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****** Ops 6 Adds New DLC That Supports Military Veterans, Includes Operators Based On Real Soldiers ****** Ops 6 Adds New DLC That Supports Military Veterans, Includes Operators Based On Real Soldiers May is Military Appreciation Month, and Activision is marking the occasion by releasing new DLC in Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 and Warzone, with revenue from sales going to supporting military veterans. The new Call of Duty Endowment United Force tracer pack includes operator skins based on real people, including First Sergeant Korey Staley and Captain Florent “Flo” Groberg. Activision also announced a special in-game event called Got Your Six, which was made in partnership wth USAA. The DLC includes the “Veiled” and “Daggered” operator skins, as well as the “Ballistics Breaker” LW3A1 Frostline sniper rifle with tracers. The DLC bundle also comes with the “Barreled Barrage” Kilo 141 assault rifle with tracers, along with the “Koriolis Effect” weapon charm, the “7.62 Fangs” spray,” the “Valiant Vines” weapon sticker, and the “Ghillie Glint” animated calling card. What’s more, it includes the “Rattling Ranger” animated emblem, the “Fieldcraft” loading screen,” and one-hour double XP tokens for player XP and weapon XP. The DLC bundle goes for $20. 100% of proceeds from the DLC goes to the Call of Duty Endowment, which helps military veterans find civilian careers after leaving the service. All US military service members and veterans get the DLC free. Alongside this, Activision is launching a new event called Got Your Six, which runs now through May 29. In this event, players can earn in-game rewards for ****** Ops 6, Warzone, and Zombies. These rewards include the “Covered Sixes” animated calling card, the “Team Rally” animated emblem,” the “Embattled” spray, and the “Reinforced” spray. Also in the bundle is the “Plated Pride” weapon charm, the “All Chipped Out” weapon blueprint, and one-hour double XP tokens for player and weapon XP. Everything in the United Force tracer pack In other news, Activision recently discussed the steps it’s taking to weed out cheaters across ****** Ops 6 and Warzone. Source link #****** #Ops #Adds #DLC #Supports #Military #Veterans #Includes #Operators #Based #Real #Soldiers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

SpaceX Launches 28 Starlink Satellites from Florida: What You Need to Know SpaceX Launches 28 Starlink Satellites from Florida: What You Need to Know SpaceX has expanded its constellation even more by sending another set of Starlink broadband satellites into orbit. At 2:28 a.m., the Falcon 9 rocket rose off Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying 28 Starlink satellites. EDT (0628 GMT) on May 9, the company’s second Starlink launch in a little over six hours. The most recent launch had been the preceding evening from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base. SpaceX wants to build the biggest fleet of working satellites in low-Earth orbit; hence, this flight helps to achieve that. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Achieves 11th Reuse as Starlink Network Surpasses 7,300 Satellites in Orbit As per a SpaceX mission report, the Falcon 9’s first stage dropped gently on the autonomous drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean just eight minutes after launch. This particular booster flew for the 11th time, one of the ways SpaceX tries to fly its boosters for as many missions as feasible to reduce the cost of launching. From there, the rocket’s upper stage propelled it farther into low Earth orbit, where it was scheduled to deploy the 28 Starlink satellites 65 minutes after launch. The launch was the 55th Falcon 9 mission of 2025, and 38 of those have been in support of the Starlink effort. Starlink is SpaceX’s ambitious project to offer global high-speed internet coverage to the world using thousands of interconnected satellites. More than 7,300 satellites are currently orbiting in space, and the project is growing rapidly, as new batches of satellites will continue launching. And the speed of these launches, the frequency of them, demonstrates how much SpaceX has become the king of commercial spaceflight. Typically launching multiple times within 24-hour periods, the company points to the complexity of its launch capability and operating rhythm. The May 10 flight was more proof of concept of SpaceX’s now well-established reliance on reusable Falcon 9 capability and pinpoint orbital delivery. Some analysts note that the continued development of Starlink could have broader implications for traffic management and space debris regulation in orbit, as well as for world internet coverage. Regulators and space agencies are monitoring the expanded network’s environmental and operational impacts in low Earth orbit. Source link #SpaceX #Launches #Starlink #Satellites #Florida Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Is Bally’s Turnaround a Safe Bet Amid Mixed Investor Sentiment? Is Bally’s Turnaround a Safe Bet Amid Mixed Investor Sentiment? It’s been a mostly bullish earnings season for casino stocks with names like MGM Resorts (NYSE:) International and Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:) Corp. having posted solid earnings. But the third time wasn’t a charm for Bally’s Corp. Bally’s is part of the consumer discretionary sector at a time when investors are trying to figure out the actual state of the consumer. In 2024, consumers continued spending on entertainment, including online and on-premises gambling. However, the data is getting muddier in 2025, so investors are paying close attention to what gaming companies say. The beleaguered hotel and casino operator reported its sixth straight quarter of missing analysts’ revenue targets. However, the company delivered a surprise profit of 58 cents in earnings per share. Analysts were expecting a loss of 76 cents per share. That doesn’t seem to matter much to investors. Two days after its report, BALY stock is down just 2% in what could be called volatile trading. The stock may be getting a tailwind from the broader rally, which is fueled by hopes for a resolution of the trade dispute between the United States and China. Do Investors Believe in the Company’s Turnaround Story? Bally’s reported revenue of $580.4 million, which was down 5.1% year-over-year (YOY). The ******* problem for investors is that the company is showing lackluster revenue growth over the last two years. About 78% of that revenue came from the company’s casino business, which includes 19 properties in 11 states. That was down 4.2% YOY. Like many companies in this space, Bally’s has a growing omnichannel business. For example, the company has online sports betting (OSB) licenses for its Bally Bet and Bally Casino (EPA:) in 13 jurisdictions throughout North America. The company is also growing its international presence. Its Interactive International division is a global iGames operator. Bally’s also has a significant stake in the global lottery management and services business, Intralot S.A. However, Bally’s is hoping that 2025 will be the year when its growth through acquisition strategy will bear fruit. The company has now completed a series of transactions with The Queen Casino & Entertainment and Standard General. This adds four new complementary Queen casinos. If last year’s numbers are any indication, those casinos could add nearly 50% to Bally’s topline in the current year. BALY Stock: Investor Sentiment in One Chart Who needs a casino when BALY’s stock chart delivers all the thrills? That volatility over the past year may explain why some investors are opting for steadier plays in the hotel and casino sector. The spike you see was part of the Trump bump, as market participants became optimistic about what a Trump administration would mean for the economy. The choppiness you see since February 2025 reflects the market’s uncertainty. However, at its current level, BALY stock is trading significantly below its 50-day simple moving average (SMA) price of $14.24. Its relative strength indicator (RSI) is around 37, which suggests the stock is oversold. The Company Continues to Ghost Analysts It’s customary for a company to deliver a call with analysts after it posts earnings. However, customary doesn’t mean mandatory. For the third consecutive quarter, Bally’s opted not to have a call. The company cited its ongoing transaction for the Queen properties as it didn’t field a call in the third quarter. No reason was given for the cancellation of this call. This leaves analysts to interpret the company’s results without any commentary aside from what Bally’s issued in its earnings press release. Bally’s is scheduled to host its annual meeting of shareholders on May 15. Perhaps analysts will be able to get more color at that time. Since the report, the Bally’s analyst forecasts show that Barclays has maintained its Equal Weight rating on the stock while lowering its price target from $14 to $13. Original Post Source link #Ballys #Turnaround #Safe #Bet #Mixed #Investor #Sentiment Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Decades-long mystery of ginger cats revealed Decades-long mystery of ginger cats revealed Esme Stallard Climate and science correspondent Getty Images Garfield, ***** in Boots, Aristocats’ Toulouse – cultural icons maybe, ginger most certainly. And now scientists across two continents have uncovered the DNA mystery that has given our furry friends, particularly males, their notable colour. They discovered that ginger cats are missing a section of their genetic code, which means the cells responsible for their skin, eye and fur tone produce lighter colours. The breakthrough has brought delight to the scientists but also the thousands of cat lovers that originally crowdfunded the research. The scientists hope solving the puzzle could also help shed light on whether orange coloured cats are at increased risk of certain health conditions. It has been known for decades that it is genetics that gives orange tabby cats their distinctive colouring, but exactly where in the genetic code has evaded scientists till now. Two teams of scientists at Kyushu University in Japan and Stanford University in the US have now revealed the mystery in simultaneous papers published on Thursday. What the teams found was that in the cells responsible for giving a cat its skin, hair follicles and eyes their colour – melanocytes – one gene, ARHGAP36, was much more active. Genes are made up of pieces of DNA which give instructions to a cat’s cells, like other living creatures, on how to function. By comparing the DNA from dozens of cats with and without orange fur they found that those with ginger colouring had a section of DNA code missing within this ARHGAP36 gene. Without this DNA the activity of the ARHGAP36 is not suppressed i.e. it is more active. The scientists believe that the gene instructs those melanocytes to produce lighter pigment. Ginger cats mostly male For decades scientists have observed that cats with completely ginger colouring are far more likely to be male. This tallies with the fact that the gene is carried on the X chromosome. Chromosomes are larger sections of DNA, and male cats like other mammals have an X and a Y chromosome, which carry different number of genes. As it a gene only on the X chromosome in this case controlling the pigment production then one missing piece of DNA is enough to turn a cat fully ginger. In comparison female cats have two X chromosomes so the DNA needs to be missing in both chromosomes to increase lighter pigment production to the same extent – it means a mixed colouring is more likely. “These ginger and ****** patches form because, early in development, one X chromosome in each cell is randomly switched off,” explains Prof Hiroyuki Sasaki, geneticist at Kyushu University. “As cells divide, this creates areas with different active coat colour genes, resulting in distinct patches.” Getty Images Calico and tortoiseshell cats with mixed colourings are more likely to be female Although couched in science, the study originally started off as a passion project for Professor Sasaki. He had retired from his university post, but as a cat lover said he wanted to continue working to uncover the orange cat gene in the hope it could “contribute to the overcoming of cat diseases”. He and his team raised 10.6m yen (£55,109) via crowdfunding for the research from thousands of fellow cat lovers across Japan and the world. One contributor wrote: “We are siblings in the first and third grades of elementary school. We donated with our pocket money. Use it for research on calico cats.” Hiroyuki Sasaki/Kyushu University Professor Sasaki compared the genes of calico cats to those without, using local cats and an international genome database The ARHGAP36 gene is also active in many other areas of the body including the brain and hormonal glands, and is considered important for development. The researchers think it is possible that the DNA mutation in the gene could cause other changes in these parts of the body linked to health conditions or temperament. The ARHGAP36 gene is found in humans and has been linked to skin ******* and hair loss. “Many cat owners swear by the idea that different coat colours and patterns are linked with different personalities,” said Prof Sasaki. “There’s no scientific evidence for this yet, but it’s an intriguing idea and one I’d love to explore further.” Source link #Decadeslong #mystery #ginger #cats #revealed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Here Are Three New Cards From The Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy Collaboration Here Are Three New Cards From The Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy Collaboration Wizards of the Coast is collaborating with Square Enix for Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy, a full expansion to the decades-old trading card game themed completely around the 16 mainline Final Fantasy games. Included within the main set is a small “bonus sheet”–a set within the set–called Final Fantasy: Through The Ages. Through The Ages features 64 cards from MTG history and reskins them with official artwork from the Square Enix archives in Japan. Over 5,000 pieces of art were considered for the project, but 64 cards–four for each of the 16 mainline games–have been created, and we have an exclusive look at three of them; two from Final Fantasy VIII, and one from the newest game in the franchise, Final Fantasy XVI. Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy launches June 13 in local game stores and big box retailers. Cards from the Through The Ages bonus sheet can be found in one out of every three Play Booster packs, as well as one in every Collector Booster pack. First up, let’s take a look at the Final Fantasy XVI card: Hugo Kupka! Hugo Kupka Hugo Kupka (reprint of Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder) Legendary Creature – Human Ally Costs two generic, one red, and one white mana to cast 3 power/3 toughness Whenever Hugo Kupka enters or attacks, target creature you control gains double strike and lifelink until end of turn. Partner (You can have two commanders if both have Partner.) Bruse Tarl–or for our purposes, Hugo Kupka–is a powerful creature that enables any creature on your board to have a big turn–and gains you some life in the process. The best Bruse Tarl decks in Commander see him partnered with cards like Thrasios, Triton Hero or Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper for four-color beatdown decks, so Hugo has a few new friends to make. Next up is one of our two exclusive reveals of a card from Final Fantasy VIII, and it’s the hero himself, Squall Leonhart! Squall Leonhart Squall Leonhart (reprint of Danitha Capashen, Paragon) Legendary Creature – Human Knight Costs two generic and one white mana to cast 2 power/2 toughness First strike, vigilance, lifelink Aura and Equipment spells you cast cost one generic mana less to cast. Squall will immediately provide a boost to your tron builds, as he will discount any Aura and Equipment spells that you cast while he’s on the battlefield. Of course, you could always cast those discounted spells for Squall himself, in which case he becomes a very powerful creature that also gains you life. Finally, we have the cornerstone of the SeeD mercenary force in FFVIII, Balamb Garden! Balamb Garden Balamb Garden (reprint of Command Beacon) Land Ability 1: Tap this land to create one colorless mana. Ability 2: Tap and sacrifice this land to put your commander into your hand from the command zone. Balamb Garden enters Magic: The Gathering as a solid “utility land,” or a land that doesn’t act like a normal land, but still provides a boost to your Commander deck. Late in the game, if your commander has been removed a few times and you’ve piled up the commander tax*, Balamb Garden can sacrifice itself to place your commander in your hand–and commander tax doesn’t apply to commanders cast from your hand. *Cards designated as your commander cost two additional generic mana to cast for every time after the first time they’ve been cast; second cast of the game costs two extra generic mana, third card costs four extra, etc. Source link #Cards #Magic #Gathering #Final #Fantasy #Collaboration Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Hubble Captures First-Ever Rogue ****** Hole Devouring a Star Outside Galactic Core Hubble Captures First-Ever Rogue ****** Hole Devouring a Star Outside Galactic Core Astronomers have revealed the occurrence of Space Jaws with the help of the Hubble telescope. There is a ****** hole caught from the home galaxy ripping a star. This is the first direct evidence of a huge ****** hole which is in action. Unique thing is that the ****** hole is not at the center of the galaxy, marked as the first incident in history. Dr. Yuhan Yao led the observations, postdoc fellow at University of California, together with Dr. Erica Hammerstein and Dr. Ryan Chornock. Identifying a Cosmic Outlier According to a study at NASA using the Hubble Telescope, on February 22, 2025, a tidal disruption event known as TDE called AT2024tvd, spotted at 600 million light years away. The Zwicky Transient Facility caught the initial flare and the location has been reported using the Hubble Space Telescope. The ****** hole lies 2600 light years away from the core of the galaxy, where 100 million supermassive ****** holes lie. This ****** hole surprised the scientists as it is in the offset position and is wandering. However, astronomers say, the presence of two super massive ****** holes within a single galaxy is not unusual. Origins: Ejected or Merged? There are two main theories put forward by the scientists for explaining the dislocation. According to one theory, it formed by the remains of a smaller galaxy that blended with the current host, billions of years ago. The other theory says it was ejected from the centre of the galaxy at the time of violent three ****** hole interactions. Dr. Hammerstein could not detect any merger remnants through observations, yet the presence of two ****** holes in one galaxy is a revolution to the past. A Star’s Violent End The ****** hole shreds the star, and pulls it away through strong tidal forces and emits a bright flare. Such events not just indicate the happening of hidden ****** holes but too help the scientists study the physics of ****** holes in detail. Eyes on the Future Astronomers expect to unveil more such TDEs which are offset using NASA’s Roman SPace Telescope and Vera C. Rubin Observatory. There can be a possibility of hidden wandering supermassive ****** holes. Source link #Hubble #Captures #FirstEver #Rogue #****** #Hole #Devouring #Star #Galactic #Core Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Man charged over botched 900kg coke import plan alleged to have procured placement of “bombs”, “IEDs” in businesses, court told Man charged over botched 900kg coke import plan alleged to have procured placement of “bombs”, “IEDs” in businesses, court told Allegations against a man charged over an alleged plot to import 900kg of ******** into Australia – which ended up washing up across the east coast – have been detailed in court. Source link #Man #charged #botched #900kg #coke #import #plan #alleged #procured #placement #bombs #IEDs #businesses #court #told Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NASA’s IMAP Spacecraft Prepares to Map the Solar System’s Edge NASA’s IMAP Spacecraft Prepares to Map the Solar System’s Edge On may 10th, a semitrailer delivered NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe or IMAP to the Astrotech space operations facility all the way from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The IMAP mission is a modern-day celestial cartographer that will map the solar system by studying the heliosphere, a giant bubble created by the Sun’s solar wind that surrounds our solar system and protects it from harmful interstellar radiation. Tentatively scheduled for launch no earlier than fall 2025 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy, IMAP will be processed fuelled and encapsulated by the technicians in Astrotech facility. About the mission According to reported NASA’s blog, The IMAP mission will orbit the Sun at a location called Lagrange Point 1 (L1), which is about one million miles from Earth towards the Sun. From this location, IMAP can measure the local solar wind and scan the distant heliosphere without background from planets and their magnetic fields. The spacecraft will use 10 scientific instruments to study and map the heliosphere, a vast magnetic bubble surrounding the Sun protecting our solar system. At NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, IMAP went through thermal vacuum testing at the X-ray and Cryogenic facility that simulates harsh conditions and dramatic temperature changes to simulate the environment during launch, on the journey toward the Sun. Mission Management IMAP is the fifth mission in NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Probes program portfolio. It is lead by Princeton University professor David J. McComas with an international team of 25 partner institutions. The spacecraft was built and operated from The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Information from this mission are expected to provide early warnings about space weather, which can affect human space explorers and technological systems like satellites and power grids that can affect life on Earth. 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. Malaysia Logs 300 Percent Rise in Electricity Theft Linked to ******** Crypto Mining: Report iOS 18.5 Update Rolls Out With Updates to Mail App, Pride Harmony Wallpaper Source link #NASAs #IMAP #Spacecraft #Prepares #Map #Solar #Systems #Edge Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Hideo Kojima says he’s left staff a ‘USB stick of game ideas’ for after he dies Hideo Kojima says he’s left staff a ‘USB stick of game ideas’ for after he dies Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima says he’s reevaluated his priorities since turning 60 and becoming severely ill during the pandemic, and has even left a will containing game ideas for staff to use after his death. Kojima turned 60 during the production of Death Stranding 2, but the game designer told Edge Magazine in its latest issue that an illness he suffered during the pandemic was what most inspired him to seriously consider what to do with his remaining years. It also stirred the games auteur to consider the future of his studio, he said, which is why he’s decided to take on numerous projects, such as the Sony action-espionage game Physint, Xbox-backed OD, and the upcoming Death Stranding sequel. “Turning 60 was less of a turning point in my life than my experiences during the pandemic,” he told Edge. “I fell seriously ill at that time, and also had an eye operation. Until then, I didn’t think I was old, you know? I just didn’t feel my age, and I assumed I would be able to create for as long as I live. “But then I became sick, and I couldn’t create anything. And I saw lots of people around me passing away at that time. I was confronted with death. Of course, I recovered, but now I was thinking, ‘Wait, how many years do I have left to make game or a film?’ Perhaps I have ten years?” Kojima said he’s since reevaluated his priorities for how he should spend his remaining years. He said he had considered directing a film, but directors Guillermo del Toro and Nicolas Winding Refn – who both appear in Death Stranding– advised him to stick to video games. Hideo Kojima says he’s left his staff a USB stick of game ideas. During his illness in the pandemic, Kojima said he realised a lot of fans wanted him to make something like Metal Gear, which is why he decided to create the espionage game Physint with Sony. Kojima said he believes spending his remaining years creating a variety of projects will help better secure the future of Kojima Productions beyond his lifespan, which is something he is increasingly thinking about. “I gave a USB stick with all my ideas on it to my personal assistant, kind of like a will,” he said. “Perhaps they could continue to make things after I’m gone at Kojima Productions… This is a fear for me: what happens to Kojima Productions after I’m gone? I don’t want them to just manage our existing IP.” The latest issue of Edge is out now, both physically and digitally, and can be purchased directly online. VGC recently travelled to Kojima Productions in Tokyo, Japan, for an extensive Death Stranding 2 preview and interviews with the game’s development team. Source link #Hideo #Kojima #hes #left #staff #USB #stick #game #ideas #dies Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

6 New Books We Recommend This Week 6 New Books We Recommend This Week Our recommended books this week tilt heavily toward investigations and exposés — they include a study of the wellness industry, an account of Joe Biden’s re-election campaign, a skeptical history of capitalism and a look at Russia’s private armies. But we also make room for an amiable road trip novel (Kevin Wilson’s “Run for the Hills”) and a ******* mystery in which the detectives are a flock of curious sheep. Happy reading. — Gregory Cowles Big Bad Wool by Leonie Swann Swann’s exceedingly delightful Sheep Detective series began with “Three Bags Full” (published in 2005 and reissued earlier this year), in which an intrepid flock tries to figure out who killed their shepherd. This follow-up finds the sheep wintering next to a French château, which sounds idyllic, but the disappearance of other sheep, the mounting deaths of deer and, eventually, a human, strike fear in the hearts of the flock, who are worried they or their new shepherd may be next. How the sheep discover the culprit will enchant readers who pay close attention. Read our review. How to Be Well: Navigating Our Self-Care Epidemic, One Dubious Cure at a Time by Amy Larocca Larocca, a veteran journalist, dives into the hellscape of stringent food plans, cultish exercise routines and medical quackery that have, over the past decade or so, constituted healthy living in some of the wealthiest enclaves of the United States. Blame social media, political turmoil or the pandemic — no matter how you slice it, the view is dispiriting. But Larocca’s tour is a lively one, full of information and humor. Read our review. Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson In Wilson’s whimsical new novel four half siblings, previously unaware of one another’s existence, set out on a cross-country road trip together to confront the father who abandoned them each in turn. This fantastic hook begins a mostly jaunty series of cascading episodes that feel tailor-made to be adapted into a limited series; the journey is so swift and delightful that the story never collapses under the weight of implausibility. Read our review. Death Is Our Business: Russian Mercenaries and the New Era of Private Warfare by John Lechner Lechner’s excellent new book traces the history and shifting fortunes of the Russian mercenary army the Wagner Group, which rose to global prominence after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Wagner, led by an ex-felon named Yevgeny Prigozhin, enjoyed early success — but when Russian military commanders tried to rein Prigozhin in, his troops turned on Moscow, culminating in an abortive assault on the capital and a negotiated retreat. Two months later, Prigozhin’s private jet was blown from the sky above Russia. Lechner blends beautiful first-person writing with granular reporting to show how Wagner became embroiled in foreign wars after the conflict in eastern Ukraine died down. Read our review. Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson Tapper, an anchor at CNN, served as a moderator for the 2024 presidential debate that highlighted a faltering Joe Biden, starting a cascade of criticism that eventually led Biden to withdraw from the race. Here, Tapper and the Axios political reporter Thompson offer a damning, step-by-step account of how the people closest to a stubborn, aging president enabled his quixotic resolve to run for a second term, laying the blame chiefly on his family and a group of close aides. Read our review. Capitalism and Its Critics: A History: From the Industrial Revolution to AI by John Cassidy In 28 short chapters, beginning in the early days of the Industrial Revolution and ending with some thoughts about the economic upheaval that may be wrought by A.I., Cassidy, a longtime staff writer for The New Yorker, offers an expansive history of capitalism that places less emphasis on economic abstractions like perfectly competitive markets and draws attention instead to how often capitalist systems have fallen short. He shows how capitalism has never gone unchallenged by critics, whether they have wanted to replace the system entirely or simply remake its rules while preserving a core of self-interest. Read our review. Source link #Books #Recommend #Week Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Consumers Show Signs of Strain Amid Trump’s Tariff Rollout Consumers Show Signs of Strain Amid Trump’s Tariff Rollout The U.S. consumer has seemed unstoppable in recent years, spending throughout soaring inflation and the highest borrowing costs in decades. That resilience helped to keep at bay a recession that many thought inevitable after the pandemic. Consumer spending has fueled the economy Year-over-year percentage change in retail and food service sales Source: U.S. Department of Commerce Note: Data is seasonally adjusted. President Trump’s tariffs and their scattershot rollout have once again raised concerns that the United States may soon face an economic downturn. While the odds of an outright recession have fallen as the highest levies have been paused, there are reasons to be worried about the ability of consumers to continue to prop up growth. Consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, meaning a sharp enough pullback could cause significant damage. For now, consumers are still spending, although more slowly than in the past. Their attitudes about the economic outlook have soured in recent months in anticipation of elevated prices, slower growth and higher unemployment. Americans have also become choosier about how they spend their money. Leisure and business travel has declined. People are buying fewer snacks and eating out less as they look to cut costs. They are even doing fewer loads of laundry to save money. “The economy is really vulnerable to anything that could go wrong, and clearly there’s a lot that could go wrong,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics. It is not yet clear if the slowdown simply reflects distortions related to stockpiling before Mr. Trump’s trade war starts to really bite, or if it is an early sign of a full-blown retreat. Part of what has enabled consumers to spend so freely up until this point is a stockpile of savings that they accrued as a result of government stimulus during the pandemic and a booming stock market. Those savings have now largely been tapped out. “The cushion that was there during the pandemic to weather the storm of higher prices is not there now,” Diane Swonk, the chief economist at KPMG, said. The highest-earning 10 percent of Americans, who drive the bulk of consumer spending, are still in good shape, but it’s the bottom 90 percent that worry her most. Those households are under increased financial stress. The share of outstanding credit card debt that is 90 days or more past due started increasing in 2023 and has continued to rise across geographies and income levels, according to data through the first quarter of this year released Tuesday by the New York Fed and research by the St. Louis Fed. The trend has become particularly pronounced for poorer households. Credit card delinquency is high Percentage of credit card debt that is 90 days or more past due Sources: Federal Reserve Bank of New York Consumer Credit Panel/Equifax and calculations by Sánchez and Mori (2025) of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Notes: Data is quarterly. Income categories are based on per capita aggregate gross income in 2019 from individual income tax ZIP code data. And real-time credit reports from Experian, one of the three major U.S. credit rating firms, suggest the pace accelerated in April. Americans are struggling with other kinds of payments, too. The overall delinquency rate, which includes all loan types, reached its highest level since 2020 in the first quarter of this year, according to the Fed data. This was driven by student loan delinquencies, as past-due student loans once again were included in credit reports after a pandemic-era pause on federal student loan repayments. Because they now have to pay down those balances after a five-year reprieve, consumers may increasingly have trouble servicing other kinds of loans, another strain. What matters most, however, is the labor market. “If American consumers have money, they’re going to spend it, and the primary place they get money is through their jobs,” said Eric Winograd, an economist at the investment firm AllianceBernstein. Businesses are still hiring, layoffs are low and the unemployment rate has stabilized at a historically low level of around 4 percent. But the labor market is noticeably less robust than it was in the aftermath of the pandemic, a ******* that was marked by booming hiring, soaring wages and acute worker shortages. “Nothing emboldens consumers quite like a strong labor market, and we don’t have that anymore,” said Tom Porcelli, chief U.S. economist at PGIM Fixed Income. Companies are posting far fewer job openings and positions are no longer much more plentiful than the number of people looking for work as businesses reassess their staffing needs in an environment of slowing growth. Jobs are no longer much more plentiful than available workers Job openings vs. unemployment Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Note: Data is seasonally adjusted. Spending is now consistently increasing faster than income, once adjusted for inflation. This imbalance cannot last, said Neil Dutta, head of economic research at Renaissance Macro. Either incomes will need to accelerate or consumption must slow over time. “Given what we know about the job market and wage growth, it’s more likely that consumer spending slows than incomes rise,” he said. Spending is growing faster than income Year-over-year percentage change in real consumption vs. real income Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis Notes: Income excludes government transfer payments. Data is seasonally adjusted. Pay is no longer soaring for workers in the lowest-paid industries, such as leisure and hospitality, who saw their earnings increase the fastest in the initial recovery ******* when the job market was strong and demand for their services was high. Now, pay is rising faster in high-wage industries — as pay for lower- and mid-wage jobs stagnate. Wage growth has slowed, particularly for workers in low-wage industries Median year-over-year percentage change in industry-level earnings for nonmanagers Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics; New York Times analysis Notes: Lines show three-month rolling averages. Medians are weighted by employment levels. “Low-wage” is the bottom 25 percent of industries, “high-wage” the top 25 percent, and “mid-wage” the middle 50 percent. It is too early to say if the lessons of the post-pandemic ******* will prove applicable this time around. Consumers are clearly under heightened pressure, but it will take time to know whether they are buckling under that weight or once again muscling through. So far, policymakers at the Federal Reserve do not appear too worried just yet and are taking their time to assess the economic impact of Mr. Trump’s policies before restarting interest rate cuts. “The U.S. consumer never lets us down,” said John Williams, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in a recent interview. Source link #Consumers #Show #Signs #Strain #Trumps #Tariff #Rollout Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Stocks Bounce as Bond Yields Sink on Fed-Cut Bets: Markets Wrap – Yahoo Finance Stocks Bounce as Bond Yields Sink on Fed-Cut Bets: Markets Wrap – Yahoo Finance Stocks Bounce as Bond Yields Sink on Fed-Cut Bets: Markets Wrap Yahoo FinanceTreasury Yields Fall as Data Support Fed-Cut Bets: Markets Wrap Bloomberg10-year Treasury yield slides after wholesale prices unexpectedly decline CNBCA No Whammies Rally For Bonds After Data and Powell Mortgage News DailyTreasury Yields Fall Amid Mild Inflation, Resilient Labor Market WSJ Source link #Stocks #Bounce #Bond #Yields #Sink #FedCut #Bets #Markets #Wrap #Yahoo #Finance Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How Chestnut Plantation in Roman Empire Transformed European Forests How Chestnut Plantation in Roman Empire Transformed European Forests Chestnut Grove in Ticino, Switzerland. Credit: Oliylkaeng / CC BY-SA 4.0 Deep in the forests of southern Switzerland, sweet chestnut trees stand as living evidence of the Roman Empire’s long-reaching influence, not just in roads and language, but in the very landscape itself. Researchers in Switzerland have traced the tree’s proliferation to Roman expansion across mainland Europe. While the nuts were considered food for the poor in Roman society, the elite prized the wood. It grew fast, was durable, and ideal for construction and military use. “Ancient texts show that the Romans were very interested in Castanea, especially for its resprouting capacity,” said Patrik Krebs of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). “When you cut it, it resprouts very fast and produces a lot of poles that are naturally very high in tannins, which makes the wood resistant and long-lasting.” Why the Romans planted chestnut trees The Romans didn’t spread sweet chestnuts for their fruit. Chestnuts were seen as humble food for shepherds and farmers. Instead, the Romans focused on the tree’s ability to grow back quickly after being cut—a process called coppicing. This allowed a steady timber supply for forts, shelters, and tools. It also helped the trees live longer when carefully managed. Even today, chestnuts benefit from this kind of pruning and care. Tracking chestnut history through pollen Scientists analyzed layers of ancient pollen in soil samples to track the appearance and distribution of chestnut trees. In Switzerland, France, and Germany, chestnut pollen was nearly absent before the Roman *******. Around the year 0 AD—during the peak of the Roman Empire—pollen records indicated a sudden increase. In Ticino, researchers found a large increase in pollen from chestnuts, walnuts, and grains at 800 meters (2,624 feet, or almost half a mile) above sea level. This suggests that the Romans planted orchards high in the Alps, bringing farming practices to areas where crops were once rare. A lasting transformation of the landscape Pollen evidence also shows that sweet chestnuts had become the dominant tree in parts of Ticino by the end of the Roman Empire. Older forests filled with alders and other species had been replaced. “This was done by humans,” Krebs explained. “It was a complete reorganisation of the vegetal landscape.” Even after Rome fell, locals continued to plant and manage chestnut trees. The knowledge passed on by Roman foresters became a part of local culture and survival. The chestnut tree as a lifeline By the Middle Ages, chestnuts were a major food source in the Alps. People dried the nuts, ground them into flour, and used them in cooking. The trees were especially valuable in mountain regions, where few other crops could survive. The ancient Romans left an indelible imprint on the world they enveloped into their empire. The straight, long-distance roads they built can still be followed beneath the asphalt of some modern highways. They spread aqueducts, sewers, public baths and the Latin language across… pic.twitter.com/WBaKG7UCAs — Rita Rosenfeld (@rheytah) May 14, 2025 “In our valleys, chestnuts were the most important pillar of subsistence during the Middle Ages,” Krebs said. Because of careful management, some chestnut trees in Ticino have lived nearly 1,000 years. In the wild, these trees typically survive only about 200 years before being overtaken by other species. Romans shared knowledge, locals did the work The Romans brought skills and ideas from across their empire. They connected regions through roads and trade. However, local communities, who adopted and preserved these practices, likely did the actual planting and care of chestnut orchards. “In an orchard, there’s just the chestnut tree and the meadow below, it’s like a luxury residence for the tree,” Krebs said. Without this care, forests change. Competing trees crowd out the chestnuts, and the benefits fade. Britain’s chestnuts likely came later Although Romans helped chestnuts spread through mainland Europe, they may not have brought them to Britain. A study by the University of Gloucestershire found that sweet chestnuts likely arrived in the British Isles after the Romans had left. Still, chestnuts are now common in *** woodlands. Many are descendants of ancient trees once planted in Roman-era Europe. One of the oldest known chestnut trees in the world, found in Sicily, is believed to be up to 4,000 years old. Modern Threats to a Historic Tree Today, chestnut trees face serious challenges. Climate change, disease, and the decline of rural life threaten traditional orchards. As fewer people farm in mountain regions, the long bond between humans and chestnuts weakens. But signs of this history remain. In Ticino and across the Alps, chestnut trails and seasonal festivals honor the tree’s place in the Roman Empire and local heritage. Krebs explained that humans got food and timber. On the other hand, the tree got care, a longer life, and a home that stretched across a continent. Source link #Chestnut #Plantation #Roman #Empire #Transformed #European #Forests Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

The best selling games on every console The best selling games on every console Looking back at the entire video game console timeline lets us get a clear picture of how the industry has evolved. It is fun to rank the best consoles of all time and look at things like the best Nintendo launch games to remember what we were playing when we first got our hands on those new systems. Those kinds of subjective lists are fun, but there are some equally interesting objective things to explore as well. Game sales don’t necessarily represent the best games of all time, but do show what was most popular at the time for one reason or another. There’s typically a disconnect between what sells the best and what is the highest rated, which is fun to see. This isn’t the kind of thing most people know off the top of their head, so we dug through all the financial reports for as far back as we could to find the best selling games on every video game console. Note: We are only covering the major home and handheld consoles and leaving out the more niche systems that few people owned or remember. We are also only able to account for officially released sales data. It is possible some of these numbers have changed or are in the wrong order, but as of 2025, it is as up-to-date as possible based on the latest official data. The best selling Atari 2600 game: Pac-Man – 8 million Giovanni Colantonio / Digital Trends The early consoles were mainly a way to play the best arcade games at home, so it makes sense that Pac-Man would be the top seller for the Atari 2600. What is a little surprising, though, is just how many copies this game sold in the end. Despite how niche video games were in the early 80s, Pac-Man on the Atari 2600 sold over 8 million copies. Space Invaders comes in at a distant second place with just over 6 million with Donkey Kong rounding out the top three with a little over 4 million. The best selling NES game: Super Mario Bros. – 40 million* Nintendo We have to put a small asterisk on this entry because, despite being one of the best Mario games and certainly would’ve sold millions on its own, Super Mario Bros. was a pack-in game with the NES. That game was probably why most people bought the console, but we will never know for sure how many copies the game would have sold if it hadn’t been included with the system. However, bundle or not, the sales figure of over 40 million copies is nothing to sneeze at. Even Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. 3, which were also included in bundles, only sold 28 million and 18 million copies, respectively. If you don’t count bundles, the top selling NES game would then fall to Tetris with 8 million copies sold. The best selling ***** Genesis game: Sonic the Hedgehog – 15 million* ***** Just like Nintendo’s main mascot topped the charts for the NES, *****’s own Sonic was easily the best selling Genesis game with 15 million sales. However, we have to put the same asterisk on Sonic as we did with Mario because it, too, was bundled with the console. If we look at second place, it is none other than Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with around 7.5 million copies. These are great numbers, but really goes to show just how dominant Nintendo was at the time over *****. The best selling Game Boy game: Pokémon Red & Blue – 31 million Adobe Stock / Digital Trends What else could be the best selling Game Boy game than the franchise that took over the world and hasn’t let go? The monster-catching games rocketed the franchise into the stratosphere and gave the handheld a second life almost 10 years after it first game out. Some might think it is a little unfair to bundle the ***** of both games together, but that’s how Nintendo has always done it. Besides, the second best selling game is Tetris, but that was a pack-in game, and third place is Pokémon Gold and Silver with 23.7 million, so you have to go pretty far down the list to not have any kind of asterisk. The best selling SNES game: Super Mario World – 20.6 million* Nintendo Act surprised, but another Mario game is at the top of the list. Again, we have to put a disclaimer on this game’s huge sales milestone for being part of a bundle with the console. Just like with the NES, though, Super Mario World is one of the best SNES games made and would likely have sold about as well regardless. If you want to find the next best selling game that isn’t a bundle, we have to go all the way to ninth place, where we get Street Fighter II Turbo at 4.1 million copies sold. The best selling PS1 game: Gran Turismo – 10.85 million Sony This was a very close race between first, second, and third place, but the first entry in Sony’s own racing game franchise squeaks out the win at 10.85 million copies. Besides just being a great game, Gran Turismo was, and still is, always a graphical showpiece for Sony consoles that draws a huge crowd just to show off what the system can do. Nipping at its heels in second place is Final Fantasy 7 at 10.02 million, followed by Gran Turismo 2 at 9.37 million. The best selling N64 game: Super Mario 64 – 11.91 million* Taylor Frint/Digital Trends Graphic / Nintendo Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but a Mario game was the best selling game on a Nintendo system. Shocking, we know, but this is yet again a pack-in situation. In fact, first through fourth place all have that asterisk attached, including Mario Kart 64, GoldenEye 007, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Fifth place, however, is Super Smash Bros. with no asterisk at a respectable 5.55 million. While there were tons of great N64 games, this console didn’t sell as well as Nintendo’s others so these are still great numbers considering the install base. The best selling Dreamcast game: Sonic Adventure – 2.5 million ***** It almost isn’t worth it to include the Dreamcast on this list, but we wanted to acknowledge its loyal fans and that it did have some great games. Sadly, not even Sonic could save this system and its premier 3D adventure only managed to sell 2.5 million copies. Soulcalibur was second best with >1.3 million, and Shenmue took third with 1.2 million. The best selling GBA game: Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire – 16.22 million Evan Amos / Nintendo Just like Mario will keep showing up at the top of home console sales, Pokémon remains the king of the handheld market. Ruby and Sapphire make perfect sense, but second place belongs to Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, remakes of the first generation games with 12 million copies sold. The best selling PS2 game: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – 17.33 Sony Interactive Entertainment It’s a little surprising how few copies the best PS2 games sold considering it itself is the best selling console. Don’t get us wrong, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas selling over 17 million copies isn’t chump change, but a little underwhelming when you consider there are around 160 million PS2s out there. Going down the list, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec gets the silver medal with 14.89 million, and GTA: Vice City holds bronze with 14.2 million. The best selling Xbox game: Halo 2 – 8.46 million Micorosft Microsoft’s first console attempt went way better than expected, and that was largely due to launching with a Halo game. The sequel, Halo 2, was one of the most heavily marketed games at the time and revolutionized online play, allowing it to put the original Halo in second place at 6 million. The drop off to third place is huge, with Fable selling a still impressive 3 million copies. The best selling GameCube game: Super Smash Bros. Melee – 7.41 million Nintendo Sadly, Nintendo’s grip on the console market continued to slip with the GameCube, but Super Smash Bros. Melee played a big part in keeping the system relevant at parties and in competitive scenes. It is also the first system where Mario was shoved to third place, though only technically, since Mario Kart: Double Dash is second with 6.88 million, and then Mario Sunshine comes in with 5.91 million. The best selling DS game: New Super Mario Bros. – 30.80 million Photo by Dids from Pexels / Nintendo Meanwhile, the handheld side of things continues to print money and, in a rare twist, sees Mario on top and Pokémon way down at number five. 30.80 million are numbers Nintendo hand’t seen since the original Game Boy, followed by Nintendogs next with 23.96 million and Mario Kart DS only just losing out with 23.60 million. The best selling Xbox 360 game: Kinect Adventures! – 24 million Xbox Be honest, did you see this one coming? You probably would have guessed Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, Skyrim, or one of the other common best Xbox 360 games would be the best seller, but no, 24 million people purchased Kinect Adventures! That sounds even crazier when you see that it sold more than GTA V at 22.95 million and Minecraft at 22 million. The best selling PS3 game: GTA 5 – 29.52 million Photo by Nikita Kostrykin on Unsplash This probably looks more like what you were expecting. GTA 5 absolutely crushes all other PS3 games in terms of sales by a huge margin, as one would think. Even Gran Turismo 5 in second place only sold 11.95 million copies, and Uncharted 3 in third at ~9 million. Despite its rough launch, the PS3 did end the generation with a lot of big sellers, but nothing compared to GTA. The best selling Wii game: Wii Sports – 82.90 million* Nintendo Nintendo loves to bundle games with its hardware, and no example is more famous than the Wii and Wii Sports. This pack-in game was the only game a huge number of people ever got for the system, which explains its astronomical sales. Mario Kart Wii, which was also a bundle, is second at 37/38 million, and Wii Sports Resort at third with 33.14 million. The first non-bundled game is fifth place’s Wii Play at 28.02 million, which still blows away most other consoles’ best sellers. The best selling Wii U game: Mario Kart 8 – 8.46 million* Nintendo This would be a tough one to talk about if Nintendo didn’t manage one of the greatest turnarounds in video game history right after. 8.46 million copies for a Mario Kart game is abysmal, and this was also a bundle game. In fact, the top nine Wii U games were all part of a bundle at one time or another. The first game you can say sold the most without an asterisk is Mario Party 10 at just 2.27 million copies. Of course, many of these games would end up selling way better when ported to a future system. The best selling PS4 game: Marvel’s Spider-Man – 22.68 million Sony This is the generation PlayStation really blasted ahead of the competition. Marvel’s Spider-Man was the perfect storm of a massive IP and a perfect development team to hit 22.68 million sales, but it wasn’t a complete blowout. God of War was almost the winner with 21.02 million sales, and GTA 5 somehow managed to sell almost as many copies on the PS4 as PS3 with 20 million. The best selling Xbox One game: PUBG: Battlegrounds – 9 million Anthony/Pexels / Digital Trends We don’t need to remind anyone how dismal the Xbox One generation was, but seeing PUBG: Battlegrounds as the top seller says it all. No offense to that game, but it selling more than ****** Ops III at 7.37 million copies and COD: WWII at 6.23 million shows how small the audience was on this system. The best selling Switch game: Mario Kart 8: Deluxe – 68.29 million Nintendo If you didn’t think the platform could make a big difference, here’s your proof. Despite being an upgraded port of the Wii U game, Mario Kart 8: Deluxe sold more copies on the Switch than the total number of Wii U consoles. And these numbers don’t get any less crazy when you look at Animal Crossing: New Horizons selling 47.82 million, or Super Smash Bros. Ultimate selling 36.81 million. In fact, you have to go to the 22 best selling game on the Switch before sales drop below 10 million. The best selling Xbox Series X/S game: ???? Xbox Microsoft Sadly, there is no official data available for what the best selling Xbox Series X/S game is. Microsoft has stopped reporting a lot of its sales data for hardware and software units in favor of players and engagement, making it impossible to know for sure how many copies of games have actually sold. The best selling PS5 game: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: 11 million Sony We’re still in the midst of the PS5 generation, so these numbers are likely to shift, but there’s no doubt that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the clear game to beat with 11 million copies. Second place is a surprise hit: ****** Myth: Wukong selling 5 million copies, and then an old familiar franchise taking third place in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, selling 3.97 million copies to date. We’ll keep an eye on this list as things evolve and more sales data comes out. Source link #selling #games #console Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

CoreWeave CEO defends high capex, says it is meeting ‘demand signals’ CoreWeave CEO defends high capex, says it is meeting ‘demand signals’ Michael Intrator, founder and CEO of CoreWeave Inc., Nvidia-backed cloud services provider, attends his company’s IPO at the Nasdaq Market in New York City on March 28, 2025. Brendan McDermid | Reuters CoreWeave shares jumped more than 5% Thursday as the renter of artificial intelligence servers posted strong revenues and CEO Michael Intrator reinforced the company’s plans to spend on growth. In its first earnings report since its market debut in March, CoreWeave said it expects capex of $20 billion to $23 billion for the year, topping a $4.61 billion estimate for the year from analysts surveyed by LSEG. The range included the impact of a recent OpenAI deal and other factors. Intrator further explained the heightened capital expenditures during an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on Thursday, saying that the company is meeting “demand signals” from critical clients asking for infrastructure quicker. “The increase in the capex budget is driven by success within the company,” he said. Shares of CoreWeave whipsawed post-earnings. The stock was last up about 5% after falling more than 5% earlier in the session. Some investors raised issues over the company’s debt and sustainability of demand for the Nvidia-backed company, which depends on businesses renting out its AI servers powered by AI chips. Intrator told CNBC that financing remains strong and the company continues to be able to repay lenders within the term of the contracts. “They look at the contracts, they understand the contracts, they understand our business, and they continue to lend us money so that we can scale and deliver,” he said. CoreWeave has accrued a growing list of major technology clients, including Microsoft and Nvidia, and said it recently inked a deal with another hyperscaler. OpenAI committed to a five-year deal totaling nearly $12 billion in March and signed an additional $4-billion deal at the end of the quarter. Remaining performance obligations came in at $14.7 billion, down from $15.1 billion at the end of 2024. But some on Wall Street raised concerns over the company’s debt and the sustainability of demand. DA Davidson analyst Gil Luria downgraded shares to underperform from a neutral rating, citing concerns over the company’s 12.5% interest-to-acquire assets offering a 5% return. Luria said the business is “not worth scaling” because it is meeting short-term demand spurred by “overflow capacity.” “The notion that this destruction of capital is a matter of scale does not hold up for a company at a $4bn revenue run rate already operating 33 data centers,” he said in a note. CoreWeave appeared to signal ongoing growth to support its higher costs, projecting $4.9 billion to $5.1 billion in revenues this year, representing 363% growth rate. Second-quarter revenues are forecast to range between $1.06 billion to $1.1 billion, versus an LSEG estimate of $986.7 million. Revenue backlog, including remaining performance obligations and other amounts recognized as revenue, rose 63% to $25.9 billion during the *******. The New Jersey-based company surpassed revenue estimates for the *******, posting 420% revenue growth. Revenues reached $981.6 million and topped an LSEG estimate of $853 million. CoreWeave reported a net loss of $314.6 million, which widened from $129.2 million a year earlier. That was partly tied to $177 million in stock-based compensation costs for awards in its initial public offering. WATCH: CoreWeave CEO: We are reconstituting how compute is being delivered to clients — CNBC’s Jordan Novet contributed reporting Source link #CoreWeave #CEO #defends #high #capex #meeting #demand #signals Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Iran using criminal gangs for hit jobs abroad, court papers show Iran using criminal gangs for hit jobs abroad, court papers show Jiyar Gol BBC world affairs correspondent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps special forces (file photo) US and Israeli intelligence have accused Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards of planning attacks abroad There has been a sharp rise in plots by the Iranian regime to kidnap or assassinate dissidents, journalists and political foes living abroad, according to reports by Western intelligence agencies. These attempts have escalated dramatically since 2022, with even US President Donald Trump among the alleged targets. In the ***, police are questioning a number of Iranians arrested earlier this month on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. The BBC understands the alleged target was the Israeli embassy in London. And court documents from Turkey and the US – seen by BBC Eye Investigations and BBC Persian – contain evidence that Iran has been hiring criminal gangs to carry out killings on foreign soil, allegations the Iranian regime has previously denied. Iranian officials did not respond to a fresh request for a comment. One name repeatedly surfaced in these documents: Naji Sharifi Zindashti, an Iranian criminal boss, known for international drug smuggling. His name appeared in a Turkish indictment in connection with the 2017 killing in Istanbul of Saeed Karimian, the head of a Persian TV network that broadcast Western films and programmes to Iran. Instagram Naji Sharifi Zindashti fled to Iran after being controversially released from custody in Turkey Iranian authorities considered Karimian a threat to Islamic values, and three months before his assassination an Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced him in absentia to six years in prison. US and Turkish officials believed his death was related to a ****** feud. But when in 2019, Massoud Molavi, a defector from Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), was gunned down in Istanbul, it shed light on Zindashti’s alleged role in Karimian’s assassination. Molavi had been exposing corruption at the highest levels of Iran’s leadership. The Turkish police discovered Zindashti’s gardener had been present at the scene of Molavi’s assassination, and that his driver had been at Karimian’s *******. The police suspected the gardener and the driver had been sent by Zindashti. Zindashti was arrested in connection with Karimian’s death but was controversially released after just six months, causing a legal scandal in Turkey. A Higher Court judge ordered his rearrest but by then he had left the country. He then fled to Iran, raising suspicions that he might have been working for Iranian intelligence all along. Cengiz Erdinc, a Turkish investigative journalist, claims that when those out of favour with the Iranian regime are killed, Zindashti’s men are at the scene. “It is not the first time, but there has always been a connection between organised crime and the intelligence agencies,” he says. Turkish investigative journalist Cengiz Erdinc Over three decades ago, he was convicted of drug smuggling in Iran and sentenced to death. But rumours suggested his escape from prison, which led him to Turkey, may have been orchestrated by Iranian intelligence. “If someone sentenced to death in Iran escapes after killing a guard, they’re unlikely to make it out alive – unless there’s more to the story,” says someone who knew Zindashti closely. The BBC is withholding their identity for their own safety. “The only plausible way for him to return and live freely would be if he had been working for Iran’s intelligence services, making his escape appear to be part of a planned cover story for intelligence work with Iran’s security agencies and IRGC,” they told BBC World Service. In 2020, Zindashti’s name appeared again in a Turkish indictment in connection with the kidnapping of Habib Chaab, an Iranian dissident who was lured to Istanbul, abducted, and later paraded on Iranian state TV. Chaab was sentenced to death and executed. Zindashti’s nephew was arrested in Turkey in connection with Chaab’s disappearance. Zindashti has denied having any role. Then, in 2021, Zindashti was implicated in a plot in the United States. According to Minnesota court documents, communications between Zindashti and a member of the Hells Angels, a ********* biker gang, were logged in the indictment. Zindashti allegedly offered $370,000 to have two Iranian defectors assassinated in Maryland. The FBI intervened and arrested two men before the attack could be carried out. Our investigation into court documents also uncovered that the IRGC and its overseas operations arm, the Quds Force, have been working with criminal organisations like the Thieves-in-Law, a notorious international criminal gang from the former Soviet Union, to carry out kidnappings and assassinations. US and Israeli intelligence sources say Unit 840 of the IRGC’s Quds Force’s main responsibility is to plan and establish terror infrastructure abroad. In March, a New York jury convicted two men associated with the Thieves-in-Law for plotting to assassinate Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American activist. Iranian agents allegedly offered $500,000 for her killing. Just two years earlier, a man with a loaded gun had been arrested near her home in Brooklyn. Following the 2020 assassination by the US of top IRGC commander General Qasem Soleimani, Iran vowed revenge. Since then, the US says Iran has been plotting to kill former members of the Trump administration involved in Soleimani’s death, including former national security adviser John Bolton, and Mike Pompeo, former head of the CIA and secretary of state. During last year’s US presidential election, prosecutors accused Iran of plotting to assassinate Donald Trump, which Iran strongly denied. In response to these growing threats, the US and *** have imposed sanctions on individuals linked to Iran’s intelligence operations, including Zindashti, Iranian diplomats, and members of the IRGC. Zindashti denies ever working for the Iranian intelligence service. In 2024, Ken McCallum, the director of MI5 reported 20 credible threats against individuals in the *** linked to Iran. In one case in West London, a Chechen man was arrested near Iran International, a Persian-language TV station in London. He was convicted of gathering information for Iranian agents. Last year, Pouria Zerati, a London-based presenter for Iran International, was attacked with a knife. Soon after, two men were arrested in Romania at the request of *** counter-terrorism police. Sources in the *** security services told the BBC these men were part of the Thieves-in-Law, allegedly hired by Iranian agents. Sima Sabet, a presenter for Iran International, was one of the targets, but an attempt to blow up her car failed. “When they realised they couldn’t attach a bomb to my car, the agents told the man to finish the job quietly,” says Sima, who has seen the police file, says. “He asked how quietly, and they replied, ‘As quiet as a kitchen knife.'” Sima Sabet, from Iran International, was the target of an assassination plot After the assassination of four Iranian Kurdish leaders by masked gunmen in a restaurant in Berlin in 1992, ******* prosecutors blamed the entire Iranian leadership for the killings. The attack was carried out by Iranian agents and members of the Iran-backed Lebanese Shia Hezbollah movement. An international arrest warrant was issued for Iran’s intelligence minister, and a court declared that the assassination had been ordered with the knowledge of Iran’s Supreme Leader and president. Since then, it seems the Iranian regime has been hiring criminal organisations to carry out kidnappings and killings in an attempt to avoid linking the attacks back to the regime. But Matt Jukes, the ***’s Head of Counter Terrorism Policing, says it is relatively easy for police to infiltrate criminal groups because they are not ideologically aligned with the Iranian regime. It is what he calls a “creeping penetration” by Iran, which the police are trying to disrupt. Source link #Iran #criminal #gangs #hit #jobs #court #papers #show Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Six One Indie Showcase Returns Next Week With 48 Games, Including Mouse: P.I. For Hire And Hotel Barcelona Six One Indie Showcase Returns Next Week With 48 Games, Including Mouse: P.I. For Hire And Hotel Barcelona The Six One Indie Showcase is set to return next week on May 22, and this year, it promises a lineup of 48 indie games, including world premieres, exclusive announcements, and updates to existing indies. Notable games include Mouse: P.I. For Hire, Suda51 and Swery65 team-up Hotel Barcelona, and the first look at Truth Scrapper, the next game from the developer behind In Stars and Time. The event begins with Petey’s Play Now Pre-Show at 8:50 a.m. PT/11:50 a.m. ET, which will highlight 7 “overlooked indie games released earlier in the year,” and the main showcase begins at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET. “Once the Showcase concludes, audiences can head to the official showcase homepage to explore over 20 hands-on previews and 40 developer interviews from the Six One Indie editorial team,” a press release reads. “Additionally, the Six One Indie Showcase Steam event will run through Monday, May 26th, featuring 150+ wishlist-worthy indies, including exclusive new demos and special event discounts.” Six One Indie promises a deep dive into Future Vibe Check from Akupara Games and “many more reveals, demo drops, and a ‘one more thing’” from the crew to close the showcase. Source link #Indie #Showcase #Returns #Week #Games #Including #Mouse #P.I #Hire #Hotel #Barcelona Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Asus RTX 5080 Doom-inspired GPU costs as much as an RTX 5090 Asus RTX 5080 Doom-inspired GPU costs as much as an RTX 5090 Asus has already announced its partnership with Bethesda and a limited-edition ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Doom Edition graphics card, celebrating the release of Doom: The Dark Ages, which launched today. Now enhance its appeal, the Doom-inspired graphics card is being released as part of a Doom Edition bundle, limited to just 666 units globally, and available exclusively through Bethesda’s Gear Store for an incredible $1,999.99, or $1,899.99 without a copy of Doom: The Dark Ages. The ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 OC Edition from the bundle has undergone a significant aesthetic transformation by Asus, adhering to the whole Doom theme. All modifications were executed aesthetically, so it feels shallow as the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Doom Edition offers the same performance as its vanilla counterpart. The value would increase if Asus had fine-tuned the graphics card’s parameters to make it feel more special, like providing a higher factory overclock to distinguish it from the standard model. With an eye-watering price tag, the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 Doom Edition Bundle definitely caters to hardcore Doom fans. The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5090 WindForce 32G, when available, retails for $1,999. Consequently, paying nearly $2,000 for a GeForce RTX 5080 is quite a stretch. Asus could have gained favor with consumers had the company used a GeForce RTX 5090 in the bundle instead. To put it in perspective, the standard ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 OC Edition is priced at $1,799.99, meaning that the extra $200 premium is for the graphics card’s Doom makeover and other swag. You may like (Image credit: Bethesda) Bethesda offers a Steam copy of Doom: The Dark Ages – Premium Edition as part of the bundle. It has a $99 value, which is subtracted from the bundle if you choose not to purchase it with the game. The perks of the premium edition include two days of early access, future campaign DLCs, a digital artbook, and the game’s soundtrack. Meanwhile, you get some in-game goodies, such as the Divinity Skin Pack with Doom Slayer, dragon, and Atlan skins, and an exclusive Doom Slayer Legionary Skin. The bundle also includes a mouse pad with a Doom: The Dark Ages design measuring 31.5 x 11.81 inches (800 x 300 mm), a replica of the yellow keycard, and a ****** Mark of the Slayer t-shirt, available in sizes small to 3XL. The ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 Doom Edition Bundle has a limited production of 666 pieces, and the Bethesda Gear Store has already marked it as “low stock.” The bundle with and without a copy of Doom: The Dark Ages – Premium Edition costs $1,999.99 and $1,899.99, respectively, before shipping. Both are still available at the time of publication. Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Asus #RTX #Doominspired #GPU #costs #RTX Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

When Will the Supreme Court Rule on Birthright Citizenship? When Will the Supreme Court Rule on Birthright Citizenship? What happens next? While the court will probably not issue a decision until late June or early July, the unusual posture of the case could prompt quicker action. As usual, the justices will cast tentative votes at a private conference in the coming days. In a typical case, the senior justice in the majority would then assign the majority opinion to a colleague or, just as likely, keep it. Draft opinions, almost certainly including concurrences and dissents, would be prepared and exchanged. But this is not quite a typical case. It arrived at the court as an emergency application seeking partial stays of several lower-court rulings. Such applications are usually resolved with unsigned opinions whether they are argued or not, and rulings in them can come fast. That was what happened in 2022, when the court took the unusual step of hearing fast-tracked oral arguments on stay applications concerning two Biden administration vaccine mandates. The majority opinions in the two decisions were unsigned, but they did included signed dissents. Last year, though, the court granted a stay application in an environmental case several months after it was argued, in a signed decision. On average, it takes the Supreme Court about three months after an argument to issue a decision. Rulings in a term’s biggest cases — and this one certainly qualifies — tend not to arrive until early summer, no matter how early in the term they were argued. But, once again, the unusual posture of the case may affect matters. The vaccine cases were decided six days after they were argued. Those cases, like this one, were argued at special sessions on compressed timelines. Source link #Supreme #Court #Rule #Birthright #Citizenship Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

GOP tax chief hopes for bipartisan tax bill before year’s end – Politico GOP tax chief hopes for bipartisan tax bill before year’s end – Politico GOP tax chief hopes for bipartisan tax bill before year’s end Politico‘First time we were hearing of them’: The GOP megabill is packed with surprises for some Republicans YahooThe latest roadblock for House Republicans’ ‘big beautiful bill’: Senate Republicans NPRTrump’s New Tax Cuts Could Shower Americans With Cash, for Now The New York TimesGOP tax bill on track to add more than $2.5 trillion to U.S. deficit The Washington Post Source link #GOP #tax #chief #hopes #bipartisan #tax #bill #years #Politico Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Resurrected Anime MMO Blue Protocol: Star Resonance Will Release In The West This Year Resurrected Anime MMO Blue Protocol: Star Resonance Will Release In The West This Year Blue Protocol: Star Resonance is the anime MMORPG Blue Protocol brought back from the dead, only it’s from a completely different development team and, unlike the original Blue Protocol, will actually be receiving a Western release later this year. You may remember Blue Protocol as a long-in-development MMO from Bandai Namco. The game was released in Japan in 2023, with a planned Western release in conjunction with Amazon Games planned for 2024. Unfortunately, the game struggled to find an audience, and Bandai Namco announced last year it would end service for Blue Protocol in January 2025, with its Western release also canceled. Flash forward to now, and ******** gaming giant Tencent has struck a deal with Bandai Namco to use Blue Protocol’s assets, and under a new studio called Shanghai Bokura Network Technology, has essentially rebuilt and will be rereleasing Blue Protocol with a new subtitle: Star Resonance. It’s slated to release this year on Steam, the Epic Games Store, and on mobile devices, with cross-play and cross-progression between platforms. Though Blue Protocol: Star Resonance is now confirmed for a Western release, it still doesn’t have an exact release date. The original Blue Protocol was originally slated to release on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 as well as PC, but at least for now, Star Resonance appears to be on PC and mobile only. Blue Protocol: Star Resonance has actually been playable in beta form in China, and playtesters have already reported quite a number of changes from Bandai Namco’s version. The game still features an anime-aesthetic, but its visuals are now closer to the look of something like Genshin Impact. Players have also reported significant combat changes and updates to Blue Protocol’s various progression systems, as well as new classes. While it will feature some of the gacha mechanics games like Genshin Impact are known for, they will be relegated to cosmetic items like costumes and weapon skins. Source link #Resurrected #Anime #MMO #Blue #Protocol #Star #Resonance #Release #West #Year Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Italian Open: Tommy Paul reaches Rome final and says truck repossessed Italian Open: Tommy Paul reaches Rome final and says truck repossessed Tommy Paul says he has been “grinding” to reclaim his repossessed truck after reaching the semi-finals of the Italian Open. The American 11th seed beat Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 to secure a place in the last four in Rome for the second consecutive year. The 27-year-old prevailed despite telling reporters he had endured a “stressful week” off the court. “On court everything has been going pretty well,” said Paul. “Off court, a little bit of a stressful week. “I got my truck repossessed. I missed a couple of payments and they took my truck from my house this week. I’ve been grinding to get my truck back. If you know me, that’s my baby. “I’m excited to get it back. I had to win a couple of matches so I could pay that off.” Paul said he had to pay $1,000 (£752) to secure the vehicle’s return. The former *********** Open semi-finalist is already guaranteed prize money of about £245,000 this fortnight. He will face either world number one Jannik Sinner or sixth seed Casper Ruud in the semi-finals. Source link #Italian #Open #Tommy #Paul #reaches #Rome #final #truck #repossessed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Warhammer Tacticus’ new faction to be revealed at Warhammer Skulls online event Warhammer Tacticus’ new faction to be revealed at Warhammer Skulls online event Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus is part of the new Warhammer Skulls showcase The showcase will provide the newest faction to join Tacticus More Imperials? Chaos? Or mayhap the Xenos will get some love? Like it or loathe it, Snowprint Studios’ Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus is arguably the definitive way to experience Warhammer on mobile. But even those who aren’t fans couldn’t deny that its roster of factions is quite beefy, and now it’s set to expand even further with a brand new addition! What is it? Well, there’s the rub, because we don’t know yet. The news is set to be revealed May 22nd as part of the annual Warhammer Skulls gaming showcase, alongside some mighty discounts for all manner of grimdark gaming in the far future, Old World and beyond. With over a dozen factions already available in Tacticus, that leaves a surprisingly slim avenue of possibilities. We could, of course, get another Imperium or Chaos spin-off, but in the realm of xenos, there are certain factions that could use some love, and I have my own personal theory. Rock and stone Were I to pitch my own guess for what Tacticus’ next faction would be, I would guess that the recently-released Leagues of Votann could be a distinct possibility. This faction of deep space mining, hard-drinking and cloned definitely-not-dwarves was a surprise addition to the 40k universe. A gaming appearance would be a big step towards making people more aware of this interesting faction. Of course, we’ll probably just get something like Grey Knights or the Inquisition, but be sure to tune in at 9am PST, 12pm EST, 5pm BST and 6pm CEST to find out for yourself at the Warhammer Skulls showcase on twitch! In the meantime, though, if Tacticus isn’t enough to strain your strategic abilities, why not try some of the other great options out there? We’ve ranked them in our list of the top 25 best strategy games on iOS and Android for all you budding Napoleons and Sun Tzu’s out there! Source link #Warhammer #Tacticus #faction #revealed #Warhammer #Skulls #online #event Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 GPU is $100 off, but there’s a catch The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 GPU is $100 off, but there’s a catch Whether you’re upgrading your gaming PC’s components or your building one from scratch, you should be on the lookout for GPU deals because graphics cards can get pretty expensive. Here’s an offer from Newegg that you should consider: the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card with a $100 discount on its original price of $1,360, which means you’re only going to have to pay $1,260. It’s an open box product though, but if you’re fine with that, you should proceed with your purchase immediately as stocks may run out sooner than you expect. Why you should buy the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 is the brand’s version of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080, which our GPU price tracker says has reached prices of more than $2,000. The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 is a more affordable alternative that delivers topnotch performance with 16GB of GDDR7 VRAM across a 256-bit memory bus, for supported resolution of up to 7680 x 4320. Our GPU buying guide reminds you to make sure that your gaming PC‘s power supply unit can handle it though, as the graphics card comes with a recommended PSU wattage of 850W. The discount provided by Newegg on the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card is due its status as an open box product, but that shouldn’t prove to be an issue. According to the retailer’s disclaimer, while the box of the GPU has been opened, it may be still unused or very slightly used. The graphics card has been inspected to ensure that it’s in working condition though, so buy it with confidence. The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card actually already provides fantastic value at its original price of $1,360, so it’s a steal at its lowered price of $1,260 from Newegg for savings of $100. The catch is that it’s an open box product, but with the retailer’s assurance, that shouldn’t be a problem. If you want to take advantage of this bargain, you’ll have to push forward with your transaction right now as tomorrow may already be too late. However, if you’re also thinking of buying a pre-built gaming desktop instead of parts, you should take a look at the gaming PC deals that we’ve rounded up. Source link #Gigabyte #GeForce #RTX #GPU #catch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Bloc Québécois to challenge Terrebonne election result in court Bloc Québécois to challenge Terrebonne election result in court By Staff The ********* Press Posted May 15, 2025 12:41 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size The Bloc Québécois will launch a legal challenge of the controversial election result in the federal riding of Terrebonne. Speaking in Ottawa Thursday morning, Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said his party intends to contest the result. The Liberals initially won the riding but it flipped to the Bloc after the results were validated. Get daily National news Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. A judicial recount later concluded the Liberals had won the riding by a single vote, and yesterday Elections Canada declared the result final. But Elections Canada admits that a misprint on an envelope used to mail a special ballot from Terrebonne led to one Bloc voter’s mail-in ballot being returned to her. Trending Now What Liberals are planning for federal budget, ‘middle-class tax cut’ Handy home gadgets that *really* work Despite the error, Elections Canada spokesperson Matthew McKenna said yesterday “the result of the recount is final.” Story continues below advertisement This report by The ********* Press was first published May 15, 2025. More on Canada More videos &copy 2025 The ********* Press Source link #Bloc #Québécois #challenge #Terrebonne #election #result #court Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]