Pelican Press

Open: This is “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Feb. 9, 2025 Open: This is “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Feb. 9, 2025 Open: This is “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Feb. 9, 2025 – CBS News Watch CBS News This week on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” as the Trump administration continues its dismantling of USAID, Republican Rep. Michael McCaul and Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar join to discuss. Plus, our correspondents’ panel. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On Source link #Open #Face #Nation #Margaret #Brennan #Feb Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Devon Energy Corporation (DVN) Among the Best Energy Dividend Stocks to Buy Right Now Devon Energy Corporation (DVN) Among the Best Energy Dividend Stocks to Buy Right Now We recently published a list of 10 Best Energy Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN) stands against other best energy dividend stocks to buy right now. The energy sector’s presence within the broader US stock market has fluctuated over time. In the 1970s, it accounted for around 15% of the market, whereas today, it represents just 3.2% of the broader index, as reported by U.S. Bancorp Investments. However, energy consumption has increased since the 1970s, and its significance has not diminished. According to analysts, from an economic standpoint, energy stocks hold a more substantial role in the broader market than their current index weighting suggests. READ ALSO: 10 Best Dow Jones Dividend Stocks According to Wall Street Analysts Towards the end of 2024, energy sector stocks saw considerable fluctuations, rising by over 6% in November before declining nearly 10% in December. By the close of the year, the broader market’s energy sector, which had been up nearly 20% at its highest point, finished 2024 with a return of just 5.72%. This performance fell well behind the wider market. Rob Haworth, senior investment strategy director with U.S. Bank Asset Management, made the following comment about the performance of energy stocks: “As 2024 came to a close, markets responded to the environment for energy prices. In part, it reflects concern that Oil Petroleum Exporting Countries+ (OPEC+) may soon boost production, which would add to an already solid supply situation. The oil market is one that remains well supplied but isn’t well demanded. Although the U.S. economy is strong, other major oil users like China and Europe are experiencing economic challenges. As a result, global oil demand is lagging.” Although energy stocks fell short of investor expectations, global investment in the low-carbon energy transition grew by 11% in 2024, reaching a record $2.1 trillion, according to BloombergNEF’s (BNEF) Energy Transition Investment Trends 2025 report. This growth was largely driven by increased investment in electrified transportation, renewable energy, power grids, and energy storage, all of which hit new highs last year. However, while total investment in energy transition technologies set a new record, its growth rate was slower than in the previous three years, when annual increases ranged from 24% to 29%. BNEF’s report also highlighted a clear divide between investment in well-established and emerging clean energy sectors. Proven technologies with scalable business models—such as renewables, energy storage, electric vehicles, and power grids—accounted for the bulk of 2024’s investment, totaling $1.93 trillion, a 14.7% increase. This growth persisted despite challenges from policy changes, higher interest rates, and an expected slowdown in consumer demand. Story Continues Even as oil prices decline, an increasing number of fossil fuel companies are allocating a larger share of their profits to shareholders, indicating a shift in focus away from reinvesting in oilfield development. Some major oil firms have even taken on debt to maintain shareholder payouts. According to Bloomberg, four of the world’s five oil supermajors borrowed a combined $15 billion between July and September 2024 to fund share buybacks, underscoring their commitment to rewarding investors. In addition, companies in the energy sector distributed over $49 billion in dividends during the third quarter of 2024, up from $32.2 billion three years ago, as reported by Janus Henderson. For this list, we first scanned Insider Monkey’s database of 900 hedge funds, as of the third quarter of 2024. Our focus was on selecting energy companies across various sectors within the energy industry, including exploration and production, utilities, renewable energy, and oil refining and marketing. From this pool of companies, we identified 10 companies that prioritize distributing dividends to their shareholders and ranked them in ascending order of the number of hedge funds having stakes in them at the end of Q3 2024. 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). Is Devon Energy Corporation (DVN) The Best Energy Dividend Stock To Buy Right Now? A group of technicians in hazmat suits inspecting a natural gas storage tank. Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 41 Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN) is an American leading natural gas and oil exploration and production company, based in Oklahoma. The company maintains a strong financial position with an investment-grade-rated balance sheet. Thanks to its low break-even point, it remains profitable even when oil prices are relatively low. In addition, it has more than a decade’s worth of drilling opportunities on its land. Notably, Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN) expanded its portfolio in the second half of 2024 by acquiring additional onshore US assets. This move highlights not only its solid financial foundation but also its ability to grow through acquisitions. In essence, the company can serve as an industry consolidator, acquiring assets that may be too small to attract the interest of larger energy giants. Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN) has a strong cash position, which makes it a reliable investment opportunity for income investors. In the most recent quarter, the company generated over $1.6 billion in operating cash flow, up from $1.5 billion in the previous quarter. It has been making regular dividend payments to shareholders since 1993, coming through as one of the best dividend stocks from the energy sector. The company offers a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.37%, as of February 8. At the end of Q3 2024, 41 hedge funds in Insider Monkey’s database held stakes in Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN), compared with 52 in the previous quarter. These stakes have a total value of over $793.5 million. Overall, DVN ranks 10th on our list of best energy dividend stocks to buy right now. While we acknowledge the potential for DVN 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 DVN 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. Source link #Devon #Energy #Corporation #DVN #Among #Energy #Dividend #Stocks #Buy Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Red Solstice 2: Survivors Ultimate Edition Review – GamesReviews Red Solstice 2: Survivors Ultimate Edition Review – GamesReviews From GamesReviews:”Embark on a tense and chaotic journey with Red Solstice 2: Survivors Ultimate Edition on PlayStation 5. Immerse yourself in a strategic sci-fi universe on a hostile, terraformed Mars.” Source link #Red #Solstice #Survivors #Ultimate #Edition #Review #GamesReviews Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Anthony Salvanto says Americans feel Trump is doing “what he said he would do in the campaign” Anthony Salvanto says Americans feel Trump is doing “what he said he would do in the campaign” Anthony Salvanto says Americans feel Trump is doing “what he said he would do in the campaign” – CBS News Watch CBS News Anthony Salvanto, CBS News director of elections and surveys, tells “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that President Trump has a 53% approval rating in his first weeks in office.”He’s doing, in the eyes of the public, what he said he would do in the campaign,” Salvanto said. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On Source link #Anthony #Salvanto #Americans #feel #Trump #campaign Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Sources: Giannis (calf) out through All-Star break – ESPN Sources: Giannis (calf) out through All-Star break – ESPN Sources: Giannis (calf) out through All-Star break ESPNGiannis Antetokounmpo to miss NBA All-Star game due to calf strain Channel3000.com – WISC-TV3Milwaukee Bucks injury report: Giannis Antetokounmpo is out with a calf strain. TV channel, game time, odds Milwaukee Journal SentinelGiannis Antetokounmpo To Miss All-Star Game hoopsrumors.com Source link #Sources #Giannis #calf #AllStar #break #ESPN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Gorgeous new RPG Mabinogi Mobile finally sets release date Gorgeous new RPG Mabinogi Mobile finally sets release date The Mabinogi Mobile release date is confirmed, as Nexon and devCAT Studio brings a fresh spin on this beloved MMORPG series for mobile. Source link #Gorgeous #RPG #Mabinogi #Mobile #finally #sets #release #date Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Ireland beat Scotland to eye another Six Nations slam Ireland beat Scotland to eye another Six Nations slam Ireland remain on track for a Six Nations grand slam after handing Scotland a bruising 32-18 defeat in an impressive exhibition of stealth and power at Murrayfield. Tries from Calvin Nash, captain Caelan Doris, James Lowe and Jack Conan, plus 12 points off the boot of rookie fly-half Sam Prendergast saw Ireland to a terrific away victory on Sunday and left them as the only unbeaten team after the opening two rounds of the tournament. The visitors dominated the clash in Edinburgh with relentless pressure from both their forwards and backs, limiting the Scots to tries from Duhan van der Merwe, with an outrageous flying one-handed touchdown in the corner, and a late consolation from Ben White. Little else went right for the hosts, who lost influential fly-half Finn Russell and flying winger Darcy Graham in the 22nd minute when they clashed heads and were both forced from the field, Graham on a stretcher and in a neck brace. Ireland stormed into an eighth-minute lead as Prendergast’s long pass found Nash in acres of space after the Scottish defence had been sucked inside looking to halt early Irish initiative. Nash might have had a second try five minutes later but was impeded by Van der Merwe as he chased down the ball. Van der Merwe was yellow carded for tackling the man without the ball but no penalty try awarded. Ireland, however, scored again in the 31st minute as Doris crashed over at the end of a display of power from the rampaging forwards for a 17-0 lead. Van der Merwe’s record-extending 31st try for Scotland came on the stroke of halftime in a rare foray into Irish territory. Ireland were penalised for a maul infringement, allowing Scotland to pass the ball down the line with Stafford McDowall’s back of the hand pass finding Van der Merwe. He still had much to do to score, but hurled himself into the air and touched down in American Football-style fashion in the corner. It handed Scotland resolve to take into the second half and they further reduced the deficit to 17-11 when Blair Kinghorn slotted over two penalties in the 10 minutes after the break, offering some hope to the sell-out 67,000-strong crowd. But Ireland quickly quashed any potential comeback and were back on course for an 11th successive win over Scotland as Lowe scored in the 54th minute and replacement Conan five minutes later. Ireland further stretched their lead in the 70th minute as 21-year-old Prendergast put over his second penalty, to add to three conversions. White’s sniping dart to the tryline in the 75th minute served only as a consolation for a well beaten Scottish side. Source link #Ireland #beat #Scotland #eye #Nations #slam Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Clean energy takes spotlight as election looms Clean energy takes spotlight as election looms Political donations, clean energy incentives and internet infrastructure will take centre stage as parliamentarians prepare to enter campaign mode. Source link #Clean #energy #takes #spotlight #election #looms Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Helldivers 2 Players Celebrate the First Anniversary With the First Episode of Chronicles of J.O.E.L Helldivers 2 Players Celebrate the First Anniversary With the First Episode of Chronicles of J.O.E.L The first episode of Chronicles of J.O.E.L, the Helldivers 2 GM is out and it delves into the battle of Mort. Helldivers found an eerie hint. Source link #Helldivers #Players #Celebrate #Anniversary #Episode #Chronicles #J.O.E.L Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

First credible report of RTX 5090 FE with melted connector appears — third-party cable likely cause First credible report of RTX 5090 FE with melted connector appears — third-party cable likely cause One of the first credible reports of a melted power cable on the RTX 5090 has been posted on Reddit (h/t VideoCardz). According to u/ivan6953, they were playing Battlefield 5 on their gaming PC, with a power draw of 500 to 520 watts during that time, when they suddenly smelled something burning. They immediately shut off their PC, but it was too late —the damage had already been done; their RTX 5090 FE’s power connector socket and connector cable had already melted. RTX 5090FE Molten 12VHPWR from r/nvidia One thing to note was that they were using a Moddiy cable, not the one included in the GPU’s box. Although this is a non-official third-party cable, the company claims that it’s a 12V-2×6 cable design and is compliant with ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0 specifications, up to 600 watts. The user claimed that they’ve been using the power cable for over two years on their RTX 4090 FE GPU with no issues. They also said that they securely fastened the cable and that it made an audible click when they inserted it into the GPU power connector. On consideration, the Reddit post seems to have been penned by an experienced PC builder. However, their Asus ROG Loki PSU was also affected, with the 12V-2×6 connector on it also melting. u/ivan6953 even said that they suspect that the problem originated on the PSU side, especially as it seems to have been more heavily damaged. This problem is unlikely an issue with Nvidia’s RTX 5090 design, especially as the company has reassured the public that its RTX 50 series power connectors are unlikely to melt despite its higher TDP. Furthermore, Nvidia has taken steps to reduce the strain on the GPU power port by angling the connector, ensuring that there’s less stress on the interface that could cause it to overheat and melt. Still, Nvidia’s partners, like Zotac and MSI, aren’t being complacent. They have added safety features like the 12VHPWR safety light, which prevents the GPU from powering up until the cable has been fully inserted, and a yellow-tipped 16-pin power adapter, which ensures the user that the power cable is safe and secure if they no longer see the bright yellow tip insert. The user says that they will file warranty claims with both Nvidia and Asus to address the issue, but they’re not confident they’ll be properly served because they used a third-party cable. It could also be that there was a loose connection somewhere in there which caused the cable to overheat and melt on both sides. But, whatever the case, we wish the OP the best of luck in getting the problem sorted. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #credible #report #RTX #melted #connector #appears #thirdparty #cable Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Transcript: Rep. Michael McCaul on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Feb. 9, 2025 Transcript: Rep. Michael McCaul on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Feb. 9, 2025 The following is the transcript of an interview with Rep. Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas, on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on Feb. 9, 2025. MARGARET BRENNAN: And we turn now to Republican Congressman Mike McCaul of Texas. Good morning. It’s good to have you here. REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL: Good morning, Margaret. Thanks for having me. MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to dig into what has been happening, this mass confusion with USAID. There were 30 million metric tons of food sitting at a port in Houston all week because there weren’t US workers to unload the food aid, food American taxpayers had already bought. Food that Secretary Rubio said should be delivered, but wasn’t. How is this mass confusion increasing efficiency? REP. MCCAUL: Well, if I could peel back on that a little bit, the- the confusion, I think, goes back to the Biden administration when they started to implement these woke policies of drag queen shows in Ecuador, when they started talking about LGBTQIA programs like, say, in Latin American countries, how to sue Catholic governments, promoting atheism in Nepal, where you have Tibetan Buddhist monks– MARGARET BRENNAN: –I saw the- I saw the White House Fact Sheet on this, but this– REP. MCCAUL: –but this- this is- this is what gave the- USAID a ****** eye. I personally believe that USAID has a national security mission. If you go back to its inception in the ’60s under President Kennedy and the Cold War, it was to counter the Soviet Union. We need to return to the core mission principles. MARGARET BRENNAN: Right. Well, you have been a big supporter of USAID. When you’re chairman of House Foreign Affairs, you’ve talked about the great work that it does around the world. But back to this food aid. I mean, this isn’t a- a theater program. This is food for starving people. How is getting it all locked up in these ports- I mean, it’s the way it’s being implemented that has drawn so much shock here. Do you think this is being done well? REP. MCCAUL: Well, I think- so the Secretary, in response to all this, and by the way, I put holds on all those programs I was talking about, had nothing to do with the central core mission. However, the Secretary made waivers on humanitarian assistance in PEPFAR, which has been the most successful global health program, initiated by President Bush, by the way. The implementation of this is where I would urge the administration to move more expeditiously. I just got word about 10 minutes ago that the World Food Program now, these waivers are now being implemented, that it is being executed, that food will be going out. But to your point, about $40 million in food rotting in these warehouses in Houston, about 500,000 metric tons on ships, you know, on the sea. The peace through food program dates back to the ’50s, after the Marshall Plan. It is to provide stability in- in fragile, unstable countries. It is to counter Russia, China, and terrorism. It is our diplomatic power. Otherwise, we’re talking about bullets, as Mattis talked about, and Lindsey Graham. MARGARET BRENNAN: Right, if you don’t fully fund the State Department, you got to buy me more bullets– REP. MCCAUL: Cool. MARGARET BRENNAN: –that’s Mattis’s line. But on how this is being done, Secretary of State Rubio keeps saying he’s issuing waivers and he’s getting things moving. I’m glad the World Food Program now says food is moving, but there’s a huge divide between what he’s saying and then the fact that there weren’t USAID workers there to actually load ships or move things. There weren’t folks to process. It seems a fundamental misunderstanding between the bosses and the operators. Is this really how it should be done? Why not review and then take action? REP. MCCAUL: And there’s a debate about whether you should, you know- there is a top to bottom review. I think, after what happened under the Biden administration, it absolutely needs to be reviewed to get back to the core mission, as I talked about. So that is being done. At the same time putting a halt on all humanitarian assistance and life saving medicines, I think that’s where- Secretary Rubio issued these waivers for a reason, in consultation with the president, President Trump, and it seems to me, his department needs to start implementing the waivers. Now again, the World Food Program– MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, people have to be able to go back to work. I mean, that was before the courts said people could even go back to work to implement what he’s telling them to do. REP. MCCAUL: And there is a temporary injunction on that issue. I would urge the State Department to put the adequate resources necessary to deliver this, because our foreign adversaries are looking at this, just as they laughed at the Ecuador drag shows. They’re also questioning what’s happening now. And I think we need to have a strong presence in destabilized nations to keep out our adversaries. MARGARET BRENNAN: But do you think this was done intentionally, or are- are people like this individual, Pete Marocco, who Secretary Rubio has authorized to run this, do they just not know how the department works? Or how USAID– REP. MCCAUL: I really can’t speak for him, I know that he’s been in charge- put in charge of the Foreign Assistance Program– MARGARET BRENNAN: Will you bring him into Congress and answer questions since there’s a hearing on USAID this week? REP. MCCAUL: Well, I- I do think- the administration has provided, by the way, notification and consultation with the Foreign Affairs committee that I chaired, and that is required, under law. They have done that. I think if they decide to terminate, that’s a whole nother issue. My understanding is that they want to look at putting USAID underneath the State Department, which is not a novel concept– MARGARET BRENNAN: No. REP. MCCAUL: –Madeleine Albright talked about this under– MARGARET BRENNAN: Right. REP. MCCAUL: –you know, and Bill Clinton and Warren Christopher talked about this, even Joe Biden talked about this. I think putting it under State makes a lot of sense to me, to provide the direct supervision and oversight. MARGARET BRENNAN: But you know how this department works, since you were the chair for so long, of the committee overseeing it. When this Trump-appointed judge put that federal- the pause on the putting USAID workers on leave, he wrote in the opinion, “no future lawsuit could undo the physical harm that might result if USAID employees are not informed of imminent security threats occurring in the countries to which they’ve relocated in the course of their service to the United States.” He’s saying that the messy way this rolled out put people in physical risk when they are deployed by our government to countries over sea. Did the Secretary of State have any idea? REP. MCCAUL: Secretary of State issued the waivers for PEPFAR and for humanitarian, both food and medicine. MARGARET BRENNAN: But people living and- and working, in places like Syria, aren’t able to access computer systems and security warnings that are there. REP. MCCAUL: The- you know, every- every president that comes in does a review. I would argue, though, that since the Secretary has issued the waivers, it’s incumbent upon his subordinates now to implement these waivers so that we don’t see what could happen, where people are not getting their vaccines, they’re not getting the **** treatment, they’re starving people in destabilized countries. And then we see China and Russia, and, quite frankly, Lindsey Graham and I did the Global Fragility Act to impact the Sahel in Africa. That is turning into a terror safe haven. You got Ebola popping up in Uganda. These are serious issues that, if we don’t start implementing the waivers, you’re going to see it get worse, not better, and I would urge the administration to do that. MARGARET BRENNAN: You’re striking a very different tone than- than Congressman Brian Mast who was here last week, and he said there’s a grift on the American people. He said PEPFAR and Americans shouldn’t fund AIDS drugs for 20 million people across Africa because their governments might work with China. REP. MCCAUL: It’s the best– MARGARET BRENNAN: There’s a divide in your party about this right now. REP. MCCAUL: Well, it’s the best- I can always speak to the program that President Bush started, and it was to save millions of lives. That is probably one of the- been the best goodwill missions the United States- and put the best face, no pun intended, on the nation, overseas, with our adversaries, countering them, with these people. We’re saving their lives. The best global health program ever implemented by the United States was PEPFAR. I’d hate to see that go away. It will sunset once we achieve the mission. However, programs like that, when you look at the National Security importance of USAID, need to be maintained. And I go back to why it was implemented in the first place. MARGARET BRENNAN: On Friday night, the President ordered all foreign assistance to South Africa be halted and said, we should prioritize the resettling of Afrikaner refugees. These are white South Africans. That means they will get priority over everyone, it seems, because there’s a suspension of refugee entry into the United States, including those Afghan allies who worked along the United- alongside the United States. Are you going to try to help lift that? REP. MCCAUL: Yeah. I believe- you know, I did a comprehensive investigation that- the debacle of Afghanistan that the Biden administration was responsible for, including leaving our Afghan partners behind. Those– MARGARET BRENNAN: Should they get a carve out from the Trump ban on refugees? Should the Afghans? REP. MCCAUL: And I do believe that it was an unintended consequence that needs to be fixed. Look, we promised them we would protect them when they worked with our servicemen and women in Afghanistan. These are the interpreters, the ones who are right alongside our combat veterans. They have these special immigrant visas and P1, P2 and it’s my- my view, that they should be allowed to go forward with the SIV program. And they have been vetted, by the way, Margaret, they have been vetted. Unlike some of the other groups they talked about, these have been vetted. They worked with our troops to defeat the Taliban, which unfortunately, Biden surrendered to. But it seems to me, we ought to live up to our word, otherwise down the road in another conflict, no one’s going to trust us. MARGARET BRENNAN: Congressman McCaul, thank you. REP. MCCAUL: Thanks, Margaret. Face The Nation Transcripts More More Source link #Transcript #Rep #Michael #McCaul #Face #Nation #Margaret #Brennan #Feb Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Analysts Bullish as AI Inference Becomes Key Growth Driver Analysts Bullish as AI Inference Becomes Key Growth Driver 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 NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) 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). Story Continues Nvidia (NVDA): Analysts Bullish as AI Inference Becomes Key Growth Driver Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 193 NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) specializes in AI-driven solutions, offering platforms for data centers, self-driving cars, robotics, and cloud services. On February 7, Timothy Arcuri from UBS maintained a “Buy” rating on the stock with a price target of $185.00. Besides UBS, analyst Joseph Moore at Morgan Stanley is also bullish on the stock and calls Nvidia a “top pick”. On February 6th, Moore reiterated an “Overweight” rating on the stock with a $152 price target. He said investors should buy in the DeepSeek dip. “While sentiment has worsened around potential longer term risks, near term business continues to firm, Blackwell supply visibility continues to build [and] customer desire to spend is clearly on display. We remain very optimistic on how the balance of the year plays out.” Amongst other things, Moore believes the biggest long-term catalyst for Nvidia goes beyond AI training and into the company’s leadership in the inference market. Inference is a process where trained AI models apply its knowledge to new data and then making predictions or decisions based on that data. “We remain convinced that Nvidia is the biggest beneficiary of long inference workloads.” Overall, NVDA ranks 4th on our list of AI news updates you should not miss. While we acknowledge the potential of NVDA 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 NVDA 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. Source link #Analysts #Bullish #Inference #Key #Growth #Driver Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Skyrim: Why You Should Start Over in 2025 Skyrim: Why You Should Start Over in 2025 It may be approaching 15 years old, but there are more than a few reasons to load up Bethesda’s classic fantasy RPG adventure in the year 2025. Source link #Skyrim #Start Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Transcript: Sen. Bill Hagerty on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Feb. 9, 2025 Transcript: Sen. Bill Hagerty on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Feb. 9, 2025 The following is the transcript of an interview with Sen. Bill Hagerty, Republican of Tennessee, on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on Feb. 9, 2025. MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to Tennessee Republican Senator Bill Hagerty, who joins us this morning from Palm Beach, Florida. Good morning to you, Senator. SEN. BILL HAGERTY: Good morning, Margaret, good to be with you. MARGARET BRENNAN: I have a lot to get to with you today, but I want to start with the announcement from the White House that over 65,000 employees have accepted the offer to leave their jobs with pay through September 30. This is that deferred resignation program, or buyout, as it’s called. Can you explain how putting federal workers on paid leave through September will save taxpayers money if we’re paying them not to work? SEN. HAGERTY: Margaret, eventually it will save taxpayers money. I think what President Trump is trying to do is be humane in the process of allowing them to make plans to find other employment, but I certainly think the government is far too big, far too bloated, and we’re on a path now to start to see it shrink. This is the first step only, but we’re moving in the right direction. MARGARET BRENNAN: So does that mean the agencies won’t hire replacements for these people who- who take the so called buyout? Are you reducing headcount? SEN. HAGERTY: I think what we’ll see is each agency- yeah, I think what we’ll see, Margaret, is each agency go through a top to bottom review to decide exactly what they need to do to deliver on behalf of the American public. As you know, there’s been a lot of consternation and pearl clutching about the activities of Elon Musk and his team, but their charge, led by President Trump, is to go in and find efficiencies, find opportunities, and, frankly, deliver more of taxpayer dollars to the actual programs that are intended less to overhead in administration. MARGARET BRENNAN: So you said eventually it will save money. I know you’re on Appropriations Committee, and you watch these things pretty closely here. When will it save money? SEN. HAGERTY: Well, I would say certainly as soon as these people start to roll off the payroll again. I’m from the private sector Margaret. My entire background has been in business. This is the way you do it. You come in, you look at the opportunities before you. President Trump has brought a new administration in. This is not unusual, to take a hard look at these programs and also to look for opportunities to cut bloat and waste. Look, we’re $36 trillion in debt. Clearly, the American- the American public needs to see more accountability, more visibility, more performance for their taxpayer dollars. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah, and I think anyone who works in the private sector understands how layoffs work. The government is so unique, though, with laws establishing some of these agencies. And as you know, and we’ll talk about it later in the program, some of this is tied up in the courts. Specifically, since you’re on Banking, the budget director announced he’s notified the Federal Reserve that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will no longer take congressional funding because it’s not necessary. Elon Musk tweeted, rest in peace. Can you tell us, did the White House inform– SEN. HAGERTY: — I missed Elon Musk’s tweet– MARGARET BRENNAN: –the bank- Yeah, did- did the White House inform the Banking committee that it’s being dismantled? What does CFPB rest in peace mean? SEN. HAGERTY: So I’ve- I’ve had significant conversations with Russ Vought, who is our new OMB director. The CFPB has been out of control for some time. The way it’s designed, I think, is unconstitutional. It has no oversight. It’s been basically a reckless agency that’s been allowed to go way beyond any mandate that I think was originally intended. So it’s time to rein it in, and I’m applauding anything that we can do to bring more stability, more control to the federal government and take agencies like this back, you know, back into some sort of sense of accountability and oversight. MARGARET BRENNAN: So what does that mean? Because it’s established as an agency and there are legal protections here. SEN. HAGERTY: Well, it was established as- as an agency that does not have the jurisdiction of the Congress. Its funding source is separate from us. It has no accountability. This is not the type of agency, I think, that the Founding Fathers contemplated. We- we actually contemplated a balance of power. Yet this rogue agency has been created, and frankly, it’s been used as a tool to come in and just hammer the American private sector and pursue initiatives that you, know, certain- certain people like Rohit Chopra might have approved, or Senator Elizabeth Warren might have approved. But this is not the way the American public should be funding and supporting programs of this nature. MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, so a different government agency, USAID, and its fate is also in question. We looked at the Congressional Research Service definition here, because it was enshrined in law, USAID, it says, because Congress established it as independent within the executive branch, “the President does not have the authority to abolish it.” Congressional authorization would be required to abolish, move, or consolidate USAID. So, have you or do you expect Congress to actually authorize the President to dismantle and consolidate USAID? SEN. HAGERTY: I think there’s a tremendous appetite to do it. Again, Margaret, because what we want to see is alignment of our programs with America’s national security interest. USAID has been out of control. I’ve demanded accountability from AID. They’ve refused it. As an appropriator, I’ve, you know, asked them to be very clear about, for example, their role in funding ****** in Gaza. They would not comply. They will not tell us what they do. Now that we start to find out some of the programs that AID has been funding, if you think about it, sex change operations in Guatemala, LGBTQ programs in Serbia– (BEGIN CROSSTALK) MARGARET BRENNAN: The U.S. government does not fund sex change operations– SEN. HAGERTY: –this is ridiculous. This is so beyond the pale– MARGARET BRENNAN: –or fund ******. You know that, though, but you- you sit on– SEN. HAGERTY: And that is not true, Margaret, I couldn’t get the Secretary of State- I asked him three times to tell me that we were not funding ****** through AID. He couldn’t do it. And frankly, what we’ve found is– MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you have any evidence that the United States government is- ter- SEN. HAGERTY: –that we’ve been funding, as American taxpayers, organizations– MARGARET BRENNAN: –is- is funding a terrorist group? SEN. HAGERTY: Certainly. The- the funds that have gone to UNRWA, you saw the- the UNRWA members– MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, that’s a- UNRWA is not a terrorist group– SEN. HAGERTY: –who were also ****** members go in and attack on– MARGARET BRENNAN: –UNRWA is part of- of the United Nations– SEN. HAGERTY: UNRWA is supporting terrorist groups. And if you look at what UNRWA has done, it’s been so counter to our national interest. It’s unbelievable that we would fund it. (END CROSSTALK) MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. Since you’re on Foreign Relations, let me ask you specifically, what’s happening inside the State Department right now. A gentleman named Darren Beattie has been appointed as acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. He was fired from the first Trump administration after he attended a white nationalist convention. He’s made a lot of inflammatory statements against women and minorities. If he couldn’t work for the first Trump administration, how is he qualified to work now? SEN. HAGERTY: Margaret, I’m not familiar with Mr. Beattie or the claims that you raised, but- we want to talk about qualifications for people serving the administration, why not look back at the prior administration? The only qualification Tony Blinken seemed to have to be Secretary of State is that he organized 51 intelligence- so-called intelligence officials to forge a letter to say that the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation. (CROSSTALK BEGINS) MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay– SEN. HAGERTY: I mean, we want to talk about accountability and who should be serving, let’s go back and look at the last administration– MARGARET BRENNAN: –is attending a white nationalist rally apro- if it wasn’t appropriate to attend a white nationalist rally then– SEN. HAGERTY: I don’t know anything about this, Margaret. MARGARET BRENNAN: –is it appropriate now? SEN. HAGERTY: I don’t know anything about this man. MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. Well, the Secretary of State spoke about it– SEN. HAGERTY: I don’t know anything about this man. I’m not going to respond. (END CROSSTALK) MARGARET BRENNAN: –earlier this week, so Secretary Rubio does know about it. Tariffs. President Trump said he plans, as soon as this week, new reciprocal tariffs on everybody. It sounds like he’s broadening out this trade war. Do you know exactly which goods or countries will be impacted in the coming days? SEN. HAGERTY: So, I talked with President Trump on Friday about this broadly, Margaret. This is a concern that he has had for some time. As you know, I served in his previous administration and worked my heart out to get two trade agreements executed with Japan. I was U.S. Ambassador to Japan in his administration. Here’s what we’re trying to deal with, and it goes all the way back to World War II and the aftermath. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah. SEN. HAGERTY: We made very favorable terms of trade with- with countries whose economies– MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. SEN. HAGERTY: –had dev- devastated in Europe and Japan. We should have time-limited that. We should have put some type of GDP– MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. SEN. HAGERTY: –per capita limit on it, because what we have now are countries that have very unfavorable and unfair terms– MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. SEN. HAGERTY: –that are fully developed. So it’s time to- to address this– (CROSSTALK) MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator, I’m sorry– SEN. HAGERTY: It’s already begun to happen, President Trump and I talk- yeah. MARGARET BRENNA: Senator, I’m sorry, my- SEN. HAGERTY: –it’s already begun to happen. MARGARET BRENNAN: I’m running out of time to- because of the commercial break that’s coming up here– SEN. HAGERTY: Okay. (END CROSSTALK) MARGARET BRENNAN: –so I have to leave it there. I apologize for cutting you off. We’ll be right back. Face The Nation Transcripts More More Source link #Transcript #Sen #Bill #Hagerty #Face #Nation #Margaret #Brennan #Feb Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Israeli military withdraws from Netzarim corridor in Gaza – The Guardian Israeli military withdraws from Netzarim corridor in Gaza – The Guardian Israeli military withdraws from Netzarim corridor in Gaza The GuardianHamas says Israeli military withdraws from Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor ReutersIsraeli Troops Withdraw From Netzarim Corridor in Gaza The New York TimesHamas official: IDF completed withdrawal from eastern part of Netzarim Corridor The Times of Israel Source link #Israeli #military #withdraws #Netzarim #corridor #Gaza #Guardian Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

New Cute Airport Puzzle Game Pocket and Zoom Announced New Cute Airport Puzzle Game Pocket and Zoom Announced Japanese developer Technobrain announced an interesting airport-based puzzle game titled “Pocket and Zoom.” Source link #Cute #Airport #Puzzle #Game #Pocket #Zoom #Announced Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

FA Cup stunner as Liverpool get beaten by Plymouth FA Cup stunner as Liverpool get beaten by Plymouth All-conquering Liverpool have been halted in their triumphant tracks by struggling second-division side Plymouth Argyle, who have knocked them out of the FA Cup with a stunning 1-0 fourth-round victory. It ended any hopes of a quadruple of major trophies for Liverpool, who lead the Premier League by six points with a game in hand, finished top of the revamped first stage of the Champions League and have reached the League Cup final. Ryan Hardie’s 53rd-minute penalty on Sunday proved the winner for Plymouth, a club from the south-west of England, who are in last place in the second-tier Championship and recently fired Wayne Rooney as their manager. Liverpool fielded a heavily rotated lineup, without stars like Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Virgil van Dijk who weren’t even on the bench, but still had established internationals like Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota on the field in a frenetic ending to the game as Plymouth were forced to defend doggedly. At the end of a nerve-shredding nine minutes of stoppage time, Plymouth goalkeeper Conor Hazard produced a stunning save to tip over a header from Nunez and then was in the right place to keep out another header — this time from Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher after he came up for a corner. There were fabulous scenes at the final whistle as Plymouth players hugged each other on the field and fans did the same in the stands at Home Park. Liverpool are eight-time winners of the FA Cup, most recently in 2022. Elsewhere, Brazilian players Joao Gomes and Matheus Cunha scored in the space of two minutes to send Wolverhampton Wanderers through to the last 16 with a 2-0 win at Blackburn. Gomes shot under the body of goalkeeper Balazs Toth to give Wolves the lead in the 33rd minute at Ewood Park, before Cunha — who recently signed a new contract with the team — drove home a low finish into the far corner a minute later. Source link #Cup #stunner #Liverpool #beaten #Plymouth Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Anthony Davis’ dominant debut for Dallas Mavericks derailed by injury in victory over Houston Rockets – CNN Anthony Davis’ dominant debut for Dallas Mavericks derailed by injury in victory over Houston Rockets – CNN Anthony Davis’ dominant debut for Dallas Mavericks derailed by injury in victory over Houston Rockets CNNWith Anthony Davis injury concerns, Nico Harrison’s gamble goes beyond trading Luka Doncic The Dallas Morning NewsDavis on top of his game in debut with Mavs Mavs.comFull Focus: Anthony Davis dominates in Dallas debut before leaving with injury NBA.ComAnthony Davis exits Mavericks debut with non-contact injury, but says it’s ‘nothing serious’ Yahoo Sports Source link #Anthony #Davis #dominant #debut #Dallas #Mavericks #derailed #injury #victory #Houston #Rockets #CNN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

2025 is the year of the RPG 2025 is the year of the RPG With Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth starting the year out with a strong PC launch, in many ways, 2025 could be the year of the RPG. There are many anticipated role-playing experiences that people, including myself, cannot wait to get their hands on. Kingdom Come Deliverance II just came out and the game’s director is claiming it already made its money back on day one. Making great games is a process. It is not always the easiest thing to do. And we gamers can be a bit on the picky side when it comes to what we like, and also what gets on our nerves. RPGs in particular, can be especially tricky to nail from the developer standpoint because there are so many factors that come into play. When you look at skill trees, it can tell you a lot about how the game will play, and how it will function too. Character building is a story in itself. And when it comes to storylines, some of the best RPG games have had brilliantly branching narratives that offer players many choices throughout their playthrough — I am looking at you Mass Effect trilogy. So, with all these items that developers have to focus on, an RPG game can be difficult to master. But alas, let’s focus in on some of the upcoming RPG titles that gamers should have their eye on. Avowed Avowed comes out on February 18, and it is sure to have some unique stories to tell us. Obsidian Entertainment has been a workhorse studio for Microsoft and Xbox. And that is not going to change this year, as they are bringing two games to this list for year 2025. Set in the world of Eora, straight out of the Pillars universe, this game has shown off some brilliant looking environments and is sure to have plenty of fighting, persuasion, and all manner of adventures to players to get into. Coming to Xbox Series X|S and PC. Monster Hunter Wilds Another February title coming very soon on the list, is Monster Hunter Wilds. Coming from the makers Capcom and launches February 28. I know Monster Hunter fans everywhere, absolutely cannot wait to get their hands on this game. This game, in case you didn’t know, is going to be huge. It is widely considered to be one of the most anticipated games of the year and will likely have some nominations come the end of the year. Also, this game is a true successor to Monster Hunter World, which released back in January of 2018. This game is coming to Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Okay, so honestly this might be my most anticipated game of the year. Ever since I saw the introduction trailer, this game has been on my radar. And make no mistake, this adventure is not a hack and slash type of game, it actually is turn-based combat. All my Persona brothers know what I am talking about. Sandfall Interactive is bringing a twist to the turn-based genre in what could be a smash hit for this studio’s first game. Although it is being called a type of JRPG, it is actually French inspired. Releasing April 24 on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC. Borderlands 4 Hopefully Gearbox is feeling crazier than ever. I think everyone could use some crazy Gearbox lines every now and again. And Borderlands returns this year with its fourth installment in the first-person shooter series. We don’t have a set release date yet for this one, but it was announced at the Game Awards for 2025, and I am sure fans are waiting not-so-patiently for it. Releasing on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC sometime this year. Solasta 2 This game is a Dungeons and Dragons rule set video game, much like Baldur’s Gate 3. But that doesn’t mean we should begin the comparisons already, or does it? Seriously though, this one might be one that slips under the radar for many, as the first game didn’t have a whole lot to it in terms of functionality but received quite a bit of support and improved as it moved further from the initial release. Solasta 2 looks to now have a solid foundation and with some increased experience with developer Tactical Adventures, this could be a very good game. Only time will tell though. I have this one wish listed and am hoping for the best. Releasing to Early Access on Steam sometime in 2025. The Outer Worlds 2 I told you that Obsidian would show up twice on this list. And I did not lie. Obsidian is releasing not one, but two RPG games this year. Since 2019, when The Outer Worlds, when the original game released, it seemed to catch a lot of people’s attention. Including that of Xbox, who then bought the studio after that and now The Outer Worlds 2 is published under the Xbox banner. But don’t worry PlayStation fans, this one is coming out on the PS5 as well. Honestly, just go watch this trailer for the game. The devs have some great sense of humor. Releasing sometime in 2025. Fable I would remiss if I didn’t mention Fable here. Even though we don’t know for sure it’s actually releasing this year, and I have my own doubts on that topic. But if it does release, that would be a huge release. It’s been 15 years since the world has seen a Fable game, and this one in particular looks like it could be a real stunner. We shall see if it hits the 2025 window, or if it gets pushed to 2026. One thing is for certain, Fable will be a huge release no matter what year it drops. Like I said at the top, there are some big RPG games coming in 2025. And there is something for everyone on this list that hopefully many of you are looking forward to. I hope some find this useful or maybe even found a new game to wish list on here. Many of the games above are highly anticipated. Happy gaming everyone! Matt Marston Contributor Matt has been playing video games since he was old enough to hold a controller. Starting with the Nintendo, playing any game his parents would allow him to play. Now many years later, he enjoys playing a wide variety of games and also enjoys listening to gaming podcasts and hearing other people’s opinions on all kinds of gaming topics. Some of his favorite franchises are Elder Scrolls, Mass Effect, Halo, and Diablo. Source link #year #RPG Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Deepseek’s AI model ‘the best work’ out of China: Google Deepmind CEO Deepseek’s AI model ‘the best work’ out of China: Google Deepmind CEO Google DeepMind co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Demis Hassabis gives a conference during the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry’s biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona on February 26, 2024. Pau Barrena | Afp | Getty Images Deepseek’s AI model “is probably the best work” out of China, Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google DeepMind said on Sunday, but added that the company didn’t show any new scientific advances. Last month, China’s Deepseek released a research paper that rattled global markets after claiming its AI model was trained at a fraction of the cost of leading AI players and on less-advanced Nvidia chips. Deepseek’s announcement sparked an aggressive stock sell-off and sparked considerable debate over whether large tech firms are spending too much on AI infrastructure. Hassabis praised Deepseek’s model as “an impressive piece of work.” “I think its probably the best work I’ve seen come out of China,” Hassabis said at a Google-hosted event in Paris ahead of the AI Action Summit that is being hosted by the city. The DeepMind CEO said the AI model shows that Deepseek can do “extremely good engineering” and that it “changes things on a geopolitical scale.” However, from a technology point of view, Hassabis said it was not a big change. “Despite the hype, there’s no actual new scientific advance … it’s using known techniques [in AI],” he said, adding that the hype around Deepseek has been “exaggerated a little bit.” The DeepMind CEO said that the company’s Gemini 2.0 Flash models, which Google this week released to everyone, are more efficient than DeepMind’s model. Deepseek’s claims around its low cost and the chips it uses have been questioned by experts, who think the cost of development for the ******** firm’s models is higher. AGI five years away The AI world has been debating for years when the arrival of artificial general intelligence, or AGI, will happen. AGI broadly refers to AI that is smarter than humans. Hassabis said that the AI industry is “on the path towards AGI,” which he describes as “a system that exhibits all the cognitive capabilities humans have.” “I think we’re close now, you know, maybe we are only, you know, perhaps 5 years or something away from a system like that which would be pretty extraordinary,” Hassabis said. “And I think society needs to get ready for that and what implications that will have. And, you know, make sure that we derive the benefits from that and the whole society benefits from that, but also we mitigate some of the risks, too.” Hassabis’ comments mirror those of others in the industry who have suggested that AGI could be closer to reality. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman this year said that he is “confident we know how to build AGI as we have traditionally understood it.” Still, many in the industry have also flagged multiple risks associated with AGI. One of the biggest concerns is that humans will lose control of the systems they created, a view shared by prominent AI scientists Max Tegmark and Yoshua Bengio, who recently shared their concerns with CNBC over this form of AI. Source link #Deepseeks #model #work #China #Google #Deepmind #CEO Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Baltic states unplug from Russia and join EU power grid Baltic states unplug from Russia and join EU power grid Getty Images The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are now unplugged from Russia’s electricity grid and have joined the European Union’s network. Plans for the move – which have been in the works since 2007 – were seen as essential for European security and had been brought brought forward after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. “Today, history is made,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen told a ceremony in Lithuania’s capital. “This is freedom, freedom from threats, freedom from blackmail.” Polish President Andrzej Duda, praised it as a “truly symbolic moment” that would make the region “more secure and resilient”. “It is the final step towards emancipation from the post-Soviet sphere of dependence,” he added. The so-called Brell power grid – which stands for Belarus, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania – is controlled almost entirely by Moscow and has long been seen as a vulnerability for the three Baltic states. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are now Nato members and have not purchased electricity from Russia since 2022, but their connection to the Brell grid left them dependent on Moscow for vital energy. In her speech, Ms Von der Leyen warned that Nato must remain watchful of possible Russian retaliation. Getty Images The ceremony was attended by Estonian President Alar Karis, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics Pointing to a recent spate of suspected sabotage incidents involving electricity cables and pipelines in the Baltic Sea, she said “there is a pattern, and we cannot ignore it.” In the past 18 months, at least 11 cables running under the Baltic Sea have been damaged. In a recent case, a ship from Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers was accused of damaging Estonia’s main power link in the Gulf of Finland. The Kremlin declined to comment. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called for sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet, saying recent incidents were of “great concern”. Nato has not directly accused Russia but responded by launching a new patrol mission of the region named Baltic Sentry. In total, around 1.6bn euros (£1.33bn) was invested in the project to transfer the three nations onto the EU’s grid, with the funds largely provided by the EU. The transition took place over two days, with three nations disconnecting from the Russian grid on Saturday morning, operating as an “energy island” for around 24 hours, and plugging into the EU grid on Sunday. Ukrainian Energy Minister ******* Galushchenko hailed it as a “significant event for the whole of Europe”. Source link #Baltic #states #unplug #Russia #join #power #grid Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Salman Rushdie to face alleged attacker in court room Salman Rushdie to face alleged attacker in court room Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie is set to testify this week in the trial of the man accused of stabbing him during a 2022 literary event in New York. The attack, which left Rushdie blind in one eye and with a disabled hand, is now the subject of a high-profile courtroom battle unfolding in Chautauqua, the town where it happened. The attack, one of the most traumatic events of his life, is also the central theme of Rushie’s latest book, Knife. Rushdie has lived under the shadow of death threats since 1989, when Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa placing a $US3 million ($A4.8 million) bounty on his head for publishing the controversial book, The Satanic Verses. While the threats forced him into hiding for years, in recent times, they seemed to have faded until the attack in Chautauqua. Hadi Matar, a 27-year-old dual US-Lebanese citizen from New Jersey, allegedly rushed the stage during a cultural event in the town of about 4000 people, near the ********* border. He stabbed Rushdie up to 12 times, leaving the Booker Prize-winning author blind in one eye and unable to use one hand. Eyewitnesses described the scene as the writer collapsed in a pool of blood. The entire attack, lasting 27 seconds, was caught on video and is expected to be played in court when the trial begins on Monday. Matar, who refused a plea deal and faces up to 25 years in prison, was subdued by event attendees and has remained in custody ever since. In addition to state charges, he also faces federal terrorism charges for allegedly providing material support to Hezbollah, which the US designates as a foreign terrorist organisation. Jury selection concluded last week, with 12 jurors chosen from a pool of 27 candidates, all of whom acknowledged familiarity with the case but affirmed they could remain impartial despite the defendant’s strong religious beliefs. Court officials have enforced strict secrecy around Rushdie’s testimony to mitigate security risks, while the Chautauqua County Court has issued protective orders to prevent juror identities from being leaked. Meanwhile, Matar’s defence lawyer, Nathaniel Barone, has argued for due process, unsuccessfully requesting the trial be moved out of Chautauqua, citing alleged bias from the town’s predominantly white population toward Middle Eastern people. Rushdie, born in India and now a dual British-American citizen, is expected to share the courtroom with the man who changed his life forever. “No matter what I have already written or may now write, I will always be the guy who got knifed. The knife defines me. I will fight a battle against that, but I suspect I will lose,” Rushdie writes. Source link #Salman #Rushdie #face #alleged #attacker #court #room Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

‘There is a feeling that this system is rigged’ ‘There is a feeling that this system is rigged’ A regulatory loophole in the United Kingdom’s energy market could have households paying far more for electricity during times of low renewable power generation. What’s happening? As detailed by the Guardian, the United Kingdom produced a record amount of energy from solar and wind in 2024. Generally, clean power leads to lower utility bills, making it a win for both consumers and the planet, as pollution from dirty fuels is driving Earth’s dangerous overheating. However, on Jan. 8, Great Britain’s grid operator had to shell out more than £20 million (around $25 million) to keep the power running when high demand amid frigid temperatures coincided with low wind speeds. As a result, the operator had to call on gas power plants to fire up. Two of the plants — which received 90% of the funds to balance supply and demand — refused to operate unless they received up to 100 times the pay rate compared to normal market prices. The Connah’s Quay plant in North Wales earned £10.3 million in revenue (around $12.8 million), while the Rye House facility north of London raked in nearly £7.5 million (around $9.3 million). Why is this important? Prior to Jan. 8, the grid operator indicated that it would need the gas plants to operate in order to meet energy supply, yet the Connah’s Quay and Rye House facilities said they intended to shut down unless they received increasingly higher rates, as reported by the Guardian. These actions went against “the spirit of the rules, which is to protect bill payers from excessive costs,” according to a source who spoke with the publication. In 2023, industry regulator Ofgem issued new trading rules for power plants to counteract fears the energy generators were profiting off temporary dips in renewable energy supply. Watch now: What’s the true environmental impact of renewable energy? “Under the rules, power plant owners cannot threaten to cut their generation to zero on the same day they offer to continue running for very high prices. But there is nothing to prevent owners from using this strategy if it gives the grid operator notification of the shutdown a day ahead of time,” the Guardian wrote. “There is a feeling that this system is rigged,” a commodities trader told the publication after the gas power plants commanded exorbitant fees. Ofgem hasn’t said whether Connah’s Quay and Rye House officially broke the regulations, but another industry source told the Guardian: “We have suspicions that some traders in the market have been allowed to hold the power system to ransom by using a loophole in the market regulation.” VPI Power, which owns Rye House, denied violating its market obligations in a statement to the Guardian. VPI and Uniper, which own Connah’s Quay, declined to comment on the matter. What’s being done about this? A spokesperson for Ofgem told the Guardian that it would “not hesitate to act” if it determined foul play, adding that it has recouped more than £78 million (around $97 million) in fines and redress since the beginning of 2023. Pranav Menon, a researcher at Aurora Energy Research, also suggested that Britain’s clean power grid would catch up as the country introduces additional energy storage technologies that can hold renewable power for later use, thus ensuring nonpolluting, affordable energy is available even when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining. “While a system with greater intermittent renewable capacity is more complex to manage and increases balancing costs during periods of tightness, it also delivers benefits such as lower wholesale prices,” Menon said. Households with their own solar panels can also tap into the benefits of battery storage by installing a home system, ensuring they have access to low-cost power during grid disruptions. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don’t miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Source link #feeling #system #rigged Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Map: 7.6-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes the Caribbean – The New York Times Map: 7.6-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes the Caribbean – The New York Times Map: 7.6-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes the Caribbean The New York TimesMagnitude 7.6 earthquake strikes in the western Caribbean YahooMap: Tracking a Potential Tsunami in the Caribbean The New York Times7.6 magnitude earthquake shakes the Caribbean southwest of Cayman Islands, USGS says ABC NewsTsunami warning canceled for Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands after earthquake in Caribbean Sea USA TODAY Source link #Map #7.6Magnitude #Earthquake #Strikes #Caribbean #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Six Nations 2025: Scotland 18-32 Ireland Six Nations 2025: Scotland 18-32 Ireland The visitors were winning with more ease than anybody had imagined. Hope arrived at the end of the half for Scotland when, having coughed up a lineout close to the Irish line, they went again, ran direct through Jack Dempsey and then found the holy grail of fast ruck ball and accurate hands. Huw Jones fed McDowall, who slipped it out the side door to Van der Merwe. His finish was sensational. There was a further sliver of optimism early in the new half. A solid start brought a Scotland penalty. Kinghorn banged it over. A nine-point game now. Still a mountain to climb, but there was an edge to the Scots now that wasn’t there before. Kinghorn launched an attack from deep and Ireland scrambled. Henshaw came within a whisker of being done for a deliberate knock-on, a yellow card and possibly a penalty try, but like Van der Merwe, he escaped. Back we came for penalty advantage and Kinghorn narrowed the gap to six from in front of the posts. Eleven unanswered points and expectations rising at Murrayfield. Ireland were having none of Scotland’s revival, though. In seven minutes leading up to the hour they struck out and settled the contest once and for all. It was Lowe who finished it after Scotland were dragged right and left. The wing stepped around Kinghorn who had come barrelling out of the line and went over. Prendergast’s conversion made it 24-11 and soon after Gibson-Park took advantage of a woefully flat Scotland defence when dinking a kick over the top. With nobody in the backfield, Ireland didn’t have a massively difficult job in putting Conan over for the bonus point try. There was that Prendergast penalty and the White try to come, but they were academic. Ireland march on with serious intent while Scotland are shunted back into wearily familiar territory. Source link #Nations #Scotland #Ireland Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]