Collier says, “I know some who left. I know some who are actively, seriously looking at leaving.”
And Collier says he constantly feels the anti-Jewish hate. “I get death threats every single day. But I’m also being contacted by Jews either who are having trouble at work, at home, students…”
Campaign for Antisemitism interviewed Jewish Oxford students who said, “The amount of antisemitism we’ve had in Oxford last year has been really awful. We’ve had swastikas. We’ve had Jews being accused of ‘weaponizing antisemitism.’ We’ve been told we’re not welcome at the university. We’ve had people chased down the street.”
Collier says the Jew hatred continues to worsen. “It’s been escalating. And this is the big message. It’s about the escalation, you know. It’s getting gradually worse. October the 7th was a tipping point, and we saw a sudden rush,” Collier said.
This is all happening in a nation where the adopted national song is “Jerusalem.”
In the song “Jerusalem” the British sing, “We will not cease until we have built Jerusalem in England’s green and pleasant land.” But this Judeo-Christian connection, which goes back centuries, has begun to fray.
Polling shows British Jews consider Islamists to be the most serious threat, and in a close second is the far-Left. Falter adds that the nation’s young people are being indoctrinated against Jews.
“We are seeing young people who believe that they are doing a righteous thing by discriminating,” Falter said. “They are becoming radicalized on the internet. They are imbibing bigotries that their parents themselves don’t have. And then they’re teaching this from one kid to another kid. And so, we’ve got a generation which is extremely hateful and not just hateful. They’re extremists.”
Some non-Jews see the danger and are publicly supporting Britain’s Jews. Mark Birbeck began the group Our Fight after he witnessed the lack of public support for Jews and Israel following October 7th.
Birbeck said he felt “Complete shock at the lack of empathy that people had for the Israeli people, the Jewish people, after October the 7th. In that *******, a few of us were going to these vigils that were being organized by the Jewish community and sort of thought, ‘We have to do something.'”
Another group supporting Britain’s Jews is Christian Action Against Antisemitism, led by Pastors Tim and Hayley Guttmann. Tim told us, “We passionately believe we owe a debt of gratitude to the Jewish people, and want them to know that we’re with them, and as Christians, we love them, we stand with them, we pray for them and support them.”
David Collier is afraid demographics have already decided the future course of Britain’s Jews. The most popular name for baby boys in Britain today is Mohammed.
Collier says, “The entire dynamic has changed. The entire atmosphere has changed both towards Israel and in extension, towards the Jewish community. It’s completely different. It’s a different country with a different demographic, a different outlook. Everything about it is different. You’re talking to these Jewish people and you know that things are only going to get worse for them, not better. There’s no, there’s no way back for the United Kingdom from this point. As far as I see, no way back.”
Falter has decided to stand for the future, with the hope that more non-Jews will join him.
“I think a lot of people don’t realize how antisemitism relates to them,” Falter said. “They don’t see it as something that’s going to actually hit home, hit them. Whatever happens with antisemitism in this country, if extremism continues to surge in the way that it is now, this country’s in for dark days… And so is the West.”
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