A visit to the marble-covered Apple Via del Corso is an Apple Store experience that offers unexpected artwork and masses of culture. AppleInsider visited the store to check out the mix of old and new.The outside of Apple Via del Corso in Rome, ItalyApple Via del Corso opened as Apple's 17th store in Italy back in 2021. It's one of three storefronts in Rome itself, the only non-mall style store in the city, and it's an extremely impressive location for the iPhone seller.As part of our periodic tours of Apple Stores around the world, one member of the AppleInsider editorial team paid a visit to the store while in the region. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) for March has shown a sharp 6.9% decline to 205.6. Over the month, commercial planning declined 7.8% and institutional planning fell by 5.0%.  Weaker planning activity for warehouses, data centers, and retail projects was said to drive this month’s decline in the commercial sector. The March DMI was up 30% when compared to year-ago levels. The commercial segment was up by 32% from March 2024, and the institutional segment went up 27% for the same period. Related on Archinect: March's Project Stress Index shows uptick sparked by major abandonment increases"Increased uncertainty around material prices and fiscal policies may have begun to factor into planning decisions throughout March," Sarah Martin, the associate director of forecasting at Dodge Construction Network, said. "While planning data has weakened across most nonresidential sectors this month, activity remains considerably higher than year-ago levels and still suggests steady construction acti...

Sony has announced that 15 Latin American countries will be seeing price hikes for PlayStation Plus subscriptions. As announced on the Latin American PlayStation Blog, all the prices for three tiers of subscription will be going higher. The countries affected by these price hikes are Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. For a single month, PlayStation Plus Essentials will now be priced at $7.99, while PlayStation Plus Extra will be $11.99, and PlayStation Plus Deluxe will be $13.99. The three month plan will go up to $20.99 for Essential, $33.99 for Extra, and $39.99 for Deluxe. For a full year’s subscription, Essential will cost $64.99, Extra will cost $107.99, and Deluxe will cost $124.99. “Like many companies around the world, we continue to be affected by global market conditions and will make an adjustment in local prices for PlayStation Plus,” wrote the company on the PlayStation Blog (translation via Firefox). “This price adjustment will allow us to continue offering high quality games and value-added benefits to your PlayStation Plus subscription.” It is worth noting that these nice prices will only start affecting ongoing subscribers from June 24 onwards. Any changes in membership from April 16 onwards, however, will use the new prices. This includes upgrades, downgrades, or even extensions to the subscription. The price hike was announced alongside the latest slate of games coming to PlayStation Plus. Headlining the subscription service from April 15 onwards are Hogwarts Legacy and PlateUp. EA Sports PGA Tour and Blue Prince are also part of the current slate of PlayStation Plus games for Extra and Premium subscribers. Check out our coverage for more details, including a full list of games and the dates when they will become available.

Thursday, April 10th, 2025 Posted by Jim Thacker Get versions of the free Thinkbox tools that work with 3ds Max 2026 html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" Tools developer Josef ‘spacefrog‘ Wienerroither has released updated versions of four of the Thinkbox products – Krakatoa, Frost, Stoke and XMesh – for current versions of 3ds Max. The updates make the applications – which were open-sourced by then-owner AWS in 2022 – compatible with 3ds Max 2018 and above, including 3ds Max 2026, the current release. Rendering and render-management tools used by some of the world’s leading VFX houses Amazon acquired what became the AWS Thinkbox products from Thinkbox Software in 2017, releasing them all for free five years later. Of the seven applications, the most widely used were probably render-management system Deadline and render post-processing tool Draft. However, the remaining apps – tools for managing and rendering large particle sets in 3ds Max and Maya – were also an important part of many VFX and motion graphics studios’ pipelines. They include particle rendering toolkit Krakatoa, particle and point cloud meshing tools Frost and Sequoia, geometry caching system XMesh, and particle reflow toolkit Stoke. First updates to the particle tools since they were made available free Although AWS has carried on releasing updates to Deadline since making it available free – Deadline 10.4, released last October, added support for the then-current versions of 3ds Max, Maya and Houdini – the particle tools have seen less love. The source code for Frost, Krakatoa, Stoke and XMesh was released on AWS’sGitHub repository in 2022, but has not been updated since. Now compatible with 3ds Max 2018 to 2026 Wienerroither’s work rectifies that, at least for the 3ds Max versions of the software. Using the source code, he reconstructed the original build pipeline to run locally, and applied all of the compatibility fixes necessary to compile the plugins for the latest 3ds Max SDKs: something he describes as a “long and tedious process”. The result is new builds of Krakatoa MX, Stoke MX, Frost MX, XMesh MX Loader and XMesh MX Saver compatible with 3ds Max 2018 and above, including 3ds Max 2026, the current release. As you would expect of a one-person labor of love, the new builds are “not seriously tested”, so if you’re aiming to use them in production, you may need to troubleshoot them for yourself, although Wienerroither says that he may release updates and fixes in future. Licensing and system requirements The updated versions of Krakatoa MX, Stoke MX, Frost MX, XMesh MX Loader and XMesh MX Saver are compatible with 3ds Max 2018-2026. Frost MX is compatible with V-Ray 7. All are free downloads, but if you appreciate the work, you can make a voluntary donation. The other AWS Thinkbox products are available free to anyone with an AWS account. You can find more details in this story. Download editions of the free AWS Thinkbox tools compatible with 3ds Max 2026 A tip of the hat to CGPress for spotting this story. Have your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we don’t post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects. Latest News Get versions of the free Thinkbox tools that work with 3ds Max 2026 Get new versions of particle tools Krakatoa MX, Frost MX, Stoke MX and XMesh MX recompiled to support current versions of 3ds Max. Thursday, April 10th, 2025 F12 releases The Grove 2.2 for Blender and Houdini Popular 3D tree generator gets new Skeleton tool for creating animation rigs, and new workflows to reduce tree poly counts for use in games. Thursday, April 10th, 2025 Reallusion unveils Character Creator 5 Check out the new features, price and release date for the next major update to the 3D character creation software for games and VFX. Thursday, April 10th, 2025 Get 150+ free modular workshop assets for Unreal Engine Get Leartes Studios' Carpenter's Workshop Environment pack of 3D assets for free for two weeks on the Fab marketplace. Commercial use. Tuesday, April 8th, 2025 Blackmagic Design releases Fusion Studio 20.0 in beta Big update to the 3D compositor adds new deep compositing toolset, Cryptomatte support, and 180 VR workflows. See all the new features. Monday, April 7th, 2025 Blackmagic Design releases DaVinci Resolve 20.0 in beta Discover key features for VFX artists and colorists in this major update to the free grading and editing app and its $295 Studio edition. Sunday, April 6th, 2025 More News Maxon's free Cineware for Unreal now supports character animation Maxon releases Red Giant 2024.4 and Universe 2025.3 Nekki releases Cascadeur 2025.1 with AI-based Inbetweening Maxon releases Redshift 2025.4 Maxon releases Cinema 4D 2025.2 Maxon releases ZBrush 2025.2 Maxon adds ZModeler and UV Master to ZBrush for iPad 2025.3 Adobe releases After Effects 25.2 Autodesk releases Mudbox 2026 Otoy releases OctaneRender 2025.1 Poly Hammer releases Meta-Human DNA add-on for Blender Check out virtual cinematography tool Radical VCam Older Posts

Live from TED2025 Big ideas from day 3 of TED2025 Posted by: Brian Greene, Maria Ladias and Oliver Friedman April 9, 2025 at 8:00 pm EDT Tech entrepreneur Juliana Rotich and Lily James Olds, director of the TED Fellows program, host Session 5 of TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 9, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED) On the third day of TED2025, speakers explored the theme of empowerment — whether through entrepreneurship for refugees, groundbreaking health tech, ethical AI or parenting strategies that spark joy. Below, some highlights from an action-packed day. Jacqueline Novogratz (left) interviews Sitoyo Lopokoiyit at TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 9, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED) Entrepreneurship against the odds. For many refugees, opportunities are limited — yet Julienne Oyler sees entrepreneurship as a powerful path to rebuilding lives. Backed by The Audacious Project, TED’s funding initiative, she highlights how her team at Inkomoko is investing in refugee-led businesses, going beyond aid and fostering genuine empowerment. Similarly, impact investor Jacqueline Novogratz has a thought-provoking conversation with Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, the CEO of M-PESA,  Africa’s largest fintech platform. He describes how M-PESA’s digital banking ecosystem has revolutionized financial access across Africa — demonstrating how financial inclusion can uplift entire communities. Tech policy visionary Nanjira Sambuli delves into the potential of AI to be both ethical and inclusive, and how it can thrive when guided by African philosophies like Ubuntu, which emphasizes the collective well-being of society. Myriam Sidibe speaks at TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 9, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Jason Redmond / TED) The secrets hidden in your cells. Just like your mind, your immune system remembers every illness you’ve faced. Neuroscientist and TED Fellow Beck Brachman reveals why the cure for chronic diseases may lie in decoding these “memories.” She explains how her organization, Imprint, uses machine learning to explore this hidden history. Also in the realm of health breakthroughs with huge impact, TED Fellow Chris Bahl, CEO and founder of the biotech company AI Proteins, introduces miniproteins: a technology that enables more effective communication with our cells for safer, more targeted treatments of diseases ranging from cancer to diabetes. Meanwhile, public health expert Myriam Sidibe challenges businesses to rethink profit and frame it through the lens of impact — sharing a blueprint for how companies can thrive by aligning with societal needs, not just their bottom line. Hamish McKenzie speaks at TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 9, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED) The most significant media disruption since the printing press. Hamish McKenzie, one of the founders of Substack, says we’re in the age of “chaos media”: there’s a cacophony of voices online, driven by algorithmic whims and viral trends, but the rewards go primarily to the platforms. He paints a picture of an alternative reality that’s on the rise: a decentralized media ecosystem where creators make money directly from their audiences through platforms like Substack and Patreon. Offering a different take, Washington Post columnist Megan J. McArdle explores her deep anxiety about AI threatening her career as a writer … while also wrestling with her belief in progress as a libertarian. The future may be uncertain and even frightening, she says, but we owe it to our descendants not to rob them of the potential of new technologies.  Lei Cheng speaks at TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 9, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED) Freedom is fragile. As protests broil across college campuses in the US, attorney Greg Lukianoff warns against “mob censorship,” where disruptive protests silence opposing views. He calls on young people to reclaim their historic role as defenders of free expression, reminding us that free speech is a crucial safeguard for truth, safety and the powerless. Journalist Lei Cheng, who was imprisoned by China for false accusations of supplying state secrets overseas, drives this message home: it’s only through losing freedom that we learn to truly appreciate it. When our canvas is bare, she says, we celebrate one drop of color. Avni Patel Thompson speaks at TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 9, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED) Focusing on what matters most. From packed calendars to single-parent realities, meaningful connections blossom right in the midst of life’s chaos. In tech innovator Avni Patel Thompson’s world, her AI creation, Milo, becomes a forcefield that shields busy parents from mind-numbing administrative tasks so that they can more deeply connect with the people they love. Meanwhile, Nixon CEO Andy Laats underscores how logistical tasks and seemingly mundane moments can actually open the door to transcendent encounters with our children — those wordless, profound flashes of empathy that tie us together. Their stories show that we don’t need to eliminate friction; rather, by harnessing technology wisely and staying present for the messy, beautiful bits of life, we create the scaffolding of love and understanding. Attendees in the theater at TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 9, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED) Attendees in the theater at TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 9, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)

No One Knew This Giraffe Was Pregnant—Until She Suddenly Gave Birth to a Healthy Baby Girl Kipi, a 4-year-old reticulated giraffe and first-time mother, had only been at the Maryland Zoo for a few months when she surprised caretakers with her pregnancy Kipi, the 4-year-old female reticulated giraffe, stands roughly 12 feet tall. Her calf is roughly 6 feet tall. Maryland Zoo Kipepeo was acting odd. On the night of March 26, caretakers at the Maryland Zoo noticed the 4-year-old reticulated giraffe wasn’t very interested in her food, and she seemed restless. They worried she might be sick, so they decided to keep an eye on her overnight. At around 2 a.m. on March 27, they finally understood why Kipepeo’s behavior seemed off: She was going into labor. That morning, Kipepeo, or “Kipi” for short, gave birth to a healthy baby girl that was a total surprise to her caretakers. Kipi had only been at the zoo for a few months, and her keepers had no idea she was pregnant. “It was all pretty unexpected, but of course a very happy surprise,” says Margaret Innes, the Maryland Zoo’s general curator, to the Washington Post’s Dana Hedgpeth. Kipi arrived at Maryland Zoo in late November from a facility in Texas that’s also accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). As she settled into her new home in Baltimore, she went through a standard quarantine behind the scenes and slowly got acquainted with the zoo’s two other giraffes. Kipi was officially introduced to the public in mid-January. “Now we just need to let everybody know instead of having one new giraffe, we have two,” Innes tells the Baltimore Banner’s Clara Longo de Freitas. The calf is nursing and doing well, according to the zoo. She and her mother are currently getting some bonding time, away from the public. Maryland Zoo Kipi, who stands roughly 12 feet tall, was named through a public contest. Kipepeo, pronounced key-PEH-pay-o, means “butterfly” in Swahili, according to the zoo. Caretakers didn’t realize it at the time, but Kipi was pregnant long before she arrived in Baltimore. Reticulated giraffe pregnancies last for roughly 450 days, or around 15 months. They had no reason to suspect she might be pregnant, however, as there was no record of Kipi breeding before she was transferred to the Maryland Zoo. At her previous zoo in Texas, she was kept with a herd of giraffes and likely mated with another member of the group when her caretakers weren’t looking. Since they’re so large, giraffes tend to hide their pregnancies well. Often, the only way to tell a giraffe is pregnant is by testing for hormones in its feces. “They’re such large-bodied animals with very long, large necks and fairly round bodies… so that when they’re carrying a much smaller animal inside, it’s not that noticeable,” Innes tells the Washington Post.Her calf—who will be named with help from the public—is nursing and doing well. Though she’s just two weeks old, the calf already weighs 128 pounds and stands around six feet tall. “We’re keeping a close eye on the calf to make sure she hits her growth milestones, and so far, we like what we’re seeing,” says Erin Cantwell Grimm, the Maryland Zoo’s mammal curator, in a zoo statement. Kipi, meanwhile, is being “a great first-time mother,” according to the zoo. The Giraffe House is closed to the public for the foreseeable future to give Kipi and her calf some privacy and bonding time. The outdoor habitat, home to the zoo’s lone male giraffe, Caesar, is still open. Soon, caretakers hope to introduce the calf to the zoo’s other adult female, a 14-year-old named Kesi who has been “really interested” in the new baby, Innes tells the Baltimore Banner. Kesi lives in the adjacent enclosure and keeps looking over at Kipi and her calf. In the wild, reticulated giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) live in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Their name comes from the distinctive geometric patterns on their coats, which are unique to each individual. An estimated 11,048 adults remain in existence, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but the population is declining because of habitat loss, poaching, drought and other issues. According to the nonprofit Giraffe Conservation Foundation, the subspecies has lost more than 50 percent of its population—down from an estimated 36,000 individuals 35 years ago. Since their gestation period is so long and they only give birth to one calf at a time, the giraffes’ reproduction rate is struggling to keep pace with population declines. The IUCN has categorized reticulated giraffes as “endangered.” Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Game publisher Shiro Games partners with developer FakeFish for the upcoming release of survival crafting game Frostrail. Read More

TechTarget and Informa Tech’s Digital Business Combine.TechTarget and InformaTechTarget and Informa Tech’s Digital Business Combine.Together, we power an unparalleled network of 220+ online properties covering 10,000+ granular topics, serving an audience of 50+ million professionals with original, objective content from trusted sources. We help you gain critical insights and make more informed decisions across your business priorities.Actors union protests outside BAFTAs to call for better working conditions in the UKActors union protests outside BAFTAs to call for better working conditions in the UKUnion leadership said they hoped to catch the attention of some of the 'richest companies in the world.'Diego Arguello, ContributorApril 10, 20252 Min ReadImage via EquityUK performing arts union Equity staged a protest outside the 2025 BAFTA Games Awards on Tuesday to call on video game companies to introduce union-negotiated agreements in the UK.As reported by Eurogamer, union members gathered outside the awards ceremony in London with placards reading "Union contracts in gaming now."Equity claims union-negotiated agreements, which are becoming increasingly common in the U.S., will help deliver better pay and working conditions for performers in the games industry.Equity assistant general secretary for recorded media, John Barclay, said the protest was held outside BAFTA to ensure the "poor practice frequently reported by Equity members does not continue to be ignored by industry leaders.""The video games industry is worth over £7 billion ($9 billion) in the UK alone and in attendance tonight are bosses from some of the richest companies in the world," said Barclay. "Yet these companies continue to ignore Equity's calls to work with us to introduce union-negotiated agreements in the UK that would improve pay, terms and conditions for our members—something that is normal practice in the US."Equity acknowledges the influence of striking performers in the United StatesBarclay is referring to the efforts of SAG-AFTRA across the pond. Members of the union have been striking since 2024 to secure better working conditions and AI protections under the Interactive Media Agreement.Related:So far, over 180 studios have signed an interim agreement tabled by SAG-AFTRA that provides protections against AI voice usage. As SAG-AFTRA urges more non-struck game studios to follow suit, the union has called out "alarming loopholes" in some AI proposals tabled by major game studios.Barclay is also wary of the potential dangers posed by AI. "Pay for video game performers in the UK has stagnated despite games companies receiving almost £200m in tax breaks; performers do not have proper protections from artificial intelligence or NDA misuse; and they need safer workplaces so they don’t injure their vocals or bodies, or experience improper recordings of intimate scenes. In an industry that generates enormous wealth, Equity members deserve better," he added.Regarding the possibility of a strike, Equity told Eurogamer in 2024 that "industrial relations legislation in the United Kingdom is very restrictive," and said the "employment statues of Equity members makes it even more difficult to overcome those hurdles in this context."Out of the 18 award categories of the 2025 BAFTA Game Awards, two honored performers in both leading and supporting roles. On this occasion, Alec Newman and Karen Dunbar nabbed wins for their work in The Chinese Room's horror title Still Wakes the Deep.Related:Read more about:UnionizationTop StoriesAbout the AuthorDiego ArguelloContributorSee more from Diego ArguelloDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

Last week, President Donald Trump declared a series of tariffs that pitted the United States against the rest of the world. Big companies stayed nervously silent; small ones panicked. The stock market plunged. And surely worst of all, Switch 2 preorders were delayed. Then, the same day the largest tariffs went into effect, Trump hit the brakes with a “90-day pause.” But it’s only sort of a pause — and not on everything. Taxes on items from around the world remain higher than they were a week ago. And an escalating trade war with China has no end in sight.Here’s roughly what’s happened. Trump announced a 10 percent base tax on goods from nearly every country on the planet, plus even higher tariffs — sometimes reaching 50 percent — on many of America’s most important trading partners. (These joined existing tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, among other things.) The base rate went into effect over the weekend, as Trump declared that despite other countries’ attempts to negotiate, he wasn’t backing down. China retaliated with its own tariffs, so Trump promised an extra 50 percent hike on US taxes on Chinese goods, bringing the number to a staggering 104 percent. As promised, the higher tariffs kicked in on Wednesday morning.Then, Trump changed his mind. He announced that “based on the fact that more than 75 Countries have called Representatives of the United States … I have authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period.”A lot of people have taken this as good news, and it’s better news than nothing. But it’s still very far from good — and the details are pretty bewildering to boot.The new policy has trickled out in a series of piecemeal and contradictory-sounding declarations, and even White House officials don’t seem to know which tariffs apply to which countries. The tariffs have been deemed “paused,” but the 10 percent hike is still in effect. The pause doesn’t apply to Canada and Mexico, which have their own set of tariffs to worry about. Trump has promised more tariffs coming on specific goods in the future, too. By the time you’re halfway through this article, the situation may have changed again.And, just to reiterate, the “pause” period will still involve taxes of more than the value of the original item on goods from the biggest manufacturing hub in the world.Confused yet? Concerned?If you’re still not clear on exactly how tariffs work, we’ve done our best to explain that before. These are taxes applied to goods imported into the US from abroad that are applied to shipments as they arrive at the border and are based on the value of the goods. Trump has introduced some tariffs by type of import and others by country of origin. Now, let’s break down — as far as we know it — the state of play.Steel, aluminum, and automobilesThe simplest tariffs to understand are the 25 percent levies on all imports of steel, aluminum, cars, trucks, and automobile parts. The imported metals were taxed starting in February, while the tariff on vehicles was announced in March and applied starting on April 3rd. Automobile parts aren’t yet covered by tariffs but will be on May 3rd.These tariffs apply worldwide, except in cases where countries have specific trade deals in place — for example, there’s an exemption for some vehicles covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Canada and MexicoCanada and Mexico were among the first countries to be specifically targeted with tariffs by the Trump administration, with a sweeping 25 percent rate on all goods. This was announced in February, then paused for a month, but did eventually take effect in early March.Importantly, these tariffs don’t affect goods already covered by the USMCA trade pact, meaning that a large proportion of North American trade remains unaffected by the new tariffs. Canada has responded with retaliatory tariffs. Mexico hasn’t but isn’t “ruling it out.”Canada and Mexico are unaffected by the wave of “reciprocal tariffs” Trump announced on April 2nd, including the 10 percent baseline tariff applied to the rest of the world. There was a little confusion on that front. Even White House officials seemed to briefly think the 10 percent rate applied across North America — but it’s since been confirmed that Canada and Mexico are exempt.ChinaChina was the third country that Trump singled out from the get-go, and he began with plans for a 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods in February, paused it for a month, and implemented it as a 20 percent tariff in March. He’s been cranking the number up ever since.When Trump announced his worldwide “reciprocal tariffs” (which were not actually reciprocal) on April 2nd, China was targeted with a 34 percent rate — to be added to the existing 20, for a total of 54 percent. But then China announced its own 34 percent tariff on US goods, so Trump added on another 50, landing on 104 percent. That kicked in on April 9th.But China hit back again, elevating its own tariff to 84 percent. Trump’s response? You guessed it: another hike. He paired his global “pause” announcement with a new rate for China set at 125 percent, to be added to the initial 20 for a total of 145 percent — for now. China has already responded by reducing Hollywood’s access to the Chinese box office, and we don’t yet know how Trump is taking that.Low-value packagesThere’s one more wrinkle to China’s tariffs. The country and Hong Kong have been targeted with a change to the de minimis tax exemption that previously applied to imported goods valued at less than $800. That’s a direct hit to the business model of budget online retailers like Shein and Temu, which have long relied on shipping products directly to customers to avoid any import taxes and duties.Beginning on May 2nd, that exemption will no longer apply, and even cheap products sent from China or Hong Kong using international post will now be taxed. The shipper gets to decide whether to pay 120 percent of the parcel’s value or a flat rate of $100 per package, increasing to $200 after June 1st. Those are quadruple the original rates Trump announced, after the rates were tripled and then raised once again after that — another response to China’s retaliation.Everywhere elseWhen Trump announced the “reciprocal rates,” he had figures ready for almost every country on the planet, including a few uninhabited islands. For now, though, many of those have been substantially reduced.Every country that trades with the US is subject to the 25 percent tariffs on steel, aluminum, and automobiles. Every country outside of Canada, Mexico, and China now has an additional 10 percent tariff across most other goods — what the White House is calling the “baseline tariff.” That includes the countries initially subject to much, much higher rates.Some countries will only ever be taxed at that baseline rate. Others are living on borrowed time. Countries like India, Vietnam, and members of the European Union were assigned higher tariffs that briefly began on April 9th, only to be paused that same day. That’s put them all back down at the baseline rate of 10 percent, but only for 90 days. After that, if they haven’t negotiated a better deal, the “reciprocal rates” come into effect. The European Union had voted on its own set of retaliatory tariffs targeting US goods, especially those manufactured in red states, but has suspended those for 90 days, too.And by the way, Trump is still planning more tariffs; he said last week that chips and pharmaceuticals were next on the list. What happens after that? Nobody knows — maybe not even him.See More:

Nintendo fans in the U.S. may be feeling pretty hard done by now as the rest of the world fights for a Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order, but some are fighting back by challenging and reporting every Nintendo Switch 2 auction listing they can find.On eBay.com, Nintendo Switch 2 consoles are, at the time of writing, listed from anywhere between $468 to $855, with a lot listing Buy It Now prices of around $700-$750 — that's $300 over the recommended retail price.United in their frustrations both about the pre-order delay and the preponderance of over-priced pre-orders on eBay, however, players are working to take scalpers down together. Play"If anyone wants to do their bit for society, go on eBay and report the scalpers," said one Redditor. "I've had about 15 listings removed, spent literally minutes reporting them.""Reminder that preselling an eBay item is not allowed unless it will be shipping within 40 days of purchasing off eBay, (impossible for the Switch!), at least in the UK anyways," said another, racking up almost 6,000 upvotes. The image attached showed a long list of confirmation emails from eBay stating that the content they had reported was removed.Another jumped on Reddit to confirm they'd had "15 more scalpers removed from eBay," while another player posted to say their actions saw 20 Switch pre-order listings scrubbed from the site.So, just why are players having so much luck combating scalpers this time around? Well, that has to do with eBay's very own terms and conditions concerning pre-sale items, which say "pre-sale listings must clearly state that they are 'presale' in the title and description, and guarantee shipment within 40 business days of purchase.""You’re not allowed to sell pre-orders on eBay because the seller doesn’t have, and it’s possible they will never actually get, the item they’re selling," explained rmajor86 on a post that's also been upvoted hundreds of time. "Just report the listing, and eBay will remove it."That said, things may change soon. As formerlyDylan pointed out, June 5 is 40 business days from today, April 10 (excluding Easter), and eBay's terms and conditions state pre-sale items must "guarantee shipment within 40 business days of purchase."While this means scalpers may soon be able to legitimately list their pre-orders for sale across parts of the world where the console will release on June 5, fans may be able to continue to fight scalpers across the U.S. and Canada right up until those countries have a shipping date.Nintendo Switch 2 arrives on June 5, 2025, with prices starting at $449.99, but the Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order was delayed in the United States after import tariffs enacted by President Trump sent financial markets spiraling. Just a few days later, the issue spread across the border, with Nintendo Canada also confirming pre-orders would now be delayed there, too.The tariff uncertainty and greedy scalpers have left some Nintendo fans concerned they may be priced out of the next-generation if the company goes even higher than the already controversial prices for the Switch 2 and its games, such as the $79.99 Mario Kart World.Missed the Nintendo Direct presentation? Worry not — you can catch up on everything shown at the Nintendo Direct right here, and here's a handy list for every game confirmed for Nintendo Switch 2.Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.