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Bungie Responds To Marathon Art Theft Claims Bungie Responds To Marathon Art Theft Claims Bungie has admitted to finding stolen art assets in its upcoming extraction shooter Marathon. Graphic artist Antireal has taken to X to claim that Bungie used their poster designs from 2017 without compensation or credit. Bungie admits the claims, and says it will undertake a complete review of the game’s assets. Antireal posted to X on May 15, claiming that “The Marathon alpha released recently and its environments are covered with assets lifted from poster designs I made in 2017.” They tagged both Bungie and Marathon’s franchise art director, Joseph Cross. Artist Antireal posted comparison between in-game screenshots and their original art. They continue, “Bungie is of course not obligated to hire me when making a game that draws overwhelmingly from the same design language I have refined for the last decade, but clearly my work was good enough to pillage for ideas and plaster all over their game without pay or attribution.” Antireal explains that they don’t have the resources “nor the energy” to pursue the matter legally, but that it isn’t the first time they’ve faced similar issues. Antireal even confirms that Cross has followed their account “for a few years.” Bungie responded via its own Marathon dev team X account to say that it “immediately investigated” the concerns, and “confirmed that a former Bungie artist included these in a texture sheet that was ultimately used in-game.” It goes on to state that the issue was “unknown” to the existing art team, and it is reviewing how the oversight happened. Comparisons between Antireal’s art and in-game screenshots from Marathon. Bungie also says it reached out to Antireal to discuss the matter. “[We] are committed to do right by the artist,” it confirms. “As a matter of policy, we do not use the work of artists without their permission.” The developer also confirms that to prevent “similar issues” happening again, it will conduct a “thorough review” of game assets, with particular emphasis on the former artist responsible for the issue. However, it’s not the first time Bungie has been caught using assets without permission, as X user GaminCounselor points out. In 2021, the Witch Queen DLC trailer featured fan art of Xivu Arath without credit. In 2023, a Destiny 2 cutscene used near-identical fan art without permission. In 2024, the Ace of Spades NERF gun merchandise appeared to copy a fan-created design. In all cases Bungie reached out to the artists to apologize, credit, or compensate them–but four occurrences of art theft in as many years raises questions about Bungie’s internal policies when it comes to these matters. Bungie plans to host a Marathon stream later today (May 16) at 1PM PT / 6PM ET. It’s unlikely that it will address the asset theft during the stream, but given the interactive nature of Twitch, viewers may well have comment to pass. Marathon is set for release on September 23, and while it won’t be “full price,” Bungie says it will be “a premium title.” Source link #Bungie #Responds #Marathon #Art #Theft #Claims Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Security tests reveal serious vulnerability in government’s One Login digital ID system Security tests reveal serious vulnerability in government’s One Login digital ID system External security tests on the government’s flagship digital identity system, Gov.*** One Login, have found serious vulnerabilities in the live service, Computer Weekly has learned. A “red teaming” exercise conducted in March by IT security consultancy Cyberis discovered that privileged access to One Login can be compromised without detection by security monitoring tools. According to Cyberis, red teaming tests the resilience of systems by simulating the tactics, techniques and procedures of cyber attackers to show how well an organisation can detect and respond to an incident. Computer Weekly has been asked by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) not to reveal further details of the vulnerability while the Government Digital Service (GDS) seeks to fix the problem. Compromising the highest levels of access to a system risks exposing personal data and software code to any cyber attackers able to exploit the vulnerability. A government spokesperson said: “Delivering best practice, we routinely conduct red teaming exercises to test security infrastructure. Where issues are found, we work urgently to resolve them.” The existence of a serious current vulnerability will raise further concerns over the security of One Login, which is intended to be the way that citizens prove their identity and log in to most online government services. There are already six million users of the system, and it is used to access more than 50 online services. Last month, Computer Weekly revealed that GDS was warned by the Cabinet Office in November 2022 and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in September 2023, that One Login had “serious data protection failings” and “significant shortcomings” in information security that could increase the risk of data breaches and identity theft. GDS said the concerns were “outdated” and arose “when the technology was in its infancy in 2023”, despite One Login being used at that time to support live services. “We have worked to address all these concerns as evidenced by multiple external independent assessments. Any suggestion otherwise is unfounded,” said a spokesperson, at the time. A whistleblower first raised security concerns about One Login within GDS as long ago as July 2022. The issues identified included system administration being performed through non-compliant devices with a risk of transmitting security vulnerabilities, such as malware or phishing attacks, that could compromise the live system. The NCSC recommends that system administration for key government services should be conducted from a dedicated device used only for that purpose, known as a privileged access workstation (PAW), or alternatively to use only “browse down” devices, where the security level of the device is always the same or greater than the system being managed. The whistleblower warned that a lack of PAWs and use of browse-up administration were significant risks. Computer Weekly subsequently revealed that the One Login team has yet to fully meet NCSC guidelines – the system only complies with 21 of the 39 outcomes detailed in the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) – an improvement on the five outcomes it successfully followed a year ago. The One Login development team is also yet to fully implement the government’s Secure by Design practices, although GDS said the system “meets these principles”. Earlier this week, we further revealed that One Login had lost its certification against the government’s own trust framework for digital identity systems, after a key technology supplier allowed its certification to lapse and, as a result, One Login was removed from the official accreditation scheme. In a meeting with private sector digital identity providers this week (Wednesday 14 May), DSIT secretary of state Peter Kyle explained how One Login will underpin the forthcoming Gov.*** Wallet, which will be used to deliver digital versions of key government documents, such as driving licences. Kyle talked about the “rapid journey” he hopes the government will take in delivering digital identity services for citizens and stressed the importance that such systems are “delivered safely [and] securely”. The government spokesperson added: “Gov.*** One Login follows the highest security standards for government and private sector services – including dedicated 24/7 eyes-on monitoring and incident response. As the public rightly expects, protecting the security of government services and the data and privacy of users to keep pace with the changing cyber threat landscape is paramount.” Questions are also being asked in Parliament about the security of One Login. In recent weeks, Liberal Democrat peer and digital spokesman Tim Clement-Jones and Conservative peer Simone Finn have separately submitted Parliamentary questions to DSIT asking for reassurances about the system. Finn asked whether the government has “quantified the likelihood and potential impact of insider threats, unauthorised privileged access, and production environment compromise within One Login”. In response, DSIT minister for the future digital economy and online safety, peer Maggie Jones, said: “The Gov.*** One Login team collaborates closely with the NCSC to assess and mitigate risks associated with insider threats, unauthorised privileged access, and production environment compromise, aligning with the Cyber Assessment Framework outlined in the Government Cyber Security Strategy 2022-2030. “While assessments of insider threats have been made, copies of these assessments will not be placed in the Library of the House, as they are part of ongoing security measures and internal governance processes.” Clement-Jones asked: “What steps [the government is] taking to address security issues in the One Login digital identification system?” Jones replied: “One Login follows the highest security standards for government and private sector services. As the public rightly expects, protecting the security of government services and the data and privacy of users to keep pace with the changing cyber threat landscape is paramount. “Security best practice is followed with a number of layered security controls which include: Security clearances for staff with ‘Security Check’ clearance required for all developers with production access; identity and access management controls that block staff from viewing or altering personal information; a secure by design and compartmentalised system architecture; technical controls around building and deployments; logging and monitoring to alert on access to environments that contain personally identifiable information; and robust procedures for addressing any unauthorised or unaccounted for access.” Speaking to Computer Weekly about the security concerns, Clement-Jones said: “How is the government’s flagship digital identity system failing to meet standards so badly, given that it is expected to shortly form an essential part of our immigration controls? We need answers and quickly.” Source link #Security #tests #reveal #vulnerability #governments #Login #digital #system Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Walmart, Shein, Target, and other major brands that say Trump’s tariffs are pushing them to raise prices Walmart, Shein, Target, and other major brands that say Trump’s tariffs are pushing them to raise prices Some companies are preparing to raise prices in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs.Brandon Bell/Getty, Tyler Le/*** Trump’s tariffs have led some companies to announce that they plan to raise prices. Even before his so-called “Liberation Day,” companies warned they would pass costs on to shoppers. *** is keeping track of companies that said they’d raise prices due to tariffs. Prices are expected to go up this year as many companies signal plans to raise them in response to President Donald Trump’s slew of tariffs. While firms raise prices for many reasons, some were blaming price hikes on tariffs long before Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” on April 2, during which he announced a 10% baseline tariff on imports from most countries, except Canada and Mexico, and a host of “reciprocal” tariffs on top of that. The situation is fluid. China, for example, now faces tariffs of 30%, down from 145%, after striking a trade deal with the US that does not restore the de minimis exemption. Autos are another area of focus after Trump announced a 25% tariff on all car imports into the US, though he’s since exempted imports of cars and car parts from Mexico and Canada. “April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America’s destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to make America wealthy again,” Trump said during his remarks. Some economists have said that Trump’s tariffs — and the uncertainty with his overall trade policy — could lead companies to raise prices on the goods they produce. Many companies have already indicated that price hikes are coming. Toward the end of 2024, some companies began to warn that they would consider raising prices on consumers if Trump implemented his broad tariff proposals. While it’s still possible they could absorb some of the costs of the tariffs, here are the companies that have warned of price increases in recent months. The two ******** retailers released almost identical notices on April 16, both reading: “Due to recent changes in global trade rules and tariffs, our operating expenses have gone up.” “To keep offering the products you love without compromising on quality, we will be making price adjustments starting April 25, 2025,” Shein’s statement said. Shein, a fast-fashion retailer, and Temu, a marketplace for everything from home goods to electronics, promised their US customers eight final days of low-price shopping. In addition to hiking tariffs on ******** imports, Trump also cracked down on the de minimis trade loophole that allowed small parcels under $800 to enter the US tax-free. Shein and Temu were large beneficiaries of this loophole. Bloomberg reported that the automaker plans to raise prices on new gas and electric cars starting in May unless Trump gives the industry some relief from tariffs. Ford, in a memo to dealers viewed by Bloomberg, said that the company anticipates “the need to make vehicle pricing adjustments in the future, which is expected to happen with May production.” Prices won’t change for vehicles in inventory now. On April 14, Trump told reporters that he was contemplating a temporary tariff exemption for autos to give manufacturers more time to move production to the US — but no blanket exemption has yet been instituted. Conagra Brands CEO Sean Connolly told Reuters on April 3 that the food company may have to hike prices to offset the cost of tariffs on ingredients like cocoa, olive oil, palm oil, and a type of steel used for its canned products. Connolly said that Conagra, which makes products such as Hunt’s ketchup and Chef Boyardee, imports tin plate steel for its canned food and tomatoes from Mexico. It was too early to tell how big price hikes on the company’s food products would be, he added. During an April 3 earnings call, he stressed that the trade situation remains “volatile” and changes hourly. According to a memo first reported by Automotive News, Volkswagen said it would place an import fee on vehicles made outside of the US in response to Trump’s 25% tariff on car imports. Kjell Gruner, Volkswagen’s North America chief executive officer, recently said the carmaker would keep prices steady through the end of May but that they could increase in June. Best Buy CEO Corie Barry said during the company’s March earnings call that Trump’s tariff plans are likely to increase prices. “Trade is critically important to our business and industry. The consumer electronic supply chain is highly global, technical and complex,” Barry said. “We expect our vendors across our entire assortment will pass along some level of tariff costs to retailers, making price increases for American consumers highly likely.” Target CEO Brian Cornell told CNBC in a March interview that Trump’s 25% tariff plan on goods from Mexico and Canada would likely result in price increases on produce. “Those are categories where we’ll try to protect pricing, but the consumer will likely see price increases over the next couple of days,” Cornell said. Donald Allan, the CEO of the manufacturing company Stanley ****** & Decker, said during a February earnings call: “Our approach to any tariff scenario will be to offset the impacts with a mix of supply chain and pricing actions, which might lag the formalization of tariffs by two to three months.” Allan had previously told analysts in an October earnings call that the company had been evaluating “a variety of different scenarios” to plan for new tariffs under Trump. “And obviously, coming out of the gate, there would be price increases associated with tariffs that we put into the market,” Allan said, adding that “there’s usually some type of delay given the processes that our customers have around implementing price.” On May 15, Walmart executives said price increases were likely to spike even higher, blaming Trump’s ongoing trade war. “Even at the reduced levels, the higher tariffs will result in higher prices,” CEO Doug McMillon said during the company’s first quarter earnings call. US sales were boosted by shoppers looking to beat tariff-related price hikes — but despite strong first-quarter results, Walmart’s chief financial officer, John David Rainey, said the extra costs are too great for the company to take on without passing part of the burden on to consumers. “We’re wired for everyday low prices, but the magnitude of these increases is more than any retailer can absorb,” he said. Tim Boyle, the CEO of Columbia Sportswear, told analysts on an October earnings call that the company was “very concerned about the imposition of tariffs. ” He said that while he considered Columbia adept at managing tariffs, “trade wars are not good and not easy to win.” Boyle also told The Washington Post in October that the company was “set to raise prices.” “It’s going to be very, very difficult to keep products affordable for Americans,” he said. He later said in a February interview with CNBC that “we need some surety about what is going to happen” before making price changes. Philip Daniele, the CEO of the auto-parts company AutoZone, told analysts on a September earnings call that tariff policies had “ebbed and flowed over the years,” and if Trump implemented more tariffs, “we will pass those tariff costs back to the consumer.” “We generally raise prices ahead of that,” Daniele said, adding that prices would gradually settle over time. “So, that’s historically what we’ve done,” he said. A 25% tariff on car imports is expected to increase manufacturing costs by anywhere from $4,000 to $12,000. P&G, the consumer goods company behind brands like Tide and Charmin, is looking at raising prices on new and existing products. CEO Jon Moeller told CNBC that price hikes are “likely.” “We will have to pull every lever we have in our arsenal to mitigate the impact of tariffs within our cost structure and P&L,” P&G’s CFO, Andre Schulten, said on a call with reporters. The company is evaluating “exactly what is the right plan by brand, by market, what combination of pricing, over what ******* of time,” Schulten added. Italian luxury carmaker Ferrari said in March it’d raise prices by up to 10% on certain models imported to the US starting April 2. The change was made “based on the preliminary information currently available regarding the introduction of import tariffs on EU cars into the USA,” the company said. Eric du Halgouët, executive vice president of finance at the company, told analysts on a call in April that Hermès, the luxury retailer known for its iconic Birkin handbags, hadn’t yet been impacted by the tariffs, but said the company would raise prices in the US in May. “The price increase that we’re going to implement will be just for the US. Since it’s aimed at offsetting the increase in tariffs, that only applies to the American market,” du Halgouët said on the call. While Nintendo’s highly anticipated Switch 2 console won’t see a price hike over tariffs, Nintendo said accessories for the Switch 2 “will experience price adjustments from those announced on April 2 due to changes in market conditions.” “Other adjustments to the price of any Nintendo product are also possible in the future depending on market conditions,” the company added in its announcement. The company also delayed preorders for the Switch 2 in the wake of the tariffs. How have prices affected you? Reach out to *****@*****.tld. Read the original article on Business Insider Source link #Walmart #Shein #Target #major #brands #Trumps #tariffs #pushing #raise #prices Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Breville’s new premium drip coffee maker promises quick cold-brew, more flavor, and less mess Breville’s new premium drip coffee maker promises quick cold-brew, more flavor, and less mess The Breville Luxe Brewer is a new premium drip coffee maker It has a removable water tank and customizable brewing profiles It’s available with either a glass or stainless steel insulated carafe Breville, maker of some of the best coffee makers we’ve tested here at TechRadar, has launched a new drip coffee machine that helps you get more flavor from your beans, and avoid one of the most common pitfalls when making filter coffee: water spills. Even the best drip coffee makers tend to have an integrated water tank, so you have to fill it using the carafe (risking spillage) and you can’t easily see how clean it is, whether it needs descaling, or how much water is inside. That’s not the case with the new Breville Luxe Brewer, which has a 12-cup water tank with integrated filter that simply lifts off the base, and has an extra-wide top for easy filling. You may like (Image credit: Breville) Like the Fellow Aiden Precision Coffee Maker I reviewed recently, the Breville Luxe Brewer can make brewing as simple or technical as you like. You can begin brewing a pot of coffee with a single button press, or get technical by customizing the bloom volume (the amount of hot water dispensed to pre-infuse your coffee grounds before brewing), bloom time (how long that water is allowed to sit on the coffee grounds), brewing temperature, and flow rate. Once you’ve found your preferred settings, you can save them as a preset for next time. Other features include a programmable timer so you can wake to freshly brewed coffee first thing in the morning, a cold-brew setting that promises to make smooth, full bodied filter coffee in just 30 minutes, and a hot plate to keep your brew warm for up to six hours. Hot stuff Opinions on hot plates vary. Personally I find them convenient and don’t find they affect the taste of my drinks too much, but if you disagree then you’ll be pleased to know that it’s not the only way to keep your coffee at the right temperature. Like its predecessor, the Breville Precision Brewer, the Breville Luxe Brewer is available in two versions: one with a glass carafe, and one with an insulated double-walled jug to keep your coffee hot for up to four hours. The machine is supplied with two filter baskets – one cone-shaped and one flat-bottomed – which are intended to help your coffee infuse in different ways, bringing out subtly different flavor profiles. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. According to research by the Speciality Coffee Association (SCA) and partners, the cone should create fruitier notes, while the flat-bottomed basket brings out softer chocolatey and floral flavors. (Image credit: Breville) The Breville Luxe Brewer is on ***** now, and costs $319.95 (about £240 / AU$500) with a glass carafe, or $349.95 (about £260 / AU$550) with a thermal pitcher. The new brewer isn’t yet available outside the US, but we’ll keep you updated with international launch dates and prices when they are announced, and hope to bring you a full review very soon. You might also like Source link #Brevilles #premium #drip #coffee #maker #promises #quick #coldbrew #flavor #mess Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Stock Market Today: Dow Futures Gain — Live Updates – WSJ Stock Market Today: Dow Futures Gain — Live Updates – WSJ Stock Market Today: Dow Futures Gain — Live Updates WSJStock market today: S&P 500 sets up for 5th straight win as Dow and Nasdaq tick higher Yahoo FinanceStocks just erased all of this year’s losses as investors welcome trade progress CNNUS stock futures rise after economic data aid comeback USA TodayStock Market Today: Dow industrials set for gains, S&P 500 poised for fifth-straight win as Nasdaq Composite also set to rise, with options expirations in focus; Applied Materials shares slump MarketWatch Source link #Stock #Market #Today #Dow #Futures #Gain #Live #Updates #WSJ Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Netflix Unveils AI-Powered Feature That Will Blend Ads With Shows and Movies Netflix Unveils AI-Powered Feature That Will Blend Ads With Shows and Movies Netflix unveiled a new artificial intelligence (AI) for its advertisers at its Upfront event on Wednesday. The streaming platform is heavily investing in its new in-house ad platform dubbed Netflix Ads Suite, and it showcased some of the features and tools that advertisers can leverage. The company also unveiled several ad formats to help its clients reach their desired targets. Part of the new formats, Netflix is planning to use AI to blend ads with the shows and movies to make ad watching an immersive experience. Netflix to Use Generative AI for Ads In a newsroom post, the company detailed the announcements made at the Netflix Upfront event. While one half of the event was dedicated to announcing the returning and new shows, movies, and documentaries the company was working on, the other half focused on the new ad services and the Netflix Ads Suite. The Netflix Ads Suite is a new advertising platform which is currently live in the US and Canada. Next week, it will be expanded in the Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, and it is said to be available in all 12 countries where the ad-supported tier has been released by June. The new ad platform comes with various tools and features. It is said to let advertisers target their content to more than 100 interests in over 17 categories. Additionally, they will also be able to tap into first-party data of Netflix, including users’ behavioural insights. It will also provide clients with first-party measurement solutions to let them see the traction from the ad campaigns. Finally, the company is also offering a new modular framework for ad formats. One of these uses generative AI to blend the ads with the theme of shows and movies. This means that when the user is watching the ad, they would not feel disconnected from the world of the content. Netflix says this will make the ads more relevant and drive better outcomes. Some of the ad formats that will be available to advertisers include interactive midroll, where interactive ads will be played in between an episode or a movie, and pause ads, where ads will be played whenever the content is paused. These formats can be further customised using added overlays, call to action, second screen buttons, and more. These formats will be available in all ad-supported countries by 2026. “So if you take away anything from today, I hope it’s this: the foundation of our ads business is in place. And going forward, the pace of progress is going to be even faster,” said Amy Reinhard, Netflix’s President of Advertising. Source link #Netflix #Unveils #AIPowered #Feature #Blend #Ads #Shows #Movies Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Walyalup (Fremantle) legend Michael Walters swaps locker room for Optus Stadium Walyalup (Fremantle) legend Michael Walters swaps locker room for Optus Stadium Swapping Optus Stadium for the newsroom of The West ***********, Walyalup (Fremantle) legend Michael Walters has taken over the newspaper’s sports section for a day. Walters booted sports editor Jakeb Waddell out of his office and called the shots on Friday to produce a very special edition of The West on Saturday. The Dockers great sat down with The West’s editor Sarah-Jane Tasker for a news conference, decided where each story would be placed on pages and helped design the back page. Camera IconMichael Walters guest edits the sport section of The West *********** for Saturday 16th May, 2025. Credit: Jackson Flindell/Jackson Flindell / The West Aust “I’m here to take over the sports section. I’ve been reading the paper for a long time and I feel like it needs a change-up and I’m here to do it,” Walters joked. Walters inspired Glen Quartermain’s list of the defining moments in Indigenous football history on pages 172-173 of today’s edition and worked with football reporter Aaron Kirby on his analysis breaking down how the Dockers can beat Greater Western Sydney. If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your Cookie Settings. To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. He also ran his eye over Craig O’Donoghue’s interview with his own teammate Patrick Voss on 178 and a chat with fellow Swan Districts product Lawson Humphries. Camera Icon(L-R). Sports Editor Jakeb Waddell, Fremantle Docker Michael Walters and Editor of The West *********** Sarah-Jane Tasker during conference. Credit: Jackson Flindell/Jackson Flindell / The West Aust “The Pat Voss story, I think that’s a good story. He hasn’t had it easy, to get drafted, he’s been on a list but also delisted and came across to Western Australia by himself,” Walters said. The forward’s cameo in the newsroom came as a celebration of the AFL’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round. Source link #Walyalup #Fremantle #legend #Michael #Walters #swaps #locker #room #Optus #Stadium Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

BT to bring gigabit broadband to hard-to-reach Swansea Bay areas BT to bring gigabit broadband to hard-to-reach Swansea Bay areas BT has announced the signing of a £9.8m contract to deliver full-fibre broadband access to nearly 1,800 hard-to-reach sites across the Swansea Bay City Region. The deal is part of the Better Broadband Infill Project by Swansea Bay City Deal’s Digital Infrastructure Programme, which will be delivered in close partnership with BT’s broadband provision division, Openreach. Funded by the *** government, Welsh government, public sector and the private sector, the Swansea Bay City Deal will see what is described as an “unprecedented” investment of up to £1.3bn across a portfolio of nine headline programmes and projects delivering a total of 36 individual projects throughout South West Wales. The ambition of the Swansea Bay City Deal partners is to deliver key benefits to the region over a 15-year *******, with the programmes and projects based on three key themes: economic acceleration; life science and well-being; and energy, smart manufacturing and digital. The project is led by four local authorities – Carmarthenshire Council, Neath Port Talbot Council, Pembrokeshire Council and Swansea Council – together with the Swansea Bay and Hywel Dda University Health Boards, Swansea University, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and private sector partners. The Better Broadband Infill Project is set to start in May 2025, and will continue its delivery across the region over six phases, with the first 220 premises connected by December 2025 with a final completion date of 31 March 2027. BT says it will bring full-fibre broadband access to 1,533 premises and an additional 256 sites across the four counties in the Swansea Bay City Region: Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire. The homes and businesses included in the scheme are predominantly in harder to reach, rural areas where BT said the cost to provide faster broadband services is considerably higher. The development will specifically target premises that currently have broadband speeds of less than 30Mbps and who are not in scope for any other government-funded fibre expansion projects or part of commercial build plans. “This project is a game-changer for our region,” said Rob Stewart, leader of Swansea Council and chair of the Swansea Bay City Deal Joint Committee. “By bringing high-speed internet to areas that have been left behind, we are not only improving quality of life, but also opening up new opportunities for economic and social development,” he said. “Access to reliable broadband is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity. This project will ensure that everyone in the Swansea Bay region can participate fully in the digital age.” Susi Marston, head of public sector for Wales at BT, added: “Connectivity is at the heart of how people live and work today, but all of that relies on the right infrastructure being in place. The Better Broadband Infill Project will improve services for thousands of people across the Swansea Bay City Region, who will benefit from state-of-the-art connectivity even in hard-to-reach areas.” Source link #bring #gigabit #broadband #hardtoreach #Swansea #Bay #areas Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

XRP Could Be Worth $600 Billion in 5 Years XRP Could Be Worth $600 Billion in 5 Years XRP is up almost 25% for the year amid rising investor sentiment about its future growth prospects. The fast-growing stablecoin industry could be the key to expanding the number of use cases for XRP. XRP continues to widen its role in cross-border payments, due to the cost advantages and efficiencies of blockchain technology. 10 stocks we like better than XRP › XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) has been one of the top-performing cryptocurrencies of 2025. It’s now up almost 25% year to date, and currently trades at a price of about $2.54, giving XRP a total market cap of $150 billion. That’s just the beginning of XRP’s resurgence. The world’s third-most valuable cryptocurrency could quadruple in price and be worth $600 billion within just five years. Here’s one way that it could play out. On the surface, a $600 billion valuation for XRP might appear unrealistic. After all, that’s twice the current valuation of Ethereum. So let’s do a little math and consider the following question: How fast would XRP need to grow on a year-over-year basis to hit a market cap of $600 billion within five years? The numbers might surprise you. XRP would need to grow at an annualized rate of 15% to double in price within five years. It would need to grow at an annualized rate of 25% to triple in price. And it would need to grow at an annualized rate of 32% to quadruple in price. When you start to think about XRP from this perspective, the $600 billion number makes a lot more sense. The hard part is finding new business opportunities that are capable of growing at a fairly brisk 30% rate during the next five years. The first huge opportunity for XRP involves stablecoins. These are dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies that are designed to track the value of the U.S. dollar on a 1-to-1 basis. Theoretically, the value of a stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar should always be $1. Image source: Getty Images. The good news is that stablecoins happen to be one of the fastest-growing segments of cryptocurrency. The total value of the stablecoin industry is now $230 billion. According to the Brookings Institution, that’s a more than 10-fold increase from $20 billion in 2019. So this is exactly the type of fast-growing business opportunity that XRP needs. As you might have guessed, Ripple, the company behind the XRP token, has been making aggressive moves into the stablecoin industry. In December, it launched a stablecoin of its own, known as Ripple USD (CRYPTO: RLUSD). Then, in April, it made a $5 billion acquisition bid for Circle, the company behind the enormously popular USDC (CRYPTO: USDC) stablecoin. Story Continues Brad Garlinghouse, chief executive officer of Ripple, has become a vocal champion of stablecoins, and has spoken out about the need for comprehensive new stablecoin legislation within the U.S. Garlinghouse sees what other crypto leaders see: Stablecoins are the key to bridging the worlds of traditional finance and blockchain finance, and opening the door to new opportunities on Wall Street. XRP is the token of the Ripple payment network, which is based on blockchain technology. The most obvious application for this network is to send payments cheaply and efficiently across borders. However, Ripple has in mind a much ******* use case than just sending money to family and friends living abroad. Ripple envisions a future where the XRP blockchain ledger could eventually replace the legacy SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) payment network for financial institutions. In an interview with Maria Bartiromo of Fox Business, Garlinghouse said SWIFT is 50-year-old technology that badly needs an overhaul. Right now, more than 11,000 financial institutions in 200 different countries use SWIFT every day. Imagine if the XRP token were suddenly at the heart of this thriving business. If all else fails, there’s always a chance for a Ripple initial public offering (IPO). As of now, Ripple executives vigorously deny any plans to raise capital via an IPO. However, this topic continues to be raised within the XRP investor community. Admittedly, until this year, a Ripple IPO would have been unthinkable. That’s because Ripple has been engaged in an epic court battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission over the status of XRP. For more than four years, the SEC argued that XRP is a security and that selling it without registering it with the agency violated securities laws. But with the arrival of a pro-crypto White House, the SEC has changed its tune and now says that it is dropping its case against Ripple. A Ripple IPO could potentially have a huge impact on the price of XRP. Theoretically, any capital raised could be used to build out the XRP payment network, acquire new digital assets, or expand business opportunities worldwide. And all that new activity would be enormously bullish for the price of the XRP token. So just how realistic is this scenario of XRP quadrupling in value and hitting a price of $10? After all, in more than a decade, XRP has never once surpassed $4. A lot obviously needs to go right. The good news, if you’re an XRP investor, is that the SEC regulatory clouds have parted, and that has created a unique opening for Ripple to pursue potential fast-growth business opportunities. Before you buy stock in XRP, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and XRP wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $620,719!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $829,511!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 959% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 170% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 12, 2025 Dominic Basulto has positions in Ethereum, USDC, and XRP. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Ethereum and XRP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Prediction: XRP Could Be Worth $600 Billion in 5 Years was originally published by The Motley Fool Source link #XRP #Worth #Billion #Years Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pokémon Go now has an RSVP planner to map out your raids and events Pokémon Go now has an RSVP planner to map out your raids and events Pokemon Go’s new RSVP planner is now live Invite players, see who’s attending local raids and even set reminders Get navigation tips so you never miss out on a raid We’ve all been there: you’ve shown up for a raid in Pokémon Go late, you can’t find your friends, and you’ve gone to the wrong location. Well, I assume something like that has happened, because Pokémon Go’s new RSVP planner is all about taking the guesswork out of meeting up to enjoy some creature-catching! Jokes aside, the RSVP planner really is a must-have for those of you who frequently attend raids both with friends and fellow enthusiasts alike. Now, you can easily see on the map where players are intending to join Raids, and even view how many have RSVP-ed to show up and play. You can also view detailed RSVP information, such as time slots, invites sent to you for other Raids, and set reminders for when they start. There’ll be no missing out on Raids because you got lost, either, as the RSVP planner will also provide help navigating to your chosen event! You are invited The social element of Pokémon Go has always been one of the most appealing aspects of this AR creature catcher. I think we all remember the halcyon days when Pokémon Go first released and we were finally able to live out our fantasies of catching Pokémon in real life. The RSVP planner also presents a good compromise between Niantic’s increased flexibility on where players need to go, and encouraging them to get out and about, attending outside events and making it easier for players to partner up. The feature is already live, so jump into an event near you to give it a try! And once you’re back in from your local raid and want to put your feet up, why not chill out with some of the top picks we’ve made for our latest list of the top five new mobile games to try this week? Source link #Pokémon #RSVP #planner #map #raids #events Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Security Interviews: David Faugno, 1Password The Security Interviews: David Faugno, 1Password Although companies may embrace emerging technologies to remain competitive, they can be risk averse, especially when it comes to changing their customer base. However, this shift in focus is what 1Password did when it moved from being consumer focused to providing enterprise grade security solutions. In 2006, the company 1Password developed a password manager of the same name for the Windows, Android, iOS and Linux platforms. Since then, it has earned a reputation for being a secure method for protecting sensitive user information. Software licenses and other sensitive information can also be securely stored in a virtual vault on their servers, which is locked with a password-based key derivation function (PBKDF2) guarded master password (a password storage algorithm that is designed for deterring brute force attacks by making them computationally expensive). David Faugno had previously been enjoying a semi-retirement, working as a board member and adviser for various companies, including 1Password. As his interest in the company grew, he soon became increasingly impressed with its collaborative approach and transparency. He was invited to join the company as its president and chief operating officer in September 2023, before becoming co-CEO just over a year later. Faugno had previously spent more than 10 years with security and storage provider Barracuda Networks as its chief finance officer. Faugno’s experience with Barracuda Networks gave him a broad understanding of the security landscape, as well as a unique perspective for solving security problems facing organisations of all sizes. When Faugno joined 1Password, the world was emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic. Covid transformed the way companies operate by accelerating remote working technologies and encouraging people to work from home and, since then, hybrid working has become the norm in many sectors. “The world was fundamentally changing. The way people worked and the tools that businesses had provided to their employees to stay safe and secure, and create a secure perimeter, no longer really existed,” says Faugno. “This got accelerated pretty dramatically during the pandemic, which is right at the point in the time when we first invested and got involved.” As a consequence of the proliferation of remote working, the security perimeter for an organisation also expanded. Previously, the security perimeter had been at the endpoints of the corporate network, but now it has extended into homes of employees. Most cyber security incidents are due to compromised credentials, such as stolen, weak or reused passwords. Consequently, employees who use weak identification systems at home may inadvertently expose corporate networks to attack. It is therefore essential for maintaining security of a corporate network security that the cyber security of devices in the employees’ home is also protected. One method for achieving this is to provide each employee with a free family license for a cyber security package. Balancing security and data privacy against accessibility and usability can be challenging as these aspects can often be at odds with each other. Faugno acknowledges that uncompromised security may cause friction with setup and account recovery, however, 1Password took a decision early in the product development cycle to focus on ensuring that the most secure way was also the easiest. This led to a rapid uptake of its password manager, which resulted in it being adopted into thousands of businesses. Faugno soon noted that although 1Password was primarily a consumer-focused product at the time, it was becoming increasingly used in the enterprise sector. “When the work environment started to change and people started to get access to resources that were not being necessarily centrally controlled through their SSO, or through the tools that the company had put behind the firewall, these security-centric folks in business thought, ‘Oh, I can use 1Password for this’,” says Faugno. “We got pulled into thousands of business environments by these people. That’s when our awakening happened – the battlefield had moved from the building walls to where the end user was, wherever they were, with whatever tools they were using.” One of the first things Faugno did when he joined 1Password was to hire a finance leader. By having a sales team engage with enterprise clients to understand their needs, such as administrative controls or additional reporting functionality, 1Password was able to develop its existing platform and market an enterprise service to the business community. “When we first made the investment in 1Password in 2019, the company had zero salespeople and pretty much zero accountants,” says Faugno. “It was nothing but developers, building a great product, and support people. Those use cases would organically come, but what we weren’t doing is interfacing with the chief information security officers at large enterprises to share how our platform fits into their overall security architecture.” 1Password started building infrastructure around enterprise level support and billing capabilities, as well as sales and post-sales implementation capabilities, to allow it to engage with the business sector. Any change to a company carries with it a certain level of risk and expense, especially when it involves adapting to a changing market. It has taken four years, but 1Password’s core business model has created solid foundation for the company to build on. Despite the absence of salespeople and accountants, 1Password’s cash flow had remained profitable. This strong position allowed 1Password the opportunity for forward investment (investing in a company to improve a return on investment) without sacrificing profitability. Although maintaining durability of growth is essential for financial sustainability, it can be challenging. Unless an organisation has a financially stable core product, significant resources can be spent promoting a product that causes a sudden growth curve, but the growth will stop as soon as the money is used up if it was not sustainable. 1Password had the opportunity to invest in itself while remaining profitable in the different sectors, ensuring a durable growth. Instead of optimising for profitability, 1Password is forward investing across several areas without the need to pay off debt from a private equity transaction. “Over 75% of our sales are to companies, but so many people think of us as a consumer business, because either they know us personally or they’ve seen the legacy of us over the 20 years,” says Faugno. The cyber security sector is a constantly evolving market, with an ongoing war of attrition between hackers and security teams: what is cutting edge now could be obsolete in six months’ time. Not only must security companies have a solid product, but they must also constantly update it in response to emerging threats. Soon, one of the key challenges that cyber security teams will need robust solutions for is protecting their communications in a post-quantum world. Quantum computers can process vast amounts of information in a fraction of the time that classical computers would take, including today’s supercomputers. This will have massive implications for cyber security as quantum computers will be able quickly break current encryption systems. There are various technologies already being developed that are described as quantum resistant, but testing of these is still ongoing. Rather than focusing on a specific technology, 1Password has teams researching emerging challenges. The future security challenge presented by quantum computing necessitate a multifaceted security strategy – 2FA/MFA, passkeys and federation (authentication across networked systems). “We have teams that are engaged deeply in thinking about what’s not only the next step, but two steps ahead,” says Faugno. “The world is changing across a number of dimensions, and quantum computing represents one. Passkeys are going to help, but the pathway to password lists is a journey that’s going to take decades. “Our view is that you have to start with the visibility of everything that exists and move everything on the continuum to password lists. Today, that is having strong and unique passwords and encrypted vaults, adding multi-factor authentication, using passkeys where they’re available, and ultimately moving to federation.” Reputation is essential, especially in security. If a tool has proven itself to be viable and effective protection against attacks in the wild, then that will over carry into the business sector and naturally generate interest from organisations. “If you can build that level of endearment to the end user at the individual level, then what you can do for the business user is very similar,” concludes Faugno. “You can satisfy the most robust and hard-to-crack use case for making someone feel like this tool is helping them be secure and productive.” Source link #Security #Interviews #David #Faugno #1Password Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Novo Nordisk CEO to step down as competition weighs on share price Novo Nordisk CEO to step down as competition weighs on share price Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Jorgensen testifies before a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on U.S. prices for the weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 24, 2024. Piroschka Van De Wouw | Reuters Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen is stepping down, the Wegovy-maker said Friday, citing recent market challenges. The Danish pharmaceutical giant said Fruergaard Jørgensen would remain in his post “for a ******* to support a smooth transition to new leadership.” It added that the search for a replacement was ongoing and an announcement would be made in due course. Shares were down 1.8% shortly after the announcement. The decision comes as Novo Nordisk’s share price has taken a battering over the past year amid increased competition in the ballooning obesity drug market and disappointing trial results for its next-generation treatments. Chairman Helge Lund nevertheless said the drug maker’s approach remains unchanged. “Novo Nordisk’s strategy remains unchanged, and the Board is confident in the company’s current business plans and its ability to execute on the plans,” Lund said in a statement. This is a breaking news story, please check back for updates. Source link #Novo #Nordisk #CEO #step #competition #weighs #share #price Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Alcatel V3 Series Officially Confirmed to Launch in India on May 27 Alcatel V3 Series Officially Confirmed to Launch in India on May 27 Alcatel, the French mobile brand operated by TCL Communication, has officially announced the India launch date for its upcoming V3 series. While Alcatel has only confirmed the existence of the Alcatel V3 Ultra model, reports suggest that the V3 series will include the Alcatel V3 Pro and V3 Classic as well. The Alcatel V3 Ultra 5G is teased to come with a triple rear camera module and will support a stylus. The Alcatel V3 series will go on ***** via Flipkart. After sharing multiple teasers, Alcatel has now confirmed that its V3 series will be unveiled in India on May 27 at 12pm IST. Although Alcatel has officially acknowledged only the Alcatel V3 Ultra model so far, the V3 series is expected to include additional variants such as the Alcatel V3 Pro and V3 Classic. The Alcatel V3 Ultra has been teased to offer a circular rear camera module with three lenses and an LED flash. It will also feature stylus support. It gets a flat display with a centrally located hole punch cutout for the front-facing camera. Alcatel V3 series will be available for purchase through Flipkart and Flipkart Minutes. The lineup will offer dedicated display modes for different tasks like reading, watching, and scrolling. It is confirmed to ship with TCL’s proprietary NXTPAPER display. Alcatel is associating with Padget Electronics, a subsidiary of Dixon Technologies, for the local manufacturing of its V3 series in line with the Make in India initiative. Alcatel V3 Ultra Price Range, Specifications (Expected) The Alcatel V3 Ultra is tipped to feature a 6.8-inch display with 120Hz refresh rate. It could run on the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset. It is said to pack a 108-megapixel primary rear camera and a 32-megapixel selfie shooter. It could carry a 5,010mAh battery with 33W charging support. Alcatel V3 Ultra is rumoured to debut in the sub-Rs. 30,000 price segment in the country. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Nothing Phone 2 Update Brings Privacy Space, Stability Improvements and Latest Security Patch Microsoft Surface Pro, Surface Laptop With Arm-Based Processors Tipped to Launch in 2026 Source link #Alcatel #Series #Officially #Confirmed #Launch #India Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Cable companies Charter and Cox agree to merge – CNBC Cable companies Charter and Cox agree to merge – CNBC Cable companies Charter and Cox agree to merge CNBCCharter to buy Cox Communications for $35 billion AxiosCharter Is in Talks to Combine with Rival Cox Communications Bloomberg.comCHARTER COMMUNICATIONS AND COX COMMUNICATIONS ANNOUNCE DEFINITIVE AGREEMENT TO COMBINE COMPANIES Yahoo FinanceLiberty Broadband Provides Update Regarding Pending Acquisition by Charter Business Wire Source link #Cable #companies #Charter #Cox #agree #merge #CNBC Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The slow death of the 'death tax': Here's what to know The slow death of the 'death tax': Here's what to know CNBC’s Robert Frank joins ‘Squawk Box’ with the latest news. Source link #slow #death #039death #tax039 #Here039s Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nasal tanning sprays warning issued by Trading Standards Nasal tanning sprays warning issued by Trading Standards William Higgens BBC Investigations, North West BBC The BBC managed to buy several unlicensed nasal spray products over the counter and online Trading Standards has issued a warning about nasal tanning sprays and the potential health problems they could cause people who have used them. It comes after a BBC North West investigation spoke to a woman who said she was left “unable to breathe” after suffering a reaction to an unlicensed spray she bought online. The enforcement agency said the products could “cause nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, and even changes in mole shape and size”. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) also believe that flavoured varieties of the sprays, which are being promoted and sold on social media platforms, could be targeting children. Richard Knight lead officer for Cosmetics and Beauty at the CTSI said: “Unlike cosmetic products, nasal tanning sprays are unlikely to have had expert safety assessments and use of relevant health warnings and instructions for safe use are rare.” The body is now urging the public to avoid any tanning products that are inhaled or ingested, to use tanning creams and sprays bought from reputable retailers and report any unsafe products to Trading Standards. Earlier this year reporters from the BBC managed to easily purchase sprays from beauty salons and tanning shops in Manchester and on Merseyside and a gym in Newcastle. What are Nasal Tanners? Nasal tanners are designed to be sprayed into the nostrils and are claimed to work by delivering a substance known as Melanotan II, a chemical that darkens skin pigmentation. It is ******** to sell medicinal products containing Melanotan II in the ***, but as the tanners are sold cosmetically, they fall outside that remit. But they are not covered by *** cosmetics regulations, meaning they are not subjected to the same scrutiny as other over-the-counter beauty products. Edith Eagle Edith Eagle suffered a severe reaction she believes was linked to a nasal tanner Edith Eagle, from King’s Lynn in Norfolk, bought tanners online believing they would give her an enhanced tan ahead of a planned holiday to Fuerteventura in April 2023. She told the BBC she did not realise the product was unlicensed and unregulated. On the second day of her holiday, she was rushed to hospital after her apparent allergic reaction worsened. She said she felt like she was “suffocating inside” and “drowning” within her own body. She said she was glad a warning had been issued and wanted to see “a zero tolerance approach to them”. Edith said her 16-year-old daughter was “a complete tan addict” and had also used the nasal tanning spray after seeing them advertised online but would “never touch them now” after seeing what happened to her. “Health is so much more important than being so tanned for some Instagram pics,” she said. Richard Knight Mr Knight describes the tanners as “wild-west type products” Mr Knight said the nasal tanners were a “wild west-type product” and they were a “ticking time bomb” and something people could regret putting into their body at a later date. “The people selling them literally have no clue what’s in them, often they don’t have a proper ingredients list” he said. He said enforcing a ban on the products would be difficult because they were not classed as cosmetic products so the producer does not have to prove to trading standards that they are safe. “It needs to become a national issue. We need to gather more evidence as a profession and to do that we need more intelligence, we need more complaints,” he said. He urged consumers in England and Wales to report any suspicious cosmetic products or if they had experienced any adverse reactions after using a product to Trading Standards Health impact Long term health impacts are not yet known, but ******* charities are concerned using the sprays could cause skin ******* like melanoma. Susanna Daniels, from ******* charity Melanoma Focus, said she was ” becoming increasingly concerned about the use of both nasal tanning sprays and tanning injections and their potential links with melanoma skin *******”. She added: “These unregulated and ******** products not only pose serious health risks but also encourage harmful behaviours, particularly among young consumers. The BBC bought 10 sprays from online and the high-street including beauty salons and sunbed stores, and the chemical Melanotan II was found in varying strengths in six of those tested. Gary Lipman, chairman of the Sunbed Association said: “Nasal tanning sprays have absolutely no place in a professional tanning salon.” Source link #Nasal #tanning #sprays #warning #issued #Trading #Standards Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Loop Capital sees this ‘Magnificent Seven’ stock gaining more than 30% Loop Capital sees this ‘Magnificent Seven’ stock gaining more than 30% There could be even more upside in store for Meta Platforms following its latest quarterly results, according to Loop Capital. The firm reiterated its buy rating on the Facebook owner and hiked its price target to $888, which reflects about 38% upside from Thursday’s closing level. “While our pre-quarter checks had pointed to resilience, our expectation that a drop in spending intensity from China-based advertisers would flatten revenue growth was a misread,” analyst Rob Sanderson wrote in a Thursday note. “This large spending cohort has backed off (with some geographic reallocation) but AI-driven performance gains across the platform are more than an offset.” “We continue to see Meta as the best non-hardware example of tangible, right-now beneficiary of AI and think the stock will outperform the ‘mag-7’ peer group this year,” the analyst continued. “Despite a meaningful valuation disparity, we still encourage long-term growth managers to move away from Google and into Meta.” META 1M mountain META, 1-month This comes as Meta shares have jumped more than 17% month to date on a better-than-expected report for the first quarter . The move higher puts Meta’s year-to-date gain at about 10%. Meta also increased its capital expenditures outlook for 2025 to reflect more investments in data centers for artificial intelligence. While Sanderson noted that the company’s core AI investments have been constrained by capacity as of late, he noted that new AI datacenter capacity has begun coming online. “While core AI is already delivering measurable results, management views this as an early-stage opportunity with a multi-year roadmap to further enhance system performance,” the analyst wrote. “Massive infrastructure investments, larger than any hyperscale build for internal consumption, is allowing Meta to extend its competitive advantage over smaller rivals.” Most analysts on Wall Street hold a similarly bullish view on Meta. LSEG data shows that 64 of 72 have given the stock a strong buy or buy rating. Only six have a hold rating. Meta has an average target of about $703, implying more than 9% upside potential. Source link #Loop #Capital #sees #Magnificent #stock #gaining Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

One last ride at the Margaret River Pro too good to turn down for retired local hero Macaulay One last ride at the Margaret River Pro too good to turn down for retired local hero Macaulay Bronte Macaulay says surfing in her hometown World Surf League event one last time was an opportunity too good to pass up despite having called time on her competitive career last October. Source link #ride #Margaret #River #Pro #good #turn #retired #local #hero #Macaulay Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Restoring Sacred Power to the Parthenon Restoring Sacred Power to the Parthenon Giving substance to the divine For de Lara, the Parthenon functioned as a machine for metaphysical perception, carefully calibrated to produce awe through architecture, optics and the alchemy of materials. The spectacle of Athena was not only devotional – it was astonishing. “The Parthenon must have had a tremendous impact,” he says. “These were the special effects of the ancient world. Imagine being an Athenian citizen who, in their lifetime, might have only encountered a limited number of awe-inspiring sights. To stand before a colossal statue of gold and ivory must have, even for a moment, made the divine feel tangible. Athens was a deeply religious society, and this statue was a fitting representation of a goddess of Victory, especially in a temple built after years of war.” This interpretation reframes the Parthenon, not as a broken relic, but as a contemporary revelation. At the same time, it raises a deeper, almost ontological question: was the architecture designed to create belief, or merely to amplify it? Was the goddess meant to be fully revealed, or only partially glimpsed? Not dazzling in full Attic light, but radiant in suggestion? “Practically all religions give symbolic expression to the dualistic concepts of light and darkness, often in conflict and tension,” de Lara points out. “Light and radiance have long been associated with life, knowledge, wisdom, insight, justice and goodness. For this reason, in many religions – including Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism – light is closely linked to the divine. One would expect the same in ancient Greek religion, yet it seems the Greeks assigned a slightly different meaning to sunlight, and often operated within darkness. The key discovery in this research is that the true beauty of the encounter with the goddess emerged not from full illumination, but from her radiance within the shadows.” In that spirit, his 3D rendering goes so far as to introduce natural cracks into the surface of the statue’s face – a subtle nod to the passage of time, and a reminder that Phidias’ Athena was not only divine, but embodied. The sacred, in de Lara’s vision, is not merely presented – it is staged. Source link #Restoring #Sacred #Power #Parthenon Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Democratic Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez won in a Trump district. Now she faces an uprising from the left Democratic Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez won in a Trump district. Now she faces an uprising from the left CENTRALIA, Wash. (AP) — Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez gave Democrats a rare win last fall when she defeated a MAGA diehard in a Republican district in southwestern Washington state. Hailed by some as a model for winning back blue-collar voters who abandoned the Democratic Party in last year’s elections, the auto repair shop owner shunned partisanship, refused to engage in culture wars, and concentrated on helping people in her district — preserving VA clinics, for example, or backing funding for vocational shop classes. Whether the second-term congresswoman’s strategy succeeds will be decided by voters in next year’s midterm elections. But for some progressives in her district, it is proving inadequate to counter the authoritarian tilt of President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House. At two town halls she hosted recently, crowds shouted questions or chanted, “Vote her out!” Many vowed to support a more liberal primary challenger. “It’s a really bad time to be a centrist,” said Liz Oxford, a 39-year-old stay-at-home mom from Centralia. “She just keeps on coming down as one of the few Democrats to side with Republicans, and that is a really hard thing to accept right now. It’s like, look, you ran as a Democrat, and right now Democrats have to draw a hard line.” Is she in danger? Hundreds of people showed up at her town halls last month. Many were furious over her recent votes to censure Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green for disrupting Trump’s speech to Congress and for a measure that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. How well Gluesenkamp Perez, 36, navigates the criticism could help determine whether Democrats can retake the House next year. But in a largely rural, red district, some say a bashing from leftist voters might actually help her. “In a district like Washington 3, you win or lose by being able to get independents and moderate Republicans to cross over the vast chasm that has opened up between the parties and vote for you,” said Sandeep Kaushik, a Seattle-based political consultant who worked on Gluesenkamp Perez’s first campaign in 2022. “And Marie has been almost uniquely successful in doing that in her first two campaigns.” Gluesenkamp Perez is the only Democrat running for federal or statewide office to carry the district in at least a decade, Kaushik noted. Even Democratic Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, former Gov. Jay Inslee and newly elected Gov. Bob Ferguson failed there despite winning big statewide. Gluesenkamp Perez’s predecessor, six-term Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler, did not make it out of the 2022 primary. Right-wing constituents angry about her vote to impeach Trump cast their lot with Joe Kent, a former U.S. Army special operations soldier who promoted Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen and touted conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by his supporters. In the general election that year, Gluesenkamp Perez beat Kent by less than a percentage point, flipping the seat for Democrats. Heading into a rematch with Kent last fall, she was considered one of the most vulnerable members of Congress — but won by nearly 4 points and outperformed both Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. So far, one Democrat, Brent Hennrich, has announced a primary challenge. On his website, the former movie theater operations manager who filed to run this week dismissed Gluesenkamp Perez’s moderation as the wrong approach for the moment. “With our nation in crisis, Democrats in Congress must do everything in their power to block the radical Trump agenda, but our incumbent has been far too willing to compromise on bills that threaten our rights, our prosperity, and our health,” Hennrich wrote. What does she stand for? Analysts across the country have pointed to the congresswoman’s nuts-and-bolts approach to governing — what she describes as a “positive policy agenda” — as a remedy for Democratic woes. For her, that’s meant securing money for shop programs at vocational colleges, pressing the VA to reopen a clinic in Chehalis so veterans don’t have to drive to Olympia, and pushing to allow loggers to thin forests to create jobs and reduce wildfire risks. “Political polarization has been really destructive to our democracy,” Gluesenkamp Perez told The Associated Press in an interview. “If you’re trying to build a policy agenda that is popular, if you’re trying to build a ******* sense of democracy, it’s not, in my view, prudent to start excluding people. It’s about building a ******* team, just being more useful to more people.” Constituents across the political spectrum have praised her work on local issues. But at her recent town halls, anger over some of her votes was obvious. Those include a vote for the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship for anyone registering to vote. Critics call it a voter-suppression tool meant to hype the notion that ******** immigrants vote in U.S. elections — an exceptionally rare occurrence. The bill could make it harder for women who have taken their husband’s last name or transgender people whose names don’t match their birth certificates to vote. Gluesenkamp Perez called the bill flawed but said making sure only citizens vote is a popular idea in her district. She also said she knew it wouldn’t pass in the Senate. That enraged Carol Brock, the former chairwoman of the Lewis County Democrats. “I’m all for working across the aisle. I live in Lewis County — there’s more Republicans here than there is grass,” Brock said after the town hall in Centralia. “It doesn’t mean I give up my values. If you don’t believe in it, why did you vote for it?” Tina Podlodowski, the former three-term chair of the state Democratic Party, posted on Facebook after the SAVE Act vote, “Democrats can and must do better in WA3 than Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.” This week, Pacific County Democrats began considering whether to call on the state party to refrain from endorsing Gluesenkamp Perez as long as another Democrat is challenging her. Supporters urge her to pick her battles Gluesenkamp Perez said she has spoken up against Republicans when their actions have real effects on people in her district: cutting funding for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration buoys relied on by fishermen, cutting support to wildland firefighters, gutting hunger relief programs, or proposing Medicaid cuts that she said “are going to kill people.” “There’s a lot of consternation and anger and rage about things that don’t have the force of law,” she said. “It’s really important that we’re not torching social capital on things that will not be experienced by most people — or any people.” Perhaps no one has enjoyed the mounting criticism of Gluesenkamp Perez more than Republicans, who say she is being “abandoned” by Democrats. “Vulnerable Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is getting primaried and no one’s shocked,” the National Republican Congressional Committee said in a statement. “She’s too weak for the far left, too radical for Washington’s families, she doesn’t belong anywhere.” Some of her supporters say Gluesenkamp Perez must pick her battles — and Democrats in her district should, too. “We are cutting our nose off to spite our face, to make statements about throwing her out of office,” said Bob Guenther, a Lewis County labor activist. “We’ve got to be thoughtful. We’ve got to flip the Congress or we’re in trouble.” ___ Source link #Democratic #Rep #Gluesenkamp #Perez #won #Trump #district #faces #uprising #left Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Smokey Robinson under criminal investigation after ******* assault allegations – The Guardian Smokey Robinson under criminal investigation after ******* assault allegations – The Guardian Smokey Robinson under criminal investigation after ******* assault allegations The GuardianView Full Coverage on Google News Source link #Smokey #Robinson #criminal #investigation #******* #assault #allegations #Guardian Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump administration could add CXMT and other ******** chipmakers to ever-expanding export blacklist Trump administration could add CXMT and other ******** chipmakers to ever-expanding export blacklist The U.S. Government is reportedly planning to add “a number of ******** chipmaking companies” to its ever-expanding export blacklist, a move that could only be prevented by the prospect of a long-trade agreement with China. As reported by the Financial Times, the commerce department has compiled a list of companies to add to its list, notably including China memory chipmaker ChangXin Memory (CXMT). The Financial Times claims the information comes from five people familiar with the matter, all of whom say the commerce department is proposing the addition of CXMT and others to the dreaded entity list. The list, drafted by the Bureau of Industry and Security, reportedly includes subsidiaries of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), and Yangtze Memory Technologies Co, China’s biggest chipmaker and memory chipmaker respectively, both of which are already listed. You may like The only reprieve for the company’s could come from the recently-announced China and US trade deal. Announced in Geneva, the two have reached an agreement to rescind reciprocal tariffs for 90 days in the hopes of striking a more permanent and broader deal. According to the report, officials have argued that adding more ******** companies to the list could upset negotiations. In March, the U.S. expanded the trade blacklist and closed subsidiary loopholes, adding some 80 entities to the list. 12 organizations including 11 in China are involved in AI and supercomputing, specifically tied to China’s military. Seven of those were involved in quantum tech development for military application, while two had supplied restricted components to Huawei and HiSilicon, both of which are blacklisted. It comes as the U.S. government also issued a global crackdown on the use of Huawei’s Ascend AI chips, which it says violates export controls. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. CXMT began producing DDR5 memory in December 2024, the first China-made DDR5 aimed at consumer PCs. CXMT was also one of a number of companies added to a list of ******** companies allegedly linked to the People’s Liberation Army by the U.S. Defense Department in January. As the report notes, American companies are prohibited from selling to ******** companies on the entity list without a license, due to concerns China is using American technology to support military development of hypersonic missiles and the modelling of nuclear weapons. 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. Source link #Trump #administration #add #CXMT #******** #chipmakers #everexpanding #export #blacklist Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Ncuti Gatwa withdraws as Eurovision 2025 spokesperson for final Ncuti Gatwa withdraws as Eurovision 2025 spokesperson for final Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa has been replaced as the Eurovision 2025 spokesperson due to “unforeseen circumstances”. The 32-year-old actor was due to read out the *** jury votes at the grand final on Saturday but has now been replaced by singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor. A BBC statement from Thursday evening said: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, unfortunately Ncuti Gatwa is no longer able to participate as Spokesperson during the Grand Final this weekend.” It continued: “However, we are delighted to confirm that BBC Radio 2’s very own Friday night Kitchen Disco Diva Sophie Ellis-Bextor will be presenting the jury result live from the ***.” The BBC has not given any more information on the reason for Gatwa’s withdrawal. In previous years the *** spokesperson role has been taken on by Catherine Tate, Amanda Holden and AJ Odudu. Sophie Ellis-Bextor said: “I love Eurovision and it’s a privilege to be part of 2025’s grand final. “What an honour it is to announce the ***’s jury score on such a special show which always puts music front and centre. I am very much looking forward to delivering the iconic douze points from the United Kingdom!” The announcement from the BBC about Gatwa came during the second Eurovision semi-final, in which *** entry Remember Monday performed. Lauren Byrne, Charlotte Steele and Holly-Anne Hull performed What The Hell Just Happened, but were safe from elimination due to the ***’s automatic qualification in the competition. The countries that qualified on Thursday for Saturday’s final Luxembourg, Finland, Latvia, Malta, and Greece. They join the ***, France, Germany and Switzerland alongside the countries that qualified at Tuesday’s semi final – Spain, Italy, Norway, Albania, Sweden, Iceland, Netherlands, Poland, San Marino, Estonia, Portugal, and Ukraine. Ireland, which is currrently the joint-record holder with Sweden for the most Eurovision wins, after taking the tropy seven times, failed to qualify on Thursday evening. Norwegian singer Emmy, who represented the country, did not get enough votes with Laika Party, about a Russian space dog. She hoped to replicate the success of last year’s entrant, Bambie Thug, who became the first Irish competitor to reach the grand final since Ryan O’Shaughnessy in 2018. Source link #Ncuti #Gatwa #withdraws #Eurovision #spokesperson #final Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

EU readying new sanctions to raise pressure on Russia EU readying new sanctions to raise pressure on Russia The European Union is working on a new package of sanctions to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says, as leaders from across Europe met in Tirana. The EU, however, has already adopted 17 sanction packages – the latest one this week – and diplomats say it is increasingly difficult to get the necessary unanimity among the bloc’s 27 members to pass new measures. “He does not want peace, so we have to increase the pressure, and this is why we are working on a new package of sanctions,” von der Leyen said on Friday, referring to Putin, before the European Political Community summit in Albania. “This package will include for instance sanctions on Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2. It will include working on listing more vessels of the Russian shadow fleet and also lowering the oil price cap, and also more sanctions on the financial sector in Russia.” Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, each consisting of two pipes, were built by Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom to pump natural gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. They were ruptured by a series of blasts in 2022. “Massive” sanctions European leaders have threatened in recent days would need US support to succeed, officials and diplomats have said. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were in Istanbul on Friday for their first direct peace talks in more than three years, under pressure from US President Donald Trump to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey, but has spurned a challenge from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to meet him in person, and instead has sent a team of mid-ranking officials to the talks. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Putin “made a mistake by sending a low-level delegation”. “What we saw yesterday and overnight is yet more evidence that Putin is not serious about peace,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said as he arrived at the Tirana summit. “He’s been dragging his heels, and I think it’s really important therefore, that we have absolute unity with our allies. We’ll be working on that again today to be clear that there must be a ceasefire, but also to be clear that should there not be a ceasefire, then we will act together in relation to sanctions.” Source link #readying #sanctions #raise #pressure #Russia Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Bitcoin: Broader Bullish Momentum Remains Intact Despite Short-Term Pullback Risk Bitcoin: Broader Bullish Momentum Remains Intact Despite Short-Term Pullback Risk Bitcoin’s price neared $106,000 after a 40% rise since April, supported by breaking key resistance at $87,000. Investor caution grows as 97% of holders are in profit and futures markets hit record open positions, raising pullback risks. Despite short-term risks, strong buying interest and institutional demand keep the overall uptrend intact. Looking for actionable trade ideas to navigate the current market volatility? Subscribe here to unlock access to InvestingPro’s AI-selected stock winners. started rising again in April, finding support just below $75,000. Since then, it has jumped by 40% and is now close to $106,000. The uptrend picked up speed after the cryptocurrency broke past the $87,000 resistance level. Both technical charts and market factors supported this move. For now, it is trading between $102,000 and $104,000, and investors are watching closely for signs of a possible pullback. Bitcoin Faces Key Test at $106K Bitcoin quickly climbed to the $100,000 range after finding support at $94,200 in May. But over the past week, its price has stayed mostly flat, trading between $102,700 and $104,800. This zone also matches the resistance area that stretches up to the $109,000 peak seen in January. Since the earlier downtrend began from this point, Bitcoin is once again facing difficulty moving past it, leading some investors to expect a correction. The $106,000 level could be a turning point. If Bitcoin fails to break above it, prices might fall back to $99,400 or even $94,200. Still, market buying interest remains strong, and recent selling has been absorbed well. During this phase, $102,700 could act as a support level. If Bitcoin holds above it, it may attempt another push to break through resistance. Trading Volumes and Risks Climb Blockchain data shows that 97% of Bitcoin investors are currently in profit. In the past, such high profit levels often led to profit-taking. At the same time, open positions in crypto futures markets have hit record highs. There is also growing demand for put options, suggesting that investors are cautious and looking to protect their gains. In this overheated market, sudden price swings are likely as conditions tighten. Fed Outlook After Inflation One of the key reasons behind Bitcoin’s recent rise is growing speculation about changes in Fed policy. US came in lower than expected, increasing the chances of an cut. This, along with improving trade talks between the US and China, has boosted demand for riskier assets like crypto. Falling US bond yields and Bitcoin’s close link to stock market trends have also played a role in lifting investor confidence. Institutional Focus Shifts to Spot ETFs Another major factor driving Bitcoin’s price is the growing interest of institutional investors. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (NASDAQ:) continues to lead this trend, with total net inflows reaching $45.4 billion. While inflows slowed to $115 million yesterday compared to $319 million the day before, institutional buying has remained strong throughout the week. A key development was Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala’s $408.5 million investment in the IBIT ETF. With $302 billion in assets under management, Mubadala’s move signals growing acceptance of Bitcoin as a legitimate asset. It shows that Bitcoin is no longer seen just as a speculative play but also as a store of value that fits into long-term investment strategies. JPMorgan analysts have also turned optimistic on Bitcoin. They believe it could outperform gold in the coming months. Their outlook is based on rising institutional demand, a maturing derivatives market, and faster progress in regulatory integration. If Bitcoin can break above $106,000 with strong trading volume and continued positive sentiment, it could move toward new highs in the $114,000 to $125,000 range, based on Fibonacci levels. In summary, while there is a clear risk of a short-term correction, the broader uptrend in Bitcoin remains strong. **** Be sure to check out InvestingPro to stay in sync with the market trend and what it means for your trading. Whether you’re a novice investor or a seasoned trader, leveraging InvestingPro can unlock a world of investment opportunities while minimizing risks amid the challenging market backdrop. Subscribe now and instantly unlock access to several market-beating features, including: ProPicks AI: AI-selected stock winners with a proven track record. InvestingPro Fair Value: Instantly find out if a stock is underpriced or overvalued. Advanced Stock Screener: Search for the best stocks based on hundreds of selected filters and criteria. Top Ideas: See what stocks billionaire investors such as Warren Buffett, Michael Burry, and George Soros are buying. Disclaimer: This article is written for informational purposes only. It is not intended to encourage the purchase of assets in any way, nor does it constitute a solicitation, offer, recommendation, or suggestion to invest. I would like to remind you that all assets are evaluated from multiple perspectives and are highly risky, so any investment decision and the associated risk belongs to the investor. We also do not provide any investment advisory services. Source link #Bitcoin #Broader #Bullish #Momentum #Remains #Intact #ShortTerm #Pullback #Risk Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]