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Bournemouth beach huts engulfed by fire Bournemouth beach huts engulfed by fire Seven beach huts have been destroyed and two others damaged in an overnight blaze. Crews were called to East Beach on Bournemouth seafront at about 01:20 BST where flames had engulfed several huts and part of the cliff. The fire was out by 03:00 BST and an investigation into the cause is under way. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council said it was now possible to pass the site but urged people to stay away from the huts while work continues. One of the partially damaged huts is the ***’s first council-owned beach hut, which is adorned with a blue plaque. The traditional-style hut, 500 ft (150m) east of Bournemouth Pier, was built in 1909 by F P Dolamore – the borough engineer at the time. BCP Council said only one of the huts was being rented by a customer and it was working with them to find an alternative solution. BCP’s head of seafront, Anthony Rogers, said the fire had “sadly resulted in a loss of seven huts, with two further adjacent huts and a small area of the cliff sustaining some damage”. “Beach Hut 2359, the site of the first municipal beach hut, was one of these adjacent huts,” he said. Mr Rogers said the council was reviewing CCTV and would work with the fire service on the investigation. “We thank the fire service for their swift response, as well as residents and visitors for their understanding and cooperation with the safety measures in place around the site of the fire,” he added. Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said the fire covered a 25m by 15m (82ft by 49ft) area. It warned the incident was “generating a lot of smoke” and advised residents to keep doors and windows closed. It said: “The scene was handed over to BCP Council, and investigations will continue today into what caused the fire.” Officers from Dorset Police were also in attendance during the operation. Source link #Bournemouth #beach #huts #engulfed #fire Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Gateway Church Announces New Senior Pastor to Replace Robert Morris Gateway Church Announces New Senior Pastor to Replace Robert Morris Gateway Church has officially named its new senior pastor who will replace Robert Morris. The announcement comes just one year shy of Morris’ exit in disgrace from the megachurch after admitting to “inappropriate ******* behavior with a young lady” after 55-year-old Cindy Clemishire claimed he molested her decades ago when she was 12 years old. In March, the former senior pastor of the Southlake, Texas turned himself in to authorities at the Osage County Courthouse in Oklahoma. He was indicted on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. After his tumultuous resignation, the Southlake campus saw a steep decline in church attendance. And as CBN News Digital previously reported, Kenneth Fambro, one of the church’s three remaining elders announced last year that tithes at the church had dropped by 35%-40% since Clemishire first revealed her allegations against Morris. ***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters to ensure you receive the latest updates from a distinctly Christian perspective.*** In the latest development, Morris has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is now “demanding millions of dollars in payments and retirement benefits from the church following his resignation in 2024,” CBS reports. However, despite what’s being described as the “chaos of his conduct” that has been “unleashed” on the congregation, the megachurch is moving forward to rebuild. In February, Gateway elder Tra Willbanks shared that four new interim elders had come on board to support the church and he announced they were searching for a new senior pastor. Over the weekend, Willbanks shared some good news for that local church. “After a lot of prayer we’re thrilled to announce that Pastor Daniel Floyd has accepted the call to become the senior pastor of Gateway Church,” Willbanks said. Floyd and his wife, Tammy, gave a heartfelt message to the congregation saying they were “honored and humbled to be stepping into this new role.” “For us, this isn’t just a new assignment. It’s a sacred calling. Twenty years ago, we had the privilege of planting Lifepoint Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and it’s been the honor of our lives to shepherd that community. So, when we say this next season is a calling we don’t take that lightly, and we mean it with all of our hearts,” Floyd said. Floyd shares that he and Tammy have been working with Gateway’s elders over the last few months and received counseling from mentors about whether to step into the role. After they “leaned into the voice of the Holy Spirit,” they felt confirmation to go to Gateway. “We’re passionate about reaching those who are far from God with the life-transforming message of the gospel,” Floyd said. “We’re passionate about developing the next generation of leaders, and we’re passionate about helping every person become everything that God’s called them to be.” Source link #Gateway #Church #Announces #Senior #Pastor #Replace #Robert #Morris Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Dragon Quest 1+2 HD-2D Remake Gives The Classics A Deserved Glow-Up Dragon Quest 1+2 HD-2D Remake Gives The Classics A Deserved Glow-Up Dragon Quest has not been as ubiquitous as Final Fantasy in recent years, but the two series are intertwined in the history of defining and formalizing Japanese RPGs. And just as the Pixel Remaster remakes of Final Fantasy have given players a fresh and modernized way to reexperience history, Dragon Quest is aiming to give players a dose of history with the Erdrick Trilogy–the first three Dragon Quest games, remastered across two packages. Dragon Quest 3 was a treat, and now DQ1+2 will round out the set with Dragon Quest 1+2 HD-2D Remake. Despite my affection for retro RPGs, early Dragon Quest is a relative blind spot for me, and after a little hands-on time I’m eager to play each of them to completion. For starters, the games are a stunning marriage of classic pixel art and modern touches. I hadn’t realized how much better Square Enix’s “HD-2D” aesthetic had become in recent years. My impression from the Octopath Traveler games and the tactics game Triangle Strategy was still that HD-2D tends to be fairly muted and muddy. As much as I enjoyed those games, the art style didn’t wow me. Dragon Quest 1+2, on the other hand, applies the structure of HD-2D to a much more vibrant world. The color palette and saturation feels reminiscent of 8-bit classics, which makes the beautiful sprite artwork pop. This package includes both the first and second Dragon Quest games, which are rudimentary by today’s standards, but that’s also what makes them so endearing. The very first Dragon Quest game was a very early blueprint for the series, featuring just one hero character taking on the legions of slimes and monsters to overcome evil. The second game is a bit more reminiscent of early Final Fantasy games, with party members that come and go as the story demands. Even then, though, the options were set by default to give you direct control over the main hero and let the other party members move autonomously. A battle in Dragon Quest 2. Gallery I got the impression from my preview session that these two games are packaged together because they’re each comparatively limited in scope. But together with Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, which was released last year, they represent a “trilogy” of the original Dragon Quest games. DQ3 is a prequel to the other two, so Square Enix decided to release them in chronological story order. But arranged in the original order–1, 2, 3–they represent a closer look at the evolution of early RPGs. First a lone hero, then a nomadic party, and finally a customizable party with job classes. Square Enix said it has also added an epilogue to the end of DQ1+2 that neatly ties the trilogy together. I only played a couple of early areas in both games, which means I didn’t have much opportunity for more complex strategies and managing equipment. But Square Enix seems to understand that some of the battles, especially the simpler ones at the outset, need a fast-forward function to make battles more light and breezy. You can swap middle-battle, so it’s worth slowing down to see the charming animations of the enemy attacks once or twice, but after that there’s no harm in making everything move a bit faster. The story also leans into the olde English style of translation, and from my limited time it seemed more pronounced than I remember in the DQ3 remake. It feels a little goofy, but it’s tongue-in-cheek, so after a little adjustment I enjoyed it. And what makes Dragon Quest feel so special–forgive me for being late to the party on this, Dragon Quest fans–is its sense of character. Everything from the score to the enemy designs feels at once grand in scope and adorably bubbly and chipper. The enemy designs especially, presented in first-person in DQ, have a comical sensibility. It just makes a fun world to live and adventure in, and I can’t wait to continue on and finish the quest. Dragon Quest 1+2 HD-2D Remake is coming to PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and Switch 2 on October 30. Source link #Dragon #Quest #HD2D #Remake #Classics #Deserved #GlowUp Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

The sun is killing off SpaceX’s Starlink satellites The sun is killing off SpaceX’s Starlink satellites An artist’s impression of a Starlink satellite in orbit La Nacion/ZUMA Press/Alamy Eruptions from the sun are shortening the lives of satellites in Earth orbit, particularly large constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink – which could be both beneficial and a cause for concern. The sun goes through an 11-year cycle of activity, peaking with a ******* known as solar maximum, which most recently occurred in late 2024. During these periods, increased eruptions from the sun can create geomagnetic storms that heat our planet’s atmosphere, causing it to swell outwards in size and increasing drag on satellites. Source link #sun #killing #SpaceXs #Starlink #satellites Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

US makes fresh indictments over DanaBot, Qakbot malwares US makes fresh indictments over DanaBot, Qakbot malwares The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) issued a series of indictments prior to the weekend of 24-27 May, relating to individuals accused of involvement in the DanaBot and Qakbot malware services that have caused havoc for organisations around the world, facilitating fraud and ransomware attacks and causing millions of dollars of damage to their victims. The indictments relating to DanaBot – which first emerged in 2018 as a banking ******* – also come amid a major takedown of the service orchestrated with multinational law enforcement and private sector partners. This follows in the wake of the Lumma Stealer takedown earlier in May, and saw US agents seize and dismantle DanaBot’s command and control (C2) infrastructure, including dozens of virtual servers hosted in the US itself. This formed part of the wider, ongoing Operation Endgame, a major global law enforcement collab targeting cyber criminal gangs, and was supported by the Australians, the Dutch and the Germans. Private sector cyber companies also provided support, including Amazon, Crowdstrike, ESET, Flashpoint, Google, Intel 471, Lumen, PayPal, Proofpoint, Spycloud, Team Cymru and Zscaler. Other partners, including the Shadowserver Foundation, are now working with the authorities to find, notify and assist DanaBot victims, of which there are thought to be hundreds of thousands. “Pervasive malware like DanaBot harms hundreds of thousands of victims around the world, including sensitive military, diplomatic, and government entities, and causes many millions of dollars in losses,” said United States attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “The charges and actions announced today demonstrate our commitment to eradicating the largest threats to global cyber security and pursuing the most malicious cyber actors, wherever they are located.” The DoJ has also unsealed indictments against 16 individuals associated with DanaBot, notable among them two Russian individuals named as Aleksandr ‘JimmBee’ Stepanov, 39, and Aleksandrovish ‘Onix’ Kalinkin, 34, both of Novosibirsk, Siberia’s largest city. Stepanov is being charged with conspiracy, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, unauthorised access to a protected computer to obtain information, unauthorised impairment of a protected computer, wiretapping and use of an intercepted communication. Kalinkin is charged with conspiracy to gain unauthorised access to a computer to obtain information, to gain unauthorised access to a computer to defraud and to commit unauthorised impairment of a protected computer. As is usual in such indictments, because both individuals are located in Russia, given the current geopolitical fractures between Russia and the West, it is highly unlikely that they will ever face justice unless they travel to a jurisdiction that will extradite to the US. What did DanaBot do? Spread by spam emails containing malicious attachments and hyperlinks, the DanaBot malware coopted its victims’ machines into compromised botnets that were used by its controllers to steal data including browsing histories, device information, stored credentials and the contents of virtual crypto wallets. It was also able to ******* online banking sessions, all without its victims’ knowledge. Additional to this, DanaBot could also provide its users – who bought access to it through a standard malware-as-a-service (MaaS) business model – with full remote access to computers to record keystrokes take videos via webcam, and as an aid in the spread of ransomware. Notably, its admins run a second version of the DanaBot botnet that targeted diplomatic, government and military bodies in North America and Europe. This botnet used different servers to those used by their common-or-garden fraudster customers. Proofpoint staff threat researcher Selena Larson, who participated in the takedown, said: “The disruption of DanaBot is a fantastic win for defenders, and will have an impact on the cyber criminal threat landscape. Cyber criminal disruptions and law enforcement actions not only impair malware functionality and use, but also impose cost to threat actors by forcing them to change their tactics, cause mistrust in the criminal ecosystem and potentially make criminals think about finding a different career. “These successes against cyber criminals only come about when business IT teams and security service providers share much-needed insight into the biggest threats to society, affecting the greatest number of people around the world, which law enforcement can use to track down the servers, infrastructure and criminal organisations behind the attacks. “Private and public sector collaboration is crucial to knowing how actors operate and taking action against them. When possible and appropriate to do so, Proofpoint leverages its team’s knowledge and technical skillset to help protect a wider audience and the internet community and defend against widespread malware threats,” said Larson. More trouble for Qakbot Also last week, a federal indictment unsealed by the DoJ levels charges against one Rustam Rafailevich Gallyamov, 48, of Moscow, accusing him of being the mastermind behind the group that developed, deployed and ran Qakbot, a far older malware but also with origins in the world of banking trojans, which was taken down in a 2023 operation. In connection with the charges, the DoJ has also filed a civil forfeiture complaint against $24m in crypto assets seized from Gallyamov – including $4m seized during the 2023 takedown – which the US will seek to return to victims if possible. Qakbot was at one time the bête noire of many a cyber security professional. Sold through a MaaS model like DanaBot, it was frequently used as a staging post by ransomware gangs, including some of the more notorious crews of the past 10 years such as ****** Basta, Conti, Doppelpaymer, Egregor and REvil. These gangs allegedly paid Gallyamov a portion of any ransoms they received. The indictment also alleges that following the takedown of Qakbot, Gallyamov and his co-conspirators continued their work but pivoted to a different set of techniques. Rather than using a botnet, they turned to so-called spam bomb attacks on victims, in which email inboxes at targeted companies are overwhelmed with junk email to trick them into making a mistake. Gallyamov was supposedly conducting such attacks as recently as January 2025, and he may also have become a ****** Basta ransomware affiliate, according to the DoJ. Support in the Qakbot investigation was provided by agencies in France, Germany and the Netherlands, with the European Union’s Europol also involved. Source link #fresh #indictments #DanaBot #Qakbot #malwares Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

How Liverpool united after car ploughed into crowd How Liverpool united after car ploughed into crowd Lauren Hirst BBC News, Liverpool ADAM VAUGHAN/EPA Almost 50 people were injured, including four children, in the incident On what was a day of jubilant celebrations, the news of a car hitting a crowd of onlookers during Liverpool’s Premier League victory parade sent shockwaves across the country. But, in the spirit of its famed kindness, the city quickly united as generous people offered to help with everything from messages of support to offers of lifts and accommodation. From opening up their homes to those who were stranded to offering car rides and food to those caught up in the horror, Merseyside pulled together. The overwhelming amount of generosity in the aftermath of incident on Monday evening has been praised by many. John and Kerri Davies, owners of J&K Travel, said they did not have to think twice about offering free transport to those who found themselves stranded – as public transport was overwhelmed. The couple – along with two of their colleagues – immediately headed to the scene in four minibuses to help. “We just wanted to get people home safely as we knew there wouldn’t be any transportation,” said Mrs Davies. “We called two members of staff and they didn’t even question it. “They just jumped in their vehicles and headed over.” Reuters The incident left people who had been celebrating moments earlier in shock Over the course of the evening, each minibus carried out four to five journeys back to Wirral. She said the overwhelming response of kindness was typical of the people of Merseyside. “We look after our own, everybody does everything to help everyone,” she said. “We just wanted to do everything we could to help.” PA Media Police were on hand to support people in the aftermath of the incident Liverpool University student Oli Fountain, who lives five minutes for the scene, was among those who had also offered to help. Posting on X, he said: “Anyone stuck in town who can’t get home give me a dm, have 2 sofas people can ****** on, can put the kettle on and get people warm at least.” Speaking to the BBC, he said this was a “normal response for the city”. “The city really came together in the aftermath of Southport stabbing and again last night,” he said. “It makes me proud to live here.” Reuters The car struck pedestrians on Water Street just after 18:00 BST Charlotte Hennessy, who lives in Flint, said she was “so proud to be a Red yesterday” as the fans all came together. Ms Hennessey, whose father James was among the 97 killed in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, was back at her home when the incident unfolded and was among those who offered to collect fans stuck in Liverpool. She said it was the “Scouse way” to want to help others. “It’s just the way we are,” she added. “People were offering to help strangers – sharing hotel rooms, offering to pick them up and offering them money,” she said. ‘Immediate and immense’ Nisha Katona, who is the founder of Mowgli Street Food, also praised her team “who were incredible in their calm maturity, resourcefulness and quick kindness” when its restaurant in Liverpool became a medical centre. “In the face of trauma their live for our beloved city and our Liverpool people was immediate and immense,” she said. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch hailed people’s “extraordinary compassion” after the incident. She posted on X: “Those who target joyful celebrations and our happiest moments, who care not for the ******** of little children are beneath contempt. “A stark contrast to the people of Liverpool who responded with extraordinary compassion, offering lifts, shelter, food, and more. Liverpool stood firm, displaying kindness and decency in the face of horror.” Source link #Liverpool #united #car #ploughed #crowd Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Get 17 PC Games For Just $12 In This Bundle Deal Get 17 PC Games For Just $12 In This Bundle Deal There’s no shortage of interesting games to play these days, but the sad fact is that a lot of them get buried by ******* releases. Fortunately, you can give these quirky titles a chance, as Fanatical is hosting a new ***** that puts 17 games in the spotlight and only costs $12. As usual, each game listed below is supplied as a redeemable key for Steam. Proceeds from the ***** will go toward the Into Games initiative, a non-profit organization designed to help budding developers in the *** learn the skills they need to enter the industry. Most of the games are Steam Deck-compatible as well, so this makes for an affordable way to pump up your on-the-go gaming library. Some of the highlights here include Worms Revolution, a colorful entry in the turn-based strategy series about cartoonish invertebrates wielding a devastating arsenal of weapons against each other, and Call of the Wild: The Angler, is a stunning fishing game. There’s even a treat here for fans of the second-best cat in cartoon strip syndication–first place obviously goes to Heathcliff–the Monday-hating grouch, Garfield. Overcooked is also a great co-op game to try out, as it involves a team of players doing their best to run a restaurant and fulfil increasingly absurd orders for hungry customers. On the cerebral side, you can also test your grey matter muscles with casual and stimulating nonogram puzzles in Picture Everything: Puzzle Cross Galaxy and Train Valley 2 is a stimulating for anyone who enjoys a spot of micromanagement and locomotives. Into Games Bundle 2025 Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous Enhanced Edition (Steam Deck Playable) Tormented Souls (Steam Deck verified) Blood West (Steam Deck verified) Content Warning (Steam Deck Playable) Call of the Wild: The Angler (Steam Deck verified) These Doomed Isles (Steam Deck verified) Overcooked (Steam Deck verified) Nippon Marathon (Steam Deck Playable) Desta: The Memories Between (Steam Deck verified) Picture Everything: Puzzle Cross Galaxy Itty Bitty Toilet Kitty I’ll be Brave, Tomorrow Train Valley 2 (Steam Deck Playable) Worms Revolution (Steam Deck Playable) Little Orpheus Hyper Sentinel Garfield Lasagna Party More Fanatical Bundles Several other bundle deals are also available right now through Fanatical. The Build Your Own Supreme Collection offers games for as little as $12.50 each, and the list includes recent breakout hits like Sorry We’re Closed, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, and Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered. Capcom fans can also stock up on some great titles from the legendary game studio, as you can score seven games for just $20. This is a great way to grab several ****** May Cry games, a whole lot of Resident Evil, and the Mega Man Legacy Collections for cheap. There’s also the Killer Bundle–a curated selection of action-centric games–and if you want to test your luck, the Mystery Egg promotion is back. If the odds are in your favor, you might just score a golden egg that contains games worth $1,000 for a mere buck. Source link #Games #Bundle #Deal Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

WhatsApp Reportedly Developing Unified Chat Media Hub Feature for Web Client WhatsApp Reportedly Developing Unified Chat Media Hub Feature for Web Client WhatsApp is reportedly working on a feature that will make it easier for users to view and manage all the media that they have received or sent while using WhatsApp Web. A new unified media browser, which is currently in development, is expected to roll out to WhatsApp Web users in the future. WhatsApp already offers a similar unified media section on WhatsApp for Android and iOS that allows users to view all media across chats and groups on their smartphone. WhatsApp Web’s Upcoming Chat Media Hub Upgrade Feature tracker WABetaInfo spotted a new “chat media hub” on a recent, unspecified version of WhatsApp Web. This is said to be a centralised hub that enables users to see a consolidated view of media they have sent or received from users on the Meta-owned messaging platform. It’s still in development, and even testers don’t currently have access to the feature. The new chat media hub on WhatsApp Web Photo Credit: WABetaInfo WABetaInfo managed to enable the user interface for the feature and shared a screenshot that gives us an idea of what to expect from the upcoming chat media hub. When the app is launched, users will see images, videos, and GIFs from all the chats on their account. The upcoming hub will also display two additional tabs that show all the links and documents across all their WhatsApp chats. Unlike the media viewer which shows content in a grid layout, the documents, and links view will provide additional context including the name of the sender and when the file or link was sent. The feature tracker also states that the media hub will support batch operations, allowing users to select multiple files and download, forward, or delete them. It is also shown to feature a search bar and sorting button that is said to allow sorting of content by date or size. One of the biggest advantages of the new unified chat media hub is the ability to quickly identify large media files for deletion, which can free up space on a user’s computer. It can also help users find media, links, or documents, especially when they do cannot recall when or where they were sent or received. It’s currently unclear whether the media hub will exclude media, documents, and links from locked chats, or whether WhatsApp will allow users to display them by entering their secret code. We can expect to learn more about the feature once it begins to roll out to beta testers in the future. Source link #WhatsApp #Reportedly #Developing #Unified #Chat #Media #Hub #Feature #Web #Client Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

RFK Jr. says CDC will no longer recommend COVID vaccine for children and pregnant women RFK Jr. says CDC will no longer recommend COVID vaccine for children and pregnant women Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday that he would remove the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation for children and healthy pregnant women to get vaccinated for COVID-19. “I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that, as of today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC’s recommended immunization schedule,” Kennedy said in a video attached to his post. However, as of Tuesday morning, the CDC had so far not updated the immunization schedule to reflect the removal announced by Kennedy. Kennedy’s move, announced Tuesday on X, appears to effectively shortcut a process set up by the agency’s outside advisers to discuss and make changes to the CDC’s influential vaccination guidance, which is directly tied to what insurers are required to cover and liability protections. Those advisers had already been weighing whether and how to narrow the agency’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendations to only older adults and other people with an underlying condition that put them at risk of more severe illness from COVID-19. Kennedy’s announcement also goes further than the advisory panel, which had been weighing including pregnant women as among those who would remain eligible for COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, given their increased risk of severe disease and the fact that it could also help provide some protection to their newborns. The move also puts Kennedy at odds with his new officials at the Food and Drug Administration, who recently said pregnancy was among the underlying conditions that warranted continued eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine approvals. It is not clear why Kennedy chose to announce the decision without waiting for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to complete its deliberations. The panel had been expected to vote on the issue at the routinely scheduled June meeting hosted by the agency. “With the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, it is time to move forward. HHS and the CDC remain committed to gold standard science and to ensuring the health and well-being of all Americans — especially our nation’s children — using common sense,” Vianca N. Rodriguez Feliciano, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in an email. Kennedy has also stalled other overdue recommendations from the panel for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, vaccines and meningococcal vaccines. The committee had voted on updated recommendations for those vaccines in April. Usually it is up to the CDC director to approve the recommendations. But it has been up to Kennedy to decide whether to adopt the new guidance, since the Trump administration has not appointed an acting CDC director to replace Susan Monarez, who stepped aside from that role while she goes through the nomination process for CDC director. Only one recommendation from the April meeting, an update to restrict use of a Chikungunya vaccine linked to potentially severe side effects, has been greenlighted by Kennedy. HHS has not responded to requests for comment on why the other recommendations have been delayed. Coronavirus Pandemic More Alexander Tin Alexander Tin is a digital reporter for CBS News based in the Washington, D.C. bureau. He covers federal public health agencies. Source link #RFK #CDC #longer #recommend #COVID #vaccine #children #pregnant #women Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Norrie hands Medvedev rude awakening in Paris surprise Norrie hands Medvedev rude awakening in Paris surprise Most visitors to Paris believe the mornings are for croissants and ****** coffee, not energetic exercise, and Daniil Medvedev appears to be among them after the 11th-seed suffered a shock French Open first round exit to Briton Cameron Norrie. The Russian is known to dislike morning starts and it showed as he went two sets down to the 81-ranked Norrie soon after midday, bickering with his team in the players box as he did so. Shaking of his early lethargy Medvedev then swept back to 2-2, including a remarkable spell when he won 16 consecutive points. Having taken the fourth set 6-1, then broken early in the final set, a fifth victory in five meetings with the British No.3, including in Rome earlier this month, seemed certain.. But Norrie, who grew up in New Zealand, came back to win 7-5 6-3 4-6 1-6 7-5 in three hours and 52 minutes, throwing his racquet into the air to celebrate as Medvedev went long. “I felt that he was a little tentative but honestly it was a crazy match,” said an elated Norrie. “He is so tough to beat, I think I deserve a diploma for beating Medvedev because he’s beaten me the last four times. It was an unreal match.” Elsewhere third seed Alexander Zverev defeated American Learner Tian in straight sets but 16th seed Grigor Dimitrov retired due to injury when 6-2 6-3 2-6 ahead against American qualifier Ethan Quinn. The first player into the third round was American 13th seed Ben Shelton who did not need to hit a ball in the second round after France’s Hugo Gaston withdrew. Source link #Norrie #hands #Medvedev #rude #awakening #Paris #surprise Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘We couldn’t make that up’: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hits 3.3 million sales after 33 days ‘We couldn’t make that up’: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hits 3.3 million sales after 33 days Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has hit a sales milestone so appropriate that its studio had to promise it’s real. 33 days after its release, Expedition 33 achieved 3.3 million copies sold. “Thirty-three days ago, we released Clair Obscur: Expedition 33,” the game’s official Bluesky account wrote. “Since then, we’ve sold 3.3 million copies. “Seriously. As of today. We couldn’t make that up. Another entry on the long list of surreal moments that your support has made real. Thank you all.” According to publisher Kepler Interactive, the 3.3 million number doesn’t include additional downloads though Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, meaning the total number of players could be significantly higher. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was released on April 24, and has enjoyed widespread critical acclaim with a Metacritic score currently standing at 92 on PS5, 91 on Xbox Series X/S and 91 on PC. Despite being developed by French studio Sandfall Interactive, the game has been heralded as one of the best recent ‘JRPG’ adventures, a notion shared by Japanese publication Famitsu which scored it 36/40, its four reviewers awarding it 9/10. “This title is one of those so-called ‘foreign-made JRPGs’ that have been influenced by Japanese RPGs, and I think it’s a masterpiece that has been crafted with a level of visual quality and scope that rivals the biggest titles in the genre”, a Famitsu report read (via machine translation). “I don’t intend to delve too deeply into the definition of JRPG here, but personally, I think the key difference lies in the fact that Western RPGs often focus on ‘role-playing’ within a given world, while Japanese RPGs prioritise the characters created by the developers driving the story forward. “In that sense, this game is unquestionably Japanese in its RPG roots, yet it goes beyond mere imitation to create something uniquely its own, infused with the developers’ sense of French culture and art.” The game was also praised by French president Emmanuel Macron, who commended Sandfall for hitting 1 million sales in its first three days. “One million copies sold and currently one of the highest-rated games in history, and yes, it’s French,” Macron wrote. “Congratulations to Sandfall Interactive and all the creators of Expedition 33. You are a shining example of French audacity and creativity.” Source link #couldnt #Clair #Obscur #Expedition #hits #million #sales #days Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Supreme Court rejects a plea to block a copper mine on land in Arizona that’s sacred to Apaches The Supreme Court rejects a plea to block a copper mine on land in Arizona that’s sacred to Apaches WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from Apaches who are fighting to halt a massive copper mining project on federal land in Arizona that they hold sacred. The justices left in place lower court decisions allowing the transfer of the ****** National Forest land, known as Oak Flat, to Resolution Copper, which plans to mine what it says is the second-largest known copper deposit in the world. The Trump administration has said it will push to complete the transfer. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in dissent that it was a “grievous mistake” not to take up the appeal. “Recognizing Oak Flat’s significance, the government has long protected both the land and the Apaches’ access to it,” Gorsuch wrote, joined by Justice Clarence Thomas. “No more. Now, the government and a mining conglomerate want to turn Oak Flat into a massive hole in the ground.” A group known as Apache Stronghold, representing the interests of certain members of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, has argued that the land transfer will result in the destruction of the site in violation of its members’ religious rights. Apache tribes in Arizona consider Oak Flat, which is dotted with ancient oak groves and traditional plants, essential to their spiritual well-being. An estimated 40 billion pounds of copper could be mined over the lifetime of the mine, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The project has significant support in nearby Superior and other traditional mining towns in the area. The company estimates the mine will generate $1 billion a year for Arizona’s economy and create thousands of local jobs. Resolution Copper is a subsidiary of international mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP. Justice Samuel Alito did not take part in the case, presumably because he owns between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of BHP stock, according to his most recent financial disclosure. Congress approved a land swap in 2014 that would give Resolution Copper 3.75 square miles (9.71 square kilometers) of forest land in return for eight parcels it owns in Arizona. In the waning days of the first Trump administration, the U.S. Agriculture Department issued the required environmental review that would allow the land swap to proceed. Apache Stronghold sued in federal court to block it. With the change in administrations to President Joe Biden, the Agriculture Department, which includes the Forest Service, pulled back the review to further consult with Native American tribes. But the suit proceeded and a year ago, the federal appeals court in San Francisco split 6-5 to allow the land transfer to go forward, rejecting Apache Stronghold’s arguments about religious freedom and its invocation of a 1852 treaty between the U.S. government and the Apaches. The five dissenting judges described the outcome as a tragic error that would result in “the utter destruction” of the sacred site. The Forest Service already has provided the 60 days notice that it intends to re-issue the environmental review, as required by a court order. Source link #Supreme #Court #rejects #plea #block #copper #land #Arizona #sacred #Apaches Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Witcher 4 Was Always Planned To Have Ciri As The New Lead The Witcher 4 Was Always Planned To Have Ciri As The New Lead The Witcher 3 brought Geralt of Rivia’s story to a fitting conclusion in the Blood & Wine DLC. Now that the game is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month, the developers behind Witcher 3 have confirmed that they always intended Geralt’s adoptive daughter, Ciri, to take the lead in The Witcher 4. In the new issue of PC Gamer (via GamesRadar), The Witcher 3 devs stated, “It was pretty early on we realized that [Blood & Wine] is where it ends, and also pretty early on, we knew that we wanted to work with Ciri later on. Even like 2014, it was already an idea floating around the studio that she’s next. In Witcher 3, Geralt is just helping out… he is there for her. So it was pretty clear we want her as the next… main character.” 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: The Witcher IV – Official Cinematic Reveal Trailer Breakdown Geralt voice actor Doug Cockle recently defended the choice to put Ciri in the lead and denounced the idea that doing so was “woke.” “There’s nothing woke about it,” said Cockle. “[Ciri]’s a cool character from The Witcher, and they’re gonna focus on that character, and that’s awesome… If you read the books, then you understand why CD Projekt went down this avenue. There’s a whole rich world of stuff to explore with Ciri, that they didn’t do when they put her into Witcher 3, because the story was about Geralt. But she hints at it.” Sebastian Kalemba, the director of The Witcher 4, has said that there will be romance in the game, and indicated a desire for players to feel rewarded for their choices as Ciri. Kalemba has also previously stated that the events depicted in the trailer may unfold differently depending upon choices made by the player. While The Witcher 4 remains in development without a release date in the immediate future, the Xbox Store is now selling The Witcher Special Edition Xbox Controller to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Witcher 3. Source link #Witcher #Planned #Ciri #Lead Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Helldivers 2 Just Turned the Masters of Ceremony Armors Into Absolute Powerhouses Helldivers 2 Just Turned the Masters of Ceremony Armors Into Absolute Powerhouses When you’re knee-deep in bug guts, Automatons are throwing everything, and Voteless are swarming, your armor isn’t just a fashion statement: it’s a lifeline. Helldivers 2 has always made sure that what you wear isn’t just for show, but that was not the case with the Masters of Ceremony armors, and players were upset. Sure, it looked like you were ready to lead a Super Earth parade through the Gates of Hell: patriotic, pristine, and heroic, but its passive was… well, let’s say less than inspiring. Fortunately, it seems the developers at Arrowhead took a long, hard look at that glorious cape and realized it deserved more than meme status. Helldivers 2 turned the Parade uniform into a War armor When the Masters of Ceremony armors first strutted onto the scene, it had the look of a high-ranking Helldiver ready to host Super Earth’s biggest celebration. Unfortunately, it’s passive: a 50% chance to avoid grievous limb injuries, felt more like a coin toss in a meat grinder. It was helpful in theory, but let’s be honest: if you’re relying on luck not to lose your limbs while fending off waves of killer robots and alien bugs, you’ve already made some poor tactical decisions. Outside of comedic loadouts and “fashion over function” runs, the armor was benched more often than not. But everything changed with Patch 01.003.003. Arrowhead clearly heard the cries of the community and responded with a buff so glorious, it should’ve come with a national anthem. Now, the Masters of Ceremony armor set grants a 30% increase to primary weapon reload speed and a 50% boost to melee damage. This isn’t just a facelift, this is a battlefield promotion. Comment byu/Waelder from discussion inHelldivers Comment byu/Waelder from discussion inHelldivers Faster reloads for the primary weapons mean fewer chances of being caught pants-down during a bug rush, and the melee buff turns all your melee weapons like the patriotic One True Flag into freedom-fueled battering rams. As always, players are excited to finally don the armor not just to look good, but to get the job done, with style and efficiency. Arrowhead’s community comeback tour continues The armor went from Super Earth runway model to enemy-crushing warlord. | Image Credit: Arrowhead Game Studios If there’s one thing Arrowhead has proven, it’s that they’re not just watching the community, they’re always listening. Helldivers 2 has seen a passionate resurgence, with developers actively engaging with player feedback, tweaking balance, and even embracing the memes when necessary. The revamp of the Masters of Ceremony armor is just the latest example in a growing list of changes driven by community voice and in-game experience. And it’s not just armor buffs making waves. With the Illuminate faction returning in the Heart of Democracy update, a full-on galactic invasion, and the addition of SEAF soldiers (yes, those gloriously NPC badasses), the galaxy feels more alive and chaotic than ever, in the best way possible. These updates are giving players a reason to dive back in, spread managed democracy, and maybe, just maybe, punch a few more bugs to death in the name of Super Earth. In the end, the Masters of Ceremony armors have finally earned their place on the battlefield. No longer just a stylish joke, it’s now a full-blown powerhouse worthy of its ceremonial flair. So suit up, soldier, democracy isn’t going to spread itself. Source link #Helldivers #Turned #Masters #Ceremony #Armors #Absolute #Powerhouses Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

ASRock attributes premature Ryzen 9000 CPU failures to aggressive PBO settings, per YouTuber ASRock attributes premature Ryzen 9000 CPU failures to aggressive PBO settings, per YouTuber A common thread among increasing user reports of failing Ryzen 9000 CPUs was their connection to an ASRock AM5 motherboard. Citing a conversation with the partner at Computex, Tech Yes City has brought to light that ASRock’s initial PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive) presets were set too aggressively for initial CPU samples. It is believed these aggressive settings are what ultimately lead to the premature demise of these processors. AMD declined to comment on the story, while ASRock wasn’t immediately available. Earlier this year, reports of failing AMD Ryzen 9000 (Granite Ridge) processors were common on Reddit and other forums. ASRock initially dismissed reports connecting their motherboards to the problem as ‘misinformation’, all the while supplying a new BIOS to address boot-up and memory compatibility issues. Affected users had no other choice but to RMA their broken CPUs. According to new details from Tech Yes City, the problem stems from the amperage (current) supplied to the processor under AMD’s PBO technology. Precision Boost Overdrive employs an algorithm that dynamically adjusts clock speeds for peak performance, based on factors like temperature, power, current, and workload. The issue is reportedly confined to ASRock’s high-end and mid-range boards, as they were tuned far too aggressively for Ryzen 9000 CPUs. You may like ASRock answered me why Ryzen 9000 CPUs are dying on their Motherboards. – YouTube Watch On ASRock believes their settings for the Electric Design Current (EDC) and Thermal Design Current (TDC) were set overly high for early CPU samples. Does this imply initial silicon was less stable than what we’re getting now? It’s hard to say. ASRock reportedly ruled out memory incompatibility and excessive SoC voltages as potential causes, the latter of which has a history of wrecking last-generation Ryzen 7000 (Raphael) CPUs. Liquid coolers and AIOs are said to compound this problem, as they provide greater thermal headroom for PBO. Per the YouTuber, ASRock has fixed this issue with a new BIOS update. While preliminary testing reveals no difference in EDC and TDC values, ASRock has also reportedly reduced “shadow voltages,” which are settings not visible to users. It’s still uncertain if the fault lies with AMD or ASRock, as all partners are bound by specific and clear limits set by AMD. Likewise, it is too soon to tell if this fix is truly effective, but we’ll know for sure if more cases surface. Questions also emerge from ASRock’s media representative initially dismissing user reports as ‘misinformation’. It’s unlikely to be a coincidence when reports of the same issue point to motherboards from one specific manufacturer. While we’ve requested further comment on the matter, ASRock should release a public advisory urging users to update their BIOS to prevent potential failures, if that indeed is the necessary fix. 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 #ASRock #attributes #premature #Ryzen #CPU #failures #aggressive #PBO #settings #YouTuber Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Ancient human fingerprint suggests Neanderthals made art Ancient human fingerprint suggests Neanderthals made art Álvarez-Alonso et al The pebble on the left, before it was excavated, and on the right after being unearthed. Scientists in Spain say they have discovered the oldest full human fingerprint after unearthing a rock which they say resembles a human face and suggests Neanderthals could make art. A Neanderthal man is believed to have dipped his finger in red pigment to paint a nose on a pebble around 43,000 years ago. The rock was discovered in the San Lázaro rock shelter in Segovia, Spain. The “strategic position” of the dot has led scientists to see it as evidence of Neanderthals’ “symbolic behaviour”, suggesting they had the ability to think about things in an abstract way. The findings contribute to the ongoing debate on Neanderthals’ ability to make art, study co-author María de Andrés-Herrero said. In an interview with the BBC’s Newsday, Prof de Andrés-Herrero from the University of Complutense in Madrid said excavation at the shelter began five years ago and in 2022 they found the stone below 1.5m (5 feet) of sediments from Neanderthal groups. “At the beginning we couldn’t believe what we were looking at, because there was a ******* stone in comparison to other stones that appeared at this site, with a red dot just in the middle which looked like a human face.” It was unclear whether the dot was made with ochre, a natural clay pigment. Once the research group was able to confirm it was a pigment, Prof de Andrés-Herrero said they contacted Spain’s scientific police to support their efforts. This team was able to conduct deep research using multi-spectrum analysis and they identified a fingerprint. Analysis of the pebble also suggested the fingerprint was of a male adult, according to the team’s investigations. But archaeologist David Álvarez Alonso, the study’s co-author, said that as there were no other Neanderthal references to compare the prints to, it was difficult to say for certain. Speaking from a news conference updating the public on the scientific development, Spanish official Gonzalo Santonja said the pebble was the oldest portable object to be painted in the European continent and “the only object of portable art painted by Neanderthals”. Prof de Andrés-Herrero said her research group’s findings mark “an important contribution to the debate on Neanderthals’ symbolic capacity, because it represents the first known pigment-marked object in an archaeological context” and it is “clear it is a Neanderthal site”. In addition to this, the human fingerprint was found in a non-utilitarian context, the expert added, suggesting that the dot on the pebble was intended for artistic purposes. Prof Herrero also said it is the first time scientists have discovered a stone in an archaeological context with a red ochre dot, meaning Neanderthals brought it to the shelter. The thinking is that one of the Neanderthals found the stone, “which caught his attention because of its fissures, and he intentionally made his mark with an ochre [pigment] stain in the middle of the object,” Prof Alonso said, quoted by Spanish news agency Europa Press. Researchers believe the mark was not accidental because, according to their findings, the red pigment does not exist naturally in the shelter, meaning it was “intentionally brought to the shelter”. In their paper, which was published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, researchers wrote: “The pebble from San Lázaro rock-shelter presents a series of characteristics that render it exceptional, based on which we have deemed it a visual symbol that could be considered a piece of portable art in some contexts.” Source link #Ancient #human #fingerprint #suggests #Neanderthals #art Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Last of Us Season 2 Finale Viewership Massively Down Compared To Season 1 The Last of Us Season 2 Finale Viewership Massively Down Compared To Season 1 HBO’s The Last of Us series just wrapped up its second season, and viewership across all platforms for the finale reached 3.7 million people. That’s down 30% from the 5.3 million viewers for the Season 2 premiere in April (via Variety) and down 55% from the 8.2 million viewers for the Season 1 finale in 2023. Importantly, these figures count the number of viewers for their Sunday night showings alone. Many people cannot or choose not to watch new episodes on the nights they air. Some people also wait for the entire run of episodes to debut before watching so they can binge-watch an entire season quickly. Season 2 is doing better than Season 1 overall, with HBO reporting that Season 2 has reached 37 million average viewers per episode compared to 32 million for Season 1. This counts viewers after 90 days on all platforms. The Last of Us Season 2 wrapped up with a dramatic cliffhanger that leads into an upcoming third season that will focus on Abby, who is played by Kaitlyn Dever. A fourth season is likely to follow later on. As of yet, however, HBO has not announced a Season 3 release date or renewed the show for a fourth. As for the game series, Naughty Dog has not announced The Last of Us 3–though there have been many clues. What is confirmed, however, is that Naughty Dog is making a new IP called Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and at least one other game. Naughty Dog was previously developing a multiplayer Last of Us game, but it was canceled. Source link #Season #Finale #Viewership #Massively #Compared #Season Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Government launches search to link *** to European supercomputers Government launches search to link *** to European supercomputers Following on from the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) signed earlier this May, the government has opened up applications for public research organisations to host the ***’s artificial intelligence (AI) Factory Antenna. Under the Horizon 2020 initiative, the *** has been able to access high-performance computing (HPC) in the European Union (EU). On 12 May, it signed up to the EuroHPC JU, which means the government can submit applications for Horizon Europe-funded EuroHPC JU research and innovation calls, in partnership with other European research institutions. The successful applicant for the ***’s AI Factory Antenna will be provided with up to €5m in funding to link British high-performance computing research to advanced supercomputers across Europe. The expression of interest process aims to identify a single organisation or consortium, which will be endorsed by the *** government for submission to EuroHPC’s call for AI Factory Antennae. The *** government is allocating up to £2.5m in funding, which will be matched by the EU if the application is successful. AI Factories are high performance computing facilities that also provide access to data, training and software support. The chosen organisation will become the ***’s AI Factory Antenna, acting as the gateway to European supercomputers through a partnership with an AI Factory on the continent. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said this will enable *** scientists, startups and public institutions to build larger, more complex AI models – shortening development cycles, accelerating innovation and creating high-skilled jobs across the country. As part of its AI Opportunities Action Plan, the government has committed to expand international collaboration on computing, which aligns with Labour’s Plan for Change, and helping to accelerate the use of AI across the economy. DSIT said the ***’s AI Factory Antenna would boost British jobs, help businesses thrive and put money back in people’s pockets. The tie-up with European HPC facilities also represents the government’s renewed partnership with Europe, to drive economic growth and build stronger relationships in the national interest. Minister for AI Feryal Clark said: “This is about more than faster processing – it’s about putting the *** at the forefront of global AI. With access to some of Europe’s most advanced systems, our researchers and startups will be equipped to lead on cutting-edge breakthroughs and strengthen Britain’s role as a trusted partner in international AI development.” Applications must be submitted by Wednesday 11 June. The government has set its sights on making the *** a powerhouse for AI. This requires building AI datacentre infrastructure and bolstering high-tech skills. Earlier this year, the ***’s first AI growth zone was confirmed as Culham in Oxfordshire, the home of the ***’s Atomic Energy Authority. The government is expected to confirm the next sites for AI Growth Zones soon. It has already received 200 applications from local authorities who want to be considered home to the specialist clusters designed to host AI infrastructure. Along with AI Growth Zones, it is also heavily promoting the use of AI in the public sector to improve efficiency. Last week, it published an AI Knowledge Hub, which shares examples of how local councils are using technology so others can learn from them – such as an AI assistant that speeds up the reporting of fly-tipping and graffiti in central London. Later this year, Labour also plans to unveil a 10-year roadmap to increase national compute capacity 20-fold. Source link #Government #launches #search #link #European #supercomputers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Wall St climbs Trump dials back EU tariff threats Wall St climbs Trump dials back EU tariff threats Wall Street’s main indexes have risen after US President Donald Trump dialed back his threat of tariffs on EU imports, defusing trade tensions between the United States and the European bloc and boosting investor sentiment. On Sunday, Trump rolled back his threat to impose 50 per cent tariffs on imports from the EU next month, restoring a July 9 deadline to allow for talks between Washington and the 27-nation bloc. He had initially threatened EU tariffs on Friday alongside announcements of higher tariffs on Apple’s iPhones. “The negotiating style of President Trump is known by now. It will come at you hard and then they’ll be able to pull back a little bit,” said Joe Saluzzi, co-head of equity trading at Themis Trading. Asian and European markets were mixed after rising on Monday, although moves in US assets were more pronounced as traders returned after the long Memorial Day weekend. In early trading on Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 392.44 points, or 0.94 per cent, to 41,995.51, the S&P 500 gained 77.66 points, or 1.33 per cent, to 5,880.48, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 333.38 points, or 1.78 per cent, to 19,070.58. Most megacap and growth stocks jumped with Nvidia, up about 2.7 per cent, leading gains. The AI bellwether is slated to report quarterly earnings after markets close on Wednesday. All 11 major S&P 500 sub-sectors rose, with consumer discretionary and information technology gaining the most. Long-dated US Treasury yields dipped, while those on the 30-year note were set for their biggest one-day fall since late April, mimicking a steep price rally in longer-term Japanese debt. In economic data, minutes from the US Federal Reserve’s last policy meeting are scheduled for release on Wednesday. An index tracking consumer confidence rose to 98 in May, a Conference Board report showed. Economists polled by Reuters had expected the index to stand at 87. A number of Fed officials are expected to speak through the week. Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari on Tuesday called for holding interest rates steady until there was clarity on how higher tariffs impact inflation. Personal Consumption Expenditure data – the Fed’s favoured inflation indicator – for May as well as a second estimate of first-quarter GDP are also scheduled to be released later this week. Wall Street witnessed sharp weekly losses on Friday as worries about mounting US debt and Trump’s latest trade policy shakeup sparked a broad selloff. His sweeping tax bill – which is expected to substantially expand federal debt – won a critical House vote last Thursday. The S&P 500 is more than four per cent from record highs, although it has rebounded sharply from its April lows as easing trade concerns and tame inflation data spurred a risk-on rally. Temu-parent PDD Holdings dropped more than 17 per cent after missing Wall Street’s first-quarter revenue estimates. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 5-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 2.78-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P 500 posted 12 new 52-week highs and no new lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 57 new highs and 28 new lows. Source link #Wall #climbs #Trump #dials #tariff #threats Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Bioware’s Big Swing in Veilguard Gets Support From Dragon Age Actor Bioware’s Big Swing in Veilguard Gets Support From Dragon Age Actor Dragon Age: The Veilguard has endured substantial hardships over the past few years, and although the game turned out not so bad, what truly disappointed a lot of fans was the bad writing. While some people are upholding the game’s falling reputation, some are deeming it justified, given the current state of the game. The game was released last year, and after facing massive backlash from the community, one Dragon Age star has decided to present her own personal response and said that the hate is coming from people who only wanted to see the game and the developers fail. Let’s delve deeper into this and find out more. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a story that extends beyond the screen Dragon Age: The Veilguard is an action role-playing game that was developed back in October of 2024. It is the fourth major entry in the whole Dragon Age franchise, and although the game began its development back in 2015, it was put on hold in late 2016, due to the challenges faced by BioWare’s other franchise, Mass Effect. Not just that affected Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s quality, people were also put off by the myriad of political messages that the game was promoting to the players, and the issue of certain terms in a fantasy setting just did not sit well with the gamers. BioWare released their final update for the game back in January, and they also confirmed that there won’t be any new DLC updates for the game, and the developing studio will fully focus on their next Mass Effect installment. In a recent interview with IGN, the Dragon Age star Alix Wilton Regan, spoke about how she is devastated and personally thought it was a really good game. I feel absolutely devastated for BioWare as a studio that they got such mixed reactions to the game, personally thought it was a really strong game. I thought it was just BioWare being more BioWare. I also think a lot of people kind of wanted to see it fail, or wanted to see [BioWare] fail, either because they’re just really bad people on the internet — of which there are unfortunately many, as we have discovered. She continued with how people were attacking the game even before it was released. People were attacking the game before it was released. It’s ridiculous. How can you judge a game, a book, a film, a TV show before it’s actually released? You can’t. It’s an idiotic stance to take. In the same interview, Regan later commented on how she wants to see the development team thrive, and she also commented on how their next project will be richly rewarded. BioWare is completely moving on from the game The game’s initial development faced a lot of problems as well | Image Credits: Electronic Arts After nearly a decade of development, with problems like shifting visions and crippling workforce reductions, Dragon Age: The Veilguard emerged into a world that was already divided about what it should be. But behind this game was a group of creators who poured their hearts and souls into this project, so that they could bring it to life. This is what Alix Regan pointed out when she spoke up about the game’s failure. She is not just defending the game but also defending the people who made the game. Her frustration was not with the criticism that the game faced, but with the eagerness that some had to see the project fail even before it went live. While Dragon Age: The Veilguard may not have lived up to everyone’s expectations, it does not mean that the creators did not give their all for this project. Now that BioWare has decided to completely shift its focus towards its other franchises, fans are watching closely, because at the end of the day, it’s not just about telling a story, but also connecting with the audience at the same time. Source link #Biowares #Big #Swing #Veilguard #Support #Dragon #Age #Actor Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Tesla gains as Musk pledges to be ‘super focused’ on companies Tesla gains as Musk pledges to be ‘super focused’ on companies Elon Musk listens as reporters ask U.S. President Donald Trump and South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa questions during a press availability in the Oval Office at the White House on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images Tesla shares gained about 5% on Tuesday after CEO Elon Musk over the weekend reiterated his intent to home in on his businesses ahead of the latest SpaceX rocket launch. The billionaire wrote in a post to his social media platform X that he needs to be “super focused” on X, artificial intelligence company xAI and Tesla as they launch “critical technologies” on the heels of a temporary outage. “As evidenced by the uptime issues this week, major operational improvements need to be made,” he wrote, adding that he would return to “spending 24/7” at work. “The failover redundancy should have worked, but did not.” An outage over the weekend briefly shuttered the social media platform formerly known as Twitter for thousands of users, according to DownDetector. Earlier in the week, the platform suffered a data center outage. X has suffered a series of outages since Musk purchased the platform in 2022. Musk has previously indicated plans to step away from his political work and prioritize his businesses. During Tesla’s April earnings call he said that he would “significantly” reduce his time running President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency. In the last election cycle, Musk devoted time and billions of dollars to political causes and toward electing Trump in 2024. However, a story over the weekend from the Washington Post, citing sources familiar with the matter, said that Musk has grown disillusioned with politics and wants to return to managing his businesses. Last week, Musk said in an interview at the Qatar Economic Forum that he planned to spend “a lot less” on campaign donations going forward. The comments from Musk precede SpaceX’s Starship rocket Tuesday evening. Pressure is on for the company after two Starship rockets exploded in January and March. Ahead of the launch, Musk announced an all hands livestream on X at 1 p.m. Tesla is still facing fallout from Musk’s political foray, with protests at showrooms and other brand damage. In April, Tesla sold 7,261 cars in Europe, down 49% from last year, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. WATCH: Elon Musk: We have seen a major rebound in demand Source link #Tesla #gains #Musk #pledges #super #focused #companies Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Constance Marten’s partner attacked police officers in maternity ward, court told Constance Marten’s partner attacked police officers in maternity ward, court told The partner of wealthy aristocrat Constance Marten assaulted two female police officers at a maternity ward hours after she had given birth, a court has heard. Marten, 38, and Mark Gordon, 50, are charged with the manslaughter of their baby daughter Victoria, who died in a tent on the South Downs in early 2023. On Tuesday, the court heard about a “strange” incident involving the couple in Wales hours after Marten had given birth to an older sibling six years before. Gordon had pleaded guilty to assaulting Pc Sian Beynon and Detective Sergeant Delma Jones during the course of their duties in 2017. Giving evidence, Det Sgt Jones said they had gone to the hospital after a baby was born in the morning, and medical staff raised concerns over the identity of the parents. She asked the father several times for his name and date of birth before he gave the identity of James Amer, who was born on April 31, 1987. Court artist sketch of Mark Gordon giving evidence at the Old Bailey in London (Elizabeth Cook/PA) The officer said: “I asked him to confirm his date of birth, and he replied, ‘yeah. At this time, I realised there are only 30 days in April. “He started rocking backwards and forwards in a chair and acted confused muttering under his breath several times. “I explained I wanted to do some checks on him. He then shouted out. “He then shot up from his seat. He starts pacing backwards and forwards. He was clenching his fists and his behaviour completely changed. “My colleague Pc Beynon was standing by the door. He walked up to her and pushed her to one side.” Having already assaulted Pc Beynon, the officers tried to restrain him and stop him from making good his “escape”, the court heard. “Mr Gordon had opened the door. He managed to free himself from our grip. He started running up to where his partner and baby was,” Det Sgt Jones said. CCTV footage of Constance Marten, Mark Gordon and baby Victoria in a ******* doner kebab shop in East Ham (Metropolitan Police/PA) Gordon then went back into the corridor and tried to grab her again, causing her to fall to the floor, she told jurors. “We were telling him to calm down, to comply. Obviously, we had concerns over where we were – there were babies and other people around. We were concerned what he was capable of.” Det Sgt Jones said her colleague then deployed her Pava incapacitant spray at least twice. She added: “He was trying to escape while we were still holding onto him. We were asking him to calm down, stop resisting, but this had no effect whatsoever.” She told jurors that she and her colleague were hit during the struggle before a new father stepped in to help. “I left that incident being bruised. I had cuts on my hands. I can’t say he struck me directly but in his attempt to get away from us, I probably was struck.” Court artist sketch of Constance Marten appearing at the Old Bailey in London (Elizabeth Cook/PA) The new father came out of a ward and assisted in restraining Gordon before more police arrived to arrest him, the witness said. Det Sgt Jones told jurors the incident lasted about 10 minutes but she remembered the events very well eight years on, as they were so unusual. The officer, who has 20 years’ experience of policing, said: “I remember them very well. This is a strange incident that I dealt with.” The court has heard how a high-profile manhunt was launched in January 2023 after the defendants fled their burning car near Bolton, Greater Manchester, and went off grid in a bid to avoid their fifth child being taken into care. The prosecution had alleged Victoria died from hypothermia or was smothered while co-sleeping in a “flimsy” tent, despite past warnings. Her body was discovered with rubbish inside a shopping bag in a disused shed near Brighton after the defendants were arrested. Marten and Gordon, of no fixed address, have denied the gross negligence manslaughter of their daughter and causing or allowing her death between January 4 and February 27 2023. Jurors have been told the defendants were convicted at an earlier trial of concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice. The Old Bailey trial was adjourned until Wednesday. Source link #Constance #Martens #partner #attacked #police #officers #maternity #ward #court #told Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Take-Two, EA Warn Of “Reputational” Risks Involving AI Take-Two, EA Warn Of “Reputational” Risks Involving AI Many major game companies are using artificial intelligence for game development and other initiatives, and now EA and Take-Two have issued warnings to investors about reputational risks. Bloomberg noticed that the latest 10K filings from both companies included disclaimers about AI risks. EA’s filing, for example, mentions that the company is integrating AI “tools and technologies” into its development and business processes, noting that doing so “might present social and ethical issues.” If EA fails to manage these issues appropriately, it could lead to “legal and reputational harm,” and for consumers to “lose confidence in our business and brands.” Take-Two’s 10K filing, meanwhile, states that, “The development and use of artificial intelligence into our products may present operational and reputational risks.” EA and Take-Two are making these disclosures because publicly traded companies are required to reveal all significant risk factors to investors–including pandemics and hurricanes. “In this case, EA, Take-Two, and others are telling investors that using Generative AI in the video games industry is becoming common and there could be risks associated with that,” Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad said. “Nearly all large game developers (Yes, even Nintendo) are experimenting with Generative AI at this point (Mostly at the concept stage and not in-game for the most part) and are legally required to disclose any possible risk that may impact the business.” Some of the other risk factors that Take-Two mentioned in its filing include the internet going down, the company’s dependency on GTA, ESRB ratings negatively impacting sales, and government regulation on the internet, among numerous others. EA, meanwhile, disclosed other risks including pandemics, acts of terrorism, and natural disasters. In any event, Take-Two, EA, and others disclosing concerns about AI is an acknowledgment that the use of generative AI has possible consequences. A recent study found that the majority of game developers globally are using AI technologies already, despite worker concerns. Companies like EA and Microsoft have predicted that advances to AI tools and technologies will lead to layoffs in the short term and job growth on a longer timeline. For its part, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick said he predicts AI tools and systems will be used to help make game development more efficient, but not necessarily less expensive; he added that machines will never replace the “creative genius” of humans. Before this, Zelnick said artificial intelligence as a term makes no sense because machines do not learn–humans do. “Those are convenient ways to explain to human beings what looks like magic. The bottom line is that these are digital tools and we’ve used digital tools forever,” he said. “I have no doubt that what is considered AI today will help make our business more efficient and help us do better work, but it won’t reduce employment.” Take-Two, EA, Microsoft, and others that have embraced AI have also cut hundreds of jobs in recent times, though whether or not any of the cuts are related to AI is unknown. Source link #TakeTwo #Warn #Reputational #Risks #Involving Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Intriguing Fan Theory Suggests Elden Ring Nightreign Is Miyazaki’s Developer Training Ground Intriguing Fan Theory Suggests Elden Ring Nightreign Is Miyazaki’s Developer Training Ground Elden Ring Nightreign’s original reveal at the 2024 Game Awards left a lot of fans confused about FromSoftware making a multiplayer co-op title instead of making a true sequel to Elden Ring. It raised questions about the direction the company is heading. A shakeup to the ol’ reliable Souls formula, Elden Ring Nightreign promises a fun multiplayer experience while keeping the essence of what made the previous game special. Multiplayer games haven’t had the best reputation, so Miyazaki trying his hand at it raised some eyebrows. However, a new fan theory suggests that he had a good reason for doing so. Elden Ring Nightreign is a product of low-stakes and experimentation According to PissWitchin on Reddit, Elden Ring Nightreign is Miyazaki’s answer to an industry that doesn’t have room for failure. This interesting fan theory makes a lot of sense when you consider that the multiplayer title is entirely experimental and it’s being helmed by a smaller team at FromSoftware. So, the theory basically states that Miyazaki’s thought process behind Elden Ring Nightreign’s existence is not to milk the Elden Ring IP but to develop a side project that doesn’t require much resources, budget and allows room for failure, which in turn, provides training grounds for their new talent to grow and perform better. Low-stakes and experimentation are what shaped the upcoming multiplayer title, given that this is a completely different and smaller Elden Ring experience that might not sit well with traditional Soulsborne fans. Nowadays, the industry is characterised by high development costs, increased video game prices, and higher stakes, which don’t allow developers to always create what they want. But Nightreign’s smaller team, lower development costs, and a price point of $40 is Miyazaki’s way of not putting everything on the line for one project and simply allowing new developers to learn more about game development in a low-stakes environment where failure is tolerated. Suppose Nightreign doesn’t do well as their previous titles and fails. That won’t send FromSoftware into bankruptcy or do much damage to the Elden Ring IP because they developed the project with the possibility that it might fail. When you look at it this way, the theory makes perfect sense, and it also provides a good reason why FromSoftware randomly decided to make a title that’s wildly different from their previous games and smaller in scope. Doesn’t hurt to save money once in a while. More games should follow Elden Ring Nightreign’s example Let Nightreign guide others | Image Credit: FromSoftware The video game industry is in absolute shambles right now with price hikes, development costs rising, and companies laying off employees like there’s no tomorrow. In times like these, more companies should follow what FromSoftware is trying to do. A special mention should be made for Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as well. Developed by a small group of close-knit people and having a price point of $50, the turn-based RPG is now a top contender for winning the Game of the Year award this year, and it has already sold millions of copies, despite being on Game Pass. A higher budget doesn’t always mean better games. Creativity and passion should always lead the way when it comes to game development, but business executives dull visions and shatter dreams just to make more money. In a time where games costing $80 are becoming the norm, it’s titles like Elden Ring Nightreign, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that remind us where our money and support should be going. Elden Ring Nightreign launches on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on May 30, 2025. Source link #Intriguing #Fan #Theory #Suggests #Elden #Ring #Nightreign #Miyazakis #Developer #Training #Ground Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Swedish man charged over 2015 killing of Jordanian pilot in Syria Swedish man charged over 2015 killing of Jordanian pilot in Syria This article contains distressing descriptions of death Swedish authorities have charged a convicted terrorist over the 2015 killing of a Jordanian pilot who was burned to death in Syria. ****** Krayem, 32 – a Swedish citizen – was on Tuesday charged with war and terrorism crimes relating to the death of Moaz al-Kasasbeh. Krayem is currently in prison after being convicted for his role in the 2015 and 2016 terror attacks in Paris and Brussels respectively. The BBC has contacted his lawyer for comment relating to the latest allegations. He has previously denied the charges, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported. Krayem’s trial is expected to begin on 4 June. The Swedish Prosecution Authority last week announced they planned to charge a man with the “execution” of Lt Kasasbeh, along with other suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) group. Jordan confirmed the death of Lt Kasasbeh in 2015, following the circulation of a gruesome video published online by IS that appeared to show the 26-year-old being burned alive in a cage. He was captured when his plane came down near the city of Raqqa during a mission against IS in December 2014. At the time of Lt Kasasbeh’s death, Jordan – which was part of a US-led coalition fighting IS in Syria during the civil war – had been attempting to secure his release as part of a prisoner swap. Swedish prosecutors said in its statement last week the offences Krayem has now been charged with took place between 24 December 2014 and 3 February 2015. They added an investigation had shown Krayem “armed and masked, together with others forced the pilot into a metal cage”. “The cage was subsequently set on fire by one of the co-perpetrators, and the pilot died as a consequence of the fire.” Krayem is originally from the Swedish city of Malmo and is thought to have travelled to Syria in September 2014 to fight for IS. In June 2022, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the November 2015 Paris terror attacks – in which 130 people were killed – and for planning a separate attack on Amsterdam airport. A year later, he was also found guilty of terrorist ******* for his role in the Brussels attacks that killed 32 people. He has been temporarily transferred from France to Sweden in order to participate in this latest trial. Source link #Swedish #man #charged #killing #Jordanian #pilot #Syria Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]