Pelican Press

Valorant Kicks Anti-Cheater Crusade Into High Gear Following Cheating Spike After “Riot’s holiday code freeze” Valorant Kicks Anti-Cheater Crusade Into High Gear Following Cheating Spike After “Riot’s holiday code freeze” Coming across hackers and cheaters in multiplayer games is quite common nowadays. They can completely ruin the gaming experience, especially if it is a competitive video game such as Valorant. Riot Games has been trying its best to take down cheaters, however, there has been a spike in the number of cheaters recently. The number of hackers was increased in Valorant due to Riot’s holiday code freeze (Image via Riot Games) Riot Games has developed its own anti-cheat system called “Vanguard,” which is able to detect cheating at the kernel level of a player’s computer. The head director of Vanguard recently gave fans an update about what steps the team is making in order to reduce the number of cheaters after the holiday code freeze at Riot Games. Riot Games is determined to reduce the number of cheaters in Valorant In an article posted on X, the head director of Riot Games’ anti-cheat Vanguard, Phillip Koskinas, addressed the increase in the number of cheaters in Valorant. Koskinas shared a graph that reveals that there was a sharp increase in the number of cheaters in Valorant in almost every region over the past two months. It was because of Riot’s holiday code freeze, so the developers were working at reduced capacity. [Hidden Content] — Phillip Koskinas (@deteccphilippe) January 27, 2025 Koskinas has confirmed that things are now back on track and the team now aims to bring down the percentage of ranked games with a cheater back down below 1% globally. Currently, Brazil is the region that is affected the most by hackers, Koskinas explained why. He explained that most cheaters in this region were using something called “pixelbot” that allowed them to improve their aim. Koskinas assured that they are as easy to detect as they are to install, so players in Brazil will not have to deal with this problem anymore. Phillip Koskinas admits that Riot Games can’t permanently put an end to hackers Cheaters will eventually find other ways to fool Riot’s Vanguard (Image via Riot Games) Koskinas claims that Riot Games is working hard to tone down the number of hackers in Valorant, but he admitted that Vanguard can only keep a determined cheater out for a little while as they eventually find their way back in. Yes, there’s no way to completely get rid of cheaters, but Koskinas says that Riot Games will never stop and will “encourage every single cheater to kick rocks.” He also revealed that in 2024 an average cheater was only able to complete 6 games before getting suspended, so it’s clear that Riot Games is making some progress. But what happens if you get in a match with a cheater before he completes 6 six games? Fortunately, Riot Games has come up with a solution for this. Koskinas said that in Act 2, every ban will be accompanied by a “Ranked Rollback,“ which means that Riot will restore the RR lost to all players who were affected by a cheater in a ranked game. Source link #Valorant #Kicks #AntiCheater #Crusade #High #Gear #Cheating #Spike #Riots #holiday #code #freeze Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

White House defends dramatic federal funding freeze White House defends dramatic federal funding freeze White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt vehemently defended the administration’s sweeping freeze on federal aid, arguing Tuesday in her first press briefing that it was critical to scrutinize the scope of the government’s spending. “The reason for this is to ensure that every penny going out the door is not conflicting with the executive orders and action that this president has taken,” Leavitt said. “This is a very responsible measure.” Leavitt insisted that the freeze would not affect federal assistance that goes directly to individuals, such as Social Security benefits and food aid. But she would not directly answer whether other social service programs that serve people indirectly — such as Meals on Wheels and Medicaid — would be affected. She dismissed reports of widespread confusion over the scope and impact of the White House order in the wake of its release late on Monday. “There’s only uncertainty in this room amongst the media, there’s no uncertainty in this building,” she said. “The president signed an executive order directing OMB to do just this.” Even so, Leavitt declined to say how long the freeze would last. And she offered no solutions for how programs affected by the order would make payroll and maintain operations in the interim, saying only that the Office of Management and Budget is reviewing individual programs. President Donald Trump’s budget office late Monday ordered a total pause on “all federal financial assistance,” as the administration conducts a review of its spending and looks to eliminate funding that does not support the president’s agenda. The new order could affect billions of dollars in grants to states and local governments, while causing disruptions to programs that benefit a multitude of households. It remains unclear how the memo will be implemented and whether it will face legal challenges. Trump’s latest move underscores his efforts to rapidly harness power over the government and shift control of federal funding further away from Congress. And it’s another example of Trump’s preparedness for his second term, as the president and his allies are now familiar with Washington and used his time out of office to draft a more aggressive agenda. Source link #White #House #defends #dramatic #federal #funding #freeze Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Italy’s Meloni investigated over release of Libyan war crimes suspect Italy’s Meloni investigated over release of Libyan war crimes suspect Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says she has been placed under judicial investigation over Italy’s surprise release of a Libyan citizen who had been wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC). In a video message shared on social media on Tuesday, Meloni said she was suspected by prosecutors of embezzlement and aiding and abetting a crime. ****** Najim – also known as Almasri – is the head of Libya’s judicial police and the director of an infamous detention centre in Mitiga, near Tripoli. Mr Najim was arrested in Italy on 21 January and unexpectedly freed days later “due to a legal technicality”, the interior ministry said. The ICC, which said it had not been consulted, swiftly issued another arrest warrant for Mr Najim and demanded an explanation from the Italian authorities. In the video, Meloni said the Rome appeals court released Mr Najim because the ICC warrant had not been sent to the Italian justice ministry. “At that point, so as not to let him go free on Italian territory, we decided to expel him and repatriate him immediately, with a special flight,” Meloni said. Last week, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio said that Mr Najim had been expelled because of the “danger” he posed – a comment which was derided by the opposition. The decision to free Mr Najim was heavily criticised by the opposition and NGOs such as Amnesty International, which said Mr Najim was guilty of “horrific violations committed with total impunity”. Videos that showed a jubilant crowd welcoming Mr Najim as he stepped off an Italian government plane in Tripoli caused particular uproar. Meloni said that Nordio, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and the cabinet undersecretary for intelligence matters, Alfredo Mantovano, had also been placed under investigation. Being placed under investigation in Italy does not mean that formal charges will necessarily follow. In a defiant tone, the Italian PM appeared to hint at political motives for the investigation. She pointed out the lawyer who filed the complaint, Luigi Li Gotti, was a former left-wing politician, while the prosecutor leading the case, Francesco Lo Voi, recently investigated Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini on an unrelated matter. Meloni ended the video saying that she could not be “blackmailed or intimidated”. “This may be why I’m unpopular among those who don’t want Italy to change and improve,” she said. “But that’s precisely the reason I intend to continue on my way, protecting Italians, especially when the nation’s safety is at stake, head held high with no fear.” Matteo Renzi of the opposition party Italy Alive (IV) – who was among the first to denounce Mr Najim’s release – said he felt Meloni was “exploiting” the investigation to “feed her usual victim complex”. Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the far-right, anti-migrant Brothers of Italy party, has headed Italy’s ruling right-wing coalition since 2022. She has repeatedly vowed to crack down on immigration and has pledged to stop boats heading to Italy from North Africa, vowing to put an end to ******** departures and human trafficking. Meloni, like other leaders before her, has worked with Libyan authorities and militias, providing them with financial and technical support under controversial agreements to tackle ******** immigration, including training and funding for the Libyan coast guard which intercepts migrant boats. Source link #Italys #Meloni #investigated #release #Libyan #war #crimes #suspect Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Eternal Strands Review | TheXboxHub Eternal Strands Review | TheXboxHub NoobFeed editor Faviyan writes – Eternal Strands is a bold title that challenges you to dream big. With its changing environment, new gaming methodologies, and mixed systems, it stands out in a sea of crowded action-adventure titles. For all its weaknesses, such as floaty fighting and shallow variety in its enemies, its strengths dominate its faults. Source link #Eternal #Strands #Review #TheXboxHub Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mystery drones flying around Northeast U.S. were authorized by FAA, White House says Mystery drones flying around Northeast U.S. were authorized by FAA, White House says The mystery of the unexplained drone sightings over New Jersey and along the East Coast late last year has been solved, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said she was relaying the update directly from President Trump in the Oval Office. In her first White House press briefing Tuesday, Leavitt said, “After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons.” “Many of these drones were also hobbyists, recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones,” she added. “In time, it got worse due to curiosity. This was not the enemy.” In December, mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and other East Coast states prompted a demand for officials to find the source of the flying objects, some of which were spotted near military installations. The FBI was the lead agency investigating the sightings and said it received several thousand tips. Local law enforcement agencies also investigated. On social media, users shared theories that range from foreign interference to UFOs to hobbyist activity. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security said there was no evidence” the reported drone sightings posed a threat to national security or public safety or had any foreign connection. But state and local leaders were pushed to find more information and come up with a stronger response. Authorities said many of the reported drone sightings could be aircraft or helicopters operating from the region’s numerous airports. New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim said in posts on X that he “concluded that most of the possible drone sightings that were pointed out to me were almost certainly planes.” As Leavitt said Tuesday, former White House national security spokesman John Kirby said in December that many reports were determined to be “a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones and law enforcement drones.” Some social media users had suggested they might shoot down the drones if they came too close to their homes, and in December, Mr. Trump also suggested shooting down the drones, though he did not clarify who should take such action. Emma Li and Rhona Tarrant contributed to this report. Kathryn Watson Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. Source link #Mystery #drones #flying #Northeast #U.S #authorized #FAA #White #House Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Danish PM consults European allies as unease over Greenland grows Danish PM consults European allies as unease over Greenland grows Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen visited three European capitals on Tuesday, days after US President Donald Trump reiterated his interest in acquiring Greenland. Over the space of a day, Frederiksen met with ******* Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and Nato leader Mark Rutte in Brussels. Although the leaders were said to have discussed issues including Ukraine and hybrid Russian attacks in the Baltic Sea, the Danish PM’s whirlwind trip betrayed the nervousness felt in Denmark over Trump’s repeated comments. The Arctic island of Greenland is an autonomous Danish dependent territory. However, Trump has repeatedly signalled that he wants the US to acquire it for national security reasons – and refused to rule out using military or economic force to do so. “I think we’re going to have it,” he said on Saturday. Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede – who has pushed for independence from Denmark – insisted last week that Greenlanders “don’t want to be American”. At a news conference held by Frederiksen and Scholz after their meeting on Tuesday morning, neither leader directly mentioned Greenland or Trump. But when discussing the need to respect borders and not violate them by force, as Russia did in Ukraine, Scholz emphasised that the concept applied to “everyone” and added, in English: “To whom it may concern.” In Paris, Frederiksen told reporters she had received “a great deal of support” from her European allies and that there was a “very, very clear message… that of course there must be respect for territory and the sovereignty of states.” And during her final stop in Brussels, Frederiksen said that she had “no reason to believe that there is any military threat to Greenland or Denmark”. She reiterated that she still sees the US as Denmark’s closest ally, but when asked about the relationship between Europe and Trump, she replied: “I think everyone in Europe can see that it will be a different collaboration now.” Frederiksen and Rutte agreed that allies needed to focus on strengthening defences in the Arctic, Reuters reported quoting a source. While Frederiksen avoided mentioning the Greenland issue directly, her foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, told reporters that Trump would “not have Greenland”. “The Greenlandic people are a people, also in the sense of international law,” Lokke said. When asked whether Trump would need to “invade” Greenland to get it, Lokke said that he would not give instructions for how Trump should “get something that he should not have”, Danish media reported. In a press release issued earlier this week, the foreign ministry said Lokke had spoken to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the two had decided to discuss Arctic security between the US, Denmark and Greenland at a later date. Danish opposition MP Rasmus Jarlov told the BBC that he thought “all Americans have heard Denmark say no. But apparently a lot of people in the US think that the Greenlanders want to be Americans – or that they can be bought to agree to it.” He added: “Many Greenlanders dream of independence from Denmark. But if that happens, it is not with an intention of becoming Americans after independence… It will never be American.” On Monday, Denmark said it would spend 14.6bn kroner (£1.6bn; $2.05bn) to boost security in the Arctic region, in partnership with Greenland and the Faroe Islands, its other autonomous territory. Source link #Danish #consults #European #allies #unease #Greenland #grows Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

I don’t like extraction shooters. Exoborne might be the one to win me over I don’t like extraction shooters. Exoborne might be the one to win me over Table of Contents Table of Contents “Let’s destroy an entire world.” Approachable extraction Better than Bloodhunt Exoborne accomplished something very difficult: it made me enjoy an extraction shooter. Extraction shooters are an emerging category spearheaded by developers looking for the next big thing after battle royales. Teams of players explore large open-world-like maps looking for loot, but they can potentially lose everything if an enemy or other player kills them before they can extract them. While I’ve seen the potential of this kind of shooter in games like Hunt: Showdown and Delta Force: Hawk Ops, I’ve found they feel too hardcore, taking the fun out of the run-and-gun nature of shooter that I usually resonate with the most. That’s why I had my trepidations the first time I tried Exoborne, a third-person extraction shooter from Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodhunt developer Sharkmob and Tencent-backed Level Infinite. By leaning into unique elements like exosuit powers and a weather system, Exoborne is already one of the most approachable extraction shooters I’ve ever played. Exoborne Playtest Announcement Trailer “Let’s destroy an entire world.” Much of the groundwork for the extraction shooter genre can be traced back to Ubisoft’s The Division from 2016. That game featured a “Dark Zone” that players could dare to venture into to find better loot at the risk of being killed by other players in what was otherwise a cooperative game. Petter Mannerfelt was The Division’s game director; he’s also one of Sharkmob’s founders and Creative Director behind Exoborne. With this new game, Mannerfelt tells Digital Trends that he wanted to embrace the extraction shooter concept fully. “We wanted to take that one step further and really be able to explore that space and make a game that is very much an extraction shooter,” Mannerfelt tells Digital Trends. “What is so interesting for me is that you have the high stakes gameplay and long-term progression at the same time. I really like the mix of both where you can play with risk.” Similarly, Mannerfelt says the team wanted to up the ante of the apocalyptic narrative seedlings planted by The Division: “More than ten years ago, I worked on a game where we destroyed a city, so I thought this time, let’s destroy an entire world.” After toying around with ideas that included world-destroying asteroids, nanobots, and interdimensional portals, Sharkmob settled on an idea that would be more settled in scientific realism: cataclysmic weather caused by a megacorporation that lied about trying to solve the climate crisis and is now trying to stomp out any rebellion. Players control soldiers fighting back in exosuits that enhance their abilities. Sharkmob All exosuits allow players to fling themselves across Exoborne’s open-world maps with a grappling hook and paraglider, but specific exosuits will grant exclusive abilities, like turning the player invisible. The standout feature of Exoborne is its dynamic weather. Tornados and other storms ravage the map in ways not seen in many games outside of Just Cause 4. It’s visually impressive and adds to every match’s tense, emergent feel. That feature didn’t come easy, though, as Mannerfelt recalled the less than enthusiastic reaction he initially got from Sharkmob’s engineers when pitching this concept. “I remember the first meeting where I talked to the engineering and production leads and said what we wanted to have, and they just looked at me with blank eyes like, ‘Why would you make this?’ Well, because it’s fun!” Approachable extraction The core gameplay loop of Exoborne sees teams of three players venture out into open-world maps to complete pre-set objectives and eventually extract. If you find some great loot and escape with it, you get to keep it. In the cases where I was ambushed and killed by other players or got caught up in a storm like a fire tornado, I lost everything. That loop should sound fairly familiar to those who have already played games of this type; still, something clicked for me with Exoborne that hadn’t when I played other extraction shooters. Sharkmob That’s because Exoborne feels much more approachable than its peers. It’s still quite difficult, though, as emergent moments caused by weather forced me to constantly rethink my strategy. Thankfully, exploration feels remarkably freeing thanks to the fluid traversal systems, and the third-person shooting doesn’t require the precision of first-person shooters like Escape from Tarkov. Sharkmob’s commitment to approachability was intentional, although Mannerfelt still believes players should have some experience with AAA shooters before checking out Exoborne. “We didn’t want to make it that niche. Even though the general concept is quite complex, we’re trying to streamline it,” Mannerfelt says. “That was, of course, a challenge for the team. How do you make something less hardcore that is so hardcore? How can we apply structure that everyone would understand? We switched to AAA conventional shooting because that’s what more people are used to. We changed how the damage model works so it’s easier to understand. We have different tiers of weapons that make progression easier to understand, and we have applied more missions and operations to Exoborne to create more structure.” That combination of factors harmonizes together quite nicely. While I certainly wasn’t playing at a professional level, as I could only spend a few hours with the game, I had more fun during those few hours than I have during any other time I’ve spent in more hardcore extraction shooters. That bodes well for Exoborne, which is entering a very competitive live service space. Better than Bloodhunt Another reason I see the potential for Exoborne to succeed is that Sharkmob has had a chance to learn from its mistakes in the live service space. Sharkmob’s last game was Vampire: The Masquerade—Bloodhunt, a battle royale lauded for its game feel, which helps it attract a niche community. However, it ultimately felt too inaccessible to become mainstream. While servers are still online, Sharkmob dropped support for Bloodhunt after a year. Mannerfelt does not want to repeat the same inaccessibility mistakes with Exoborne. “In Bloodhunt, there was a lot of fast traversal and quick pacing,” Mannerfelt says. “One of the challenges we had was that the best players were killing the new, worse players because even if I started to shoot you in the back, there were a lot of situations where you could turn around and have a chance to kill me. Since there was so much vertical, angular movement, you had an edge in that game if you were good at aiming. For Exoborne, we have slowed down the pacing quite a lot, but we still want to keep traversal, but we still want to keep the fluid traversal and a lot of verticality.” Sharkmob In the live service space, teams often don’t have a chance to learn from their failures. Sharkmob is getting that chance, and I’m choosing to be optimistic about Exoborne’s viability based on what I played. The weather effects and emergent moments they create stand out in the live service space, while its third-person shooting and traversal mechanics give it a more welcoming game feel than most hardcore extraction shooters. I can’t wait to play more, and I’m looking forward to seeing where Exoborne goes once it’s in more players’ hands. Exoborne is currently in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. A playtest for it will take place between February 12 and February 17, and you can sign up for it on Steam. Source link #dont #extraction #shooters #Exoborne #win Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Dreame R20 cordless vacuum review Dreame R20 cordless vacuum review Dreame R20 cordless vacuum: two-minute review The Dreame R20 is a sterling lightweight compact cordless stick vac that delivers exceptional cleaning performance at a very competitive price. Its exceedingly powerful suction, useful blue light dust detection, superb manoeuvrability and user-friendly design make it a very strong contender against expensive premium brands like Dyson and Miele. A sub brand of the massive Xiaomi empire, Dreame (pronounced Dreamy) is fast becoming a lead player in the arena of innovative floor cleaning products. Whether it’s stick vacs, robot vacs or wet and dry hard floor cleaners, it seems the ******** company has a product to suit all pockets and applications. At 2.7 kilos, the R20 also one of the lightest stick vacs currently on the market, and that’s not something to be sniffed at. Some of the best cordless vacuums on the market are notoriously heavy in the hand and therefore tiring to use for long periods of time. Despite one minor anomaly – namely the over-sensitive on/off trigger – the R20 is a joy to use (if vacuuming could every be considered a joy). If you’re in the market for a highly accomplished cordless stick vac that costs a fraction of the price of a Dyson and even some Shark models, step right this way. This is one of the very best budget vacuums I’ve tested. Read on for my full Dreame R20 cordless stick vacuum review. Dreame R20 review: price & availability List price: $449.99 / £279 Available: ***, US, various other territories (not Australia) Those living in the US can head straight to the US Dreame store where it has a list price of $449.99, but is currently selling for just $269.99. Amazon also lists the R20 though it’s currently unavailable on its website. If you live in the ***, the list price is £279, discounted (very slightly!) to £259 when shopping direct at the *** Dreame store. Alternatively, it’s stocked at a range of third party retailers, including Amazon, Currys and B&Q. Incidentally, the Dreame website lists 27 countries in all – including most European territories – so head there if you have trouble sourcing this product in your country. Although Dreame does have a presence in Australia, the R20 isn’t currently available there. In the US and ***, the Dreame R20 sits near the bottom of the mid-range price bracket, and offers excellent value for that price, competing exceedingly well with premium brands like Dyson and Miele in terms of features and performance. In fact, it’s become my new favourite vac, beating the excellent Halo Capsule X for size and storability and the Dyson Gen5detect for price and weight. It also ships with a wide range of accessories, including a short bendy suction tube for reaching deep under beds and sofas. Value for money score: 5 out of 5 Dreame R20 cordless vacuum specs Swipe to scroll horizontally Type: Cordless stick vacuum Bagless: Yes Weight: 6 lbs / 2.7kg Bin size: 0.6 litres Max runtime: 90 mins Charge time: 2 hours Tools: 2 x floorheads, motorised mini brush head, crevice nozzle, rectangular brush nozzle and bendy suction tube connector Power: 570W Dreame R20 review: design Compact cordless, bagless stick vacuum Light in the hand and very easy to maneuver Overly sensitive power trigger, easily accidentally activated Although I’ve only reviewed two Dreame products to date – this mid-size cordless stick and the excellent Dreame L40 Ultra robot vac and mop – I have to say that I’m suitably impressed by what I’ve seen so far, at least when compared to some of the competition. This model arrived in a larger box than the norm but that’s only because it ships with a multitude of attachments, including two main floorheads for hard floor and carpet, a mini motorized head for upholstery and carpeted staircases, a ridiculously lightweight carbon fibre suction tube, a short Shark-like articulating suction tube that bends forwards 90 degrees for reaching under beds and sofas, plus the obligatory crevice tool with pull-down brush for cleaning hard-to-reach areas and along skirting boards and, to top it all off, a rectangular dusting brush for shelves and around the fireplace. (Image credit: Future) It also came with a Dyson-style wall-mounted charger that is thankfully far less fiddly to fit, and a power plug that looks identical to those provided by Dyson. A lot of Dyson-esque stuff, in other words. (See how it compares to those brands’ top offerings in TechRadar’s guides to the best Shark vacuums and the best Dyson vacuums.) The Dreame R20 weighs in at 6 lbs / 2.7kg – almost a kilo lighter than my (admittedly very weighty) Dyson Gen5detect, and 26g lighter than the comparable Dyson V15 Detect. I put much of this lower weight down to the R20’s featherweight carbon fibre suction tube (a paltry 205g against the Dyson Gen5’s 387g) and the smaller size of its handheld motor and bin housing. Believe me, you’ll come to appreciate this model’s lower weight when it comes to a full clean of the home; it not only makes the R20 easy to push but also just as easy to carry from room to room, and especially up a flight of stairs. (Image credit: Future) The Dreame R20 wins no awards for unique design innovation since it adopts the same motor housing and bin configuration as the vast majority of other manufacturers, Dyson notwithstanding. Nevertheless, the hand unit feels comfortable enough to hold when being used, though the jury’s out on the position and sensitively of the on/off trigger. It’s not a major bind but I found that my index finger inadvertently set it off when carrying it from one part of a room to another. I’m also not too enamored with the flat finger guard below the trigger, which feels a bit uncomfortable at times. There is, thankfully, a little button on the rear of the housing that engages the motor for continual running but even this handy feature is spoiled by the fact that you need to hover the index finger above the trigger or you might mistakenly turn it off again. In truth I’d prefer to have seen a system like that used on some of Dyson’s most recent products where there’s a single on/off button on the rear and no trigger whatsoever. (Image credit: Future) While we’re discussing the hand unit, I should also mention the cute little elliptically-shaped LCD interface on the back. This provides battery information in percentage terms and a pretty butterfly icon that indicates which suction mode is in use. There are two main modes – Standard (which lights up green) and Boost (which shows up blue/white). You can switch between the two manually by simply tapping a small button just below the rear interface. However, the vacuum also contains sensors that mean it’ll automatically ramp up from Standard to Boost mode if there’s a lot of dust about. This works really well – I used the vacuum to sweep my fire log shelf and it switched in and out of Boost on a regular basis. There’s also a supercharged mode for when the sensor detects a really filthy section (the butterfly icon turns red for this). Most modern stick vacuums will have a low-powered mode to extend the battery life when dealing with light cleaning tasks, but that’s missing here. However, runtimes are still exceptional (more on this in the Battery section). (Image credit: Future) Before we look at the floorhead setup, let’s take a tour of the R20’s bagless dust bin. The bin itself has a 0.6-litre capacity which is about 0.2-liters less than much of the competition. This means the bin will fill faster and perhaps require an extra trip to the dustbin to empty it, especially if you have a household of shedding pets. It also means that this model may not be suitable for a larger house, unless you have one on every floor. Like a lot of stick vacs, the R20’s bin-emptying system is a basic affair comprising a simple latch that opens the bottom flap to eject the debris. When it’s full of general detritus like dust, crumbs and the like, this system works perfectly well. But when it’s full of mostly **** hair you will almost certainly need to reach into the canister with your fingers or tweezers to extricate the clumps. This isn’t a slight on the product, mind, because it’s the method used by the vast majority of vacuum manufacturers – an exception being Dyson. Besides, **** hair is one of the most obstreperous forms of debris found in the home and the nemesis of most vacuum cleaners. One of the R20’s standout features is its exceptional suction power. Equipped with a 190 Air Watt motor, it effortlessly tackles dust, debris, **** hair and even larger particles like puffer rice cereal and biscuit crumbs on both hard floors and carpets. However, the motor does produce an annoying high-pitched whine in both power settings. It’s not the worst I’ve ever heard and you’ll soon get used to it, but it’s also a bit of an irritant when vacuuming with someone else in the room. Dreame lists it at 85dB but I measured a more reasonable 75.4dB in Boost mode at head height. In terms of filtration, the blurb says the R20 has a five-stage filtration system that supposedly deals with 99.9% of particles. All I can say is that it does indeed seem to effectively trap dust and allergens, ensuring cleaner air in the home. Cleaning the filter is a doddle and simply involves pressing a latch and removing the main cyclone housing, which you then rinse under a tap along with its small circular cloth filter. Just be sure that both parts are thoroughly dry before refitting, or you’ll end up with a vacuum cleaner that smells. (Image credit: Future) Okay, let’s get down to floor level and the business end of this model. The Dreame R20 ships with two main floorheads: a motorised 22.5cm roller fitted with hard plastic ribs and two curvy bristle brushes that’s been designed for carpet use; and a 21.5cm bristle-coated head for hard floors. The ******* head can also be used on hard floors if you can’t be bothered to keep swapping heads though I have to say that the hard floor-specific roller is more efficient on wooden and tile flooring. And besides, it buffs up the flooring in the process. Both heads swivel at a near 90-degree angle for Dyson-like manoeuvrability. Like many modern stick vacs, this model’s carpet floorhead is also fitted with two bright blue LEDs that project onto the floor, illuminating hidden dust and debris that might otherwise go unnoticed. No, it’s not as effective as Dyson’s innovative laser light system but it’s arguably better than much of the remaining competition. (Image credit: Future) Overall construction of the R20 seems very good, and the smooth shiny plastics used appear to be very robust, too. I especially like the look and feel of the carbon fibre suction tube, which adds a touch of class while dramatically reducing the weight of the whole package. However, I’m not sure the carbon tube would survive the weight of a misjudged foot were the unit lying on the floor – let’s just say that it has a little more flex in it than I would expect from carbon fibre. At least I’m presuming it’s authentic carbon fibre, given that it’s mentioned on the Dreame website. Design score: 4.5 out of 5 Dreame R20 review: performance Excellent suction performance on hard floor and carpet Superb manoeuvrability Light in weight On test, the Dreame R20 delivered exceptional suction power for its compact size and I’ve been extremely impressed by its floorheads’ ability to steer around chair legs and swivel at almost 90 so they can reach into the tightest of spaces. Top marks in this respect. However, the high suction combined with the design of the main carpet-specific floorhead means that it’s difficult to push the R20 on medium- and deep-pile carpet. I really needed to put my shoulder into it – a bit of a workout, in other words. But wait, I lie, because I subsequently found a small, almost invisible sliding air intake that improved carpet resistance immeasurably without affecting the R20’s cleaning power. Just wish Dreame hadn’t disguised it so well. This model generally feels remarkably light in use and it’s amazingly manoeuvrable – as easy to steer as any Dyson I’ve tested, I’d say. The flexible hose attachment further enhances its versatility, allowing for convenient cleaning under furniture and beds. For my tests I stuck to the usual TechRadar remit and scattered a mixture of oats, flour and crushed digestives on both my wooden kitchen floor and medium-pile rug. I also scattered some Coco Pops for good measure (no, I haven’t grown up yet). I was frankly blown away by the R20’s performance in the hard floor test because, as soon as its ‘intelligent dirt detection’ system kicked in, the motor ramped up to Boost and everything disappeared up the tube and into the bin, leaving a clear path with zero evidence of any flour remaining in the wooden floor’s grooves. Yes, it scattered a couple of pieces of rice cereal up against the skirting board, but I simply aimed the front end at them and they were easily snatched by the fast revolving bristle head. Top marks again. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) I then performed the same task on my **** hair-strewn medium pile carpet rug and it sailed through the test collecting almost every last scrap in a single pass. Again, it flung some large biscuit crumbs and a few Coco Pops to the ***** but these were easily collected with a second pass. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) I was also amazed at the huge volume of dog and cat hair it collected at the same time with no evidence of tangles on the floorhead. And that just goes to prove that this model handles **** hair with aplomb – I’d rate it amongst the best vacuum cleaners for **** hair. However, you may need to visit the kitchen dust bin more often because, as mentioned above, the R20’s 0.6-litre dust container is a bit smaller than many of its competitors. I had zero issues using the controls other than accidentally pressing the trigger when carrying it. In fact, I found this one to be one of the easiest interfaces I’ve used. I also liked the way the digital display provided real-time feedback on both battery life and colourful info relating to its intelligent dirt detection. I also gave it a whizz in handheld mode, using the long suction tube and rectangular detail brush to sweep the shelves, and it didn’t feel too heavy in the hand. I also gave the mini motorized upholstery attachment a whirl on the dogs’ bed; it worked a treat though I did need to apply some vigorous back and forth movements. My final thoughts? As close to full marks as you can get, especially given the generally low asking price. Yes, I might suggest a model with a larger bin if being used in a three story house but for everyone else, the Dreame R20 will suffice just fine. Performance score: 4.5 out of 5 Dreame R20 review: battery life Maximum runtime is 90 minutes (well above average) Expect shorter runtimes if the floor is dirty Recharge is also fast, at around 2 hours According to the manufacturer, the R20’s maximum running time is a well-above-average 90 minutes. I suspect this figure applies more to laboratory conditions than the real world, but it’s still incredibly impressive. To put that in context, most cordless stick vacuums offer 40 minutes to an hour, and prior to testing this model, the longest maximum battery life I’d seen was offered by the far more expensive Dyson Gen5detect, with up to 70 minutes. In my hard floor test I managed to eke 84 minutes out of the battery in standard mode with no automatic boost kicking in (I started by vacuuming, then propped the vacuum up with suction lock on, and timed how long the R20 lasted before running out of juice). If used to clean for the whole time, I suspect the runtime would be closer 75 minutes if used on a dusty hard floor and quite a lot less (between 45 and 60 minutes) when used on medium-pile carpet, which adds much more friction to the roller brushes. To be honest, I don’t know anyone capable of vacuuming for more than 40 minutes in any one session without an arm falling off, so these figures are more than sufficient in my opinion. Since the battery is removable, you could also purchase a spare to swap in, if you need even longer than that. At this juncture I should also point out that the juice-hungry Boost mode is almost too powerful for use in any scenario other than cleaning hard-to-reach areas of the car because the battery percentage drops by almost one percentage point every five seconds or so. And that means Boost mode won’t get you much more than about seven minutes of use out of it. (It’s not unusual for a vacuum’s maximum suction mode to bleed the battery very quickly.) Battery life score: 5 out of 5 Should you buy the Dreame R20? Swipe to scroll horizontally Attribute Notes Rating Value Lower mid-range, and exceptional value given the overall performance, features and ease of use. 5/5 Design Generally well designed with ergonomic hand unit and ultra-light suction tube. 4.5/5 Performance Whether you’re tackling **** hair, everyday messes or deep-cleaning session, the R20 is up to the task. 4.5/5 Battery Up to 90 minutes – well above average, and with fast recharge too. 5/5 Buy it if… Don’t buy it if… How I tested the Dreame R20 cordless vacuum TechRadar adopts a strict testing regime for all its products so potential buyers know exactly what they’re getting. As usual I stuck to the remit and lived with the machine for a couple of weeks before putting it through some rigorous carpet and hard floor tests using a variety of obstreperous ingredients, including flour and raw oats. I also considered the unit’s ergonomics, overall design and experience of using it before alighting on my final verdict. Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners First reviewed January 2025 Source link #Dreame #R20 #cordless #vacuum #review Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

South West farmers and motorcyclists alliance shines light on mental health in small towns South West farmers and motorcyclists alliance shines light on mental health in small towns A unique alliance between South West farmers and motorcyclists is shining a light on mental health issues in the heart of regional and rural communities. Source link #South #West #farmers #motorcyclists #alliance #shines #light #mental #health #small #towns Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Appeals court wrestles with Pentagon’s bid to rescind 9/11 plea deals Appeals court wrestles with Pentagon’s bid to rescind 9/11 plea deals Washington — Justice Department lawyers and defense attorneys for the three men accused of planning the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks squared off before a federal appeals court Tuesday in a court fight over whether plea agreements reached with the defendants last summer can go forward. A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is considering whether former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin exceeded his authority when he revoked the pretrial agreements that military prosecutors reached with the defendants, including alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The deals with Mohammed and two alleged accomplices, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin ‘Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, were agreed to in late July following more than two years of negotiations. The agreements were approved by a senior Pentagon official who oversees the military court at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Brigadier General Susan Escallier, who Austin designated as convening authority for military commissions in 2023. Under the terms that have been released publicly, the men would plead guilty to eight charges arising from their alleged roles in the 9/11 terror attacks and in exchange, avoid the death penalty. The full parameters of the deals remain under seal. But shortly after the agreement was announced, Austin said he was rescinding them, writing in a memo that “in light of the significance” of the pretrial deals, “responsibility for such a decision should rest with me.” The case arrived before the D.C. Circuit after a military commission judge in Guantanamo Bay, who has been overseeing the case, ruled in November that Austin’s nullification was unlawful, rendering the agreements valid and enforceable. A military appeals court last month declined to let Austin rescind the pretrial agreements because the defendants had begun performing a promise contained in them. The U.S. government then asked the D.C. Circuit to step in and sought to stop the military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay from accepting the agreements, as well as pause proceedings. The appeals court earlier this month agreed to put the plea hearing on hold and set arguments in the case on an expedited basis. The Justice Department is asking the D.C. Circuit to find that Austin validly withdrew from the pretrial agreements and bar the military commission from conducting plea hearings, during which the defendants would enter guilty pleas. “We think this is the circumstance to issue the writ and effectuate and allow the secretary of defense’s determinations to govern the course of the prosecutions of the alleged mastermind of 9/11 and the two alleged co-conspirators,” Melissa Patterson, a Justice Department lawyer, told the three-judge panel. Judges Patricia Millett, Robert Wilkins and Neomi Rao heard nearly four hours of arguments over Austin’s decision to unwind the deals. Patterson revealed to the judges that as proceedings were getting underway, the military judge in Guantanamo Bay said he would begin taking the pleas from the three defendants Thursday morning if the D.C. Circuit denied relief to the government. She asked the court to leave its earlier order pausing proceedings in place if it sides with the 9/11 defendants to allow the Justice Department time to evaluate whether it should seek further review. Across the arguments, the judges peppered Patterson with questions as to why Austin waited until two days after the plea deals were reached to withdraw Escallier’s authority to enter into the agreements and assume that power for himself. Austin could have placed limits on Escallier’s ability to enter the pleas from the beginning, Rao, appointed by President Trump during his first term, said. She later acknowledged that the circumstances of the case and the government’s interest are “extraordinary.” The judge said the executive branch had “every opportunity” and the power to take actions to exercise control over Escallier, the convening authority, before the agreements were reached. Millett, named to the D.C. Circuit by former President Barack Obama, said Austin’s revocation of the deals two days after the offers were signed put “all these courts into knots” trying to figure out the next steps. The judges also weighed whether Austin missed his window to rescind the agreements altogether, as the rules governing military commissions allow the convening authority — defined as the secretary of defense or an official designed by the secretary — to withdraw from a deal at any time before a defendant begins performance of promises contained in them. “It undermines the force and plausibility of your argument that the secretary was being prudent by waiting,” Wilkins said, noting that there are events that could take place that would take away his authority to withdraw the deals. Michel Paradis, who is representing Mohammed in the case, said it is “not appropriate” for the government to ask the D.C. Circuit to “save itself” from a pretrial agreement that it entered into, and the defendants began to perform. The defense secretary, he said, had plenty of opportunities over a span of several years to know about and prevent the deals, but chose not to exercise his authority over the convening authority until two days after the offers were signed. It’s unclear how soon the D.C. Circuit will issue its decision. Melissa Quinn Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts. Source link #Appeals #court #wrestles #Pentagons #bid #rescind #plea #deals Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

A hedge on Tesla in case earnings this week show Musk is more focused on DC than EV maker A hedge on Tesla in case earnings this week show Musk is more focused on DC than EV maker Tesla (TSLA) will report earnings Wednesday after the bell. Elon Musk generally leads the company’s earnings calls, however this is the first since his appointment as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in President Donald Trump’s administration. While business leaders have held advisory roles or influenced policy externally, assuming a formal position within the executive branch while running several large companies is, as far as I know, unprecedented. The government certainly could benefit from leveraging Elon’s business experience to shape economic policy and streamline government operations. Less clear is whether Tesla shareholders will benefit from the company’s CEO dedicating significant time to DC. According to the New York Times, Elon will have office space in the Eisenhower Executive Office building adjacent to the West Wing of the White House. Presumably, more influence is better than less, and Elon has the President’s ear. This could be a positive for his companies with large government contracts. However, President Trump doesn’t favor all government policies that support Tesla. He has already reversed directives that encourage the adoption of EVs. The bull case for Tesla hinges primarily on three drivers: EV Sales – The company can beat expectations on vehicle sales with the newly redesigned Model Y and Cybertruck. It is the only US EV company selling EVs profitably, and it outsells all its EV competitors combined. A growing addressable market, the best market share by far, and the best industry margins are quite the triad in auto manufacturing. Tesla is valued as a technology business because of its industry-leading FSD data and technology, AI, and robotics. Additionally, the company’s energy storage solutions are profitable and growing fast. If the company’s Q4 storage revenue meets just over $3 billion expectations, that would represent more than 100% YoY revenue growth for the segment, vs. just 5.5% anticipated YoY automotive revenue growth. Elon Musk is one of the most important entrepreneurs in history, and shareholders are justifiably betting on his unique abilities to deliver. Indeed, both Elon and Tesla are peerless, but what is the appropriate valuation to assign that exceptionalism? Volkswagen is trading 4 times FY 2025 earnings estimates, General Motors about 5 times, Ford about 6.3 times, and Toyota about 8.8 times. Tesla, by contrast, is trading > 120 times forward earnings. If those numbers are hard to comprehend, how about this? Tesla’s $1.3 trillion market capitalization is double that of GM, Ford, Toyota, Stellantis, Volkswagen, Mercedes Benz and BYD combined. The trade Tesla is one of the best-performing stocks since its June 2010 IPO. However, that colossal run has encountered periodic drawdowns. Since the all-time high on December 18, Tesla has underperformed the consumer discretionary sector by about 9% and the S & P 500 by about 12%. Tesla’s share price has moved more than 12% following earnings over the last eight reported quarters. The smallest earnings-related move was 9.3%, yet now, options prices imply a move of “just” 7.65% — a massive move for most companies but relatively modest given Tesla’s history. A trader speculating on additional relative weakness following earnings could purchase a short-dated downside put spread , such as the weekly January 31st $390/$350. Sell TSLA Jan. 31 $350 call Buy TSLA Jan. 31 $390 call This trade would also be a short-term hedge for those holding Tesla shares. However, the valuation might be difficult to sustain if shareholders become concerned that Elon focuses more on Washington, DC than DC fast charging. DISCLOSURES: (None) All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium. THE ABOVE CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY . THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSITUTE FINANCIAL, INVESTMENT, TAX OR LEGAL ADVICE OR A RECOMMENDATION TO BUY ANY SECURITY OR OTHER FINANCIAL ASSET. THE CONTENT IS GENERAL IN NATURE AND DOES NOT REFLECT ANY INDIVIDUAL’S UNIQUE PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. THE ABOVE CONTENT MIGHT NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES. BEFORE MAKING ANY FINANCIAL DECISIONS, YOU SHOULD STRONGLY CONSIDER SEEKING ADVICE FROM YOUR OWN FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVISOR. Click here for the full disclaimer. Source link #hedge #Tesla #case #earnings #week #show #Musk #focused #maker Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The 11-inch iPad Air M2 drops to a near record-low price on Amazon The 11-inch iPad Air M2 drops to a near record-low price on Amazon Now’s the time to grab our top pick for the best iPad you can get right now. An Amazon deal has brought a $100 price cut to the M2-powered iPad Air, so you can grab it for $499. That basically matches the record low of $498 that we saw in the past. The discount applies to all colorways of the 11-inch model, too, so you can pick the one that speaks to your personality the most. Apple Apple’s 11-inch M2 iPad Air has dropped back down to nearly a record-low price. The tablet can be yours for $499, which is a $100 discount. $499 at Amazon This deal is for the base model with 128GB of storage (double the base storage from the previous gen) and no cellular connectivity, though there is Wi-Fi 6E support. You’ll get 8GB of RAM as well. We gave the M2 iPad Air, which debuted less than a year ago, a score of 91 in our review. It’s our pick for the best iPad for most people. It hits the sweet spot between performance, features and price — even more so considering this deal. It offers better future proofing compared with the entry-level iPad, as many features and apps only run on M-series chips and newer A-series ones. For basic tasks like web browsing and streaming video, performance shouldn’t be an issue at all. The M2 iPad Air supports Apple Intelligence features, as well as demanding games like Death Stranding and the Resident Evil 4 remake. You should get about 10 hours of battery life on a single charge. There’s no Face ID here, but a Touch ID fingerprint scanner is built into the power button. One other major positive is that Apple has shunted the front-facing camera to th longer side of the tablet, making FaceTime calls in landscape mode an easier proposition. The M2 iPad Air is compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro, but not the second-gen Pencil. One of our main complaints about the M2 iPad Air is that it has an LCD display with a 60Hz refresh rate. It’s not as smooth or vibrant as the 120Hz OLED you’ll find on the most recent iPad Pro. Still, it’s a bright, sharp screen. However you slice it, the M2 iPad Air is a pretty great tablet. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice. Source link #11inch #iPad #Air #drops #recordlow #price #Amazon Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Google Maps to rename Gulf of Mexico, Denali for US users – ABC News Google Maps to rename Gulf of Mexico, Denali for US users – ABC News Google Maps to rename Gulf of Mexico, Denali for US users ABC NewsGoogle Maps will change the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America CNNGoogle caves to Donald Trump’s executive order and will change ‘Gulf of Mexico’ to ‘Gulf of America’ on its maps Fortune‘The Gulf of America’? Here’s What Mexicans and Cubans Think. The New York TimesInterior Department Advances Restoration of Historic Names Honoring American Greatness US Department of the Interior Source link #Google #Maps #rename #Gulf #Mexico #Denali #users #ABC #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Xbox Reporter Hints At Potential For More First-Party Surprises In 2025 Xbox Reporter Hints At Potential For More First-Party Surprises In 2025 After the stacked Xbox Developer Direct event last week, Xbox is an amazing position when it comes to its first-party slate for early 2025, and with the likes of Fable and The Outer Worlds 2 still to come, late 2025 could be incredible too. Source link #Xbox #Reporter #Hints #Potential #FirstParty #Surprises Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Can Heathrow’s third runway be green? Can Heathrow’s third runway be green? Ben Chu, Mark Poynting & Gerry Georgieva BBC Verify Getty Images The government is set to give its backing to the construction of a third runway at London’s Heathrow Airport on Wednesday. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce the decision in a major speech on achieving economic growth. The expansion of Heathrow has long been opposed by green groups and her announcement will be extremely controversial, not least because of its environmental impact. Reeves claimed at the weekend that “a lot has changed in aviation” since plans for a new runway at Heathrow were first discussed decades ago. She said “sustainable aviation fuel” would cut emissions, that there was huge investment going into electric planes, and that a third runway would mean fewer planes circling over London as pilots wait to land. BBC Verify has assessed whether the Labour government’s reasoning really stacks up. Is sustainable aviation fuel the answer? By burning traditional jet fuel – kerosene – aircraft release carbon dioxide, a planet-warming gas. “Sustainable” fuels are alternatives to fossil fuels, made from renewable sources. They can come from agricultural waste and from used cooking oil, which the government argues emits 70% less carbon emissions over the course of their lifetime. This is because the plants from which the fuels are often derived were absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere when they were growing. The previous government announced that by 2030, 10% of all jet fuel used in flights taking off from the *** must be sustainable as a way to reduce the impact of aviation on emissions. This target has been kept by Labour. But there are a number of issues with using the rollout of sustainable fuels as a justification for airport expansion. Sustainable fuels are currently used in a tiny fraction of jet fuel – the government target for 2025 is 2% – and scaling this up will be a major challenge. They are not completely carbon-neutral because of the energy used in producing, refining and transporting them and can vary widely between fuel types. Many environmentalists argue that expanding *** airports is incompatible with the ***’s net zero targets because there is currently no viable widespread alternative to fossil-fuel based aviation fuel for powering planes. Provisional official figures show that greenhouse gas emissions from *** international aviation in 2023 were 32.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. That was roughly 8% of the ***’s total greenhouse gas emissions (including international aviation) of 423.3 million tonnes in that year. Aside from a major dip in the pandemic, there has been no substantial change in emissions from *** international air travel over the past 20 years. Are electric planes viable? There are already a number of small battery-powered electric planes and investment in the technology is increasing. If planes are powered by electricity generated from renewables like wind and solar, flying could result in zero carbon emissions. But the weight of batteries is currently regarded as a major obstacle to a large-scale expansion of electric-powered flights, particularly for long haul journeys. Technological breakthroughs in battery weights are possible, but widespread electric air travel is not seen as a realistic prospect in the near future by most analysts. Would a third runway reduce circling flights? Heathrow Airport has reported that in 2023 an average of 232 aircraft, more than a third of all arriving planes, were held in one of four “stacks” above London each day, where they circle at or above 7,000 feet until there is space to land at the airport. They spent an average of 6.85 minutes in a stack. Circling at low altitude is less fuel efficient than cruising at high altitude, because of extra air resistance. As a result, since 2014 Heathrow and air traffic control company NATS have been working with their counterparts across Europe to slow inbound flights down from as far as 350 miles away, when delays over London begin to build. But it is difficult to estimate whether an extra Heathrow runway would reduce stacking, let alone reduce emissions. The BBC has asked NATS for updated figures on how circling times over Heathrow have been changing and the impact on emissions, and we asked the Treasury for further details about the chancellor’s claim about circling flights. Expanding Heathrow: The pros and cons Advocates of expansion of the ***’s largest airport say it is vital for boosting national economic growth – not least because demand is outstripping supply. Heathrow has reported that a record 83.9 million passengers travelled through its terminals in 2024. That was 4.7 million more than in 2023 and three million more than the previous annual peak in 2019, before the pandemic. The airport has no free landing slots available, meaning that airlines have to buy slots from other airlines if they want to expand their services operating from the airport. In 2016, Oman Air paid a reported $75m (£60m) for a pair of early morning landing slots at Heathrow, for example. Such costs ultimately end up hitting passengers’ wallets through fares, according to research commissioned by Heathrow. An independent report for the previous government, by Sir Howard Davies, concluded in 2015 that the south east of England needed a new runway and that the “best answer” was an expansion of Heathrow. Yet by approving a third Heathrow runway, Reeves appears to be conflicting with the advice of the government’s own independent adviser on cutting emissions, the Climate Change Committee (CCC). It has repeatedly cautioned against airport expansion without a framework in place to manage overall national capacity. In a report to Parliament last July, the committee said: “No airport expansions should proceed until a ***-wide capacity management framework is in place to annually assess and, if required, control sector GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions and non-CO2 effects.” In response, the government said last December that it “recognises a role for airport expansion where it provides economic growth and is compatible with our legally binding net zero target and strict environmental standards. We are currently considering our wider approach to decarbonising aviation”. Ministers could theoretically still stay within the government’s legislated carbon budgets if they increased the rate of emission reductions from other sectors of the economy while allowing aviation emissions to rise. Yet achieving deeper reductions elsewhere will be difficult and cannot be guaranteed. Reeves and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer are unlikely to be in power by the time any third Heathrow runway could be finished, many years ahead, frustrating mitigation plans and accountability for its impacts. Additional reporting by Gerry Georgieva and Mark Poynting Source link #Heathrows #runway #green Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Baldur’s Gate 3 will soon add crossplay in its final patch Baldur’s Gate 3 will soon add crossplay in its final patch If you ache to explore the world of the Sword Coast with your friends, good news: crossplay is finally coming to Baldur’s Gate 3 after a wait that felt as long as elven lifespans. Larian announced today that Patch 8 is entering stress testing. The patch still needs some time to cook, but Larian has major expectations for what this update will bring. After all, according to the devs, this is the last official patch. Patch 8 is a big one. It adds not only crossplay, but also a whopping 12 new subclasses, a photo mode, and restores split-screen play to the Xbox Series S. There are also numerous small bug fixes and balance adjustments. Larian Studios The new subclasses aren’t just afterthoughts; they’re accompanied by new animations, abilities, and unique dialogue lines for each. For example, if you play an Oathbreaker Paladin — a class that carries a certain level of notoriety in the world of Dungeons and Dragons — then some NPCs might react negatively towards you. These classes include: Bard — College of Glamour Barbarian — Path of Giants Cleric — Death Domain Druid — Circle of Stars Paladin — Oath of the Crown Fighter — Arcane Archer Monk — Drunken Master Ranger — Swarmkeeper Rogue — Swashbuckler Sorcerer — Shadow Magic Warlock — Hex Blade Wizard — Bladesinging The Photo Mode is nothing to scoff at, either. It essentially lets you set up any shot you want, along with customization and editing tools. You can enable or disable characters, remove enemies from the shot, and even add stickers like objects, blood splatter, and more to the scene. Larian Studios If you’ve signed up to participate in the stress test, Larian says to check your email. PlayStation 5 and PC gamers should find the requisite code there, while Xbox players can access it through the Xbox Insider Hub. The team reports several known bugs (some more serious than others), and asks players to report anything they run across. Please enable Javascript to view this content It’s even possible to crossplay with friends who are running modded versions of the game, even if you’re on console. The host has to have less than 100 mods installed, and those mods must be compatible with both console and Mac. Otherwise, you won’t be able to join the adventure due to mismatched mods. The stress test is still available to join, although signing up for an invite doesn’t guarantee access. Larian Studios hasn’t given a specific release window for when the patch will roll out to everyone else, but the studio does intend for this to be the final major patch. It aims to move on to new projects away from the Dungeons and Dragons universe, but you can expect to see it sometime in 2025. Source link #Baldurs #Gate #add #crossplay #final #patch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Devon Preston Lee Comeagain: District Court judge uses powers to drop Geraldton man’s charges two years later Devon Preston Lee Comeagain: District Court judge uses powers to drop Geraldton man’s charges two years later A judge has dropped charges laid against a Geraldton man more than two years after he was arrested due to prosecutors failing to submit paperwork needed for the matter to go to trial. Devon Preston Lee Comeagain, 29, appeared in Geraldton District Court via video link from Greenough Regional Prison on Wednesday, January 22, on charges dating back to October 2023, which the accused pleaded not guilty to in September last year. Defence lawyer Paul Gazia urged the judge to use his powers to discontinue the charges, noting Mr Comeagain had been arrested on November 6, 2023 and was still waiting for police to submit the paperwork required before he could stand trial. He was facing two counts of aggravated burglary, four counts of stealing, stealing a motor vehicle and reckless driving to escape pursuit by police. Judge Michael Bowden said police were previously advised by the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to serve disclosure in November, and a court order was made to comply by January 20. When questioned why the relevant paperwork had not been submitted, the prosecutor was unable to confirm why the order had not been followed. Mr Bowden noted there was a “skills shortage in Western Australia”, but arresting officers had an obligation to provide full disclosure within a reasonable timeframe. He said court resources needed to be dispersed appropriately and made the decision to drop all charges. He told the court if police re-arrested Mr Comeagain without providing full disclosure, it would be considered an “abuse of process”. The matter was dismissed. Source link #Devon #Preston #Lee #Comeagain #District #Court #judge #powers #drop #Geraldton #mans #charges #years Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pocket Camp Complete will only be $10 for a couple more days Pocket Camp Complete will only be $10 for a couple more days Heads up, Animal Crossing fans: if you haven’t yet bought the paid version of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and plan to do so, it might be a good idea to snap it up in the next day or so. The mobile game for iOS and Android is currently $10, but the price will double to $20 after 1AM ET on January 31. That’s when the introductory offer comes to an end. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete arrived in December, a few days after Nintendo shut down the free-to-play edition. Folks who played the original version can still transfer their save data via their Nintendo account and continue from where they left off. The deadline transferring the data is 2AM ET on June 2. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp debuted in 2017. It employed a freemium model with microtransactions, but Nintendo has since decided to ditch that approach. While you’ll now need to pay for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete upfront, the current iteration of the game doesn’t have any in-app purchases. If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Source link #Pocket #Camp #Complete #couple #days Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Lucky buyer snags a RTX 4070 Super for $350 in Walmart clearance ***** Lucky buyer snags a RTX 4070 Super for $350 in Walmart clearance ***** It’s not often someone snags a brand-new GPU for almost 60% off its original MSRP. But, a lucky shopper hit the jackpot on an RTX 4070 Super, still one of the best graphics cards, and got away with that during a Walmart clearance *****. the_dirtycasual on Reddit shared an image of a new PNY RTX 4070 Super Vetro X they got for 58% off MSRP, paying just $350 for the Ada Lovelace GPU. Snagging a new Nvidia GPU for 50% off or greater is rare. Modern Nvidia GPUs hold their value very well, so used product prices are not significantly lower than buying brand new (whether new SKU pricing is at MSRP or not). For perspective, the lucky Walmart customer snagged a GPU almost twice as fast as competing GPUs in the $350 ballpark, such as the RTX 4060 and RX 7600 XT. The RTX 4070 Super is 86% faster than the RTX 4060 in rasterization at 1440p and virtually twice as fast in ray tracing games at the exact resolution based on our review. Similarly, the RTX 4070 Super is 76% faster than the RX 7600 XT at 1440p in rasterization and over twice as fast in ray tracing titles at the exact resolution. After years of trolling the Walmart clearance section… from r/pcmasterrace Considering the upcoming RTX 5070 costs $549, an RTX 4070 Super is still an incredible steal at $350. The only GPU that could potentially reach RTX 4070/ 4070 Super performance for that price is the assumed upcoming RTX 5060 (albeit only with DLSS 4). Still, nothing has been confirmed yet regarding an RTX 5060 SKU from Nvidia. The RTX 4070 Super launched in January last year as a mid-cycle upgrade to the vanilla RTX 4070. The new GPU replaced the RTX 4070 at $599, featuring 16% greater performance with boosted clocks and a bump in core count compared to the vanilla 4070. In our benchmarks, the RTX 4070 Super’s boosted specs (relative to the RTX 4070) land it just 8% short of the RTX 4070 Ti in 1440p ray tracing gaming performance. The RTX 5070 launches next month with a $549 MRSP. The new GPU boasts Nvidia’s enhanced Blackwell architecture aided by DLSS 4 technology, which CEO Jensen Huang claims offers RTX 4090 performance. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Lucky #buyer #snags #RTX #Super #Walmart #clearance #***** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump’s raids are made for TV – CNN Trump’s raids are made for TV – CNN Trump’s raids are made for TV CNNExclusive: US military aircraft with deported migrants lands in Guatemala, officials say Reuters CanadaICE ramps up deportation operations as Trump pushes GOP for more funding KEPR 19 Source link #Trumps #raids #CNN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How to disable crossplay in ****** Ops 6 How to disable crossplay in ****** Ops 6 We can give you all the best Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 tips and tricks in the world, but they won’t help much if you’re encountering cheaters. Call of Duty has been a cross-platform game for years now, and there’s always been issues with PC players having advantages over those on consoles. That could be through cheats, or because they have an edge using keyboard and mouse over a controller. It’s never fun to lose due to your platform, especially in Ranked or hit Prestige. If you want to level the playingfield and exclude PC players, here’s how to disable crossplay in ****** Ops 6, Activision How to disable crossplay Crossplay can be disabled and enabled at any time with a few different choices for Ranked. You can set it to completely off, meaning you will only play against those on your specific console, console only, which only excludes PC players, or on where you will be matched against everyone. Here’s how to tweak this setting. Step 1: Launch ****** Ops 6 and go to the main menu. Step 2: Go into Settings and scroll down to Account & Network at the bottom. Step 3: Select the Crossplay option and choose which setting you want to enable. It will remain on this setting until you come back to this screen and update it. Keep in mind that disabling — and even limiting — crossplay in ****** Ops 6 could extend the time it takes for you to find a match. While the game is very popular, cutting the potential pool of players you can match with might impact your matchmaking times. It will also prevent you from playing with friends on different platforms as well, not just your opponents. Source link #disable #crossplay #****** #Ops Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Google employees petition for ‘job security’ ahead of expected cuts Google employees petition for ‘job security’ ahead of expected cuts The Google logo is displayed during the Made By Google event at Google headquarters on August 13, 2024 in Mountain View, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Google employees have begun circulating an internal petition titled “job security” ahead of expected cost cuts this year, CNBC has learned. The petition has been signed by more than 1,250 employees and was viewed by CNBC. It is the latest sign of employee upheaval at Google, which has struggled to maintain high morale among its workforce after a year filled with embarrassing product rollouts, worker protests sparked by controversial enterprise contracts and continued rounds of layoffs that stretch back to 2023 and are expected to continue. “We, the undersigned Google workers from offices across the US and Canada, are concerned about instability at Google that impacts our ability to do high quality, impactful work,” the petition says. “Ongoing rounds of layoffs make us feel insecure about our jobs. The company is clearly in a strong financial position, making the loss of so many valuable colleagues without explanation hurt even more.” New CFO Anat Ashkenazi said in October that one of her top priorities would be to drive more cost cutting as Google expands its spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure in 2025. “Any organization can always push a little further and I’ll be looking at additional opportunities,” she said, referring to cost cutting, which sparked an internal reaction. Shortly after Ashkenazi’s statements, employees pressed executives for clarity but weren’t given any more details on Ashkenazi’s plans. The petition calls on Google CEO Sundar Pichai to offer buyouts before conducting layoffs, to guarantee severance to employees that get laid off and to not give low performance review ratings for the purpose of removing employees. In the petition, Google employees call on the company’s leadership to not “force” low performance reviews to justify removing certain employees. Results from the company’s annual performance review process, known as Google Reviews and Development, or GRAD, are expected soon. The company does not have forced rating distributions for GRAD, and every employee is rated on their performance and impact based on their role, level and the expectations they set with their manager, a spokesperson for Google told CNBC. The petition asks for guaranteed severance equivalent to what laid off employees were offered in January 2023. That year, Google laid off more than 12,000 employees. At the time, Google executives boasted of its severance package, which included 16 weeks salary plus two weeks for every additional year employees worked at the company. Since then, Google has continued with more rounds of layoffs throughout its various divisions, and impacted employees have told CNBC that their severance packages have varied. – CNBC’s Salvador Rodriguez contributed to this report. WATCH: Twenty years in, Google Maps turns to AI to maintain dominance Source link #Google #employees #petition #job #security #ahead #expected #cuts Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Arsenal: Myles Lewis-Skelly ban overturned after red card at Wolves Arsenal: Myles Lewis-Skelly ban overturned after red card at Wolves Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly’s three-match ban – imposed for a red card at Wolves on Saturday – has been overturned. The Gunners appealed against the decision to send off the 18-year-old and an independent regulatory commission upheld their claim of wrongful dismissal, the Football Association confirmed. Lewis-Skelly was shown a straight red card after fouling Matt Doherty, with referee Michael Oliver deeming it serious foul play. Doherty was just outside the Wolves box as he mounted a counter-attack and the decision was initially upheld by the video assistant referee (VAR). Source link #Arsenal #Myles #LewisSkelly #ban #overturned #red #card #Wolves Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Whole Foods workers form first union since Amazon acquisition Whole Foods workers form first union since Amazon acquisition A majority of workers at a Whole Foods location in Philadelphia have voted to unionize, as reported by Reuters. This makes the Pennsylvania store the first to unionize under Amazon’s ownership, and the second time overall. Workers voted 130 to 100 for representation, according to the National Labor Relations Board, which translates to nearly 60 percent of workers choosing to unionize. Workers at this particular location filed to hold a union election back in November. A successful vote is just the beginning of this process, however, as a contract has yet to be ratified and accepted by both parties. “We are ready to bring Whole Foods to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair first contract that reflects the workers’ needs and priorities,” Wendell Young IV, President of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, said in an email. To view this content, you’ll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the “Content and social-media partners” setting to do so. Coming as no surprise, Whole Foods expressed disappointment over the outcome of the vote. A company representative told Reuters that it already offers “competitive compensation, great benefits and career advancement opportunities.” Ahead of the vote, workers cited the need for better wages and benefits. As previously noted, this is the first successful unionization bid for Whole Foods workers since Amazon bought the company in 2017 for nearly $14 billion. It’s not, however, the first time a Whole Foods location has voted to unionize. Workers in a Wisconsin location voted to unionize back in 2002, but the union was dissolved the following year. In the interest of full disclosure, I worked at a Whole Foods location in 2005 and, one day, someone snuck in the store to hand out pro-unionization pamphlets. Management sent an armed guard around to collect the pamphlets from us. It was weird. It’s no secret that Amazon isn’t exactly a friend to unions. Workers in Quebec unionized last year but, surprise, the company now says it’s closing the entire facility. Amazon is worth over $2.5 trillion dollars and has doubled in value throughout the past year or so. Source link #Foods #workers #form #union #Amazon #acquisition Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

China welcomes the Year of the Snake China welcomes the Year of the Snake China has ushered in the Year of the Snake as the ******** New Year began for the country of approximately 1.4 billion inhabitants. The new year’s festival, also known as the Spring Festival, is based on the traditional lunar calendar and therefore takes place on different days around the end of January or the beginning of February. It is also celebrated in other Asian countries such as Vietnam, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan and Indonesia – and by ******** expats living around the globe. During the holiday which last several days, most shops and offices are closed and the most important travel season of the year begins as many people now living in the cities travel back to their home towns. Around the new year’s festival, the largest travel wave in the world occurs. This year, the ******** ministry of transport expects about 510 million train journeys and 90 million flights. In many places, celebrations include fireworks and in some major cities there are also drone shows. As families gather for the traditional meal together, the grand New Year Gala is broadcast on television, which is considered the world’s most-watched TV program. For the ******** economy, the festival is a significant factor. Traditionally red envelopes with money are given as gifts, stimulating consumption. Often these envelopes are now sent digitally to smartphones. The Spring Festival also has an effect on the rest of the world, with tourist destinations benefiting from the fact that many ******** people take holidays. In the ******** horoscope, the snake represents wisdom, intuition and adaptability. It replaces the dragon, a zodiac sign particularly favoured. Many parents desire a “dragon child,” and the years of the dragon are often associated with a baby *****. In a year of the snake, like the one that has now begun, fewer births are often registered. Source link #China #welcomes #Year #Snake Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]