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Judge blocks Trump administration from revoking Harvard enrollment of foreign students – Reuters Judge blocks Trump administration from revoking Harvard enrollment of foreign students – Reuters Judge blocks Trump administration from revoking Harvard enrollment of foreign students ReutersFederal judge halts Trump administration ban on Harvard’s ability to enroll international students CNNHarvard Gets Temporary Block of Trump’s Foreign Student Ban BloombergSupporting Our International Students and Scholars Harvard UniversityFederal judge blocks Trump administration decision to bar foreign student enrollment at Harvard AP News Source link #Judge #blocks #Trump #administration #revoking #Harvard #enrollment #foreign #students #Reuters Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Jittery Labour MPs divided over benefits cuts Jittery Labour MPs divided over benefits cuts Joshua Nevett Political reporter EPA This week, Sir Keir Starmer and his ministers redoubled their efforts to win over Labour MPs minded to join what could be the biggest rebellion yet against his government. Dozens of Labour MPs have raised concerns about benefits cuts worth £5bn a year by 2030 and their potential impact on disabled people. The reforms to disability benefits have divided the party and left many pondering: what is Labour for, exactly? A “Labour cause” is how Sir Keir described the package of ******** reforms, at a meeting of his MPs on Monday. Next month, those MPs will have to decide whether that’s a cause worth getting behind, when the benefits changes are voted on in Parliament for the first time. As ministers come under pressure to water down their ******** plans, Labour MPs with different perspectives told the BBC where they stand. Conflicting values For critics, the prospect of a Labour government taking away social security payments from some sick and disabled people is at best unpalatable and at worst unconscionable. It wasn’t that long ago that one of the party’s main focuses was opposing what it saw as the austerity spending cuts of the Conservative government, when the now-exiled Jeremy Corbyn was Labour leader. While Corbyn’s leadership is long gone, that strain of thought lives on in the party – and it’s in evidence among Labour MPs elected for the first time last year. Neil Duncan-Jordan, the MP for Poole, is one of those newbies. He and about 40 other Labour MPs signed a letter warning the ******** changes were “impossible to support” without a “change of direction”. “No Labour MP comes into Parliament to make poor people poorer,” he said. What concerns him most are proposals to make it harder for disabled people with less severe conditions to claim personal independence payment (Pip). The ******** package as a whole could push an extra 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, into relative poverty, according to the government’s impact assessment. But ministers have stressed the figures do not factor in the government’s plans to spend £1bn on helping the long-term sick and disabled back into work, or its efforts to reduce poverty. “What I think everyone accepts is that assisting people back to work who can work is a positive thing,” Duncan-Jordan said. “But saying that you go to work or we cut your benefit, is not the way to do it and I don’t think it’s a Labour way either.” And yet the “Labour way” is open to interpretation. Neil Duncan-Jordan wants ministers to pause their ******** reforms For Alex Ballinger, who was elected as Labour MP for Halesowen last year, his party is about “increasing opportunities for the most vulnerable people in society”. “We’re about improving life outcomes and being ambitious for those people who maybe need a bit more encouragement,” he said. “I think all those are things that could chime with Labour values.” He said the most important aspect of the ******** reforms was the support for disabled people who want to work. It includes giving disabled people the right to try work without the risk of losing their ******** entitlements. Ministers hope these efforts will boost employment among benefits recipients, at a time when 2.8 million people are economically inactive due to long-term sickness. If nothing changes, the health and disability benefits bill is forecast to reach £70bn a year by the end of the decade, a level of spending the government says is “unsustainable”. “The country shouldn’t be in a situation where we’re paying that much at the same time as having millions of young people out of education and training,” Ballinger said. “I think these reforms are a good balance.” Alex Ballinger said he would be voting for the package of benefits reforms Although their party is split on ********, some MPs have something in common. Ballinger and Duncan-Jordan are two of 194 Labour MPs who have majorities smaller than the number of Pip claimants in their constituencies. The ******** changes will not affect everyone on Pip and the number of recipients in each constituency could change by the next general election. But disability campaigners have picked up on this and are writing to these MPs urging them to vote against the government’s ******** reforms. That vote is due in June, when the government will try to pass a new law to make changes to ******** payments. Holding firm Given Labour’s large majority, the bill is expected to pass. Even so, there is widespread unease among Labour MPs, with some signing a letter to the chief whip to suggest they would not support the bill in its current form. Some disgruntled Labour MPs have said as much in interviews, including Clive Lewis, who railed against the cuts to Pip. “We do not cut from the poorest and most vulnerable,” he told the BBC. “It’s obscene and a Labour government should be tackling that, and punching up, before it punches down.” Another Labour MP, Stella Creasy, said it would be “remiss” of the government to ignore the concerns of her colleagues. A government source said ministers had been engaging with MPs in one-to-one meetings and listening to their feedback in recent weeks. Those MPs hope the government can be persuaded to change course, as it did this week, with its U-turn on the controversial decision to cut winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners. But despite sustained backbench pressure, Sir Keir’s government has held firm so far. That was demonstrated this week in a speech by Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, who said there was a risk the ******** state “won’t be there for people who really need it in future” without reform. Her interpretation of the Labour response to this problem was a notable theme. “There is nothing Labour about accepting the cost of this economic but, above all, social crisis, paid for in people’s life chances and living standards,” she said. When MPs walk through the voting lobbies next month, their version of Labour’s values on ******** will be revealed. Source link #Jittery #Labour #MPs #divided #benefits #cuts Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mads for it! Pedersen shoots to fourth Giro stage win Mads for it! Pedersen shoots to fourth Giro stage win Mads Pedersen, the peloton’s ‘Great Dane’, is turning the Giro d’Italia into his own benefit race, powering to his fourth stage victory in the 108th edition. The former world champion’s fourth win in Friday’s 13th stage may have been his best yet as he sprinted on a brutal uphill finish to Vicenza to pip another strongman superstar Wout van Aerty in a lung-busting haul to the line. Meanwhile, the tremendous young race leader Isaac del Toro continued to astound just behind them as he battled home a couple of seconds adrift in third place to grab more bonus seconds to help pad out his overall advantage to 38 seconds. “What an incredible Giro this is. Timing my effort was dictated by instinct. I had to open up on the right side close to the barriers. So I went a bit earlier than I wanted to,” 2019 world road race champ Pedersen said. “On such a hard day and a finale like this, everyone has burning legs in the finale. It was definitely nice to have seen it before. “I’m happy with this win and adding another 50 points for the Maglia Ciclamino (purple points jersey). I’m overwhelmed with winning again.” There was another tremendous effort from top *********** sprinter Kaden Groves, who worked wonders just to stay in the hunt for a second stage win, only to be buried in the final, crushing uphill burst to the Monte Berico sanctuary and eventually coming home nearly half-a-minute down. As the riders neared the finish of the 180km ride from Rovigo, Pedersen was fourth when he took off to blast into a lead which he clung on to grimly with van Aert on his tail while the bold effort for glory from the 21-year-old del Toro also fell short. “He’s a crazy strong rider – he’s a monster, I have no words,” said Pedersen’s admiring Lidl-Trek sprint lieutenant, Mathias Vacek. Tudor Pro’s Michael Storer, Australia’s top hope in the GC, lost a few more seconds in the push towards the line but he’s still 14th in the overall classification, 3 minutes 37 seconds down on del Toro. The big question now is how UAE Team Emirates are going to handle having the top two in the race, with their designated team leader Juan Ayuso losing a few seconds to the brilliant del Toro by the day. At 38 seconds behind, Spaniard Ayuso may still be considered their best hope at this stage with the high mountains still to come, but del Toro continues to surprise daily. In third place now is Italian Antonio Tiberi, 1:18 back, with Simon Yates fourth, 1:20 behind, and Primoz Roglic fifth, 1:35 behind. The mostly flat 14th stage on Saturday follows a 195km route from Treviso over the border into Slovenia with a finish in Nova Gorica with Groves expected to be in contention this time. With agencies Source link #Mads #Pedersen #shoots #fourth #Giro #stage #win Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How Smart Devices Spy On Your Home—And How To Avoid It How Smart Devices Spy On Your Home—And How To Avoid It There are currently nearly 19 billion smart devices worldwide. From robot vaccum cleaners and smart refrigerators to internet-connected baby monitors and countertop appliances, it can feel as if everything in your home is linked to WiFi. Today WIRED does a deep dive into the security of smart devices—and the pros and cons of welcoming them into your home. Director: Efrat Kashai Director of Photography: Constantine Economides Editor: Matthew Colby Host: Andrew Couts Guest: Julian Chokkattu Line Producer: Jamie Rasmussen Associate Producer: Paul Gulyas Production Manager: Peter Brunette Production Coordinator: Rhyan Lark Camera Operator: Lucas Young Gaffer: Niklas Moller Sound Mixer: Rebecca O’Neill Production Assistant: Shanti Cuizon-Burden Post Production Supervisor: Christian Olguin Post Production Coordinator: Stella Shortino Supervising Editor: Erica DeLeo Assistant Editor: Billy Ward Source link #Smart #Devices #Spy #HomeAnd #Avoid Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump threatens a 50% tariff on the EU – CNN Trump threatens a 50% tariff on the EU – CNN Trump threatens a 50% tariff on the EU CNNStocks, dollar stumble after Trump reignites his trade war CNNTrump Rattles Markets With Latest EU Tariff Threats Bloomberg.comTrump threatens 50% tariffs on EU and 25% penalties on Apple as his trade war intensifies AP NewsStock Market Today: Dow falls 200 points, S&P 500 and Nasdaq slide after latest Trump tariff threats; bond yields and dollar tumble MarketWatch Source link #Trump #threatens #tariff #CNN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Monaco Grand Prix: Will mandatory two pits stops ‘spice it up a bit more’? Monaco Grand Prix: Will mandatory two pits stops ‘spice it up a bit more’? There are those in the F1 paddock who feel that the move is a contrivance, a knee-jerk reaction to a specific set of circumstances that happened to unfold last year. In 2024, a ****** up the hill after the first corner led to a safety car and pretty much all the field pitting at the end of the first lap, and fitting hard tyres to go to the end. Because the life of the tyres was marginal, pole-sitter and leader Charles Leclerc controlled the pace in his Ferrari, and basically nothing happened for the final 77 laps. When the rule change was introduced, some pointed out that one only had to look back a year for an exciting race, when a mid-grand prix rain shower introduced major jeopardy, and Aston Martin fumbled a chance to leapfrog Fernando Alonso ahead of Verstappen’s Red Bull into the lead. Verstappen had yet to stop as the rain started, and Alonso came in behind him. Instead of fitting wet-weather tyres to Alonso’s car as he pitted with the track half-wet, half-dry, they fitted slicks. But the rain became harder and he had to come back in the following lap for wets, the chance to get Verstappen now lost. It was also pointed out that, in reality, not much has changed for decades. Overtaking has been pretty much impossible at Monaco for at least 40-50 years. But, having explored the possibility of modifying the track layout to introduce an overtaking spot and discovered it was not possible, it was felt that it was time for a change. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton said: “If you keep doing the same thing over and over and over again, you get the same result. And so I think it’s cool that they’re trying something different. Whether or not it’s the answer, we’ll find out this weekend.” The new rule throws up all sorts of interesting possibilities, given the differing durability of the three sets of tyres. As Mercedes driver George Russell says: “If you start on the hard, that’s clearly the best tyre, and there’s a red flag at the beginning of the race, when do you then throw on the soft tyre? “If somebody starts on the soft and there is a red flag or safety car in the first five laps, they have a massive advantage. “So it isn’t clear cut, and because there is such an advantage, if there is a timely safety car for certain people, you will have to put your foot on the gas at some point. Whereas in the past like last year you just saw Charles managing the gap to me so Lando [Norris] and co didn’t pit, which was not the most exciting race we’ve ever seen. “So I’m excited to see how that pans out.” Source link #Monaco #Grand #Prix #mandatory #pits #stops #spice #bit Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

China swipes US ban on Harvard’s international students China swipes US ban on Harvard’s international students The Trump administration’s move to ban international students from Harvard will harm America’s international standing, the ******** government warns, and one university in Hong Kong is looking to capitalise on the uncertainty by promising to take them in. ******** students make up a large part of Harvard University’s international student population. The university enrolled 6703 international students across all of its schools in 2024, according to the school’s data, with 1203 of those coming from China. The Trump administration’s move, announced on Thursday, was a hot topic on ******** social media. State broadcaster CCTV questioned whether the US would remain a top destination for foreign students, noting Harvard was already suing the US government in court. “But with the long litigation *******, thousands of international students may have trouble waiting,” the CCTV commentary said. It went on to say that it becomes necessary for international students to consider other options “when policy uncertainty becomes the norm.” Educational co-operation with the US was mutually beneficial and China opposed its politicisation, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a daily briefing in Beijing. “The relevant actions by the US side will only damage its own image and international credibility,” she said on Friday. She said China would firmly protect the rights and interests of ******** students and scholars abroad but she did not offer any details on how it would do so in this situation. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology extended an open invitation to international students already at Harvard and those who have been admitted. The institution posted a news release saying it would provide unconditional offers, streamlined admission procedures and academic support to facilitate a seamless transition. Some people in China joked online about having the university open a branch in the northeastern ******** city of Harbin, whose name shares the same character as Harvard’s name in ********. The issue of ******** students studying overseas has long been a point of tension in the relationship with the United States. During Trump’s first term, China’s education ministry warned students about rising rejections rates and shorter terms for visas in the US. In 2024, the ******** foreign ministry protested that a number of ******** students had been interrogated and sent home upon arrival at US airports. Source link #China #swipes #ban #Harvards #international #students Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Jamie Dimon says these are the two things that will change for whoever becomes JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says these are the two things that will change for whoever becomes JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon reflects on the immense pressure and responsibility that comes with leading JPMorgan Chase, emphasizing that becoming CEO means having no one to defer to and bearing the full weight of decision-making. As the bank narrows its list of successors, Dimon’s insights into leadership underscore the formidable expectations awaiting his eventual replacement. The top job at JPMorgan is one of the most coveted roles on Wall Street, and likely the highest profile. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and whoever takes on the role from Jamie Dimon will be under pressure that few people will ever experience. Dimon, nicknamed the White Knight of Wall Street, shocked spectators last year when he announced that the timeline for his succession was no longer five years—the line he famously touted whenever asked. Since then, a handful of familiar frontrunners have emerged (one has since dropped out), with Dimon signaling that running America’s biggest bank is no mean feat. Previously, even the most seasoned executives at JP had Dimon to defer to in times of crisis, but when he moves on—potentially retaining the position of chairman—that safety net will be removed to a significant extent. Moving into the CEO role changes two things, Dimon, who was paid $39 million for his work in 2024, said: “The first one is there is nobody to complain to.” Second, there’s no longer a leadership fallback: “There is no tacit approval. It is your decision. It’s just different,” Dimon told The Economist in an interview. “Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” he added. There will also be a handful of qualities that Dimon and the board are looking for in his successor. “There’s a work ethic; there’s people skills,” he began. “There’s determination. You better have a little bit of grit. There’s humility; there’s ability to form teams. There’s having courage. Constantly observing the world out there and thinking, ‘Well, what can be done better?’” Dimon’s leadership tactics at JP, which has more than $3.4 trillion in assets under management (AUM) per its website, are well known. He previously shared that he runs the bank using a military tactic known as the ‘OODA loop,’ explaining in his 2023 letter to shareholders: “The military, which often operates in extreme intensity of life and death and in the fog and uncertainty of war, uses the term ‘OODA loop’ (observe, orient, decide, act—repeat), a strategic process of constant review, analysis, decision-making, and action. Story Continues “One cannot overemphasize the importance of observation and a full assessment—the failure to do so leads to some of the greatest mistakes, not only in war but also in business and government.” The Queens, New York native said he also looks to world-class athletes for leadership inspiration, telling The Economist: “Serena Williams, Tom Brady, Stephen Curry…. Look how they train, what they do to be that good. Very often, senior leadership teams, they lose that. Companies become very inward-looking, dominated by staff, which is a form of bureaucracy.” While Dimon isn’t making any firm promises about when the next CEO might be named or who it will be, the bank has been transparent in its succession planning. The financial giant has named the individuals it is considering in company filings, in a bid to smoothly transition leadership and warm shareholders up to the new face of the company. In January, two of the candidates dropped out of the running. The first was Daniel Pinto, who Dimon had named as his “hit by a bus” CEO, meaning the president and COO of the bank is equipped to step into the leadership role at any time if the current boss was incapacitated for any reason. But in January, the man who has served as Dimon’s right hand for seven years announced he will be retiring in 2026. A matter of hours later and Jennifer Piepszak, also named by JPMorgan as a potential successor, confirmed she will take Pinto’s place as COO and added she had no interest in the CEO title. “Jenn has made clear her preference for a senior operating role working closely with Jamie and in support of the top leadership team, and does not want to be considered for the CEO position at this time,” JPMorgan spokesman Joe Evangelisti told CNBC. “She is deeply committed to the future of the company and our team and wants to help in any way she can.” That leaves four names, all familiar faces to JP staffers. The first is Marianne Lake, CEO of consumer and community banking, as well as Mary Erdoes, CEO of asset and wealth management. Troy Rohrbaugh, who leads the commercial and investment bank, is also on the roster. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Source link #Jamie #Dimon #change #JPMorgan #CEO Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Breaking encryption with a quantum computer just got 20 times easier Breaking encryption with a quantum computer just got 20 times easier Quantum computers have long been a potential threat to encryption sakkmesterke/Shutterstock Quantum computers could crack a common data encryption technique once they have a million qubits, or quantum bits. While this is still well beyond the capabilities of existing quantum computers, this new estimate is 20 times lower than previously thought, suggesting the day encryption is cracked is closer than we think. The widely used RSA algorithm relies on the fact that multiplying two prime numbers to generate a large encryption key is easy, but finding those original prime factors when all you have is the resulting key is… Source link #Breaking #encryption #quantum #computer #times #easier Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Memorial Day Tech Deals Live: Best savings this holiday weekend Memorial Day Tech Deals Live: Best savings this holiday weekend Refresh 2025-05-23T16:08:05.147Z Our favorite gaming monitor is now $259 (Image credit: Future) Dell’s 32–inch, S3222DGM has long been at the top of our list of the best gaming monitors overall, thanks to its epic 3700:1 contrast ratio, 165 Hz refresh rate and sharp, 2560 x 1440 resolution. Sure, there are fancier monitors than this curved display, but none that fall within its very affordable price range. Now, the S3222DGM is on ***** for just $259 at Best Buy as part of the store’s Memorial Day tech deals. That’s a nice discount off of its $329 typical price and easy for almost anyone to afford. When we reviewed the Dell S3222DGM in 2022, we were really impressed with its combination of vibrant images and tear-free gaming. “There is nothing better than a high-contrast VA panel, and the Dell S3222DGM is one of the best I’ve seen,” Contributing Editor Christian Eberle wrote. “It strikes a rare balance between gaming performance and image quality.” In our tests, the monitor showed a contrast ratio of 3,718:1, which even beats other VA monitors we tested and it absolutely destroys IPS monitors, which usually can’t even hit 1000:1. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) According to our colorimeter, the Dell S3222DGM can reproduce a strong 122.6 percent of the sRGB gamut and 85.9 percent of the DCI-P3 gamut. The color quality also stands out because of the high contrast ratio. Those bright colors will look extra bright when the dark pixels next to them look really dark. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) The monitor also has excellent build quality and comes with two HDMI 2.0 ports, a single DisplayPort 1.2 port and a 3.5mm audio jack. 2025-05-23T14:47:07.877Z Snag a 13-inch MacBook Air for $899 and up (Image credit: Future) If you like Mac laptops, but not breaking the bank to get one to get one, now is a great time to act. In honor of Memorial Day, Amazon is selling the 2025 MacBook Air with M4 CPU, 16GB of RAM and your choice of SSD depending on the price. A config with a 256GB SSD, which is pretty sparse but you can make it work if you need to, is just $899. The same config, but with a 512GB SSD goes for $1,099. When we reviewed the MacBook Air back in March, we had our hands on the 15-inch version of the model, which had the same M4 chip with 16GB of RAM. Overall, we found it nearly matching the speeds of the MacBook Pro and exceeding Intel-powered laptops like the Lenovo Y oga Slim 7i and Dell XPS 13. (Image credit: Future) You can expect similar performance from the 13-inch MacBook Air that’s on *****, but in a smaller form factor. The 15-inch Air weighs just 3.3 pounds but the 13-inch model tips the scales at just 2.7 pounds. Source link #Memorial #Day #Tech #Deals #Live #savings #holiday #weekend Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Why investors call Trump’s bluff on 50% tariffs on European Union Why investors call Trump’s bluff on 50% tariffs on European Union European stocks appear to have mostly shrugged off U.S. President Donald Trump’s abrupt threat to impose a 50% tariff on European Union goods, regarding it as a high-stakes negotiating tactic rather than a policy set in stone. It’s one message that could be drawn from the price action in the Stoxx Europe 600 index on Friday, which closed down 1% after initial jitters followed Trump’s post on Truth Social announcing the decision. It’s certainly unlike the 2.5% to 5% losses seen in the days following April 2 “Liberation Day” tariff announcements. .STOXX 5D line Despite the sharp rhetoric, many analysts believe the extreme nature of the 50% tariff threat, its potential economic fallout for the U.S. itself, and the language used by the president point towards a bluff designed to extract concessions. “We believe that this morning’s social media posts about a 50% tariff on the EU are primarily a negotiating tactic,” Ajay Rajadhyaksha, global chairman of research at Barclays, put bluntly in a note to clients. Rajadhyaksha noted the timing, just hours before U.S. and EU trade officials were due to speak, and the use of the word “recommending” rather than “must” as indicative. “We are guessing here – as is everyone else – but we remain of the belief that the 50% tariff on all EU goods on June 1 won’t actually go ahead.” However, the Barclays analyst conceded that tariffs are likely to be higher than expected when the dust settles. Rajadhyaksha had previously forecasted 14-17% average tariffs on U.S. imports. “That assumption might be too optimistic. The EU will not end up with 50%, we think, but it now seems the continent could end up with (say) 20%,” he added. Andrew Kenningham, chief Europe economist at Capital Economics, echoed this sentiment. “President Trump’s threat of a 50% tariff from 1st June may well turn out to be a negotiating tactic and seems very unlikely to be where tariffs settle over the long run,” he said. Kenningham warned, however, that “if it were implemented it could result in a substantial fall in GDP in Germany and potentially even higher in Ireland if pharmaceuticals were included,” estimating a ******* GDP hit of around 1.7% after three years. “At this stage, we are not inclined to change our working assumption that tariffs on the EU will ultimately settle around 10% but this underlines that there are risks and that the road to an agreement could be rocky.” Tariffs may be too expensive for the U.S. The U.S. imported $606 billion in goods from the EU in 2024, running a goods trade deficit of $236 billion. A 50% tariff, if fully implemented for a year, could cost around $300 billion directly. Using the 2018 trade war with China as a framework, Barclays’ Rajadhyaksha pointed out that “roughly 60% of actual tariffs are paid by the consumers of the tariffing country,” implying a potential $180 billion hit to U.S. consumers. “The US arguably saw this coming in the case of China and decided that it was too high a price to pay; reciprocal tariffs on China collapsed before there was too much damage done,” he explained. “We think it unlikely that the US will be willing to risk a repeat – and this time with its largest trading partner.” Risk of retaliation And unlike America’s trading relationship with China, the U.S. maintains a large services surplus with the EU, amounting to 109 billion euros ($123.5 billion) in 2023. Proceeding with a 50% import tax rate risks retaliatory measures from the European Union, according to Inga Fechner, senior economist at ING. “Despite the aggressive rhetoric, Trump’s tariff threats are often a prelude to negotiation as with China’s weekend deal at the beginning of May (which in fact was more a delay than a real deal),” Fechner pointed out. “While the EU is slower to act, it has prepared a couple of retaliatory tariff measures which are currently scheduled to enter into force on 14 July,” she said. “And if talks truly collapse, expect the EU to reach for its heaviest artillery, such as tighter regulations on US tech firms, delaying licenses or restricting public procurement access and limiting IP rights and investment flows under the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI).” In the off chance that the U.S. tariffs went into effect, Fechner has forecasted a 0.6 percentage-point hit to GDP growth which would “bring the eurozone economy close to recession territory.” Salomon Fiedler of Berenberg Economics also sees the move as a pressure tactic. “If actually implemented, such a tariff would result into significant hits to the EU and US economies,” the economist said, adding that the inflationary effect of the tariffs would also make the U.S. central bank more likely to keep interest rates higher than needed. “Given the damage the US would do to itself with this tariff, he will probably not follow through,” Fiedler added. “Still, the threat cements our view that the EU will probably not be able to negotiate away the 10% baseline tariff which Trump imposed on almost all US trade partners.” Jordan Rochester, a fixed income and currency strategist at Mizuho questioned whether Trump’s strategy was merely to ‘”escalate to de-escalate?” Rochester calculated that a 50% reciprocal tariff, excluding currently exempt items like pharma and semiconductors, would mean a “25% effective rate for the EU.” He added that “markets and EU policy makers will hope this is a move by Trump to unlock trade talks and not a permanent situation.” Source link #investors #call #Trumps #bluff #tariffs #European #Union Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Fallout 76’s New Season Has The Best Name, Includes Basket Of Dead Fish Fallout 76’s New Season Has The Best Name, Includes Basket Of Dead Fish Bethesda has announced the next major update for Fallout 76, and it’s all about fishing. Season 21, which has the excellent name “Gone Fission,” releases on June 3. Gone Fission allows players to cast their lines into any region in Appalachia, and the waters are filled with a “plethora of fish.” Some of these include the Noxious Sawgill, the Bloodwhisker, and the Glowing Gulpy. Bethesda also confirmed that rare axolotls will rotate each month. Check out the Season 21 trailer below. Season 21 also includes a variety of fishing-themed rewards, including the Gone Fission Neon Sign, the Houseboat, and the Basket of Dead Fish. The rewards can be displayed at your C.A.M.P. You can redeem the rewards with season tickets. Deck your C.A.M.P. out with Basket of Dead Fish. You can click through the gallery below to see the 11 pages of rewards for the Gone Fission update. As you can see, there are lots of items you can acquire themed around fishing, including nets, rods, goggles, a taxidermy mermaid, fish hooks, and lots more. Gone Fission. Gallery In other news, Bethesda is celebrating the launch of Doom: The Dark Ages by offering the Beelzebilly suit, the Beelzebilly head, and the Mr. Demonic backpack in Fallout 76 for players who sign up for Bethesda marketing emails. The Doom rewards in Fallout 76. Fallout 76 players have until June 27 to claim the Doom-themed items for free. Source link #Fallout #76s #Season #Includes #Basket #Dead #Fish Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump Threatens 50% Tariff on E.U. and 25% Tariff on Apple – The New York Times Trump Threatens 50% Tariff on E.U. and 25% Tariff on Apple – The New York Times Trump Threatens 50% Tariff on E.U. and 25% Tariff on Apple The New York TimesStocks, dollar stumble after Trump reignites his trade war CNNTrump angrily vows stiff new tariffs on EU and Apple iPhones New York Daily NewsMarkets Drop on Trump’s Latest Tariff Threats The New York TimesStock Market Today: Dow falls 200 points, S&P 500 and Nasdaq slide after latest Trump tariff threats; bond yields and dollar tumble MarketWatch Source link #Trump #Threatens #Tariff #E.U #Tariff #Apple #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning 4K Steelbook Preorders Are Live Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning 4K Steelbook Preorders Are Live Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is (allegedly) the final installment in the long-running series. It just landed in theaters today, and it quickly earned positive reviews from critics and viewers alike, thanks to the high-flying shenanigans of Tom Cruise. If you’re eager to add it to your home theater, preorders are now open for the Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning Limited Edition Steelbook. Standard 4K Blu-ray and DVD formats are also available, so as of now you have three editions of The Final Reckoning to choose from. $51 | Release Date TBA Since The Final Reckoning just hit theaters, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that this steelbook doesn’t yet have a firm release date. We’re also waiting for a list of bonus features–though expect to see a variety of behind-the-scenes content and featurettes. For now, we know it’ll come with a steelbook plus 4K Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray, and digital copies of the hit movie. Most retailers won’t charge your credit card until the item ships, and you’ll be eligible for any discounts between now and release. Amazon currently has the product listed for $51 and Walmart for $40, though we’re expecting Amazon to eventually lower their price. $25 | Release Date TBA If you don’t mind ditching the steelbook, you can save a bit of money with the standard 4K Blu-ray. We’re still waiting for official confirmation, but it’ll likely include all the same bonus features. It also gets you 4K Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray, and digital copies of the movie. A DVD version is available for $26 at Amazon or $20 at Walmart, and a digital copy can be purchased at Amazon Prime for $20. Preorder at Amazon: Preorder at Walmart: If you want to rewatch the saga before seeing The Final Reckoning, check out the Mission: Impossible 6-Movie Collection on 4K Blu-ray or standard 1080p Blu-ray. The 4K set also comes with Blu-ray discs, but the digital vouchers in these collections are expired. You can also find a few budget-friendly steelbook editions and standard editions of most of the Mission: Impossible films on 4K Blu-ray. If you buy the 6-Movie Collection, you’ll also need to get Dead Reckoning separately to complete your collection. Also, Mission: Impossible III is currently sold out on 4K Blu-ray, so the collection is the only way to get it from a major retailer at the moment. Ready to piece together a sprawling Mission: Impossible library? Here’s a look at the available box sets and 4K Blu-ray editions you can buy now. Many of the older steelbook are sold out, but you can still find most on 4K Blu-ray. Mission: Impossible Series on 4K Blu-ray Source link #Mission #Impossible #Final #Reckoning #Steelbook #Preorders #Live Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

File on 4 Investigates File on 4 Investigates Missing Billions investigates lost or missing financial assets. Source link #File #Investigates Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Man steering Norway ship that crashed into a garden was asleep, police say Man steering Norway ship that crashed into a garden was asleep, police say Sofia Ferreira Santos BBC News NTB/Jan Langhaugvia via Reuters The huge ship crashed into a local resident’s front garden on Thursday The watch officer of a huge container ship that ran aground and crashed into a garden in Norway has told police he was asleep at the time of the incident. Investigators said the man, a Ukrainian national in his thirties, admitted to falling asleep while on duty on his own. He has been charged with negligent navigation and police are also investigating whether rules regarding working and rest hours were adhered to on board the vessel. The 135m-ship (443ft) missed a house by metres when it ran aground on Thursday morning in Byneset, near Trondheim, central Norway. Efforts to refloat it have been unsuccessful so far. “The individual charged was the officer on watch at the time of the incident,” the prosecutor in Trondelag Police District said in a press statement. “During questioning, he stated that he fell asleep while on duty alone, which led to the vessel running aground,” he added. No one was injured in the incident. The Cypriot-flagged cargo ship, the NCL Salten, had 16 people on board and was travelling south-west through the Trondheim Fjord to Orkanger when it veered off course. Watch: Norwegian man describes waking up to cargo ship in his garden Johan Helberg, who owns the property, described the moment he looked out of his window and saw the ship in his front garden. “I had to bend my neck to see the top of it. It was so unreal,” he said in an interview with the Guardian. He was alerted to the commotion by a panicked neighbour who heard the sound of the ship and watched as it headed straight for shore. “Five metres further south and it would have entered the bedroom,” Mr Helberg told the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. According to reports, the ship had previously run aground in 2023 but crew managed to free it using its own power. Source link #Man #steering #Norway #ship #crashed #garden #asleep #police Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Wall St falls as Trump threatens EU, Apple with tariffs Wall St falls as Trump threatens EU, Apple with tariffs Wall Street’s main indexes have fallen after US President Donald Trump recommended 50 per cent tariffs on the European Union while Apple slid after he warned the company would have to pay tariffs if iPhones were not made in the United States. “The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Apple touched a two-week low and was down 2.7 per cent after Trump said in a separate post before this that the iPhone-maker would be subject to 25 per cent tariffs if its phones sold in the US were not made within the country’s borders. “Opening more fronts on the trade war was exactly what traders, hoping for a quiet end to a pre-holiday weekend, did not need and it clearly caught most off guard,” said Steve Sosnick, chief market analyst at Interactive Brokers. “It’s not clear what prompted these statements but they are emblematic of the type of volatility that we should always be prepared for.” In early trading on Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 394.94 points, or 0.94 per cent, to 41,464.15, the S&P 500 lost 68.92 points, or 1.18 per cent, to 5,773.09, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 288.78 points, or 1.53 per cent, to 18,636.96. Wall Street’s “fear gauge,” the CBOE Volatility Index, spiked to a more than two-week high and was last at 24 points. All 11 major S&P sub-sectors fell, with consumer discretionary and information technology being the worst hit. Most megacap and growth stocks dropped, with Amazon and Nvidia sliding about 2.0 per cent each. A gauge for semiconductor stocks fell nearly 2.0 per cent, while carriers including American Airlines lost more than 1.0 per cent. Sportswear giant Nike dropped 2.5 per cent and electronics retailer Best Buy dipped 1.7 per cent. Deckers Outdoor slumped more than 21 per cent after the maker of UGG boots forecast first-quarter net sales below estimates and said that due to tariff-led macroeconomic uncertainty, it would not be providing annual targets. All three main stock indexes were set for sharp weekly losses as worries about mounting debt pushed Treasury yields higher earlier in the week. Moody’s downgrade of the US credit rating late last week had initially sparked the concerns. The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives passed the sweeping tax and spending bill that would enact much of Trump’s policy agenda by a narrow margin on Thursday. The bill now heads to the Senate, which the Republicans control by 53-47, for approval. Long-dated government bond yields eased further as investors moved to safer assets, with those on the 10-year note off 4.8 basis points to 4.505 per cent. On the flip side, Intuit advanced 8.7 per cent to an all-time high after the tax-preparation software provider forecast fourth-quarter revenue and profit above estimates. Trading activity is expected to thin out heading into a long weekend as markets will be shut on Monday for Memorial Day. Source link #Wall #falls #Trump #threatens #Apple #tariffs Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Scientists Discover New Dwarf Planet in Solar System, Far Beyond Pluto Scientists Discover New Dwarf Planet in Solar System, Far Beyond Pluto In the cold, distant reaches of the Solar System, far beyond Pluto, astronomers have just identified what could be a new dwarf planet. It’s called 2017 OF201, a rock that appears to be some 700 kilometers (435 miles) across, large enough to qualify as a dwarf planet. What makes it even more interesting is its orbit, which implies that there is no giant Planet Nine, somewhere out there in the dark outer wilds of the Solar System. “The object’s aphelion – the farthest point on the orbit from the Sun – is more than 1,600 times that of the Earth’s orbit,” says astrophysicist Sihao Cheng of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. “Meanwhile, its perihelion – the closest point on its orbit to the Sun – is 44.5 times that of the Earth’s orbit, similar to Pluto’s orbit.” The 19 observations of 2017 OF201. (Cheng et al., arXiv, 2025) Cheng and his colleagues have been undertaking a campaign to find and study trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), chunks of rock and ice that orbit the Sun out beyond the orbit of Neptune at about 30 astronomical units (where one astronomical unit is the distance between Earth and the Sun). Finding these objects is hard – they’re very small and, that far from the Sun, very cold, and reflect very little light. In recent years, more powerful instruments have emerged that are better at peering into the Kuiper Belt and beyond to identify individual objects there. The most distant object detected to date is FarFarOut, a rock about 400 kilometers across, found at a distance of 132 astronomical units. Cheng and his colleagues found 2017 OF201 in archival data collected by the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey (DECaLS) and the Canada France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). Between 2011 and 2018, DECaLS and CFHT managed to observe 2017 OF201 a total of 19 times – data that allowed the team to characterize the object and its orbit with a high degree of certainty. A diagram of the orbits of Neptune, Pluto, and 2017 OF201. (Jiaxuan Li and Sihao Cheng) 2017 OF201 was initially spotted at a distance of 90.5 astronomical units, more than twice Pluto’s orbital distance of about 40 astronomical units. Its orbit is an extreme ellipse, bringing it in as close as 44 astronomical units and carrying it out as far as 1,600 astronomical units – into the inner Oort Cloud, the cloud of rocks and ice that surrounds the Solar System at its very outer limits. We don’t know how this orbit, which takes 25,000 years to complete, came into existence. It’s possible that 2017 OF201 had a gravitational interaction with something large that knocked it for a literal loop, or that the evolution of its orbit was a multi-step process. What is clear, however, is that it’s a very different orbit from the grouped orbits of previously discovered TNOs that some astronomers thought were diagnostic of a large, unseen planet in the outer Solar System. In fact, the team even conducted simulations of 2017 OF201’s orbit in the Solar System, both with and without a Planet Nine. They found that, without Planet Nine, 2017 OF201 can have a stable, long-term orbit, as it does today. With Planet Nine, however, gravitational interactions with Neptune boot 2017 OF201 clean out of the Solar System within 100 million years. Images of 2017 OF201 from the survey data, and its trajectory in the sky. (Jiaxuan Li and Sihao Cheng) It’s one of the strongest pieces of evidence yet against the existence of Planet Nine; but it also implies that there are a lot more objects like it that we haven’t found in the Kuiper Belt, and beyond. “2017 OF201 spends only one percent of its orbital time close enough to us to be detectable. The presence of this single object suggests that there could be another hundred or so other objects with similar orbit and size; they are just too far away to be detectable now,” Cheng says. “Even though advances in telescopes have enabled us to explore distant parts of the Universe, there is still a great deal to discover about our own Solar System.” 2017 OF201 has been officially announced by the International Astronomical Union, and described in a paper available on preprint website arXiv. Related News Source link #Scientists #Discover #Dwarf #Planet #Solar #System #Pluto Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Doctors issue warning over dangerous new Covid strain imported from CHINA that's now in four US states – Daily Mail Doctors issue warning over dangerous new Covid strain imported from CHINA that's now in four US states – Daily Mail Doctors issue warning over dangerous new Covid strain imported from CHINA that’s now in four US states Daily MailNew COVID variant NB.1.8.1 behind surge in China, now detected in U.S. CBS NewsCDC monitors new COVID-19 variant found in U.S. travelers 95.5 WSBNew Covid variant detected in the US: What you need to know The Economic TimesU.S. reports cases of new COVID variant NB.1.8.1 behind surge in China MSN Source link #Doctors #issue #warning #dangerous #Covid #strain #imported #CHINA #that039s #states #Daily #Mail Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Computex 2025 Day Four Wrap-Up: PCIe 6.0 SSD prototype, 321-layer 4D NAND, cheap 10 GbE controllers inbound Computex 2025 Day Four Wrap-Up: PCIe 6.0 SSD prototype, 321-layer 4D NAND, cheap 10 GbE controllers inbound Today marks our fourth and final “official” day of Computex 2025 coverage. If today’s coverage isn’t enough for you, be sure to peruse our Day Zero, Day One, Day Two, and Day Three stories and look at the Tom’s Hardware Computex 2025 hub. PCIe 6.0 SSD Prototypes Take Center Stage, 976GB of External SSD Storage, SK hynix 321-layer 4D NAND We’re settling into a groove with PCIe 5.0 SSDs, which are hovering around 14 GB/s read speeds. However, the hardware industry doesn’t sit still, meaning that the engineering skunkworks of many companies are already well, along with developing their PCIe 6.0 solutions. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Micron showed off a prototype of its 9650 Pro SSD, which uses a PCIe 6.0 x4 interface to deliver sequential reads and writes of 30.25 GB/s, effectively doubling the performance of today’s best SSDs. However, we’re still months away from when consumer (or even enterprise) PCIe 6.0 SSDs will enter the market. For starters, no current CPU platforms are available with PCIe 6.0 support. Nvidia’s Blackwell-based GPUs have native PCIe 6.0 x16 support, but that functionality is for naught without CPU support (and they have not passed interoperability tests). With that said, the first PCIe 6.0 devices officially certified by PCI-SIG will come later this year. You may like (Image credit: HighPoint) HighPoint dropped more than a few jaws with the RocketStor 6542AW, an external storage solution with eight hot-swap 2.5-inch NVMe bays. The unit on display was configured with eight 122TB PCIe 4.0 SSDs, offering a combined 976TB capacity. In a RAID array, the RocketStor 6542AW is capable of sequential reads of up to 28 GB/s. SK hynix’s first UFS 4.1 storage solutions are expected to land in early 2026, with the first applications being smartphones. The company uses a 321-layer 4D NAND flash to power 512GB and 1TB storage units. According to SK hynix, its UFS 4.1 ICs can perform at up to 4,300 MB/s in chips that are 15 percent thinner while delivering a 7 percent uplift in power efficiency compared to the previous generation. (Image credit: SK hynix) New Wireless and Wired Networking Product on the Horizon Wi-Fi 7 is all the rage these days, and Asus is at the forefront with routers and client adapters covering various price points. The company’s latest Wi-Fi 7 offering is the ROG Strix GS-BE18000. As a member of the ROG family, performance is crucial, so Asus has fitted it with a 2GHz quad-core processor and a healthy 2GB of DDR4 memory. (Image credit: Future) Asus has wireless transmission covered, with up to 11,529 Mbps on the 6 GHz band, 5,765 Mbps on the 5 GHz band, and 688 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band. While 19,000 Mbps of combined throughput is impressive, the real claim to fame for the ROG Strix GS-BE18000 is that it has a staggering nine 2.5 GbE ports. Of that assortment, two are specifically optimized for gaming, while one is a dedicated WAN port. In case you’re wondering, it offers up to 3,300 square feet of coverage. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) Sticking strictly with the wired side of networking, Realtek is bringing 10 GbE networking to the masses with its diminutive (9 mm x 9 mm) RTL8127 chip. The network controller operates over a PCIe 4.0 x2 interface and supports up to 10 Gbps operating speeds. At just $10, the RTL8127 should prove popular in laptops, motherboards, and add-in PCIe cards. The Best of the Rest Source link #Computex #Day #WrapUp #PCIe #SSD #prototype #321layer #NAND #cheap #GbE #controllers #inbound Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Harvard, Trump battle over international enrollment; students scramble Harvard, Trump battle over international enrollment; students scramble Immediately after the Trump administration blocked Harvard University on Thursday from enrolling future international students and retaining currently enrolled foreign students, some members of next year’s freshman class started scrambling. “I was on the phone with a parent who was visibly shaken and completely frantic,” said Christopher Rim, president and CEO of college consulting firm Command Education. Rim, who works with a large share of international students from abroad, said a few of his clients were accepted into the Class of 2029 and committed to Harvard on May 1, also known as National College Decision Day, which was just three weeks ago. Now, they don’t know what to do. “This is a major moment in these students’ lives,” Rim said. “Given the circumstances and policies and laws that we have right now, we are advising these families to look into taking a gap year — hopefully by then, the Trump administration and Harvard can come to an agreement.” An escalating legal battle On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security terminated Harvard’s student and exchange visitor program certification, therefore blocking foreign students from enrolling and forcing existing foreign students to transfer or lose their legal status. Harvard sued the Trump administration on Friday, asking a federal judge to reverse the ban on international students. International students accounted for 27% of Harvard’s total enrollment in the 2024-25 academic year. That’s up from 20% during 2006-07. More from Personal Finance: Wage garnishment for defaulted student loans to begin What loan forgiveness opportunities remain under Trump Is college still worth it? It is for most, but not all The latest move came amid an escalating standoff between the government and the Ivy League school after Harvard refused to meet a set of demands issued by the Trump administration’s Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism. “It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement Thursday. In a statement on Friday, Harvard called Thursday’s action “unlawful and unwarranted.” “It imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams,” Harvard said. Colleges rely on international enrollment “It’s a shock,” said Hafeez Lakhani, founder and president of Lakhani Coaching in New York. “At a time when international applications — and international yield — are under pressure, this sends a signal to the rest of the world that not only is Harvard closed to the international best and brightest, but that the U.S. is not a welcome place for international students,” Lakhani said. International enrollment is an important source of revenue for schools, which is why colleges tend to rely on a contingent of foreign students, who typically pay full tuition. Altogether, international student enrollment contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023-24, according to a report by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. During that academic year, there were more than 1.1 million international undergraduate and graduate students in the U.S., mostly from India and China, making up slightly less than 6% of the total U.S. higher education population, according to the latest Open Doors data, released by the U.S. Department of State and the Institute of International Education. In the 2023-24 academic year, the U.S. hosted a record number of students from abroad, marking a 7% increase from the previous year. Next steps for Harvard students in limbo FILE PHOTO: People walk on the Business School campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., April 15, 2025. Faith Ninivaggi | Reuters The Trump administration’s move puts Harvard international students in a “limbo state,” said Mark Kantrowitz, a higher education expert. His advice to admitted or enrolled international students: Start exploring your options but don’t make any sudden moves until you hear from the university. “Harvard is going to be scrambling to deal with this, and they will issue guidance to admitted students and the enrolled students,” Kantrowitz said. In its statement, Harvard called international students and scholars “vital members of our community.” “We will support you as we do our utmost to ensure that Harvard remains open to the world,” it said. Kantrowitz doesn’t expect the Trump administration to prevail in Harvard’s lawsuit, though of course it’s a possibility, he said. Transferring to another U.S. school may have its own risks. “I’ve heard from [Harvard] students who are seeking to transfer,” Kantrowitz said. “But that might be jumping from the frying pan into fire. These other colleges could be targeted soon enough.” It may also be difficult for Harvard’s incoming freshman class to transfer to another university, Kantrowitz said. Many institutions may already be at full enrollment for the coming academic year, he said. There are currently more than 300 U.S. schools still accepting applications for prospective first-year and transfer students for the upcoming fall term, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Harvard students who require financial aid may have a tougher time transferring, depending on the university, compared to those who don’t need assistance, Kantrowitz said. That’s because many schools use “need sensitive” or “need aware” admissions for international students, Kantrowitz said. That means they consider the student’s financial need when choosing whether to accept the student. Already, some of Lakhani’s college-bound clients have started considering schools outside the U.S., fueled by fear about rapid policy changes, he said. Indeed, some schools overseas are trying to woo Harvard’s international students in light of the Trump administration’s recent maneuver. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, for example, issued an “open invitation” to Harvard students on Friday to continue their education there, to “pursue their educational goals without disruption.” “This sends a clear signal for the best and brightest to look elsewhere — including other countries — to thrive intellectually,” Lakhani said. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. Source link #Harvard #Trump #battle #international #enrollment #students #scramble Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Fuel bank chief’s caution over energy price fall Fuel bank chief’s caution over energy price fall The chief executive of a charity which supports people with their energy bills has welcomed the news that prices will fall from July – but said they were still very high. Energy regulator Ofgem announced on Friday a typical gas and electricity bill would drop by 7%, its first fall in a year But Matt Cole from the Fuel Bank Foundation said people were still paying £500 more per year than before the cost of living crisis, so people “wouldn’t feel any richer”. Mr Cole, who lives in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, said the *** also still had the most expensive energy prices in Europe. Tim Jarvis, director general of markets at Ofgem, said the drop in energy bills reflected a fall in the international price of wholesale gas. Mr Cole said he suspected prices would go up again in the winter, as demand for fuel rises again across Europe. He said he would like to see the energy price cap, which sets a maximum that suppliers can charge for each unit of energy, reviewed every six months, instead of the current three months, to give consumers more certainty. His charity supports people struggling to pay their energy bills and he said they often said they were worried about future price rises. Source link #Fuel #bank #chiefs #caution #energy #price #fall Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Data embassies and US embargo halt give Saudi AI hope Data embassies and US embargo halt give Saudi AI hope Saudi Arabia’s (KSA’s) attempt to turn from one of the least to most developed data markets in the world has advanced with measures it and the US have taken to encourage investors to build artificial intelligence (AI) datacentres in the country. KSA came closer to finalising plans to treat foreign computer systems as “data embassies”, reassuring firms their customer data would be safely stored in the authoritarian Gulf monarchy. Meanwhile, the US scrapped export controls on its most advanced AI chips, which had threatened to stop KSA from ever realising its plan to become a global leader in AI. Those legal preparations bore fruit this week before either was actually enacted, when Nvidia, whose advanced AI chips are the subject of US export controls, said it had done a deal to ship 18,000 of them to the Saudi state-owned Public Investment Fund. The chips were the first stage in a plan to install “several hundred thousand” Nvidia Grace Blackwell AI chips in five years, consuming 500MW of energy. Political analysts and industry insiders said, before KSA’s plans unfurled this week, that its proposed Global AI Hub Law would allow KSA to get banned AI chips that both it and foreign firms would need to build AI systems in the country. The draft law offers to give foreign computer systems embassy status, so their operators answered only to the laws of their home nations. It would forbid the Saudi state from intruding. KSA concluded a public consultation on the law the day after an Investment Summit, at which US president Donald Trump and Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud signed a broad economic partnership and presided over $600bn of trade deals, the White House said in a statement. They had done $300bn of deals when the conference opened, and aspired to $1tn, the prince told the conference on Tuesday. The deals encompassed defence, energy, tech and health. The audacity of KSA’s ambition was made apparent by data that in February, according to Computer Weekly analysis, showed how among 20 of the most notable data markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Saudi capital Riyadh had the second-least of all operational, planned and unfinished datacentres, above only Athens. With 125MW of computing capacity then planned in Riyadh, it was barely 5% of the forecast size of EMEA market leader London, and not 15% of the size of its rival and neighbour, the United Arab Emirates, according to numbers published by commercial estate agent Cushman & Wakefield. The largest datacentre investment deal apparent, among those announced at the Forum, was Saudi firm DataVolt, investing $20bn in the US. On Monday, the US scrapped the AI Diffusion Rule, by which former president Joe Biden had blocked exports of powerful AI chips to all but a handful of countries because, US AI tzar David Sacks told the conference, it stopped US technology proliferating around the world and stifled strategic partners such as KSA, when it was supposed to hinder AI development in only a few countries. The US had decided instead to model AI policy on Silicon Valley’s software ecosystems, where firms became dominant by publishing application programming interfaces (APIs) that others could use to build on their technology. “They’re able to build these ecosystems without even having any lawyers involved,” said Sacks. “There’s no need for a contract. You just publish an API. In a similar way, the US needs to encourage the world to build on our tech stack. “President Trump said ‘the US has to win the AI race’. How do we win the AI race? We have to build the biggest partner ecosystem. We need our friends like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and other strategic partners and allies, to build on our tech. “We want our technology to spread,” he said. “We want people to use it. We want to become the standard.” Data sovereignty KSA’s attempt, meanwhile, to encourage foreign firms to build AI datacentres in the country by allowing their home nations to retain sovereignty over their data was widely commended as a strategic masterstroke. “It’s still an immature market, but the opportunity is huge,” said Stephen Beard, a real estate deal-maker for Knight Frank in Dubai. KSA could be a top-seven datacentre market in a decade. His firm estimated US cloud computing firms had recently committed to $9bn of investment there by 2027. Knight Frank alone was handling $7bn of datacentre deals for firms attracted by the local market opportunity, in a country with 20% lower power costs than the ***, a large, growing population and a non-democratic government able to digitise rapidly without the inconvenience of parliamentary process. President Trump commended KSA’s ruling family for that in a speech in Riyadh this week. “The AI Hub law is optically a fantastic move,” said Beard. “It should go some way to appeasing investors’ concerns. But we are talking about Saudi Arabia. Who decides the law in Saudi Arabia? Any developer looks for a higher return because of the macro risks.” But computer firms would invest there to serve KSA. The idea of KSA becoming a “super-hub” was flawed. Munir Suboh, a lawyer at Taylor Wessing in Riyadh, said the law would give KSA an “unprecedented advantage” over other countries which hesitate to cede sovereignty over foreign facilities. Contrast Saudi Arabia’s attempt to make life easier for foreign investors with Europe’s regulatory preoccupation with imposing safety standards. “Traditionally, cross-border data transfers require compliance with multiple data localisation regulations, especially in data-heavy industries,” said Oliver Subhedar, a commercial dispute lawyer with Burlingtons. KSA is seeking a comparative advantage over other states by regulating datacentres themselves.” Risk and compliance costs KSA would slash the cost of risk and compliance for multinationals that ordinarily had to accommodate a host of different regulations around the world, said ***** Masri, managing director of investment advisory R Consultancy in Dubai. That would cut capital costs for investors. “Hyperscalers need this law to import data into KSA to run large language models and generate meaningful AI,” said Amrik Sangha, a consultant with Gateley in Dubai. But KSA needed to address the question of “grey” fibre optic cables that would carry foreign data transfers “without monitoring”, he said. Grey, or “dark”, cables are private, point-to-point communications lines not reliant on local connections. Notwithstanding the unexpected US U-turn, Juliana Rordorf, Middle East director for political consultancy Albright Stonebridge Group, said the law might influence the global debate about data localisation, as well as AI export controls. Neighbouring Bahrain has had a data embassy law since 2018, while UAE, whose datacentre market and planned construction dwarfs that of KSA, recently made bilateral data embassy agreements with France and Italy. Such a law has even been mooted as a way to encourage investors deterred by Europe’s onerous data protection rules, having been pioneered in Estonia, and aped in Monaco, as a means of securing government backup datacentres in Luxembourg, because they otherwise had nowhere to put them safely. Source link #Data #embassies #embargo #halt #give #Saudi #hope Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

‘Big beautiful’ tax bill skipped ACA credits: How it affects insurance ‘Big beautiful’ tax bill skipped ACA credits: How it affects insurance Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) (R) talks with House ********* Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) while attend an event to mark the 14 anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act at the U.S. Capitol on March 21, 2024 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images The multitrillion-dollar tax and spending package House Republican passed on Thursday contains a multitude of changes that may affect consumers’ finances. But the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” is missing something health care advocates hoped to see: an extension of the premium tax credits under the enhanced Affordable Care Act that are set to expire at the end of the year. The credits’ absence is notable when the bill includes other proposed changes to the ACA marketplace, experts say. The ACA’s enhanced premium credits help make health insurance policies through the marketplace more affordable. Eligible applicants can use the credit to lower insurance premium costs upfront or claim the tax break when filing their return. Instead of a lower-income person paying 2% of their income on their premium, they pay nothing, according to KFF. Higher income people, who were originally ineligible for credits, currently pay no more than 8.5% of their income on their premium. More from Personal Finance: House Republican budget bill boosts maximum child tax credit to $2,500 What the House GOP budget bill means for your money Judge orders Trump administration to reinstate Education Department employees Without the extension, nearly all subsidized ACA enrollees can expect their monthly premiums to rise, said Cynthia Cox, vice president and director of the program on the ACA at KFF. For example, a family of four making $85,000 would have to pay an additional $313 in premiums for coverage in 2026 and face a $900 increase in their out-of-pocket maximum, according to an April report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. “Pretty much everyone, almost everybody who’s buying their own health insurance, now would see their costs go up,” Cox said. Here’s what to know if you buy health insurance through the federal marketplace. Tax credits boosted ACA marketplace enrollment The extended subsidies were passed via the American Rescue Plan Act during the pandemic, and covered plans in 2021 and 2022. The Inflation Reduction Act extended the benefit until the end of 2025. The premium tax credits made health insurance purchased through the marketplace much more attractive and affordable for people, Cox said. Since the extended tax credits have been in place, the enrollment in ACA marketplace grew from 12 million in 2021 to a record 24.2 million in 2025, according to a February report by the Commonwealth Fund. But if the benefits expire, “we’re basically back to the same Affordable Care Act that existed the last time Trump was president,” Cox said. Some consumers may lose eligibility If premium tax credits aren’t extended, some people may see their costs rise high enough that they can’t afford coverage. Under the original version of the ACA, middle-income households were often priced out of the health care subsidies. If we go back to earlier thresholds, those who earn more than four times the federal poverty level — $62,000 for an individual or $128,600 for a family of four with 2026 coverage — would lose eligibility for subsidies and would have to pay the full cost for their health plans, according to KFF. Researchers at KFF anticipate that between the potential lapse of the credits coupled with the proposals, enrollment could shrink by one-third, leaving about 8 million uninsured in the U.S. One change that is in the House GOP tax bill would make both the share of income that people pay for premiums after tax credits and the maximum out-of-pocket limit 4.5% higher in 2026 than they would have been without the rule, according to Gideon Lukens, senior fellow at the CBPP. He wrote a report in April about the ACA changes in the House proposal and the absence of the premium tax credits. ‘An issue of contention’ The premium tax benefits have been “an issue of contention” among lawmakers as Republicans have not indicated an interest in extending the enhanced premium credits any further, said Jonathan Burks, executive vice president of economic and health policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. Yet, there have been at least two GOP senators that are interested in extending the credits, KFF’s Cox said. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has said she supports extending the enhanced subsidies to help people afford premiums. “I think we’re going to need to continue these premium tax credits,” Murkowski said in an interview with the Alaska Beacon in January. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., also expressed interest in extending the premiums in an interview with AxiosPro in March. Neither Murkowski nor Tillis responded to CNBC for comment. It’s possible that the ACA premium tax credits could be addressed in a different piece of legislation later in the year, Cox said. “But at least right now, that’s not in this bill that’s being debated right now,” she said. Source link #Big #beautiful #tax #bill #skipped #ACA #credits #affects #insurance Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Biggest Changes Coming in Mario Kart World on Nintendo Switch 2 The Biggest Changes Coming in Mario Kart World on Nintendo Switch 2 BlackCountryBob10d ago Beyond it all, I do wonder at what point Nintendo will begin to get less payoff from its current big franchises, because they really haven’t had a successful new franchise in maybe 10 years plus (Splatoon) and even in the decade before its pretty much only Pikmin or Luigi’s Mansion and both these are very niche games. Don’t get me wrong, Mario Kart and the 2D / 3D Mario games, Zelda, Smash Bros, Animal Crossing etc are always huge games, but in many ways they remain iterations of games dating back to the N64 era or before and at some point, particularly with rising barriers to entry (the £99 DS / GBA SP basically every kid had is a distant memory) I am curious if the reliance upon new versions of these games will lose their appeal because the numbers who will have good memories and experience of the prior games will begin the decline. I’d love to see Nintendo really do something new from a franchise or genre perspective and fully commit to it as a partial justification for its current money hungry approach. Or of course, the Waluigi game I’m desperately hoping for. Source link #Biggest #Coming #Mario #Kart #World #Nintendo #Switch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]