Pelican Press

If Red Dead Redemption 3 Ever Happens, It Needs to Let Go of Its Best Feature After Dan Houser’s Exit If Red Dead Redemption 3 Ever Happens, It Needs to Let Go of Its Best Feature After Dan Houser’s Exit The Red Dead Redemption franchise has completely turned the open-world genre on its head, redefining what it means to be immersed in a video game. With great landscapes, gripping narratives, and various complex characters, the series has set a standard very few can match. Players are speculating whether they will see the next installment or not. | Image Credit: Rockstar Games Naturally, players want to see a third installment. But as excited as everyone is, there’s a big question left: can Red Dead still work without Dan Houser. Fans are worried that without him, Red Dead Redemption 3 could end up aimless, so they are suggesting leaving the Blackwater past behind and move on from the current narrative. Dan Houser wove the Wild West vision for the Red Dead Redemption series With Dan out of the picture, fans are concerned. | Image Credit: Rockstar Games Dan Houser was the architect of a world that brought the Wild West to life in a way that had never been done before in video games. Red Dead Redemption became the gold standard for how to create a believable and immersive open world, especially its sequel, Red Dead Redemption 2. The attention to detail was meticulous. From the dust on the boots of its characters to the changes in characters’ behavior based on the player’s actions, Houser and his team built a world that felt alive, one where players could truly lose themselves in the experience. Houser’s games were not fully historically accurate, he himself admitted that certain historical events were intentionally altered to leave the controversial part out, but he still managed to capture the essence of the Wild West. However, with Houser now gone from Rockstar, fans are worried about the future of the series. Will they see the sequel? And if they do, will the team be able to craft such a detailed and faithful representation of the Wild West? And should they even try? Fans’ opinions are mixed. Comment byu/sganzerlaR from discussion inRDR2 Comment byu/sganzerlaR from discussion inRDR2 Comment byu/sganzerlaR from discussion inRDR2 While fans want to see the next installment, they know how extensively the Wild West has already been explored in both Red Dead Redemption games. So, it may be time for the series to leave the past behind and venture into new territory. Can the franchise succeed without its best feature: Wild West? Players want to see the series move on. | Image Credit: Rockstar Games Well, it’s a tough question. While Houser was undoubtedly the driving force behind the series, the success was also due to the collective efforts of the entire Rockstar team. The studio has always prided itself on being able to deliver quality, and this should be the case still. So, there is a chance that even if the third installment explores more of the Wild West, it could still deliver an immersive experience. But, as most fans think, it should end this chapter of the series and move on. As of now, there is not even a rumor about Red Dead Redemption 3, as the studio is fully dedicated to delivering its arguably the biggest title to date: GTA 6. The recent rumor suggests that the game might be delayed so hope for another big project needs to be put on hold. Fans will have to wait and see how the studio moves forward in the future with RDR3, but there’s hope that the same passion and attention to detail will carry over, regardless of the personnel changes. In the end, while his departure certainly leaves a void, it doesn’t necessarily spell the end for the franchise. What do you think will happen to the franchise Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below. Source link #Red #Dead #Redemption #Feature #Dan #Housers #Exit Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Neanderthal Blood Protein Incompatibilities May Have Contributed to Extinction Neanderthal Blood Protein Incompatibilities May Have Contributed to Extinction Evidence has emerged suggesting that unique blood proteins in Neanderthals may have contributed to their eventual disappearance as a species. Research involving the genetic sequencing of early hominid populations, including Neanderthals, Denisovans, and ***** sapiens, has revealed significant differences in red blood cell antigens. These variations, according to scientists, might have played a role in their susceptibility to health issues, which could have influenced their inability to thrive in the face of changing environments and interactions with other hominid groups. Findings from the Study According to the study published in Scientific Reports, researchers from Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, EFS, and ADES analysed the genetic structures responsible for red blood cell antigens in three distinct hominid groups. The focus was placed on antigens that determine blood types, including the Rh antigens responsible for positive and negative blood typing. Neanderthals were found to possess an Rh variant, identified as RhD, which remains rare in modern humans and was shown to be incompatible with the blood types of both Denisovans and ***** sapiens. Impact of Genetic Incompatibilities As reported by phys.org, this incompatibility, researchers explained, could have caused hemolytic disease in the offspring of Neanderthal females and males from other hominid species. Hemolytic disease in newborns, often leading to severe health complications, would have likely reduced the chances of survival and reproduction for mixed-species offspring. If interbreeding between Neanderthals and other populations became widespread, these reproductive challenges might have significantly reduced Neanderthal populations over time. Insights into Neanderthal Decline The researchers have suggested that while this genetic incompatibility might not be the sole cause of Neanderthal extinction, it represents a plausible contributing factor. Other pressures, such as environmental changes and competition with ***** sapiens, have been widely studied, and this research adds a new dimension to understanding the complexities of Neanderthal decline. Source link #Neanderthal #Blood #Protein #Incompatibilities #Contributed #Extinction Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

U.S. economy grew at a healthy 2.3% pace last quarter, driven by increased consumer spending U.S. economy grew at a healthy 2.3% pace last quarter, driven by increased consumer spending The American economy ended 2024 on a solid note with consumer spending continuing to drive growth. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that gross domestic product — the economy’s output of goods and services — expanded at a 2.3% annual rate from October through December. For the full year, the economy grew a healthy 2.8%, compared with 2.9% in 2023. The fourth-quarter growth was a tick below the 2.4% economists had expected, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet. Consumer spending grew at a 4.2% pace, fastest since January-March 2023 and up from 3.7% in July-September last year. But business investment tumbled as investment in equipment plunged after two straight strong quarters. Wednesday’s report also showed persistent inflationary pressure at the end of the 2024. The Federal Reserve’s favored inflation gauge — called the personal consumption expenditures index, or PCE — rose at a 2.3% annual pace last quarter, up from 1.5% in the third quarter and above the Fed’s 2% target. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core PCE inflation was 2.5%, up from 2.2% in the July-September quarter. A drop in business inventories shaved 0.93 percentage points off fourth-quarter growth. But a category within the GDP data that measures the economy’s underlying strength rose at a healthy 3.2% annual rate from July through September, slipping from 3.4% in the third quarter. This category includes consumer spending and private investment but excludes volatile items like exports, inventories and government spending. Paul Ashworth, chief North America economist at Capital Economics, said that figure “suggests the economy remains strong, particularly given the fourth-quarter disruptions,” including a strike at Boeing and the aftermath of two hurricanes. President Donald Trump has inherited a healthy economy. Growth has been steady and unemployment low — 4.1% in December. Trump says the Fed “has failed” to stop inflation 03:51 On Wednesday, the Fed left its benchmark interest rate unchanged after making three cuts since September. With the economy rolling along, Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters, “we do not need to be in a hurry” to make more cuts. The Fed is also cautious because progress against inflation has stalled in recent months after falling from four-decade highs hit in mid-2022. The European Central Bank cut its benchmark rate by a quarter point Thursday, underlining the contrast between more robust growth in the U.S. economy and stagnation in Europe, which recorded zero growth at the end of last year. The U.S. economic outlook has become more cloudy, however. Trump has promised to cut taxes and ease regulations on business, which could speed GDP growth. But his plan to impose big taxes on imports and to deport millions of immigrants working in the United States illegally could mean slower growth and higher prices. Trump said last week that he would lower oil prices and then “demand” lower interest rates – a topic he said he’d take up with Powell. But the Fed chair deflected questions about Trump’s comments Wednesday and said he’d had no contact with the president. Trump has also tried to reshape the federal government, offering buyouts to workers and issuing a memo Monday night freezing federal grants, then rescinding the memo Wednesday after a public outcry. Citing the “squeeze” on the federal government, Ashworth wrote in a commentary, “we wouldn’t be surprised to see a reversal in the first quarter. As a starting point, we expect first-quarter GDP growth to slow marginally below 2%.” Thursday’s GDP release was the first of three Commerce Department estimates of October-December growth. Source link #U.S #economy #grew #healthy #pace #quarter #driven #increased #consumer #spending Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Australia in Sri Lanka: Josh Inglis debut ton caps off incredible second day in Galle Australia in Sri Lanka: Josh Inglis debut ton caps off incredible second day in Galle Josh Inglis made a magical debut century to kick start his Test career and Usman Khawaja made a maiden double hundred that could extend his on a dominant second day in Sri Lanka. Australia powered to a mountainous score in Galle yesterday and 38-year-old Khawaja shattered records with his breakthrough milestone. Australia declared deep into the evening session at 6-654, the second-largest score ever made at Galle International Stadium, and then left Sri Lanka in tatters at 3-44 when rain forced another premature stumps. Khawaja, whose spot in the side for Tests in Australia is still under fire, scored 232 in a stand that lasted more than four sessions. The highest Test score of the emotional veteran’s 14-year stop-start career came more than two years after Australia declared and left him stranded on 195 against South Africa at the SCG. Inglis arrived at the crease when Khawaja’s 266-run union with Smith — Australia’s highest partnership in Sri Lanka — ended when Smith was trapped lbw by leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay. The West *********** — who was first picked in a national squad three years before he was handed his debut on Wednesday — scored a four off his first ball, then raced to a half century. In the middle session Inglis became the 21st *********** to pass 100 on debut. The four most recent batters to do it are all West Aussies. His Perth Scorchers and WA coach Adam Voges did it in 2015, former teammate Shaun Marsh in Sri Lanka in 2011 and Marcus North in 2009. It was the second-fastest Test century by a debutant. “It probably hasn’t quite sunk in yet, but it has been a great couple of days and I have really enjoyed it,” Inglis told Channel 7. “I probably wasn’t too nervous, I have played a few white-ball games now and been around this group for a while, so I knew what to expect and thankfully there weren’t too many nerves.” Inglis scored 102 off 94 ******, with 10 boundaries and a six he lifted over long-on. He said he had worried a defensive approach would bring Sri Lanka’s fleet of spinners into the game. “I was just trying to get off strike really, get down the other end,” Inglis said. “Playing a forward-defence is bringing their guys into the game so I’m just trying to use my sweeps and trying to get off strike really. “I think I was just trying to get to 100 as quick as possible.” Sri Lanka’s meek bowling attack again hardly troubled Australia’s batters and they leant heavily on left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, who bowled 60 overs in the first five sessions of the match to dismiss Khawaja, Inglis and Travis Head on the opening day. They used just four bowlers in their first 150 overs and resisted turning to veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews. Camera IconAlex Carey of Australia bats during day two of the First Test. Credit: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images Spinner Nishan Peiris finished with the ugly figures of 0-189 from 41 overs. Vandersay also took three wickets, at the cost of 182 runs. Smith fell for 141 — his third century in four Test matches — to Vandersay , who reviewed an lbw call successfully after Sri Lanka’s horrors with the DRS on Wednesday. The stand-in *********** captain had put in a big stride to a ball that straightened into his exposed front pad. That left Inglis and Khawaja to add another 146 runs before the opener was finally brought down. Khawaja was caught behind on 232, an innings that included 16 boundaries. The West Aussie got tangled up and a leading edge flew to cover just moments after the high of his hundred. Alex Carey — the man keeping Inglis out of the wicketkeeping role — continued his summer of batting resurgence by ticking the score along with an unbeaten 46. Carey was at the crease when Inglis made his hundred and then linked up with second-gamer Beau Webster. Sri Lanka pulled the rate back to the middle-order and the towering all-rounder fell for 23 off 50 ****** when Kamindu Mendis took a sharp catch — his second for the match — at cover. Sri Lanka’s lone paceman Asitha Fernando gave Australia a taste of their own medicine, turning to a bouncer barrage that welcomed tail-ender Mitchell Starc to the crease. Left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann shared the new-ball with Mitchell Starc and made the first breakthrough when Oshada Fernando was trapped on the crease. Camera IconMatthew Kuhnemann of Australia takes the wicket of Oshada Fernando of Sri Lanka. Credit: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images The Sri Lankan took an early review with him and was then joined in the pavilion by veteran Dimuth Karunaratne when he square-drove a ball to sub-fielder Nathan McSweeney, who juggled a diving catch. Angelo Matthews was out for seven, falling to an acrobatic short-leg catch by Travis Head. Dinesh Chandimal (9) and Kamindu Mendis (13) are unbeaten on Thursday night, with Sri Lanka now in a scrap to avoid the follow-on. Khawaja was plagued by Indian weapon Jasprit Bumrah during the home summer and Inglis’ score adds growing doubt to his place in the side for the Ashes series later this year. But the veteran’s skill and record in Asia are growing in stature. Only the great Allan Border has more Test centuries than Khawaja on the sub-continent and the left-handed opener has now posted them in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. His score was the highest by a player older than 38 since Bob Simpson came out of retirement during World Series Cricket to score 176 against India at the WACA Ground in 1977 and Sir Donald Bradman — who did it twice — is one of only 11 other men to score a double ton aged 38 or older. Source link #Australia #Sri #Lanka #Josh #Inglis #debut #ton #caps #incredible #day #Galle Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Is a fully paid-off home in retirement really worth it? Not for all US retirees — here’s why Is a fully paid-off home in retirement really worth it? Not for all US retirees — here’s why Is a fully paid-off home in retirement really worth it? Not for all US retirees — here’s why Retirees have more mortgage debt than ever before. According to a report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, the share of homeowners ages 65 to 79 with a mortgage on their primary home increased from 24% to 41% between 1989 and 2022. The amount of debt also increased, with the median mortgage balance rising from $21,000 in 1989 to $110,000 in 2022. That’s on an inflation-adjusted basis, with both amounts in 2022 dollars. Homeowners 80 and up saw an even sharper 750% increase during this time, as the median mortgage balance jumped from $9,000 to $79,000 among retirees 80 and over. Carrying a mortgage into retirement means seniors need more money as their housing expenses are higher when they must send a payment to a lender. This may make it seem like all seniors should focus on paying off a home loan ASAP. However, that’s not necessarily the case. Here’s why. There are some very obvious benefits to paying off a home before retirement, or ASAP after retiring. Most notably, housing costs are a lot cheaper without a home loan. The same study referenced above found that older mortgage holders have median monthly housing costs of $1,470 compared with $520 for older homeowners without mortgages and $940 for renters. Paying less means less of your fixed income must go to your home. However, there are some big downsides too. For one thing, every dollar that goes to paying off a mortgage early is money that wasn’t saved for retirement or that was taken out of a retirement account and is no longer earning returns. Tying up a lot of money in a home can be a problem since you can’t access your equity until you sell the property so you can’t live on this money. Many older Americans also have mortgages at very low rates. In fact, more than half of all outstanding mortgages in the U.S. have rates below 4%, according to Redfin analysis. This is a fantasy number for today’s buyers who are looking at home loans in the 6% to 7% range. Retirees may not want to give up these ultra-cheap loans because they’d likely more than double their rate if they had to buy a new property. Story Continues Based on these factors, the reality is that having a paid-off home loan can be a good thing for those who repaid their mortgage over their career on the normal schedule without compromising retirement savings. Seniors who had to buy a home recently at a very high mortgage rate may also want to prioritize debt paydown to avoid high monthly costs in retirement. However, for those who have comparatively cheap loans lingering, paying off the house ASAP likely doesn’t make sense — especially as money can earn better returns in safe investments that produce income seniors can actually live off. Read more: Commercial real estate has beaten the stock market for 25 years — here’s how savvy investors can become the landlord of Walmart, Whole Foods or Kroger If you are one of the many retirees who currently owe money on a home loan, you definitely don’t want to raid your retirement accounts to pay it off. Doing so could put you at risk of running out of money too soon by preventing you from maintaining a safe withdrawal rate. It could also trigger a huge tax bill as you withdraw a large sum from your accounts. One of your best options to eliminate your loan is to downsize to a cheaper property — but only if you can sell the home you have to generate enough money to pay off your existing loan and buy your new property in cash. Otherwise, today’s higher rates could mean you may actually increase your costs, even if you buy a cheaper property. If you don’t want to downsize and you have enough extra money coming in at a safe withdrawal rate, you can pay extra toward the principal over time if you want to pay your debt faster. A financial adviser can help you create a budget to do that, while still ensuring you don’t take too much out of your investments too soon so you have the funds for other necessities. However, if you have a rate below 4%, there’s very little reason to do any of that. Instead, keep making your current payments, leave your money invested to earn returns, and wait until your property gets paid off on the normal schedule over time. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Source link #fully #paidoff #home #retirement #worth #retirees #heres Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Microsoft stock slumps 5% on disappointing revenue outlook Microsoft stock slumps 5% on disappointing revenue outlook Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box outside the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 22nd, 2025. Gerry Miller | CNBC Microsoft shares dropped about 5% after issuing weak current-quarter guidance after the bell Wednesday. The software giant topped Wall Street’s fiscal second-quarter estimates, posting earnings of $3.23 per share on $69.63 billion in revenue. That surpassed the EPS of $3.11 and $68.78 billion forecast by analysts polled by LSEG. The decline came as Microsoft finance chief Amy Hood said the company expects revenues for the current quarter to range between $67.7 billion and $68.7 billion, falling short of the $69.78 billion per LSEG. Revenue grew 12.3% year over year — the slowest growth since the middle of 2023. Microsoft also posted a slowdown in growth in its Azure and other cloud services revenues. The segment was up 31%, down from 33% in the prior quarter. Many Wall Street analysts stood by the technology behemoth despite the disappointing guide and Azure slowdown. Goldman Sachs analyst Kash Rangan called the company “well-positioned” to continue benefitting from artificial intelligence adoption and among the “most compelling investment opportunities” in the industry. “Microsoft has proven they can drive a Cloud business, and now they have shown they can drive the largest AI business via a combination of high-quality Gen AI inferencing and Gen AI apps,” wrote Bernstein’s Mark Moerdler, adding that management needs to pivot toward the core Azure business independent of AI. Microsoft shares dipped 2% during Monday’s session as part of a broader tech sector selloff. The drop came as Wall Street assessed the fallout from DeepSeek’s AI models. Estimates suggest the China startup trained its open-source model at a fraction of the costs for other competing U.S. products. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said during the earnings call that DeepSeek’s R1 model is currently available through GitHub and the company’s Azure AI Foundry. It will also eventually be accessible on Copilot+ PCs, he said. Other technology stocks saw strong gains during Thursday’s trading session on the back of earnings. Meta Platforms jumped nearly 4% on strong results, while Tesla edged up despite missing estimates and reporting a decline in automotive revenue. IBM popped 14% on robust results and notable gains in its software business as AI demand grows. Source link #Microsoft #stock #slumps #disappointing #revenue #outlook Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Whips Up 4 Million Players Before PS5 Debut Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Whips Up 4 Million Players Before PS5 Debut For the first time, Microsoft has dug up and dished out numbers for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle–one of Xbox Game Studios’ biggest releases last year. Company CEO Satya Nadella revealed that the action-adventure title has seen over 4 million players so far on Xbox Series X|S and PC. VGC reports that Nadella revealed the engagement data for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle during a Microsoft earnings call earlier this week. “We saw rave reviews of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which has already been played by more than 4 million people,” said the CEO. The game is definitely critically acclaimed, noted as one of GameSpot’s best Xbox games of 2024 and nominated for Game of the Year at the upcoming 28th annual DICE Awards. You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Official Launch Trailer Size:640 × 360480 × 270 Want us to remember this setting for all your devices? Sign up or Sign in now! Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos. This video has an invalid file format. Sorry, but you can’t access this content! Please enter your date of birth to view this video JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900 By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy enter That player number should grow when Indiana Jones and the Great Circle comes to PS5 this spring. Microsoft announced the MachineGames-developed title would hit Sony’s console at Gamescom last year. Currently, the game is available on Game Pass for PC and Xbox Series X|S, so it’s hard to decipher what the actual sales numbers are for it. We do know Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was one of Steam’s top titles for December. Additionally, the action-adventure title entered the top 20 best-selling games charts for the US last month, listed at No. 14. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle also got a second update focused on bug fixes and global illumination last month. Looking ahead, Lucasfilm believes it would be “super interesting” to see more Indiana Jones games in the future. For more, check out GameSpot’s Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review. Source link #Indiana #Jones #Great #Circle #Whips #Million #Players #PS5 #Debut Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

This bitcoin miner is trading at a ‘deep discount’, says Bernstein This bitcoin miner is trading at a ‘deep discount’, says Bernstein Bitcoin miners were some of the hardest hit in the DeepSeek scare earlier this week, and one of Bernstein’s favorite names is now available at a “deep discount.” Core Scientific , a leader among bitcoin miners chasing artificial intelligence deals, lost about 30% in the sell-off. It’s now 42% off Bernstein’s $17 price target on the stock. “Our top pick, CORZ offers ready ‘power access’ and data center buildout to HPC cloud partners such as CoreWeave, who in turn are contracted by hyperscalers and AI labs,” analyst Gautam Chhugani said in a note Thursday. “Bitcoin miners are the second derivative of the AI capex story.” “We are inclined to believe bitcoin miners have a 12-18 month finite window to build a hybrid data center business, while the hyperscaler capex remains persistent,” he added. “CORZ is the leader of the pack.” CORZ 5D mountain Core Scientific is trading at a “deep discount” after the DeepSeek scare, according to Bernstein. Core Scientific came out of bankruptcy about a year ago and inked its $6.7 billion partnership with Nvidia-backed AI startup CoreWeave in August. That gave it a first-mover advantage over other “hybrid” bitcoin miners, according to Chhugani. Most publicly traded bitcoin miners have chased the same trend, making them so-called hybrid miners — those which operate a both a bitcoin mining business and an AI business. Chhugani said that after the correction, at an enterprise value of $2.7 million per megawatt, Core is trading closer to pure play bitcoin mining valuations than data center valuations, despite 70% of its capacity being allocated to AI. Pure-play bitcoin miners such as Mara Holdings and CleanSpark average about $1.5 million per megawatt, while data center companies like Equinix and Iron Mountain average $34 million per megawatt. Analysts from Piper Sandler and Cantor Fitzgerald said in notes earlier this that the DeepSeek-driven sell-off is overdone and creating good buying opportunities in bitcoin miners. H.C. Wainwright has a contrarian view on miners’ near-term monetization opportunities for AI, however. Analyst Mike Colonnese told CNBC that hybrid miners like Core will underperform pure play miners this year. Source link #bitcoin #miner #trading #deep #discount #Bernstein Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

European Central Bank warns of weak economy after delivering quarter-point rate cut – CNBC European Central Bank warns of weak economy after delivering quarter-point rate cut – CNBC European Central Bank warns of weak economy after delivering quarter-point rate cut CNBCEuropean Central Bank Cuts Interest Rates as Economic Growth Stagnates The New York TimesWall Street Traders Take GDP Report in Stride: Markets Wrap BloombergECB warns of ‘headwinds’ to Eurozone economy as it cuts rate to 2.75% Financial TimesECB Press Conference: Lagarde speaks on outlook after cutting key rates by 25 bps FXStreet Source link #European #Central #Bank #warns #weak #economy #delivering #quarterpoint #rate #cut #CNBC Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Massive 500,000-Mile Coronal Hole on the Sun Blasts Solar Wind Toward Earth Massive 500,000-Mile Coronal Hole on the Sun Blasts Solar Wind Toward Earth A vast coronal hole, measuring approximately 800,000 kilometres across, has emerged on the surface of the sun. High-speed solar wind is being emitted from this region and is expected to reach Earth by January 31. Space weather experts indicate that this phenomenon has the potential to cause minor geomagnetic storm conditions, which could enhance auroral displays in high-latitude regions. The opening of the sun’s magnetic field in this area allows charged particles to escape into space at speeds exceeding 500 kilometres per second. Solar Wind and Geomagnetic Storm Predictions As reported by space.com, according to data from spaceweather.com, the coronal hole is expected to influence Earth’s magnetosphere, with a minor (G1) geomagnetic storm watch issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The classification system used by NOAA ranks geomagnetic storms from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme). While the expected storm is at the lower end of the scale, increased aurora activity may be observed in areas closer to the poles. Impact on Aurora Visibility Charged particles from the solar wind interact with Earth’s magnetic field, exciting oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere. This reaction produces vibrant auroras, commonly seen as the northern and southern lights. A stronger influx of these particles can lead to more intense and widespread auroral activity. While G1 storms typically have limited impact, fluctuations in space weather conditions can lead to variations in visibility. Uncertainty in Space Weather Forecasting Though geomagnetic disturbances have been predicted, space weather remains difficult to forecast with absolute certainty. Some geomagnetic storm watches result in minimal impact, while others produce unexpected surges in auroral activity. Those interested in tracking real-time space weather conditions may use applications such as “My Aurora Forecast & Alerts” and “Space Weather Live” for updated information on aurora visibility and solar activity trends. (Disclaimer: New Delhi Television is a subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited, an Adani Group Company.) Source link #Massive #500000Mile #Coronal #Hole #Sun #Blasts #Solar #Wind #Earth Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NASA’s stuck astronauts take first joint spacewalk NASA’s stuck astronauts take first joint spacewalk NASA’s two stuck astronauts have taken their first spacewalk together, exiting the International Space Station almost eight months after moving in. Commander Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore floated out to perform maintenance work and wipe the station’s exterior for evidence of any microbes that might still be alive after launching from Earth and escaping through vents. “Here we go,” Wilmore said as he emerged 420 kilometres above Spain on Thursday. The pair expected to stay just a week when they arrived at the space station last June. But their brand new ride, Boeing’s Starliner capsule, encountered so much trouble that NASA decided to return it empty. That left the two test pilots, both retired Navy captains, in orbit until SpaceX can bring them home. That won’t happen until late March or early April, extending their mission to 10 months because of a SpaceX delay in launching their replacements. Williams performed a spacewalk two weeks ago with another NASA astronaut. It marked Wilmore’s first time outside this trip. Both racked up spacewalks during previous space station stays. Source link #NASAs #stuck #astronauts #joint #spacewalk Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Three Months After Its Steam Launch, ****** Ops 6’s Player Count Shows No Signs of Recovery Three Months After Its Steam Launch, ****** Ops 6’s Player Count Shows No Signs of Recovery Call of Duty ****** Ops 6 has had a rough few months since its launch, which was initially met with surprisingly positive reviews from fans and critics alike. Both the Zombies mode and single-player campaign were heavily praised, although there remained some criticism of its multiplayer modes. Multiplayer is an important aspect of any live-service title | Image Credit: Activision Given how important multiplayer is to the well-being and longevity of a live service title, the slow but steady decline of its online services (thanks to the influx of cheaters, game-balancing issues, and overall stagnation) has finally come back to haunt ****** Ops 6. The title has shown a sharp fall in its active player base, plummeting below the 40,000 active player base mark as per SteamDB. This is despite numerous patches and updates, and things look to be quite bleak for Call of Duty. Call of Duty ****** Ops 6 can’t seem to recover its initial player base ****** Ops 6 retains a fraction of its initial player base currently | Image Credit: Activision As detailed within the SteamDB page for Call of Duty, the game has an active player base of 37,578 players as of the time of writing this article – a far cry from its all-time peak of 491,670 players, which precedes the release of ****** Ops 6. This is quite worrying, especially when taking into account that the much-hyped Season 2 update already launched on January 28, 2025. Season 2 has failed to bring veterans and newcomers to the series alike, and serves as a reminder of the many issues plaguing Call of Duty at present. In sharp contrast, the concurrent number of active players was approximately 306,460 (as per SteamDB) on October 2024 – right around the launch of ****** Ops 6. This is a rather unprecedented 87.74% drop in its player base, which does bring into question the longevity and viability of the Call of Duty brand given current circumstances. Overall, the situation is quite unfortunate, and Activision must get a grip on things before it is too late. While these numbers do not account for Game Pass users, Activision needs to step up before it is too late Game Pass makes up for a fair number of users | Image Credit: Xbox It should be kept in mind that these numbers while indicative of the overall health of the game, do not paint the entire picture. After all, SteamDB does not take into account players from other platforms – such as Xbox’s Game Pass subscription service. Game Pass has included ****** Ops 6 as part of its game library since launch, and the overall lower cost of entry (even if it does not include a permanent, digital license to the game) does make it quite a lot more tempting for players to use over Steam. As such, the player count is definitely a lot higher than what the SteamDB numbers might suggest, thanks to Game Pass and console (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S) users. It’s still not enough though, and is a fraction of what the initial playerbase used to be. Activision needs to read the room | Image Credit: Activision The current state of ****** Ops 6 is rather bleak, with the game being riddled with cheaters, which makes the game a lot worse to play for everyone – despite reassurances from Activision regarding the same. Ricochet seemingly blocks out ‘non-supported’ platforms in order to attempt to thwart cheaters, but in reality, has proven to be quite inefficient. The game is also a buggy mess, with plenty of new error reports and crashes being reported daily, most of which should not exist in the first place – especially from a publisher with access to so much R&D. The player base is rightfully frustrated, and Activision’s nonchalant outlook on the same is quite disheartening. Activision needs to step up and address these issues immediately, or risk losing its player base for good. This is the worst Call of Duty has been in a while. Source link #Months #Steam #Launch #****** #Ops #Player #Count #Shows #Signs #Recovery Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The footage that shows what went wrong The footage that shows what went wrong Credit: Earthcam At 8.45pm on Wednesday night (1.45am GMT, Thursday), American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, was descending calmly into Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport. The skies were clear, the wind moderate, and among the 60 passengers were several top junior US figure skaters, who had just taken part in a training camp on the ice rinks of the Midwest. A web camera positioned above the John F Kennedy centre on the other side of the Potomac River captured grainy footage of the Bombardier CRJ701’s flashing wing lights as the plane came into land. But also visible in the footage are the beacon lights of another aircraft, a US army UH-60 BlackHawk, flying low on a training mission. At 08.47pm, the two dots of light can be seen for a second on an apparent collision course. Credit: X/@nicksortor A recording from the air traffic control tower captures a panicked message to the pilots of the helicopter, under call-sign PAT25. “PAT25, do you have a CRJ in sight? PAT25, pass behind the CRJ,” a controller says. But the pilots of the Blackhawk, which had three soldiers on board, were unable to reply. Credit: LiveATC.net In footage from the dash-cam of a passing car, a sudden, orange explosion lights up the night above runway 33, seconds after the controller’s message was relayed. The passenger plane can be seen falling out of the sky. “Oh God,” says the driver of the car, Ari Schulman, who was on his way home from work. “Oh my God.” Gasps can also be heard from air traffic control: “Oh, oh my God” says one controller, her voice breaking. Credit: X/@rawsalerts Flight path data reveals that the nose of the passenger jet ploughed into the port-side of the helicopter, with the ****** sending the flaming wreckage of both aircraft into the river below. “Tower, did you see that?” another nearby aircraft calls in by radio. “******, ******, ******, this is an alert three,” says an air traffic controller, before beginning a frantic effort to redirect landing planes away from runway 33. “I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit.” Rescue services immediately headed towards the river to search for any survivors among the 67 people pitched into the dark water. Emergency response units assess the airplane wreckage in the Potomac River – Getty Images North America Inflatable rescue boats were launched into the Potomac from a point along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport, and first responders set up light towers from the shore to illuminate the area near the collision site. At least a half-dozen boats were scanning the dark water using search lights. Responders conducting the search and rescue operations were facing “extremely rough” conditions in the river, an official said early Thursday. The helicopter was upside down in the water, one city official told the Washington Post, while the passenger jet was broken into pieces. By 7am, more than thirty bodies had been pulled from the river, where current temperatures in the water are two degrees Celsius following several days of icy weather. On the banks of the Potomac, authorities asked camera crews and bystanders to turn the lights off their cameras so boats could focus on the water. The smell of fuel wafted up from the ****** site as bits of debris floated on the surface, reporters said. “We don’t know if there are survivors,” DC fire chief John Donnelly announced, adding that 300 rescuers were working on the river. Inside the Washington National Airport where he was waiting for his wife, Hamaad Raza said he had lost contact with her after she texted him to say she was coming into land. “[I’m] just praying that someone is pulling her out of the river right now,” he told CNN affiliate WUSA. “That’s all I can pray for, I’m just praying to God.” Credit: WUSA9 None of the texts he sent in reply to his wife, whose last message was “landing in 20 minutes”, have been delivered, he said. At 7.30am, Mr Donnelly told a news conference he did not believe there were any survivors. “We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” he said. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said he does not know why the helicopter came to be in the jet’s path. “This is devastating,” he added. “Our focus right now is to do everything we can to support everyone involved”. National Airport closed for the night after the ******, redirecting traffic to Dulles or Baltimore’s Thurgood Marshall Airport. Russia’s state news agency, Tass, said high-profile figure skaters from the country were on board the American Airlines jet, including Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, a pair who won the world championships in 1999. Their son Maxim, who competed for the United States in singles, was also feared to have been on board the plane, Russia’s TASS and RIA news agencies reported. “Bad news from Washington today,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. “We regret and offer condolences to the families and friends who lost those of our fellow citizens who died in this plane ******”. Russian figure skaters Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov Roger Marshall, a Republican senator for Kansas, expressed “heartbreak beyond measure” at the ******. “When one person dies, it’s a tragedy, but when many, many, many people die, it’s an unbearable sorrow.” But Donald Trump, the president, turned his focus on who was to blame, suggesting the helicopter pilots and air traffic control failed in their duties. He wrote on Truth Social: “The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport,” he wrote on Truth Social. “The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended ******* of time.” “It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn.” “Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.” “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!” Air traffic controllers have recently feared that a deadly ****** was inevitable, with a series of near-misses in recent years amid a nationwide staff shortage. The airspace along the Potomac River poses some of the most complex challenges in aviation safety across the entire United States, with military craft sharing the space with a huge volume of passenger jets. A New York Times investigation from 2023 found that human error was to blame for passenger jets being put on apparent collision courses. “Is it going to take people dying for something to move forward?” one controller said in January of that year, after barely preventing a mid-air collision. The ****** on Wednesday night is already the deadliest in the US for 23 years, and the first involving a passenger jet for 16 years. Built in 1941, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was expected to handle 15 million annual passengers at its maximum capacity. Today it hosts more than 25 million. In the early hours of Thursday morning, a handful of families waited in dreadful suspense in the arrival lounge, reaping the aftermath of a ****** that was long seen coming. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Source link #footage #shows #wrong Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Comet 2024 G3 (ATLAS) Becomes the ‘Great Comet’ of 2025 with Stunning Display Comet 2024 G3 (ATLAS) Becomes the ‘Great Comet’ of 2025 with Stunning Display The celestial display presented by Comet 2024 G3 (ATLAS) during January has captivated skywatchers worldwide, earning it the title of the “Great Comet of 2025.” With its remarkable brightness and vivid tails, the comet has been observed from both hemispheres, leaving a lasting impression. Initially discovered on April 5, 2024, by the Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Rio Hurtado, Chile, the comet reached its closest approach to the Sun on January 13, showcasing a stunning brightness and a complex tail structure. A Historic Celestial Event As reported by space.com, according to observations made by astronomers and agencies NASA, the comet’s magnitude rose to levels unseen since Comet McNaught in 2007. During its perihelion, the comet’s brightness was recorded as rivaling Venus, with a magnitude of -3.8, based on data analysed by Polish researcher Mieczyslaw Paradowski. Reports from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) revealed its increasing brilliance as it passed close to the Sun, presenting a rare opportunity for observers worldwide. Visible Across Hemispheres For those in the Northern Hemisphere, the comet was visible briefly in early January before its position shifted toward the Southern Hemisphere. Reports confirmed that Southern Hemisphere observers witnessed its striking display, with a tail spanning up to 15 degrees, according to Michael Mattiazzo, an astronomer based in Swan Hill, Australia. Challenges and Observations Photographs taken by professionals, such as Chris Schur in Arizona and Ivan Vagner aboard the International Space Station, provided stunning views of the comet’s features. However, the comet’s trajectory and close proximity to the Sun made it challenging to observe without specialised equipment. As noted by Thomas Dorman of Oklahoma, to space.com, these unique techniques, including filters and house shadows, were employed to spot the comet in daylight. A Legacy in the Sky Astronomers like John Bortle have compared Comet 2024 G3 (ATLAS) to historic celestial events, predicting its place among the greats due to its visible structure and sudden disintegration, which began after perihelion. The comet’s journey, estimated to recur in approximately 600,000 years, ensures its legacy as a truly remarkable phenomenon in modern astronomy. Source link #Comet #ATLAS #Great #Comet #Stunning #Display Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Microsoft’s Surface Pro and Laptop for Business are getting Intel’s new AI PC chips Microsoft’s Surface Pro and Laptop for Business are getting Intel’s new AI PC chips What a difference a year makes. When Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 10 and Laptop 6 for Business last March, it almost seemed as if the company was giving up on the consumer PC market entirely. Of course, just a few months later, we got the new Surface Pro and Laptop Copilot+ systems, which was also the debut of Microsoft’s AI PC initiative. Now, the company is rounding out its Surface family by updating its Business machines — those meant for corporate customers — with Intel’s new Core Ultra 200V AI PC processors. Say hello to the new Intel-equipped Surface Pro (11th Edition) and Surface Laptop (7th Edition) for Business. If you’ve been eagerly awaiting a cellular-equipped Surface Laptop, Microsoft also says it’ll launch a 5G model later this year. Aside from that, the big change with Intel’s new Core Ultra chips is their larger 48 TOPS NPU, which will allow them to handle more complex AI tasks than before. In comparison, the original Core Ultra chips had much smaller 10 TOPS NPUs. The upgrade will particularly relevant for advanced AI features like Windows Recall, which requires a 40 TOPS NPU at the very least (the minimum requirement for all Copilot+ systems). Microsoft Aside from better AI performance, you can expect Intel’s Core Ultra 200V chips on the Surface Laptop 7 to be around 26 percent faster than the Laptop 5 when it comes to multitasking, while also delivering double the graphics performance and three times better battery life. We haven’t seen performance metrics for the new Surface Pro, but Microsoft claims it offers double the battery life in Teams calls compared to the Surface Pro 9. Microsoft Just like other Copilot+ systems, the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop also come with Microsoft’s Pluton chip for security. The company says Pluton hardware will also get an update with a Key Storage Provider (KSP) feature later this year. It will “allow for more secure storage and management of cryptographic keys,” according to Microsoft. As for accessories, there’s also a new $200 Surface USB 4 Dock, which includes two USB-C connections, USB-A, Ethernet and HDMI. It also supports fast charging for both new systems — and for that price, it damn well better. Microsoft The new Intel Core Ultra 200V-equipped Surface Pro and Surface Laptop will be available on February 18, starting at $1,500. And if you’re looking for better battery life, you can opt for the Qualcomm Snapdragon variants as well (though be ready to deal with slower emulated apps and potential software and driver incompatibility). Source link #Microsofts #Surface #Pro #Laptop #Business #Intels #chips Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Norway government collapses after Eurosceptic party quits Norway government collapses after Eurosceptic party quits 30 January 2025, Norway, Oslo: Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (2nd from right), Chairman of the Norwegian Center Party and former Finance Minister of Norway, and Marit Arnstad (right), leader of the Center Party parliamentary group, give a press conference in parliament. Photo: Soeren Stache/dpa (Photo by Soeren Stache/picture alliance via Getty Images) Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty Images OSLO, Jan 30 (Reuters) – Norway’s eurosceptic Centre Party quit the government on Thursday in a dispute over the adoption of European Union energy policies, leaving the centre-left Labour Party to rule alone eight months before an election. The announcement by Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum deprives Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere of his only coalition partner and eight of the 20 members of his cabinet, including the defence, finance and justice ministers. Labour, which has held power since 2021, could now govern alone until the next election is held in September but it lacks a majority in parliament and trails right-wing parties in opinion polls. NATO member Norway is not part of the European Union but Labour wants to maintain good relations with the EU, partly because of the threat of a trade war between Europe and the United States. “It would create doubt about the credibility of the agreement (with the EU) at a time when it is more important ever, in my opinion,” Stoere told a press conference. Labour wants to adopt EU directives on renewable energy consumption, energy performance in buildings and increased overall energy efficiency, government ministers have said. The Centre Party opposes all three directives, which it says will erode Norwegian autonomy, and has long said power and gas exporter Norway should instead seek to reclaim authority over regulation from the EU. “The conclusion for us is that the Centre Party does not want to be part of this development,” Vedum told a press conference. “We want to take back more national control.” Before September’s election, Stoere is seeking a new term as Labour leader despite questions over whether he is the best person to lead the party. Trump tariffs Norwegians narrowly rejected EU membership in referendums held in 1972 and 1994 and the question of joining the bloc remains among the Nordic nation’s most divisive political issues. Norway is part of the European Economic Area (EEA), allowing the free flow of people, goods, services and capital between the European Union and non-EU states Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Norway is not part of the EU’s customs union, the common agriculture and fisheries policies, the monetary union, trade policy, foreign and security policy and justice and home affairs. But, to maintain its current relationship with the EU and ensure a level playing field for its industries, Norway has adopted thousands of EU rules and regulations over decades while having little or no say over their formulation. Two-thirds of Norway’s exports go to the EU, and Labour has said U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs and a risk of trans-Atlantic trade war make it essential to nurture the EEA relationship and implement directives coming from Brussels. Source link #Norway #government #collapses #Eurosceptic #party #quits Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nothing is launching the Phone 3a series on March 4 Nothing is launching the Phone 3a series on March 4 Nothing is launching a new device, the Phone 3a Series, on March 4. That’s a year after the London-based company launched the Phone 2a, which is a budget version of the brand’s Phone 2 model released in 2023. Nothing models with “a” in them are typically the less expensive versions of those without — its Ear a earbuds are also cheaper than the Ear, for instance, — but there’s no Phone 3 for which the 3a would serve as a budget alternative. Most likely, the Phone 3a is simply named as such, because it would be in the same price range as the 2a that sold for at least $349 at launch. “For the (a) Series we have a different set of users,” Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis said. “When people buy a smartphone some are looking for the greatest specs, they want the latest innovations and processors. Yet there are some other users that are equally excited about tech, but are happy with just a great user experience — that’s who the (a) Series is for. We’re really focused on the core user needs in terms of camera, screen, processor, and of course design.” If you want to be notified when Nothing unveils the Phone 3a on March 4 at 5AM ET, you can sign up to get an alert on the company’s website. We’ll, of course, keep you updated, as well. In addition to announcing the Phone 3a’s upcoming launch, the company has also revealed that it has surpassed $1 billion in lifetime revenue since it was founded in October 2020, half of which Nothing earned in 2024. Source link #launching #Phone #series #March Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Microsoft stock slumps 5% on disappointing revenue outlook Microsoft stock slumps 5% on disappointing revenue outlook Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box outside the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 22nd, 2025. Gerry Miller | CNBC Microsoft shares dropped about 5% after issuing weak current-quarter guidance after the bell Wednesday. The software giant topped Wall Street’s fiscal second-quarter estimates, posting earnings of $3.23 per share on $69.63 billion in revenue. That surpassed the EPS of $3.11 and $68.78 billion forecast by analysts polled by LSEG. The decline came as Microsoft finance chief Amy Hood said the company expects revenues for the current quarter to range between $67.7 billion and $68.7 billion, falling short of the $69.78 billion per LSEG. Revenue grew 12.3% year over year — the slowest growth since the middle of 2023. Microsoft also posted a slowdown in growth in its Azure and other cloud services revenues. The segment was up 31%, down from 33% in the prior quarter. Many Wall Street analysts stood by the technology behemoth despite the disappointing guide and Azure slowdown. Goldman Sachs analyst Kash Rangan called the company “well-positioned” to continue benefitting from artificial intelligence adoption and among the “most compelling investment opportunities” in the industry. “Microsoft has proven they can drive a Cloud business, and now they have shown they can drive the largest AI business via a combination of high-quality Gen AI inferencing and Gen AI apps,” wrote Bernstein’s Mark Moerdler, adding that management needs to pivot toward the core Azure business independent of AI. Microsoft shares dipped 2% during Monday’s session as part of a broader tech sector selloff. The drop came as Wall Street assessed the fallout from DeepSeek’s AI models. Estimates suggest the China startup trained its open-source model at a fraction of the costs for other competing U.S. products. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said during the earnings call that DeepSeek’s R1 model is currently available through GitHub and the company’s Azure AI Foundry. It will also eventually be accessible on Copilot+ PCs, he said. Source link #Microsoft #stock #slumps #disappointing #revenue #outlook Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Apple Earnings Preview: All Eyes on iPhone Sales, AI Strategy, and China Outlook Apple Earnings Preview: All Eyes on iPhone Sales, AI Strategy, and China Outlook Apple’s earnings tonight will show if its recent bounce can continue. Analysts expect a beat, but iPhone sales and China competition will be key. With trade tensions and valuation concerns, here’s what investors should watch in the report. Are you looking for actionable trade ideas to navigate the current market volatility? Unlock access to InvestingPro’s AI-selected stock winners using this link. Apple (NASDAQ:) will release its earnings after the market closes today, adding to a wave of high-profile reports from the Magnificent 7, including (NASDAQ:), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:) (NASDAQ:), and (NASDAQ:) earlier this week. After reaching a record high of $260.10 on December 26, Apple saw a sharp correction, plummeting over 15.6% to a low of $219.38 by January 21. Yet, the stock has since bounced back, rising nearly 10% in just six sessions to close near $240 on Wednesday. What stands out is that Apple has been one of the few major tech stocks unaffected by the recent panic sparked by China’s DeepSeek AI. As investors look ahead to tonight’s earnings report, all eyes are on whether Apple can continue this upward momentum and deliver a positive surprise that will drive the stock even higher What are analysts forecasting for Apple’s results? In terms of consensus forecasts, EPS is expected to be $2.35, up 7.8% year-on-year, on sales of $124 billion, up 3.7% year-on-year. However, data available on InvestingPro show that the company has exceeded expectations in terms of earnings and sales for the last 5 consecutive quarters: Source: InvestingPro Beyond the results themselves, several other details of tonight’s earnings release could prove influential on Apple shares. iPhone sales, growth in services business, and gross margin will undoubtedly be among the most sensitive secondary data. Other potentially influential details We’ll also be interested in the clues the company provides about its outlook for the current quarter and beyond, even though it hasn’t provided precise forecasts for several years now. The deployment of AI functions in its devices could justify ambitious forecasts. Activity in China, especially iPhone sales, will be another focal point in tonight’s earnings release. Apple lost its position as the country’s largest smartphone manufacturer last year and now faces heightened competition from local brands. Any commentary on this will be closely scrutinized, as it could offer insights into how Apple plans to navigate this increasingly competitive landscape. With Donald Trump escalating the threat of tariffs, including against China, Apple’s investors will likely be eager for insights on how the company plans to respond. China is home to many of Apple’s key suppliers, so any comments on potential tariff impacts will be crucial. Expect Apple to outline its strategies to reassure investors that it is prepared for any actions Trump may take against Beijing, ensuring stability amid growing trade tensions. Apple shares remain overvalued according to valuation models Ahead of Apple’s earnings release, it’s wise to examine analysts’ forecasts and valuation models to gauge the potential impact on the stock. These insights can provide a clearer picture of expectations and help investors position themselves effectively as they anticipate how the results might influence Apple’s share price. From the analysts’ point of view, Apple’s shares are correctly valued. They have an average target of $245.79 according to InvestingPro data, compared with a closing price of $239.36 on Wednesday evening. Source: InvestingPro InvestingPro Fair Value, which synthesizes several recognized financial models, considers Apple to be significantly overvalued. It values the stock at $188.39, more than 21% below the current price. Conclusion In conclusion, Apple has outperformed many of its Big Tech counterparts this week, but tonight’s earnings report holds the key to whether its upward momentum can continue. Positive surprises in both the results and forward guidance will be essential for sustaining the recent gains and pushing the stock higher in the weeks to come. *** Looking to grab undervalued gems after earnings? InvestingPro gives you the tools to find them. Get exclusive access to elite investment strategies, 100+ AI-powered stock picks each month, and a powerful Pro screener designed to uncover high-potential stocks before the market catches on. Start your search now. Disclaimer: This article is written for informational purposes only. It is not intended to encourage the purchase of assets in any way, nor does it constitute a solicitation, offer, recommendation or suggestion to invest. I would like to remind you that all assets are evaluated from multiple perspectives and are highly risky, so any investment decision and the associated risk belongs to the investor. We also do not provide any investment advisory services. Source link #Apple #Earnings #Preview #Eyes #iPhone #Sales #Strategy #China #Outlook Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Everyone aboard an American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter is feared dead – The Associated Press Everyone aboard an American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter is feared dead – The Associated Press Everyone aboard an American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter is feared dead The Associated PressLive updates: American Airlines plane, ****** Hawk helicopter collide near Washington, DC; no survivors recovered CNNFigure skating community in shock after D.C. plane ****** claims lives of coaches, athletes The Associated PressFigure skaters among passengers in D.C. ****** ESPN Source link #aboard #American #Airlines #jet #collided #Army #helicopter #feared #dead #Press Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

DEVELOPING: 28 Bodies Recovered After Passenger Jet Collides with Helicopter in Fireball Over DC DEVELOPING: 28 Bodies Recovered After Passenger Jet Collides with Helicopter in Fireball Over DC A U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter collided with a commercial airliner in midair over Washington, D.C., while approaching Reagan National Airport Wednesday night, sending both aircraft plunging into the icy Potomac River. There are believed to be no survivors. Search and rescue teams quickly reached the body of the plane which was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found. However, after an intense search in difficult conditions, rescue teams did not find any living victims. American Airlines flight 5342 carried 64 passengers and crew. Three soldiers were on board the Army helicopter. Officials report recovering at least 28 bodies so far from the river. Now the race to rescue the victims has transitioned to a recovery mission. A livestream from an EarthCam web camera captured the moment of impact as a fireball lit up the sky. Both aircraft then crashed into the Potomac, making rescue efforts difficult. Eyewitness Ari Schulman was driving home when he looked up and saw the plane falling from the sky. “It was illuminated bright yellow underneath and there was a spray of sparks underneath – I knew something was wrong,” he said. Webcam at the Kennedy Center caught an explosion mid-air across the Potomac. pic.twitter.com/HInYdhBYs5 — Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) January 30, 2025 Authorities say the passenger jet was inbound from Wichita, Kansas, and making its final approach to Reagan. All the identities of the 60 passengers aboard the airliner have yet to be confirmed, but coaches, skaters, and others who had been in Wichita, Kansas for the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships were believed to have been on the flight. Emergency personnel rushed to the scene in the late night hours, as officials scrambled boats and divers in the darkness, hoping to pull any possible survivors out of the frigid water. “The water that we’re operating in is about eight feet deep. There is wind, there is pieces of ice out there, so it’s just dangerous and hard to work in,” said Washington D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly. The investigation is now underway as officials try to determine what happened. Wichita Mayor Lily Wu asked for prayer. “We really want to ask each and every Witchitan and every American to pray for everyone involved in this incident,” she said. President Donald Trump said he had been “fully briefed on this terrible accident” and, referring to the passengers, added, “May God Bless their souls.” The CEO of Reagan National Airport said they have been providing support to the families impacted. The airport will be closed until later today. CBN News Covered the Breaking News in the Overnight Hours: Source link #DEVELOPING #Bodies #Recovered #Passenger #Jet #Collides #Helicopter #Fireball Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Too much AI, not enough Ultra Too much AI, not enough Ultra It feels like every major tech company is totally convinced that AI is the future. And for all I know, they may be right. But while we’re waiting for someone to develop our seemingly inevitable AGI-based overlords, we have to suffer through every baby step to get today’s machine learning-powered features. Unfortunately, that’s a problem for gadgets like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra — because when the biggest focus of a new $1,300 flagship smartphone is iterative AI updates, the device can feel a bit underwhelming. Combine that with hardware that seems like it’s been frozen in time for the last couple of years and you get something that leaves you wanting more. Design and display: Rounded corners, Gorilla Armor 2 and not much else For this year’s Ultra, Samsung wanted to give the phone a softer, more curvy appearance to reinforce the familial resemblance between it and its less expensive siblings. And by rounding off the S25 Ultra’s corners, I’d say mission accomplished. Elsewhere, its front and back glass are now made of Corning Gorilla Armor 2, which features a new version of the company’s anti-reflective coating and looks great. When combined with bezels that are 15 percent smaller than before, you get a phone with super clean lines and a slightly larger 6.9-inch display (up from 6.8 inches) without an increase in its physical size. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget For 2025, Samsung’s AI features are a bit more powerful and easier to use. However, aside from a faster chip, a new ultra-wide sensor and a few cosmetic tweaks, it looks and feels very similar to last year’s model, which makes the S25 Ultra a less impressive update than it should be considering it starts at $1,300. Pros Excellent screen Great performance and battery life Anti-reflective Gorilla Armor 2 panels Slimmer bezels New 50MP ultra-wide sensor Cons S Pen no longer suppers Air actions Same main and telephoto cameras as last year Not fully compatible with magnetic Qi2 accessories Expensive $1,300 at Samsung But make no mistake, the S25U still feels a lot like the last two Ultras that came before it. Its flat edges give it a very boxy feel, and even though the Note line is dead, there’s still the requisite cubby hole for the S Pen. However, for 2025 the included stylus has gotten a minor downgrade now that Samsung has removed support for Bluetooth Low Energy. This means it no longer supports Air action gestures, so you can’t use it as a remote camera trigger or to do things like switch cameras or change photo modes. Samsung claims this loss of functionality shouldn’t be a big deal as a tiny fraction of people actually used the feature. Plus, if you want a way to remotely snap a photo, there are other methods like holding your hand up to the camera or using a Galaxy Ring or Watch. But if you’re one of the few who did enjoy Air actions, it’s an unfortunate step backward. Thankfully, for those who absolutely need a stylus with gesture support, you can still get that functionality from Samsung’s optional S Pen Pro. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget One small thing I do want to call out is the improved anti-reflective coating on the S25 Ultra’s screen. It strikes an almost perfect balance between typical glossy displays and the matte texture used on traditional desktop monitors. Colors remain vivid while still cutting out the most distracting forms of glare, and with a peak brightness of 2,600 nits, the screen dazzles in practically any environment. Performance: More speed than you’ll know what to do with The Galaxy S Ultra has never lacked power, but that didn’t stop Samsung from adding even more speed thanks to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. This thing absolutely flies and there’s not much you can do to slow it down. Samsung has even tightened up the animations in One UI so that the phone feels as responsive as its benchmarks suggest, which are up as much as 30 to 40 percent depending on the task (or closer to 15 percent while gaming). The one wrinkle to this is that, when under heavy loads, the S25 Ultra does become a bit power-hungry, which can result in slightly faster-than-expected battery drain when doing heavy multitasking or running demanding apps. Software: Just what you wanted, more AI Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget The S25 Ultra’s main focus for this year is on improved AI. This can be seen across a number of new and improved features (and some obvious inspiration from rivals like Apple and Google) with the general goal of making all of its tools more powerful, more intuitive and in many cases, easier to use with your voice. The first major addition is Samsung’s Now Brief, which adds a personalized feed filled with things like the weather, local traffic, upcoming calendar appointments, the news and more. It gets refreshed periodically throughout the day (morning, midday, afternoon, etc.) and by using what Samsung calls its Personal Data Engine, it will attempt to learn what you like instead of having you check off a list of tickboxes. It’s a handy tool, though for anyone already familiar with the Android ecosystem, it’s not especially groundbreaking. And it does take time for the phone to understand what you do and don’t care about, which adds a bit of a learning curve to the process. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Now Briefs also works with Samsung’s Now bar to surface relevant events in other areas of the phone — specifically your lock screen and notification shade. It’s meant to help you keep tabs on apps you’re using (like how long you’ve let the Voice Recorder app run) or stuff like sports scores, with the ability to toggle between different things simply by swiping left and right. It’s helpful, but forgive me if this is becoming repetitive, because many of these look like duplicate versions of stuff like Google’s Live Notifications. Meanwhile, if you open the Edge Panel by swiping in on the tab on the right side of the screen, you’ll see even more AI features. AI Select is a revamped take on Smart Select, which helps you take screenshots, turn videos into gifs and more. Drawing Assist is the tool formerly known as Sketch to Image, which lets you create art by doodling with the S Pen or using text inputs. And then there’s the self-explanatory Interpreter app, plus an icon for Now Brief in case you don’t like using the widget. All of these sort of work just like you expect them to, and in some cases like when drawing, the resulting images are a touch more detailed and realistic than before. But to me, the biggest upgrade across Samsung’s second-gen AI suite is a slightly more cohesive UI that makes learning what each tool can do a bit easier. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Perhaps my favorite new use of AI is improved natural language commands throughout the phone. For example in the Gallery app, you can search for specific subjects just by hitting the asking Gemini (or Bixby too, if you’re into that). It’s a convenient way to quickly find a specific photo amongst thousands of shots — though once again, there’s similar functionality in Google Photos. But more importantly, you can use voice commands to do stuff like change device settings or even add events to your calendar. And you don’t even need to be very specific. When I asked the phone to add the next Knicks game to my calendar, I didn’t need to give it any more information than that. It all feels slightly magical, even if it’s not an essential part of my day. Cameras: A new ultra-wide sensor but that’s about it Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Like its predecessors, the S25 Ultra features a 200-megapixel main camera and a 50MP telephoto with a 5x zoom. The one upgrade is a new 50MP sensor for its ultra-wide lens (up from 12MP). As you’d expect, expansive landscape pics look a touch sharper thanks to the increased resolution, though aside from that, there aren’t a ton of immediately obvious improvements to the rest of the phone’s general image quality. As you’d expect, in bright light the S25 Ultra captures lovely images with rich details and vibrant colors. However, I did notice that Samsung’s penchant for going slightly overboard on sharpening can still be an issue. The new ultra-wide sensor also provides a noticeable upgrade in image quality to the point where I prefer it over what the Pixel 9 Pro can do. But I must admit, compared to the main camera or even the 5x zoom, that lens is the one I use the least, so it doesn’t have as much of an impact on my overall photography. In low light, the S25 Ultra nearly kept pace with Google’s Night Sight mode on the Pixel 9 Pro, and in a few situations, it pulled ahead. However, I had a hard time spotting how much of an effect Samsung’s improved noise reduction had on nighttime graininess. Regardless, even with a few hiccups, the S25 Ultra proved it can hang with other top-tier shooters from Google and others. 1 / 8 Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra photo comparisons Photo comparisons between the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Google Pixel 9 Pro. Meanwhile, in the Camera and Gallery apps, there are some handy tweaks including the new Audio Eraser feature. It uses AI to identify a handful of different sound types (such as speech, wind noise and more) before creating a custom EQ that lets you adjust things on the fly. This is great for those times when you’re shooting video and ambient sounds make it hard to hear what people are saying. You can also create and save custom photo filters to ensure all your pics on social media have a unique and consistent look. Additionally, for more advanced users, there’s a virtual aperture setting that gives you a bit more control over depth of field, though it’s still not nearly as good as being able to physically switch lenses like you can on a proper camera. And for even more demanding content creators, Samsung created a new Galaxy Log video format that allows you to more easily edit and color grade your footage. That said, unless you’re a YouTuber or hardcore video junkie, you may not get a ton of use out of these tools, especially with the latter of the two being restricted to Samsung’s Expert Raw app (which doesn’t come pre-installed). Battery life and charging: Samsung is cutting corners with its Qi2 “readiness” Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget The size of the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 5,000 mAh power pack hasn’t changed in five years, but that’s OK because you still get great battery life. On our local video rundown test, it lasted an incredible 29 hours and 27 minutes, which is up almost two hours compared to last year’s phone. That said, it’s important to note that the S25U loses in both capacity and longevity to the OnePlus 13, whose 6,000 mAh cell posted an even better time of 30:18. Wired charging is staying put at up to 45 watts and annoyingly it’s a very similar story when using wireless pads as well. That’s because while technically the S25 Ultra supports version 2.1 of the WPC’s Qi charging spec and is said to be “Qi2 ready”, because Samsung didn’t include magnets inside the phone, it won’t work with the wide variety of Qi2 accessories on ***** today. At least not without some help. For that, you need to rely on a Qi2 charging case to add the proper alignment and mounting point needed to attach magnetic peripherals. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget For a lot of Android phones users, this is really disappointing after seeing the wealth of MagSafe gadgets that iPhone users have enjoyed for several generations. As the biggest phone maker on the planet, Samsung has a lot of sway when it comes to fostering the adoption of useful protocols like Qi2 and seeing them stop short of truly supporting the spec is a bit bewildering. Wrap up The S25 Ultra is a hugely versatile phone, but this edition of Samsung’s flagship is hard to get excited about. That’s because while it’s one of the few handsets with an included stylus and a long 5x telephoto zoom, its general hardware and capabilities haven’t changed much since the previous generation. Or even two models back for that matter. Even so, the screens on Samsung phones are unrivaled while camera quality remains among the best. And while its battery hasn’t gotten ******* in years, longevity remains strong. Then you add in a new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip with blazing performance and you get a phone that’s good at pretty much everything. But for $1,300, it better be able to deliver on all that and more. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget And it’s that “and more” where the S25 Ultra’s value proposition gets a bit awkward. The phone’s biggest advancements are more powerful software and AI. Features like AI Select, Now Brief and improved natural language commands make the phone smarter and easier to use. But consider this: If you could pay for those tools separately, how much extra would you fork over to get more sophisticated AI on your phone? For many, that number might be zero, or at the very least a way less than the price of upgrading and the hassle of setting up a new phone and then figuring out how to use it. This means a lot of what Samsung focused on in this generation feels more like a bonus rather than a must-have feature. And when you can get around 90 percent of the phone’s capabilities from previous models, the most dangerous thing Samsung is asking buyers to consider is why they need to upgrade at all. Source link #Ultra Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Where to buy the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 today Where to buy the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 today Table of Contents Table of Contents RTX 5090 RTX 5080 Prebuilt PCs The day is finally upon us — Nvidia’s best graphics cards are here, and you can buy them now. The RTX 5090 and the RTX 5080 are now available at various retailers, both online and in brick-and-mortar stores. There’s just one problem: The cards may suffer from limited availability, so the sooner you shop, the better. While we expect these GPUs to sell out quickly over the next few weeks, it’s still possible to buy them today. Find out where to buy the RTX 5090 and the RTX 5080 today. RTX 5090 Jacob ****** / Digital Trends Nvidia’s RTX 5090 is a complete beast, and it comes with a price tag to match. Starting at $2,000, these GPUs aren’t cheap, but they also won’t be easy to come by. Leakers and manufacturers alike have been pretty vocal about the fact that we may face a GPU shortage when it comes to these cards. For instance, MSI said that it’ll open preorders today, but the cards won’t ship until February 6. Still, no reason not to buy one now — they’ll probably be sold out by February 6, anyway. Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming Let’s start with Best Buy. The retailer currently has two RTX 5090 models up for grabs. There’s the Nvidia Founders Edition model sold at the recommended list price (MSRP) of $1,999, and there’s a much pricier Gigabyte Aorus Master Ice in a gorgeous silver color, and that one will cost you $2,529. Newegg has a whole lot of RTX , and all of these cards are made by some of Nvidia’s most popular partners. You’ll find Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, and Zotac cards up for grabs at varying prices, although the vast majority are sold at above MSRP. The good news is that there are plenty of GPUs up for grabs, so you very well might be able to score one before they’re all gone. B&H is another retailer that has a bunch of RTX 5090s in stock. The cards are only available through B&H’s waiting list, which means you can only grab one if you sign up for a Stock Alert request — the first people to sign up will be the first ones to get notified and be able to buy one. There are cards from PNY, MSI, Asus, and Gigabyte, ranging from more reasonable options like to outrageous GPUs like this liquid-cooled . The card is also most likely going to be available at Nvidia’s own store as well as through . If you’re based in Canada, you have a few options, including , , and Memory Express. While you’re here, don’t forget that the RTX 5090 is a power-hungry beast, so you might need a new PSU. RTX 5080 Jacob ****** / Digital Trends The Nvidia RTX 5080 is a much cheaper card at $999, but it’s still powerful. While far behind the RTX 5090, it outpaces the RTX 4080 Super and isn’t too far behind the RTX 4090. We’re not sure whether this card will suffer from similar availability constraints as the RTX 5090, but it’s better to be safe than sorry — these GPUs might sell out quickly, seeing as the RTX 4080 Super is running low on stock levels, too. Starting with , the retailer is a good place to find an RTX 5080. There are lots of variants available, and although they might sell out quickly, there are several different models up for grabs at the time of writing. Similarly, B&H seems like a . There are models from Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, and PNY. Much like with the RTX 5090, you’ll need to sign up for B&H’s waiting list and hope you were quick enough to get picked to buy the GPU. Strangely enough, Best Buy doesn’t have any RTX 5080s in stock right now, but it does have that come with the RTX 5080. I’d be wary of the availability of the latter, as it’s unclear when they’ll become available. We expect the RTX 5080 to make an appearance at , with third-party models as well as Nvidia’s Founders Edition up for grabs. People in Canada can also find these GPUs at the same retailers as the RTX 5090, meaning , Memory Express, and . Prebuilt PCs Best Buy / Asus If you don’t want the hassle of building your own PC, you’re in luck. System builders prepared several prebuilt PCs for the launch of the RTX 5090 and the RTX 5080, so there are options if you want to just get a computer and start gaming right away. Best Buy is a good place to check first. There are some surprisingly decent prebuilt deals, such as this Asus ROG G700, priced at $2,399. Aside from the RTX 5080, the PC also comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 2 CPU, 32GB of VRAM, and a 2TB SSD. If you prefer AMD, iBUYPOWER prepared a prebuilt with the Ryzen 9 9900X and 32GB of DDR5 RAM, starting at $2,999. Adorama also has a few , starting at $2,299 and going all the way up to $2,769. Want a prebuilt with an RTX 5090? So far, Newegg seems like your best bet. The retailer is offering AMD and Intel models from a few system builders, including ABS, AVGPC, and Yeyian. There are a couple of RTX 5090 models, one from Yeyian and one from ABS, both priced at $4,299 and running on Intel. Stock levels for these GPUs are bound to be volatile in the next few weeks, so check back here for more offers throughout the day. Source link #buy #RTX #RTX #today Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Ukraine aid services cut after US funding shock Ukraine aid services cut after US funding shock Some 150 Ukrainian teenagers from northeastern areas near the frontlines of the war with Russia had already packed their bags to travel west for an educational retreat far from the shelling and fighting. Their plans were abruptly cancelled. Tetiana Kovryga, head of a Ukrainian NGO called GoGlobal, said she had to suspend the trip for the youths from the Sumy and Kharkiv regions after President Donald Trump paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development. “It was difficult. Not only for the children. I had a meeting with the team this morning, and I was very emotional; I carefully chose every word,” Kovryga told Reuters. Sitting in a small room lined with boxes full of goods that had been prepared for the cancelled trip, Kovryga added that she had to pause two other projects and was considering downsizing her team of 50 people. GoGlobal, an educational foundation that focuses on supporting the young in frontline areas where frequent air raid alerts and Russian bombardments disrupt classes, is one of many in Ukraine affected by the review and 90-day freeze on US foreign aid. After nearly three years of war against Russian forces, cash-strapped Ukraine channels the bulk of state revenues to fund its armed forces and produce and purchase weapons. Kyiv relies on foreign aid to pay pensions and public sector wages as well as to finance social and humanitarian projects. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the US has been a major supplier of both military assistance and development aid. USAID has provided Ukraine with $US2.6 billion ($A4.2 billion) in humanitarian aid, $US5 billion ($A8.0 billion) in development assistance and more than $US30 billion ($A48 billion) in direct budget support, according to the agency. Many local communities rely on aid and donor support to fund initiatives in education, health, energy, agriculture and infrastructure. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said military assistance was not affected by Trump’s foreign aid freeze, but he voiced concern over the funding pause for what he described as “critically important projects” to support the economy, energy, infrastructure, health and veterans. “I have already given instructions to do some key things with our internal funds and also to talk to Europeans,” Zelenskiy said on Wednesday in his daily address to the nation, adding the government would prioritise economic stability and veterans’ programs. Ukrainian government data shows the US was a development partner in more than 100 projects ranging from investment and exports to sponsoring media, enhancing energy supplies and supporting veterans, young people and scientists. With Ukraine’s budget deficit running at about $US38 billion ($A61 billion) this year, the number of projects the government can support from its own coffers was likely to be limited, according to economic analysts and NGOs. Reuters spoke to 10 NGO leaders and representatives from across affected projects. They said the abrupt pause in US funding came as a shock to communities exhausted by wartime challenges, and they were scrambling for new sources of funding. “We have not been able to pay salaries or any expenses since January 24. It was a big shock for our team because it was very unexpected,” Ivona Kostina, co-founder of a group called Veteran Hub that supports war veterans and their families. Veteran Hub briefly suspended its support hotline serving more than 1300 people every month, and also shut down one of its two centres in the central town of Vinnytsia where 700 people visited monthly for support and advice, Kostina said. However, the hub’s centre in Kyiv and three mobile support groups operating in six regions were still working and the team was pressing on with research and other projects, she added. The Veteran Hub, along with some other aid groups and independent media outlets Reuters spoke to, has appealed for private and corporate donations to maintain operations. Kostina said that the response so far had been “overwhelming”, allowing the charity to resume its hotline for now. But community activists worried about the future of groups serving the public if the US aid freeze becomes permanent. Ukrainian businesses are struggling with rising costs and lower profits, the population is getting poorer amid double-digit inflation and higher taxes. Many people already donate regularly to support the army. Even if US aid resumes, several NGOs said it would be a challenge to keep their teams at a time of severe staff shortages in Ukraine as the war drains the labour force. Source link #Ukraine #aid #services #cut #funding #shock Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Patrick Mahomes and the secrets of the Dad Bod: What we get wrong about athleticism Patrick Mahomes and the secrets of the Dad Bod: What we get wrong about athleticism It began with a viral photo. There was Patrick Mahomes, standing victorious in a locker room, his arm raised in triumph, his torso shirtless, his gut exposed and … kind of flabby? Maybe it was the lighting. Or a bad angle. Mahomes blamed that. Still, the evidence seemed undeniable: Here was one of the greatest athletes on planet earth, moments removed from leading the Kansas City Chiefs to the Super Bowl last January, and it sure seemed like he was rocking a Dad Bod. It didn’t hurt that Mahomes played along on X (“Yoooo why they have to do me like that!?!?!? #DadBodSZN”). Or that his teammates had poked at his physique for years. “You would think he was a soccer dad or something,” former Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill once said on a podcast. When Mahomes appeared on stage last summer with tight end Travis Kelce at a charity event, both struggled to pull a snug Chiefs jersey over their regular clothes. “Dad Bod,” Mahomes said, shrugging. Mahomes isn’t the only one. Superstar athletes in all kinds of physically demanding sports are combining unconventional body types with otherworldly athleticism: Luka Dončić’s pudgy midsection. Josh Allen’s round barrel chest. Nikola Jokić’s lack of muscle definition. It led to a relevant question: If Patrick Mahomes can be one of the best athletes in the world, in the Super Bowl for a third consecutive year with a body that inspires memes, did that say something about him, or our own fundamental ability to understand what real athleticism looks like? “We are not very good at certainly seeing — but even calculating — athleticism,” said Marcus Elliott, a sport scientist and the founder of P3 Peak Performance Project, a training lab in Santa Barbara, Calif. At P3, Elliott and his team are at the forefront of assessing some of the world’s best athletes and searching for the hidden secrets of human performance. Their work has led to a simple belief: Our traditional ideas of athleticism — *******, faster, stronger — is too limited. The common measurements we use — sprint speed, vertical jump, bench press — are woefully incomplete. “When something is unorthodox, our brains are always trying to find cause and effect,” Elliott said. “We want answers for everything. And what we do in sport is we over rely on our eyes for those answers. We draw these broad conclusions from a very small amount of biased information.” His team’s research points to a radical solution. When it comes to athleticism, we need to do something we are not very good at: open our minds and think differently. One day in the summer of 2014, Nikola Jokić, a 6-foot-11 big man from Serbia, showed up to the P3 facility in Santa Barbara, Calif. When he met Elliott, the facility’s director, he offered a quick explanation for his presence. “The basketball is good,” he said. Then he reached down and patted his stomach. Elliott thought it resembled a “beer belly.” That needed help. Jokić was 19 years old and two months removed from being drafted in the second round by the Denver Nuggets. He had come to P3 to undergo an advanced athlete assessment. When he attempted a vertical leap, he jumped 17 inches. It was, according to Elliott, the worst vertical jump they had ever recorded. In the last decade, as Jokić grew into an NBA MVP and one of the best basketball players in the world, the story of his trip to P3 and his 17-inch jump has become a part of his lore. In many ways, it’s actually the least interesting part of the story. As Elliott’s team evaluated Jokić, he was put through a series of tests. P3 tested his hip abduction, or how fast and far one can affect one’s hip when moving laterally. It measured second-order metrics like how quickly he could decelerate and how high he could jump two times in a row. And it looked at a list of what Elliott calls “granular biomechanics” — hundreds of variables that rate things like force production, loads and joint extension. When the tests were complete, P3 put the numbers into a machine-learning algorithm that clusters athletes into groups with similar attributes. What was most revealing about Jokić was not the numbers themselves, but the players he compared to. He was right on the fringe of a group of guards that Elliot called “Swiss Army Knives” because of their ability to do anything on the court. “They’re just like a B-minus to B-level in everything,” Elliott said. “And that’s Jokić. He may look herky-jerky to you. But looking at the data, we think it looks really beautiful.” Jokić’s 17-inch vertical jump is the stuff of lore. But he’s also a three-time NBA MVP. (Aaron Ontiveroz / The Denver Post / Getty Images) P3 gave the cluster a name: “The Kinematic Movers.” That cluster exists as a skeleton key to unlock how data and technology can unearth athletic genius and provide a fuller picture. A Kinematic Mover is not an explosive jumper. Nor particularly powerful. But grades out above average in almost everything, possessing a portfolio of some of the most useful physical tools and movements in basketball. As a group, Kinematic Movers in the NBA have longer careers, on average, and accumulate more of the statistic Win Shares. “I love the idea that if you can do everything pretty well, there’s a place for you at the highest level of sport,” Elliott said. One example, Elliott said, is Steve Nash. When Nash starred for the Phoenix Suns in the mid-2000s, winning two MVPs, he witnessed an NBA that viewed athleticism as “a code name for explosiveness.” A player might be viewed as smart or crafty or have a strong basketball IQ. But it was hard to decipher exactly what that meant. Warriors coach Steve Kerr, then a former player and executive, had what Elliott called the “ball-and-stick theory,” which wasn’t too complicated: If you wanted to know if a player was a good athlete, hand him a ball and stick. Mahomes, of course, played baseball as a kid, and Elliott suspects he would grade out as a Kinematic Mover. (He’s never been assessed at P3.) But unlike 25 years ago, we don’t have to guess. The proliferation of technologies such as “force plates” and the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence has allowed labs like P3 to quantify what once felt intangible. When Dončić started making trips to P3 as a teenager, he did not grade out well in traditional performance metrics. But he did have one superpower: He was in the 92nd percentile in a measure called “eccentric force,” which translates to the simple act of going full speed and then stopping, a fact first documented by the Wall Street Journal. Dončić isn’t just skilled and crafty. He’s a physical marvel. “When you start actually measuring these things, it’s almost like having a microscope,” Elliott said. “You start being able to see this hidden world that’s not accessible to us with our eyes open.” And when it comes to an athlete like Dončić or Mahomes, sometimes the hidden world is just as amazing as the one you can see. When Mahomes was in elementary school, his father, Pat Sr., took him to work with Bobby Stroupe, a performance trainer in Tyler, Texas. Stroupe had worked with all sorts of athletes, from kids to professionals, but when he laid his eyes on Mahomes, he noticed something intriguing. Mahomes was not exceptionally fast, but he was adept at movements that felt eclectic: crawling, twisting, chopping, swinging. He was a natural at understanding momentum and space. Two decades later, Mahomes remains a mesmerizing athlete. His traditional performance metrics — like his 4.8 40-yard dash or his squat max — are unremarkable. But when you consider everything together — what Elliott calls a “symphony of movement” — there are few quarterbacks like him. He runs faster on curves than he does in a straight line and is a master at decelerating under control. He excels at what Stroupe calls “forecasting momentum,” or using his vision and depth perception to understand how fast he is moving compared to a defender. His reaction times are off the charts. “I think the problem is you look at him and his body type is not what you would think of,” Stroupe said. Oh, yes, the Dad Bod. The term itself is perhaps slightly misunderstood. It reached critical mass in 2015, when a Clemson student named Mackenzie Pearson earned $500 for a blog post for a little-known website called The Odyssey: “Why Girls Love the Dad Bod.” The origins of the post were very college. Pearson and her sorority sisters noticed that most frat guys at Clemson had a similar physique: Former athletes who had a few too many beers. They named their group chat the “Dad Bod Squad.” The piece went viral and the term launched into the lexicon. When Merriam-Webster officially added “Dad Bod” to the dictionary in 2021, Pearson received an official letter. In time, Pearson noticed her original meaning began to morph. It was never supposed to connote an out-of-shape dad. “It’s the Patrick Mahomes (body),” she said. “It’s that version of someone that is objectively physically in good shape and attractive. But not washboard abs. That’s the big thing.” When it comes to Mahomes, who is listed at 6 feet 2 and 225 pounds, part of his shape is by design. When Stroupe was a young trainer, he worked with major league pitchers, a position where increased body **** and mass often provided an advantage. As new Hall of Fame pitcher CC Sabathia told Pat McAfee in 2023: “I always say ‘mass equals gas.’ I need a big **** to throw hard.” Research supports the theory. A few years ago, Ben Brewster, a pitching instructor who co-founded Tread Athletics, studied the average body weight of MLB pitchers over time. In 1994, it was 193 pounds. By 2010, it had jumped to 217. Across the same span, fastball velocity skyrocketed. Brewster cautions that the relationship between a pitcher’s mass and his fastball velocity is nuanced and complex. But when he considers a pitcher’s general physique and his performance, he emphasizes that there is an important psychological component. “If they feel better being 20 percent body ****,” he said, “there’s no reason they have to be 10 percent body ****.” He saw a natural connection between pitchers and other “throwing athletes,” like quarterbacks. Mahomes aims to play at 14 percent body ****, a number that provides a mix of stability, protection, flexibility and peace of mind. Which is to say it allows him to be himself, to lean into the gifts that make him special. To this day, Stroupe tailors Mahomes’ workouts around movements — twisting, swinging, shuffling — he might use on the field. He recalls similar skepticism about running backs Emmitt Smith and Marshall Faulk, a proto-Kinematic Mover with a round face and surprisingly pudgy build. Sure, if Mahomes spent more time on traditional weight lifting, he could probably build more muscle. But to what benefit? And at what cost? As Kelly Stafford, the wife of Rams quarterback Matt Stafford, wrote on Instagram last year: “Dad bod is a requirement to be an NFL QB. Show me a shredded QB, and I’ll show you a not very good QB.” What Elliott would like most is for people to stop relying on their eyes to determine athleticism. What is beautiful is not always functional, and it’s worth thinking about the next time you look into the mirror at the gym. On a Sunday in October, Mahomes dropped back on fourth-and-goal in a close game against the San Francisco 49ers. As the pocket collapsed and San Francisco’s Nick Bosa came around the edge, Mahomes took off for the goal line. When he arrived, he lowered his shoulder and bulldozed into rookie safety Malik Mustapha. The highlight rippled across the internet. Mustapha was on his back. Mahomes was celebrating. “That Dad Bod, man,” Mahomes said later. Yes, it was the Dad Bod. It was a lot more, too. (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photos: Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE, Brooke Sutton / Getty Images) Source link #Patrick #Mahomes #secrets #Dad #Bod #wrong #athleticism Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]