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Watch: Málaga flood turns street into river

Video shows people in Calle Alcazabilla struggling to cross a road as flood water surges through it.




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Watch: Moment large fire explodes on New York train line

A transformer fire in the Bronx has caused an explosion, suspending train services between New York and New Haven.




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What a Republican trifecta means for Trump's second term

Republicans have won control of both chambers of Congress, yielding Trump limited congressional oversight for at least 2 years.




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Jack Smith plans to step down before Trump takes office

The special counsel has led two federal criminal cases against Donald Trump.




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John Thune elected new Republican Senate leader

A public pressure campaign by top Donald Trump allies to elect their preferred candidate, Florida Senator Rick Scott, failed.




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Trump's 'anti-woke' defence pick surprises Washington - here's why

Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host, has advocated for a conservative cultural shift in the US military.




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'Nowhere is safe': Concerns grow as Israel strikes new areas of Lebanon

Residents of the mixed area of Aramoun express alarm after a strike on Wednesday kills eight people.




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Report: Drug Gangsters Sending Thousands of Illegal Across Border to Beat Trump Inauguration

The criminal drug cartels in Mexico are reportedly rushing thousands of illegals across the southern U.WS. border in an effort to get as many criminal operatives inside the country as possible ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration. With more than 11 million illegals already having crossed into the U.S. thanks to Joe Biden’s disastrous border policies, […]

The post Report: Drug Gangsters Sending Thousands of Illegal Across Border to Beat Trump Inauguration appeared first on The Lid.




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Inflation Still Skyrocketing Under Joe Biden’s ‘Great’ Economy

Liberals keep claiming that Joe Biden’s economy is doing wonderfully, yet inflation continues to skyrocket, hitting the middle and lower classes particularly hard. By the end of October, for instance, inflation jumped again with the Consumer Price Index increasing 0.2 percent, according to Wednesday’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Per CNBC: Inflation perked […]

The post Inflation Still Skyrocketing Under Joe Biden’s ‘Great’ Economy appeared first on The Lid.




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Newcombe: Remembering Corrie ten Boom and the Jews

By Jerry Newcombe, D.Min., World War II ended almost 80 years ago, and yet, amazingly, Jews are being persecuted in some parts of Europe in earnest again. CNN reports on last week’s clash in Holland after a sports event: that Israeli soccer fans were beaten and injured in violent clashes..” Now Israel is warning Jews […]

The post Newcombe: Remembering Corrie ten Boom and the Jews appeared first on The Lid.




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Sri Lanka beat New Zealand in rain-affected first ODI - scorecard

Latest scorecard from the first one-day international between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Dambulla.




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India beat SA to lead T20 series 2-1 - scorecard

Latest scorecard from the third Twenty20 international between South Africa and India at Centurion.




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Brisbane Heat beat Sydney Sixers by 12 runs - WBBL scorecard

Latest scorecard from the Women's Big Bash League match between Sydney Sixers and Brisbane Heat at North Sydney Oval.




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Australia v Pakistan - first T20 scorecard

Latest scorecard from the first Twenty20 international between Australia and Pakistan at the Gabba in Brisbane.




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Warwickshire wicketkeeper Burgess retires

Warwickshire release wicketkeeper Michael Burgess to allow him to pursue a career outside the game, and former fast bowler Liam Norwell also retires.




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How Italy Became an Unexpected Spyware Hub

Italy has emerged as a major global spyware hub alongside Israel and India, with at least six major vendors operating in the country with limited oversight, The Record reported this week, citing researchers and Italian experts. Companies like RCS Labs, which has operated since 1992, sell surveillance tools to both domestic law enforcement and foreign governments including Kazakhstan, Syria, and several Asian nations. Italian authorities can rent spyware for $160 per day without large acquisition costs, leading to thousands of domestic surveillance operations in recent years. While new regulations taking effect in February 2024 will require judges to evaluate specific reasons for spyware use, critics cited in the story say the reform package won't address core issues like the lack of centralized oversight. The country's competitive marketplace and relatively lax export controls have also enabled Italian vendors to expand their overseas sales.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




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Meta To Introduce Ads On Threads In Early 2025

Meta said it plans to introduce advertisements on Threads starting in early 2025, according to a report by The Information (paywalled). GuruFocus reports: Leading the effort -- which is still in its early phases -- is a team inside Instagram's advertising division. One source said Threads is anticipated to let a small number of marketers produce and post material on the platform in January. Threads had about 275 million monthly active users as late as October. During the company's third-quarter earnings call, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg observed that Threads daily sign-up count was about one million, each day.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




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Amazon Shuts Down Secret Project To Develop Fertility Tracker

Amazon has discontinued its secretive "Encore" project to develop an at-home fertility tracker, resulting in layoffs for around 100 employees. The project, part of Amazon's Grand Challenge division, aimed to launch a device and app that would predict fertility through saliva testing but was ultimately terminated to control costs. CNBC reports: The project was born out of the company's 2020 acquisition of Wisconsin-based startup bluDiagnostics, the sources said. BluDiagnostics was founded in 2015 by Weibel, Katie Brenner and Jodi Schroll, all of whom joined Grand Challenge. The startup had developed a thermometer-like device, called FertilityFinder, to help women track their fertility from home by testing their saliva and measuring two key hormones, estradiol and progesterone. The results of the test were viewable through a corresponding app. Business Insider reported on aspects of the fertility device in 2022, when its codename was Project Tiberius. The team was working to develop its own saliva collection device and mobile app, which could predict when a user might be in the fertile window. Users could also log their period symptoms, sexual activity and other data to assist with tracking their fertility. There are similar offerings on the market from companies including Inne, Oova, Ava and Mira, along with fertility and ovulation tracking apps such as Flo, Clue and Max Levchin's Glow. Amazon initially aimed to release the product this year, but the timing was pushed out after the team encountered technical issues with the device, one of the people said. It was a costly endeavor and required significant upfront investments for lab research and development, in addition to the high salaries for scientists and engineers, the sources said, adding that the team's weekly overhead was roughly $1.5 million. Amazon didn't comment on the figure. Only one project now remains active within Grand Challenge. Its focus is on health tech, the people said. "We regularly review our businesses to ensure we focus on areas where we can make the biggest difference for customers," said Amazon spokesperson Margaret Callahan. "Following a recent review, we've decided to discontinue this project within Grand Challenge, and we're working directly with employees whose roles are impacted to support them through the transition and help them find other opportunities within Amazon."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




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GOG's Preservation Program Is the DRM-Free Store Refocusing On the Classics

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The classic PC games market is "in a sorry state," according to DRM-free and classic-minded storefront GOG. Small games that aren't currently selling get abandoned, and compatibility issues arise as technology moves forward or as one-off development ideas age like milk. Classic games are only 20 percent of GOG's catalog, and the firm hasn't actually called itself "Good Old Games" in 12 years. And yet, today, GOG announces that it is making "a significant commitment of resources" toward a new GOG Preservation Program. It starts with 100 games for which GOG's own developers are working to create current and future compatibility, keeping them DRM-free and giving them ongoing tech support, along with granting them a "Good Old Game: Preserved by GOG" stamp. GOG is not shifting its mission of providing a DRM-free alternative to Steam, Epic, and other PC storefronts, at least not entirely. But it is demonstrably excited about a new focus that ties back to its original name, inspired in some part by its work on Alpha Protocol. "We think we can significantly impact the classics industry by focusing our resources on it and creating superior products," writes Arthur Dejardin, head of sales and marketing at GOG. "If we wanted to spread the DRM-free gospel by focusing on getting new AAA games on GOG instead, we would make little progress with the same amount of effort and money (we've been trying various versions of that for the last 5 years)." What kind of games? Scanning the list of Good Old Games, most of them are, by all accounts, both good and old. Personally, I'm glad to see the Jagged Alliance games, System Shock 2, Warcraft I & II, Dungeon Keeper Gold and Theme Park, SimCity 3000 Unlimited, and the Wing Commander series (particularly, personally, Privateer). Most of them are, understandably, Windows-only, though Mac support extends to 34 titles so far, and Linux may pick up many more through Proton compatibility, beyond the 19 native titles to date. [...] [I]f you see the shiny foil-ish GOG badge on a game, it's an assurance that GOG has done all it can to bring forward a classic title. It's important work, too. "Preserving" games doesn't just mean locking a stable media in a vault, but keeping games accessible, and playable.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




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FBI Seizes Polymarket CEO's Phone, Electronics After Betting Platform Predicts Trump Win

The FBI raided Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan's Manhattan apartment, seizing his phone and electronic devices. A source close to the matter told The New York Post it was politically motivated due to Polymarket's successful prediction of Trump's election win. It's "grand political theater at its worst," the source said. "They could have asked his lawyer for any of these things. Instead, they staged a so-called raid so they can leak it to the media and use it for obvious political reasons." Although no charges were filed, the raid has sparked controversy, with speculation of political retribution and concerns over potential market manipulation, as Polymarket faces scrutiny both in the U.S. and from French regulators. The New York Post reports: Coplan was not arrested and has not been charged, a Polymarket spokesperson told The Post on Wednesday evening. "Polymarket is a fully transparent prediction market that helps everyday people better understand the events that matter most to them, including elections," the rep said. "We charge no fees, take no trading positions, and allow observers from around the world to analyze all market data as a public good." Coplan posted on X after his run-in with the feds: "New phone, who dis?" Polymarket does not allow trading in the US, though bettors can bypass the ban by accessing the site through VPN. The FBI's investigation comes a week after Coplan said Polymarket is planning to return to the US. [...] In 2022, the online gambling platform was forced to pause its trading in the US and pay a $1.4 million penalty to settle charges with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission that it had failed to register with the agency. [In France, regulators are investigating Polymarket's compliance with national gambling laws, with concerns about unauthorized gambling activities within the country.] A Fortune report published a week before the election found widespread evidence of wash-trading on Polymarket. "Polymarket's Terms of Use expressly prohibit market manipulation," a Polymarket spokesperson told Fortune in a statement.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




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Wi-Fi 8 Trades Speed For a More Reliable Experience

Wi-Fi 8 (also known as IEEE 802.11bn Ultra High Reliability) is expected to arrive around 2028, prioritizing an enhanced user experience over speed by optimizing interactions between devices and access points. While it retains similar bandwidth specifications as the previous standard, Wi-Fi 8 aims to improve network efficiency, reducing interference and congestion for a more reliable and adaptive connection. PCWorld's Mark Hachman reports: As of Nov. 2024, MediaTek believes that Wi-Fi 8 will look virtually identical to Wi-Fi 7 in several key areas: The maximum physical layer (PHY) rate will be the same at 2,880Mbps x 8, or 23Gbits/s. It will also use the same four frequency bands (2, 4, 5, and 6GHz) and the same 4096 QAM modulation across a maximum channel bandwidth of 320MHz. (A Wi-Fi 8 router won't get 23Gbps of bandwidth, of course. According to MediaTek, the actual peak throughput in a "clean," or laboratory, environment is just 80 percent or so of the hypothetical peak throughput, and actual, real-world results can be far less.) Still, put simply, Wi-Fi 8 should deliver the same wireless bandwidth as Wi-Fi 7, using the same channels and the same modulation. Every Wi-Fi standard has also been backwards-compatible with its predecessors, too. What Wi-Fi 8 will do, though, is change how your client device, such as a PC or a phone, interacts with multiple access points. Think of this as an evolution of how your laptop talks to your home's networking equipment. Over time, Wi-Fi has evolved from communications between one laptop and a router, across a single channel. Channel hopping routed different clients to different bands. When Wi-Fi 6 was developed, a dedicated 6GHz channel was added, sometimes as a dedicated "backhaul" between your home's access points. Now, mesh networks are more common, giving your laptop a variety of access points, channels, and frequencies to select between. For a detailed breakdown of the upcoming advancements coming to Wi-Fi 8, including Coordinated Spatial Reuse, Coordinated Beamforming, and Dynamic Sub-Channel Operation, read the full article.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




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IBM Boosts the Amount of Computation You Can Get Done On Quantum Hardware

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: There's a general consensus that we won't be able to consistently perform sophisticated quantum calculations without the development of error-corrected quantum computing, which is unlikely to arrive until the end of the decade. It's still an open question, however, whether we could perform limited but useful calculations at an earlier point. IBM is one of the companies that's betting the answer is yes, and on Wednesday, it announced a series of developments aimed at making that possible. On their own, none of the changes being announced are revolutionary. But collectively, changes across the hardware and software stacks have produced much more efficient and less error-prone operations. The net result is a system that supports the most complicated calculations yet on IBM's hardware, leaving the company optimistic that its users will find some calculations where quantum hardware provides an advantage. [...] Wednesday's announcement was based on the introduction of the second version of its Heron processor, which has 133 qubits. That's still beyond the capability of simulations on classical computers, should it be able to operate with sufficiently low errors. IBM VP Jay Gambetta told Ars that Revision 2 of Heron focused on getting rid of what are called TLS (two-level system) errors. "If you see this sort of defect, which can be a dipole or just some electronic structure that is caught on the surface, that is what we believe is limiting the coherence of our devices," Gambetta said. This happens because the defects can resonate at a frequency that interacts with a nearby qubit, causing the qubit to drop out of the quantum state needed to participate in calculations (called a loss of coherence). By making small adjustments to the frequency that the qubits are operating at, it's possible to avoid these problems. This can be done when the Heron chip is being calibrated before it's opened for general use. Separately, the company has done a rewrite of the software that controls the system during operations. "After learning from the community, seeing how to run larger circuits, [we were able to] almost better define what it should be and rewrite the whole stack towards that," Gambetta said. The result is a dramatic speed-up. "Something that took 122 hours now is down to a couple of hours," he told Ars. Since people are paying for time on this hardware, that's good for customers now. However, it could also pay off in the longer run, as some errors can occur randomly, so less time spent on a calculation can mean fewer errors. Despite all those improvements, errors are still likely during any significant calculations. While it continues to work toward developing error-corrected qubits, IBM is focusing on what it calls error mitigation, which it first detailed last year. [...] The problem here is that using the function is computationally difficult, and the difficulty increases with the qubit count. So, while it's still easier to do error mitigation calculations than simulate the quantum computer's behavior on the same hardware, there's still the risk of it becoming computationally intractable. But IBM has also taken the time to optimize that, too. "They've got algorithmic improvements, and the method that uses tensor methods [now] uses the GPU," Gambetta told Ars. "So I think it's a combination of both."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




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Experts Testify US Is Running Secret UAP Programs

During a public joint hearing today titled "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth," four experts testified that the U.S. is running secret UAP programs, including crash retrieval and reverse-engineering programs for advanced nonhuman technology. Although the Pentagon maintains there's no evidence of alien spacecraft, witnesses like Luis Elizondo and Michael Gold argue that UAPs represent an intelligence enigma and call for open, stigma-free study to address potential security concerns and unknown scientific possibilities. NPR reports: Tim Gallaudet, retired rear admiral, U.S. Navy; CEO of Ocean STL Consulting, LLC "Confirmation that UAPs are interacting with humanity came for me in January 2015," Gallaudet said in his written testimony (PDF). He describes being part of a pre-deployment naval exercise off the U.S. East Coast that culminated in the famous "Go Fast" video, in which a Navy F/A-18 jet's sensors recorded "an unidentified object exhibiting flight and structural characteristics unlike anything in our arsenal." He was among a group of commanders involved in the exercise who received an email containing the video, which was sent by the operations officer of Fleet Forces Command, Gallaudet said. "The very next day, the email disappeared from my account and those of the other recipients without explanation," he said. Luis Elizondo, author and former Department of Defense official Elizondo's written testimony (PDF) was brief and alleged that a secretive arms race is playing out on the global stage. "Let me be clear: UAP are real," he wrote. "Advanced technologies not made by our Government -- or any other government -- are monitoring sensitive military installations around the globe. Furthermore, the U.S. is in possession of UAP technologies, as are some of our adversaries." Elizondo is a former intelligence officer who later "managed a highly sensitive Special Access Program on behalf of the White House and the National Security Council," according to his official bio (PDF). "By 2012, [Elizondo] was the senior ranking person of the DOD's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, a secretive Pentagon unit that studied unidentified anomalous phenomena," his bio states, adding that he resigned in 2017. Michael Gold, former NASA associate administrator of space policy and partnerships; member of NASA UAP Independent Study Team Gold's written testimony (PDF) stressed the need for government agencies and academics to "overcome the pernicious stigma that continues to impede scientific dialogue and open discussions" about unexplained phenomena. "As the saying goes, the truth is out there," Gold said, "we just need to be bold enough and brave enough to face it." Michael Shellenberger, founder of Public, a news outlet on the Substack platform Shellenberger's testimony (PDF) ran to some 214 pages, including a lengthy timeline of UAP reports from 1947 to 2023. Shellenberger pressed the White House and Congress to act, calling for the adoption of UAP transparency legislation and cutting funds for any related programs that aren't disclosed to lawmakers. "UAP transparency is bi-partisan and critical to our national security," his written testimony stated. You can watch the proceeding here.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




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'Old Firm ready to make move for Well's £4m Miller' - gossip

Celtic and Rangers are reportedly poised to make a move for Motherwell's Lennon Miller, plus Thursday's other transfer rumours in Scottish Gossip.




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Equatorial Guinea reach Afcon 2025 after Togo lose

Equatorial Guinea qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations without kicking a ball after Togo fall to a 1-0 defeat in Liberia.




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What is an F1 race director? And who is Rui Marques?

The Formula 1 race director has one of the most crucial roles in the sport.




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Horse abuse sanctions strengthened after scandals

Punishments for those found to have abused horses are being strengthened by the body which governs equestrian sports globally.




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Serrano 'ready to put on a show' against 'warrior' Taylor

Seven-weight world champion Amanda Serrano speaks to BBC Sport before her rematch against Katie Taylor in Texas on Friday.




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Popovich to make 'full recovery' from mild stroke

The San Antonio Spurs say veteran coach Gregg Popovich is "expected to make a full recovery" after he suffered a mild stroke earlier this month.




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Tyson health 'just fine' but precautions in place

Mike Tyson says his health is "just fine" with organisers saying the fight with Jake Paul will "100% go ahead".




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Alcaraz wins against Rublev and Zverev beats Ruud

Carlos Alcaraz overcomes illness to defeat Andrey Rublev, while Alexander Zverev defeats Casper Ruud at the ATP Finals in Turin.




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Northern Ireland 'full of confidence' - O'Neill

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill says there is plenty of positivity in the camp ahead of the Nations League games against Belarus and Luxembourg.




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Gatland comfortable with questions on his future

Coach Warren Gatland says he is comfortable with any decision made about his future as his Wales side hope to avoid an unwelcome piece of history on Sunday.




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BBC launches reality show to find new football expert

BBC Sport is looking for its next expert football content creator.




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It's great to be part of history - Taylor

Two-weight undisputed champion Katie Taylor speaks to BBC Sport's Sam Harris before her rematch against Amanda Serrano in Texas on Friday.




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Menzies wins thriller to reach Grand Slam quarters

Cameron Menzies reaches the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam of Darts with a thrilling 10-9 victory over James Wade.













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Unrest over deaths of 10 ‘militants’ spills over to Assam, Mizoram; ‘extra-judicial killings’ by CRPF, sa - The Times of India

  1. Unrest over deaths of 10 ‘militants’ spills over to Assam, Mizoram; ‘extra-judicial killings’ by CRPF, sa  The Times of India
  2. ​Manipur’s misery: On the need for the Centre to act  The Hindu
  3. ‘Sleepless nights’: cop concerned about 6 missing family members  The Indian Express
  4. Fresh gunfights, arson in Manipur amid shutdown  Hindustan Times
  5. 'Completely charred': Autopsy fails to collect samples to prove claim of Hmar woman's rape in Manipur  Deccan Herald






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I moved to Panama from the US. I live on a remote island for $1,000 a month and have never been happier.

A teacher who left Florida for a remote Panamanian island said she loves the weather, the clear Caribbean water, and the simpler life there.




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Mark Zuckerberg just released his own NSFW version of 'Get Low' in a tribute to his wife

To pay tribute to his wife, Priscilla Chan, Mark Zuckerberg got in the recording booth with T-Pain for the heavily autotuned track.