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Neuralink gets approval to start human trials in Canada Neuralink gets approval to start human trials in Canada The first Neuralink clinical trials outside the US will take place in Canada. Neuralink has secured Health Canada’s approval to launch human trials in the country, with the Toronto Western Hospital being the “first and exclusive surgical site” for the procedure. The company first opened its ********* patient registry in March this year, but now it’s actively looking for potential participants. “Recruitment is now open,” it has announced on X. Under the CAN-PRIME study, Neuralink will embed its implant in the brain of the participant so that it can interpret their neural activity. The implant will allow them to control a computer or a smartphone with their brain without the need for wires or any kind of physical movement. Neuralink says the study aims to “evaluate the safety of [its] implant and surgical ****** and assess the initial functionality of [its Brain Computer Interface] for enabling people with quadriplegia to control external devices with their thoughts.” What it learns from the trials could help the company find safer ways to place the implant inside the brain, as well as to enhance the technology’s capabilities. Neuralink’s first human patient (pictured above) received his implant earlier this year. He experienced some issues, wherein the implant’s threads retracted from his brain, though he seems to be doing well these days. On X, he said that he will soon challenge himself to use Neuralink for 72 hours to demonstrate what the technology can do. For its second patient, Neuralink employed mitigation measures to prevent thread retraction. That patient was already using computer-aided design (CAD) software mere weeks after his surgery in July. At the moment, Neuralink is specifically looking for patients who “have limited or no ability to use both hands due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)” for its trials in Canada. 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. We’re happy to announce that Health Canada has approved the launch of our first clinical trial in Canada! Recruitment is now open. If you have quadriplegia due to ALS or SCI, you may qualify. Visit our Patient Registry to learn more and apply.[Hidden Content] — Neuralink (@neuralink) November 20, 2024 Source link #Neuralink #approval #start #human #trials #Canada Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Deadly ***** cyclone hits Pacific Northwest, bringing high winds and devastating damage Deadly ***** cyclone hits Pacific Northwest, bringing high winds and devastating damage At least two people have ***** after a ***** cyclone slammed into the Pacific Northwest, snapping tree limbs and damaging homes and roads around Seattle. In northern California, a second powerful system, known as an atmospheric river, is fueling the storm there. Source link #Deadly #***** #cyclone #hits #Pacific #Northwest #bringing #high #winds #devastating #damage Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Avowed Is Full Of Discoveries And The Freedom To Find Them–Or Not Avowed Is Full Of Discoveries And The Freedom To Find Them–Or Not Much has been made about Avowed’s approach to its setting, the Living Lands, and the fact that it is not an open-world game. Instead, Avowed’s world is made up of “open zones”–large geographical areas that are interconnected with other large areas, much like a previous game from developer Obsidian, The Outer Worlds. At least in the first of Avowed’s areas, that means that Obsidian has put a focus on making sure that the entire space provides interesting adventures. Whether you’re chasing side quests handed out by random characters populating the Living Lands’ biggest city, Paradis, or just rambling through the area to see what’s there, there are plenty of rewards for exploration. There are bandit camps, ruins, half-destroyed hovels, and groups of ***** soldiers surrounding the corpses of huge bears. The Living Lands is a place dense with stories and thick with secrets to uncover, and even wandering aimlessly through the wilderness feels like an adventure unto itself. “We have these open zones, and they’re expansive, they have a lot of breadth of them, but they’re manageable enough for our team size to be able to handcraft every part of them and to fill them to the adequate amount of density that we want in that environment,” said region director Berto Ritger in an interview with GameSpot. “So we don’t want big, big, long expanses, of just grass, that has nothing going on. There are moments of serenity and calm in the environment, but there’s always a little bit of something. And we try to have enough variety as well with those things where you’re not finding the same corpse of the potion in his hand over and over.” We recently played the first two hours of Avowed during a preview event at Obsidian, which provided a sense of the way your path through the game’s world begins to unfold. Notably, it’s not long before you wind up with more or less complete freedom about what to do and how to do it, and even in the early going, Avowed provides you with a ton of freedom about how you want to approach the game, its story, and its combat systems. Avowed has a bunch of open zones instead of one giant open world. After delving into Avowed’s expansive character creator, you’re thrown into the world. Obsidian has previously detailed the setup for the story: You play a character named the Envoy, traveling to the Living Lands by the orders of the leader of a major nation of humans and elves, the Aedyr Empire. The empire has interest in the Living Lands, a somewhat isolated island known for its harsh wilderness and harsher denizens. The place has a sort of Wild West frontier vibe–people head there when they are searching for a better life, or when they want to disappear. It’s not a completely uncivilized place, but plenty of the people who’ve made the Living Lands their home are the kind of rough-and-tumble folks you wouldn’t want to tangle with. Into this individualistic, slightly lawless society comes the Aedyr Empire, establishing a foothold in the Living Lands that the locals view suspiciously as the first steps of colonization and the establishment of order. As the emperor’s Envoy, most people immediately view you with anything ranging from mild distrust to outright hostility. You don’t pick a class that determines your fighting style–you’re free to ****** as you please. But the Living Lands also have a major problem: the Dream Scourge, a “soul plague” that’s infecting people, wildlife, and the island itself. Essentially, those afflicted succumb to madness and fungal growths, and with no indication as to what it even is, much less how to stop it, the emperor has dispatched you to conduct an investigation and find a way to deal with the problem. The Dream Scourge is a major threat to life in the Living Lands, and you get a first-hand look at the effects of the madness it inflicts when the Aedyran outpost–filled with your allies–fires its cannons on your approaching Aedyran ship. You survive the wreck and find another crewmate on the beach, and together head to the outpost to find a way to continue your journey to the Living Lands. This early tutorial section is mostly about fights with Xaurip lizard people who’ve taken up residence in the outpost after all the soldiers seem to have lost their minds and murdered each other. Right from the start, Avowed emphasizes its open class approach to combat. Part of character creation is picking your backstory as the Envoy, with options like setting yourself as a war hero or arcane scholar, and what you pick determines your starting *******. You’re not locked into that choice, however, and as soon as you start finding other options, like spears, pistols, swords, shields, and spell-slinging grimoires, you can wield them with no prerequisites or requirements. The demo I played saw me deal with a quite a few of Avowed’s lizard-like Xaurip. I previously got to try Avowed’s combat during an hour-long preview at a Los Angeles Gamescom event, but that demo provided a shorter and more focused look at fighting within the game, with character builds that were set ahead of time by developers. Starting from scratch, things felt a lot more open. I quickly tossed aside my starting dagger for a sword and grimoire, so I was able to slice through enemies or blast them with a flamethrower from my hand, watching their health tick away as they smoldered and charred. Fighting enemies is snappy, fluid, and cinematic. As Obsidian worked out how to do first-person combat that felt good, while also utilizing elements from its top-down Pillars of Eternity games (Avowed and the Pillars series are set in the same world), developers found that getting the right feel for combat meant tuning the timings of attacks so they became quicker, making the whole system feel more responsive. “Because we started with [a] first-person [perspective], first-person almost necessitates a little bit of brevity in what you do, because if it’s third-person, you can see everything that’s happening,” said senior combat designer Max Matzenbacher in an interview with GameSpot. “With a limited perspective, there’s your hands, and there’s only so much that you can do there. If you lose control of your character because they’re recovering for a long time, that’s a major forcing function of just making it feel responsive.” Each of the game’s many zones are quite distinct. There are a lot of options for any given ******, too. You can store two ******* loadouts at a time and swap between them instantly, even mid-******* combo, which means it’s easy to alternate between two completely different setups. Hitting enemies damages their health while also pushing up a meter that tracks their stamina; when it maxes out, your opponent will be stunned, leaving them open for a *******-specific special move that triggers automatically for a ton of damage. Stealth is also always an option–enemies often won’t detect you right away and you can sneak up and clobber them from behind by moving through tall grass or avoiding their sightlines. And there are environmental elements you can utilize to help you out as well, like fiery berries you can ****** with a bow to start a blaze. In both previews I’ve played, I’ve vibed pretty well with Avowed’s combat–although even in the tutorial area, it can be tough. The moment-to-moment thrust is in managing a stamina meter that dictates your attacks and, more critically, your quick, agile dodges that can get you out of harm’s way. Some enemies come at you with unblockable attacks, leaving you no option but to get clear, and staying alive means a lot of sidestepping to slip past a ***** and land one of your own. Most attacks land quickly so you can strike back and then get clear or block an incoming *******, although you can also gamble with stronger charged-up blows using most weapons. Everything is quick and fluid, though, and the ability to constantly dual-wield weapons, whether two of the same blade or a main ******* like a spear and an off-hand ******* like a ******* or grimoire, means it always feels like you have something up your sleeve. Creepy crawlies of all shapes and sizes populate Avowed’s world. While you’re given a lot of freedom in how you want to engage with enemies, the leveling system is more structured. You can spend skill points in any of several skill trees, each named for a different character class, like Fighter or Ranger. That makes it a little easier to get a sense of how you’re building your character along traditional lines, without Avowed locking you into a particular class. You also unlock special abilities that run on cooldown timers, and these give you easy ways to mix together the capabilities of different disciplines without really worrying about the skill tree at all. For instance, you can get the Fighter’s dash-tackle ability, which you can use to wallop enemies for a big stun, or the Ranger’s entangling magic vines that temporarily root enemies to a specific spot. Uncovering the mystery of what happened in the outpost quickly brings you to your first major RPG choice in Avowed. You discover a local resident of the Living Lands locked inside with a ***** soldier. As a representative of the Aedyr Empire, she’s immediately distrustful of you and gives you a sense of how the residents of the island see outsiders. Your crewmate doesn’t think it’s a great idea to let the smuggler out, but you need a boat to reach the Living Lands proper. Whether you choose to trust the smuggler or leave her to rot, however, is up to you. The fungal-like ******** spreading through the world is an ongoing problem for your character. With the smuggler in tow and some more sneaking around and assassinating Xaurips, we eventually made it to Paradis. After parting with your crewmate pal and reluctant smuggler buddy, your journey in Avowed gets its real start, and almost immediately, you’re let off the leash to do as you will. Landing at the Paradis docks, you’re met by a local militia representative, a put-upon guard captain who makes it sarcastically clear she’s not thrilled to see you, and Kai, a guy who’s looking for the “clavager”–essentially Paradis’s mayor, such as there is one. It turns out that the Aedyran ambassador, who you need to speak to, has headed out to investigate some possible Dream Scourge-related weirdness with the clavager, so Kai decides to join you in going to track them down. Paradis is a big place, but for the main point of civilization in the Living Lands, it immediately gives a strange impression. It’s both a bustling city full of people and a place that looks like it’s half-collapsing, combining new structures and crumbling ruins. “One of the things that I was trying to say, the story I was trying to tell, was that this is a really, truly untamed, untamable place,” said lead environment artist Dennis Presnell. “There have been numerous civilizations that have tried to stake their claim, and they have come and gone, and you see evidence of that at the start of the game. When you get to the docks, you see it’s new built on old. But even the new looks like it’s old, and it’s trying to weather the storm, but it’s barely holding on. And when you get to Paradis, you see the same thing. It’s new built on old, and it’s a collection of different cultures that are all trying to make their way in what is probably the safest and most secure place in all of the Living Lands, and yet, it’s not.” The people of the Living Lands don’t like the protagonist very much. Not at first anyway. You’re ostensibly sent to find the ambassador to advance the plot, but once you have Kai with you, you’re free to wander off the beaten path. As you set out, you start to get a sense of what the Living Lands are really like. Presnell described the location as more of a living organism than a location, and part of Avowed’s personality is how it treats the Living Lands as something of a strange place that’s not easily understood. “Treating the environment itself as a character is so helpful, and that’s true for any component of the game, because you’re trying to empathize with a piece of land or a particular tree or whatever, but kind of putting yourself in the position of, ‘Okay, if I was this tree and I was **** that I had new neighbors and I had the agency to do something about it, how would I go about that?'” art director Matt Hansen said. “And so there’s a lot of that that’s going into it, as far as how to push that sense of a weird and wondrous frontier.” Side quests are available immediately–I ran into a woman not far from the docks who needed a hand with Xaurips invading her house on some nearby sea cliffs. After clearing them out, I found a strange mural they’d painted in her living room. When I confronted the woman about it, she told the story of how she has dreams about the Xaurip and is worried that, more or less, the Xaurip is her literal soulmate. I offered her some useless words of encouragement, took my reward, and wandered off, wondering what the ***** that could have been all about. (I asked developers about that quest, and apparently there’s more to the tale of the Xaurip soulmate.) You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. Avowed Reveal Trailer | Xbox Games Showcase 2023 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 JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year20242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900 By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy enter “Side quests very much, especially the larger ones, will impact your main story and vice versa,” Ritger said. “Companions will react to those things in real time. Those choices will also heavily impact individual characters, groups of characters, and entire settlements, factions of people, and the states of the regions that you go through. They will also impact the choices that are even available to you. Later in the game, you’ll be locked or locked out of or presented with new choices based on the choices you made much earlier in the game.” Even on the short walk to the next location for the main story, though, there was plenty to see. The area around Paradis is objectively not huge, as I discovered wandering around it, but it’s not especially small, either. Importantly, though, it feels ******* than it is, thanks to how much interesting stuff Obsidian has packed into it. Cutting to one side of the area, I stumbled on a tall ruined building or tower of some kind. It wasn’t marked by an icon or any other clues, but just looked interesting. Climbing in, I found tripwires that triggered huge swinging blades, a set of barely working traps designed to keep people out that were now exposed to sunlight and easy to dodge. Further on, I was attacked by phantoms, which look like spectral, smokey ghosts, and ******** them allowed me to reach a chest filled with a high-quality piece of armor. The entire affair took around 10 minutes and was totally optional, but exploring that little tower was a rewarding diversion that gave a little more of a sense of the Living Lands. You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. Avowed Gameplay Trailer | Xbox Games Showcase 2024 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 JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year20242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900 By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy enter Avowed appears to be littered with situations like this. I found a decrepit, abandoned house not far away on the river, where journals told me about the struggles of the farmer who used to live there. A little way down the stream was another set of ruins where bandits had set up camp. They promptly ******* me as Kai yelled in the background to warn me my weak starting armor couldn’t handle their much better weapons. And that was all just stuff I happened across on my way back to town. The two-hour demo we played also included some early bits of Avowed’s story–you track down the ambassador, have a weird encounter with a voiceless entity that seems to be the spirit of the Living Lands, and ***** a huge bear afflicted with the Dream Scourge that’s ****** and covered in beautiful, horrific mushrooms. Those points are compelling, but maybe even more so are the little things that Obsidian has seeded throughout the Living Lands that you might miss, like that ailing farmhouse or those weird ruins. That also goes for the time you can spend with your companions; it’s possible to set up camp at certain places where you can tend to things like improving your gear, and during those moments, you can also talk to your pals about whatever’s going on in the plot, their backstories, and more. Even 10 steps off the dock, I was surprised at how deep and expansive my camp conversations with Kai could be. There’s a ton of story material in these moments, but it’s all optional, allowing you to dig as deeply into the narrative and characters as you want. “Ultimately, what we want is for the player to make the experience that they want to have, and that means being able to dig really deep into conversations if they want to, or to minimally engage with them,” said narrative designer Kate Dollarhyde. “And that does, you know, create some design challenges. But ultimately, I think having content that’s missable or skippable or that can be done out of order is ultimately better than the best, most polished linear presentation, because at the end of the day, it just feels more personal. And to me as an RPG player, that is almost always more important to me than a really linear experience.” Though we still have only seen a small portion of Avowed, it’s the freedom to explore and the density of things to find, whether in combat, out in the world, or in conversations, that has me most intrigued. Avowed feels packed with things to discover for yourself, whether you’re following the story or making your own way through the world. What we’ve seen of the Living Lands is full of life, and Obsidian’s willingness to give you so much to discover that you’ll miss some makes Avowed seem like the kind of game it’ll be great to get lost in. Source link #Avowed #Full #Discoveries #Freedom #Find #ThemOr Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nectar-loving ********** wolves may be the first carnivore pollinators Nectar-loving ********** wolves may be the first carnivore pollinators An ********** wolf licks nectar from the ********** red hot poker flower Adrien Lesaffre ********** wolves feed on the sweet nectar of a local flower, picking up pollen on their snouts as they do so – which may make them the first carnivores discovered to act as pollinators. The ********** wolf (Canis simensis) is the rarest wild canid species in the world and *******’s most threatened carnivore. Endemic to the ********** Highlands, fewer than 500 individuals survive. Sandra Lai at the University of Oxford and her colleagues observed wild ********** wolves lapping up the nectar of ********** red hot poker (Kniphofia foliosa) flowers. Local people in the mountains have traditionally used the nectar as a sweetener for coffee and on flat bread. The wolves are thought to be the first large carnivore species ever to be recorded regularly feeding on nectar. “For large carnivores, such as wolves, nectar-feeding is very unusual, due to the lack of physical adaptations, such as a long ******* or specialised snout, and because most flowers are too fragile or produce too little nectar to be interesting for large animals,” says Lai. The sturdy, nectar-rich flower heads of the poker plant make this behaviour possible, she says. “To my knowledge, no other large carnivorous predator exhibits nectar-feeding, though some omnivorous bears may opportunistically forage for nectar, albeit rarely and poorly documented.” Some of the wolves were seen visiting as many as 30 blooms in a single trip. As they lick the nectar, the wolves’ muzzles get covered in pollen, which they could potentially be transferring from flower to flower as they feed. Nectar feeding is very unusual among carnivores Adrien Lesaffre “The behaviour is interesting because it shows nectar-feeding and pollination by non-flying mammals might be more widespread than currently recognised, and that the ecological significance of these lesser-known pollinators might be more important than we think,” says Lai. “It’s very exciting.” Lai and her colleagues at the ********** Wolf Conservation Programme now hope to dig deeper into the behaviour and its ramifications. “Trying to confirm actual pollination by the wolves would be ideal, but that would be quite challenging,” she says. “I’m also very interested in the social learning aspect of the behaviour. We’ve seen this year adults bringing their juveniles to the flower fields, which could indicate cultural transmission.” Topics: Source link #Nectarloving #********** #wolves #carnivore #pollinators Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl review – transfixing Ukrainian dystopia built on underlying tragedy | Games Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl review – transfixing Ukrainian dystopia built on underlying tragedy | Games When Ukrainian developer GSC Game World released the apocalyptic adventure Stalker in 2007, it was considered a bleakly improbable piece of speculative fiction. Heavily inspired by cult novel Roadside Picnic, it imagined an alternative timeline in which a scientific experiment in 2006 caused a second Chornobyl disaster and a vast irradiated zone filled with powerful space-time anomalies, in which the only inhabitants were mutants and the titular stalkers: men who wandered the wastelands looking for valuable artefacts. The sequel, however, arrives in a very different world, its lengthy development ******* having been affected by both the Covid pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Now the Stalker vision is a lot less improbable and its speculation has a much greater sense of urgency and authenticity. As if to illustrate the point, Stalker 2 begins with an apartment building being torn apart in a huge **********. As a consequence, the now homeless lead character Skef is drawn into the Zone, carrying a powerful piece of scanning kit that could aid him in his quest for retribution and escape – until he’s beaten unconscious by an unknown gang and wakes to find the scanner has been stolen and now he is alone in the irradiated wastelands. ‘A game of lonely exploration.’ Photograph: GSC Game World What follows is a remorselessly challenging survival adventure in which you must navigate monster-infested landscapes and marauding gangs of feral warriors, looking for your tech and trying to stay alive. The odds are constantly stacked against you: your guns often jam and require constant repair, your food and ammo run dangerously low, each building you come across could be filled with vital recourses or rabid dogs or ****** traps or all of the above. Scattered about the map are various safe houses where stalkers and ne’er-do-wells gather, offering trading opportunities, ******* upgrades, side quests and other resources. You gather what you can before heading back out into the unknown. Photograph: GSC Game World The world of Stalker 2 is starkly beautiful: a hazardous, ever-changing patchwork of grasslands, swamps and forests; the natural world overgrowing the leftovers of civilisation. One moment you’re wandering a rocky pathway in blinding sun, the next, a storm moves in and a howling wind sends leaves and garbage swirling into the darkening sky. Everywhere you go are anomalies – sometimes blobs of floating antimatter, sometimes explosive mini volcanoes in your path – all deadly if you don’t learn to spot and avoid them. Like ****** Stranding, this is very much a game of lonely exploration; of wandering for many minutes with your backpack too full of loot and your energy dwindling, hoping for some shack to hide in for a few quiet moments. It’s so tense, so immersive, you can’t help but get sucked in. The plot is its own sort of swampy landscape. There is so much lore – so many warring factions, religious cults and paramilitary organisations – that your head spins and all the characters, plotlines and allegiances become utterly incomprehensible. It’s not helped by some terribly wooden voice acting and thudding dialogue, nor by the fact that this is a world almost entirely populated by irritable bald men with identical goatee beards. It’s like being trapped in a post-apocalyptic real ale festival. When I finally encountered a woman after several hours of play, it felt like a stumbling upon a desert oasis. I also encountered dozens of bugs during the pre-release *******, from incomplete character models, to side quests that wouldn’t trigger their finish states, to cinematic sequences that slowed toward a near stop. Major patches have since fixed many of these faults, though I can’t imagine the game will run completely smoothly for a few more weeks. But the thing is, I played through them, often deep into the night, transfixed by this flawed, idiosyncratic universe. There is, in this game – perhaps more than any other dystopian fiction the industry has produced in the past few years – a stark sense of desperation and of underlying tragedy. It is hard to wander the scrublands, past the skeletal ******** of obliterated villages, past downed helicopters and the rusted ******** of tanks, and not think of what the makers of this game have seen and lived through. For those in any doubt, GSC Game World commissioned a documentary, War Game, to explore the process. Has Stalker 2 become an allegory for the Russian invasion? Well, one of the main military factions in the game, named the Ward, has invaded the Zone, claiming to be bringing stability but actually more interested in annexing the land into its own state. Interpret that how you like. Photograph: GSC Game World At the very least the game is an exploration of trauma that resonates with a similar fury to Elem Klimov’s Come and See and Michael Herr’s Dispatches. As you keep going, discovering new weapons, upgrading them, making new allies, opening new hubs and map areas, the narrative draws you ever closer to the heart of the Zone and whatever terrors await there. The sense of foreboding, the atmosphere of solitude and the image of humanity just hanging on by a thread are bleak and astonishing. Stalker 2 is a strange, brave and sometimes broken paean to resistance in the face of overwhelming odds. It is utterly uncompromising in its vision, often to a fault, and envelopes you in its dark spell of science, ********* and chaos. Certainly, if you loved Dragon’s Dogma 2, which similarly edged towards self-parody with its offbeat systems, eccentric characters and overall jankiness, you will cope fine with this game’s technical and narrative inconsistencies. Indeed, like the stalkers that inhabit its damaged world, you may shrug, improvise, and carry on. If you thought developers weren’t making vast, outlandish, utterly singular open-world games any more, you were wrong: they are. And some of them have been through ***** to do it. Stalker 2 is out now on PC and Xbox Source link #Stalker #Heart #Chornobyl #review #transfixing #Ukrainian #dystopia #built #underlying #tragedy #Games Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Crypto investor pays $6 million for a banana — and plans to eat it Crypto investor pays $6 million for a banana — and plans to eat it Italian visual artist Maurizio Cattelan’s duct-taped Banana entitled “Comedian,” is on display during a media preview at Sotheby’s in New York, on November 8, 2024. Kena Betancur | Afp | Getty Images A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox. Crypto investor Justin Sun paid $6.2 million for a banana duct-taped to a wall, highlighting the soaring values of crypto and viral art. Sotheby’s last night auctioned off the infamous banana, titled “Comedian,” created by Italian artist and cultural prankster Maurizio Cattelan. After a heated battle with six others, Sun emerged as the winner, bidding online and paying in crypto. “This is not just an artwork,” Sun said in a statement. “It represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community. I believe this piece will inspire more thought and discussion in the future and will become a part of history. I am honored to be the proud owner of this iconic work and look forward to it sparking further inspiration and impact for art enthusiasts around the world.” People look at Italian visual artist Maurizio Cattelan’s duct-taped Banana entitled “Comedian,” during a press preview at Sotheby’s in New York, on October 25, 2024. The viral artwork was unveiled in 2019, and one of the artwork’s three “editions” is going back on ***** on November 20, 2024, and is estimated by Sotheby’s to sell for between $1m and $1.5m. Timothy A. Clary | Afp | Getty Images “Comedian” shot to fame at its debut at Art Basel Miami in 2019, priced at $120,000. The image of a banana duct-taped to wall, and and priced at six figures, went viral over social media and attracted such massive crowds that the work had to be removed. There were three editions of “Comedian” created and sold, with one going to the Guggenheim Collection thanks to an anonymous donor, and the other two purchased. The seller of the Sotheby’s banana had purchased it from one of the original buyers and was reselling it. For his $6 million, Sun will get a roll of duct tape, instructions on how to “install” the banana and (most importantly) a certificate of authenticity guaranteeing it as an original work of Cattelan’s. The banana is not included, since it will quickly rot and need to be constantly changed for display. In his statement, Sun said he plans to eat the banana “as part of this unique artistic experience, honoring its place in both art history and popular culture.” Get Inside Wealth directly to your inbox Because the value of the banana is derived from the certificate, rather than the object itself, many in the crypto community likened it to an NFT. The seller, clearly understanding the appeal, accepted crypto as a form of payment. The ***** was part of a series of auctions in New York this week, featuring more than $1 billion worth of art for *****. After two years of declines, the sales suggest a rebound for the art market, driven by the recent stock market rally and increased post-election confidence by wealthy collectors. Sotheby’s on Monday sold a Monet water lilies painting for $65.5 million, and Christie’s on Tuesday sold a painting by the Belgian Surrealist Rene Magritte for $121 million. Source link #Crypto #investor #pays #million #banana #plans #eat Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

******** farmer has near miss with tiger ******** farmer has near miss with tiger Surveillance footage captured the moment a Siberian tiger rammed into a farm gate, moments after a man closed it. News website China Daily reported that another villager suffered a fractured wrist in a separate encounter with the animal. Authorities in north China’s Heilongjiang province warned people to be wary of wild tigers after the moment was shared on social media. Source link #******** #farmer #tiger Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Fortnite is Reportedly Gearing up for a Cyberpunk 2077 Collab Fortnite is Reportedly Gearing up for a Cyberpunk 2077 Collab According to Fortnite Leakers, the next game collaboration will be with Cyberpunk 2077. Popular Fortnite ***** source SamLeakss, via HYPEX, has revealed that Fortnite and Rocket League will soon collaborate with Cyberpunk 2077. In a separate tweet, the leaker clarified that this collaboration is with CD Projekt Red’s game and not the Edgerunners anime. Additionally, the partnership is expected to introduce more content than just vehicles. Given that Fortnite has already incorporated one of CD Projekt Red’s properties into the game (The Witcher), it isn’t unrealistic to expect the possible introduction of another. Players are already speculating what Cyberpunk 2077 content might come to Fortnite, such as new weapons, vehicles, cybernetic enhancements, or a new point of interest (POI) inspired by Night City. It will be interesting to see which Cyberpunk 2077 skins are introduced in Fortnite. While the main character won’t be part of the collection, we could see characters like Johnny Silverhand, played by Keanu Reeves, and Solomon Reed, portrayed by Idris Elba, join the fray. The Witcher collab also introduced the main characters from the series, Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer. In other news, Fortnite will increase its Battle Pass price next month. Also, the Kicks Update and Juice WRLD update will arrive soon in the game. What are your thoughts on the Fortnite x Cyberpunk 2077 collaboration? Let us know in the comments or our new community forum! For more information from Insider Gaming, read about Cyberpunk 2077 not receiving a PS5 Pro Enhanced Update. Don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and exclusive leaks every week! No Spam. Source link #Fortnite #Reportedly #Gearing #Cyberpunk #Collab Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

We’ve taken a photo of a star in another galaxy for the first time We’ve taken a photo of a star in another galaxy for the first time Left: An image of the star WOH G64 taken with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer in Chile. Right: An artist’s impression of the star ESO/K. Ohnaka et al., L. Calçada Astronomers have taken the first detailed picture of a star in another galaxy, more than 160,000 light years away. The giant star may be showing signs that it is just years away from exploding, a process we have never seen in detail. The largest stars we know of are red supergiants, which are stars that have run out of hydrogen fuel in their cores. A shell of hydrogen gas surrounding the core burns instead, massively expanding the volume of the star. One of the largest red supergiants we know of is WOH G64, sometimes called the behemoth star. It is between 1540 and 2575 times the size of the sun and resides in a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, the Large Magellanic Cloud. The star has been a target for astronomers since it was discovered in the 1970s, but its distance has made it hard to examine closely. Now, Jacco van Loon at Keele University, ***, and his colleagues have taken a close-up picture of WOH G64 using the Very Large Telescope Interferometer in the Atacama desert in Chile, a collection of four individual telescopes linked together to function as if they were a single 200-metre telescope. “In this image, we can see detail which would be equivalent to seeing an astronaut walking on the moon,” says van Loon. “You can’t see that through a normal telescope pointing at the moon.” The image, which was taken using infrared light, shows a bright ball of gas and dust, more than 1000°C (1832°F), that the star has pumped out and that now surrounds it as a dense cocoon. “It’s really a structure we had not expected to actually see,” says van Loon. “We had expected just to see the star in the middle.” The star appears dimmer than when it was last observed, so the gas and dust probably appeared relatively recently, says van Loon. It might have been produced by the star blowing off its outer layers, which astronomers have never captured in a red supergiant. If that is what happened and the process resembles one seen in similar stars called blue supergiants, then it might be a sign that the star is decades or years away from exploding. “If we can see this star explode, we have much more detail about a star before it’s exploded than ever before,” says van Loon. “It’s technically extremely impressive to be able to reconstruct an image of this object given its extreme distance,” says Paul Crowther at the University of Sheffield, ***. However, it is ******* to say for certain whether the observed gas and dust, and the associated dimming in brightness, are a sign of an imminent **********. “Stars like this object are well known to be highly variable,” says Crowther. “It’s simply what happens in these objects where they have this dense, slow outflow that doesn’t go very far from the star. They’re well known to be dust factories.” Topics: Source link #Weve #photo #star #galaxy #time Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

ChatGPT Live Video Feature Spotted on Latest Beta Release, Could Launch Soon ChatGPT Live Video Feature Spotted on Latest Beta Release, Could Launch Soon ChatGPT might soon gain the ability to answer queries after looking through your smartphone’s camera. As per a report, evidence for the Live Video feature, which is part of OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode, was spotted in the latest ChatGPT for Android beta app. This capability was first demonstrated in May during the AI firm’s Spring Updates event. It allows the chatbot to access the smartphone’s camera and answer queries about the user’s surroundings in real-time. While the emotive voice capability was released a couple of months ago, the company has so far not announced a possible release date for the Live Video feature. ChatGPT Live Video Feature Discovered on Latest Beta Release An Android Authority report detailed the evidence of the Live Video feature, which was found during an Android package kit (APK) teardown process of the app. Several strings of code relating to the capability were seen in the ChatGPT for Android beta version 1.2024.317. Notably, the Live Video feature is part of ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode, and it lets the AI chatbot process video data in real-time to answer queries and interact with the user in real-time. With this, ChatGPT can look into a user’s fridge and scan ingredients and suggest a recipe. It can also analyse the user’s expressions and try to gauge their mood. This was coupled with the emotive voice capability which lets the AI speak in a more natural and expressive manner. As per the report, multiple strings of code relating to the feature were seen. One such string states, “Tap the camera icon to let ChatGPT view and chat about your surroundings,” which is the same description OpenAI gave for the feature during the demo. Other strings reportedly include phrases such as “Live camera” and “Beta”, which highlight that the feature can work in real-time and that the under-development feature will likely be released to beta users first. Another string of code also includes an advisory for users to not use the Live Video feature for live navigation or decisions that can impact users’ health or safety. While the existence of these strings does not point towards the release of the feature, after a delay of eight months, this is the first time a piece of conclusive evidence that the company is working on the feature has been found. Earlier, OpenAI claimed that the feature was being delayed in order to protect users. Notably, Google DeepMind also demonstrated a similar AI vision feature at the Google I/O event in May. Part of Project Astra, the feature gives Gemini to see the user’s surroundings using the device’s camera. In the demo, Google’s AI tool could correctly identify objects, deduce current weather conditions, and even remember objects it saw earlier in the live video session. So far, the Mountain View-based tech giant has also not given a timeline on when this feature might be introduced. Source link #ChatGPT #Live #Video #Feature #Spotted #Latest #Beta #Release #Launch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Here's the impact of Trump's tax and tariff plan Here's the impact of Trump's tax and tariff plan CNBC’s Robert Frank reports on news regarding President-elect Trump’s tariff and tax plan. Source link #Here039s #impact #Trump039s #tax #tariff #plan Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Dozens ***** in ******* on passenger vehicles in Kurram Dozens ***** in ******* on passenger vehicles in Kurram At least 38 people – including women and children – have been ******* after unidentified gunmen opened ***** on a convoy of 200 passenger vehicles traveling through a remote area of Pakistan. The vehicles were attacked as they travelled through the tribal district of Kurram in Pakistan, close to the Afghan border, according to the area’s deputy police commissioner. The gunmen initially targeted the convoy’s police *******, the provincial spokesman said in a statement. Police were protecting the convoy following months of sectarian ********* in the area, which has claimed dozens of lives this year. Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, the chief secretary of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, told Reuters news agency Thursday’s ******* was “a major tragedy”, with the ****** toll “likely to rise”. At least 11 people were injured, he said. Details of exactly what happened are still emerging, but Javed ullah Mehsud, a senior administration official, told AFP “approximately 10 attackers” were involved, “******* indiscriminately from both sides of the road”. Women and children had hidden in nearby houses, while police hunted for the attackers, he added. Most the passengers travelling in the convoy through the mountainous area were Shia, he said in an earlier statement. Sunni and Shiite ******* tribes have clashed repeatedly this year. An earlier series of attacks ended after a tribal council called for a ceasefire, according to Reuters news agency. Then last month, there was another ******* on passenger vehicles along a road in the region which ******* 15 people. Sectarian ********* is often linked to land disputes in the region. However, Kurram, in Pakistan’s north-west, also borders several Afghan provinces which are home to anti-Shia militant groups, including the Islamic State group and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Source link #Dozens #***** #******* #passenger #vehicles #Kurram Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

One Orbital Stratagem Idea is the Ultimate Anti-Terminid Doomsday ***** One Orbital Stratagem Idea is the Ultimate Anti-Terminid Doomsday ***** When it comes to spreading managed democracy across the galaxy in Helldivers 2, there’s no such thing as “too much firepower.” While Arrowhead has blessed us with an impressive arsenal of stratagems to deal with the bug menace, some players think we could use a bit more… chemical persuasion. The recent Chemical Agents Warbond may have given us new tools for dispensing liberty in gaseous form, but one particularly enthusiastic defender of Super Earth thinks we can do better. Much better. Helldivers want more… toxicity. | Image Credit: PlayStation/YouTube And after seeing their suggestion, we have to admit—they might be onto something that would make even the most hardened veterans of chemical warfare raise an eyebrow in respect. A Helldivers 2 Stratagem to Make History Proud The suggestion in question? An Orbital Gas Barrage that would turn entire sections of the battlefield into a bug-suffocating nightmare: While the current Orbital Gas Strike does an admirable job of creating localized zones of freedom, a barrage version could potentially blanket entire sections of the battlefield in democracy-spreading chemicals. Think about it: multiple gas clouds, strategically placed to create chokepoints or completely deny areas to the bug menace. It would be particularly effective during those hectic extraction moments or when defending objectives against overwhelming odds. And let’s be honest, there’s something poetic about watching waves of Terminids succumb to the green mist of liberty. The Helldivers 2 community’s reaction to this suggestion has been, shall we say, enthusiastically supportive: Comment byu/Yurishenko94 from discussion inHelldivers Comment byu/Yurishenko94 from discussion inHelldivers Some players are already imagining the possibilities of combining such a stratagem with existing equipment, reminiscent of that one gas-themed loadout that would make ****** Haber himself proud: Comment byu/Yurishenko94 from discussion inHelldivers The enthusiasm has even inspired some impromptu musical tributes to the cause: Comment byu/Yurishenko94 from discussion inHelldivers Of course, implementing such a powerful stratagem would require careful consideration from Arrowhead to maintain game balance. But given their recent track record of implementing community suggestions while keeping the spirit of the game intact, an Orbital Gas Barrage doesn’t seem entirely out of the realm of possibility. Expanding Super Earth’s Arsenal It’s time to take things to the next level. | Image Credit: PlayStation/YouTube The discussion has sparked broader conversations about the potential for more barrage-type stratagems in general: Comment byu/Yurishenko94 from discussion inHelldivers It’s a valid point. While our current arsenal is impressive, there’s always room for more ways to spread managed democracy. After all, variety is the spice of life, and nothing spices up a battlefield quite like multiple overlapping clouds of freedom-ensuring gas. Some might argue that such a stratagem would be too powerful. To them, we say: isn’t that exactly what Super Earth would want? Besides, when you’re fighting for democracy, there’s no such thing as overkill—there’s only “open *****” and “I need to reload.” Whether Arrowhead will add this particular suggestion to their arsenal ******** to be seen. But one thing’s for sure: the community’s creativity when it comes to new ways of spreading managed democracy knows no bounds. And honestly? We’re here for it. What do you think about the idea of an Orbital Gas Barrage? Would you like to see more barrage-type stratagems added to the game? Let us know in the comments below! Source link #Orbital #Stratagem #Idea #Ultimate #AntiTerminid #Doomsday #***** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Series Listed on BIS, FCC, Energy Star Certification Websites: Report Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Series Listed on BIS, FCC, Energy Star Certification Websites: Report Samsung Galaxy Book 5 series could be the next entrant in the brand’s laptop lineup, and details of these devices have been found via certification websites. it is expected to comprise the Galaxy Book 5 and Galaxy Book 5 Pro were spotted in on the Energy Star website as well as a few other listings including the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). As of now, Samsung has not shared any information on the existence of the Galaxy Book 5 series. Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Series Specifications (Leaked) An unannounced Samsung laptop with model number NP940XHA is listed on the Energy Star certification website. This model number is presumed to belong to the Galaxy Book 5 Pro. The listing suggests it will run on Windows 11, and it could be equipped with 32GB of RAM and an octa-core Intel core Ultra 7 258V processor with a 2.2GHz base clock speed. The Energy Star listing first spotted by 91Mobiles was verified by Gadgets 360 on the certification website. Further, the report states the Galaxy Book 5 surfaced on the FCC database with model number NP750QHA. The screenshots of the listing shared by the publication indicate the presence of 65W wired charging support. On the BIS database, it reportedly popped up with model numbers NP750QHA, NP750QHZ, and NP754QHA, hinting at a possible launch of the Galaxy Book 5 in India. Another Samsung laptop model has also been listed with the model numbers NP940XHA, NP940XHZ, and NP944XHA on the BIS database. These model numbers are thought to be different variants of the Galaxy Book 5 Pro. Samsung followed a similar model number — NP940XGK — for last year’s Galaxy Book 4 Pro. Samsung has not shared any information on the Galaxy Book 5 and Galaxy Book 5 Pro yet, but all these certifications suggest that the company may be planning to unveil the lineup soon. Like the recently launched Galaxy Book 5 Pro 360, the upcoming lineup is expected to be Copilot+ PCs with several Galaxy AI capabilities. They could run on Windows 11 and include neural processing units (NPU) to enable on-device AI features. Source link #Samsung #Galaxy #Book #Series #Listed #BIS #FCC #Energy #Star #Certification #Websites #Report Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Novogratz warns that there will be a bitcoin correction, says crypto is ‘levered to the gills’ Novogratz warns that there will be a bitcoin correction, says crypto is ‘levered to the gills’ Bitcoin is poised to breakthrough the long-awaited $100,000 level after its postelection rally, but that doesn’t mean the leading cryptocurrency will go up in perpetuity, said Galaxy Digital CEO Michael Novogratz. Bitcoin was trading at about $97,000 on Thursday morning, after setting a new record high of $98,367.00, according to Coin Metrics. Novogratz said on ” Squawk Box ” that reaching the six-figure mark felt “inevitable” and that bitcoin could continue to rally from there, but a pullback will come eventually. “There’s a ton of leverage in the system right now. … The crypto community is levered to the gills, and so there will be a correction,” Novogratz said. BTC.CM= 1M mountain Bitcoin was trading at new highs on Thursday. However, Novogratz said he did not expect bitcoin would ever fall back below $80,000, which is where it was before the election of Donald Trump. He did caution that the correction could be greater in stocks, like MicroStrategy , that are trading like leveraged versions of bitcoin. Shares of MicroStrategy are up 650% year to date as the software company’s bet on crypto has sparked a frenzy of retail trader interest. The company took out more debt this week in the form of convertible bonds to increase its bitcoin holdings. The success of MicroStrategy appears to be tempting some other companies to explore adding bitcoin to their balance sheets, including Acurx Pharmaceuticals . “I personally would tell my investors to buy straight bitcoin” instead of plays like Microstrategy, Novogratz said. Bitcoin has rallied sharply since the election, as President-elect Trump and his administration are seen as more friendly to the crypto industry. The rally has continued despite a mystery seller that has been dumping crypto in recent days, Novogratz said. “There had been a giant seller for the last week, between 92, 93 and 94. Probably $14-15 billion of bitcoin sold there,” Novogratz said. Novogratz is a long-time crypto investor. His firm Galaxy Digital invests in both digital assets and companies that specialize in that space. Source link #Novogratz #warns #bitcoin #correction #crypto #levered #gills Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Europe’s best days must lie ahead of us | News Europe’s best days must lie ahead of us | News 6th Trilateral Business Forum Address by the President of the ********* Parliament Roberta Metsola Paris, 21st November 2024 Président du MEDEF, Monsieur Patrick Martin, Presidente di Confindustria, Signore Emanuele Orsini, Hauptgeschäftsführerin des BDI, Frau Tanja Gönner, Minister Tajani, caro Antonio, Members and participants to this Trilateral Business Forum, Thank you for the opportunity to address you today. Let me start by saying how important it is for the ********* Parliament to have these discussions with ********* industry. Particularly at the start of a new legislative cycle, they help us understand what works, what does not, and more importantly, where we need to go next. The backdrop against which we meet is not an easy one. We are entering the fourth winter of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; we are seeing isolationism becoming more attractive and geopolitical divides deepening, technology rapidly advancing, and the way global economic powers perceive their industries relative to ours shifting – Europe’s place on the world stage is facing extraordinary pressure. We cannot afford to stand still or be squeezed. We must act. Not just with an economic vision, but with a political willingness to learn, adapt and reform. Europe’s best days must lie ahead of us. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am by nature an optimist, but I am here to speak today as a realist. We know the challenges, we know what is required. We just need to find the right path there. I say this, to give context to what I think needs to be our priority and focus over the course of the next legislative cycle. To be clear, you will not find anyone more pro-********* than the President of the ********* Parliament. But I think, that a degree of self-critical analysis, of listening more, of changing course when needed, is precisely what will strengthen our ********* project in the long-term and help us regain our competitive edge. When we talk about boosting Europe’s competitiveness, productivity must be our starting point. Over the past decade, Europe’s labour productivity grew by just 0.8% per year. This is not just a statistic – it is a wake-up call. With an aging population and fewer hands each year to drive our industries, even as we invest in the reskilling and upskilling of our people, improving productivity is not just an option – it is necessary. The key to closing this gap ***** in innovation, in predictability and in ensuring profitability for our industries. It is our ticket to making-up lost ground. By accelerating our digital transition and investing in strategic sectors like clean tech, pharma, transport and semiconductors, we can drive sustainable growth and future-proof our industries. ********* industry, can only thrive in the right environment with the right framework. And that means smart and effective regulation. It means focusing on implementation and predictability, not shifting the goal posts too often. Too often, we see well-intentioned policies unintentionally stifling progress. With heavy, excessive and ever changing reporting or compliance burdens often hitting our microenterprises and SMEs the hardest. I want the ********* Union to be known for its efficient regulation, rather than the red tape we still see too much of. And as co-legislator, the ********* Parliament has a key role to play in ensuring a predictable and simplified regulatory framework and faster access to funding. If there is one thing we learnt as candidates for the ********* Parliament elections is that we need smarter, more efficient, more predictable rules. We will also need your help to speak to the other side of the table, to the Council, to the Minister, to the Heads of Governments when taking decisions on the legislative instruments that we have mentioned. Over the past two weeks, we have held Commissioner-designate hearings and the aim was to have a new Commission on the 1st of December. It was not easy but the timing that we had envisaged will be the same like it was 5 and 10 years ago. We are not later, we are not earlier, but we are on time. The idea behind the scrutiny of these candidates is precisely to make sure that our plans, our platforms are implemented. We also know that energy costs are holding us back. It is a critical part of the puzzle that we must solve. EU companies face electricity costs up to three times higher than in other regions, which drives up production costs, lowers margins and damages competitiveness. In the immediate term, we need to do more to diversify our energy sources through predictable and reliable partnerships – knowing that we need to be predictable and reliable too. The situation across the Atlantic has only made this more urgent to tackle quickly. My view is that when we talk about energy, we need to do more than just progress – we need integration. A fully interconnected ********* electricity market could reduce investment needs for storage and back-up capacity by around 20 to 30%. By adopting common policies – like the EU electricity market reform that the ********* Parliament voted on this year – we can create a system where we all benefit. That is what true strategic autonomy looks like. Of course, none of this happens without funding. The ********* Union’s Multiannual Financial Framework will expire in 2027, giving us a critical opportunity to design a modern budget that is flexible, responsive to crises, and aligned with the investments we need. As budgetary authority, the ********* Parliament will play its part here as well. Now public funding can take us far, but the reality is that it will not be enough. That is why completing our Savings and Investments Union is an urgent priority. It is how we are able to incentivise our companies to stay and scale-up in Europe. How we are able to mobilise private capital to invest in our priorities and how we make it easier for the public sector to finance its share. And here allow me a short moment to make a point on fragmentation in our markets. Simply put: it is our own worst ******. We see its consequences in the energy, banking and capital markets sectors. But we also see it in other industries like telecoms and defence. Last year we celebrated 30 years since the creation of our Single Market. Obstacles and challenges have never stopped but its true test has been and will always be how able it is to continue adapting. We need to continue to ensure that the Single Market is able to deliver on its promise. And with the necessary political will, I am confident that it can. Simple because we are running out of time. Ladies and Gentlemen, The ********* Parliament is not afraid of change. We embrace it. Because we understand the responsibility that we bear not just to Europe’s economy, but to every single person relying on it as well. I want to assure you that in the next five years, the ********* Parliament will continue to focus on a Europe that serves its businesses, its industries, its families, its factories and its farmers. A Europe that defends ********* interests, that drives growth and ensures stability. A Europe ready for today’s challenges and equipped for tomorrow’s uncertainties. Thank you. Source link #Europes #days #lie #ahead #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Emmanuel Banda: Zambian fugitive MP arrested in Zimbabwe Emmanuel Banda: Zambian fugitive MP arrested in Zimbabwe A fugitive Zambian lawmaker with a bounty on his head has been arrested in Zimbabwe, Zambian authorities have said. Emmanuel “Jay Jay” Banda, who was facing robbery charges, is accused of having escaped from custody in August as he awaited to appear in court. He is said to have escaped through a window at Chipata Central Hospital in Eastern Province where he had been admitted following his arrest and was being guarded by police and prison officers. The police then issued a bounty of 2m Zambian kwacha ($72,000; £57,000) for him. He denies the allegations of robbery. At a press conference on Wednesday, the Zambian minister for home affairs said the MP had been arrested earlier this week in Harare. Jack Mwiimbu said the MP was arrested by Zimbabwean police at a flat he had been renting and would remain there pending extradition formalities. He said the government was keen to know who had facilitated the MP’s escape as well as visits by his wife to Harare. He thanked the Zimbabwean authorities for their co-operation. The opposition PF party, led by former President Edgar Lungu, condemned what he called an “emerging and worrying scenario”. Banda, who has been an independent MP since 2021, was previously associated with Lungu, who lost the presidency to Hakainde Hichilema that year. The PF spokesman, Emmanuel Mwamba, said what was happening was “an abduction” adding that the government should follow “internationally prescribed extradition protocols”. “We are urging the Zambian government that they should not join other ******** countries that are known to go other jurisdictions and pick and extract a citizen they are looking for for committing *******,” he told the BBC. The BBC has asked the Zambian government for a response. In May this year, Banda had been reported missing in unclear circumstances. He resurfaced a day later, saying that he had been abducted. At least three opposition politicians and a civil rights activists were arrested following the case. Two of those who were arrested – Edith Nawakwi, leader of the opposition Forum for Development and Democracy party, and civil rights activist Brebner Changala – accused the state of being behind the abductions. The home affairs ministry however denied the state’s involvement in the matter. On social media there had been speculation that the abduction was staged, which was denied by Banda’s family. Banda was later arrested in June this year and charged with the non-bailable offence of aggravated robbery relating to the theft of property worth 12,000 kwacha ($430; £340) in 2015. He faces additional charges of escaping from lawful custody. But Mr Mwamba told the BBC that the charges were “politically motivated”. “Hon Jay Jay Banda is one of those members of parliament who are close to the former president, who this government is pursuing relentlessly.” He said the case was from a decade ago and had been processed in court before, adding that the charges were meant to keep him from telling the truth about the abduction. He said that at the time of his alleged escape, he had been admitted to hospital, because of a medical condition following his abduction. Source link #Emmanuel #Banda #Zambian #fugitive #arrested #Zimbabwe Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

STALKER 2 Review | The Heart of Chornobyl Beats Stronger Than Ever (Insider Gaming) STALKER 2 Review | The Heart of Chornobyl Beats Stronger Than Ever (Insider Gaming) DarXyde21h ago “The other technical mishaps I encountered were related to the game’s sound and visuals, such as objects and NPCs floating or clipping through the floor, enemies with no bodies, and a few instances of T-posing. On a few occasions, elements of the UI would disappear so I couldn’t tell how much health or ammo I had left. Wall textures sometimes flickered incessantly. **** sounds would occasionally not work, or I would hear a sound like rabid mutant dogs barking right next to me, except they were nowhere to be seen.” I’m biased and put more stock in GS reviews, but it sounds like whatever performance issues are being cited by others don’t detract from a solid game. 8/10 sounds pretty good. The technical issues sound bizarre but it doesn’t seem to really deter one from enjoying the game (according to this review).. Fair enough. Sounds like a decent game. Source link #STALKER #Review #Heart #Chornobyl #Beats #Stronger #Insider #Gaming Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia Blackwell GPU production ramps up amid revenue surge Nvidia Blackwell GPU production ramps up amid revenue surge Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang addressed investor concerns about the Blackwell GPU overheating, stating the data center AI accelerator is in full production and sales will ramp up this quarter. Huang took questions from Wall Street analysts on Wednesday after the company reported fiscal third-quarter revenue that surged 94% from the previous year to $35.1 billion, higher than analysts expected. Data center revenue reached a company record of $30.8 billion, a 112% increase from last year. The company expected revenue to rise to $37.5 billion, plus or ****** 2%, in the current quarter ending Jan. 31. A media report that Nvidia had asked suppliers to redesign server racks because of an overheating problem with Blackwell worried investors, who feared the report would affect future revenue. When asked about the story, Huang didn’t address the question directly, responding that Blackwell’s growing demand would exceed supply for several quarters. “Production is in full steam,” Huang said. “Blackwell is in great shape, and as we mentioned earlier, the supply and what we’re planning to ship this quarter is greater than our previous estimates.” Nvidia is the dominant supplier of GPUs that power the massive generative AI models used by the largest cloud providers, AWS, Google and Microsoft. It is also a major supplier of Meta, which owns Facebook. Demand for the company’s chips has driven its valuation to over $3 trillion. It has fueled nine consecutive quarters of revenue that beat analysts’ expectations. “The first few quarters that I covered Nvidia, I could write many different things, but now it seems like it’s almost monotonous in terms of performance,” said Alvin Nguyen, an analyst at Forrester Research. Which doesn’t mean Blackwell hasn’t faced speed bumps. Nvidia unveiled the product in March and promised to ship it in the second quarter; however, a design flaw delayed production by the company’s manufacturing partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. With Blackwell on track, Nvidia’s next challenge could be navigating a trade war between the U.S and China, which contributed $5.4 billion in revenue in the last quarter. President-elect Donald Trump has threatened a 60% tariff on goods from China, which economists say could retaliate with tariffs or restrictions against U.S. companies doing business there. “We will, of course, support the administration. That’s our highest mandate.” Huang told analysts. “We will comply with any regulation that comes along fully and support our customers to the best of our abilities.” In the longer term, Nvidia will have to expand the market reach of its AI accelerators beyond cloud providers and companies with hyperscale data centers, Nguyen said. Surveys show that over the next couple of years, more traditional enterprises will deploy AI applications on specialized models that run on chips that are far less powerful than Blackwell or Nvidia’s previous-generation GPU built on the Hopper microarchitecture. The expected transition would open the market to competitors, including AMD and Intel. “If small models that fit in a rack or on four or five servers are good enough, that’s a game changer in terms of what you buy and the quantities,” Nguyen said. The shift to running generative AI applications in enterprise data centers will start next year as organizations move from proof-of-concept projects to production, according to Gartner. The analyst firm predicts that generative AI will help triple enterprise server sales globally to $332 billion by 2028. Antone Gonsalves is an editor at large for TechTarget Editorial, reporting on industry trends critical to enterprise tech buyers. He has worked in tech journalism for 25 years and is based in San Francisco. Have a news tip? Please drop him an email. Source link #Nvidia #Blackwell #GPU #production #ramps #revenue #surge Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Wall Street overlooks modest Nvidia guidance, lift price targets ahead of strong Blackwell ramp Wall Street overlooks modest Nvidia guidance, lift price targets ahead of strong Blackwell ramp Investors shouldn’t let a smaller-than-expected guidance beat overshadow tailwinds from Nvidia’s looming Blackwell graphics processing unit rollout come January. Shares of the chip behemoth rose about 1.6% before the bell despite beating Wall Street’s top-and-bottom line estimates as it signaled a slowdown in revenue growth from prior quarters. Shares of the chipmaker are up 195% this year. Many industry analysts lifted their price targets on the AI chip darling, saying there are signs that the launch of its Blackwell chip has been strong and demand will likely outweigh supply well into 2025. NVDA YTD mountain Shares this year “This was never the quarter that NVDA was going to ***** out numbers, and we are not overly concerned with any of the issues on this call as we see increasing beats as Blackwell ramps and still a path above $5 of EPS next year,” said Jefferies analyst Blayne Curtis. “The name will always struggle with elevated expectations, but business momentum should accelerate from here as Blackwell ramps and that has historically been the time to own the stock,” he added. Citi’s Atif Malik lifted the firm’s price target to $175 and opened a positive catalyst ahead of the consumer electronics show in January. He anticipates a raise in Blackwell sales expectations during the event and commentary from management regarding a “robotics industrial demand inflection.” Wells Fargo’s Aaron Rakers moved to a $185 price target, reflecting 27% upside from Wednesday’s close. He urged investors to take advantage of any pullback in the stock, citing confidence in Blackwell’s launch, which should top calls for “several billion” shipments next year and exceed supply for several quarters in 2026. Bernstein’s Stacy Rasgon boosted his target to $175, overlooking concerns of the smaller guidance beat and a decline in margins in Blackwell’s early days. He expects demand for the latest AI chips to outweigh supply, further supporting the company’s strong competitive advantage over its competition. Meanwhile, JPMorgan’s Harlan Sur lifted his price target to $170 a share, saying that margins should improve toward the mid-70s range in the second half of 2025 as Nvidia streamlines costs. “Bottom line, the team continues to maintain a 1- 2 step lead ahead of competitors with its silicon/ hardware/software platforms, and a strong ecosystem and the team is further distancing itself with its aggressive cadence of new product launches and more product segmentation over time,” he wrote. What’s next for the stock Despite strong Blackwell expectations, some analysts warn of potential near-term volatility. “Expect stock to churn near-term as investors digest lack of ‘sizzle’ but we continue to like the stock on its ‘substance,'” wrote Bank of America’s Vivek Arya. Barclays analyst Tom O’Malley referred to Nvidia’s modest outlook and commentary surrounding ****** margins as the “perfect thread the needle guide,” while Loop Capital’s Ananda Baruah views the pullback as the “pause before the next leg up.” Cantor Fitzgerald’s C.J. Muse said the ******* heading into Nvidia’s GTC conference in March are “goldilocks months,” implying that investors have a lot of news to look forward to in the months ahead. “Blackwell constraints are likely to be a major factor for at least a year, but we continue to see a strong Blackwell cycle as a driver for the stock for several quarters,” said Morgan Stanley analyst Joseph Moore. Source link #Wall #Street #overlooks #modest #Nvidia #guidance #lift #price #targets #ahead #strong #Blackwell #ramp Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

BBC Children in Need chair resigns over grants to scandal-hit charity BBC Children in Need chair resigns over grants to scandal-hit charity The chair of the BBC’s Children in Need charity has resigned, after reports that she protested over grants awarded to an LGBT youth charity, whose former chief had been involved in a child ****** scandal. Rosie Millard, a writer and broadcaster, accused the charity of “institutional ********” in her letter of resignation shared with the Times. Millard objected to £466,000 being awarded to LGBT Youth Scotland (LGBTYS) , a charity which supports young gay and transgender people. Its former chief James Rennie was convicted in 2009 of child **** assaults. The grants from Children In Need began seven months later, when the charity had new management in place. BBC News has not seen Millard’s resignation letter. A BBC spokesman said: “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of all children and young people. “When allegations were made in relation to LGBT Youth Scotland their grant was immediately suspended with the full support of the board and a review began. In order to do this thoroughly and fairly the review took three months and culminated in the decision to withdraw funding.” Rennie, who had been chief executive of LGBTYS from 2003 to 2008 and is also a previous SNP adviser, was jailed in 2009 after being revealed as a member of a paedophile ring. He was given a life sentence for ********* assaulting a three-month-old child and for conspiring to get access to children in order to ****** them. He was ordered to serve a minimum of 13 years, later reduced to eight on appeal. Children in Need suspended grants to the charity in May 2024, after Millard says she alerted them to his case. It withdrew funding around three months later following a review. However, Millard, who used to be an arts correspondent for BBC News, criticised Children in Need for what she said was a lack of due diligence. She accused chief executive Simon Antrobus of failing to respond “with the necessary level of seriousness” and hesitating to take action. She alleged that he eventually cut funding to the charity only because of ***** of negative publicity. BBC News has contacted Millard for comment. Antrobus, who has been chief executive of Children In Need since 2016 and previously held senior positions at Parkinson’s *** and Scope, has not publicly commented. Another man, who contributed to schools guidance put together by LGBT Youth Scotland, was convicted this year of sharing indecent images of children including some of newborn *******. Andrew Easton was a young person who attended services of LGBT Youth Scotland in the 2000s, and, as a result, contributed to a 2010 guide for young people about coming out. However, he was never an employee of the charity. He pleaded guilty in September to ­communicating online with someone he believed to be a child, downloading indecent images of children and distributing indecent images of children. He was sentenced to a community order, ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, put on the **** offenders register for three years and told to take part in a **** offenders programme. In 2022, two men said that they were groomed at LGBTYS around the time Rennie was chief executive. In response, LGBTYS suspended a staff member and referred itself to the police. A BBC spokesman said: “The Children in Need board of trustees are supportive of the actions taken by the CEO and senior leadership team and stand by the decisions made. “Rosie at all times retained the board’s support. In the wake of her resignation, in order to ensure any lessons learnt are captured, the trustees have instigated a review of ways of working between the board and executive in which Rosie has kindly agreed to participate.” Mhairi Crawford, chief executive of LGBTYS, said that Millard’s resignation letter “demonstrates the ideologically driven nature of her attacks on our organisation”. Crawford said: “We are pleased to see confirmation that Children in Need’s investigations into the work of LGBT Youth Scotland found nothing to report. “Time and time again, those with anti-inclusivity motives point to historic allegations in attempts to ******** our reputation. Allegations that have been investigated and cleared by Police Scotland, and proven to have had no link to our work.” Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, praised Millard on Wednesday for her “significant impact on countless children”. Children in Need raised more than £39 million in its annual broadcast on Friday. Source link #BBC #Children #chair #resigns #grants #scandalhit #charity Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Cane and Perenara set for All ******* farewell in Turin Cane and Perenara set for All ******* farewell in Turin New Zealand’s former captain Sam Cane and scrum-half TJ Perenara will get the chance to play for the All ******* for a final time after being picked in the matchday squad to face Italy at the weekend. The Test in Turin on Saturday (Sunday AEDT) marks the end of the November tour for New Zealand, who edged England and Ireland in their opening two matches but lost 30-29 to France in Paris last weekend. The veteran pair of Cane and Perenara are moving to Japan to play club rugby. Cane, who has 103 caps, will line up on the open side of the scrum in a switch to the loose trio with Samipeni Finau out with concussion. Ardie Savea moves back to No. 8 with Wallace Sititi now on the blindside. Perenara, with 88 caps, has been named as replacement halfback and will surely get a run out to mark the end of his All ******* career. New Zealand coach Scott Robertson had been expected to ring the changes and give opportunities to several fringe players but has put out a strong side against Italy, who lost heavily to Argentina in their opening November international and had a struggle to get the better of Georgia last week. There are a total of five changes in the All ******* line-up from the narrow loss in Paris last Saturday. Loosehead prop Ethan de Groot, not used since being suspended for breaching team protocol ahead of the first Test on tour against England, has been chosen in place of Tamaiti Williams, who suffered a neck injury against France last Saturday, while Patrick Tuipulotu replaces Tupou Vaa’i in the second row. Jordie Barrett, who was set to have a scan on his knee, is replaced by the experienced Anton Lienert-Brown, while Mark Tele’a is back on the right wing after a hand injury, replacing Sevu Reece in the two backline changes. “This Italy team has made a real impact on the international stage this year, with a strong showing in the Six Nations,” Robertson said in a statement naming the team. “We know the passion this team will bring, so we are preparing for a physical and motivated Italy for our final test of the tour.” Team: 15-Will Jordan, 14-Mark Tele’a, 13-Rieko Ioane, 12-Anton Lienert-Brown, 11-Caleb Clarke, 10-Beauden Barrett, 9-Cam Roigard, 8-Ardie Savea, 7-Sam Cane, 6-Wallace Sititi, 5-Patrick Tuipulotu, 4-Scott Barrett (capt), 3-Tyrel Lomax, 2-Codie Taylor, 1-Ethan de Groot Replacements: 16-Asafo Aumua, 17-Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18-Fletcher Newell, 19-Tupou Vaa’i, 20-Peter Lakai, 21-TJ Perenara, 22-David Havili, 23-Damian McKenzie. Source link #Cane #Perenara #set #******* #farewell #Turin Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Star Wars Outlaws Is Dropping Forced Stealth, So You Can Start Blasting Your Way Out Of Trouble Star Wars Outlaws Is Dropping Forced Stealth, So You Can Start Blasting Your Way Out Of Trouble As part of its ongoing overhaul, Star Wars Outlaws will be dropping forced stealth sections from “almost all” parts of the game with its new patch. In a blog post, developer Massive Entertainment outlined these changes, which will allow players to blast their way out of danger when they’re discovered by enemies. Frank Reynolds would be proud. “We know many of you enjoy the stealth approach, so it was important to us to preserve that playstyle while also giving you the freedom to decide how to tackle each mission,” Star Wars Outlaws’ creative director Drew Rechner wrote in a blog post. “Ultimately, you’ll have the choice to sneak, go in combat-first, or–my personal favorite–sneak until you’re caught and then blast your way out.” You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. Star Wars Outlaws Review 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 JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year20242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900 By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy enter Stealth missions were one of the more divisive parts of Star Wars Outlaws, as a combination of temperamental ****** AI and poor checkpoints made it frustrating for some. Rechner added that these changes will also apply to the formerly stealth-only syndicate sections of the game and that players will be able to pick up and keep weapons they find in the field for longer. To keep the action exciting, players will also be able to target specific ****** body parts and exploit vulnerabilities when they enter combat. “The addition of positioning and timing tactics will also make combat scenarios more dynamic. Our goal is to let you play the way you want to play,” Rechner explained. For more details, you can check the full patch notes here. After a slow start, Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment have continued to work on Star Wars Outlaws. Several stealth missions have also been redesigned to be less frustrating and several “key areas” of Outlaws have become a major point of focus for Massive Entertainment since the September launch of the game. If you’re interested in checking the game out for yourself, Star Wars Outlaws is on ***** for $50 during ****** Friday. Source link #Star #Wars #Outlaws #Dropping #Forced #Stealth #Start #Blasting #Trouble Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Amazon’s ****** Friday ***** is officially here, and the SteelSeries Alias USB microphone’s price and feature set have me tempted to make a move for it Amazon’s ****** Friday ***** is officially here, and the SteelSeries Alias USB microphone’s price and feature set have me tempted to make a move for it The weeks leading up to Amazon’s ****** Friday ***** saw a barrage of enticing deals on headsets and microphones ideal for content creators and gamers – but I’ve just found the best deal yet. The fantastic SteelSeries Alias USB Mic for PC is now available on Amazon in the US for just $139.99 (was $179.99), and has an even better deal on Amazon in the *** for just £109.99 (was £179.99). With prominent features such as a triple-size capsule for greater voice clarity and quality compared to some other mics, AI noise-canceling via Sonar (SteelSeries’ audio software), and LED level monitoring, the Alias holds the coveted position of ‘Best Premium Microphone’ in our best microphones for streaming guide. SteelSeries has consistently produced top-quality headsets and microphones over the years, and the Alias USB mic is a prime example. Not in the US or ***? Scroll down to see the best SteelSeries Alias USB mic deals in your region! Today’s best SteelSeries Alias deal in the US Today’s best SteelSeries Alias deal in the *** I’m considering diving into more content creation for gaming and hardware reviews – I could get lucky by opting for a cheaper mic in hopes that it will offer great audio quality, but with the £109.99 ***** price, it would be painful to take that risk and miss this offer, while knowing what I’ll be getting here (believe me, SteelSeries’ mics are very reliable). Similar to the Lewitt Ray Autofocus XLR Condenser Mic ($349 / £349 / around AU$439) already on my wishlist, the Alias provides LED level monitoring – the Lewitt Ray uses the LED display to show your distance from the mic and mutes itself when you’re far away, while the Alias narrows its focus on LED monitoring to simply indicate whether your voice is being picked up by the mic. Considering the high pricing of the Lewitt Ray, it’s a no-brainer to go for the SteelSeries Alias right now if you’re simply looking for a great-sounding microphone that allows you to keep a close eye on how loud you may be when on a call or streaming. It won’t work in the same manner as the Lewitt Ray since it utilizes an in-house sensor-based technology known as ‘AURA’, but the Alias will give you a close enough experience at a far more reasonable price. More of today’s ****** Friday sales in the US Amazon: TVs, smart home & air fryers from $12.99 Apple: AirPods, iPads, MacBooks from $89.99 Best Buy: $1,000 off 4K TVs, laptops & headphones Cheap TVs: smart TVs at Best Buy from $69.99 Christmas trees: top-rated trees from $54.99 Dell: best-selling Inspiron & XPS laptops from $279.99 Dreamcloud: mattress deals from $349 + free shipping Holiday: decor, lights, Christmas trees & PJs from $10.99 Home Depot: 40% off tools, appliances & furniture Lowe’s: holiday decor, appliances & tools from $17.31 Nectar: up to 50% off all mattresses Nordstrom: 46% off boots, coats, jeans & jewelry Samsung: $1,500+ off TVs, phones, watches & appliances Target: save on furniture, tech & clothing Walmart: cheap TVs, ****** vacs, furniture & appliances More of today’s ****** Friday sales in the *** Amazon: up to 68% off toothbrushes and TVs AO: savings on games consoles and appliances Argos: up to 50% off toys, Lego, TVs and gifts Boots: up to 50% off Dyson, *****-B and Philips Currys: early deals on TVs, appliances, laptops Dell: laptops, desktops, monitors from £299 Dyson: up to £150 off Ebay: up to 50% off refurbished tech EE: up to £600 off Samsung and Apple John Lewis: up to £300 off appliances and TVs LG: £1,000 or more off TVs and appliances Samsung: up to £600 off TVs, phones and tablets Very: up to 30% off phones, appliances & clothing Source link #Amazons #****** #Friday #***** #officially #SteelSeries #Alias #USB #microphones #price #feature #set #tempted #move Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Thursday’s biggest analyst calls like Nvidia Thursday’s biggest analyst calls like Nvidia Here are Thursday’s biggest calls on Wall Street: Goldman Sachs reiterates Nvidia as buy The firm raised its price target on the stock to $165 per share from $150 following earnings. “We reiterate our Buy rating on NVDA (which is also on the Americas Conviction List) and highlight the rich catalyst path ahead.” Morgan Stanley initiates UMB Financial as overweight Morgan Stanley said the commercial bank has a “differentiated ******** base.” “We see UMBF as one of the best ways to play lower rates among the Midcap Banks.” Rosenblatt upgrades Palo Alto Networks to buy from neutral The firm upgraded the stock following Palo Alto earnings on Wednesday. “The company delivered another strong quarterly performance, driven by successful ********** of its platform strategy.” William Blair downgrades Ulta to market perform from outperform William Blair said it sees a “drawn-out recovery category” for shares of Ulta. “We are downgrading shares of Ulta to Market Perform from Outperform. Our downgrade is predicated on the view that coming off a hard reset of expectations at the analyst day, October 16, consensus 2025 comp and operating margin appear still optimistic and embed expectation of an early-2025 inflection in the beauty category, which we believe is unlikely.” Goldman Sachs downgrades XPeng to neutral from buy Goldman downgraded the China EV company mainly on valuation. “With at least four new model launches in the pipeline in 2025, we continue to see strong volume growth of +81% yoy for XPeng . On the other hand, we remain cautious on the competitive environment going into 2025, especially in the first quarter which has historically seen intensifying price cuts.” Wells Fargo initiating GE Vernova as overweight Wells said it sees an “AI power surge” for shares of the electric and renewables company. ” GEV is a primary beneficiary of projected LT growth in power demand driven by the AI data center buildout, US reshoring, & electrification trends.” Bank of America reiterates Netflix as buy Bank of America raised its price target on the stock to $1,000 per share from $800. “Last weekend, 60mn households (65mn concurrent streams at peak; 108mn global live viewers from opening to closing bell) watched the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson boxing match on Netflix.” Morgan Stanley reiterates Dell as overweight The firm said it’s sticking with Dell ahead of earnings next week. “We like this story for 2025 and would therefore be buyers of any post-earnings weakness, remaining OW with $154 PT.” Citi upgrades DT Energy to buy from neutral Citi said the natural gas pipeline company has “best-in-class” growth. “Additionally, DTM is now > $10bln in market cap, which should attract attention from a wider investor base, including international investors.” Goldman Sachs reiterates Chevron as buy Goldman raised its price target on the stock to $170 per share from $167. “For Chevron, we reiterate our constructive view on the stock, where we see ~10% total return to our updated PT of $170/sh.” Barclays upgrades Royal Bank of Canada to overweight from equal weight Barclays said it likes the Canada bank’s “scale and diverse business model.” “We are upgrading RY to Overweight from Equal Weight.” Goldman Sachs initiates Merus Therapeutics as buy Goldman said the biotech company has “best-in-class” potential. “We are initiating coverage of MRUS (Merus N.V.) with a Buy rating and a $73 12-month target price.” Goldman Sachs reiterates Snowflake as buy The firm said it likes the company’s “strong **********” following earnings on Wednesday. “We reiterate our Buy rating and $220 Price Target on Snowflake (on conviction list) following impressive F3Q results that augment our conviction the company can sustain mid-20’s revenue growth at a $4B revenue scale while delivering 25% FCF margins…” Bank of America reiterates Tesla as buy Bank of America said the stock is best positioned heading into next year. “Tesla appears well-positioned for growth in 2025 given latest commentary provided during the earnings call, which includes: soaring production volumes in the range of 20-30% YoY, the start of production of the Cybercab, the launch of a public ride-hailing app, deliveries of batteries from the Shanghai factory, and further progress of FSD (full self-driving) capabilities.” JPMorgan reiterates Palo Alto Networks as overweight The firm said it’s sticking with Palo Alto following earnings on Wednesday. “Platform progress with healthy results for what is typically a seasonally softer quarter.” Bank of America reiterates TJX Companies as buy Bank of America called the stock a “resilient share gainer” following earnings on Wednesday. “Despite some unfavorable weather impacts, TJX delivered comps of at the high end of guidance (+3%), driven by increased traffic across all banners.” Goldman Sachs reiterates Salesforce as buy Goldman said it’s sticking with shares of Salesforce. “We reiterate our Buy rating and raise our PT to $360 (vs $325 prior) following Agentforce World Tour, where conversations with partners and customers left us with greater conviction in Salesforce’s AI strategy **********.” Source link #Thursdays #biggest #analyst #calls #Nvidia Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]