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Everything posted by Drennn
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Allied Irish Banks (AIB), the Dublin-based bank, increased its pre-tax profit by 31% to almost €1.3bn (£1.1bn) in the first six months of 2024. However, profit at its UK business fell by 17% from £107m to £89m mainly due to increased costs for bad loans. The bank’s chief executive, Colin Hunt, said that overall it had been a ‘very strong financial performance.’ The two banks have been boosted by the performance of the Irish economy which saw strong domestic growth last year. Mr Hunt said: "We remain optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead over the remainder of this year and into 2025, bolstered by Ireland’s economic resilience." AIB said it now expects customer loans to grow by 4% this year which compares to previous guidance of 2%. The bank said it will also continue to buy back shares from the Irish government as it continues on a path to fully private ownership. It had to be bailed out by the government during the 2008 financial crisis and the state still has a 25% stake. AIB also benefits from a relatively uncompetitive retail banking market which is dominated by it and Bank of Ireland. However, the market is set to become more competitive with the Spanish lender Bankinter intending to expand its operations in the country and Revolut planning to offer mortgage lending next year. Link: Here
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A po[CENSORED]r south-west England animal welfare charity is set to close within the next few weeks, bosses say. The North Devon Animal Ambulance (NDAA) was set up 23 years ago to provide treatment for sick animals and find new homes for unwanted pets. The charity has blamed a combination of rising vets' bills and the increasing age of volunteers and trustees. Although everyone who worked at the charity was there on a voluntary basis, the organisation still had to pay for medicine and outsource complex treatments such surgery and X-rays, managers said. Even with discounts in place, bills for medicine and treatments came to more than £200,000 per year, they added. Charity founder Diana Lewis said: “All six of our trustees are in their 80s. “We are unable to do the actual physical work of running the charity, providing the services that we do and raise the money. Therefore we have had to call it a day.” Clients in the service's waiting room in Barnstaple told the BBC they were saddened and concerned to hear the service was closing. Link: Here
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It isn’t often that a manufacturer transforms a hybrid into a nonhybrid; it's usually vice versa. But that is what Alfa Romeo has planned for the Tonale subcompact SUV. Since the model’s release, it has only been offered as a plug-in hybrid (reviewed separately) in the U.S. market. The new nonhybrid Tonale ditches its battery pack and electric motor for a 268-hp turbo four-cylinder powertrain. The engine is borrowed from the Dodge Hornet, which is built on the same platform as the Tonale and shares much of its sheetmetal and interior bits with the Alfa. In our most recent test of the Tonale Hybrid , we didn’t think that the powertrain was the Tonale’s primary issue but rather its uncommunicative steering, which renders it less engaging to pilot than the larger Alfa Stelvio SUV. While 268 horsepower, all-wheel drive, and respectable standard equipment put the Tonale in the running with other nonhybrid competitors like the BMW X1, Volvo XC40, and Mercedes-Benz GLA-class, a new engine won’t change the fact that those three provide a more refined luxury experience than the Tonale Hybrid. In all likelihood, that will apply to the standard, nonhybrid Tonale as well. While the hybrid version of the Tonale has been around since the 2024 model year, the gas-only version Tonale is new for 2025. Despite the powertrain difference between the hybrid and nonhybrid Tonale, they are very similar cars inside and out. We’d spring for the more expensive Veloce, which adds adaptive dampers and paddle shifters. It also comes with the Premium package, which includes quality-of-life-improving features such as leather seats with ventilation up front, driver's-seat memory, and a hands-free power liftgate. The Tonale’s turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine makes 268 horsepower—just 17 less than the Tonale Hybrid—and is mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. All variants of the Tonale ride on a similar suspension with adaptive dampers added as part of the Veloce package. In our most recent test of the Tonale Hybrid, we walked away underwhelmed by its uncommunicative steering—and a new engine isn’t likely to change that. While we haven’t tested the 2025 nonhybrid Tonale’s performance yet, we have tested its platform-mate, the Dodge Hornet, which features the same powertrain and underpinnings. The Hornet was capable of 60 mph in a zippy 5.7 seconds in GT Plus trim—only 0.2 seconds slower than the Tonale Hybrid. It is fair to assume that the 2025 standard gas Tonale will find its way to 60 mph in a similar amount of time. Link: https://www.caranddriver.com/alfa-romeo/tonale
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In arguably the most high-profile El Clasico in many years, Real Madrid are preparing to host arch-rivals FC Barcelona in what promises to be a fantastic contest between the top two teams in LaLiga. Brazilian wingers Vinicius Jr and Raphinha scored hat-tricks against Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich respectively in the Champions League this week.(AP) Brazilian wingers Vinicius Jr and Raphinha scored hat-tricks against Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich respectively in the Champions League this week.(AP) Barcelona’s young and academy-driven team have started as the pace-setters under new coach Hansi Flick, with nine wins and only one loss so far for 27 points. Despite their near-perfect start, Real Madrid are right behind them on 24 points, unbeaten in the league so far. Real Madrid are hoping to tie Barcelona’s record of the longest unbeaten streak in LaLiga. Los Blancos haven’t lost in the league in their last 42 matches, and are one game away from tying the 43-match record Barca set in 2017 and 2018. If they want to achieve the record, however, they will have to pass their toughest test yet. Madrid have plenty of star power in their team, with Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham joined by Kylian Mbappe, who will play in the first El Clasico of his career. On the other hand, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona are thriving with players from their prestigious La Masia academy, with 17-year-old Lamine Yamal t he shining jewel of a team which just beat Bayern Munich 4-1 in the Champions League thanks to a hat-trick by Brazilian winger Raphinha. Promoted Most Computer Owners Don't Know This. Do It Today! Outbyte Driver Updater | Sponsored Unsold Power Generator (Learn More) Explore Unsold Generators - Techtome.net | Sponsored If you own a mouse, you have to play this game. CombatSiege | Sponsored Les retraités ne paient rien grâce cette mutuelle Mutuelle Santé Sénior | Sponsored Kim Kardashian's ‘condom-dress’ birthday suit sparks frenzy online; netizens call it ‘anti-couture’ Hindustan Times If you have a mouse, you have to play this game. DesertOrder | Sponsored The most realistic game 2024. If you own a mouse, play it for 1 minute. BaseAttackForce | Sponsored If you own a mouse, you have to play this game. No Install. Play for free. PanzerRush | Sponsored In perhaps the most important and highly-awaited Clasico match since Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid in 2018, can Barcelona send a signal of intent and go six points clear at the top? Or will Real haul back their great enemies and continue towards setting records with their newest group of Galacticos? PlayUnmute Fullscreen Here are the streaming details for Real Madrid vs Barcelona LaLiga 2024-25. When will the Real Madrid vs Barcelona LaLiga 2024-25 match be played? Real Madrid vs Barcelona will be played on Sunday, October 27. Where will the Real Madrid vs Barcelona LaLiga 2024-25 match be played? Real Madrid vs Barcelona will be played at Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain. At what time will the Real Madrid vs Barcelona LaLiga 2024-25 match begin? Real Madrid vs Barcelona will start at 12:30 am IST (9:00 pm local). Which TV channels will broadcast the Real Madrid vs Barcelona LaLiga 2024-25 match? Real Madrid vs Barcelona will not be televised in India. How do I watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona LaLiga 2024-25 match live streaming? Real Madrid vs Barcelona will be streamed live on the GXR World website in India. Link: https://www.hindustantimes.com/sports/football/real-madrid-vs-barcelona-la-liga-2024-25-live-streaming-when-and-where-to-watch-el-clasico-match-live-online-and-on-tv-101729923551055.html
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The actor and broadcaster on how his mum kept him grounded, an awkward encounter with Sting, and why making documentaries changed him The actor and broadcaster on how his mum kept him grounded, an awkward encounter with Sting, and why making documentaries changed him Born in London in 1983, Reggie Yates is an actor, broadcaster and writer. He made his first television appearance aged eight in Desmond’s, and went on to appear in Grange Hill, Doctor Who and Rastamouse. At 18, he joined the team at BBC 1Xtra, and later became a regular on Radio 1 and Top of the Pops. He is an award-winning documentary-maker exploring identity and global politics and also writes and directs films, such as 2021’s Pirates. A new series of The Reggie Yates Podcast is available later this month. Being from a Ghanaian immigrant family, there was always a function at the weekends. Mum wasn’t long divorced when this was taken; she was a real social animal and us kids were always dragged along to whatever party was happening. Hence the ridiculous outfit. I was a bit of a ham as a kid. My thing was making adults laugh, and I loved being around people, enjoying the applause. I was fearless, too, very loud, playful and silly. From a young age it was clear I liked performing, so mum sent me to Anna Scher’s community drama club, where Daniel Kaluuya and Kathy Burke went. It cost almost nothing to attend. Growing up in Islington, I was aware of the major wealth disparity. On my walk to school there were gorgeous, million-pound properties at one end of the street, and council blocks, which is where I grew up, on the other. I didn’t have much of a budget for posters, but I did once save up for a hip-hop magazine that had a picture of TLC in it that I stuck on the wall, next to the sleeves of cassette tapes I’d collected. Mum didn’t want me going to other kids’ houses much, but one time she did let me, and it was a real shock. I thought my friend had his own park because his garden was so big. Islington was the sort of place where you got a social education, whether you wanted it or not. Anna Scher had its own talent agency, and when I was eight they sent me for an audition for Desmond’s. Mum was a medical secretary at the time, and to try to help me out she scribbled my lines on to these tiny flashcards. They were so hard to read, but I still got the part. One of my next jobs was acting in a sketch with Stephen Fry on A Bit of Fry and Laurie. That was a real shift; an experience that left me with this sense of eternal optimism. I had been thrust from a council estate into the same room as the people that I was watching on TV. Suddenly, anything felt possible. Things were a bit weird at school after I got on TV. Thanks to Anna, a lot of students from Islington ended up on telly – everyone on EastEnders, London’s Burning and The Bill came from her school. Because of that, the teacher’s attitude towards me was: “Oh, you’re part of that club now.” If I was shooting something, I would need time off, and while the rest of the kids didn’t care because they weren’t really watching the shows I was in, the teachers did. They would tell me that if I was disruptive, I’d lose everything, that I’d have to stop acting. I had a target on my back, even if I was a straight-A student, and they assumed I would start acting out. But I was never going to be some flash dickhead; my mum wouldn’t let me. When I was 13, I interviewed the Spice Girls and the first thing she said when I got home was: “Oh great, now go and do the washing-up.” It wasn’t even my day to do that chore! In my teens, I was a little low on confidence, mostly with girls. Partly because I was at an all-boys school, but also because I felt different. When I was making kids’ TV, the rest of the cast all had crushes on each other because the guys looked like the members of the Backstreet Boys. Then there was me – this random black boy that nobody fancied. I thought: “Oh well. I suppose no one likes me.” I’d like to say things have changed, but I’m 41 without any kids. So you do the maths! When I studied at Camberwell Art College, we were given a year out to see the world. During that time, my career properly started – I’d been given a role at 1Xtra and Top of the Pops, as well as CBBC – so I never went back. Aged 18, I had three separate full-time jobs, six days a week, and a mortgage. It sounds weird, but it didn’t feel unusual as there was a pack of us doing it: Fearne Cotton, Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern. I was pretty focused: I don’t drink and was never a drugs kid. It always felt like there was too much to lose. Link: Here
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Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised that Hezbollah will pay "a heavy price" for an attack that killed 12 children at a football pitch in Majdal Shams on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday. The costs that Mr Netanyahu, his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Israel’s military chiefs decide to inflict on Hezbollah will determine whether the war either side of the Israel-Lebanon border stays limited and relatively controlled or explodes into something much worse. The border war started the day after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October last year, when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel to support the Palestinians. Since then, it has been fought within a grisly set of unspoken understandings. Israel and Hezbollah have mostly aimed at military targets, though both have also killed civilians. As a result, the war, though highly dangerous, has stayed limited. Even so, tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border have left their homes. Busy communities have become ghost towns. The fear from the outset has been that a big attack on either side’s civilians would cause uncontrolled escalation and in turn, cause a much worse war, as both Israel and Hezbollah bring their full force to bear. Action against Hezbollah in the largely depo[CENSORED]ted areas of south Lebanon might avoid escalation. Killing Lebanese civilians in Beirut or destroying infrastructure like bridges or power stations would not. Hezbollah claims, unconvincingly, that it did not carry out the attack in Majdal Shams. Even so, it is hard to see why it would target Druze children at a football match. Hezbollah has mostly stuck to the tacit rules of the conflict, trying to kill soldiers, not civilians since it started the border war on 8 October. It might have been aiming for the extensive Israeli early warning stations on military positions on Mount Hermon. Hezbollah is a much more formidable enemy of Israel than Hamas. It is more powerful than the fragile Lebanese state and operates without consulting it. Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah is close to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Hezbollah fighters are disciplined and well trained, and Iran has supplied them with a formidable arsenal of missiles that can hit Israel’s cities. Hezbollah fought Israel to a standstill in their last big war in 2006. Its men have extensive combat experience after fighting for years in Syria in support of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Israel’s leadership know all that. They also know that despite their vast firepower they have not yet subdued Hamas in Gaza, and the reservists their army relies on are feeling considerable strain. Israel is also under heavy pressure from its allies, including the US - without which it cannot sustain its war effort - not to take action that would escalate the war into an all-out fight. The Americans and the French have tried to negotiate a way of de-escalating the Israel-Hezbollah border war. The absence of a ceasefire in Gaza blights their chances of success. The border between Israel and Lebanon remains the mostly likely place for the wider Middle East war to intensify. Even if the crisis caused by the killing of young football players and spectators in Majdal Shams passes without a much worse conflagration, the "rules" of the border war are tattered, imperfect, unstable and continue to carry the risk that a single bloody incident will touch off another catastrophic war. Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6p2j85k8dro
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Skullcandy EcoBuds are claimed to be sustainable true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones. According to the company, they are made with “65 percent certified recycled plastics and 57 percent fewer heavy metals, " resulting in a 50 percent lower carbon footprint than similar products in the market. Off the bat — impressive claims. Who doesn't want to be a part of an attempt to make the world a cleaner place? The number may be slightly more initially than you would think because the cost of environmentally friendly earphones here is battery, lithium batteries to be specific. The storage dock of the Skullcandy EcoBuds does not have battery support. This means that when the earphones are placed in the magnetic case, they merely fulfil storage purposes. They do not juice up like other TWS earphones usually do in charging cases. They are compatible with reverse charging via an integrated USB Type-C cable. You can plug it into any USB Type-C port, including the one on your phone, and it will power up the earphones. Is this novelty, alongside sustainability, worth Rs. 3,999? Let's find out. Skullcandy EcoBuds Design and Features: Feathery Light and Functional Size (with case) - 102 x 60 x 30mm Weight (with case) - 40g Water and dust resistance - IPX4 Colour - Glacier The Skullcandy EcoBuds come with a traditional in-ear design and three gel tip sizes — small, medium and large. The medium ones fit me the best. They offer a decent fit but are not the most comfortable for long-duration uses. The touch sensors on each earbud are easy to locate because they are marked by engraved company logos. The charging connectors of the earphones are placed on the inside of the stems. The earphones come with a magnetic storage dock, which has a built-in USB Type-C cable that folds back in case it is not in use. This lightens the blow of the missing battery, in my opinion. I imagine I would not be best pleased if I had to look for or carry an additional loose cable with me all around. Although the earbuds are held in place by magnets, the case does not have a cover. Therefore, avoid making the mistake I made of putting them in a tote bag with several other items. In transit, one of the earphones had dislodged from the case, and I panicked briefly before it dropped out of the umbrella folds. Aside from this, the earphones and the case are compact, lightweight, and easy to carry. Link: https://www.gadgets360.com/audio/reviews/skullcandy-ecobuds-review-6877979#pfrom=home-audio-reviews
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ChatGPT’s new Projects feature is a life preserver to those who enjoy ChatGPT but are drowning in multiple conversations, files, and ideas. If you rely only on long lists of sometimes poorly chosen titles to find the bits of various conversations with the AI chatbot, you'll love Projects. Projects impose order on the scrambled collection in one neat, customized space. Think of it as turning that chaotic virtual desk full of scattered papers into a sleek, organized folder system, all with a little AI-powered magic. Here’s a simple guide for doing everything ChatGPT Projects offers: Link: https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/how-to-use-chatgpts-new-projects-feature-to-bring-order-to-openais-chatbot
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Intel has just launched the second-generation of its Intel Arc graphics cards, and it became an instant hit among reviewers, enthusiasts, and just about everyone. Its great price-to-performance ratio has seen it become the new $249 GPU champion, bringing in much needed competition to the budget graphics card market by undercutting the launch prices of the Nvidia RTX 4060 and AMD RX 7600 while offering better performance. It’s so good that many retailers have run out of stock almost as soon as it launched, and Intel told The Verge that it’s working hard to put more GPUs on store shelves. “Demand for Arc B580 graphics cards is high and many retailers have sold through their initial inventory. We expect weekly inventory replenishments of the Intel Arc B580 Limited Edition graphics card and are working with partners to ensure a steady availability of choices in the market,” Intel spokesperson Mark Anthony Ramirez told The Verge. The success of the Arc B580 is likely a welcome respite for Intel. Just a few months ago, Intel was hit by an instability issue of its Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh chips followed closely by massive layoffs that it needed to do to help recover from its $1.6-billion loss in August 2024. But aside from that, the $249 launch price of the Intel Arc B580 is a breath of fresh air for gamers and enthusiasts alike. Both Nvidia and AMD alike are criticized for practically ignoring the budget GPU segment, with the $299 RTX 4060 and $269 RX 7600 only coming with 8GB of VRAM. On the other hand, the B580 offers 12GB of VRAM, and the lower B570 (with its $210 launch price) still has 10GB. Team Blue has also ironed out some of the driver issues it had with the first launch, ensuring that users won’t have to deal with many problems with their new GPU. Reviewers have also seen that the card is outperforming its rivals in many game titles. While it doesn’t do that for every game, it was only outclassed in a few titles, and the price difference still give you more bang for the buck. Nevertheless, Intel cannot rest on its laurels as Nvidia and AMD are reportedly coming out with new generations of their GPU line-ups. Jensen Huang is expected to announce the RTX 5000 series during his keynote at CES 2025, while AMD says that its RDNA4 GPUs are coming in early 2025. So, let’s see if Nvidia and AMD will release something that will dethrone Intel as the budget GPU king. Link: https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/high-demand-for-intels-arc-b580-as-retailers-receive-weekly-restocks-demand-outstrips-supply-for-the-new-usd249-gpu-champion
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In the aftermath of Diablo 4, its Vessel of Hatred expansion, and the early access launch of Path of Exile 2, it's an exciting time for ARPGs and any accompanying loot explosions. Moon Beast Productions, a development studio formed in 2021 by ARPG veterans who worked on Diablo 1 and 2, is hoping to add its own entry to the nascent ARPG boom, and it's secured $4.5 million in seed funding to do it. According to a press release announcing the studio's seed funding success, Moon Beast is "exploring an alternate trajectory for action RPGs," and based on its founders' histories I suspect they have a pretty strong sense of where the genre has room to grow. Erich Schaefer, Moon Beast's chief creative officer, started his work on ARPGs as lead designer on Diablo 1, going on to share credits with CEO Phil Shenk and president Peter Hu on Diablo 2 and other storied ARPG names like Hellgate: London and Torchlight. Moon Beast's seed investors include 1AM Gaming, 1UP Ventures, Overwolf, and "a network of angel investors" like Gaingels, Cohh Carnage, and Zynga founder Mark Pincus. Apologies for any vivid Farmville flashbacks you might've experienced from that last one. "For the past 20 years, we’ve dreamed of ARPG gameplay in more open, dynamic worlds," Schaefer said in the press release. "We finally have the technological capabilities and decades of design experience to bring those visions to life. We're going back to what made those early Diablo games feel so awesome but taking them in some cool, fresh directions." While Moon Beast isn't revealing any details about its ARPG project until next year, Hu said the studio's working to support user-generated content—which is how you say "mods" in a business setting—as a key component of its design philosophy. "Our world technology is inherently dynamic, which makes it incredibly easy for players to create and integrate their own content," Hu said. "We're building in-game tools that allow players to not just mod, but potentially create entirely new game modes using our robust, client-server ARPG systems." It's a big pitch, but we've seen proof of how malleable the ARPG genre boundaries are. Across its years of Path of Exile leagues and content additions, Grinding Gear Games has managed to meld the core Diablo-like gameplay with tower defense mechanics, settlement building, and more. Meanwhile, Blizzard's open world ARPG experiment continues with every Diablo 4 season. Of course, in the cases of Path of Exile and Diablo 4, it was the studios themselves flexing the genre boundaries. The Moon Beast press release didn't indicate whether its UGC plans involve any compensation for creators. Moon Beast plans to release the first details about its ARPG project in early 2025. Lincoln started writing about games while convincing his college professors to accept his essays about procedural storytelling in Dwarf Fortress, eventually leveraging the brainworms from a youth spent in World of Warcraft to write for sites like Waypoint, Polygon, and Fanbyte. After three years freelancing for PC Gamer, he joined on as a full-time News Writer in 2024, bringing an expertise in Caves of Qud bird diplomacy, getting sons killed in Crusader Kings, and hitting dinosaurs with hammers in Monster Hunter. Link: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/moon-beast-productions-arpg-seed-funding-diablo-cool-fresh/
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