The Ga[M]er.

Seoul — US missile launchers and other equipment needed to set up a controversial missile defence system have arrived in South Korea, the US and South Korean militaries said Tuesday, a day after North Korea test-launched four ballistic missiles into the ocean near Japan. The plans to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system within this year have angered not only North Korea, but also China and Russia, which see the system's powerful radars as a security threat. China responded quickly, saying it will take "necessary measures" to protect itself and warning that the US and South Korea should be prepared to bear the consequences. Washington and Seoul say the system is defensive and not meant to be a threat to Beijing or Moscow. THAAD missile defence system The US military said in a statement that THAAD can intercept and destroy short and medium range ballistic missiles during the last part of their flights. "Continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterday's launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy THAAD to South Korea," Adm. Harry Harris, head of the US Pacific Command, said in the statement. Some South Korean liberal presidential candidates have said that the security benefits of having THAAD would be curtailed by worsened relations with neighbours China and Russia. "China firmly opposes the deployment of THAAD," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a regular briefing Tuesday. "We will definitely be taking necessary measures to safeguard our own security interest. All consequences entailed from that will be borne by the US and (South Korea). We once again strongly urge the relevant sides to stop the process of deployment and refrain from going further down that wrong path." China's condemnation of South Korea's plans to deploy THAAD has triggered protests against a South Korean retail giant, Lotte, which agreed to provide one of its golf courses in southern South Korea as the site of THAAD. The South Korean government also raised concerns about a reported ban on Chinese tour groups visiting the country. On Tuesday, China's Global Times, an outspoken nationalist tabloid published by the ruling Communist Party's flagship People's Daily, criticised North Korea over the missiles. "By firing four missiles at once this time, the military confrontation between Pyongyang, Seoul and Washington escalates a notch," the paper said. "Noticeably, the Chinese public is angry that Pyongyang's nuclear program has provided an excuse for Seoul to deploy THAAD." An official from South Korea's Defence Ministry, who didn't want to be named, citing office rules, said that the equipment that arrived in South Korea included launchers, but didn't confirm how many. While South Korea's media speculate that the THAAD deployment could be completed by as early as April, the ministry official couldn't confirm those reports. The official said that the plan was to have the system operational as soon as possible. Missile launch in North Korea On Monday, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles in an apparent protest against ongoing US-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. The missiles flew about 1 000km (620m) on average, three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone, according to South Korean and Japanese officials. The North's state media on Tuesday said leader Kim Jong-un supervised a ballistic rocket launching drill, a likely reference to the four launches reported by Seoul and Tokyo. Involved in the drills were artillery units tasked with striking "US imperialist aggressor forces in Japan," according to the Korean Central News Agency. There was pride and defiance among the elite citizens who live in North Korea's showcase capital, Pyongyang. "If the US imperialists and their South Korean puppets shoot even just one spark into our sovereign territory, we will completely destroy those aggressors, without any mercy, with our invincible Hwasong artillery, which are loaded with nuclear warheads," Sim Chol Su, echoing the propaganda often found in state media, told The Associated Press. North Korea uses "Hwasong" to describe a broad range of its ballistic missiles, including Scuds and the mid-range missiles that are referred to as Rodong and Musudan by outside analysts. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the missiles fired by the North were believed to be "improved versions" of Scud missiles. South Korean experts say North Korea's extended-range Scuds and mid-range Rodong missiles are capable of hitting Japan, including US military bases in Okinawa. Kim "ordered the KPA (Korean People's Army) Strategic Force to keep highly alert as required by the grim situation in which an actual war may break out anytime," a KCNA dispatch said.

v2 , text , blur

Accepted

Palm Beach - FBI Director James Comey has asked the Justice Department to publicly refute President Donald Trump's explosive, unsubstantiated accusation that Barack Obama tapped his phone during last year's election campaign, US media reported on Sunday. Comey's extraordinary measure questioning the president's truthfulness provides an indication of the implications of Trump's incendiary claim about his predecessor. The department has not made any statement. Trump's aides were scrambling on Sunday to limit the political fallout of Trump's accusation 24 hours after it was made - admitting it was still unproven, and calling on Congress to investigate. Citing still undefined "reports" of "politically motivated investigations," press secretary Sean Spicer said Trump was calling on Congress to "determine whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in 2016." Trump spokesperson Sarah Sanders echoed those comments. "If this happened," she told ABC, "this would be the greatest abuse of power, and overreach, that has ever occurred in the executive branch." Watergate Trump, who has returned to Washington from a weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida, has not publicly commented further on his allegations. On Saturday, he tweeted: "How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!" He provided no evidence to back up the claim. Watergate is the generic term for the scandal that brought down president Richard Nixon in 1974. It began with the revelation of a secret wiretap in the offices of the Democratic National Committee at Washington's Watergate Hotel. Obama, via a spokesperson, denied Trump's new allegation as "simply false." US presidents can't legally order such wiretaps, which require the approval of a federal judge and reasonable grounds for suspicion. Obama's director of national intelligence James Clapper told NBC there was "no such wiretap activity mounted against the president-elect at the time as a candidate or against his campaign." President 'furious' Trump's comments appear to have been based on unverified claims made by the right-wing Breitbart News outlet. His chief strategist, Steve Bannon, used to run it. The New York Times, citing senior US officials, first reported that Comey believes Trump's claim to be false. The FBI director made the request on Saturday because "there is no evidence to support it, and it insinuates that the FBI broke the law," the paper reported the officials as saying. Previous media reports have indicated that US prosecutors investigated communications between a server registered to the Trump Organization and a Russian bank. In his roles as a reality TV showman and presidential candidate, and now as president, Trump has repeatedly embraced conspiracy theories, including the suggestion that Obama was not born in America. Obama was born in Hawaii, a US state. Trump leveled the latest charges in a string of tweets early on Saturday, at the end of a week in which his administration was battered by controversy over links between his advisors and Russian officials. Trump was said to be furious that good reviews of his maiden speech to Congress on Tuesday were overtaken by a series of revelations about aides' meetings with Russian officials. The president was also said to be angry that Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from any campaign or Russia-related investigations. Sessions' recusal came after it emerged that, speaking under oath during his Senate confirmation hearings about campaign contacts with Russia, he failed to disclose two meetings with Moscow's ambassador in Washington. Amid that and several other revelations of Trump aides holding meetings with Russian officials, the White House has denied allegations of collusion. Diversionary tactics US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a campaign to meddle in last November's presidential election in a bid to tilt it in Trump's favor. Former CIA director Leon Panetta on Sunday accused Trump of diversionary tactics. "They are trying to obfuscate and trying to cover up. They are trying to somehow raise other issues," he told CBS. "In the end, it is going to be the truth that will determine what is involved here, and not tweets, but the truth." However, the Republican chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Devin Nunes, said his panel would look into Trump's claims. "The Committee will make inquiries into whether the government was conducting surveillance activities on any political party's campaign officials or surrogates, and we will continue to investigate this issue if the evidence warrants it," he said in a statement. Democrats and a growing number of Republicans in Congress have called for the appointment of a special prosecutor and a bipartisan inquiry to look into the Russia issue. With approval ratings already low, Trump could do without another scandal in his young presidency. Republicans have largely stood behind him, hoping he will enact tax cuts and other policies they favor. But some Republican lawmakers appear to be losing patience with the drama of Trump's presidency. "We are in the midst of a civilization-warping crisis of public trust," Senator Ben Sasse said, adding that Trump's allegations of wiretapping "demand the thorough and dispassionate attention of serious patriots."

Happy Birthday Maniaco ^^ :*

It's never easy when you're a TV star who doesn't get on with one of the show's executive producers. Indeed, Arnold Schwarzenegger, host of the "New Celebrity Apprentice" show, announced on Friday that he's leaving and blamed Donald Trump, formerly the host of the "Celebrity Apprentice" and still an executive producer of the show. Speaking to Empire magazine, Schwarzenegger said: "It's not about the show, because everyone I ran into came up to me and said 'I love the show... but I turned it off because as soon as I read Trump's name I'm outta there!'" The ex-Terminator insisted that he got on with everyone on the show. However, he added: "With Trump being involved in the show people have a bad taste and don't want to participate as a spectator or as a sponsor or in any other way support the show. It's a very divisive period now and I think this show got caught up in all that division." Oddly, the division between Schwarzenegger and Trump became public because of -- who would have imagined? -- Trump's Twitter account. The president mocked Schwarzengger's lower ratings on Twitter, simultaneously referring to himself as "ratings machine DJT." Schwarzenegger fired back on Facebook by suggesting they swap jobs. He said that with this move, people would sleep better again. Still, another aspect to all this is the social media campaign #GrabYourWallet. It's been creditedwith influencing half the sponsors of the "New Celebrity Apprentice" to quit the show, as well as encouraging viewers to avoid the show. Neither the campaign's organizer, Shannon Coulter, nor NBC immediately responded to a request for comment. Coulter did tell the Wrap, however: "I think it's pretty clear at this point that the Trump brand name is toxic." Oh, I don't know about that. Large Trump buildings continue to be erected with abandon. It's not as if the old "Celebrity Apprentice" still captured too many hearts and souls, even with Trump as its face. Still, the new version's ratings fell by 35 percent when compared to the last old one in 2015. On Friday, #GrabYourWallet allowed itself a little Twitter-gloat: ".@Schwarzenegger's decision to leave Celebrity Apprentice is giving the #GrabYourWallet community a #FridayFeeling..." I wonder if the president will be tweeting his weekend feelings on the subject.

Happy Birthday Olee

Newly minted US Attorney General Jeff Sessions is the top trend across Facebook and Twitter following reports that he was in contact with Russia's ambassador during the presidential campaign. The revelation has kicked up a social media firestorm. Social Cues is our look at what people are talking about on Facebook and Twitter. Here's what is trending this Thursday: Jeff Sessions: The attorney general is facing a scandal after Justice Department officials confirmed that Sessions was in contact with the Russian ambassador twice while involved in Donald Trump's presidential campaign. When asked about any such communications during his Jan. 10 confirmation hearing, Sessions said: "I did not have communications with the Russians." Trump's presidency has been plagued with Russian-tinted controversy, including Mike Flynn's forced resignation as national security adviser last month. Sessions is the top trend on Facebook and Twitter. Some on Twitter are calling for Sessions to step down, including Democrats like House minority leader Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Even Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz is asking Sessions to recuse himself from Russia probes. PricewaterhouseCoopers: Here's a quick reminder to put your phone down and pay attention. The exec behind the Oscars fiasco with "La La Land" and "Moonlight" will never return to the Academy Awards. PricewaterhouseCoopers account executive Brian Cullinan was focused ontweeting while handing off the wrong envelope for Best Picture. You know the rest. Theaccounting firm is trending on Facebook after Cullinan was permanently banned from the award show. At least he can live-tweet it from home next year! Snapchat: Keep an eye out for Snapchat maker Snap. The social app maker heads to the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday with an IPO worth twice as much as Facebook's -- at a nearly $24 billion valuation. The social network has boomed in po[CENSORED]rity thanks to its disappearing images and videos that (however falsely) ease user fears about embarrassing moments coming back to haunt them. Snapchat is trending on Facebook on its big day. Dr. Seuss: One tweet, two tweets, red tweets, Seuss tweets. The iconic cartoonist and author Dr. Seuss is trending on social media as folks on Twitter celebrate his birthday. There are plenty of tweets written in Seuss' rhyming style, as well as fans sharing their favorite Seuss quotes. Dr. Seuss, who passed away in 1991, would have been 113 on Thursday. University College London: Scientists believe fossils of a 4-billion-year-old bacteria could help with the discovery of extraterrestrial life. An international team led by University College London scientists dug up the fossil in Canada. The bacteria existed at a time when Mars and Earth both had liquid water on their surfaces. The research team is trending on Facebook.

During a recent interview released to IGN, Phil Spencer discussed his plan for E3 2017, which for the first time ever will see Microsoft kick off the exhibition on Sunday, the spot which was Bethesda's until last year. He explained the reason for this change and, on top of that, also provided some insight about what we should be expecting from it. According to Spencer, the change to Sunday (E3 2017) was to give the news coming out of it more room to breath. The idea is that doing so they have more time to have the news spread out in comparison with the usual pre-Sony media briefing, which was just a few hours before the PlayStation event until E3 2016. Looks a good idea to be honest. Advertisement Moreover, he added there's no plan set in stone yet, both when it comes to revealing Project Scorpiobefore or during the Xbox media briefing at E3 2017. Spencer acknowledged that it's difficult to put everything into the show, even though he still wants it to be more about games than hardware. This time, too, it looks a good plan -- games are what define platforms, rather than simple specs and teraflops. It's nice to see that Spencer thinks like that now and for E3 2017, although Microsoft's marketing effort is still all around raw power and the fact Scorpio is the most powerful platform out there this year.

welcome to csbd enjoy your stay here

Cape Town - SA was one of the lucky Southern Hemisphere countries that manage to catch a glimpse of 2017's first solar eclipse. SA stargazers who looked up on Sunday evening, between 17h00 and 19h00 were treated to a "ring of fire" solar eclipse - during which the Sun all but disappears as the Moon crosses its path. SEE: Weekend Wrap: Vaal overflows, Solar eclipse hits SA and Rio carnival off to odd start The ring of fire eclipse was most visible in a 100-kilometre (62-mile) band cutting through Chile, Argentina, Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. However the so-called annular solar eclipse, which occurs when the Earth, Moon and Sun line up, allowed for people just outside the band of optimal viewing, to appear as a ring thicker on one side than the other. Lasting about two hours the Moon moved across the face of the Sun as South Africans shared their images of the experience on Twitter - take a look. SolarEclipse2017 According to the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand, the year 2017 will see four eclipses, the usual amount for an annual period - made up of two of the Sun and two of the moon. The RASNZ says the first two have already been witnessed, with a Transits Penumbral eclipse (where the earth casts a partial shadow between the moon and sun) on February 11 and Sunday's annular eclipse of the Sun 2017. Upcoming eclipses will only take place later this year in the months of August when a partial eclipse of the Moon is expected on August 7 and a Total eclipse of the Sun with take place on August 21, 2017. ALSO SEE: Weird weather: SA's most extreme weather events of 2016 South Africa, no stranger to outstanding astronomical occurrences, recently experienced a Super Moon of note. In fact it was the biggest Supermoon in 68 years - seen over SA on November 14th. While some captured a few magical shots and experiences of the moon as it was 14% bigger and 30% brighter than usual - the closest it was to earth since 1948. Some people certainly felt the anticipation had left them feeling slightly cheated. The phenomenon also caused a pretty intense spring tide, which resulted in gigantic waves such as this!

Just as people have become used to paying for coffee with their smartphones, they will soon be able to unlock their car doors the same way. Chipmaker NXP announced today that it is working with five automakers to implement its Near Field Communication technology (NFC) in car door handles. NXP's NCx3320 NFC chip fits inside a typical car door handle, meets automotive requirements to tolerate very high and very low temperatures, and includes a low power mode so it can operate even when a car's battery lacks the juice to start the engine. Many new cars come with a key fob using an RFID chip, letting drivers merely approach the car to unlock it, and start the engine at the push of a button. As handset makers build NFC into smartphones for payment services and other identification requirements, that technology can also be adapted for car access, engine start-up and even quick Bluetooth pairing. NXP's Rainer Lutz, director of new business, said the technology is designed to be complementary to typical key fob access. Where a key fob's RFID signal opens a car from tens of feet away, NFC's range maxes out at 10 centimeters, so it might not be as convenient for daily use. However, NFC "keys" can be created on a temporary basis, creating greater flexibility. A car owner could grant someone else access to their car for a set amount of time, all through a phone app. The flexibility of NFC access makes it an enabler for car sharing services. Addressing the issue of security, Lutz says "If you look at where NFC comes from, it's used by governments for e-Passports and in the banking industry for payments. There are a lot of checks and standards in place to allow devices to authenticate." Devices communicating over NFC use a one-time encrypted key to ensure they are legitimate. Due to corporate agreements, NXP would not specify with which automakers it is working on NFC, but Lutz pointed out that the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class includes NXP's NFC chips in its door handles. Early implementation will likely include an NFC touchpoint in the driver's door handle, and one inside the car. An interior NFC chip would let drivers set their phones down on the console, automatically loading seating position and other preferences, and enabling engine start. The conveniences provided by NFC look to make it a new selling point for cars over the next few years.

welcome back to csbd enjoy your stay with us

In a new release of his video series Pach Factor, Michael Pachter has provided an insight about what might be happening in the console market when Project Scorpio finally releases later this year. A fan asked whether Sony could be launching or not a new console after PS4 Pro in order to have a stronger competition against the upcoming Microsoft hardware. The answer was no, as Pachter believes Sony might be dropping a new PlayStation - PS5 - by 2020, and by the same timeframe you should expect Microsoft to unleash a proper 'sequel' to the Xbox One. The analyst believes we'll keep seeing new console releases every three years, just like the PS4 (2013) > PS4 Pro (2016) / Xbox One (2013) > Xbox One S (2016) model seems to be suggesting. "Microsoft is not replacing the Xbox One- they are upgrading it. So no, Sony will not come up with more hardware in 2018. You may get a PS5 in 2019 or maybe 2020, and an Xbox Two in 2020, and we will continue to get new consoles every three years, and their software will be compatible with the system released right before it. I think that’s going to be the pattern," he said. This time, it looks like Pachter's opinion is likely a fact - we see Microsoft and Sony release new consoles every three years, as well. And we also see completely new generations of a console (even though Phil Spencer doesn't love the idea itself of generation) arise in 2020 after Scorpio and PS4 Pro, which could be definitely dubbed as mid-gen platforms.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is going to release on 21 March 2017 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. This imminent action role-playing video game will require a decent amount of hardware for performance on the desktop system. System configuration is simply shared below at the end of this news. Talking about the Minimum System Requirements the game requires an Intel Core i5 3570 or AMD FX-6350 processor coupled with 8GB RAM and 2GB Nvidia GTX 660. While the recommended system requirement is Core i7-4790 or AMD FX-8350 with 16GB RAM backed above gpu. The game also requires 55GB of storage space. Minimum System Requirements: OPERATING SYSTEM: 64-bit Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 PROCESSOR: Intel Core i5 3570 or AMD FX-6350 MEMORY: 8GB RAM VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GTX 660 2GB AMD Radeon 7850 2GB HARD DRIVE: At least 55 GB of free space DirectX: DirectX 11 Recommended System Requirements: OPERATING SYSTEM: 64-bit Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 PROCESSOR: Intel Core i7-4790 or AMD FX-8350 MEMORY: 16 GB RAM VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GTX 1060 3GB AMD RX 480 4GB HARD DRIVE: At least 55 GB of free space DirectX: DirectX 11

New Federal Communications Commission's Chairman Ajit Pai is hitting the pause button on internet privacy regulations put in place during the Obama administration, which wireless and broadband companies have complained are unfair. The rules, approved by the FCC in October, were supposed to protect consumers' sensitive personal information online. They have been controversial because they establish stricter requirements for broadband and wireless companies than they do for other internet companies, such as Google or Facebook, which also collect user information. In January, several telecom and cable industry groups filed petitions challenging the rules, some of which go into effect on March 2. In a statement issued Friday, an FCC spokesman said Pai has asked the two other commissioners to vote not to implement the rules that should go into effect on March 2. The rules will reportedly be temporarily stayed until the commission takes action. According to the spokesman, Pai believes the privacy rules should mirror those implemented by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which oversees privacy regulations for internet companies. "Chairman Pai believes that the best way to protect the online privacy of American consumers is through a comprehensive and uniform regulatory framework," the spokesman said. "All actors in the online space should be subject to the same rules, and the federal government shouldn't favor one set of companies over another." Under the data privacy rules, wireless and broadband companies are required to take "reasonable" steps to protect sensitive data. The rules were passed after the FCC gained authority under the new net neutrality rules to regulate broadband like the traditional telephone network. The FCC currently regulates privacy for phone networks. But conservatives, including Pai, oppose this reclassification. Other parts of the rules, such as the provision that requires customers to opt in to allowing their personal information to be shared with marketers and others, have also not gone into effect. That rule is still being reviewed by the White House's Office of Management and Budget. This is the latest move by the Republican-led FCC to kill controversial regulations pushed by former Democratic Chairman Tom Wheeler. Pai has already closed consideration of rules to reform the cable set-top box market. He also reversed several other consumer-protection orders, reports, and proceedings that were adopted in the final weeks of Wheeler's FCC. This included telling nine companies they won't be allowed to participate in the federal Lifeline program. Lifeline is meant to provide low-cost broadband access to low-income consumers. Pai said he was reversing these orders and reports because they were done at the last minute by an administration that was leaving. And he's already begun to take steps to dismantle net neutrality. At the FCC's open meeting on Thursday, he led the vote to expand the number of companies to get exemptions to parts of the net neutrality rules.

Introduction Note: Our best online backup services for business round-up has been fully updated. This feature was first published in November 2013. If running regular backups is important for home users, it's essential in business: losing even a small fraction of your most important data, for a brief period of time, could still be a real disaster. You could try to protect yourself by copying files to local drives, but that takes time and effort. It also leaves you vulnerable to fire, theft and hardware failure, which is why automatically uploading your files to a cloud backup service is often a better idea. Choosing the right backup solution can seem tricky, as there's a lot to consider. How much storage space do you really need, for instance? Must the service support versioning (where multiple versions of documents are kept)? How should this be managed? Security is important, too. What sort of encryption options do you get? How is access to your data managed? What options are there for managing your users, seeing what they're doing, making sure they're complying with your policies and procedures? You're probably not going to get by with a free Dropbox account, but there are plenty of business providers ready to deliver the extras you and your company need. Here, in alphabetical order, are eight of the best.

Samsung said Friday it will strengthen its rules on financial donations to increase transparency after its vice chairman was arrested in a corruption scandal. The South Korean company said it would now require financial donations and funding for corporate social responsibility of 1 billion won ($882,460) or more to be approved by the board of directors. Previously, only payments representing 0.5 percent of shareholder equity -- 680 billion won or more -- required board approval. The new policy is in reaction to the arrest last week of Jay Y. Lee, Samsung's vice chairman and acting head, in a political scandal that has rocked the country. Lee has been accused of bribing the suspended South Korean president, Park Geun-hye. At issue is whether millions in donations Samsung made to two foundations controlled by President Park's friend and confidant, Choi Soon-sil, were bribes to get the South Korean pension fund to back a merger between two of Samsung Group's holding companies. The merger strengthened the Lee family's control over Samsung. Lee also faces charges of perjury and embezzlement.

My guide, in a white Jeep Wrangler, seems impatient. I asked for an off-the-book tour at the Hollister Hills State Vehicle Recreation Area in California, and he sets a pace a little fast for my offroading abilities. But all I can do is try to keep the pace in my Trailhawk-edition Compass -- the last thing I want is to get lost in these intersecting and twisting mountain trails. I can't quite follow his line as we make a turn on the narrow track, and I'm forced to back up and try again. He has the courtesy to wait for me at the top of the next hill. I blanche as the rear end of his Wrangler disappears amongst the brush heading up a black diamond-rated trail, but gamely follow. With the Compass set in four-wheel-drive low, four-wheel-drive lock and its Selec-Terrain system dialed to Rock, it scrabbles up the rocky trail. The tires on this pre-production model, Falken Wildpeak H/Ts, look more suited to the pavement than the dirt, but its systems manage to compensate for slip. The front tires catch on a rock, so I give it more throttle and the Compass finds its way over. Despite taking a detour from the pre-approved track on this Jeep-sponsored drive of the Compass, this small SUV handles extremely well, even with a novice behind the wheel. I'm impressed how it minimizes lateral slip, forging its way up and down rocky, uneven surfaces while letting me maintain my intended line. The new Compass, introduced at last year's Los Angeles auto show, shows Jeep's design pendulum settling down to a mid-position after swinging radically for the Cherokee and Renegade models. I can imagine a Jeep-loving Goldilocks pronouncing the Cherokee as too futuristic, the Renegade too old-school but the Compass just right. Taking its design cues from the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Compass slots between the Cherokee and Renegade in size. And like modern Jeep models, it comes in a range of trims, scaling up cabin comfort and offroad capability, with the top-trim Trailhawk earning Jeep's Trail-Rated badge. Although Jeep keeps the Compass down to a single engine in the US, a 2.4-liter naturally-aspirated four cylinder making 180 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque, it will offer three different transmissions. The Trailhawk comes with a nine-speed automatic, also available in slightly modified form in higher trim Compass models, while a six-speed automatic and a six-speed manual hold the lower ground. With those different transmission options, not to mention four-wheel-drive and front-wheel-drive versions, expect the Compass to post more EPA fuel economy ratings than Star Wars universe movie scripts in development. Along with offroad trials in the Compass Trailhawk, I drove both the Compass Limited and Latitude trims for a couple of hours on pavement. The interior of the lesser Latitude trim looked as good as that in the Compass Limited, although it lacked a few niceties such as dual zone climate control or power adjustable seats, available as options at lower trims. In design and cabin materials, the Compass emulates the plush Grand Cherokee. Even with just 180 horsepower, Jeep rates the Compass at a 2,000 pound towing capacity for the four-wheel-drive versions. The Compass wouldn't be my first choice for an extended road trip thanks to a lack of sound deadening that meant more wind noise than I would have liked. Likewise, the engine makes a pitiful groan under sustained acceleration. Given the engine's power figures, I wasn't surprised that the Compass took its time in passing maneuvers. I needed to plan my freeway merges a little more carefully than I would with a zippier car. Even with just 180 horsepower, Jeep rates the Compass at a 2,000-pound towing capacity for the four-wheel-drive versions. On twisty mountain roads, handling felt a little on the heavy side. The Renegade has a similar feel, so this characteristic seems to be part of Jeep's plan and gives the Compass a sense of substance. A front-wheel-drive platform, Jeep offers two different four-wheel-drive systems. The one available on Sport, Latitude and Limited trims can fully disengage the rear wheels for better fuel economy. The Compass Trailhawk's system, called Jeep Active Drive Low, works full time and adds a Rock mode to the Snow, Sand and Mud modes of Jeep's Selec-Terrain system. Jeep makes a back-up camera standard and offers optional blind-spot monitoring, a feature that sounds a warning when other cars sat in adjacent lanes and I hit the turn signal. Jeep also makes forward collision warning available but oddly doesn't offer adaptive cruise control, which would automatically brake to match the speeds of slower traffic ahead. Uconnect, the navigation and entertainment system from Jeep's parent company FCA, gets a well-deserved cosmetic and functional update in the Compass. I've praised this system before, as it includes a dedicated data connection and integrates useful third party apps. Now icons in the system appear on a hexagonal outline, which looks very sleek but also goes with Jeep's rugged reputation. One big update gives Uconnect support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. I was impressed when, after plugging my iPhone into one of the Compass' two USB ports, CarPlay took over the 8.4-inch touchscreen immediately. Even better, I could seamlessly go from the CarPlay interface to Uconnect's native apps, something that doesn't work as well on other automaker's systems. Jeep offers a few different versions of Uconnect in the Compass, but only the top one includes navigation. That makes Android Auto and CarPlay even more relevant for buyers who don't want to pay for the full list of Compass options.

My guide, in a white Jeep Wrangler, seems impatient. I asked for an off-the-book tour at the Hollister Hills State Vehicle Recreation Area in California, and he sets a pace a little fast for my offroading abilities. But all I can do is try to keep the pace in my Trailhawk-edition Compass -- the last thing I want is to get lost in these intersecting and twisting mountain trails. I can't quite follow his line as we make a turn on the narrow track, and I'm forced to back up and try again. He has the courtesy to wait for me at the top of the next hill. I blanche as the rear end of his Wrangler disappears amongst the brush heading up a black diamond-rated trail, but gamely follow. With the Compass set in four-wheel-drive low, four-wheel-drive lock and its Selec-Terrain system dialed to Rock, it scrabbles up the rocky trail. The tires on this pre-production model, Falken Wildpeak H/Ts, look more suited to the pavement than the dirt, but its systems manage to compensate for slip. The front tires catch on a rock, so I give it more throttle and the Compass finds its way over. Despite taking a detour from the pre-approved track on this Jeep-sponsored drive of the Compass, this small SUV handles extremely well, even with a novice behind the wheel. I'm impressed how it minimizes lateral slip, forging its way up and down rocky, uneven surfaces while letting me maintain my intended line. The new Compass, introduced at last year's Los Angeles auto show, shows Jeep's design pendulum settling down to a mid-position after swinging radically for the Cherokee and Renegade models. I can imagine a Jeep-loving Goldilocks pronouncing the Cherokee as too futuristic, the Renegade too old-school but the Compass just right. Taking its design cues from the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Compass slots between the Cherokee and Renegade in size. And like modern Jeep models, it comes in a range of trims, scaling up cabin comfort and offroad capability, with the top-trim Trailhawk earning Jeep's Trail-Rated badge. Although Jeep keeps the Compass down to a single engine in the US, a 2.4-liter naturally-aspirated four cylinder making 180 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque, it will offer three different transmissions. The Trailhawk comes with a nine-speed automatic, also available in slightly modified form in higher trim Compass models, while a six-speed automatic and a six-speed manual hold the lower ground. With those different transmission options, not to mention four-wheel-drive and front-wheel-drive versions, expect the Compass to post more EPA fuel economy ratings than Star Wars universe movie scripts in development. Along with offroad trials in the Compass Trailhawk, I drove both the Compass Limited and Latitude trims for a couple of hours on pavement. The interior of the lesser Latitude trim looked as good as that in the Compass Limited, although it lacked a few niceties such as dual zone climate control or power adjustable seats, available as options at lower trims. In design and cabin materials, the Compass emulates the plush Grand Cherokee. Even with just 180 horsepower, Jeep rates the Compass at a 2,000 pound towing capacity for the four-wheel-drive versions. The Compass wouldn't be my first choice for an extended road trip thanks to a lack of sound deadening that meant more wind noise than I would have liked. Likewise, the engine makes a pitiful groan under sustained acceleration. Given the engine's power figures, I wasn't surprised that the Compass took its time in passing maneuvers. I needed to plan my freeway merges a little more carefully than I would with a zippier car. Even with just 180 horsepower, Jeep rates the Compass at a 2,000-pound towing capacity for the four-wheel-drive versions. On twisty mountain roads, handling felt a little on the heavy side. The Renegade has a similar feel, so this characteristic seems to be part of Jeep's plan and gives the Compass a sense of substance. A front-wheel-drive platform, Jeep offers two different four-wheel-drive systems. The one available on Sport, Latitude and Limited trims can fully disengage the rear wheels for better fuel economy. The Compass Trailhawk's system, called Jeep Active Drive Low, works full time and adds a Rock mode to the Snow, Sand and Mud modes of Jeep's Selec-Terrain system. Jeep makes a back-up camera standard and offers optional blind-spot monitoring, a feature that sounds a warning when other cars sat in adjacent lanes and I hit the turn signal. Jeep also makes forward collision warning available but oddly doesn't offer adaptive cruise control, which would automatically brake to match the speeds of slower traffic ahead. Uconnect, the navigation and entertainment system from Jeep's parent company FCA, gets a well-deserved cosmetic and functional update in the Compass. I've praised this system before, as it includes a dedicated data connection and integrates useful third party apps. Now icons in the system appear on a hexagonal outline, which looks very sleek but also goes with Jeep's rugged reputation. One big update gives Uconnect support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. I was impressed when, after plugging my iPhone into one of the Compass' two USB ports, CarPlay took over the 8.4-inch touchscreen immediately. Even better, I could seamlessly go from the CarPlay interface to Uconnect's native apps, something that doesn't work as well on other automaker's systems. Jeep offers a few different versions of Uconnect in the Compass, but only the top one includes navigation. That makes Android Auto and CarPlay even more relevant for buyers who don't want to pay for the full list of Compass options.

Free office software When you think of office software, Microsoft Office is probably the first one that springs to mind. This is hardly surprising as so many computer come with a copy of it pre-installed, but the bad news is that in many cases it is just a trial and you'll need to fork out for an Office 365 subscription to continue using it. Few people can get by without a word processor, spreadsheet app, presentation tool or even all three, but what if you don’t fancy the idea of coughing up for your office software? Thankfully, there's now a superb selection of free office software available, and here we've rounded up the very best you can download today. The quality of these apps is truly impressive; you'll never pay for office software again! 1. WPS Office Free Well designed, powerful and flexible, WPS Office is the best free office software WPS Office Free may not be the most famous office suite, but after a recent overhaul we believe it's the best. In terms of looks (not that we're entirely shallow, you understand), WPS Office Free is second to none. If you've used any recent version of Microsoft Office, you will feel immediately at home. At its heart are the three main tools for words, presentations and spreadsheets (hence the name). WPS Office Free also offers some beautiful extra touches, particularly concerning PDFs. Not only is it possible to save documents created in WPS Office as PDFs, you can also convert from PDF to Word. Compatibility is a major feature of the suite, with each of the component program able to save in native Office formats, and the suite is available not only for Windows but also Linux and Android There are lots of templates available to help you to get started with document creation, and just about the only annoyance with the suite are occasional ads for the premium version of the program. WPS Office Personal and Home adds tools for splitting and merging PDFs, and provides quick email support, but the free edition of the suite is brilliant and will be more than enough for most users. 2. LibreOffice A capable free office suite that's in constant active development and supports cloud storage services If LibreOffice looks more than a little familiar, it's because it is virtually identical to Apache OpenOffice (below). In many ways it OpenOffice on steroids: it uses the same basic codebase, but it benefits from faster development and more frequent update. If getting bugs squashed and new features added is high on your priority list, LibreOffice should be near the top of your list. Like OpenOffice, this free office suite has something of a retro look (but not quite to the same extent) and comprises more programs than you'd normally expect to find in an office suite – Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Math, and Base. Anyone who has shifted their life to the cloud will appreciate the support for cloud services such as Google Drive which can be accessed through the Remote Files feature, and there are scores of extensions available to add new capabilities to the suite. A highly recommended piece of software that puts Microsoft Office to the test. 3. Apache OpenOffice This well established open source office suite is a solid choice, with six programs rolled into one Apache OpenOffice goes further than many other suites by providing more than just the three main tools you would expect to find – in fact, there are no fewer than six programs: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Math and Base. As an open source free office suite, Apache OpenOffice receives frequent updates, and in this regard it trumps Microsoft Office. It's not only free of charge. It can, unlike some free software, be used for business as well as personal use. The interface does look a little dated, so if using software that bears more than a passing resemblance to something from the 90s, Apache OpenOffice may not be for you. But, of course, looks are not everything. What's particularly impressive is the inclusion of a database in addition to a drawing tool and even a formula creation program – just about every possibility is covered by this impressive suite. 4. SoftMaker FreeOffice A great-looking free office software suite with ebook creation as a welcome extra While SoftMaker FreeOffice is available completely free of charge, you do have to jump through the hoop of requesting a product key in order to complete the installation and unlock the software. When you're up and running you'll find that SoftMaker FreeOffice includes the more familiar three office programs – PlanMaker is the spreadsheet, TextMaker the word processor, and Presentations is the slideshow tool. Things are great aesthetically, and there are some very neat touches such as the ability to not only save documents as PDFs, but also to export them as ebooks in ePub format. In addition to the traditional, installable version of the software for Windows and Linux, there's also a portable version available ready to pop onto a USB drive and move from computer to computer – and mobile users have an Android app too. Highly, highly recommended. 5. SSuite Office Premium HD+ A free office suite with cross-platform support and a well curated selection of software Despite being billed as optimized for high definition displays, SSuite Office Premium HD+ looks a little unappealing. But if you can turn a blind eye to its less than perfect looks, you have a capable office suite on your hands . If you happen to work with more than one operating system, there's the added advantage that SSuite Office Premium HD+ is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. All three are pretty much identical, so you can flit between them easily. The developer of this free office software suite has recognized that what most people are interested in is a word processor and a spreadsheet, so gone is the presentation tool you never use! Plenty of other things have been wheeled in to fill the gap, including an image editor, video conferencing tool, a calendar and personal information manager, a web browser and even an envelope printer. All of the tools are pretty basic, and SSuite Office Premium HD+ isn't going to win any awards, but it's still worth taking a look if you're after something a little different.

Washington - Sen. John McCain, one of President Donald Trump's harshest critics, made a secret trip to northern Syria to visit US forces stationed there and discuss the campaign for defeating the Islamic State extremists, his office said on Wednesday. The Arizona Republican's visit to the war-torn country occurred as a major battle nears to oust the militants from Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic State's self-declared caliphate. A statement from the senator's office did not give the dates of his travel, saying only that he made the visit last week. "Senator McCain's visit was a valuable opportunity to assess dynamic conditions on the ground in Syria and Iraq," the statement reads. It says the president "has rightly ordered a review of US strategy and plans to defeat" the Islamic State group and McCain looks forward to working with the administration and military leaders "to optimize our approach." Unusual move McCain, the chairperson of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has voiced escalating concerns with Trump. He recently declared his administration in disarray and expressed concern over how national security decisions are being handled. During a speech on Friday at the Munich Security Conference, McCain delivered a withering critique of Trump's worldview as he lamented a shift in the US and Europe away from the "universal values" that forged the Western alliance 70 years ago. McCain on Monday welcomed Trump's selection of Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster to be his national security adviser, calling the pick an "outstanding choice." McCain also quietly travelled to Syria in 2013 to meet with rebels fighting President Bashar Assad's forces. That visit took place amid meetings in Paris involving efforts to secure participation of Syria's fractured opposition in an international peace conference in Geneva. It's unusual, however, for members of Congress to visit Syria, which has no diplomatic relations with the United States. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, generated a backlash when she visited Syria in January and met with Assad. Gabbard, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, is an outspoken opponent of what she's called "our counterproductive regime change war" in Syria. But Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., an Air Force veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Gabbard gave Assad credibility by meeting with him. Lawmakers have accused the Assad government of war crimes and even genocide as the number of people killed during the violence in Syria continues to mount. The war, now in its sixth year, has killed hundreds of thousands of people, contributed to Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II and given the Islamic State group room to grow into a global terror threat.

Finally, Ryze chips are out on pre-order to compete against Intel's performance based processors. The cost is of Ryzen chips is highly competitive, slashing almost half of what Intel is charging for the extreme product line. Targeting the desktop platform first Summit Ridge processors are out along with Ryzen 7 in series of 1800X, 1700X and 1700. The first one AMD YD1700BBAEBOX Ryzen 7 1700 is on amazon which targets midlevel system offering a base clock of 3Ghz turbo boost to 3.7ghz, packed with Wraith Spire LED Cooler for $329. Another one is AMD YD170XBCAEWOF Ryzen 7 1700X CPU for $399 offering clock rate of 3.4 raised to 3.8GHz on Precision Boost. We had not able to locate 1800X, chances that it will appear in a couple of days. The 1800x will have a base clock of 3.6Ghz. You can refer the link at the end to checkout the pre-order status and price in your region. AMD has launched the series with an aim to offer budget friendly high-performance chips against its only competitor Intel. Well if we compare the price there is a big difference, at the main launch event, AMD showed how well the Ryzen chips can deliver performance near to Intel's high-end CPU's. Buyers have enough choices to go for Intel or AMD, but due to a competitive price factor, the aim will be to get the best out of AMD. Below is the price difference followed by features at the end. You can see below the actual price difference of AMD new Ryzen chip, they had promised to keep it low compared to its competitor. Now the top series that consist of AMD 1800X cpu is simply half on cost compared to Intel's Core i7-6900K. The next two are near to the cost of Intels two mid level processors of highe end series. What matters know is to keep a watch on the success of 1800X, that promise a higher performance on low price. Ryzen 7 1800X @ 3.6Ghz (4.0Ghz Turbo Boost) 8Core/16Threads 95Watt $499 Core i7-6900K @ 3.2Ghz 8Core/16Threads 140Watt $1000 Ryzen 7 1700X @ 3.4Ghz (3.8Ghz Turbo Boost) 8Core/16Threads 95Watt $399 Core i7-6800K @ 3.6Ghz 6Core/12Threads 140Watt $410 Ryzen 7 1700 @ 3.0(Ghz (3.7Ghz Turbo Boost) 8Core/16Threads 65Watt $329 Core i7-7700K @ 4.2Ghz 4Core/8Threads 95Watt $339