Angel of Death

Music:: Taylor Swift Leads 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards Nods | Billboard News Release date: Aug 2024/01/18 Signer: Billboard Official YouTube link:

just MWC—isn’t one of our favorite trade shows just because it’s situated in the beautiful city of Barcelona during a seasonally appropriate time of year. (Cheap cava and tapas don’t have anything to do with it either.) No, this show is a favorite because it’s one of the easiest to navigate, and there’s always plenty of interesting, fun, or just plain crazy tech to scavenge through. This year, such bounty includes transparent laptops, bendable phones, a Barbie flip phone, and more. Here are the highlights. Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.HMD was supposed to be the rebirth of Nokia phones back when it made a splash at MWC 2017, but it wasn’t long before the company lost steam and it was clear that the Nokia brand name wouldn’t really compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple anymore. HMD instead put its focus on budget Android phones over the past few years and its feature phone business. At MWC, it announced that 2023 was the company’s first profitable year, and now it’s trying to change things up with a rebrand. First is the name—it’s leaning more on “Human Mobile Devices” (the full version of its acronym) instead of HMD. This year’s lineup of devices will include an HMD phone, an iconic Nokia phone, plus a Barbie flip phone. Yep, you heard that right. HMD is collaborating with Mattel to launch a Barbie feature flip phone. It’ll be coming this summer, will obviously be pink, and is being touted as a digital detox device. That’s all we know. The only pictures of all the teased phones were pixelated. What we do know about HMD’s other phone is that it will revolve around a system called HMD Fusion. Similar to Motorola’s Moto Mods or Google’s long-lost Project Ara, it sounds like a system of modular components that developers can build for the smartphone, from an extended battery and a barcode scanner to a payment terminal to medical equipment. It released a toolkit that developers can use to get started. HMD also had a big focus on repairability—it expects half of its devices launched globally this year to be repairable. But this summer, it says it will have a system that dramatically reduces the number of steps it takes to fix a cracked screen. https://www.wired.com/story/all-the-top-new-gadgets-at-mwc-2024/

The best free Adobe Illustrator vector alternatives lets you create and edit vector graphics without subscribing toWhen it comes to creative apps, it can feel as if Adobe has cornered the entire market. From Photoshop to Adobe Illustrator, when it comes to design work, the company’s products have become the industry-standard. But Adobe is far from the only developer of quality graphic design software. And plenty of artists and designers are keen to avoid the ecosphere. Some users have found a complex interface that threatens to overwhelm budding new artists. And issues around the Creative Cloud subscription model - the only way to get Illustrator - abound. Thankfully, the best free Adobe Illustrator vector alternatives offer genuine replacement for the po[CENSORED]r digital art software. Unlike raster graphics, these programs use mathematical expressions to draw the lines, shapes and colors, allowing them to infinitely scalable, so you can blow an image up to the size of a billboard with no obvious pixilation. LATEST VIDEOS FROM TECHRADAR CLOSE However, not all Adobe Illustrator alternatives are created equal. Some have limited features, a handful only support certain file formats, and others are bundled with unwanted extra software. To help you choose the right tool for you (and your creative workflow), we’ve tested the best free Adobe Illustrator vector alternatives for creating icons, logos, diagrams, charts, posters and website graphics. Didn’t click with Photoshop and Lightroom? We’ve also tested the best Photoshop alternatives and the best Adobe Lightroom alternatives. The best vector editor overall is Adobe Illustrator CC The best vector editor overall is Adobe Illustrator CC If you're a professional designer or illustrator, there's no beating the industry standard vector editing software. Adobe Illustrator is available as a standalone app, or as part of the Creative Cloud suite along with Photoshop, Lightroom and much more. Whether you're creating app icons or billboards, it has all the tools you need, and works seamlessly with Adobe's other software. It's not free, like the options below, but it's the best tool money can buy. VIEW DEAL GET IN TOUCH Want to find out about commercial or marketing opportunities? Click here Out of date info, errors, complaints or broken links? Give us a nudge Got a suggestion for a product or service provider? https://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-free-adobe-illustrator-alternatives

Rumors of a PS5 Pro persist, and while the powered-up version of the current PS5 console has not been officially confirmed by Sony, one reliable insider has claimed it's “100% in development” and the online whispers refuse to quieten down. A PS5 Pro would make even more sense as a form of stop-gap between the PS5 and what we'll dub the PS6. That's because, in legal documents pertaining to the battle between Microsoft and the FTC over the former's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, IGN found that Microsoft doesn't expect a next-generation PlayStation or Xbox until 2028. So a mid-generation refresh would seem logical given the potential length of this current generation of game consoles. We expect the PS5 Pro will follow the lead of its precursor, the PS4 Pro. Essentially, this was a more powerful version of the base PS4 console. It packed the same DualShock 4 controller and library of games but was capable of increased performance and targeted 4K resolution on select titles. It was a console designed for gamers who wanted that little bit of extra power to enjoy PlayStation gaming at its very best. The PS5 Pro would presumably do the same thing by building upon the foundations of the current PS5 with refreshed internal components and perhaps a visual redesign as well. But remember, it’ll be an iteration of the existing PS5 hardware, not a full-fledged successor; this is not the PS6. Naturally, as the PS5 Pro has yet to be confirmed in any sort of official capacity, all we have to go off is rumors and a healthy dose of informed speculation. But for now, here’s everything we think we know about the PS5 Pro. Sony's latest financial reports suggest the PS5 is entering "latter stage of its life cycle", this could be an indication that the PS5 Pro is on the way to take on the mantle. PS5 Pro leaks reveal September 2024 launch and a huge new feature — here’s what we know The PS5 Pro could be getting an AI boost thanks to a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) from AMD according to new spec leaks. Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming has claimed that PS5 Pro dev kits are now being distributed to developers, and Sony expects a full spec leak soon. The latest rumored PS5 Pro specs point towards a big upgrade from the base console, but have us wondering if the new hardware will be Pro enough. A reliable leaker has said the PS5 Pro will release in November 2024, complete with upgraded GPU and RAM to make 8K console gaming possible. https://www.tomsguide.com/news/ps5-pro

I open my eyes in the morning and check my phone. Hundreds of Discord notifications. It happened again. A late-night decision to try out a new game, one which took place while I was soundly asleep—I need my eight hours or I will wither and die—and now I have the daunting task of trying to play catch-up. Except I have a busy few days ahead of me: I've got some neat games to write about for this site, some social plans and gym classes to hit up in the evening. By the time I get around to the Hot New Game of my Discord server, it's too late. I am the third animal trying to get on Noah's Ark, Troy Barnes in the darkest timeline. As quickly as my pals latch onto one game, another one comes and snatches their attention away before I even realise what's happened. The meta shifts, and I start all over again. Okay, I'm being a little dramatic, but I've been a victim of FOMO on more than one occasion in the last few months. There have been a lot of really cool multiplayer games that have hit PC lately: Lethal Company, Party Animals, Palworld, Helldivers 2, Tekken 8, I could go on! They're games that are best played in a Discord call with your friends, sometimes with the addition of a few beers and webcams switched on to really enhance the experience. The problem is, if your primary Discord servers are anything like mine, things move fast. I've disappeared from voice chat for a few hours only to come back and discover that everyone has impulsively decided that we all absolutely must play some random party game that's on sale for a couple of dollars. Sometimes I am that impulsive decider! But when your finger isn't always on the pulse of what's hot and what's not in the server, that's when the FOMO sets in and you're watching the ship sail away while standing on the shore. The first offender in recent months was Lethal Company. It was a total left-field hit, sweeping away several of the Discord servers I usually hang out in. Every time I would peep at what people were up to while I was working, they were almost certainly playing Lethal Company. Its virality came at a time where I wasn't really in a game-playing mood—I was off playing in fighting game tournaments and gearing up to take some much-needed time away from writing over the winter break. By the time there was a lull in my schedule and I was ready to dive in, most of my friends knew the game inside and out. Bless them, they tried to walk me through how the whole thing worked. But it's never quite the same being hastily caught up as it is getting to know a game's quirks and spooks together. I was aimless as everyone else confidently dispersed to meet quota, repeatedly dying for my own lack of knowledge and—while they'd never admit it—hindering them. Of course they had their fun with me, sending me into death traps here and there, but when it came down to actually trying I was really feeling that playtime gap. The second offender was Palworld, yet another hit that surpassed expectations. The life cycle of Palworld in my friend group was mere days, maybe a week at most. I was approximately two or three days late to the party, by which point everyone was so far ahead that I was better off tottering around by myself and figuring things out solo. Even then, friends of mine who were mere hours or a day late to join in ended up branching off to do their own thing because our most tryhard (affectionate) of pals had barreled ahead in the blink of an eye. I don't blame 'em for being so hot on the button. When there are so many fantastic games coming out—even in the wake of mass layoffs and an increasingly volatile industry—you gotta jump in and get your hours before the next thing demands your attention. I'm too dang slow with these things, pussyfooting around committing my time and money to things despite my self-awareness around my severe FOMO. Like I said, I don't miss out everytime. Hell, sometimes I'm the ringleader, marching ahead before my friends even know what's going on. It's always going to be hard to coordinate a large group of buddies to jump on the same thing at the same time, and in a way it's kind of neat. Seeing a game spread rapidly, and often quite organically, throughout the friend group over a matter of hours or days never gets old. All it takes is for one person to stream their game on a random Tuesday evening, and by Wednesday morning the whole crew is rolling up to play. I'll still always be a little annoyed with myself for missing the boat on some of the prime contenders. But hey, there's always the next one. Nightingale, anybody? Mollie spent her early childhood deeply invested in games like Killer Instinct, Toontown and Audition Online, which continue to form the pillars of her personality today. She joined PC Gamer in 2020 as a news writer and now lends her expertise to write a wealth of features, guides and reviews with a dash of chaos. She can often be found causing mischief in Final Fantasy 14, using those experiences to write neat things about her favourite MMO. When she's not staring at her bunny girl she can be found sweating out rhythm games, pretending to be good at fighting games or spending far too much money at her local arcade. https://www.pcgamer.com/theres-no-worse-feeling-than-missing-out-on-the-big-game-all-your-pals-are-playing-and-its-only-gonna-get-worse-with-how-many-amazing-games-are-coming-in-2024/

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The Conservatives have accepted a £5m donation from an Egyptian-born billionaire who served as a minister in the government of the former president Hosni Mubarak. Mohamed Mansour, who was made senior treasurer of the Conservatives in December, announced he had given the sum to the party, its biggest one-off donation for more than 20 years. Writing in the Telegraph, Mansour, who served as a transport minister under Mubarak from 2006 to 2009, said he had given the money to assist Rishi Sunak, whom he described as “a very capable prime minister” who understood the economy. Mansour is the chair of the Mansour Group multinational corporation, which he owns with two of his brothers. Through another of his companies, Unatrac, he has previously donated about £600,000 to the Tories. The new donation is the biggest for the Conservatives since Paul Getty gave the same sum to the party in 2001. When Mansour was given his Conservative party treasurer role, Labour said Sunak could not claim to stand up for integrity when there was “a billionaire who was a part of Hosni Mubarak’s autocratic regime being put in charge of drumming up donations”. In his article, Mansour wrote: “I believe that this country has a very capable prime minister, one who understands how growth is generated in the modern economy. He gets the importance of technology and innovation. He can make the modern economy work for all UK citizens. “My confidence in the prime minister is why I was proud to become a senior treasurer of the Conservative party last December. I want to give him the best chance of having a full five-year term and so have donated £5m to the party’s election fighting fund. I look at what he has achieved in his first months in office and think what he could do in five years.” Mansour’s donation will notably boost Tory coffers before an election expected next year; they have suffered recently amid an assumption the party is likely to lose power. Over 2022 as a whole, Labour received more total donations than the Tories – slightly more than £5m, as against £4.75m. Mansour’s sum is not the biggest single political donation in recent years. Before the 2019 general election, David Sainsbury gave £8m to the Liberal Democrats, despite being a Labour peer at the time. as you’re joining us today from Egypt, we have a small favour to ask. The Guardian has spent the past 13 years tirelessly investigating the shortcomings of the Tories in office – austerity, Brexit, partygate, cronyism, the Truss debacle and the individual failings of ministers who behave as if the rules don’t apply to them. Our work has resulted in resignations, apologies and policy corrections. Our continued revelations about the conveyor belt of Tory dysfunction are the latest in a long line of important scoops. And with an election just round the corner, we won’t stop now. It’s crucial that we can all make informed decisions about who is best to lead the UK. Will you invest in the Guardian this year? Unlike many others, the Guardian has no shareholders and no billionaire owner. Just the determination and passion to deliver high-impact global reporting, always free from commercial or political influence. Reporting like this is vital for democracy, for fairness and to demand better from the powerful. And we provide all this for free, for everyone to read. We do this because we believe in information equality. Greater numbers of people can keep track of the events shaping our world, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action. Millions can benefit from open access to quality, truthful news, regardless of their ability to pay for it. Whether you give a little or a lot, your funding will power our reporting for the years to come. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/may/22/ex-mubarak-minister-mohamed-mansour-donates-5m-to-tories

Alexandria, VA – Mark your calendars. Alexandria’s biggest festival for animal lovers – Paws in the Park – returns to Old Town Alexandria on Sunday, October 15, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Oronoco Bay Park and promises to be bigger than ever. This annual event celebrates northern Virginia’s love for animals. This year, it offers attendees a free one-of-a-kind family and pet-friendly festival featuring 72 artisans, businesses, food and beverage vendors, lots of adoptable animals, and a variety of entertainment. Like years past, all proceeds from this event will benefit the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. Along with many local artisans, nonprofits, and animal-focused businesses, Paws in the Park will host food and beverage vendors. Attendees can pack a picnic and savor drinks and food from local cideries, breweries, wineries, bakeries, food trucks, and more while enjoying the day’s entertainment and shopping. If you’ve been looking to add a furry member to your family, the 10+ animal welfare organizations and rescues in Rescue Row will have adoptable animals available for attendees to meet. AWLA’s mobile adoption unit – Waggin’ Wheels – will also be there. Entertainment and More This year’s entertainment, sponsored by the Alexandria Library Foundation, begins at 11:30 a.m. and includes repeat musical favorites like bilingual sensation Uno Dos Tres Andres and new acts and stage events like musical duo Katie and Logan and a Dog (and Human) Costume Contest. The costume contest is open to everyone, and pre-registration is required. Each category winner will receive a cool prize! There’s plenty more fun to be had at both the Family Fun Tent and AWLA Tent. The Family Fun Tent, sponsored by TTR Sotheby’s International Realty, will feature arts and crafts for kids of all ages, including decorating pet bandanas and collaborating on a pet-themed community “mural.” Stop by the AWLA Tent to purchase your 2024 AWLA calendars and bid on items in their silent auction. The silent auction will feature many unique items and be available online, so winners will not need to be present to participate or win! Items include a $500 gift card to Wegmans, custom pet portraits, and much more. The first 1,000 attendees at Paws in the Park will receive a one-of-a-kind swag bag. Paws in the Park is open to leashed, well-behaved pets. Proceeds from Paws in the Park benefit the AWLA, which supports homeless animals in Alexandria, pets, and people throughout the community. Sponsorships are still available, and more information about attending or participating in this year’s festival and what to expect can be found at PawsintheParkVA.com. About the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) has been a beacon of hope for animals and the people who love them. Through adoptions, spay and neuter assistance, education, community service, and outreach, the AWLA is key in promoting responsible pet care across Northern Virginia. The AWLA works with the City of Alexandria to provide animal care, control, and protection and operates the Vola Lawson Animal Shelter, an open-admission animal sheltering facility. Events like Paws in the Park help further the mission of caring for Alexandria’s animals and people. Proceeds from Paws in the Park will go directly toward their many community programs, including their Pet Pantry, which provides pet food and other supplies to pet parents facing financial hardship. The AWLA can support pet families and at-risk animals thanks to the kindness of generous donors. Learn more about the AWLA and find ways to support Alexandria’s animals at https://thezebra.org/2023/10/02/get-ready-to-alexandrias-paw-ty-at-paws-in-the-park-2023/

German automakers will skip next year's Geneva auto show in a blow for the event that is being revived after a four-year absence. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Volkswagen brand will not have a presence at the show, spokespeople for the companies told Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche. "After careful consideration, Mercedes-Benz will not participate in the 2024 Geneva Motor Show," a Mercedes spokesperson said. Audi made a similar statement: "We won't be there in 2024. But this is not a general decision against Geneva," it said. BMW will not be at the show after reorganizing its event marketing activities in a "social first" approach that will make more use of social media platforms and live streaming. "We have added our own new formats, such as NextGen, while phasing out some existing formats," a spokesperson said. "This includes appearances in Geneva, Paris and Detroit. That's why we won't be in Geneva in 2024." VW Group's VW passenger car brand will also not be represented in Geneva, a spokesman said. Other VW Group brands such as Skoda, Cupra and Porsche have not yet made a decision on whether to be at Geneva. But the probability of participation was low, sources at the brands said. Stellantis brands including Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat and Opel are unlikely to attend. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares is reluctant to spend millions on auto show appearances and the automaker has abandoned plans to participate in the 2024 CES tech expo in a cost-saving move. The 2024 show is scheduled to take place for the first time since a chaotic cancellation at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 just days before the event was due to open. It's scheduled to take place from Feb. 26 to March 3 at its traditional venue, the Palexpo convention center near Geneva airport. Renault, Chinese presence Renault said on Oct. 20 that it will take part in next year's Geneva and Paris shows, along with all major motor shows in the regions where the group operates. Geneva show organizers have said they are in contact with about 20 Chinese brands and they hope that two-thirds of them will attend. https://europe.autonews.com/geneva-auto-show/2024-geneva-auto-show-bmw-mercedes-audi-vw-drop-out

Paris 2024 has taken the opportunity provided by the IOC in the Olympic Agenda 2020 to propose additional sports to enhance its programme and overall concept. The IOC is keen to set a new standard for inclusive, gender-balanced and youth-centred games. Paris 2024 submitted its proposal to the IOC to integrate four new sports that are closely associated with youth and reward creativity and athletic performance. These sports are breaking, sport climbing, skateboarding, surfing. All four are easy to take up and participants form communities that are very active on social media. Over the next five years, the inclusion of these events in the Olympic Games will help inspire millions of children to take up sport. The IOC confirmed the event programme, related athlete quotas and the integration of new sports for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in December 2020. https://www.paris2024.org/en/olympic-sports/

Holi 2024: Holi is one of the most po[CENSORED]r Hindu festivals celebrated with much enthusiasm and fanfare across the country. Also known as Festival of colours, in West Bengal, Assam and Tripura, it is also known as the 'Dol jatra' or 'Basanta Utsav'. Traditionally celebrated in late February or early March in the Gregorian calendar, Holi marks the arrival of spring and the end of winter, coinciding with the full moon or Purnima on the evening of the Hindu month of Phalguna. It's a time for people to come together, put aside their differences and celebrate life's brighter moments. As everyone looks forward to celebrating Holi in 2024, read on to find out whether the festival will be celebrated on March 24 or March 25 this year apart from the time, customs and significance of the festival in India.According to the Hindu calendar, Holi is celebrated every year on the full moon day of the month of Falgun. This year, the momentous festival of Holi will be observed on Monday, March 25, 2024, while a day before Holi, which is celebrated as Holika Dahan or Choti Holi, will be marked on Sunday, March 24. According to Drik Panchang, the auspicious timings are as follows: Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now. Purnima Tithi Begins - 09:54 AM on March 24, 2024 Purnima Tithi Ends - 12:29 PM on March 25, 2024 Holi 2024 History: Hindu mythology serves as the inspiration for the vibrant and colourful festival of Holi. It is thought to derive from the story of Hiranyakashipu and Prahlad. It is said that Lord Vishnu saved his devoted disciple Prahlad from the nefarious plans of his father Hiranyakashyap. Holika, the sister of Hiranyakashyap, was given a boon that made her fireproof. She intended to use this power to murder Prahlad by tricking him into sitting on her lap while she sat in a raging fire. Much to everyone's surprise, the fire did not harm Prahlad, but devoured Holika, symbolising the triumph of good over evil celebrated on Holika Dahan, the first day of Holi. In certain regions, such as Mathura and Vrindavan, Holi is also observed as a celebration of the heavenly love shared by Lord Krishna and Radha. Significance of Holi: Holi has immense religious significance for Hindus. It is one of the most important events in the Hindu religion. During the Holi festival, Hindus rejoice with great joy and enthusiasm. This festival spans two consecutive days, beginning with Choti Holi followed by Dulhendi, also known as Badi Holi or Rang wali Holi. On the eve of Choti Holi, Holika Dahan, a symbolic bonfire, is ceremoniously lit. People build bonfires, worship the Holika and circle it seven times. Water and colours are used as payment on Dulhendi Day. They visit each other's homes and put gulaal, or bright colours, on their faces as they joyfully celebrate this vibrant festival. Along with sharing snacks and sweets, they also play music and enjoy the festivities with their loved ones. https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/festivals/holi-2024-when-is-holi-know-the-correct-date-timing-history-significance-and-all-about-the-festival-of-colours-101708073826396.html

Egyptians anticipate a significant influx of foreign currency in the coming days after Egypt signed its largest-ever direct foreign investment deal with the UAE’s ADQ company. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly revealed on Friday that Egypt will receive $35 billion in direct foreign investment over the next two months through the Ras al-Hekma project deal for a development project on Egypt’s north coast. For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app. The financial agreement includes two parts: an upfront payment and a portion of the project’s profits, ensuring Egypt a share of the earnings for the project’s duration. The initial $15 billion will be divided into two tranches: $10 billion as direct liquidity from abroad and the remaining $5 billion through converting existing deposits from the UAE in the Egyptian Central Bank into Egyptian pounds. These funds will be used for the project’s initial phase. Following this, after two months, an additional $20 billion will enter, comprising $14 billion in direct liquidity and the remaining $6 billion from UAE’s deposits. This brings the total direct liquidity to $24 billion, in addition to the $11 billion converted from the Central Bank’s deposits. Madbouly emphasized that the $11 billion previously held in the Central Bank was part of Egypt’s external debt. Hence, this transaction will bring in liquidity and reduce the country’s external debt. Regarding profits, Egypt will retain 35 percent of the project’s earnings. Beyond these funds, the UAE side expects to invest an additional $150 billion over the project’s lifespan for the development of the city. Madbouly concluded that the immediate $35 billion investment marks the largest influx of direct foreign investment in Egypt’s history, ensuring continued foreign investments throughout the project. Egyptian pound to strengthen post deal JP Morgan forecasts that the Egyptian pound’s exchange rate will rise, with the dollar expected to range between 45 and 50 Egyptian pounds, following the recent agreement between Egypt and the UAE regarding the development project of Ras al-Hekma city. The bank also anticipates a 2 percent increase in interest rates to 23.5 percent, which may contribute to slowing inflation in the coming period. The official market exchange rate for the dollar is about 30.9 Egyptian pounds. However, the pound has seen an 8 percent increase in the parallel market, ranging between 48 and 50 pounds per dollar, significantly improving from levels above 60 pounds before the deal. In the wake of the Egypt-UAE agreement, Goldman Sachs noted that the investment volume between the two parties far exceeds initial expectations. The deal is deemed sufficient to cover Egypt’s funding gap for the next four years. If it proceeds as planned, the timely inflow of liquidity is expected to provide the Egyptian Central Bank with adequate foreign currency reserves. Goldman Sachs also highlighted that this development would likely lead to a sharp decrease in speculative demand for foreign currencies in Egypt’s parallel market. Furthermore, Egyptian bond prices have seen an upsurge alongside a rise in the pound’s value in the parallel market. Deal unrelated to IMF Talks In a recent interview with “Al Arabiya Business,” Jihad Azour, the Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), clarified that the UAE’s investment in Egypt is a notable event but is entirely separate from the IMF’s discussions with Cairo. The two matters are completely independent, and the IMF has yet to review the details of the UAE-Egypt deal. Prime Minister Madbouly mentioned that Egypt is close to finalizing agreements with the IMF, the World Bank, and the European Union. Azour emphasized that linking the size of the IMF’s loan to Egypt with the issue of refugees from the Gaza Strip is inaccurate. He also noted that the program was formulated around a year and two months ago, with the first and second reviews completed before the Gaza conflict. He acknowledged that Egypt, among others, has been economically impacted by ongoing events and the associated rise in risk levels. However, he stated that the loan size is connected to the financial gap and is not influenced by political factors. Azour added that Egypt’s discussions with the IMF are focused on economic reform in Egypt, enhancing the role of the private sector, activating social protection measures, and building confidence in the economy for its advancement. He also pointed out that exchange rate flexibility is crucial for shielding the Egyptian economy from external shocks. https://english.alarabiya.net/business/economy/2024/02/26/Egypt-UAE-historic-deal-IMF-insights-and-bank-forecasts-on-Egyptian-pound-future

Uganda’s Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) says it is in the process of procuring biometric devices to be used for a delayed national po[CENSORED]tion and housing census scheduled to begin on May 10, 2024. The exercise, which had earlier been programmed for August 24 and 25 this year, was put off after Ubos failed to secure the necessary funding for the project, The Observer reports. The statistics agency had reportedly requested for 132 billion Ugandan shillings (US$34.8 million) to procure 120,000 devices. This will be the first po[CENSORED]tion and housing census in Uganda in ten years and also the first to be conducted digitally, the outlet quotes Ubos Executive Director Dr. Chris Mukiza as saying. Speaking during an event to launch the African Statistics Week activities in Uganda, Mukiza said work has been ongoing to map out every household and to assign a geo-code to it. This code, he said, shall be keyed into customized tablets that will be used for the exercise. The official added that the procurement process has begun as the government is at the level of signing the contract with a biometric equipment supplier. The contractor is not identified. He said all the data, including fingerprints that will be collected by enumerators during the census, will be processed digitally, unlike before when the system was paper-based. About the devices, Mukiza disclosed that 38,000 of them will be equipped with biometric features to allow fingerprint capture for citizen registration by the national ID-issuing authority (the National Identification and Registration Authority), as well as for voter registration by the elections management agency (the Electoral Commission). Some of the devices, he noted, will be used by local government authorities for their information systems. A spokesman for Ubos, Didacus Okoth, is quoted as saying that 87 percent of all households in the country have been mapped out already. Ahead of the census, Ubos estimates that Uganda currently has 45.5 million people. The last census in 2014 showed the country had 34 million citizens. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is scheduled to launch the census on November 30. Nigeria is another African country expected to conduct a po[CENSORED]tion and housing census next year after plans to have the exercise done this year failed. In August, a socio-political organization urged the government to factor in biometrics during the exercise to enhance the accuracy of its outcome. https://www.biometricupdate.com/202311/uganda-procuring-biometric-devices-for-2024-census

has introduced the imc FAMOS 2024 data analysis software, which delivers user experience enhancements and updates to its data analysis features for engineers, researchers and technicians in the automotive, mechanical, railway, aerospace and other industries. New features to the software include the Start Page, where users can launch and customize numerous FAMOS wizards and tools; and a new data analysis function directly within the curve window, useful for quick evaluation while handling large data sets and formatting options for polar diagrams. The new functions have been designed to simplify the processing of large data sets, from visualization and analysis to creating professional reports. FAMOS tools and wizards, such as FAMOS code for import/export filters, Python or R code, or templates for GUI elements, can be directly accessed, and the customized the start page provides direct access to instructive demo projects. Frequently used sequences and project files can also be individually linked to the page. The new data analysis function can be used to select individual data segments within the window and calculate them with standard functions, which enables interactive browsing and faster insights into the displayed data sets. Further formatting options can also be used for polar diagrams to improve the visualization of acoustic data, directional characteristics, wind energy or rotationally symmetric structures. Text data and arrays from applications in which text elements occur in measurement data, such as diagnostic or error messages or fieldbus data, can also be edited and displayed with the software. Damian Hurschler, team leader for flight test instrumentation at the Swiss aircraft manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft, said, “imc FAMOS allows new users to quickly learn the basics of viewing measurement data, getting an overview and assessing its quality. Measurement data can be transferred directly from imcSTUDIO to imc FAMOS, displayed in a variety of ways with just a few simple steps, and automatically used for calculations with sequences. Even with very large data sets, we are always impressed by the performance of imc FAMOS.” https://www.automotivetestingtechnologyinternational.com/news/software/data-analysis-software-famos-2024-launched-by-imc-test-measurement.html

We're just weeks away from the biggest tech jamboree of the year, the Consumer Electronics Show or CES. It's expected that 130,000 attendees and 3,500 vendors will descend on the sprawling complex of exhibition centers and show floors across Las Vegas for the event, which opens on January 9. Among them will be our very own Jacob, battling through the hordes to bring you the very best PC gaming tech from the show. But exactly what will he find at CES 2024? Yo dawg. Heard you like AI. So we took some AI and made it intelligent and artificial and then ran it all through a large language model. Probably. Basically, if you're not into AI, steer clear of CES 2024. It's going to be everywhere. Actually, that's Intel's Marketing tag line that will be hammered to death at CES, literally "AI Everywhere". The rest of the tech giants will almost certainly have an AI message to sell, too. How much any of it translates into tangible products and real-world benefits, especially for PC gaming, remains to be seen. Of the big noises in PC tech, Nvidia will probably be alone in rolling out something genuinely new in the shape of "Super" branded updates for its existing RTX 40-series line of gaming graphics cards. We've done the rumours to death, but we're expecting an RTX 4070 Super, and RTX 4070 Ti Super, and an RTX 4080 Super. Of those three, it's the RTX 4070 Ti Super that promises to be the biggest step forward. That's because it's rumoured to make the jump away from Nvidia's AD104 chip to the bigger AD103 GPU, the latter used by the RTX 4080, currently. The RTX 4070 Super and RTX 4080 Super are thought to be smaller upgrades using the same silicon as existing non-Super GPUs. Perhaps just aas important is the question of what will happen to those existing GPUs. Will they disappear? Or could they get a pricing haircut? Either way, what you won't see is Nvidia's next-gen Blackwell GPUs, probably to be branded RTX 50-s Series. They won't appear until at least the end of 2024 and maybe not until early 20225. As a final outside, could Nvidia begin talking about its rumoured ARM CPU for PCs at CES? 2024 is the year that we're expecting to see some serious movement on high performance ARM chips for PCs, so it's just about possible. but CES should see a slew of Meteor Lake based laptops all touting Intel's new chip. Early previews of the new chip are a little underwhelming. But maybe Intel can make a bigger impact with Meteor Lake and the new Core Ultra Series of laptop CPUs at CES. More broadly, Intel will be bigging up the AI capabilities of Meteor Lake under its "AI Everywhere" banner during CEO Pat Gelisgner's CES keynote. Will we see some killer new apps to take advantage of the NPU in Meteor Lake? Maybe, but more likely are a few slightly meh tech demos running something like local AI image generation on the NPU and then a load of positive but vague sentiments about the transformative power of AI. https://www.pcgamer.com/ces-2024-preview-the-future-of-pc-gaming-hardware/

The first day of spring is almost here—at least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere—which can only mean one thing: there's a seasonal Steam sale this month. There are also some pretty cool-looking games coming out, particularly a pair of very different RPGs at the start and middle of the month: The Thaumaturge, a story-driven turn-based game out of Poland, and Dragon's Dogma 2, Capcom's open world action RPG sequel. More on those games below, along with the other biggest PC games releasing this month and a list of notable events and happenings. For a more zoomed-out view of what's coming out on PC this year, see our big list of Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League. https://www.pcgamer.com/games/march-2024-pc-game-release-dates/

Voted

No @Blackfire ! !

Ramadan Kareem, and happy new year to all of you. Happy New Year to us and you