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Persona 4 Remake Possibly Confirmed By Voice Actor From Original Game Persona 4 Remake Possibly Confirmed By Voice Actor From Original Game Given the success of Persona 3 Reload, a similar remake of Persona 4 would seem like an obvious layup, but developer Atlus and publisher ***** have not announced such a project. However, if a recent post on Bluesky by voice actor Yuri Lowenthal is anything to go by, it sounds like it’s a real thing. Lowenthal voiced Yosuke Hanamura, one of the main characters in the original Persona 4. Today on Bluesky, Lowenthal posted the following: “And for those who keep asking, no, I will not be returning as Yosuke for the Persona 4 remake. I asked. Maybe I even begged, but they don’t want me to come back.” It doesn’t sound like Lowenthal is just speculating either. Considering he apparently received a “no” on returning, it seems like the Persona 4 remake is happening… just without him. This is a bummer for Lowenthal and fans of the original game, but not surprising. Atlus and ***** brought on a new voice cast for last year’s Persona 3 remake, Persona 3 Reload. Game Informer has contacted ***** to ask about Lowenthal’s post and if the rumored Persona 4 remake is real. We will update this story if we learn more. In the meantime, read Game Informer’s Persona 4 Golden review, then check out our thoughts on Persona 3 Reload. After that, find out what we want in an eventual Persona 6. Are you sad about Lowenthal seemingly not returning to voice Yosuke? Let us know in the comments below! Source link #Persona #Remake #Possibly #Confirmed #Voice #Actor #Original #Game Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

6 tons of ******** seized from “narco sub” and buried stashes, videos show 6 tons of ******** seized from “narco sub” and buried stashes, videos show Authorities seized more than six tons of ******** from a semi-submersible vessel — a so-called “narco sub” — and from two underground hiding places discovered in Colombia, the country’s navy announced this week. Officials released video of the narco sub being intercepted off the country’s Pacific coast, as well as video showing officers and a sniffer dog locating stashes of ******** that were buried underground. The navy also released an image of more than 100 packages of the alleged narcotics laid out on the shore next to a military boat. Officials said the street value of the seized ******** was estimated to be about $300 million. The navy said the narcotics were intercepted in Narino, a region on the Pacific coast of Colombia bordering Ecuador. They did not say how many people were arrested or where they believe the haul of drugs on the semi-submersible was headed. Officials said 3,000 kilograms of ******** was seized at sea while 270 kilograms of ******** was unearthed from the buried hiding spots. “The national navy reaffirms its commitment in the fight against drug trafficking and will continue to develop massive operations against organized armed groups,” a navy spokesman said. A day earlier, Colombia’s navy said forces had seized about three tons of narcotics in the Pacific Ocean that were headed to Central America. Some of the drugs were intercepted after navy ships chased a “vessel moving suspiciously,” authorities said, and three people were arrested. The drugs were worth an estimated $97 million. Narco subs typically sit very low on the ocean’s surface but cannot go fully underwater. They are popular among international drug traffickers because they can often elude detection by authorities. Though commonly caught off the coast of Colombia, which produces the majority of ******** found in the world, narco subs have been spotted across the globe in recent months. In March, Portuguese police said forces had confiscated nearly 6.5 tons of ******** from a semi-submersible vessel off the remote Azores archipelago that was bound for the Iberian peninsula. In January, a suspected narco sub broke in two pieces as a fishing boat was towing it to a port in northwest Spain. In November 2024, the ******** navy said it seized about 8,000 pounds of ******** aboard a semi-submersible about 150 miles off the resort of Acapulco. Two months before that, the U.S. Coast Guard said it had offloaded more than $54 million worth of ******** — including over 1,200 pounds of drugs that were seized from a narco sub. Trump delivers Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery SpaceX loses contact with its Starship, spins out of control Israel kills senior ****** leader Mohammed Sinwar, Netanyahu says Source link #tons #******** #seized #narco #buried #stashes #videos #show Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Has Taken a Leap Toward Unity’s Parkour, and We Couldn’t Be More Excited Assassin’s Creed Shadows Has Taken a Leap Toward Unity’s Parkour, and We Couldn’t Be More Excited Ubisoft might be on a path to fix its mistakes and improve upon them. This is super visible with the new update for Assassin’s Creed Shadows that adds some fan-requested features, which Ubisoft surprisingly listened to. One of them is the parkour system upgrade, which wasn’t a part of the original release. The lack of parkour in Ubisoft’s RPG take on the Assassin’s Creed franchise has been debated among fans for a long time. Be it Odyssey, Valhalla, or Shadows, the parkour has been lacking. The parkour improvement hasn’t been done previously, but it’s a good thing that it is finally getting some attention from Ubisoft. Ubisoft’s making up for its mistake restores some faith in the studio Assassin’s Creed Shadows had a questionable launch with mixed reactions, while some say the game is great, others say the polar opposite. Not only that, there have been a lot of controversies regarding the inclusion of an African samurai in the midst of feudal Japan. Yet, they are trying their best to make the most out of the game, even if it takes free updates to improve certain mechanics. For instance, with the latest update, Naoe’s parkour was made better by enhancing side eject. A similar move was done for Assassin’s Creed Mirage as well, but it was supposed to have it because it was a non-RPG game. It is accepted all across the Assassin’s Creed fandom that Unity had the best parkour experience, which none could match. Many even wondered why it was ditched in the first place, as parkour was one of the biggest selling points of the franchise. However, let bygones be bygones. If this is the beginning for Ubisoft’s healing and a chance to make it out of the bankruptcy threat, then be it. Rather, it was required as they have been lacking quality for a long time. Still, the company is infamous for ruining things that need no fixing. People say history repeats itself, but it’s best Ubisoft doesn’t do it. It’s good that Ubisoft is finally caring for its company Is good parkour really what the AC franchise needs right now? | Image Credit: Ubisoft Usually, Ubisoft has only focused on positive reviews for its titles, and hasn’t bothered to listen to the negative reviews to improve upon them. This further caused the company to lose its reputation to finally become the bad guy in every gamer’s story. However, they are probably looking forward to redeeming themselves now. It has already been reported that Ubisoft has entered into damage control mode, and it shows. Ubisoft had a past of not caring about negative criticism, but now it seems like things might just change. It is evident with Rainbow Six Siege X and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Fans had been asking for improved parkour for a long time, ever since AC Syndicate. However, no heed was paid to any of them. Fans were even hopeful that Assassin’s Creed Shadows would have it, as feudal Japan can make use of ninjas. They did incorporate the ninja part, but not the Unity-quality parkour. Ubisoft has always given up on things that make their Assassin’s Creed franchise special. It can be basically summed up by great parkour, story, and hidden blades, all of which have no meaning in their recent games. The lore is all over the place, there is no connection between each other, apart from some cameos here and there. Not forgetting to mention, AC Odyssey didn’t even have a hidden blade, let alone a proper lore and parkour. However, now that they have finally got their grip, making no mistakes is the only option. The improvement for Assassin’s Creed Shadows might be a sign, so let’s just be hopeful for now. Are you happy about the improvements and upgrades in Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Do you think Ubisoft is trying to do better finally? Let us know in the comments below. Source link #Assassins #Creed #Shadows #Leap #Unitys #Parkour #Couldnt #Excited Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

US and Russia clash in public as the Ukraine war heats up – Reuters US and Russia clash in public as the Ukraine war heats up – Reuters US and Russia clash in public as the Ukraine war heats up ReutersTrump’s frustration with Putin boils over with no Ukraine peace deal in sight The Washington PostRussian official Medvedev offer Trump WWIII warning after Putin comments The HillFormer Russian president raises specter of World War III as rhetoric ramps up over Ukraine NBC NewsRussia’s state-run media mocks Trump over his weakness toward Putin MSNBC News Source link #Russia #clash #public #Ukraine #war #heats #Reuters Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

How to Make Homemade Pasta Like an Italian How to Make Homemade Pasta Like an Italian TL;DR: It’s not necessarily the pasta water. It’s the marriage of starch, cheese and water, Eric Kim writes. This spoonable pasta is a dance of sorts between two pots: one with fresh green beans and orecchiette, the other with sausage ragù.David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Published May 28, 2025Updated May 28, 2025 When the chef Carla Lalli Music recently made pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe for dinner, it came out too salty. Her error? She used oversalted pasta water to finish her sauce. “Sometimes it’s better not to use it,” she said, claiming that a splash of “regular old water” does the same trick. Many a recipe writer and Italian cook has espoused the virtues of saving some starchy water before draining pasta to then toss with the noodles and sauce. That starch is said to help thicken a sauce so it can better coat pasta. But does it really make that much of a difference? Even the renowned cookbook author Marcella Hazan, in “Marcella Cucina,” writes that cooking with pasta water “imparts the same tedious, faintly gelatinous texture to what otherwise have been fresh and lively sauces.” Use it “occasionally,” she advises. Daniel M. Busiello, a physicist and researcher at the University of Padova, said over a teleconference call that the keys to a silky sauce are the relationships among starch, cheese and water. In April, Mr. Busiello, along with seven other Italian scientists, published the latest version of a paper on cacio e pepe, finding — after months of tests — that the concentration of starch relative to the amount of cheese and water is what directly affects the dish’s creaminess. Here’s why: Starch prevents what the scientists coined as the “Mozzarella Phase,” or what happens when heat causes the proteins in cheese (casein and whey) to clump, creating a sauce that is wet and stringy like mozzarella, rather than smooth, ******* and emulsified. “The starch screens the interaction between proteins by basically putting itself in the middle,” to prevent that sticking, he said. Stirring in plain water achieves the same saucy, glossy result as pasta water, so long as there is enough cheese and starch released from stirring the pasta. But you’re boiling pasta and already have that water, so why not use it? In this recipe, pasta water is made more useful as fresh green beans boiled with the pasta season the water with their gentle vegetal umami, while the quick sausage ragù simmers in another. In a dance of sorts between the two pans, the cooked beans and pasta are drained and added to the ragù. As a final step, a spritz of lemon juice and a generous splash of that savory green bean broth are stirred vigorously into the sauced pasta, along with Parmesan, helping to draw out the pasta’s starch while letting the cheese melt into the sauce without splitting. A short pasta shape, such as orecchiette, macaroni or wagon wheels, is the easiest to stir into a silky sauce here — and means that you can eat the dish with a spoon in front of the television. Just be sure not to oversalt your water — you’re going to need it. Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest. Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice. Source link #Homemade #Pasta #Italian Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

AI and private cloud: 2 lessons from Dell Tech World 2025 AI and private cloud: 2 lessons from Dell Tech World 2025 For IT professionals, conference season provides an excellent opportunity to gauge the state of technology options and measure their own organization’s progress compared to their peers. With that in mind, Dell Technologies World 2025 presented two important lessons that IT leaders must know as we enter the second half of 2025. Lesson 1: The generative AI era is underway and your company is likely already behind. During the second-day keynote, Jeff Clarke, COO for Dell Technologies, shared some insights on the company’s own internal adoption of generative AI technology to help improve productivity among sales, technical support, and engineering. With the assistance of AI, according to Clarke, “individual contributors become as productive as a two-person team.” Dell’s internal AI adoption can serve as a blueprint for other enterprises. Our research at the Enterprise Strategy Group, now part of Omdia, found the three most commonly identified primary business drivers for AI — improving operational efficiency (cited by 48%), customer experience (44%), and innovation (42%) — align with the priorities that Dell set forth internally. For AI, best practices start with quality data and the use case, but often those initial steps can create complexity, stalling efforts. Businesses can often struggle to implement a proper data management strategy and lack definition in their internal processes, making it difficult to define and prioritize use cases for AI. When I asked Clarke what advice he could provide businesses looking to project potential returns on investment for AI to assist with use case prioritization, his response was to “get busy.” This is an important takeaway for competitive success in AI. It will likely not come in a “one-size-fits-all” package. Success in AI requires your organization to conduct internal analyses to understand your data and processes and then identify and measure the areas of greatest potential. In addition, the faster your organization starts, the faster it will develop the internal learnings necessary for success. These steps are essential prior to making a significant infrastructure investment, and help is available. For example, Dell Technologies offers services to help organizations identify the right AI use cases, prepare and clean data for AI, augment models, and provide AI infrastructure options. Dell is also not alone in providing a portfolio of AI services to help. At the event, partners such as Deloitte and Accenture were present to highlight their own portfolios of AI and data services to help organizations get started with AI. When it comes to infrastructure, the majority (52%) of new AI initiatives are deployed on public cloud services. However, there is a growing interest in deploying AI initiatives on-premises, fueled by concerns tied to data privacy, cost, and control of the architecture. In fact, 78% of organizations identify that they would prefer to run AI applications on-premises. To serve the demand for on-premises AI initiatives, Dell offers its Dell AI Factory portfolio, announced last year, partnering with multiple accelerator options from NVIDIA, Intel, and AMD. At Dell Tech World last week, Dell announced that it has over 3,000 Dell AI Factory customers. Outside of Dell, earlier this year, HPE introduced NVIDIA AI Computing by HPE, and Cisco introduced Cisco Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA. Nutanix also offers its GPT-in-a-Box 2.0 and Nutanix Enterprise AI to help simplify AI infrastructure deployment. In addition, nearly every enterprise storage provider offers validated or integrated AI systems, including Hitachi Vantara, IBM, Infinidat, NetApp, Pure Storage, Vast Data, and WekaIO. Lesson 2: A growing number of options are available to improve flexibility for hypervisor choice and migration. Recent shifts in the structure of hypervisor licenses have fueled an increased desire to explore alternatives and renewed concerns over lock-in. With that, Dell launched the Dell Private Cloud and the Dell Automation Platform, which offer validated blueprints for systems from Broadcom/VMware, Nutanix, and Red Hat, simplifying the ability to provision multiple private cloud options. According to our research, 89% of organizations say the ability to use or evaluate multiple hypervisor and orchestration options is strategic. For years, businesses have focused on consistency to simplify operations. Recent cost increases have shifted the priority to flexibility and ensuring that the business has multiple options. Dell Private Cloud, however, is just one option helping to simplify hypervisor flexibility. HPE recently announced HPE Private Cloud Business Edition with HPE Morpheus VM Essentials, which leverages technology from HPE’s recent acquisition of Morpheus Data to simplify multi-hypervisor support and self-service cloud consumption. In addition, Nutanix has added support for external third-party storage from Dell and Pure Storage to help simplify the adoption of its AHV hypervisor technology into existing production environments. Whether your business is focused on AI, exploring private cloud alternatives, or all of the above, you have far more options today than you did 12 or even six months ago. As this space evolves, the options and capabilities will likely only increase moving forward. Scott Sinclair is Practice Director with Enterprise Strategy Group, a division of Omdia, covering the storage industry. Enterprise Strategy Group analysts have business relationships with technology providers. Source link #private #cloud #lessons #Dell #Tech #World Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Blues on the cusp of back-to-back Origin success Blues on the cusp of back-to-back Origin success NSW are 80 minutes away from back-to-back State of Origin series wins after the Blues’ forwards set the platform for a historic 18-6 win at Suncorp Stadium. The Blues dominated Queensland on Wednesday night, with only missed conversions from all four tries stopping the scoreline from blowing out. After winning last year’s decider in Brisbane, the victory marked the first time the Blues have breached the Suncorp fortress in successive games in 27 years. NSW have also now won three straight games for the first time in 19 years, after coming back from 1-0 down in last year’s series. But of most importance to the Blues is they can now win this year’s series in Perth on June 18, with another chance to come in Sydney three weeks later. “Any time you can come here and win you’ve got to be happy, so extremely happy,” Blues coach Laurie Daley said. “But it’s only camp one. We’ll see what (Queensland) are like when they bounce into game two. “Because one thing I know about Origin is there’s always a response. You get hit in the face, there’s a response next game.” For all their dominance, NSW were still made to sweat for their win. After leading 14-0 just before the break, they lost Brian To’o to the sin-bin on the stroke of halftime when he tackled Xavier Coates in midair as the Maroons winger attempted to plant a try. There was no penalty try but it did leave the Blues exposed, beginning the second half. They looked up to the task when six men bundled Valentine Holmes into touch. But from the next play Coates scored, Jeremiah Nanai’s pinpoint hit on Latrell Mitchell sending the ball loose and the Maroons pouncing. At 14-6 it was still anyone’s game, both sides error-riddled under fatigue as the quality descended. Two-try hero Zac Lomax and Connor Watson combined to produce the moment, both somehow popping offloads in tackles allowing Dylan Edwards to score the clincher with eight minutes to play. Halves Mitchell Moses and Nathan Cleary clicked in their partnership debut for NSW while Stephen Crichton shrugged off his early-week injury crisis. Mitchell was also immense in his Origin return at centre. That was all made possible by a dominant Blues pack, with man-of-the-match Payne Haas topping 150 metres after barely training on a quad tear in the build up. “For a big bloke and limited prep to jump out of the ground and do what he did was inspirational,” Daley said. The Blues’ go-forward quietened the capacity crowd in the first half, with the Maroons giving away three ruck penalties inside the first 10 minutes to gift the visitors field position. Harry Grant was ineffective at hooker while Pat Carrigan missed five tackles and had the Maroons pack’s only tackle break at half-time, compared to 12 from the Blues forwards. “They were much better than us. I feel pretty flat to be honest about our performance,” Queensland coach Billy Slater said. “The flatness comes from how we hurt ourselves. Very ill disciplined in the first half, and then that just snowballed against us.” Queensland have now scored just one try in their last two games at Suncorp, with that coming when the Blues were down a man on Wednesday. “That’s not good. That’s not a good stat,” Slater said. “Probably as disappointing as the performance tonight.” NSW’s dominance didn’t show on the scoreboard until later in the half on Wednesday, with Haas breaking the line and offloading before Lomax scored. To’o crossed four minutes later, Mitchell’s brilliant, mid-air offload setting that try up before a slick left-to-right movement allowed Lomax to score his second. Source link #Blues #cusp #backtoback #Origin #success Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT is up to 31% faster than 7600 XT in early compute benchmarks AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT is up to 31% faster than 7600 XT in early compute benchmarks AMD’s recently announced mid-range RX 9060 XT 16GB has been put to the test in Geekbench across Vulkan and OpenCL, where it allegedly leads its predecessor by up to 30%. This test was likely and inadvertently made public by a reviewer, consistent with previous product launches. We strongly advise viewing these tests with skepticism, firstly due to their preliminary nature and secondly because synthetic benchmarks only provide a partial glimpse of a GPU’s real-world capabilities. After weeks of rumors and leaks, AMD finally lifted the veil off its budget RX 9060 XT GPUs at Computex last week. The RX 9060 XT family comes in 8GB ($299) and 16GB ($349) flavors, both using the same 200mm^2 Navi 48 GPU core with 32 Compute Units or 2,048 Stream Processors. AMD has transitioned to a PCIe 5.0 x16 (64 GB/s) interface for these GPUs, as opposed to the PCIe 4.0 x8 (16 GB/s) on last-generation RX 7600 XT cards. Likewise, the RX 9060 XT features a 3.13 GHz boost clock speed, extendable via manual or factory overclocking, along with a 150W/160W Total Board Power (TBP). The test-bench for these benchmarks featured an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and 32GB of DDR5 memory atop the Gigabyte X870E Auros Master, and the RX 9060 XT 16GB. We’ve compiled publicly available test results for various relevant GPUs in Vulkan and OpenCL using Geekbench’s repository. The RX 9060 XT managed to score 109,315 points and 124,251 points in OpenCL and Vulkan, respectively. This marks a solid 31.21% improvement over its last-generation counterpart, the RX 7600 XT, in Vulkan. You may like Swipe to scroll horizontally GPU OpenCL Score Vulkan Score OpenCL (RX 9060 XT Baseline) Vulkan (RX 9060 XT Baseline) RX 9070 XT 158,990 181,320 145.44% 145.93% RX 9070 134,163 164,347 122.73% 132.27% RX 9060 XT 109,315 124,251 100.00% 100.00% RX 7600 XT 83,313 99,223 76.21% 79.86% RTX 5060 123,883 118,229 113.33% 95.15% RTX 5060 Ti 138,869 133,861 127.04% 107.73% As expected, it falls short of its RX 9070 counterparts: 31.24% slower than the RX 9070 XT and as much as 24.4% slower than the RX 9070. Direct comparisons in synthetic tests between Nvidia and AMD are generally unreliable due to driver, optimization, and architectural differences. But for the sake of argument, the RX 9060 XT trails the RTX 5060 by 11% in OpenCL, while establishing a 5% lead in Vulkan. As expected, this anomaly stems from the inherent design differences between the two GPUs, and we’ll only get a clear picture once independent reviews go live. Synthetics might not push VRAM to its limits, but real-world gaming performance often relies on it. This is evident with the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB, struggling to keep up with its 16GB counterpart in VRAM-bound titles, even at 1080p. While AMD asserts the RX 9060 XT 8GB is designed for the majority of gamers, engaged in esports at 1080p, critics are still questioning the firm’s rationale behind this model. Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #AMD #Radeon #faster #early #compute #benchmarks Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Goldman’s top picks for second half include 2 struggling ‘Mag 7’ names Goldman’s top picks for second half include 2 struggling ‘Mag 7’ names Amazon and Google parent Alphabet are among Goldman Sachs’ top picks in the internet segment to rebound in the second half of the year. Both stocks have seen weak starts in the first half of 2025. Shares of Alphabet are down nearly 9% through Tuesday, while Amazon is down about 6%. The S & P 500 has higher by almost 1% in 2025. Both stocks have struggled as the braoder market has been struck by volatility caused by President Donald Trump’s trade war, concerns over a potential U.S. slowdown and burgeoning interest expense on the national debt. Looking ahead, Goldman analyst Eric Sheridan expects artificial intelligence to be a catalyst for internet stocks in his coverage universe, seeing the technology as a continuous driver for growth as applications expand. GOOGL AMZN YTD mountain Google-parent Alphabet and Amazon have both underperformed the S & P 500 in 2025. “[W]e believe that AI will continue to permeate more products and use cases for consumers, but see those shifts playing out over time and do not expect AI to drive wholesale displacement/disintermediation of existing computing habits,” Sheridan wrote in a research report last week. “We continue to look at 2025 as a year where stakes are rising for platforms to prove out the adoption/utility/use cases of their investments in AI as we are now in year three of an elevated OpEx/CapEx cycle ( & investors increasingly ask for proof points on the eventual return on investment).” Sheridan said both Google and Amazon are key names that may be poised for upside appreciation once they move past short-term investor concern. Regulatory concerns tied to the Justice Department’s investigation into Alphabet over allegations of monopolistic practices have overshadowed the company’s strong search segment revenue and robust profit margins. Goldman’s $220 price target on Alphabet implies roughly 27% upside from Tuesday’s $172.90 close. On Amazon , the analyst said that concern over the impact of tariffs on the company’s e-commerce platform could similarly be concealing potential growth opportunities in both AI and the cloud segment. Sheridan also highlighted Amazon’s streaming business and negotiated sports rights deals on Prime as additional growth drivers in the future. The company drew the ire of President Donald Trump last month after Amazon reportedly planned to display the cost associated with tariffs next to the total price of products. “[D]ebates persist on the impact of higher tariffs but where we believe that a) price/negotiation levers can help mitigate the cost impact of tariffs, b) that AMZN remains well positioned to gain market share, and c) remains levered to several attractive longer-term secular growth themes (incl. AI, Cloud computing, retail media, streaming, sports),” Sheridan said. Goldman’s $220 price target on Amazon would equal 7% upside from Tuesday’s $206.02 close. Sheridan also mentioned other large cap tech stocks that Goldman rates a buy within his research coverage: Meta Platforms , Spotify and ride-sharing company Uber . Source link #Goldmans #top #picks #include #struggling #Mag #names Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Apple Planning To Release Gaming App Near Nintendo Switch 2’s Launch – Report Apple Planning To Release Gaming App Near Nintendo Switch 2’s Launch – Report There’s reportedly a new dedicated gaming app from Apple planned for all of its devices–from iPhone to Apple TV–that the company looks to launch around Nintendo Switch 2’s release on June 5. The app sounds like a mix of a store launcher to pick up games as well as a social hub to replace Game Center. According to Bloomberg, this will be a major push from Apple to appeal to players and game developers. The app will apparently feature achievements, leaderboards, and social features. Additionally, the Mac version supposedly will include games bought and downloaded from other storefronts. Rumblings of a dedicated gaming app first appeared late last year at 9to5Mac. You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. Size:640 × 360480 × 270 Want us to remember this setting for all your devices? Sign up or Sign in now! Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos. This video has an invalid file format. Sorry, but you can’t access this content! Please enter your date of birth to view this video JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900 By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy enter Now Playing: iPhone 16 and 16 Pro Step Up AAA Gaming On Mobile That’s not all from Apple on the gaming front, either. Earlier this week, the company acquired Sneaky Sasquatch maker RAC7, per Digital Trends. The purchase of the two-person studio is reportedly the first time Apple has ever bought a gaming developer. Sneaky Sasquatch is one of the most popular games on the subscription service Apple Arcade. The dedicated gaming app also comes almost five years after Fortnite maker Epic took Apple (and Google) to court over App Store policies that didn’t allow for companies to get direct payment from users. In fact, Fortnite finally returned to iOS in the US just over a week ago after almost a half-decade off the platform. Apple has also spent years touting its gaming pedigree, even stating the iPhone 15 Pro was going to be the best gaming console in 2023. Then, last year, Apple launched the iPhone 16 with hardware-accelerated ray tracing and support for AAA games like Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Death Stranding. Source link #Apple #Planning #Release #Gaming #App #Nintendo #Switch #Launch #Report Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Cath Hart resigns as chief executive of the Real Estate Institute of WA after three years in the job Cath Hart resigns as chief executive of the Real Estate Institute of WA after three years in the job Cath Hart has resigned as chief executive of the Real Estate Institute of WA after three years in the job. Source link #Cath #Hart #resigns #chief #executive #Real #Estate #Institute #years #job Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Switch 2 Has Extra Features For Nintendo 64 Games You Can’t Get On Switch Switch 2 Has Extra Features For Nintendo 64 Games You Can’t Get On Switch Switch 2 will have new features built into its implementation of Nintendo Switch Online’s N64 back catalogue, Nintendo has announced. While all N64 games are playable across both Switch 2 and Switch, the Switch 2 versions will let players rewind gameplay and add CRT filters. In a recent video, Nintendo showed off the Rewind and CRT features coming to N64 games on Switch 2. The Rewind feature allows players to roll back their gameplay to an earlier point by scrolling through a series of frames. In practice, this lets players redo tricky sections of a Mario Kart 64 course or take a mulligan in Mario Golf. The CRT filter provides players the option to apply old-school aesthetics to their N64 gameplay. Specifically, the filter adds fake scan lines to the games to make them more closely resemble how they would have appeared back in the 1990s. Of course, the Switch 2’s bright, high-resolution handheld screen has very little in common with the behemoth televisions that N64 was originally designed for, but it’s still cool to see the option available for those who want retro vibes. While these two settings are exclusive to Switch 2, Nintendo is also adding customizable controls for N64 games across both Switch 2 and Switch. Players will be able to fully remap their controllers to suit their specific play styles, and it appears that this works on a per-game basis. Switch 2 launches next week, although preorders have been extremely hard to come by (at least in the United States). In addition to these N64 updates, a suite of new games and enhanced versions of original Switch games will be released. Source link #Switch #Extra #Features #Nintendo #Games #Switch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

MSP investigates deadly ****** on US-131 in Grand Rapids MSP investigates deadly ****** on US-131 in Grand Rapids GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A ****** on US-131 in Grand Rapids Wednesday morning was deadly, police say. It happened around 5:50 a.m. in the northbound lanes of US-131 over 6th Street, just north of the I-196 interchange. A view of the ****** from a News 8 camera mounted on a nearby building showed what appeared to be a van or large SUV with significant damage. The scene of a ****** on US-131 over 6th Street in Grand Rapids on May 28, 2025. The scene of a ****** on US-131 over 6th Street in Grand Rapids on May 28, 2025. Michigan State Police did not immediately release much information about the ******, saying only it was fatal and that more details would be available later. The highway was down to one lane coming up on the Leonard Street exit. Northbound traffic seemed to be backed up as far south as Hall Street. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. Source link #MSP #investigates #deadly #****** #US131 #Grand #Rapids Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

To A T Review – TheGamer To A T Review – TheGamer Keita Takahashi and friends deliver a story about loving yourself no matter what you’re capable of in To a T. Source link #Review #TheGamer Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Israel Strikes Yemen’s Main Airport Again After Houthi Attacks – The New York Times Israel Strikes Yemen’s Main Airport Again After Houthi Attacks – The New York Times Israel Strikes Yemen’s Main Airport Again After Houthi Attacks The New York TimesNetanyahu annouces death of Mohammed Sinwar, IAF targets Houthis’ final aircraft The Jerusalem PostIsrael launches attack on Yemen’s Sanaa airport Al JazeeraIDF confirms strikes on Houthi-held airport targeting plane used ‘to transport terrorists’ The Times of IsraelIsraeli Army Intercepts Two Missiles Launched From Yemen on Tuesday Haaretz Source link #Israel #Strikes #Yemens #Main #Airport #Houthi #Attacks #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Feed the Pup is a heart-warming match-3 puzzler out now on iOS Feed the Pup is a heart-warming match-3 puzzler out now on iOS Feed the Pup is out now on iOS Help fulfil a young girl’s quest New levels and challenges to be added regularly Feed the Pup has officially launched on iOS, following last month’s announcement that hinted at something a little softer from Plug in Digital. Known for offbeat hits like Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion and Turnip Boy Robs a Bank, the publisher is taking a gentler turn here, swapping anarchic humour for a heartfelt match-three journey that’s all about family, legacy, and a very hungry pup. This isn’t your typical puzzle experience. Feed the Pup weaves its narrative through a young girl’s quest to fulfil her grandmother’s last wish, unlocking pages of her diary with each milestone. It’s sentimental without being sappy, pairing bite-sized story moments with clever, evolving mechanics. As you match your way through beautiful, minimalist landscapes, you’ll also collect accessories to dress up your dog, allowing you to personalise your journey in charming ways. You will also be rewarded with milestone badges that commemorate key moments. The gameplay might look familiar, but it’s been designed with a few thoughtful twists. Regular content updates add new levels, while the weekly Trail challenges test your puzzle skills with a seven-stage gauntlet and a badge for those who finish it on time. Each win feels like progress and ensures your adventure is anything but static. On the lookout for something similar? Be sure to check out our list of the best match-3 games to play on Android right now! There’s a meditative quality to how it all comes together, the art, the calming music, and the gentle pacing. It’s the kind of experience that invites you to slow down and take your time, even as it quietly pushes you forward through more complex puzzles and meaningful milestones. If you’re looking to take away something a little more heartfelt from your next puzzle fix, Feed the Pup is available now on iOS. It is free-to-play with in-app purchases. Source link #Feed #Pup #heartwarming #match3 #puzzler #iOS Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Most sustainable cities in Australia revealed, with one state coming out on top Most sustainable cities in Australia revealed, with one state coming out on top Some Aussie cities are steps ahead of others in sustainability, with one state leading the charge. Four of the top 10 most sustainable cities in Australia are located in NSW, with three of the four located in far north NSW, according to data from comparison website iSelect. iSelect analysed seven key factors for Australia’s 50 largest cities to uncover which urban areas are leading the charge – and which are falling behind – in the race toward a greener future. Based of the key factors, including carbon emissions, renewable energy usage, clean energy investment, solar panel uptake and tree canopy coverage, Australia’s capital is tracking the best. Canberra and Queanbeyan take the crown as Australia’s most sustainable city, thanks to having the lowest carbon emissions. Camera IconCanberra took the number one spot for sustainability. NewsWire / David Beach Credit: NewsWire A total of 100 per cent of the ACT has its energy coming from renewables compared to only 35 per cent of NSW, the areas combined top the index with a score of 97.94/100. The ACT is one of the only cities in the world which runs exclusively on renewable energy, marking a huge step forward in terms of *********** sustainability. NSW cities Port Macquarie, Ballina and Coffs Harbour also rank in the top 10 cities, each earning an index score above 80 Port Macquarie ranks seventh, with a carbon emissions rate of 8.88 tCO₂e per capita, solar installation density of 51.4 per cent, and 2.61kW of solar capacity per dwelling. Ballina in NSW also follows closely in 9th place, with slightly lower emissions per capita at 8.56 tCO₂e and a higher solar density at 57.6 per cent. Camera IconPort Macquarie is another NSW city which ranked in the top 10. Visit NSW Credit: Supplied Coffs Harbour only just makes the list with similar emissions at 8.64 tCO₂e and just below 50 per cent solar density. Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour lead NSW in tree canopy cover at 66.3 per cent and 65.5 per cent respectively, whereas Ballina trails slightly behind at 43.5 per cent. Queensland’s Sunshine Coast unsurprisingly leads the way in solar capacity per home, at an average of 3.16kW of solar capacity per dwelling. Camera IconSunshine Coast is leading in solar capacity per home. NCA NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui Credit: News Corp Australia South Australia has the best clean energy development potential, with 47.1 clean energy accredited installers and designers per 100,000. SA cities also took second, third, and fourth place in terms of sustainability. Hobart came in fifth, followed by the Sunshine Coast, Port Macquarie, Launceston, Ballina and Coffs Harbour. Camera IconStatistics come amid a push for sustainable energy in Australia. NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar Credit: NewsWire iSelect utilities general manager Julia Paszka said the statistics showed Australia’s progress in developing sustainable cities, but also revealed which states needed more work. “Our findings highlight some impressive progress regarding sustainability in certain parts of Australia,” Ms Paszka said. “Capital cities such as Canberra, Adelaide, and Hobart performed exceptionally well, driven by low carbon emissions and strong renewable energy generation. “However, not all regions are keeping pace. Darwin was named the least sustainable city in our index, primarily due to low state-level investment in renewables and limited clean energy generation.” Source link #sustainable #cities #Australia #revealed #state #coming #top Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

A 'white-collar bloodbath': AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs, CEO warns A 'white-collar bloodbath': AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs, CEO warns A ‘white-collar bloodbath’: AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs, CEO warns Source link #039whitecollar #bloodbath039 #wipe #entrylevel #whitecollar #jobs #CEO #warns Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Opera Neon Agentic Browser Unveiled, Uses AI Agents to Plan Trips and Build Websites Opera Neon Agentic Browser Unveiled, Uses AI Agents to Plan Trips and Build Websites Opera Neon, the company’s latest artificial intelligence (AI) agent-powered browser, was unveiled on Tuesday. The Norwegian tech giant said that the new browser experience was being developed for the agentic web, and it reimagines how a browser looks and functions. It is focused on building AI-powered agentic workflows that either work alongside the user or perform tasks autonomously in the background. While the company did not provide any release dates, it said Opera Neon will release soon with limited, invite-only access. Opera Unveils Its AI Agent-Powered Web Browsing Platform In a series of posts on X (formerly known as Twitter), the official handle of Opera announced the new agentic web browser. Describing the new browser, the company said, “Opera Neon can browse with you or for you, take action & help you get things done.” Notably, the company will first provide access to the browser to its community members on an invite basis, and later it will be available as part of a paid subscription. Opera has also opened a microsite for the web browser where individuals can sign up for a waitlist to get invited to try it out. Opera Neon primarily has three features. First is called Chat, which is a chatbot-like experience where users can type their queries in natural language and the AI agent will find the information and share it. It appears to work like any other AI chatbot with a web search function. It can also generate text, translate, research topics, and more. The second feature, dubbed Do, is described as a browser-based agent that can complete certain tasks such as booking a table at a restaurant, planning a trip, and adding products to the cart. It is powered by the company’s recently unveiled Browser Operator AI agent, and it can complete tasks autonomously in the background. Finally, Make is the company’s most ambitious offering. It can be used to build a website, create a document, or to develop a retro game. The company did not delve deep into its workings, but based on the description, it appears to be powered by a coding agent, similar to OpenAI’s Codex. No other features were revealed at this time. However, the company highlighted that Opera Neon will act as its playground to test new and innovative agentic features. Source link #Opera #Neon #Agentic #Browser #Unveiled #Agents #Plan #Trips #Build #Websites Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Israel strikes at Houthis in Yemen after missile launch Israel strikes at Houthis in Yemen after missile launch Israel says it has struck Houthi targets including the last remaining plane used by the group at Sanaa international airport, after the Yemeni militants launched missiles towards Israel a day earlier. Sanaa International Airport’s general director Khaled al-Shaief said in a post on X the strike had completely destroyed the last of the civilian planes that Yemenia Airways was operating from the airport. The airport is the largest in Yemen and came back into service last week after temporary repairs and runway restoration following previous Israeli strikes. It was mainly being used by UN aircraft and the plane destroyed in the latest Israeli strikes. Three other Yemenia Airways planes were destroyed in an attack earlier in May. “This is a clear message and a direct continuation of the policy we have established: whoever fires at the State of Israel will pay a heavy price,” Israel’s defence ministry said in a statement. The Houthis did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance”, a regional alliance that includes ****** in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis control territory where about 60 per cent of Yemen’s population resides. Since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the group has fired at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea in what it says are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians. Most of the dozens of missiles and drones fired towards Israel have been intercepted or fallen short. Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes. The US also launched intensified strikes against the Houthis this year, before halting the campaign after the Houthis agreed to stop attacks on US ships. In a statement on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that any harm directed at Israel will be met with greater force. “But, as I have said more than once, the Houthis are only the symptom. The main driving force behind them is Iran, which is responsible for the aggression emanating from Yemen,” Netanyahu said. Source link #Israel #strikes #Houthis #Yemen #missile #launch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Spotted on Geekbench Again; Key Specifications Listed Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Spotted on Geekbench Again; Key Specifications Listed Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 has allegedly appeared on the Geekbench benchmarking site again. The listing for the book-style foldable phone tells us about some of its key specifications. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is listed with the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC. Samsung is likely to use an overclocked version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip on the upcoming foldable. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is anticipated to launch in July alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 7. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Appears on Geekbench The Geekbench website has listed the purported Galaxy Z Fold 7 with model number SM-F966N. A similar handset with the model number SM-F966U had previously appeared on the benchmarking site in April. The model number SM-F966N is believed to be associated with the Korean variant of the foldable. As per the Geekbench listing, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 would run on Android 16 and include at least 12GB of RAM. The phone tested on the benchmark platform has a motherboard codenamed ‘sun’ with six CPU cores clocking at 3.53GHz and two CPU cores with a peak frequency of 4.47GHz. The codename and CPU speeds seem to be associated with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. Samsung is expected to pack an overclocked version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite in the new phone, much like the “for Galaxy” versions of Snapdragon chips in previous foldables and the Galaxy S25 series. Additionally, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 on the listing has received a single-core score of 2,617 and a multi-core score of 9,369. For reference, the prototype with SM-F966U has scored 18,143 points on the OpenCL test on Geekbench. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 has been in the news for some time now. It is tipped to arrive as the world’s thinnest foldable smartphone. It could measure 3.9mm in thickness when unfolded and 8.9mm when folded. The phone is tipped to feature a 4,400mAh battery. Samsung is speculated to launch the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in July with a starting price tag of Rs. 1,64,999 for the base 12GB RAM + 256GB storage model. Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details. Source link #Samsung #Galaxy #Fold #Spotted #Geekbench #Key #Specifications #Listed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Meta’s Institutional and Insider Data Fuels Bulls Despite Disparity Meta’s Institutional and Insider Data Fuels Bulls Despite Disparity Magnificent Seven stock Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:) is seeing a huge divergence in trading activity when it comes to two important groups: institutions and insiders. This analysis will dive into what these groups each are indicating about Meta going forward, and provide perspective on what they mean overall. Institutions Favored Buying Meta to A Tune of $12 Billion in Q1 When it comes to institutional buying, MarketBeat data indicates that buyers are extensively outweighing sellers. The data comes from these investment firms’ 13F filings that came out in mid-May. However, 13F filings have a 45-day lag. Thus, this data only goes through Mar. 31 and doesn’t reflect whether these investors are buying or selling today. Still, the most recent data provides insight into how smart money investors viewed the stock in Q1. In Q1, institutional buyers poured $30 billion into the tech stock. Meanwhile, sellers reduced their stakes by $18 billion, resulting in net purchases of $12 billion. This is a solidly bullish sign for Meta as institutions generally preferred to purchase shares rather than sell. However, the price at which these investors bought or sold is unknown, making it difficult to decipher at what prices they may or may not see value in Meta stock. But, as of the May 27 close, Meta is trading around 11% above its lowest price in Q1. This indicates buyers wouldn’t have achieved much upside in the stock so far and still see value. The stock is also trading essentially in line with its average closing price of just under $643 in Q1. This paints an even more bullish picture, considering these buyers likely didn’t purchase at the stock’s lowest price. Insiders Are Getting Out of Meta, but Context Is Needed The company’s insider transaction data does not look flattering at first glance. In Q1, MarketBeat estimates that insider selling came in at $386 million. Meanwhile, MarketBeat recorded no insider purchases. Insiders are looking to offload shares rather than doubling down on the stock to increase its value. This is a seemingly bearish signal. Note that insider transactions typically only have one to two days lag. As such, the company saw an additional $31 million in selling in Q2. Still, famed investor Peter ******’s quote can help balance out the seemingly negative picture that insider selling paints around Meta. ****** said, “insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.” While the quote largely focuses on why insider buying is bullish, it also refutes the idea that insider selling is assuredly bearish. It describes that just because insiders are selling doesn’t mean they think the stock will go down. Insiders tend to have a disproportionate amount of their wealth concentrated in the company they work for. This is because a significant part of the company’s overall compensation is stock. To manage this risk, insiders are often advised to sell their shares to diversify their portfolios. Diversification is simply a prudent financial strategy. It doesn’t necessarily indicate a lack of confidence in the future success of a stock. Adding to this concentration risk is the fact that these insiders’ salaries are also dependent on the company’s success. Falling stock prices make layoffs more likely. If this happens, insiders risk a double whammy of bad news. They could lose their income while also seeing their investment portfolio decline significantly. Selling shares helps mitigate this risk. These examples provide strong reasons why insider selling doesn’t make a company’s shares destined to fall. Still, the huge dispersion in insider buying versus selling is a bit worrisome. Meta’s Institutional & Insider Data Adds to Bullish Views Meta’s institutional and insider transaction data seem to be in conflict. However, the factors discussed above significantly mitigate the negative conclusions that investors could draw from insider data. These insiders often receive so much stock-based compensation that buying more Meta stock doesn’t make much sense. The fact that Meta paid out over $4.1 billion in share-based compensation in Q1 supporting this idea. That figure far exceeds the $417 million in insider selling in 2025. This means that despite the sales, Meta’s total insider holdings continue to grow. Overall, the large number of net institutional purchases and insider data lend support to a moderately bullish view on Meta. Original Post Source link #Metas #Institutional #Insider #Data #Fuels #Bulls #Disparity Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

White House asks supreme court to block challenges to deportations to South Sudan White House asks supreme court to block challenges to deportations to South Sudan The Trump administration asked the US supreme court late on Tuesday to halt an order allowing people to challenge their deportations from the US to South Sudan, an appeal that came hours after the federal judge overseeing the case suggested the Trump administration was “manufacturing” chaos and said he hoped that “reason can get the better of rhetoric”. Judge Brian Murphy found the White House violated a court order with a deportation flight bound for the chaotic African nation carrying people from other countries who the Trump administration said had been convicted of crimes in the US. Murphy said those people must get a real chance to raise any fears that being sent there could put them in danger. “From the course of conduct, it is hard to come to any conclusion other than that defendants [the Trump administration] invite a lack of clarity as a means of evasion,” the Boston-based Murphy wrote in his 17-page order. The federal government argued that Murphy has stalled its efforts to carry out deportations of people who can’t be returned to their home countries. Finding countries willing to take them is a “a delicate diplomatic endeavor” and the court requirements are a major setback, the US solicitor general, John Sauer, wrote in an emergency appeal asking the court to immediately halt his order. Murphy, a district judge in Massachusetts, said he had given the Trump administration “remarkable flexibility with minimal oversight” in the case and emphasized the numerous times he attempted to work with the government, according to an order published on Monday night. This is the latest case in which federal judges weighing in on the legality of the Trump administration’s sweeping agenda have used forceful, sometimes even scathing language to register their displeasure. The Trump administration has accused judges of thwarting “the will of voters” by stopping or slowing the White House agenda, a dramatic break in attitude about the role of the judiciary in interpreting the rule of law. In a hearing last week called to address reports that eight people had been sent to South Sudan, Murphy said the men hadn’t been able to argue that the deportation could put them in danger. But instead of ordering the government to return the men to the US for hearings – as the plaintiffs wanted – he gave the government the option of holding the hearings in Djibouti, where the plane had flown on its way to South Sudan, as long as the men remained in US government custody. Their exact whereabouts and status at that time was not made public. Days later, the Trump administration filed another motion saying that Murphy was requiring them to hold “dangerous criminals in a sensitive location”. Murphy, though, said it was the government’s “own suggestion” that they be allowed to process the men’s claims while they were still abroad. “It turns out that having immigration proceedings on another continent is harder and more logistically cumbersome than defendants anticipated,” the Boston-based Murphy, who was appointed by Joe Biden, wrote. The government has argued that the men had a history with the immigration system, giving them prior opportunities to express a fear of being deported to a country outside their homeland. And they’ve said that the men’s home countries – including Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar and Vietnam – would not take them back. The Trump administration has increasingly relied on third countries to take people who cannot be sent to their home countries for various reasons. Some countries simply refuse to take back their citizens being deported while others take back some but not all of their citizens. And some cannot be sent to their home countries because of concerns they’ll be tortured or harmed. Historically that has meant that immigration enforcement officials have had to release people into the US that it wants to deport but can’t. But the Trump administration has leaned on other countries to take them, including Panama and El Salvador. The Associated Press contributed reporting Source link #White #House #asks #supreme #court #block #challenges #deportations #South #Sudan Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

​Violent and lewd! Not Grand Theft Auto, Shakespeare’s Macbeth | Games ​Violent and lewd! Not Grand Theft Auto, Shakespeare’s Macbeth | Games Last week, the Guardian spoke to the team behind Lili, a video game retelling of Macbeth, shown at the Cannes film festival. The headline quote from the piece was “Shakespeare would be writing for games today”, which I have heard many times, and does make a lot of sense. Shakespeare worked in the Elizabethan theatre, a ******* in which plays were considered popularist entertainment hardly worthy of analysis or preservation – just like video games today! The authorities were also concerned about the lewd and violent nature of plays and the effect they may have on the impressionable masses – ditto! But if we agree that a 21st-century Shakespeare would be making games, what sort would he be making? If our central thesis is that Shakespeare would be interested in mass, popular entertainment, then – if we’re talking pure revenue – he would be making casual smartphone games: Tencent’s multiplayer arena battle game Honor of Kings, for example, made $2.6bn (£1.9bn) last year. However, while the Bard was certainly interested in royalty and honour (and making money), it’s hard to see Hamlet working as a multiplayer arena-based online battle game structured into an endless series of fast-paced skirmishes. Our titular hero would barely get out the words, “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!” before being vaporised in a scorching barrage attack. For similar reasons, I can’t see Shakespeare making battle royale games such as Fortnite because, while he certainly liked a battle and lots of deaths, there’s not a lot of room for narrative complexity or rousing military rhetoric when the sole aim is to shoot as many people as possible while dressed as a giant banana or Sabrina Carpenter. No, I think if Shakespeare was magically reincarnated in the first quarter of the 21st century, there is only one genre he’d be working in: the open-world role-playing adventure. Here, he’d have the time and space to weave complex narratives involving dozens of characters and diverse environments. King Lear’s moors would become a desolate explorable wasteland, much like the post-apocalyptic hellscapes of Fallout or Death Stranding; Macbeth’s castle would resemble the haunted dungeons of Elden Ring or The Witcher 3; the Verona of Romeo and Juliet would be a beautiful, troubled take on GTA’s Los Santos. Shakespeare’s major thematic obsessions – war, revenge, madness and the nature of free will – are all major elements in fantasy RPGs; his ability to weave in all classes, from the lowest peasants to the most vainglorious kings, is reflected in the social strata of the great open-world titles. Shakespeare’s histories mixed real-life and fictional characters, as does the Assassin’s Creed series, titles that are also interested in the classic Shakespearean concerns of identity, disguise and illusion. ‘This castle hath a pleasant seat’ … The Witcher 3, an open-world RPG of the sort that might inspire a reincarnated Bard. Photograph: CD Projekt RED More broadly, open-world games have the same sort of freewheeling structure and psychological flexibility as Shakespeare’s plays. They have subplots and side quests, they have nonlinear timelines and complicated, morally ambiguous characters; they are expansive and baggy, and wide open to varied interpretation. Vitally, open-world games let the spectator into the narrative as a viewer and an actor; similarly Shakespeare wanted his audiences to be drawn into the action, using asides, quips and monologues to break down the divide between stage and pit. Loud, opinionated and combative, video game players have much more in common with Shakespeare’s Elizabethan audiences than polite modern theatregoers. This potential intersection between Shakespeare and open-world games is quietly gaining traction. A few years ago the RSC employed three artists to consider the interplay of live theatre with technology and one of them, the digital artist Adam Clarke, tested ideas for hosting Shakespeare performances within Minecraft. More recently, we saw the brilliant documentary Grand Theft Hamlet about an attempt to stage Hamlet within Grand Theft Auto during the Covid lockdowns. What, after all, is an open-world online video game if not a technological rendering of Shakespeare’s fundamental philosophy: all the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. What to play A captivating strategy sim … Rift Riff. Photograph: Adriaan de Jongh It is always intriguing to see highly recognisable video game genres getting clever reinterpretations. Rift Riff by Dutch game designer Adriaan de Jongh and his small team is a tower defence game like, say, Plants vs. Zombies, except here the landscape is much more open and there are little tactical additions, such as being able to lay down the foundations for new towers before you have gathered the required resources to build them, which makes planning fun and creative. Add in the lovely, inviting visuals and sound effects and you have a captivating strategy sim suitable for newcomers and veterans alike. Available on: PC Estimated playtime: 15-plus hours What to read It’s just a flesh wound … Elden Ring. Photograph: Bandai Namco Writer, director and video game fan Alex Garland has been confirmed to helm a forthcoming live action movie adaptation of Elden Ring, produced by A24 and Bandai Namco. If it’s going to be authentic, the first two hours of the film will revolve around the lead character being repeatedly slaughtered by the Tree Sentinel knight at the very start of the quest. Pac-Man is now officially 45 years old and the BFI has a piece tracing the evolution of the game from that old story about the pizza to the fact that all the ghosts have different personalities. Ms Pac-Man is a better game, though. Game design luminary Peter Molyneux recently held a Q&A session at the Nordic Game 2025 conference, and gaming news site GI.biz wrote up his excellent answer to the question, whatever happened to Project Milo? And frankly, if you have to ask what that is, you’ll never know. I am poring over Hurt Me Plenty, a lavish coffee table book about the best shooter games of the noughties, published by Bitmap Books. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Half-Life 2 and Unreal Tournament are all analysed here, as well as lesser-known oddities. (Codename: Nina – Global Terrorism Strike Force anyone?) A fascinating overview of this foundational ******* for modern shooter design. What to click skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Pushing Buttons Keza MacDonald’s weekly look at the world of gaming Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion Question Block Candidate for the weirdest game … Seaman. Photograph: ***** This one came to us from Andy on email who asked: What’s the strangest game you have ever played? Last year I played Harold Halibut on Game Pass, which I think is probably the weirdest game I’ve ever experienced. I’d love to hear about other strange gaming experiences. I’ve played a lot of games that are famously weird, such as Seaman (look after a talking fish with the voice of Leonard Nimoy), Mister Mosquito (you’re a mosquito) and Katamari Damacy (you’re making giant ****** of junk for the king of the universe), but I’ve also played many more obscure weird games, such as Spectrum classic **** Worm Blows A Sparky (you’re a microscopic worm trapped in your own computer), the bizarre Amiga adventure Tass Times in Tonetown (you’re trapped in an alternative 1980s punk dimension) and the PlayStation 2 voyeur sim, Polaroid Pete (you’re a photographer trying to take snaps of weird things happening in local parks). My favourite is *****’s Emergency Call Ambulance, which is like Crazy Taxi except you’re driving an ambulance with a critically ill patient in the back and if you get into too many collisions you have to give them CPR or they die. This was a big arcade release, but somehow never made it to home consoles. I simply cannot understand why. If you’ve got a question for Question Block – or anything else to say about the newsletter – email us on *****@*****.tld Source link #Violent #lewd #Grand #Theft #Auto #Shakespeares #Macbeth #Games Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Impossibly frustrating: why Mission: Impossible 8 was a major letdown – The Guardian Impossibly frustrating: why Mission: Impossible 8 was a major letdown – The Guardian Impossibly frustrating: why Mission: Impossible 8 was a major letdown The GuardianView Full Coverage on Google News Source link #Impossibly #frustrating #Mission #Impossible #major #letdown #Guardian Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]