Pelican Press

Six Nations: Jordan starts as Scotland make three changes for Ireland Six Nations: Jordan starts as Scotland make three changes for Ireland Tom Jordan makes his first Six Nations start as Scotland make three changes for Sunday’s visit of Ireland. Rory Sutherland comes in at loosehead prop and Jack Dempsey is at number eight, while Jordan is chosen at inside centre. Pierre Schoeman, Jamie Ritchie and Stafford McDowell drop to the bench following last weekend’s opening win over Italy. Matt Fagerson switches to the blindside flank to accommodate Dempsey’s return. Sam Skinner is among the replacements, having been added to the squad this week, and Jamie Dobie is preferred to George Horne as back-up to scrum-half Ben White. New Zealand-born Jordan, 26, made his Scotland bow during the autumn series, having qualified on residency grounds. Scotland have lost the past 10 meetings with Ireland, with just one victory in 15. More to follow. Source link #Nations #Jordan #starts #Scotland #Ireland Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Fly Punch *****! is an anime superfighter that is now available on iOS and Android Fly Punch *****! is an anime superfighter that is now available on iOS and Android Fly Punch *****! is out now on all major platforms Create your character and beat opponents in interesting ways Full crossplay available to play with others Fly Punch *****! isn’t your typical fighting experience. It’s the kind where a single punch can split the Earth in half, and an uppercut might accidentally send someone into space, or straight into the moon’s backside. The chaotic, over-the-top spectacle has just made its way onto Xbox, PS5, PS4, iOS, and Android, and is already available on PC and Nintendo Switch. Developed by Jollypunch Games, Fly Punch *****! is now smashing its way across all major platforms with full crossplay support. That means whether you’re brawling on console, mobile, or PC, you can challenge friends or complete strangers, without any limits. It also supports local multiplayer for up to four people, so couch battles are very much on the table. We’ve seen a lot of games inspired by anime, and Fly Punch *****! is no less as every move in this superfighter feels like it belongs in a climactic series finale. You’re not just trading blows – you’re slamming opponents through skyscrapers, launching them into orbit with a dropkick, or even digesting them and… well, you’ll find out. If slaughtering your enemies isn’t enough, then the destructible environments add another layer to the chaos. Whales, asteroids, skyscrapers, and whatnot – whatever you see – can be a weapon, a hazard, or part of the scenery you’re about to smash someone through. The roster doesn’t stop with the default characters either. Thanks to mod support, you can create your own fighters or download from a growing collection of community-made heroes. With over 100 characters already available, the variety keeps things fresh, whether you’re battling online or locally. Here’s a list of the best fighting games to play on iOS right now! It’s not all random chaos, though. The fast-paced action is backed by solid mechanics, including rollback netcode for smoother online matches. You’ll find hidden traps, stage hazards, and super moves that reward timing and strategy just as much as raw button-mashing. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to punch someone so hard they break the planet, download Fly Punch *****! now. Visit the official website for more information. Source link #Fly #Punch #***** #anime #superfighter #iOS #Android Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The top lawyers for the wealthy’s most complicated divorces The top lawyers for the wealthy’s most complicated divorces A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox. Last week, Dan Rottenstreich’s law firm got an unusual case. A woman came to the firm asking for representation in her divorce. Like most of Rottenstreich’s clients, the woman and her husband were wealthy. Unlike most of his clients, their fortune came from crypto. The husband had founded a crypto firm, Rottenstreich said, whose assets were held in offshore trusts and crypto wallets — the wife needed help finding them. “We’re going to have to go back in time, find the transfers to digital exchanges, bring in crypto forensics, find the wallets and figure out what transactions went on over time,” said Rottenstreich, partner in Rottenstreich Farley Bronstein Fisher Potter Hodas LLP (RFB+Fisher Potter Hodas, for short). “We do what we always do. We follow the money.” Following the money has become harder than ever when it comes to wealthy divorces. As today’s fortunes have ballooned in size and number, they’ve also expanded in complexity. Offshoring, holding companies, highly specialized trusts and exotic jurisdictions around the world have made finding marital assets almost impossible for all but the most sophisticated financial experts. That’s where RFB+Fisher Potter Hodas comes in. Founded in 2023 from the merger of two matrimonial law firms — one in New York and one in Palm Beach, Florida — it’s rapidly grown into the one-stop shop for today’s most expensive divorces. The firm’s team of 40 lawyers includes former government prosecutors, trial lawyers, commercial litigators, and trust and estate experts, many from the top law schools and blue-chip firms. The aim, according to Rottenstreich and partner Jeff Fisher, is to bring divorce law into the modern wealth age. “Wealth is totally different now, and so are the cases,” Fisher said. “They’re so much ******* and more complicated. We have some cases where we have a million documents.” The story behind the new law firm, and its clientele, mirrors the rapid evolution of wealth over the past two decades. Fisher, one of the founding partners, started as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, prosecuting drug and bank fraud cases in Miami in the early 1980s. He later moved to Palm Beach and started taking divorce cases, representing Angela Koch in her much-publicized divorce from Bill Koch. Over time his firm, then called Fisher & Bendeck, grew to 10 attorneys, lifted by the rising fortunes and divorces of the Palm Beach elite. He handled the divorce of Ariane Dart from packaging king and “burger-box billionaire” Robert Dart and many others he can’t name, “since we always promise confidentiality.” Business was good, but his firm had a problem. His cases were growing, but he had trouble recruiting top law talent to handle the load. Matrimonial law carried a stigma of the 1980s and 1990s, when lawyers were seen as little more than negotiators for alimony or child support. “We had great demand but no supply,” he said. At the same time, the demographics of wealth were shifting. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the wealth in Palm Beach mainly came from inheritances or publicly traded stock, with founders and CEOs. After the 2008 financial crisis, the bull market and asset ***** created massive fortunes in tech, private equity, venture capital and private startups. Wealth became younger and global — and increasingly opaque. While the assets of the CEO of a publicly traded company are relatively easy to crack and divvy up — he keeps the $20 million of GE stock, she gets the Hamptons house and the $10 million Picasso — the new breed of global super rich made their money from secretive hedge funds, PE firms and private companies, with little or no public data. Fisher started thinking about how he could expand to attract more legal talent and better serve the new breed of clients. In 2017, he was representing Linda Macklowe in her divorce from developer Harry Macklowe, which centered on the couple’s $1 billion art collection. Despite bitter feuds in court, Fisher had friendly conversations with Harry’s lawyer, Dan Rottenstreich. Rottenstreich had represented Georgina Chapman in her divorce from Harvey Weinstein and Caryl Englander in her $1 billion divorce from hedge funder Israel Englander. Rottenstreich and Fisher knew many of the same people in their careers and after the trial was over, they started talking more about their firms. “We came up with this concept to merge the firms, to have an interstate presence and better serve the clients,” Fisher said. Rottenstreich added, “I liked the guy. And it’s been seamless.” Business is booming. The number of billionaires in the world has nearly doubled over the past decade, to more than 2,800, according to Forbes. The number of people worth $30 million or more has soared to over 426,000. As Fisher says “more wealth means more divorces.” At the same time, the number of so-called gray divorces, or divorces involving older couples has increased, driven in part by the highly publicized splits of Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates from their spouses. “They took away the stigma of the wealthy and divorce,” Fisher said. “Old wealth used to say, ‘I have an image to maintain.’ With Gates and Bezos, that got eroded.” Fisher said high-net-worth divorces in Florida have also surged due to the mass wealth migration during Covid from the Northeast and California. The firm recently opened a new office in Miami. Finding today’s big fortunes, however, has never been harder. In one case the firm is working on, led by founding partner John Farley, a California software tycoon moved to India in 2020 and filed for divorce. The entrepreneur, Indian-born Sridhar Vembu, co-founder of cloud software firm Zoho, engaged in a series of transactions in India that his ex-wife said reduced the marital property (which Vembu denies). None of the attorneys involved would comment on the case, but public court filings suggest it involves private holding companies in the U.S., Singapore and India with operations around the world. Trusts have become a constant challenge for divorce attorneys. More and more are being created in Nevada and Wyoming, which make it nearly impossible even for ex-spouses to collect or peer inside certain asset protection trusts. “Everyone seems to be using Wyoming now,” Rottenstreich said. “There is no doubt trusts are being used to shield assets.” Another case the firm is working on involves a social influencer and internet personality. While they can’t disclose any names, Rottenstreich said the firm is having to value the internet business with cash flow models and growth rates. He said the range “could be anywhere between $100 million to $1 billion.” They’re also trying to value the influencer’s online followers, since they’re often used to generate sales. “Social media accounts with millions of followers are an asset,” he said. “So how do you value them?” With the wealthy increasingly leading global lives, hopping from one country to another, often with multiple citizenships and homes around the world, the firm also has to work with different jurisdictions. Fisher said he was working with the American ex-wife of a French billionaire who wanted to keep custody of their daughter. He had to navigate international law to win a fine against the ex-husband of $700,000 a week until the daughter was returned. In the end, the attorneys say what matters most is coaching clients through the most stressful and emotional ******* of their lives. “The tough cases are where we work best,” Rottenstreich said. “Because they come to trust us. A lot of psychology goes into it.” From left to right: Jeffrey Fisher, Zachary Potter, John Farley, Dan Rottenstreich and Benjamin Hodas, and in front: Peter Bronstein, of Rottenstreich Farley Bronstein Fisher Potter Hodas LLP. Courtesy: RFB+ Fisher Potter Hodas A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox. Last week, Dan Rottenstreich’s law firm got an unusual case. Source link #top #lawyers #wealthys #complicated #divorces Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Two dead as plane crashes into bus in Brazil city Two dead as plane crashes into bus in Brazil city Two people died and at least two others were injured when a small plane crashed into a bus on a busy Sao Paulo avenue in Brazil, the local fire department said. The two bodies were found charred in the fuselage of the Beech F90 King Air aircraft, according to local authorities. The plane crashed on the Marques de Sao Vicente Avenue and then hit the bus, the fire department said on Friday morning. A woman who was traveling on the bus was injured and taken to a hospital. The other passengers managed to exit it safely, fire department spokesperson Captain Maycon Cristo told CNN Brasil. A biker was also taken to the hospital after being hit by a piece of equipment, the fire department added. Source link #dead #plane #crashes #bus #Brazil #city Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

NYT Mini Crossword today: puzzle answers for Friday, February 7 NYT Mini Crossword today: puzzle answers for Friday, February 7 Love crossword puzzles but don’t have all day to sit and solve a full-sized puzzle in your daily newspaper? That’s what The Mini is for! A bite-sized version of the New York Times’ well-known crossword puzzle, The Mini is a quick and easy way to test your crossword skills daily in a lot less time (the average puzzle takes most players just over a minute to solve). While The Mini is smaller and simpler than a normal crossword, it isn’t always easy. Tripping up on one clue can be the difference between a personal best completion time and an embarrassing solve attempt. Just like our Wordle hints and Connections hints, we’re here to help with The Mini today if you’re stuck and need a little help. Please enable Javascript to view this content Below are the answers for the NYT Mini crossword today. NYT Mini Crossword answers today New York Times Across “Be quiet!” – SHUSH Knight’s weapon – LANCE Senior figure – ELDER “In any ___ …” – EVENT “Emilia ___” (2024 film with the most Oscar nominations) – PEREZ Down What newborns do for much of the day – SLEEP Cut in two – HALVE What “U” stands for in “O/U” – UNDER Acting class assignment – SCENE Standard unit of frequency – HERTZ Source link #NYT #Mini #Crossword #today #puzzle #answers #Friday #February Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Crypto Bull Run 2025: Market Consequences and Earning Strategies Crypto Bull Run 2025: Market Consequences and Earning Strategies Coming into 2025, the cryptocurrency market is on the upswing. has reached another all-time high (ATH), surpassing $109,000 on 20 January 2025, ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration. The overall market growth is driven by institutional investors’ crypto adoption, a change in regulatory sentiments, and general interest in digital assets, retail investors included. Considering this, many believe the crypto market is on a bullish run, which refers to the ******* of high demand for assets and their rising prices. Financial market analyst at Octa Broker, Kar Yong Ang, shares potential crypto market development and driving factors to consider. Bitcoin Projections for 2025 Bitcoin’s (BTC) price increase to $100,000 and beyond has been anticipated for many years. Some factors contributing to such growth are increased institutional adoption, favorable regulatory changes, and retail traders’ overall interest in the crypto market. Experts are optimistic about the future BTC price increase. For example, according to an opinion published by Forbes, Bitcoin can ‘blow past’ $150,000 in the first half of 2025 and may go up to $185,000 by the end of this year. It could also rise to $200,000 before the year closes, citing a surge in retail and institutional demand and a constricted supply. Many believe that such an increase is also driven by Bitcoin’s halving, which took place in April 2024. Some see further upside ahead with limited supply and rising demand, while growing participation by institutional investors cements Bitcoin as a long-term store of value. Positive changes in regulation also set Bitcoin’s future. In the U.S., the amicable approach toward cryptocurrencies in the Trump administration created a very friendly environment for investment in digital assets. The European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets, or MiCA, regulation is expected to further boost investor confidence with the standardization of a legal framework across the union. Other Cryptocurrencies to Watch in 2025 (ETH), which has surpassed $4,100 in Q4 2024 for the first time in a long time, is the cornerstone of the DeFi ecosystem. Since the successful transition to Ethereum 2.0 in 2022, the network has continued to usher in the most important upgrades that help to scale better and improve user experience. Recent developments on the chain include proposals to scale both Layer 1 and Layer 2 solutions to improve transaction efficiency at lowered costs. However, Ethereum is increasingly contested by emerging blockchains such as (SOL), which boast faster transaction times and lower fees. This rivalry has been ever-growing as projects and investors seek more efficient blockchain solutions. BNB, the native coin of the Binance Smart Chain, has almost reached $800, representing its integral value within the greater Binance ecosystem. The token’s price relies highly on the performances and growth that Binance achieves through its core exchange business and foray into DeFi. The more innovative tools and expanded offerings from Binance, the greater the utility and demand for BNB, thereby driving up its valuations. What to Expect During Crypto Bull Run As cryptocurrencies rally, the broader market implications are becoming increasingly evident. For example, traders should expect higher volatility, with rapid price swings creating opportunities and amplifying risks. This is especially relevant for new crypto projects or meme tokens. Bull runs typically attract new investors, bringing fresh liquidity into the market. However, heightened speculation also raises the risk of price corrections, making risk management crucial for traders. The increasing mainstream adoption of Bitcoin ETFs has further fueled market expansion as retail and institutional investors gain more seamless access to digital assets. Beyond Bitcoin and the top 50 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, decentralized finance (DeFi) presents new investment avenues. DeFi platforms continue to offer lending, borrowing, and yield farming opportunities. For those looking for passive income strategies, staking and yield farming are becoming increasingly popular. By participating in network validation or providing liquidity to DeFi platforms, investors can earn returns while contributing to the stability of blockchain ecosystems. The 2025 crypto bull run has gotten underway, setting the stage for never-before-seen market activity. Surging beyond $100,000, Bitcoin is but one indicator of an industry in rapid evolution: institutional adoption, regulatory clarity, and shifting macroeconomic conditions. While this current rally does offer a lucrative opportunity, traders should be cautious. Market volatility needs to be tackled strategically by balancing risk versus informed decisions. The next few months are expected to prove critical for the long-term course of digital assets as projected regulations further unfold and major financial players further indulge in the crypto sector. Source link #Crypto #Bull #Run #Market #Consequences #Earning #Strategies Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

I Work in the Office Carrying Out the Government Purge. Here’s What I Want You to Know. I Work in the Office Carrying Out the Government Purge. Here’s What I Want You to Know. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. I’m a career civil servant at the federal government’s Office of Personnel Management, and I’m sorry. Normally, the only time anyone hears about our agency is when we declare snow days for the D.C. area, and prior to Zoom schooling, that made us very popular with local schoolchildren. But since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, a new email address has been set up at OPM and has been sending emails—after hours, on weekends, and sometimes more than once a day—that disparage the work of our fellow public servants and demand that they resign (or take mysterious “buyout plans”) or prepare to be fired. These increasingly desperate pleas for civil servants—including us here at OPM—to quit are signed by the acting director of OPM, but mirror the directives Elon Musk used when dismantling Twitter, directives now being deployed in hopes of dismantling the federal government. As an OPM employee, I want my fellow federal workers and the American people to know that these emails may be coming from inside the house—but they are not coming from us. We at OPM are just as frustrated, confused, and traumatized as the rest of America. When I started my job at OPM, I swore an oath to the Constitution, and to defend it against all enemies foreign and domestic, making it especially awful that the threat to our government is coming from inside my own office building. OPM’s origin goes back to the creation of the civil service in 1883, and the public servants who work here believe in the importance of having nonpolitical employees run the basic functions of government. We serve as human resources for the rest of the federal agencies, but unlike HR at a private company—where HR really works for your boss and not for you—our agency actually does work for the American people and the public servants who serve them. And it really is nonpartisan. While Musk has made it clear that he dislikes many government agencies including the U.S. Agency for International Development, which was critical in supporting the end of apartheid in South Africa and supports access to basic services in war-torn regions of Ukraine, for example, or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which helps Americans not get ripped off by massive corporations, he also seems to support other agencies, like Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. When an ICE agent takes their kids to the doctor, it’s OPM that makes sure the doctor gets paid. If a Customs and Border Patrol agent retires, we make sure they keep getting the benefits they have earned over the course of their career. If a federal employee tragically passes away, we make sure their families are taken care of with life insurance coverage. We are supposed to be the backbone of the government, making it so the rest of the government can operate, and instead, the new gang in town is using our agency’s name to do the opposite. The administration has asked for 70 percent of our own workforce to be terminated, a move that is expected to reduce our staffing for incredibly vital functions, including providing services to retired federal workers and the federal employee health insurance program. Nobody I know at OPM has any idea what will happen next. More than 2 million federal employees are supposed to decide by Monday, Feb. 10, whether to take the Trump administration’s “deferred resignation” offer. Our union has already brought a lawsuit claiming that the severance package we’ve been offered is ********. It promises us payment through September, but Congress has only funded the government through March, and I’m skeptical at the axe-wielders’ enthusiasm to pay us not to work. Every question that gets raised is simply answered with another email or memo proclaiming the deferred resignation is legal, but also demanding we give up all our rights if we sign it. If we don’t resign, remote workers have been told they need to move to work in one of nine cities by March 3, and we haven’t been told if we get to pick from among the nine or if we will randomly be assigned to a city in which we don’t live or have any connections. My bosses, and my bosses’ bosses, don’t have answers to any of our questions. Nobody knows who is in charge, though the leadership level of our parking garage is suddenly filled with Teslas. Ironically, this has been the greatest teambuilding exercise of my career, forging bonds in a way that no ropes course has ever managed. I suddenly have the personal cellphone numbers of all of my colleagues, and have been reached out to by colleagues I’ve never met to make sure I am downloading my earnings statements in the event I’m fired or our (now compromised) computer systems go down. Colleagues have been sharing tips about how to maximize our benefits that we might be losing only two months into the year. We’re making plans to care for one another’s families if we lose access to medical care and need life-saving prescriptions. Every increasingly desperate memo and email is driving us to form community, join our unions, and get to better know our co-workers. I had to turn off notifications for Signal, the secure communication app, because my group texts from co-workers ping multiple times per hour. Russ Vought, the nominee to run the Office of Management and Budget—which is the policy heart of the government in the way that OPM is the HR backbone—said, according to ProPublica, that he wants to drive civil servants into trauma and make us feel like villains for doing our jobs. He’s been very effective at the first half of his goal, but the villains here aren’t the civil servants working to serve the American people. And it’s not even those of us who work at the agency sending out all the emails that are terrifying everyone else. Source link #Work #Office #Carrying #Government #Purge #Heres Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 are $40 off right now Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 are $40 off right now Looking to upgrade to newer earbuds? The recently-released Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds are . That’s a discount of $40, which isn’t bad for a product that’s barely six months old. Just remember to pop in the code “ENGAD40” at checkout. That’s right. This one’s an exclusive. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 easily found a spot on our list of the . We appreciated the tiny, yet comfortable, design and the fantastic battery life. The earbuds get around eight hours of use per charge, but the included charging case allows for 30 hours of juice. Billy Steele for Engadget Be sure to enter the discount code. Save $40 with code ENGAD40 $189 at Wellbots We were complimentary to these earbuds , saying that “the improved fit and sound quality alone are worth the upgrade.” Speaking of sound quality, these buds produce booming bass, full mids and crisp highs. Your playlists are gonna sound great. The earbuds have also been built to work with Google Gemini, thanks to an integrated Tensor A1 chip. However, this integration works best when paired with a modern Google Pixel phone. Other techy features include active noise cancellation, multipoint Bluetooth, conversation detection and more. On the downside, the touch panel is extremely small, making it somewhat difficult to make adjustments on the fly. Luckily, there’s an app for that kind of thing. The original price is on the higher side, but this ***** alleviates a bit of that frustration. If $189 is still a bit too rich for your blood (no judgment), Wellbots is also selling a pair of the standard . Just enter the code “ENGAD30” at checkout. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice. Source link #Googles #Pixel #Buds #Pro Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

MSI MEG Prospect 700R Case Review: Expensive excellence MSI MEG Prospect 700R Case Review: Expensive excellence MSI’s MEG Prospect 700R PC case isn’t meant for users on a budget. Its price tag of $379.99 puts it well outside of what most users are willing to spend to house their PC parts. That said, I found a lot to like, and if its features are what you’re looking for – you might just be willing to spend the extra money necessary to acquire it. Will MSI’s Prospect 700R make our list of best PC cases? Let’s take a look at the specifications and features of the case, then we’ll go over the features and wrap up our review with thermal testing. Product Specifications Swipe to scroll horizontally Motherboard Support EATX, ATX, Micro ATX, ITX Color ****** Type Mid-Tower Case Dimensions (D x W x H) 585x 257 x 537 mm / 23.03 x 10.12 x 21.14 inches 2.5-inch Drive Support Up to 4x 2.5” drives supported 3.5-inch Drive Support Up to 2x 3.5” drives supported PCI-E Expansion Slots 7 (3 in vertical configuration) Fan Support Up to 10 Pre-Installed fans 140mm rear fan 3x 120mm intake fans CPU Cooler Clearance 185mm / 7.28 inches GPU Clearance 400mm / 15.75 inches Vertical GPU Support Yes PSU Length Up to 220mm Radiator Support Up to 3x 360mm supported MSRP $379.99 USD Other features EK Distribution Plate Support Hinged doors on both sides 4.3-inch LCD Touchscreen Features of MSI’s MEG Prospect 700R PC case (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Build quality The build quality is strong and sturdy, with no readily apparent major weaknesses. With this product’s high price, I would expect nothing else. Side view and customization options (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Looking inside the case in its default configuration, things look fairly typical. But there are a few things I’d like to point out: The raised plate next to the cable routing holes can be removed and replaced with one of the three shown below. The first optional plate appears to be intended for cable routing, and seems kind of pointless to me. The middle plate is designed to reduce air leakage, increasing the efficiency of the pre-installed fans – I would imagine that this option will be the most useful option for most users. Lastly, the plate on the right will allow you to add a side-mounted 360mm radiator or three individual 120mm fans – useful for those who want the strongest potential thermal and cooling power. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) The bottom is split into two parts. The part on the right mostly covers the built-in HDD dock, which supports up to two 3.5- or 2.5-inch drives. The left section covers the PSU, but features a cut-out for modern PSUs that display useful metrics. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Radiator and fan support This case can be equipped with up to 10 fans. There’s support for one exhaust fan and up to 9 fans from the top, side, or bottom of the unit. 360mm radiators can be installed at the top, front, or side of the case. EK distribution plate support For water cooling enthusiasts, MSI’s Prospect 700R was designed in partnership with EKWB – ensuring that EK distribution plates are supported. Dust filters The primary dust filters – on the top and bottom of the case – are extremely simple to remove, as pictured below. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Removing the front dust filter is slightly more complicated, because the front is secured by two screws on the bottom of the case, shown in the next section. Bottom view Looking at the bottom of the case, you’ll see 4 angled feet and the bottom dust filter. Near the front of the Prospect 700R, you’ll see two parts secured by two screws. You’ll need to remove themtake off the front panel and access the dust filter located there. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Rear side view: PSU support, PWM/ARGB hub, storage, and cable management features (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Starting with storage options, MSI’s Prospect 700R has support for up to four SATA drives, in the areas highlighted in blue in the picture above. On the left is a traditional drive bay, which supports up to two drives in either 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch size. On the right is a simple SSD plate, which supports up to two 2.5-inch drives. There are plenty of cable routing paths, and MSI includes seven Velcro straps to assist with tidiness. If you need more than that, they also include multiple traditional plastic ties. There’s plenty of room for a large PSU, and space behind it to stash any extra cabling. However, MSI states that you may need to remove the 3.5-inch drive bay to support the very largest power supplies. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) At the top of the case lives a pre-installed PWM and ARGB hub, which can be controlled via the front touchscreen display panel. While I appreciate the inclusion of this feature, I feel it could have been implemented better – it only has extra connectors for two additional fans. That said, MSI does include a 3-way PWM splitter cable which, in theory, should resolve most complications caused by the limited number of free ports. Front view The front of the case shows off the three 120mm ARGB intake fans, protected with a dust filter and a mesh cover. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Front view – LCD Control Panel Above the fans sits a 4.3-inch touchpad display that lets you control various functions. Some of these features require MSI Center to be installed, but the most important ones can be used without installing additional software. Fan Control (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) MSI’s Prospect 700R limits the default speed to 60% PWM, ensuring a relatively quiet experience. If you want to control the system fans through your motherboard, you’ll need to change the settings by selecting the “Sync Mode” button. You can choose to grant control to your motherboard, the panel, or the MSI Center software suite. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) ARGB settings can be changed through the touch panel, and there are a variety of customization options. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) There’s also a screen saver option, to help protect and extend the lifespan of the touchscreen display. I would highly recommend users enable this feature because by default, the screen doesn’t always turn off when you turn off your computer. Sometimes it will turn off, other times it will stay at a “Loading” screen. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) The temperature function shows the internal case temperature. This is useful to me, as one of the reasons I test CPU coolers inside of a case is because the internal temperature of a case is often higher than the ambient temperature of a room. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) I test CPU coolers and cases with an ambient temperature of 23C, but MSI’s panel reported an internal temperature of 31C after running tests – which significantly impacts the ability of a cooler to do its job. As an example of how temperature scaling can impact a CPU cooler’s performance, here is a test I performed in another case. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) The other features of the touch panel: Weather, Clock, and Hardware Monitor – require the installation of the MSI Center software suite to function. The features they provide should be self-explanatory. IO Panel The IO panel is located at the front of the top of the case, next to the touchscreen display. fairly standard. It includes – starting from left to right – a power button, a reset button, a USB-C port, microphone and audio jacks, and 2x USB-A ports. This is pretty standard. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Rear view (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) The rear view is fairly standard, nothing much out of the ordinary. It’s important to note the case supports horizontal and vertical configurations. The PSU is installed from the backside, and is secured with a backplate. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Swipe to scroll horizontally Our thermal tests are presented to give you more information about the product’s performance, but aren’t intended as the sole judgment of the chassis. The style, price, features, and noise levels of a case should also be considered – and we all have different preferences. What I might like in a case, you might not, and that’s OK. My goal with these reviews is to give everyone, no matter their preferences, enough information to decide whether or not a product is right for them. Today’s case can be configured in multiple configurations – but I have only tested it in the default configuration. Using the included but optional solid side plate may result in improved thermal performance due to lower amounts of air leakage. Using the included radiator side plate and installing additional fans will definitely improve this case’s thermal performance. I generally test products in their default “out of the box” configuration, because I expect that most users won’t bother with further customization. The one exception here is that for the worst-case scenario tests, I’ve tested this case at both its default configuration (60% PWM for system fans) and after manually setting the fans to full speed. The measurements I’ve benchmarked this case against focus on: Maximum cooling performance on the CPU when fans are normalized to a moderately low noise level; the GPU is idle for this test. This primarily shows the efficiency of the fans included with a computer case. System fan noise levels Maximum cooling and thermal performance in a worst-case-scenario test that fully stresses both the GPU and CPU. We’ll cover the temperature of the motherboard VRMs, CPU, and GPU in separate charts. Comparing CPU and GPU temperatures in a workload that’s similar to the worst-case power consumption in Far Cry V. This stresses both the CPU (approximately 150W) and GPU (275W). Source link #MSI #MEG #Prospect #700R #Case #Review #Expensive #excellence Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Chilling images reveal melting ice worlds Chilling images reveal melting ice worlds Mer de Glace, France’s largest glacier Julia Roger-Veyer/Onewater These striking images highlight Earth’s vanishing ice and the fight to save it. A staggering two-thirds of glaciers may disappear by the end of the century, threatening ecosystems and global water supplies. The images took some of the top prizes in the Walk of Water competition, run by UNESCO and Onewater. UNESCO has designated 2025 as the International Year of Glacier Preservation. Julia Roger-Veyer received second place in the European category for her atmospheric shots of the Mer de Glace, France’s largest glacier, at Chamonix. The image above was shot from within a moulin, a huge hole carved into the glacier by meltwater, while the photo below peers inside a cave created by glacial retreat. Roger-Veyer climbs and photographs the Mer de Glace each autumn. Each year, the glacier retreats roughly 40 metres. In an announcement about her win, she said she expects she will “probably be a helpless witness” to its disappearance. Julia Roger-Veyer/Onewater Michele Lapini captured first prize in the Europe category for his shot documenting the effort to save Presena Glacier in northern Italy (below). Vital to the alpine ecosystem, the glacier’s surface area decreased from 68 hectares to 41 between 1993 and 2003, according to Lapini. In 2008, conservationists began spreading textile sheets over the glacier each summer to prevent melt. The photo shows a worker unhooking sheets during autumn before the first snow. The effort may have reduced ice melt by two-thirds, but cannot pause ice loss. As Lapini writes, “climate change cannot be mitigated through localized quick fixes alone”. The contest’s global prize is sponsored by MPB, its regional Asia prize is sponsored by Asian Development Bank, and its regional European prize by the city of Burghausen. Topics: Source link #Chilling #images #reveal #melting #ice #worlds Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Staggering’ rise in ******* violence against children in Haiti ‘Staggering’ rise in ******* violence against children in Haiti Gang rule in Haiti has led to a staggering rise in ******* violence against children, the UN children’s organisation Unicef has warned. The Caribbean island has been in the grip of violent gangs for several years have been treating the population with unrelenting brutality, the UN has said. According to Unicef, ******* violence against children has increased 1,000% since 2023, turning their bodies “into battlegrounds”, spokesperson James Elder said. The organisation estimates 85% of the capital Port-au-Prince is under the control of gangs, and more than one million children are living with the constant threat of violence. Mr Elder gave an example of a 16-year-old girl who left home to go shopping, and was seized by armed men, beaten, drugged, and repeatedly ******. She was held for around one month, he said, until the gang let her go when they realised her family had no money to pay a ransom (kidnappings for extortion are common in Haiti). She is now in a UN shelter with dozens of other girls receiving care. Gang control in Port-au-Prince has led to an almost complete breakdown of law and order, the collapse of health services and emergence of a food security crisis. More than 5,600 people were killed in gang violence in Haiti last year alone. Haiti’s transitional presidential council (TPC) – the body created to organise elections and re-establish democratic order – appears to be in turmoil. The TPC replaced the interim prime minister in November and seems to have made little progress towards organising long-delayed elections. Children are also being recruited by the gangs, sometimes forcibly, Unicef said. The organisation has come across child gang members who are as young as eight years old. The basics that Haitian children need for a normal childhood, even if they are still at home with their families, are virtually non-existent. Schools and hospitals are barely functioning and tens of thousands of children are not in school. Unicef has created mobile safe spaces in Haiti to try to support children, and to prevent ******* violence. But last year, when it appealed for $221.4m (£177.8m) to fund its work in Haiti, it received just a quarter of that. Now, with the US freeze on foreign aid affecting humanitarian projects worldwide, Haiti’s needs are likely to be neglected again. Source link #Staggering #rise #******* #violence #children #Haiti Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

WWE 2K25 Preview: TheGamer | N4G WWE 2K25 Preview: TheGamer | N4G On the WWEGames X account, the return of intergender matches has possibly been teased for WWE 2K25. The developers posted a video of Rhea Ripley delivering a promo hyping up the game, only to be interrupted by Dominik Mysterio as soon as she said, “some people think that inter…”. Source link #WWE #2K25 #Preview #TheGamer #N4G Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Amazing plesiosaur fossil preserves its skin and scales Amazing plesiosaur fossil preserves its skin and scales Skeleton of the new plesiosaur at the Urwelt-Museum Hauff in Holzmaden, Germany Klaus Nilkens/Urwelt-Museum Hauff The soft tissue of a plesiosaur has been studied in detail for the first time, revealing that the marine reptiles, which lived during the age of dinosaurs and went extinct at the same time, had scales similar to those of modern sea turtles. The 183-million-year-old, 4.5-metre-long plesiosaur fossil, known as MH7, was first excavated from a quarry near Holzmaden, Germany, in 1940 but it was buried in a museum garden to protect it during the second world war. It then spent the next 75 years or so in storage until it was finally assembled and prepared for study in 2020. Miguel Marx at Lund University in Sweden and his team prepared thin sections of the fossil, which were then treated so the minerals were dissolved away, leaving the organic remains. This allowed them to study the microscopic structure of the fossil tissue. Illustration of a plesiosaur with scales on the flipper and smooth, scale-less skin along the body Joschua Knüppe Although at least eight other plesiosaur fossils are known to have soft tissue preserved, most are historically significant museum specimens and it isn’t possible to study them using destructive sampling methods, says Marx. “This is the first time anyone has conducted an in-depth analysis of fossilised soft tissues from a plesiosaur,” he says. The team was amazed to discover that the reptile had areas of both smooth and scaly skin. “Taken together, this plesiosaur was an interesting chimera between something like a green sea turtle with scales and the [smooth-skinned] leatherback turtle,” says Marx. “I would have expected this plesiosaur to be scale-less like contemporary ichthyosaurs.” The scaled skin on the flippers probably helped the plesiosaur swim through the water by providing stiffness or aided it in moving along the seafloor when searching for food, he says. The scale-less skin on the rest of the body would have reduced the effects of drag when swimming. “The actual external appearance of long-necked plesiosaurs is really anyone’s guess, but now we have a better idea thanks to this new fossil,” says Marx. Topics: Source link #Amazing #plesiosaur #fossil #preserves #skin #scales Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Small plane crashes on busy São Paulo street Small plane crashes on busy São Paulo street Two people were killed and two more injured when a small plane crashed in São Paulo, emergency services have confirmed. The aircraft came down on the busy Marques de Sao Vicente Avenue, colliding with a bus on the ground. A passenger on the bus and a motorcyclist hit by debris were taken to hospital, while those who died were aboard the plane, fire department spokesperson Captain Maycon Cristo said. Smoke could be seen rising over Brazil’s largest city in the aftermath of the incident. Source link #Small #plane #crashes #busy #São #Paulo #street Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

This Acer gaming PC with RTX 4070 Ti Super is $350 off This Acer gaming PC with RTX 4070 Ti Super is $350 off You should be careful if you’re thinking about upgrading with gaming PC deals, as not all machines are worth your hard-earned money. Here’s one that we highly recommend: the Acer Predator Orion 5000 at $350 off from Best Buy, which brings its price down to $1,750 from $2,100. It’s still not what you’d call affordable after that discount, but this is the type of machine that you will never regret buying. You’re going to want to complete your transaction for it as soon as possible though, as there’s no telling when the offer expires. Why you should buy the Acer Predator Orion 5000 gaming PC The Acer Predator Orion 5000 challenges the best gaming PCs with specifications that will let you play the best PC games at their most demanding settings. It’s powered by the 14th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics card, along with 32GB of RAM that our guide on how much RAM do you need says is the sweet spot for high-end gamers. The gaming desktop also comes with Windows 11 Home pre-loaded in its 2TB SSD, which will provide enough storage space for multiple AAA titles with all their necessary updates and optional add-ons. You’ll be gaming in style with the Acer Predator Orion 5000, which features an obsidian chassis with darkened glass, plastic, metal, and mesh components, and you can also customize its lighting system. Inside are Acer’s Predator FrostBlade 3.0 fans, which use a static pressure design for optimizing airflow while reducing vibration and noise using sealed rifle bearings. You won’t have to worry about overheating, even if you find yourself playing for several hours every session. If you’re serious about gaming, your next investment in a gaming desktop should go towards a machine like the Acer Predator Orion 5000. It’s an excellent option right now with Best Buy’s $350 discount that slashes its price to $1,750 from its original price of $2,100. Act fast if you’re interested, because we’re not sure if the savings will still be available if you delay your purchase to tomorrow. Afterwards, check out our favorite monitor deals for a screen that will give justice to the capabilities of the Acer Predator Orion 5000 gaming PC. Source link #Acer #gaming #RTX #Super Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

AI chip smaller than a grain of salt uses light to decode data AI chip smaller than a grain of salt uses light to decode data A chip on the end of an optical fibre University of Shanghai for Science and Technology in China An artificial intelligence chip smaller than a grain of salt can perch at the end of an optical fibre, harnessing the physics of light to process the information passed through the fibre – while using far less energy and computational power than typical AI techniques. Optical fibres can carry data at the speed of light, but decoding these light signals usually happens on a slower and more energy-intensive external computing device. The new AI chip could perform that data-processing task more quickly while… Source link #chip #smaller #grain #salt #light #decode #data Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Six Nations 2025: Wales’ Liam Williams a major doubt to face Italy Six Nations 2025: Wales’ Liam Williams a major doubt to face Italy Wales have a late injury worry over Liam Williams for the Six Nations game against Italy on Saturday. The veteran full-back has been struggling with a knee injury sustained against France in the opening game. Williams did not take part in the team’s final training session in Rome on Friday, with Wales’ management saying his workload is being managed. There are concerns the 33-year-old will not recover in time for the crunch Six Nations game at Stadio Olimpico. It would be a major blow for under-pressure Warren Gatland to lose his most experienced back. Blair Murray – who played all three Tests during the autumn, including at full-back against South Africa – is lined up to replace the British and Irish Lions player. Murray trained at full-back on Friday, while Tom Rogers has also filled that role for Scarlets this season. Gloucester youngster Josh Hathaway would most likely be promoted to the bench. Wales lost 43-0 against France in Paris in their opening Six Nations game, heightening the problems for Gatland’s squad after 13 consecutive Test defeats. Source link #Nations #Wales #Liam #Williams #major #doubt #face #Italy Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Apple’s Invite app and its less welcome third-party porn apps Apple’s Invite app and its less welcome third-party porn apps The week has been a mixed bag for Apple. First, it launched a new iPhone app for organizing events and being actually social; then, it had to contend with a third-party app store offering a porn app in the European Union. And there’s nothing like an Apple-************ headline to draw the eye. But first, Apple Invites, where you can host an unlimited number of events, each one limited to 100 participants. It’s also possible to invite non-iPhone users. What?! You can use your own photos or backgrounds in the app as an image for the invite and even arrange a communal playlist through Apple Music. Of course, there’s some Apple Intelligence shoehorned in. Image Playground is built into Invites to generate images for your events when there aren’t any appropriate photos. Engadget What about the future for existing invite apps, like Evite, Partiful, Luma and the rest? Well, all isn’t lost: Only paid iCloud subscribers can create invites in the app — and prices start there at 99 cents a month, while rival apps offer free basic event invites. Also, the web experience for non-iPhone people is pretty clunky and painful. At least for now. Meanwhile, a third-party app store called AltStore PAL announced a porn app called Hot Tub was now available to iOS users in the European Union. The marketplace described it as the “first Apple-approved porn app” — which probably isn’t entirely accurate. It’s seemingly the first time a porn app has been available natively for the iPhone. Apple said it was “deeply concerned about the safety risks that hardcore porn apps of this type create for EU users, especially kids.” And just to add further corporate spice: Longtime Apple App Store foe Epic gave the alternative app store a MegaGrant last year to help fund the “core technology fees” third-party app stores are required to pay Apple. Not that it’s directly affiliated with this adult entertainment portal. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney took to X to say, “the Epic Games Store doesn’t carry this app, doesn’t carry any porn apps, and has never carried porn apps.” — Mat Smith Get this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here! The biggest tech stories you missed It remains the smart ring to beat. Engadget Despite the appearance of rival smart rings from the likes of Samsung, the Oura Ring 4 remains the best option. It tracks your sleep, activity and stress levels, is comfortable to wear and looks, shock, like a regular ring. The battery life is admirable, lasting up to seven days, with new features including 24/7 heart rate tracking and temperature monitoring. However, these features are only available if you pay for a monthly subscription — and that may remain the biggest caveat for this $349 ring. Continue reading. In 1996, IBM’s Deep Blue beats Kasparov at chess The first chess win for a computer against a world champion. IBM This week, we go back 29 years. Back when we were barely saying artificial intelligence, let alone AI, on February 10, 1996, IBM’s Deep Blue chess computer defeated fleshbag world champion Garry Kasparov. It marked the first time a computer beat a high-level opponent. However, Kasparov won the series 4-2. It wasn’t until bested him in a rematch. AMA or AEA. Ask Mat, he’s listening. (Engadget) Should I upload pictures of my children to the cloud? Is it safe? What’s the most reliable EV brand? Which streaming subscription should I drop, and why is it Prime Video? We’re bringing back Ask Engadget, with an entirely new email address: askmat(AT)engadget.com. No personal questions, please. Ask Mat something! Source link #Apples #Invite #app #thirdparty #porn #apps Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The ocean is losing its ability to store heat as the planet warms up The ocean is losing its ability to store heat as the planet warms up Coral reefs are threatened by ocean warming Seaphotoart/Alamy The ability of the ocean to absorb heat into its depths appears to be rapidly declining, leading to prolonged marine heatwaves, increased ocean warming, and greater stress on marine ecosystems. The loss of this vital cooling mechanism suggests we could be entering a new phase of climate change. Hajoon Song at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, and his colleagues used satellite data spanning four decades to track how sea surface temperatures (SST) have evolved over time. Source link #ocean #losing #ability #store #heat #planet #warms Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Researchers find how young Aussies can jump onto the property ladder Researchers find how young Aussies can jump onto the property ladder While owning a home is getting harder in most parts of Australia, researchers have set out to find how young Aussies can climb onto the property ladder. Source link #Researchers #find #young #Aussies #jump #property #ladder Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Jobs report January 2025: Jobs report January 2025: Job creation was weaker than expected in January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Nonfarm payrolls rose by 143,000 for the month, down from an upwardly revised 307,000 in December and below the 169,000 forecast from Dow Jones. The unemployment rate nudged lower to 4%. The report also featured significant benchmark revisions to the 2024 totals that saw substantial downward changes to the previous payrolls level. The report is the first jobs count since President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20 with plans to cut taxes, boost growth and level the global playing field on trade by slapping heavy tariffs on the biggest U.S. trading partners. This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates. Source link #Jobs #report #January Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump’s Gaza Plan Complicates Hoped-for Saudi-Israeli Deal Trump’s Gaza Plan Complicates Hoped-for Saudi-Israeli Deal President Trump touted the 2020 Abraham Accords that established formal ties between Israel and four Arab countries as one of the biggest foreign policy achievements of his first term. Now he is pursuing his long-desired goal of getting Saudi Arabia to join the accords — but he may have just dealt himself a serious setback. Mr. Trump’s proposal to transfer all two million Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip and then rebuild the enclave as the “Riviera of the Middle East” has antagonized some of the very people he needs to seal the deal. The Gaza idea was swiftly rejected by Arab countries, among them Saudi Arabia. The Gulf powerhouse released a pre-dawn statement right after Mr. Trump floated the proposal on Tuesday evening alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in Washington. The kingdom made clear that it is standing by its demand that a ************ state first be established before it will normalize relations with Israel. The precondition, which the Saudis have insisted on for the past year, is “nonnegotiable and not subject to compromises,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The statement directly contradicted Mr. Trump, who had just told reporters in Washington that Saudi Arabia had dropped the precondition. One senior Saudi royal said what the American leader was proposing would be tantamount to an “ethnic cleansing” of Gaza. By proposing to “clean out” Gaza, Mr. Trump has earned little but suspicion and anger in Arab countries. Efforts by the American administration to soften the stance, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggesting that Gazans would be relocated only temporarily, have done little to mollify them. The issue of ************ statehood is at the heart of the controversy over Mr. Trump’s Gaza proposal. For many Arabs, displacing Palestinians is anathema because it would shred their hopes for an independent state. Egypt and Jordan, the countries Mr. Trump has suggested could be persuaded to take in Gazans, have publicly remained adamant that they would never accept a mass displacement of Palestinians. Officials, journalists and analysts in both countries said history spoke for itself: When Palestinians have been forced from their homes, they have not been allowed back. Since the war in Gaza, both countries have been taking in Palestinians in need of medical attention. Egypt has accepted at least 100,000 medical evacuees and others who fled the neighboring enclave. Jordan, much of whose population is of ************ descent, is treating dozens of injured people from Gaza. But participating in any forcible or permanent displacement of Palestinians from Gaza would be “morally and legally horrifying,” said Abdel Monem Saied Aly, a pro-government Egyptian political analyst and columnist. Given the Saudi population’s broad support for the Palestinians, it would be difficult for the government to accept any agreement that does not address their aspirations for statehood. Public outrage in the kingdom over the war, and now over Mr. Trump’s proposal to empty Gaza, has complicated the prospects of a deal with Israel that was already going to be difficult to pull off. Before Mr. Trump took office for his second term, there was some cause for modest optimism that Saudi-Israel normalization might move forward. A cease-fire between Israel and the ************ militant group ****** was reached on the eve of Mr. Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration. And the new American president has for years fostered a good working relationship with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. But now, some strains seem to be emerging in that relationship. Prince Turki al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia’s former spy chief and former ambassador to the United States, told CNN on Wednesday that Mr. Trump “will get an earful from the leadership here” not only about the lack of wisdom in what he is proposing but also the injustice of “ethnic cleansing.” As if to underscore his point, he wore a ************ ******-and-white checked kaffiyeh in lieu of his traditional white headdress. The four Arab governments that signed the Abraham Accords — the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan — did so despite criticisms that they were giving up on what had for decades been the Arab precondition for any ties with Israel, the establishment of a ************ state. When Bahrain and the Emirates became the first two nations to sign the agreements, the president of the ************ Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, called it “a stab in the back of the ************ people.” Mr. Abbas governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. After 15 months of war in Gaza, outraged Arab publics are unlikely to accept any similar compromises now and the Israeli government led by Mr. Netanyahu firmly opposes ************ statehood. “If normalization with Saudi Arabia depends on progress toward a ************ state even by a millimeter, it won’t happen. *******,” Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was quoted as saying by Israel’s army radio last month. The Saudis sat out the historic signing of the Abraham Accords, but when the deal expanded to include Morocco and Sudan, the Saudi crown prince called Israel a “potential ally” in a 2022 interview with The Atlantic. In September 2023, the crown prince became the first leader of the kingdom to openly discuss the possibility of establishing relations with Israel in exchange for a defense pact with the United States and help with developing a civilian nuclear program. He did not mention ************ statehood as a condition. In an interview with Fox News at that time, the crown prince said such an agreement would require “a good life for the Palestinians.” The indications back then pointed to the possibility that Saudi Arabia, too, might be willing to scale back its insistence on a ************ state before forging ties with Israel. Then came the ******-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people. The 15-month Israeli military campaign that followed killed more than 46,000 people in Gaza, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The war devastated the densely populated and impoverished territory. Since the war, the Saudi government has shifted its tone, saying that the region needs to be on an irreversible path to statehood for the Palestinians. “We do have some red lines,” Prince Khalid bin *******, the Saudi ambassador to the United Kingdom, said late last month. “And for us to end the last 75 years of pain and suffering caused by one problem has to include a ************ state.” It is possible that both Mr. Trump and the Saudi leadership are laying out maximalist positions as starting points in a negotiation, and will shift at some point to reach a compromise. Many people in the four countries that normalized ties with Israel have been horrified by the war in Gaza and have publicly protested the accord. While freedom of association and assembly remain highly restricted in Bahrain, the government allowed the protests. Though Egypt and Jordan have had peace treaties with the Israelis for decades, their publics never warmed to Israel, and ties have been severely strained by the war. Egyptian officials told foreign diplomats in Cairo this week that their rejection of Gazan displacement was unwavering. In public, they reiterated that Egypt was focused on putting the cease-fire agreement into effect and delivering humanitarian aid to the Palestinians there. Egypt “affirms its complete rejection of any proposal or concept aimed at eliminating the ************ cause through uprooting or displacing from their historic homeland and its seizure, whether on a temporary or permanent basis,” Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Political analysts close to the governments in Egypt and Jordan suggested that the two countries’ leaders would try to persuade Mr. Trump to accept an alternative plan for Gaza’s recovery involving aid and assistance from their countries as Gaza. “Egypt and Jordan have been historically engaged in the ************ cause, and they have to be an integral part of any solution,” said Khaled Okasha, director of the Egyptian Center for Thought and Strategic Studies, a government-aligned think tank. “But not the one that Trump is suggesting.” Fatima AbdulKarim contributed reporting from Ramallah, in the West Bank. Source link #Trumps #Gaza #Plan #Complicates #Hopedfor #SaudiIsraeli #Deal Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Football Manager 25 has been cancelled Football Manager 25 has been cancelled Sports Interactive has officially cancelled Football Manager 25 after its release was delayed by months from the series’ usual launch window. In its announcement, the developer said that it made the decision after an extensive discussion with *****, its publisher, and that it’s skipping this version to focus on the next installment instead. Football Manager is a football (or soccer) management SIM game series that typically gets a yearly release. The last one, Football Manager 2024, came out in 2023, and this particular installment was supposed to be released in November last year before it was pushed back to March 2025. The developer explained that it truly believed it would be able to reach the level of quality it was aiming for when it announced the March release date, but it encountered “challenges” that made it unable to reach its goal. Sports Interactive previously said that things were moving slower than it predicted to be able to produce the game it wanted. It was “rushing too much and in danger of compromising [its] usual standards,” it added. It sounds like the company got close to being able to release the game, as “many areas” had hit its targets. However, the “overarching player experience and interface” are “not where [the company] need it to be.” The developer promised “the biggest technical and visual advancement in the series” with Football Manager 25, and it would not be able to deliver on that if it pushes through with its plan to launch the game this March. It was also unwilling to move the release date again, since the next version is already scheduled for launch later this year. Those who’ve already pre-ordered the game will get a refund for their purchase. Source link #Football #Manager #cancelled Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Moon’s Deepest Canyons Formed in Minutes by High-Speed Impact Debris Moon’s Deepest Canyons Formed in Minutes by High-Speed Impact Debris Two colossal canyons on the moon, both deeper than the Grand Canyon, were formed in under ten minutes by surges of high-speed rock debris, as per reports. These valleys, named Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck, extend for 270 kilometres and 280 kilometres, respectively, with depths of up to 3.5 kilometres. Comparatively, the Grand Canyon reaches a maximum depth of approximately 1.9 kilometres. The canyons are located near the Schrödinger impact basin in the lunar south polar region, an area marked by towering mountains and deep craters. Impact that shaped the lunar landscape According to the study published in Nature Communications, these canyons are part of several valleys that formed from the debris ejected during the impact that created Schrödinger basin, a 320-kilometre-wide crater formed around 3.81 billion years ago. The basin is positioned on the outer edge of the South Pole–Aitken basin, the moon’s largest and oldest remaining impact structure, which dates back more than 4.2 billion years. Unprecedented energy levels behind the canyons As per findings, rocky debris from the impact travelled at speeds ranging between 3,420 and 4,600 kilometres per hour. In comparison, a bullet from a 9mm handgun reaches speeds of about 2,200 kilometres per hour. The force required to carve these canyons is estimated to have been over 130 times greater than the total energy stored in the current global nuclear arsenal. Key insights for future lunar exploration Speaking to Space.com, David Kring, a geologist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, highlighted that unlike the Grand Canyon, which was shaped by water over millions of years, these lunar canyons were formed in a matter of minutes by rock flows. The distribution of impact debris also suggests that astronauts landing near the South Pole–Aitken basin may find better access to some of the moon’s oldest geological samples. These insights contribute to ongoing research on potential landing sites for future lunar missions. Source link #Moons #Deepest #Canyons #Formed #Minutes #HighSpeed #Impact #Debris Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Billions in Buybacks: 4 Stocks Rewarding Shareholders Now Billions in Buybacks: 4 Stocks Rewarding Shareholders Now These four large-cap stocks recently announced buyback programs that are moderate to massive in size when compared to their market capitalizations. I’ll break down these new programs, as well as other important developments around these firms looking to return capital back to shareholders. All market capitalization figures are as of the Feb. 5 close. 1. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals: Solid Buyback Capacity, Dips Toes Into Investment Income Regeneron (NASDAQ:) Pharmaceuticals NASDAQ: REGN just posted strong results in its full-year 2024 earnings release and the initiation of a moderately sized buyback program. The program comes in at $3 billion. When added to the company’s still remaining buyback authorization, its total buyback capacity comes in at $4.5 billion, or 6% of its market capitalization. Regeneron is not only starting a buyback program but also paying shareholders investment income. The firm announced the initiation of a quarterly cash dividend program. The first payment will come in at $0.88 on Mar. 20 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 20. This gives the company an indicated dividend yield of around 0.5%. Although it’s nothing to write home about, anything is an improvement over 0%. Regeneron shares rose nearly 5% after earnings with beats on both revenue and adjusted earnings per share (EPS). 2. PayPal: Big-Time Buyback Authorization Announced When it comes to buyback program announcements, PayPal’s (NASDAQ:) is massive. The firm announced in its year-end 2024 earnings report that its Board of Directors authorized a $15 billion stock repurchase program. The firm has about $5 billion left from its 2022 buyback program. Now, it has nearly $20 billion in total buyback authority. Eith the company worth around $79 billion as of the Feb. 5 close, its total buyback authority is equal to around 25% of its value. Despite beating analysts’ estimates on revenue, earnings, and guidance, shares dropped sharply post-earnings. The approximately 13% drop came as certain underlying metrics of the business concerned markets. The biggest reason for this concern is that the company fell short of expectations for its branded total payment volume. PayPal Checkout is a PayPal-branded checkout option that many merchants use because it can reduce friction in completing sales. PayPal’s Chief Executive Officer has stated, “Branded checkout is an essential and important part of our business, and it is the number one priority for us.” Underperforming expectations on a metric like this can spook investors, even if total revenue and earnings beat. Most Wall Street analysts lowered their price targets post-earnings, but a few raised them. 3. UBS: Buybacks Authorized After Strong Profits, Uncertainty Lingers Starting off 2025 with a moderately sized buyback program authorization is UBS Group (NYSE:). The Swiss financial services giant announced a $3 billion buyback authorization. This represents a moderate 3% of the company’s overall market capitalization. The company says it is looking to buy back $1 billion worth of stock in the first half of 2025 and $2 billion in the second half. The buyback announcement comes as the company blew past expectations in its latest quarterly results. The company’s net profit hit $770 million, helped by strong performance in its investment banking division. However, it is important to note that the company’s buyback plans are not set in stone. The Swiss government is currently considering new capital requirement rules for banks in its country. Regulations that overburden the company could jeopardize its ability to actually execute its buyback plan. More information about this regulation could arrive in May. UBS expects the public consultation ******* to start then. 4. Jacobs Solutions: Large Buyback Capacity, Backlog Up Substantially Jacobs Solutions (NYSE:) has announced a buyback program that is very significant compared to the firm’s overall value. That is especially true when adding the new $1.5 billion authorization to the remaining $271 million in buyback capacity from its 2023 program. Overall, the company’s total buyback capacity is equal to nearly 11% of its $16 billion market capitalization. Jacobs works in the consulting industry and has expertise in many different areas. These include climate change, energy transition, connected mobility, buildings and infrastructure, integrated water management, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Last quarter, the company saw revenue increase by 5%; however, adjusted EPS fell by over 8%. The company’s backlog increased by 19%, up to nearly $22 billion. This is around ten times the company’s quarterly revenue, indicating strong demand for its services. Original Post Source link #Billions #Buybacks #Stocks #Rewarding #Shareholders Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]