Nigeen Lake is a mildly eutrophic lake located in Srinagar, in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. It is sometimes considered to be a part of Dal Lake and is connected to it via a narrow strait. This panoramic photograph shows the west bank of Nigeen Lake, with houseboats lining the shore. Hari Parbat, a hill overlooking Srinagar, is visible to the left of centre, and the snow-capped Pir Panjal Range can be seen in the distance.Photograph credit: KennyOMG; edited by UnpetitproleXRecently featured: Fork-tailed flycatcherJohn Henry TurpinTocopilla railwayArchiveMore featured pictures

January 14: Ratification Day in the United States (1784)Poster for the premiere of Tosca1301 King AndrewIII died without any male heirs, ending the rpd dynasty, which had ruled Hungary since the late 9th century.1900 Giacomo Puccini's opera Tosca (poster pictured), based on the play La Tosca by French dramatist Victorien Sardou, premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome.1960 The Reserve Bank of Australia, the country's central bank and banknote-issuing authority, was established.1970 The self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra in southeastern Nigeria surrendered to the federal government less than three years after declaring independence, ending the Nigerian Civil War.2018 In the "Minneapolis Miracle", American football player Stefon Diggs caught a 61-yard (56m) touchdown pass that secured the Minnesota Vikings' victory in the National Football Conference divisional playoff game.Berthe Morisot (b.1841)George Pearce (b.1870)Rambhadracharya (b.1950)Arfa Karim (d.2012)More anniversaries: January 13January 14January 15ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout

Craters at Mercury's poles contain permanently shadowed areas that are some of the coldest sites in the solar system, despite their proximity to the sun. ESA / BepiColombo / MTM, ESA Standard LicenceThe BepiColombo spacecrafta joint endeavor between the European and Japanese space agencieshas just snapped stunning photographs of Mercurys north pole during its recent flyby of the innermost planet.The images, which reveal the depths of Mercurys iconic polar craters, were captured by the crafts monitoring cameras (M-CAMs) on January 8. European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher revealed the first image during a press briefing the next day.It meant getting up at 5:30 a.m., but once close-up images started to appear in our shared folder, it was worth it, David Rothery, a planetary scientist at the Open University, tells New Scientists Alex Wilkins. We had studied some simulated views in advance and used these to devise our imaging strategy, but what we saw was better than expected. Craters at Mercury's north pole are visible just left of the "terminator," or the line between day and night. The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission snapped this image on January 8, 2025. ESA / BepiColombo / MTM, ESA Standard LicenceM-CAM 1, the first of three monitoring cameras, captured a photograph of the shadowed north pole (above) from a distance of 489 miles above Mercurys surface. The white hardware on the right side of the image is BepiColombos solar array, and part of the spacecrafts Mercury Transfer Module is visible in the lower left. The image features Mercurys terminatorthe separation between day and nightat the center, nearly parallel to the Prokofiev, Kandinsky, Tolkien and Gordimer craters.Because Mercury spins on an axis with a miniscule tilt of just 0.01 degreesalmost perpendicular to its plane of orbit around the sunthe rims of all four of these polar craters cast permanent shadows within their depths. Those eternally dark areas are some of the coldest places in the solar system, despite the fact that Mercury is the closest planet to the sun.Previous observations suggested that these permanent shadows might host frozen water, an exciting hypothesis that the BepiColombo mission is set to investigate further. The mission and spacecraft are named in honor of Giuseppe (Bepi) Colombo, a 20th century Italian mathematician who contributed to previous space missions, per the Associated Press Marcia Dunn, including NASAs Mariner 10, the first spacecraft sent to Mercury.The area at the left of the craters and terminator is the Borealis Planitia, Mercurys largest expanse of smooth volcanic plains, which was formed by large volcanic eruptions 3.7 billion years ago. The resulting lava flooded existing craters, including the Henri and Lismer craters marked in the image. Mercurys wrinkle-like features across the left half of the image likely formed after those lava plains solidified and the planets interior cooled and contracted, according to an ESA statement. Mercury's sunlit north, labeled, as viewed by BepiColombo's M-CAM 1. ESA / BepiColombo / MTM, ESA Standard LicenceAnother M-CAM 1 photograph (above) highlights the Mendelssohn and Rustaveli craters, two of the ancient depressions in the Borealis Planitia that were flooded with lava billions of years ago. The Caloris basin is also visible in the bottom left of the photograph; with a span of more than 932 miles wide, its the planets largest impact crater, and it features linear troughs radiating from the point of impact.Roughly in the center, Mercurys surface is marked by a relatively bright boomerang-shaped streak of lava. According to the statement, this represents yet another astronomical question the BepiColombo mission aims to study: the direction of the lava flow. Did the lava move into the Caloris basin, or out of it?BepiColombo snapped this second image just five minutes after the first. An image by BepiColombo's M-CAM 2 features theNathair Facula. ESA / BepiColombo / MTM, ESA Standard LicenceFinally, the third photograph, captured by M-CAM 2, shows the relatively young Fonteyn crater (at 300 million years old) and the Nathair Facula, a feature that resulted from the largest volcanic eruption in Mercurys history. It hosts a volcanic vent with a diameter of about 25 miles.[Nathair Facula] is a very important science target for several of BepiColombos instruments when we get into orbit, because it offers our best chance to work out what it is about Mercurys composition that has allowed explosive volcanic eruptions to continue through much of the planets history, Rothery says to New Scientist.BepiColombos sixth flyby was the last gravity assist maneuver needed to propel the craft before it enters orbit around Mercury in late 2026, according to BBC News Danny Fullbrook. Built by Airbus and launched in 2018, the craft has flown by Earth, Venus and Mercury to reach its targeted speed and trajectory.With its recent pass by the north pole being the last, the images are also the M-CAMstwo orbiters when they begin to loop around the planet.BepiColombos main mission phase may only start two years from now, but all six of its flybys of Mercury have given us invaluable new information about the little-explored planet, says Geraint Jones, BepiColombos project scientist at the ESA, in the agencys statement. In the next few weeks, the BepiColombo team will work hard to unravel as many of Mercurys mysteries with the data from this flyby as we can.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Astronomers, Astronomy, Mercury, Outer Space, Photography, Planets, Solar System, Space Travel, Sun

The newest version of Mistral's code generation model Codestral aims to be more efficient and generate code twice as fast.Read More

Audiomob establishes MENA headquarters in Abu Dhabi"Abu Dhabi has proven to be the perfect home for us" News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Jan. 13, 2025 In-game audio ads platform Audiomob has established its MENA headquarters on Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates.Audiomob - which has partnered with Abu Dhabi Gaming for the venture - said it chose to establish itself in UAE due to its "strategic position" and the appeal of the country's tech, talent, and subsidies.Abu Dhabi has proven to be the perfect home for us, opening crucial doors to help us meet our ambitious growth strategy," said co-founder and CTO Wilfrid Obeng.The support from Abu Dhabi Gaming has been instrumental from subsidies and talent development to a range of opportunities allowing collaboration with other members. We have seen firsthand that, in our industry, Abu Dhabi is the place to be.AudioMob raised $14 million in a round of Series A funding back in 2021. The company, founded in 2020, said at the time it would use the money raised to expand its teams in both London and Abu Dhabi, to further develop its products, and also hire new heads for key departments across the business

Google is adjusting the profile sharing feature in its Google Messages app to allow users to set custom contact names and photos on their own devices for their stored contacts and others they send text messages. As reported by 9to5Google, a change rolled out late last year that overrode your custom names and photos with each individuals broadcasted profile, but now you can change it back to give friends, colleagues, and family members the names and avatars that you think they should have.

AndaSeat isn't as big of a name in the congested gaming chair market as some other brands like Secretlab, DXRacer, or Razer, but rest assured it makes some high-quality gaming chairs. Right now, there's an AndaSeat New Year Sale with up to $220 off gaming chairs. These instant discounts stack with our 10% off IGN code "AndaIGN".Andaseat Kaiser 3 Gaming ChairUse 10% off code: AndaIGNAndaSeat Kaiser 3 Gaming ChairThe Kaiser 3 offers great value for a high-end gaming chair that competes with other chairs that cost $500 or more. The base model currently costs $386.10, which is about $60 cheaper than the Kaiser 4, and shares most of the same features. You lose out on the 5D armrests and the lumbar is less adjustable, but that's about it.In his Andaseat Kaiser 3 review, Mark Knapp wrote that "The AndaSeat Kaiser 3 makes some meaningful improvements to the series design, including a wide seatbase that does away with metal bolsters for hours-long comfort and a flexible lumbar support built in. It uses magnets here and there in a gimmicky but not useless way, and it offers all the premiums that one should expect at this price in a well-polished package. Its not quite perfect, still suffering some from the aggressive racing-style design, but it proves a great chair nonetheless."Andaseat Kaiser 4 Gaming ChairUse 10% off code: AndaIGNAndaSeat Kaiser 4 Gaming ChairThe Kaiser 4 is AndaSeat's flagship chair. The price normally starts from $569 but this sale drops it to $476.10 after the IGN code. It's only available in Extra Large with a weight capabity of 395lbs so this is a very spacious chair. You can choose among eight different color options in PVC leather or two different color options in fabric. It has all of the creature comforts you'd expect in a quality gaming chair, like a unibody 2mm tubular steel frame, one-piece high density foam with a plush seat bottom (softer, in my experience, than the very firm Secretlab seat), four-way lumbar adjustment system, 5D armrests, up to 135 degrees of recline and a rocking toggle, included magnetic armrests, and more. This chair sounds a lot like the Titan Evo, and you'd be right; the design, features, and build quality are very similar, minus the price tag.Overall, Mark Knapp didn't like it as much as the Kaiser 3, however. In his Andaseat Kaiser 4 review, he wrote that "The AndaSeat Kaiser 4 has great lumbar support and one of the best headrest pillows you'll find on the market, but its janky armrests are a major blemish on the overall design, and its firm seat won't be for everyone. If you have the AndaSeat Kaiser 3, everything but the lumbar support may feel like more of a downgrade than an upgrade and if this is your first gaming chair, you can do much better within the premium market."Andaseat X-Air Mesh ChairsUse 10% off code: AndaIGNAndaSeat X-Air Mesh ChairAndaSeat X-Air Pro Mesh ChairIf you don't care for the distinct styling of gaming chairs, Andaseat also recently released a traditional-style task chair model called the X-Air. It's also less expensive, with the standard model starting at only $341.10 after the coupon is applied. This chair features a softer suede-like material that feels more comfortable than traditional mesh chairs. It comes standard with plenty of adjustability, but you can upgrade to the Pro model to get the dynamic lumbar adjustment, 5D armrests, and a 3D headrest. The Pro model also comes in a couple of very unique colors.Another Alternative: SecretlabBoth the Andaseat Kaiser 4 and 3 are excellent gaming chairs that are on par with the quality you'll find from more expensive chair manufacturers. That said, if you're willing to spend substantially more, Secretlab is still our favorite gaming chair brand. Secretlab recently released its flagship Titan Evo chair in a "Nanogen" edition and it is, in our opinion, the new best gaming chair. In our Titan Evo Nanogen Edition review, Chris Coke wrote that "the Secretlab Titan Evo Nanogen Edition deserves every bit of the overwhelming praise Ive given. Granted, at $799 its significantly more expensive than the original and not far off from an entry-level Herman-Miller. But the return it offers in comfortable, supportive gaming is well worth the extra cost thanks to dramatically improved materials in both the fabric and multi-layered padding. The Titan Evo Nanogen Edition is class-leading, and is hands-down the most comfortable gaming chair Ive ever used."Secretlab also released a new recliner add-on to anyone who already owns the Titan Evo chair, and it has turned out to be a very practical addition that's worthy of its lofty $200 price point. In our recliner add-on review, Chris Coke wrote that "while both comfort and value are subjective things, the recliner is able to take the Titan Evo and transform it from one of the best racing style gaming chairs to standing head and shoulders above the competition at its price point. Its novel enough that I wouldnt be surprised to see other brands following suit in the near future. If you dont mind paying for it, its an absolutely killer upgrade for your gaming chair."Why Should You Trust IGN's Deals Team?IGN's deals team has a combined 30+ years of experience finding the best discounts in gaming, tech, and just about every other category. We don't try to trick our readers into buying things they don't need at prices that aren't worth buying something at. Our ultimate goal is to surface the best possible deals from brands we trust and our editorial team has personal experience with. You can check out our deals standards here for more information on our process, or keep up with the latest deals we find on IGN's Deals account on Twitter.Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

TikTok risks being banned from the US in the coming days as a bill signed by President Biden requires its parent company ByteDance to divest from the app. Amid the risk of a potential ban, users are already looking for alternatives and another Chinese social network has just topped the US App Store rankings.Chinese app RedNote is now the #1 downloaded app in the US App StoreXiaohongshu (known as RedNote in English) is a Chinese social network created in 2013 to compete with Pinterest and Instagram. The platform was primarily focused on letting users and influencers share product reviews with an integrated e-commerce. More recently, RedNote has also started investing in short videos, just like TikTok.As noted by TechCrunch, RedNote has gone viral among younger Chinese users, especially during the pandemic. The platform has more than 300 million monthly active users but it has never been a hit in other countries, at least until now.Suddenly, RedNote became the most downloaded app in the US App Store, overtaking apps like ChatGPT, Threads, Instagram, and TikTok. The search for an alternative to TikTok is driving the increase in downloads of RedNote. The app has been widely promoted by creators encouraging their followers to migrate to the new platform.RedNote appOf course, theres a chance that TikTok wont end up being banned in the US since President-elect Trump has already hinted that he wont let the ban happen. However, since creators cant predict what will happen next, they want to make sure they dont lose their followers.Interestingly, creators have been recommending another Chinese app instead of a US-based app like Instagram. To recap, the US Department of Justice believes that the Chinese company behind TikTok shares user data with the Chinese government and also manipulates the content shown to US users to interfere in political affairs.Only time will tell whether RedNote will become the next TikTok.Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

"We're standing down..."Anti-ClimacticBlue Origin scrubbed the launch of its enormous flagship rocket right before it was scheduled to lift off on Monday morning from Cape Canaveral marking yet another delay in the vehicle's development.The Jeff Bezos-owned company intended to send its New Glenn rocket into space within a three-hour window before dawn. But with the 320-foot behemoth sitting primed on the launchpad, Blue Origin halted itslaunch several times before calling it off completely around 3:05 am, .Afterwards, engineers immediately began draining all fuel from the rocket, ."We're standing down on today's launch attempt to troubleshoot a vehicle subsystem issue that will take us beyond our launch window," Blue Origin announced on X, formerly Twitter. "We're reviewing opportunities for our next launch attempt."At this time, the subsystem issue has not been specified.Bag of TricksThe postponed mission, dubbed NG-1, would not only have marked the inaugural launch of New Glenn, but the first orbital flight for Blue Origin. Until now, the Bezos outfit has largely made a name for itself with space tourist flights using its sturdy New Shepard spacecraft, a suborbital vehicle.NG-1 still has until January 16 to launch before the currently approved window elapses. In a modest test of its heavy-lift payload capabilities, the New Glenn will carry a prototype device called Blue Ring Pathfinder attached to the rocket's upper stage, GS2.Once GS2 is deployed in orbit with the Blue Ring Pathfinder aboard, the idea is that the small device will test the capabilities of the company's Blue Ring spacecraft platform, which is designed to support other space missions with refueling, communications, and transportation capabilities.Ambitiously, the NG-1 mission also aims to recover the first stage booster nicknamed "So You're Telling Me There's a Chance," in a near-certain nod to SpaceX's eccentric naming conventions by landing it on a drone ship, the Jacklyn, instead of letting it fall into the ocean.Lengthy TurnaroundThis isn't the first time that New Glenn, which has been in the works for over a decade, has faced setbacks (in fact, the NG-1 mission was intended to launch last week, but was immediately delayed.)The rocket hit a major snag in the year prior when part of its upper stage exploded during a stress test. Another portion was heavily damaged while the New Glenn was being transported to a storage hangar.Perhaps typifying the sluggish development of the rocket, NASA had intended to use New Glenn to carry its two ESCAPADE Mars probes to the Red Planet, but was forced to delay the mission a month ahead of its original October launch date last yearbecause it was clear that the vehicle wouldn't be ready in time.Share This Article

When to watch the Minnesota Vikings and LA Rams:Monday, Jan. 13, at5 p.m. PT(8 p.m. ET).Where to watch:The Vikings-Rams game will be shown on ABC, ESPN and ESPN Plus. See at ESPN Plus Vikings-Rams game for $11 per month ESPN Plus See at ESPN Plus See more details See at Sling TV Carries ESPN/ESPN2 or ABC for $40 or $45 per month Sling TV See at Sling TV See more details See at YouTube TV Carries ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 for $83 per month YouTube TV See at YouTube TV See more details See at Fubo Carries ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 for $80 per month Fubo See at Fubo See more details See at Hulu Carries ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 for $83 per month Hulu Plus Live TV See at Hulu See more details See at DirecTV Stream Carries ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 for $87 per month DirecTV Stream See at DirecTV Stream See more details The Vikings had a chance at the NFC's top seed and a first-round bye but got blown out by the Lions in the last game of the season. The loss dropped the Vikings to 14-3 and the conference's No. 5 seed as the top Wild Card team. They'll start the playoffs on the road against the No. 4 Rams, who ended the season at 10-7, which was good enough to win the NFC West. Tonight's winner will head to Philadelphia next weekend to face the Eagles.The devastating wildfires in Southern California have forced the NFL to move the game from the Rams' home stadium in Inglewood to Glendale, Arizona. The game will now be played at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals.The Vikings and Rams kick offtonight at5 p.m. PT(8 p.m. ET) on ABC, ESPN and ESPN Plus.You can flip over to ESPN2or ESPN Plus during the game to catch the ManningCast with brothers Peyton and Eli, the popular alternative broadcast where the former NFL greats analyze the game and chat with different guests.If you don't have a cable or satellite TV subscription, you can watch the game with a live TV streaming service. Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings face the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night in the NFL playoffs. Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty ImagesHow to watch Vikings vs. RamsYou can watch tonight's Wild Card game with a live TV streaming service. The good news for football fans is that ABC and ESPN are available on all five major streaming services, as is ESPN2 if you want to watch the Manning brothers. You can also watch the regular game broadcast, as well as the ManningCast on ESPN Plus.Another option is to use an over-the-air antenna connected to your TV to watch on ABC. The best part about antennas is that no streaming or monthly fees are required, although you will need to ensure youhave good reception. ESPN Plus costs $11 a month (or $110 a year) and will stream both the main broadcast of Monday night'sVikings-Rams game and the ManningCast.Read our full review of ESPN Plus. See at ESPN Plus Sling TV/CNET Sling TV's Sling Orange plan includes ESPN and ESPN2 but not ABC, and the Blue plan includes ABC (in only in a handful of markets) but neither ESPN channel. Each plan costs $45 a month in the areas with ABC and $40 elsewhere. The combined Orange-and-Blue plan costs $55 or $60 a month. Read our Sling TV review. See at Sling TV Sarah Tew/CNET YouTube TV costs $83 a month after a recent price hike and includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. Right now, the first three months are discounted to $60 a month. Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV's welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area. Read our YouTube TV review. See at YouTube TV Fubo Fubo's basic Essential plan costs $80 a month and includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. You canclick hereto see which local channels you get. Read our Fubo review. See at Fubo Hulu Plus Live TV costs $83 and includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. On its live news page, you can enter your ZIP code under the "Can I watch local news in my area?" question at the bottom of the page to see which local channels you get. Read our Hulu with Live TV review. See at Hulu DirecTV stream DirecTV Stream's basic $87-a-month plan includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. You can use its channel lookup tool to confirm that ABC is available where you live. Read our DirecTV Stream review. See at DirecTV Stream All of the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out ourlive TV streaming services guide.