Ga[M]er

This will be a day long remembered, as there’s a new Elden Ring lightsaber mod that immediately transforms the RPG game into an even better Souls-like Star Wars game than even Jedi Fallen Order – and, at last, an Elden Ring Darth Vader skin, with a Maul one on the way. These mods are the first uploads by Xelerate on Nexus Mods for Elden Ring, and they already threaten to turn it into the ultimate Star Wars open-world game. The first mod is the double-bladed lightsaber pack, as favoured by Darth Maul, which replaces the Godskin Peeler twinblade and comes in a variety of colours. Xelerate promises that the Darth Maul skin you can see in the screenshot above “will be released soon”, finally giving Star Wars fans that Darth Maul game they’ve been hoping for – even if via Elden Ring mods. The opportunity to drop Maul to his knees and scream “MALENIA!” at the start of her boss fight will be too much temptation for me to pass up. Xelenia has already added a Darth Vader skin to the game, however the only lightsaber so far is the double-bladed variety – despite Vader wielding a single blade in the video below. The modder says that players should “stay tuned for more Star Wars-themed mods”, so hopefully we’ll get a katana lightsaber swap soon – and maybe some Jedi into the bargain. I’d love to dash around the Lands Between as Yoda. Thanks to mods, Elden Ring isn’t just the best Star Wars RPG, it’s the ultimate Legend of Zelda game too. https://www.pcgamesn.com/elden-ring/lightsaber-mod-star-wars

The Russian rouble will be used in Kherson from Sunday, according to Russia-backed forces that have taken control of the southern Ukrainian city. However, Kherson's Ukrainian mayor, Ihor Kolykhaiev, who has now been overthrown by Russian authorities, has said that he doesn't believe this will be possible while the only working banking system in the region is Ukrainian, not Russian. Despite being occupied for 60 days, many residents are trying to find small ways to defy the Russian forces - like exchanging any roubles they receive back into Ukraine's currency, the hryvnia. But there are very few ways to safely snub the Russian army when it occupies your streets. Z signs - a Russian pro-war symbol - have appeared around the city. Russian flags hang above Kherson's government buildings. Ukrainian TV has been mostly cut off, changed to Russian news. Russian soldiers drive armoured vehicles through the city centre, between a network of check points. Now, changing the region's currency is yet another bid to erase Ukrainian identity from the city. "I think most people will leave here if the rouble is introduced," Olga, who didn't want to use her real name, told me from inside Kherson. "At the moment there are still currency exchanges operating in the city. If I am paid in roubles, I think I will just go and exchange it for hryvnia, I think others will too. It's just a small act of protest." What does Putin want from Russia's war in Ukraine? Why has 'Z' become a Russian pro-war symbol? Olga is not the only one with this plan. Ukrainian news reports have said that some pensions have been handed out in roubles around Kherson, but that people have already exchanged it back into Ukrainian hryvnia. Life in Kherson has become increasingly difficult. Many now feel nervous about even speaking to a journalist. When we reach Olga and ask how she is feeling, she sighs. "I'm alive and I have food," she says. Around 40% of the po[CENSORED]tion have fled in the two months since this key, strategic city was taken by Russia, according to the mayor. Many residents tell us about their struggle to pay for what few goods there are, as supermarket shelves lie empty. They say that shops, restaurants and businesses have closed and parts of the economy have ground to a halt, cut off from much of the world. Earlier this week, Russian forces appointed a new administration in Kherson because Mr Kolykhaiev was "not cooperating" with the occupied forces, according to Russian state news agency Ria. Speaking on video call from somewhere in the region, with piles of binders and a toy camouflage jeep sitting on shelves behind him, Mr Kolykhaiev says he has not stopped working. He is sceptical of whether Russia can successfully introduce the rouble. "I have no confirmation that it's been introduced," he says. "When can it appear? When the treasury and the banking system of Ukraine will stop working? Anything can happen under occupation, I can't get into Russia's head to find out what they are thinking. If they do try to introduce the rouble zone here, we would be plunged back into 1992 when Ukraine gained its independence." Ukrainian authorities had suggested that Russia could try to hold a referendum in the region on 1 May, asking voters whether they want independence from Ukraine. Any attempt to do this would be seen as a way to legitimise Russia's intervention, suggesting that residents no longer want to be part of Ukraine and painting Russia as liberators. Russia held a referendum in Crimea after Moscow annexed it in 2014, and also in the Russian-backed separatist areas of Donetsk and Luhansk. Russia has denied plans to hold a vote in Kherson, and for now residents in the city say they've seen no sign of it. Rumours swirl on social media channels about what could happen. Some Ukrainians are worried that Russia will simply fake the result and use records of their identity documents - which they fear the Russians could gain access to in the administrative buildings they now occupy - to back it up. "I'm not sure they even need the po[CENSORED]tion here to know that there is a referendum," says Olga. "I guess they can do it without us. Maybe I already voted." Routes to safety shut off Several people inside Kherson told us that the routes out to safer parts of Ukraine have now been shut altogether. The only road available is through Crimea which means travelling into Russian territory, something several Ukrainians told us they would not be prepared to do. Maxim felt this was his only route to safety. He didn't want his name to be used as his family are still inside the city. At the border he was subject to a long interrogation as a security guard inspected his body for tattoos. "It was like a film," he said. "You sit on a suitcase under the scorching sun to be interrogated. I would never have imagined I would have to go through this. I was really horrified, because it's scary - people with machine guns are walking past you." His favourite artist almost got him into difficulties. "They were asking me the same questions on repeat," he says. "I have a David Bowie lightning tattoo and they asked me 'Is that Azov?'" The Azov battalion are a controversial regiment that was originally a far-right group later incorporated into Ukraine's National Guard. Maxim says that many of the cars in the queue had Kherson number plates. He has since safely travelled through Georgia and on to Europe. "Reaching Georgia was like being released from jail," he says. "You feel like you've got your human rights back." For those still in Kherson there are deep fears about the future. "I am afraid of a humanitarian catastrophe," says Mr Kolykhaiev. "I am worried for the people who are still in the city today. They are all hostages. "It's like we started with 100 litres of petrol in the car tank and we are driving until the gas runs out. I want to calculate how long we can keep driving. How long can we carry the city?" https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61286505

In 2012, a heinous crime enraged a whole country. Based on the case files of the Delhi Police, the story follows the unfailing determination of Varthika Chaturvedi, the investigating officer, to find the perpetrators of the crime. This time, the hunt is personal.

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A Malaysian drug smuggler has been executed in Singapore, despite pleas for clemency because he was intellectually impaired. Nagaenthran Dharmalingam was caught with about three tablespoons of heroin and had been on death row since 2010. His case was highly controversial as he was assessed by a medical expert to have an IQ of 69 - a level that indicates an intellectual disability. But the government said he "clearly understood the nature of his acts". In an earlier statement, the government said they found he "did not lose his sense of judgment of the rightness or wrongness of what he was doing". The execution came after a last-ditch appeal by his mother was dismissed on Tuesday. The court said Nagaenthran had been given "due process in accordance with the law", and had "exhausted his rights of appeal and almost every other recourse under the law over some 11 years". In 2009, Nagaenthran was caught crossing into Singapore from Malaysia with 43g (1.5oz) heroin strapped to his left thigh. Under Singapore's drug laws - which are among the toughest in the world - those caught carrying more than 15g of heroin are subject to the death penalty. During his trial, the 34-year-old initially said he was coerced into carrying the drugs, but later said he had committed the offence because he needed money. The court said his initial defence was "fabricated". He was eventually sentenced to death by hanging. In 2015, he appealed to have his sentence commuted to life in prison on the basis that he suffered from an intellectual disability. His lawyers had argued that the execution of a mentally ill person is prohibited under international human rights law. But a court found that he was not intellectually disabled. A push for presidential clemency was also rejected last year. "The Court of Appeal found that this was the working of a criminal mind, weighing the risks and countervailing benefits associated with the criminal conduct in question," said Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs in an earlier statement. The movement has gained traction on social media, where there has been an unusual outpouring of anger and sympathy, including from the British billionaire Richard Branson and actor Stephen Fry, who oppose capital punishment and called on Singapore to spare Nagaenthran. Thousands had also signed a petition, arguing that the execution of a mentally ill person is prohibited under international human rights law. On Tuesday rights group Reprieve called him the "victim of a tragic miscarriage of justice". "Nagen's last days were spent, like much of the last decade, in the torturous isolation of solitary confinement," said Reprieve's Director Maya Foa. "Our thoughts are with Nagen's family, who never stopped fighting for him; their pain is unimaginable." Singaporean anti-death penalty activist Kirsten Han also released a photo of Nagaenthran on Wednesday, which pictured him reportedly wearing his favourite outfit. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61239221

Dead doesn't mean gone. An au pair plunges into an abyss of chilling secrets in this gothic romance from the creator of "The Haunting of Hill House."

IT’S TIME I came clean: I hate brushing my teeth. I do it because I have to, but it’s a time-consuming, uncomfortable process—two minutes standing in front of the mirror can feel like an eternity. My dentist says I brush too harshly as well. And don't even get me started on flossing. Electric toothbrushes make the whole experience easier. Their vibrations and oscillations can more effectively get rid of plaque on your teeth and gums, and most brush models have a timer that encourages you to brush for the full two minutes. We've tested several types, from basic models to the fancy ones with oscillating brushes and everything in between. We found that a good brush doesn't need to cost you more than a few Hamiltons. Listed below are the best electric toothbrushes you can buy. We also have eco-friendly nonelectric options if you don't want to own yet another device that you have to recharge. Christopher Null's reporting contributed to this guide. Updated April 2022: We've added Izzo's Oral Care Kit and Oclean's X Pro Elite to our Honorable Mentions. We've also added more information on alternative brushes, including a new recommendation, SymplBrush. Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you'd like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day. Best Smart Toothbrush Colgate Hum The Colgate Hum (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is our top pick if you want a smart brush. It's slim and light, with a small brush head that can reach to the back of your mouth without causing discomfort. It also connects to a companion mobile app to offer insight about your habits. The Hum costs significantly less than most app-connected brushes, and the mobile app's features are superior to other options. The system accurately tracks your brushing and shows you spots you've missed. Also, you don't have to open the app every time you brush your teeth. Your brushing sessions are stored on the brush for 10 days, and they get uploaded to your phone when you open the app. (You can also collect "smile points" every time you brush, which translate to a few dollars off things like replacement brush heads.) If you don't have a free outlet in your bathroom, there's a version that takes two AAA batteries. The biggest downside is that the Hum has only one type of brush head, so you can't swap out different heads made for sensitive teeth. A brush head subscription costs $5, and Colgate sends you a new one every three months. The Hum comes with a charging base and a travel case. ★ Cheaper Alternative: The new Hum Smart Rhythm ($25) is a battery-powered brush with two cleaning modes. (The regular Hum has three.) It has less cleaning power overall, but it would be great for a kid's first electric brush. https://www.wired.com/gallery/best-electric-toothbrushes/

Tesla founder and mining heir Elon Musk has entered into an agreement to purchase Twitter in a $44 billion deal that will turn the social media network into a privately held company, with potentially large-scale ramifications ahead for the platform. Yet in the immediate aftermath of the Monday announcement, it's difficult to say precisely how a Musk-led Twitter will differ from its shareholder-owned iteration. Musk's statement announcing the go-private deal hinted at several possible changes, including "authenticating all humans," defeating spam and "enhancing the product with new features," but details remain to be clarified. The statement quoted Musk as saying that he values free speech and hopes to "make Twitter better than ever" and maintain the platform's status as "the digital town square." Yet, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation's director of international freedom of expression, Jillian York, Musk's commitment to free speech is highly questionable. [ Related: Online privacy: Best browsers, settings, and tips ] Questioning Musk's commitment to free speech "He's talked about being a free-speech absolutist, but he doesn't really have the bona fides to back that up," York said. Musk has pursued legal action against people who have criticized him publicly in the past. York also noted that Musk's ownership, coupled with the fact that direct messages on the platform remain unencrypted, could create – in theory – a problem for business users. "For years, people have been calling on Twitter to encrypt direct messages," she said. "Theoretically, this means that [Musk] could access your DMs. And for businesses that could pose a threat." Yet there's also plenty of reason to believe that Twitter might not change much, particularly in the short-term, as a result of Musk's buyout of the company. Unless Musk fires huge numbers of employees and replaces them, the people who make key decisions on content policy and moderation will still be there. [ Learn how IT can harness the power and promise of 5G in this FREE CIO Roadmap Report. Download now! ] "It's hard for me to see how this will be better or worse for users than a bunch of shareholders having control over the company," York said. Moreover, it's difficult to see how Musk could accomplish some of the expressed goals he outlined in today's statement, she added. "Going after bots and misinformation is a hard thing to do," she said. "So I think … he's going to hit a really hard problem when he tries to deal with it." Under the terms of the agreement, Twitter stockholders will receive $54.20 in cash for each share of Twitter common stock that they own upon closing of the proposed transaction, expected to occur by the end of the year and subject to regulatory approval. The purchase price represents a 38% premium to Twitter's closing stock price on April 1, the last trading day before Musk publicly disclosed an approximately 9% stake in Twitter, the company said. After that disclosure, Musk publicly offered to buy Twitter, and initially the company appeared ready to rebuff the offer — it adopted a so-called "poison pill" stricture, which holds that if any person or group acquires ownership of at least 15% of Twitter’s outstanding common stock without the board’s approval, other shareholders would be allowed to purchase additional shares at a discount. Ulitmately though, the board agreed to the offer. "The Twitter Board conducted a thoughtful and comprehensive process to assess Elon's proposal with a deliberate focus on value, certainty, and financing. The proposed transaction will deliver a substantial cash premium, and we believe it is the best path forward for Twitter's stockholders," said Bret Taylor, Twitter's independent board chair, in a company statement. To close the deal, Musk secured $25.5 billion of debt and margin loan financing, and is committing approximately $21.0 billion in cash. https://www.computerworld.com/article/3658234/elon-musk-buys-twitter-whats-ahead-for-business-users.html

Today, Dell is officially launching its fastest Precision laptops ever based on Intel's Alder Lake-HX CPUs with up to 16 cores. The new laptop line-up includes the Precision 7770, Precision 7670, and the Precision 5470 Anniversary Edition. Dell Precision 7770, 7670, 5470 Laptops Unveiled: Intel Alder Lake-HX CPUs With Up To 16 Cores, NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti GPUs With Up To 16 GB, Up To 128 GB CAMM DDR5 Memory The Dell Precision 2022 lineup is designed solely for mobile workstation users. The new Precision 7770 and 7670 laptops are outfitted with the latest thermal innovations, professional graphics, & power CPU technologies that allow for a design that is more flexible and packs more punch. These laptops are aimed at heavy-duty workloads which include VR/AR, AI/ML, complex 3D CAD, creative edition software, and data sciences applications. Dell is powering its latest Precision 7000 series lineup with Intel's latest Alder Lake-HX CPUs that offer up to 16 cores, up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 'Ti-class' GPUs with 16 GB memory, and also in workstation options that include up to RTX A5500 and a huge amount of memory that we will talk about in a bit. Dell Precision 7770 17" Laptop So starting with the flagship model, the Dell Precision 17" laptop can be configured with Intel's Core i5 and up to a Core i9 'Alder Lake-HX' vPro CPU with a TDP of up to 55W. As for the GPU options, its options include up to RTX 3080 Ti 16 GB and RTX A5500 16 GB mobility GPUs. For memory, you can get up to 128 GB of DDR5 in CAMM or 64 GB in SODIMM flavors. There are up to 4 NVMe (PCIe Gen 4) slots that can be configured with up to 16 TB of storage space. With the core specs out of the way, let's talk about the design. The Dell Precision 7770 comes with a 17.3" display in either 1080p 60Hz or 2160p 120Hz flavors. It is based on a WLED design with up to HDR400 and 500nits of brightness. In terms of design, Dell's making use of reclaimed carbon fiber and renewable bioplastic for the chassis which comes in the Aluminum Titan Grey color scheme. The IO on the Precision 7770 is abundant with dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 2, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, HDMI 2.0a + HDMI 2.1 ports, and an RJ-45 Ethernet port, and a headset port that works as a combo. Wireless capabilities include Intel WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 support. The battery is a 6-cell 83WHr (1080p variant) and a 6-cell 93Whr (2160p variant) which are powered by SFF 180W and SFF 240 power adapters. The whole system weighs in at 3.01 kg and is backed by up to a 5-year warranty. Dell Precision 7670 16" Laptop Moving over to the Dell Precision 7670, we are looking at very similar CPU and GPU options while the rest of the specs get a modest change to accommodate the smaller 16" laptop size. Storage is tuned down to triple M.2 slots offering up to 12 TB of Gen 4 memory support while the display choices are extended to 1200p (60Hz) with 250 Nits brightness, a similar 500nits brightness variant with WLED, and finally, the top 2400p 60Hz variant with an OLED panel and 400nits of brightness. The laptop comes with the same design choices too and features a large click pad with an optional NFC reader, easy access storage with an optional door on the bottom of the base to access storage devices on the go, a front-facing dual-mic array with noise suppression technology, and an FHD IR camera. Another common thing in both laptops is the thermal design which makes use of a User selectable Thermal Table (USTT) and features dual-opposing output (DOO) fans with liquid polymer blades that allow for dual intake venting and also features Thermal insulating material called GORE. Dell CAMM Memory Solution Now for CAMM (Compression Attached Memory Module), this next-gen technology allows Dell to design a thinner chassis for its laptops without sacrificing performance. Dell states that the CAMM design helps make it more accessible for the memory to be field-repaired. The whole CAMM unit is a separate module that features several memory dies on its PCB. This PCB is attached to the mainboard using the CAMM Compression connector which is held together with top and bottom bolster plates. The same CAMM board can be used to house SODIMM connectors for more standard memory approaches. These PCB modules will come in various sizes, starting at just 16 GB DDR5 and going all the way up to 128 GB DDR5 capacities. Each CAMM module will also house its own PMIC (Programmable Memory IC) onboard the PCB. According to Dell, the CAMM module is 57% thinner compared to a traditional SODIMM memory and carries up to 128 GB of memory on a single side (once higher densities become available. As for adoption, Dell has clearly stated that this isn't a proprietary standard and they want CAMM to be adopted by other PC makers in the future too. In addition to the Precision 7770 and Precision 7670, Dell is also releasing a 25th Anniversary Edition of the Precision 5470 to mark the 25th Anniversary of their Precision brand. Availability for the Dell Precision 7770 and 7670 laptops is expected worldwide in FYQ2 2022 while the Precision 5470 Anniversary Edition will be available only in the US for a limited time in FYQ2 2022. Prices are yet to be confirmed. https://wccftech.com/dell-precision-7770-7670-workstation-laptops-official-intel-alder-lake-hx-16-core-cpus-camm-128-gb-ddr5-memory/

Name of the Game : TEKKEN Price : 29.69$ https://store.steampowered.com/app/389730/TEKKEN_7/ Offer ends up after Xhours: 9 May Requirements: MINIMUM: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required) Processor: Intel Core i3-4160 @ 3.60GHz or equivalent Memory: 6 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 2GB, GTX 750Ti 2GB, or equivalent DirectX: Version 11 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 60 GB available space Sound Card: DirectX compatible soundcard or onboard chipset RECOMMENDED: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required) Processor: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5 GHz or equivalent Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 equivalent or higher DirectX: Version 11 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 60 GB available space Sound Card: DirectX compatible soundcard or onboard chipset

A new month means a new season of Call of Duty Mobile. As the summer kick in, nature becomes the villain as a sandstorm is coming. Season 4 of Call of Duty Mobile, titled Wild Dogs, takes players into the storm, which features a plethora of events, maps, game modes, and much more. The new season launches on April 27th and throws everyone into the eye of the storm in the land of sand. As with every battle pass, the new Wild Dogs pass will feature free and premium tiers. The free tiers feature the Contact Grenade, Koshka bolt-action sniper rifle, camos, and more, while the paid tiers include new operators like Farah — Desert Sentinel, Ghost — Apparition, Roze — Sand Dune, and Roach, alongside a few exclusive weapon blueprints. Two maps from the Call of Duty franchise also find their way to the mobile game. Black Ops Cold War’s Satellite map will be added with the update. Set in the African desert of Angola, Satellite is dotted with vantage points and features a paradise for snipers in its dunes. The second map, Khandor Hideout, comes from Modern Warfare and is an urban neighbourhood housing a secret lab. The layout allows players to place themselves in power positions as long as there are well-versed with the layout. The new Ground War mode will feature 12v12 battles set in either Satellite or Aniyah Incursion with multiple vehicles like motorcycles, antelopes, ATVs, and Tanks, and six capture points with 300 points up for grabs. Since sandstorms are the theme this season, they will randomly show up in battle royale matches and will contain within them elusive loot that should not be missed. To wrap things up, the new Sandstorm’s Eye themed event will send players on a mission to complete various tasks and move through nodes for heaps of rewards. Besides the new inclusions, seasonal challenges will also be rotated and the World Championship and Tournament Mode will be returning as well. https://www.pocketgamer.com/call-of-duty-mobile/season-4-wild-dogs-new-maps-events/

An Elden Ring enemy randomizer mod is in the works that randomly changes the location and strength of all enemies in the RPG game, so it’ll be possible to head into the fight with Margit and face someone like Malenia or Starscourge Radahn instead. There are many fantastic game randomizer mods on PC already but the most terrifying have to be the ones for FromSoftware games like Dark Souls and Sekiro, seeing as even the most basic enemies are already capable of killing the player in a few hits. Well, there’s one in the works for Elden Ring now, courtesy of modder Matt ‘thefifthmatt’ Gruen. He’s the creator of the Elden Ring item randomizer mod, which changes the location of every single item in the game – everything from items in the world to important enemy drops. That was chaotic enough already, but the modder confirmed he was also working on a combined enemy and item randomizer mod too. Now Gruen’s released the first look at a randomized Elden Ring boss encounter, and it’s just as scary as you might expect. You can check it out below. Minor spoilers for one of the game’s most famous bosses, but it still comes as a surprise watching the player go through the mist wall to face Margit… and meet that guy instead. Sadly, there’s no word yet on when we can expect the Elden Ring enemy and item randomizer mod to appear. There is also a VR mod and a co-op mod coming, but likewise, we don’t know when they’ll appear. https://www.pcgamesn.com/elden-ring/enemy-randomizer-mod

LONDON — European stocks closed sharply lower on Monday as concerns over a resurgence of Covid cases in China overshadowed the reelection of French President Emmanuel Macron. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed down by 1.8% provisionally with nearly all sectors in negative territory. Basic resources stocks — with their heavy exposure to China — were the worst performers on the index, with the sector down 5.9%. The negative trade in Europe comes after Asia-Pacific markets fell sharply on Monday following a sell-off on Wall Street on Friday. Mainland Chinese indexes led losses. The Shenzhen component and Shanghai composite tumbled more than 6% and 5%, respectively. Asian markets are also being buffeted by concerns over China’s Covid wave as the world’s second-largest economy struggles to contain its worst outbreak of the virus despite harsh lockdowns in its largest city, Shanghai. Over the weekend, Beijing warned that the virus has been spreading undetected for about a week. Meanwhile, U.S. stocks fell at the open, continuing an April market sell-off that has pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Average lower for four straight weeks. Traders on Wall Street are bracing for a stacked week of earnings, including reports from major tech companies such as Amazon and Apple. Investors in Europe are also digesting the result of the French presidential election on Monday, and monitoring the latest developments in Ukraine. France’s Emmanuel Macron looks set to have comfortably beaten his rival Marine Le Pen in Sunday’s election, securing a second term as president on his pro-business and pro-EU agenda. Official results showed centrist Macron of the La Republique En Marche party gaining 58.5% in the second and final round of voting. Le Pen of the nationalist and far-right National Rally party had almost 42% of the vote. European investors continue to monitor developments in Ukraine as Russia’s invasion of the country entered its third month on Sunday. The conflict that has killed thousands and led to the worst refugee crisis Europe has seen since World War II. The war will end only if Russian troops fully withdraw from the country, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said. Shares of Dutch health technology company Philips were down more than 11% after the firm reported a steep drop in first-quarter core profit. At the top of the Stoxx 600, Ubisoft shares surged 9.5% after Bloomberg reported the French video game publisher has attracted takeover interest from private equity firms Blackstone and KKR. “We don’t comment on rumors or speculation,” an Ubisoft spokesperson told CNBC. Ubisoft is “ideally positioned to capitalize on the rapid industry growth and platform opportunities that are emerging right now,” the spokesperson added. In other news, Germany’s Ifo Institute reported Monday that sentiment in the German economy has stabilized at a low level. The ifo Business Climate Index rose to 91.8 points in April, up from 90.8 points in March. This was due primarily to less pessimism in companies’ expectations, Ifo said. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/25/european-markets-as-investors-react-to-frances-macron-win.html

The orangutan, with its distinctive red-orange hair, is the only ape that inhabits Asia. Weighing up to 90 kg (200 lb.), the Bornean orangutan is about 1-1.5 m tall (3.5-4.5 ft.) with an arm span as long as 2.5 m (8 ft.). Boasting a Malay name meaning “People of the Forest,” orangutans share 97% of the same DNA as humans. Not surprisingly, they possess great intelligence as well as other human-like qualities. For example, Bornean orangutans use tools in daily activities. They employ branches to test water depth or poke termite holes, and they utilize leaves as umbrellas, sponges, or napkins. Furthermore, research from the National Zoo in Washington, DC has demonstrated their great capacity to reason, solve problems, and even use computers. And similar to humans, baby orangutans cry, whimper, and smile at their mothers. Living atop the rainforest canopies on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia, the Bornean Orangutan is physically well-adapted to its environment. Strong hands and hand-like feet, along with flexible hips and long arms allow the orangutan to live primarily in treetops. Swinging from tree to tree, orangutans feed on fruit, leaves, bark, flowers, and insects. They travel considerable distances to eat their favorite fruits (usually unripe), knowing which ones are in season and where to find them. They drink water captured in leaves when available, and in drier times, they soak up moisture from tree hollows using chewed leaf “sponges.” Each night, they build nests in the treetops with leaves and branches. In this way, they have little need to venture to the ground, where their hand-like feet and elongated arms make walking very awkward. Male Bornean orangutans are largely solitary, only socializing temporarily with females during the mating process. To initiate this process, males send out a “Long Call,” which can be heard up to 3 km (~2 mi.) away. Females will only be receptive to mating if the male has developed cheekpads, or jipek, which usually occurs when the male reaches his 20s. A mother orangutan will nurse her offspring for 6-7 years. Although orangutans reach maturity at 8 years old, females will stay with their mothers up until their teen years to learn essential parenting skills, observing their mothers care for their younger sibling. Only then are they capable of rearing their own young. As female orangutans only give birth every 8 years, their rate of reproduction is very slow. In this way, orangutan po[CENSORED]tions take years to restore when hit with natural disasters and human encroachment. Conservation Status In prehistoric times, orangutans inhabited forests as far north as China. Now, due to deforestation and poaching, Bornean orangutans have been restricted to the island of Borneo with their po[CENSORED]tion reduced to 50,000-60,000. They are currently classified on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as critically endangered, with their po[CENSORED]tion severely fragmented and decreasing. Many of the issues surrounding orangutan depo[CENSORED]tion stems from the impoverished state of Indonesia. Facing poverty and starvation, many Indonesians have turned to eating orangutan meat, illegal logging, capturing babies for pet trade, and using slash and burn techniques to turn portions of the rainforest into palm oil plantations. Slashing and burning has resulted not only in a reduction of fruit trees and habitat for orangutans, it has also exacerbated natural forest fires, causing widespread destruction. What You Can Do to Help Aside from donating to the many orangutan charities around the world, there are many other things you can do to help save the orangutan on day-to-day basis. For starters, avoid purchasing tropical or exotic plywood and hardwood, palm oil-based products, and rayon viscose clothing. In addition, reduce your consumption of paper, and seek out recycled “treeless” paper sources. https://animalfactguide.com/animal-facts/bornean-orangutan/

It's going to be an exciting couple of years for the Chevy Corvette. There's an all-new Chevy Corvette Z06 just hitting the market, but now we have confirmation that the wilder stuff we'd heard whispers of is actually happening. GM has released a new teaser video of a prototype Corvette model with hybrid power and all-wheel drive, and the description notes that we can expect a new, fully electric Corvette sometime after that. If you were worried that the future of the Corvette might parallel the arc of the Mustang, which in Mach-E guise has become a compact electric crossover, don't be—this is still a mid-engined, two-seat, pure sports car. Today's teaser promises a diverse powertrain lineup, starting with the introduction of an "electrified" Corvette "as early as next year," with a "fully electric version to follow." It's also possible either the hybrid and fully-electric Corvette takes on the "E-Ray" name we've heard floated around, but we'll have to wait for confirmation. GM President Mark Reuss announced the vehicle on CNBC and LinkedIn this morning, confirming his earlier teases that there would be "more to come" for the Corvette's powertrain development. The upcoming electrified Corvette models will utilize GM's Ultium battery technology which is manufactured in the U.S., as well as introduce a new heat-capturing technology. Here's how the new tech was explained by Reuss: "In addition, we also announced today Ultium Platform's energy recovery system, a patented onboard system that takes the heat generated by EV batteries and uses it to warm the cabin, create more efficient charging conditions, and even increase vehicle acceleration. And it can boost the vehicle's range by about 10%. It's a perfect example of how developing a ground-up EV platform like Ultium enables unique features not easily done with a retrofit." The video clip itself shows this future electrified Corvette apparently torture testing in snowy track conditions. The all-wheel drive is somewhat of a dead giveaway about 8 seconds into the video, when the car's front wheels start spinning in the snow before the back wheels start rotating, making it obvious that (for the first time in production Corvette history) the front axle is powered. The current C8 generation of Corvette is quite a hit, and it's one of the best sports cars we think we've ever tested. The base 6.2-liter V-8 makes 490 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque before Chevy goes in and electrifies anything, so we anticipate some mega performance out of the future electrified models. The recently-revealed Z06 makes up to 670 hp; a new hybrid model could offer a performance level between the base and Z06, and we imagine the fully-electric Corvette will likely top the model range once it shows up in a couple years. https://www.motortrend.com/news/chevrolet-corvette-c8-awd-hybrid-prototytpe-teaser/