Image: CD PROJEKT REDAhhh, there's nothing like taking a detour in a video game. From sprawling open-world games to turn-based RPGs, sidequests are an almost essential part of the adventure. After all, can you really say you've saved the world or uncovered the secrets of your friends if you haven't collected all of the magical coins or you haven't helped the village mayor pay off a debt?As we're approaching the end of the Switch's life, at Nintendo Life, we've been pondering all of our favourite sidequests we've experienced (or re-experienced) on the lovely little hybrid console. And there's no shortage of those optional yet magical expeditions.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube793kWatch on YouTube What do we mean by sidequests, then? Essentially, any optional quest unrelated to the main story that will often reward you with new weapons, items, or even lore.We're talking special moments like The Witcher 3's 'The Bloody Baron' is a huge sidequest that sees Geralt try to find his family in Velen in exchange for information about Ciri's whereabouts. Anyone who's played through even part of that quest knows things aren't isn't that simple it's an incredibly emotional and taxing quest and a rare feat where the quest itself and the payoff are equal in measure. The Witcher 3 is the gold standard for sidequests in video games, and this questline is just one of many examples.John Marston is looking for optional adventure in Red Dead Redemption Image: Rockstar GamesTo look at a standout Nintendo example, let's go to Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which arguably has some of the best sidequests in a series packed full of them. Quests focusing on the main party, such as Eunie and Taion, bring even more life to the cast; Hero Quests that net you new support characters, like Ashera, flesh out the world of Aionios. And don't get us started about An Off-Seer's Anguis. It still brings a tear to our eyes.It doesn't matter whether the game is a Nintendo Switch exclusive or not if it's got a stand-out sidequest, then we absolutely want to hear you gush about it. And yes, NSO games absolutely count we're sure we can think of one or two games on that service that have some lovely side activities.And look, we know Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have some outstanding sidequests are you really playing these games properly if you don't dive into 20 different quests at once or rebuild Tarrey Town? but there are so many of them that we don't want to be bombarded with just hundreds of quests from those games. Heck, Echoes of Wisdom and Link's Awakening are right there!Breath of the Wild is obviously a standout, but look further! Image: NintendoTell us about your favourite sidequests on Nintendo Switch in the comments below, and we'll pick out the very best from your picks below and combine them with ours for a piece... coming soon! Quest x64Live to sidequestSee AlsoShare:00 Alana has been with Nintendo Life since 2022, and while RPGs are her first love, Nintendo is a close second. She enjoys nothing more than overthinking battle strategies, characters, and stories. She also wishes she was a Sega air pirate. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesNintendo Asks Wii U Owners To Refrain From Using "Unauthorised" Online ServicesUpdate: Pretendo respondsRumour: 'Switch 2' Will Reportedly Be Officially Revealed This ThursdayThough software won't be the focusThe Switch eShop Is A Nightmare, So We've Made Our Own "Better eShop"Fixing what Nintendon't

After the TikTok ban went into effect on Sunday, social network Bluesky launched a custom feed for videos on its platform. Now, Flipboards newest app, Surf, which is dedicated to browsing the open social web and decentralized services like Mastodon and Bluesky, is taking advantage of that move to introduce a video feed of its own.Initially, Surfs video feed was a combination of video posts on Blueskys trending video feed and those posts that included the hashtag #SkyTok. The company says it will soon personalize its feed to the end user, too. This will help differentiate Surfs video feed from Blueskys own. It also represents the power that comes from allowing third parties to build feeds for a social networking platform. Surf is currently in beta with a sign-up list available for interested testers.This is just the latest example of how custom feeds on the social web can be used for all sorts of use cases video sharing, photo sharing, discussion groups, messaging, etc. that have been the exclusive domain of the large walled gardens, Flipboard CEO Mike McCue told TechCrunch via email. Were still early days but things are moving super fast here, especially on AT Proto [the protocol that powers Bluesky.]To personalize the new Surf video feed, McCue said the company will soon add users Bluesky Following timeline (which is just another custom feed) as a source for the feed. This is also filtered to show only video posts. When this final step is completed, the feed will display videos from the people the users themselves follow.After Bluesky on Sunday shipped its native custom video feed, which employs a new TikTok-style user interface, Surf adopted that design for its feed, as well. (Note: if youre not seeing the TikTok-style interface on Bluesky, try restarting your mobile app a few times.)Image Credits:screenshot of Surf's BookTok feedIf youre not able to use Surf, which is still in private beta, you can use its feed directly on Bluesky. Surf federated its new custom video feed to Blueksy where its available as another native, custom feed option.Image Credits:Surf's BookTok feed, when viewed on BlueskyMcCue points out that Surf itself can be used to make different kinds of video feeds, too.For example, he also built a BookTok type feed, which focuses on users discussing books on video, similar to TikToks BookTok community. This feed can be viewed on both Surf and Bluesky. To make this feed, McCue included all videos tagged with the hashtags #BookTok and #BookSky. However, because those tags could exist on other apps besides Bluesky, when you use the feed on Surf itself, youll be able to see videos from other services like YouTube, Threads, and Mastodon, in addition to videos from Bluesky. Thats possible because Surf allows users to explore multiple social networks in its app, including those powered by protocols like ActivityPub (used by Mastodon), the AT Protocol (used by Bluesky), and RSS.

Those Beyond started life as the tech lab of fintech unicorn Thought Machine, supplying cloud-based core banking systems to the worlds biggest banks.Now, after setting off in a different direction to its former parent, it is on an innovation journey that started with a product not aimed at the JP Morgans or the Lloyds Banks of this world, but at four- to six-year-old children.This contrasting customer base reveals the vast opportunities to use financial technology to improve peoples lives and invigorate the banking sector.With its first product, Nestlums (pictured above), a digital and physical version of a piggy bank that is on the shelves at John Lewis, Those Beyond is ready to help fuel the Apple-ification of banking, according to Mark Warrick, CEO and founder of the company.Before founding Those Beyond, Warrick was chief design officer at Thought Machine, where he spent seven years helping with the Google-isation of banking.Warrick was one of the early employees at Thought Machine, which was established in 2014 by former Google head of text-to-speech Paul Taylor, along with other former employees of the tech giant.It offers an all-in-one cloud-based core banking software, known as VaultOS, which helps solve the biggest IT challenge for banks, replacing the legacy systems that are holding them back.It was hailed as the future and an opportunity for large, traditional banks to throw off the shackles of legacy systems and, like their digital-focused challengers, harness the latest technologies.One aspect of Thought Machines approach to the market was to demonstrate, through its labs, some of the cool apps it could build on top of its cloud platform that banks could offer customers. Thought Machine Labs was a 12-person studio led by Warrick. Its great to do cloud-based banking, but its even better if you do cloud-based banking and win more customers out of it Mark Warrick, Those BeyondIt was a really interesting way of helping Thought Machine get into the market. We would invent things on top of the platform and demo them to banks, he tells Computer Weekly.These included an app that enabled customers to chip away at their mortgages. Other creations included software to hyper-personalise loans and a digital piggy bank, says Warrick.He says these types of creations, which were made possible by the Thought Machine platform, would demonstrate what cool software the company could deliver.Its great to do cloud-based banking, but its even better if you do cloud-based banking and win more customers out of it, says Warrick.Those Beyond was created out of Thought Machine Labs in 2021, when Warrick left the company but took the whole labs department with him.Read more about Thought MachineDont bank on Google Bank, bank on banks becoming Google-like: The journey to Google bank is happening as the UK 's Lloyds Bank signals its intent to move to a platform inspired by the workings of the Google engine room.Lloyds Bank to migrate hundreds of thousands of customers to Google-inspired fintech: Following its announcement that it was exploring the use of a fintech platform, Lloyds Bank has been quick to plan customer migration.Thought Machine: Google-inspired banking fintech to unicorn and beyond: UK fintech unicorn Thought Machine is transforming the IT of large traditional banks, while working with fledgling digital-only challengers.I remember speaking to the board and the investors and saying, look we have done our job, we have helped banks understand what the Thought Machine platform does, but the platform is now selling itself and you dont need us, he recalls.Thought Machine had already built an impressive list of customers, including banking giants JP Morgan and Lloyds Banking Group. It was a really nice moment in the board where they agreed and we span out, with Thought Machine investors owning shares in us, adds Warrick.After receiving early investment, Those Beyond, with an even mix of software engineers and designers, took about five consumer product concepts with it.Its first product, Nestlums, was originally a toy that plugged into the Thought Machine platform. It sparked an idea for Warrick. The piggy bank is dead. Kids these days see their parents tapping phones, and parents these days just dont have coins and notes, he says.In the past, the piggy bank was the best way for young kids to learn financial literacy. I had young kids at the time, and they didnt know what money was, but what if they had this toy that tells them how much money they have when they shake it?Thought Machine never launched the product, but Warrick says whenever he discussed the idea with a bank, they loved it because its not the kid that is buying the toy, but the parents, who are perfect customers of banks, with potential needs for mortgages and loans.He adds: It never got launched, and I still say today that many of the products we had were too far ahead of their time because banks move so slowly.Those Beyond took it from idea to product as an experiment to test the boundaries. Coined a pocket money pet, this first version of Nestlums is aimed at very young children from four to six years old. The toy enables parents to keep track of how much pocket money they have given their children. This is so simple and it doesnt even connect to a bank, but is a pocket money tracker.The aim of this first-generation launch is to prove it in the market, says Warrick. These kids are so young and they are getting money from parents and grandparents and the like, and this is a way for parents to keep track of it. We thought lets try it and see if the idea has any legs.Warrick said the first challenge was to manufacture the toy and get it certified before finding a retailer to sell it.Nestlums was a John Lewis bestseller four weeks in a row in December 2024.The second generation of Nestlums will be subscription-based and will connect to a bank account via open banking.Warrick says the company is biding its time on other product concepts, which he describes as heavier, such as enabling people to chip away at mortgages and the hyper-personalisation of loans.Despite fintech being well established, he says there are aspects of banking that still offer opportunities for disruption. There is nothing better than working in a sector that hasnt matured yet in terms of art and emotion. Other sectors did it quickly. Computing used to be beige boxes, megahertz, RAM, and then we got things like Apple, which changed things, he adds.It has already started in banking, with Monzo and its pink bank card. It was the coolest-looking bank card in town, and it suddenly became fashionable. Never before had banking been fashionable, says Warrick.While Thought Machine, which provides an IT engine for banks, was inspired by Google, the likes of Those Beyond want Apple-inspired banking. All the different areas, from kids banking to mortgages, are ready for Apple-ification, says Warrick. There is no better a playground than one like banking that is void of any emotion or fashion.

Why NSA says disable location tracking on your phone.picture alliance via Getty ImagesDifferent users accept different levels of risk regarding location tracking, but most users have some level of concern, NSA warns. Location data can be extremely valuable and must be protected. The intel agency had personnel compromise in mind when it published its advisory, but the U.S. governments latest warning has something very different in mind. You need to check your location settings now getting this wrong could cost you a significant amount of money.The FTC has found that companies track consumer behaviors to inform surveillance pricing, with a particular focus on location and browser tracking. The Federal Trade Commissions initial findings from its surveillance pricing market study revealed that details like a persons precise location or browser history can be frequently used to target individual consumers with different prices for the same goods and services.Location sharing hit the headlines this month, when hackers released data stolen from Gravy Analytics, exposing sensitive information on millions of American citizens. NSAs advice is to check your phones app permissions and to set privacy settings to ensure apps are not using or sharing location data. If an app needs this data, ensure its only available when using the app. The agency also tells iPhone and Android users to delete or regularly reset their phones advertising ID.That same advice was issued by security analyst Baptiste Robert following the Gravy Analytics breach. He described the leak was a national security threat, with tens of millions of location data points worldwide [covering] sensitive locations like the White House, Kremlin, Vatican, military bases, and more.MORE FOR YOUFTC Surveillance Pricing StudyFTCWhile these are interim findings, they should not be a surprise. The FTC looked into the middlemen hired by retailers that can algorithmically tweak and target their prices. In essence, this means instead of a price or promotion being a static feature of a product, the same product could have a different price or promotion based on a variety of inputs... including their behaviors and preferences, the location, time, and channels by which a consumer buys the product.Clearly, this isnt just location data but thats a hugely valuable part of it. Again this month, we have seen reports that iPhone users are charged more than Android users for certain products and services. And the FTC found higher priced products based on consumers search and purchase activity. As one hypothetical outlined, a consumer who is profiled as a new parent may intentionally be shown higher priced baby thermometers on the first page of their search results.So, three things you can do to make surveillance pricing harder:Take NSAs advice, and disable location sharing on all but critical apps and delete/reset you advertiser ID.Use a privacy-centric browser, Safari is better than Chrome on an iPhone and Firefox is better on Android. If youre using Chrome, consider using incognito mode albeit thats not perfect.Do not give your data away too readily when asked online, consider using Apples Hide My Email and Googles Shielded Email (when it arrives this year) to protect your real address.Once upon a time, says the FTC, individual data collection was restrained by the amount of manual effort it required, and a consumer could just throw away a catalog. In this connected ecosystem powered by algorithms and data collection, every click, every mouse move, and every choice made on the way to every purchase is now catalogued.We have seen some great privacy innovations in recent years, with more transparency and control before. But its not a one-way street. Digital fingerprinting returns next month, courtesy of Googles recent policy change, and tracking cookies remain a threat. But you have the means to check all this on your phone and you can do something about it.As NSA says, while it may not always be possible to completely prevent the exposure of location information, it is possiblethrough careful configuration and useto reduce the amount of location data shared. Awareness of the ways in which such information is available is the first step.

GeForce Game Ready Drivers deliver the best experience for your favorite games. They're finely tuned in collaboration with developers and extensively tested across thousands of hardware configurations for maximum performance and reliability.Prior to a new title launching, our driver team is working up until the last minute to ensure every performance tweak and bug fix is included for the best gameplay on day one. Game Ready Drivers also allow you to optimize game settings with a single click and empower you with the latest Nvidia technologies. That's what we call Game Ready.Game Ready vs Studio drivers?Whether you are playing the hottest new games or working with the latest creative applications, Nvidia drivers are custom tailored to provide the best possible experience. If you are a gamer who prioritizes day of launch support for the latest games, patches, and DLCs, choose Game Ready Drivers. If you are a content creator who prioritizes reliability for creative workflows including video editing, animation, photography, graphic design, and livestreaming, choose Studio Drivers.Every Game Ready Driver is treated with the highest standards of quality. Our drivers are tested across thousands of hardware configurations over multiple generations of GPUs, and each driver is independently WHQL-Certified by Microsoft for maximum reliability - so you can focus on gaming, not troubleshooting.What's New:Nvidia GeForce Graphics Driver 566.45 HotfixThis hotfix addresses the following issues:[Indiana Jones and the Great Circle ] Some users may experience intermittent micro-stuttering [5015165]Improved stability for UBISoft games using the Snowdrop engine [4914325]Nvidia GeForce Graphics Driver 566.36Game ReadyIndiana Jones and the Great CircleDelta ForceMarvel RivalsPath of Exile 2Forza Motorsport RT Global Illumination updateWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 DLSS 3 Frame Gen updateOptimal SettingsFarming Simulator 25Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of ChornobylFixed[Forza Horizon 5/God of War: Ragnarok] Game may crash during gameplay after updating to R565 release drivers [4895068]Previous Release Notes:Game ReadyDragon Age: The VeilguardAlan Wake 2: The Lake HouseCall of Duty: Black Ops 6Horizon Zero Dawn RemasteredNo More Room In Hell 2Red Dead RedemptionThe Axis UnseenGeForce Experience Optimal SettingsDRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERONBA 2K5SILENT HILL 2G-Sync Monitor SupportDell AW2725DMFunai FGM-25F270I-O Data GCQ271UDI-O Data LDQ271JALG 32G810SAPanasonic OLED TVs Z85APanasonic OLED TVs Z90APanasonic OLED TVs Z95APhilips 48OLED789Philips 55OLED789Philips 55OLED909Philips 65OLED789Philips 65OLED909Philips 65OLED909/12Philips 65OLED959Philips 77OLED789Philips 77OLED899Philips 77OLED909Philips 48OLED759/769/779Philips 65OLED759/769/779Philips 66OLED759/769/779Philips 77OLED759/769/779Philips 42OLED809/819/849/889Philips 48OLED809/819/849/889Philips 55OLED809/819/849/889Philips 65OLED809/819/849/889Philips 77OLED809/819/849/889Samsung G61SDSamsung Odyssey G5Samsung Odyssey G70DSamsung Odyssey G80SDSamsung Odyssey G91SDFixed General BugsDigital Vibrance custom setting does not persist on reboot or wake from sleep [4801216][Bluestacks/Corsair iCUE] May display higher than normal CPU usage [4895184][4893446]Previous Release Notes:Game ReadyTHRONE AND LIBERTYMechWarrior 5: ClansStarship Troopers: ExterminationGPU ComputeSupport for CUDA 12.7NVIDIA App BetaRTX HDR multi-monitor supportG-SYNC controlsDriver rollbackGFE Optimal SettingsEA SPORTS FC 25Frostpunk 2God of War RagnarkFixed Gaming Bugs[Final Fantasy XV]. Turning on Turf Effects causes texture flickering with drivers newer than 546.65. [4745646][Dying Light 2 Stay Human] Game launch shows frozen white screen then crashes to desktop. [4738045]Fixed General BugsEnabling MSAA globally causes corruption to Steamlink streaming. [4741818]Slight monitor backlight panel flicker when FPS drops below 60FPS. [4785222]Known IssuesShort 3 second black screen on alt-tab from game to desktop in Windows 11 24H2. [4722079]Previous Release Notes:Game ReadyFINAL FANTASY XVIGod of War RagnarkEA SPORTS FC 25Frostpunk 2GFE Optimal SettingsBlack Myth: WukongF1 Manager 2024Star Wars OutlawsFixed General Bugs[GeForce Experience] Performance Monitoring overlay may stop refreshing GPU information [4679970][NVIDIA App] Game filters may intermittently be missing when invoking the NVIDIA Overlay in-game [4790774][Chaos V-Ray] Performance regression in some workloads when running R560 drivers [4766640]Previous Release Notes:Game ReadyBlack Myth: WukongStar Wars OutlawsFINAL FANTASY XVIConcordWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2Fixed General Bugs[Octane Benchmark]: Unable to finish octane benchmark [4744794]Known Issues[GeForce Experience] Performance Monitoring overlay may stop refreshing GPU information [4679970][NVIDIA App] Freestyle filters are missing when you press Alt+F2 [4790774]Previous Release Notes:Our latest GeForce Game Ready Driver brings support for DLSS in Hunt: Showdown 1896. Additionally, there's support for five new Optimal Playable Settings profiles.Game Ready For Hunt: Showdown 1896 With DLSS Super ResolutionHunt: Showdown 1896, from Crytek, welcomes you to a new era of the addictively intense extraction shooter. In corrupted backwaters lost to history, fight back alone or with friends against timeless evil and other Hunters. Risk everything as Hunt consumes you.This month, a massive game and engine update arrives, upgrading and enhancing virtually every aspect of Hunt: Showdown. On the tech side, GeForce RTX gamers will gain the ability to activate NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution, accelerating performance in each match.Optimal Settings For New GamesOne-click optimal settings in GeForce Experience and the NVIDIA app enable you to instantly configure game options for your system's hardware, giving you smooth, optimized gameplay. Over 1200 titles are supported, and since our last driver release we've added support for five more:Chained TogetherDungeonborneOnce HumanStormgateThe First DescendantSupported Products:GeForce RTX 40 SeriesGeForce RTX 4090 DGeForce RTX 4090GeForce RTX 4080 SuperGeForce RTX 4080GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SuperGeForce RTX 4070 TiGeForce RTX 4070 SuperGeForce RTX 4070GeForce RTX 4060 TiGeForce RTX 4060GeForce RTX 30 SeriesGeForce RTX 3090 TiGeForce RTX 3090GeForce RTX 3080 TiGeForce RTX 3080GeForce RTX 3070 TiGeForce RTX 3070GeForce RTX 3060 TiGeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 3050GeForce RTX 20 SeriesGeForce RTX 2080 TiGeForce RTX 2080 SuperGeForce RTX 2080GeForce RTX 2070 SuperGeForce RTX 2070GeForce RTX 2060 SuperGeForce RTX 2060GeForce 16 SeriesGeForce GTX 1660 SuperGeForce GTX 1650 SuperGeForce GTX 1660 TiGeForce GTX 1660GeForce GTX 1650GeForce GTX 1630NVIDIA TITAN SeriesNVIDIA TITAN RTXNVIDIA TITAN VNvidia GeForce Graphics Driver 555.99Game Ready for Pax Dei and Elden Ring Shadow of the ErdtreeThis new Game Ready Driver provides the best gaming experience for the latest new games supporting DLSS 3 technology including Pax Dei and Still Wakes the Deep. Further support for new titles includes the launch of the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.Fixed Gaming Bugs[GeForce Experience] Flickering or black screen if Instant Replay is enabled [4665009][NVIDIA app] FPS overlay showing NA in multiple games [4608943]Fixed General BugsCUDA 12.5 does not work with CUDA enabled Docker images [4668302][Microsoft New Teams/Outlook] Visual artifacts when MFAA is enabled from the NVIDIA Control Panel [4608670]LG OLED48C4 TV is not detected as G-SYNC Compatible [4645783]LG 32GS95UE is not detected as G-SYNC Compatible [4564083]

Table of ContentsTable of Contents10. This City is Ours9. Lockerbie8. Death Valley7. Towards Zero6. Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue5. Dope Girls4. The War Between the Land and the Sea3. Doctor Who2. Lord of the Flies1. King & ConquerorFor decades, American viewers who wanted to experience the top-notch dramas and comedies of the BBC had to turn to PBS. And while the Public Broadcast System is still home to several British dramas, BBC has expanded its own reach in the streaming era including partnerships with Netflix, Disney+, and even CBS. The BBC also has its own streaming service, BritBox, which provides a home for original shows that might not otherwise make it to these shores.Since the new year has arrived, its time to take a look ahead at whats coming to the British Broadcasting Corporation in our list of the 10 most anticipated BBC shows of 2025. Almost everything you see below either has a streaming service lined up, or will very likely have one settled later this year.Recommended VideosRelease date: N/ARelated10 most anticipated Netflix shows of 2024Game of Thrones Sean Bean is set to headline This City is Ours, an eight-part crime drama created by Stephen Butchard (The Last Kingdom). Bean will play Ronnie Phelan, the leader of a drug-running gang in Liverpool, while James Nelson-Joyce co-headlines as one of Ronnies most-trusted associates, Michael Kavanagh. Michael is starting to rethink his future after falling in love with Diana (Hannah Onslow).Unfortunately for Michael, his place in the organization comes under attack when a drug shipment goes missing, and Ronnies son, Jamie Phelan (Jack McMullen), decides to speed up his inheritance by claiming his fathers criminal empire and leaving Michael out in the cold.UCPRelease date: N/ALockerbie is a separate project from Peacocks recently premiered Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, although some of the subject matter does overlap. Suits Patrick J. Adams is one of the primary cast members alongside Connor Swindells, Phyllis Logan, Merritt Wever, Peter Mullan, Eddie Marsan, and Lauren Lyle.The miniseries will follow the two concurrent investigations by the American and British governments into the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded over Lockerbie in Scotland and killed 11 people on the ground as well as 259 on the plane itself. This story will also explore the impact this attack had on family members in both countries, as well as the ongoing search for answers that reaches as far as 2022.BBCRelease date: N/ABritish television has so many murder mystery drama shows that they get to have mystery comedies too. Death Valley falls into the latter category. Timothy Spall stars as John Chapel, a retired actor who is a legend for starring in his own detective TV series, Caesar. When Johns neighbor is murdered, he inserts himself into the investigation, much to the surprise of Welsh detective sergeant Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth).Once John gets a taste of being a real detective, he doesnt want to slip back to retirement. So hell be helping Janie solve other mysteries in the Welsh countryside, whether she wants his to or not.BBCRelease date: N/AIt just wouldnt be the BBC without a fresh Agatha Christie adaptation. Towards Zero is based on the late mystery novelists 1944 book, and it takes place in England during the 1930s. Anjelica Huston plays Lady Camilla Tressilian, an elderly and bedridden woman who invites her friends and extended family to a holiday with her.Among the attendees is Lady Camillas former ward turned professional tennis player, Neville Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). Neville already introduced discord for the event by inviting both his ex-wife, Audrey Strange (Ella Lily Hyland), and his new wife, Kay Elliott-Strange (Mimi Keene). But when two of the party members are murdered, Neville finds himself among the chief suspects, even though hes far from the only one with motive.Release date: N/ANine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue essentially starts at the end of the story with exactly what the title promises. Over the course of the series, viewers will learn that the nine bodies in question belong to the only survivors of a plane crash in the Mexican jungle.Kevin (Eric McCormack), Zack (David Ajala), Sonja (Lydia Wilson), Carlos (Peter Gadiot), Lisa (Siobhn McSweeney), Revueltas (Oscar Foronda), Travis (lafur Darri lafsson), Dan (Adam Long), and Amy (Jan Le) may be strangers to each other, but theyve experienced a miracle. Unfortunately, that miracle seems dubious since the survivors are being murdered one-by-one as they struggle to find rescue or a way out of the jungle. Is a killer among them, or is there someone else with them in the jungle? And will anyone live to tell the tale?BBCRelease date: N/ADope Girls takes place in the aftermath of World War I in Soho, and the women who thrived during the war dont want to be thrust back into their old subservient roles. An older single mother named Kate Galloway (Julianne Nicholson) definitely doesnt want to go back, because shes established herself as the owner of the hottest underground nightclub where the drinks and drugs flow like water.Billie Cassidy (Umi Myers) is one of the dancers in Kates club, and it becomes a life-changing experience for her. Meanwhile, the police have trained Violet Davie (Eliza Scanlen) to be one of the first female officers on the force, and its her job to infiltrate the nightclub and retrieve evidence of Kates crimes.BBCRelease date: N/ADespite its unwieldy name, The War Between the Land and the Sea is actually a spinoff from Doctor Who that brings back several actors from the Whoniverse, including Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, Ruth Madeley as Shirley Anne Bingham, and Colin McFarlane as General Austin Pierce; whom he previously portrayed in another spinoff called Torchwood. Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw both appeared in Doctor Who as well, but they will be playing new characters in this series.In this series, the Doctors old enemies, the Sea Devils, return and launch a war against the surface world. And with no help from the Doctor in sight, Kate and her team will have to find a way to end the war before humanity pays the ultimate price.Doctor Who Season 2 | Teaser Trailer ? - BBCRelease date: N/ASpeaking of Doctor Who, the new season presents an unusual mystery for the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa). His unlikely companion is a young woman named Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) who desperately wants to get back to her home on Earth. But no matter what the Doctor tries, his TARDIS cant seem to make the trip through time and space to put Belinda where she belongs.Who or what could be powerful enough to prevent the Doctor from coming back to his favorite planet in the universe? Before we get that answer, it looks like Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) and UNIT have their own problems to deal with back on Earth.BBCRelease date: N/AHis Dark Materials Jack Thorne is adapting a new version of William Goldings Lord of the Flieswith a largely unknown cast. The story follows a group of boys who survive a plane crash on a remote tropical island. At first, the boys attempt to be civilized and hope for rescue. But over time, some of the kids give into their most savage instincts and become far more dangerous to themselves than the island or anything that lives there.Legendary movie music composer Hans Zimmer is writing the theme for this series, and co-writing the rest of the music with Kara Talve.BBCRelease date: N/ANikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) is going from the fictional kingdom of Westeros to the very real struggle for the throne of England in the 11th century in the upcoming drama series King & Conqueror. CBS and BBC co-produced this historical epic, which means its likely to be one of the few British original series to be broadcast on American network television.Coster-Waldau plays William, the Duke of Normandy, and initially an ally of Harold Godwinson (James Norton), the Earl of Wessex. Although neither William nor Harold had designs on the throne, the latter is named king when his predecessor, King Edward (Eddie Marsan), dies. William believes his claim on the throne is stronger and he declares war on Harold to take it. By the time this show comes to an end, youll see why Coster-Waldaus character was known as William the Conqueror.Editors Recommendations10 most anticipated new and returning TV shows of 2025, ranked

Enhanced surveillance DC-area veterinarians on heightened alert amid potential inauguration risks There is no specific threat, but the alert highlights One Health approach to risk. Beth Mole Jan 20, 2025 2:57 pm | 2 Credit: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc via Getty Credit: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc via Getty Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreVeterinarians in the Washington, DC region have been put on alert for any unusual illnesses in their non-human patients amid today's presidential inaugurationa nod to the significance of potential zoonotic bioterror threats.In a recent letter to Virginia veterinarians, the state health department requested assistance in the "enhanced surveillance," while noting that, currently, there is no report of threats or bioterrorism-related illnesses."As with any large-scale public event, there will be heightened security, and the region will be on alert or signs of bioterrorism or other potential threats," the letter read. "Enhanced surveillance is being conducted out of an abundance of caution."Health officials are asking veterinarians to report any animals who develop an unusual, severe illness within 14 days of exposure to the National Mall area during the inaugural period between January 19 and January 21. The cases could include animals who travel to the area or who live there. If such a case arises, veterinarians should report the case "rapidly by phone" to the officials in the state's Zoonotic Disease Program. That includes State Public Health Veterinarian Julia Murphy.In an interview with Ars Technica, Murphy noted that the health department has requested enhanced surveillance from veterinarians in the past. "We did a similar thing for the last inauguration," she said.The recruitment of veterinarians highlights the threat posed by zoonotic diseasesthat is, those that can transmit between animals and humans. And it demonstrates the value of a "One Health" approach to health, which recognizes the interconnection between animals, humans, and shared environments.In emerging outbreaks or bioterror events, animal illnesses have the potential to act as sentinelsthe first to show signs of a diseaseas well as be informative for understanding the geographic scope and severity of an event, Murphy explained. For instance, the bacterium Francisella tularensis, which causes a potentially serious illness called tularemia, is particularly dangerous for rabbits and rodents. "Their incubation period can be quite shorttypically, not alwaysbut it can often be shorter than in people," she said, referring to the time between an exposure to an illness and when symptoms develop. F. tularensis is considered a potential bioterror weapon and appears on the federal list of Select Agents and Toxins.Role of animalsMurphy also noted the role of birds in detecting the introduction of West Nile Virus to North America in 1999. In August of that year, the New York City Department of Health identified eight people with severe encephalitis (brain inflammation) within a 16-square mile area around Queens. It was not immediately clear what was behind the disease cluster, but a deadly outbreak among area birds at the same time led disease detectives to the answer. West Nile Virus was first isolated from tissue samples from American crows in neighboring Westchester County, N.Y., and a Chilean flamingo in a nearby zoo. Subsequent testing linked the virus to the human cases.In regard to a potential biological or toxic threat at the inauguration, health officials left the possibilities wide open. The letter notes some recognizable threats, such as anthrax, tularemia, Ebola, plague, and botulism. A noninclusive list of concerning symptoms included fever, vesicles, hemorrhage, severe head and neck swelling, paralysis and other neurologic signs, sepsis, multi-organ failure, and death.But Murphy emphasized that these were just some examples. What veterinarians should really look for is a combination of something unusual, exposure to the inauguration area, and being in the two-week window."If they're seeing anything that that strikes them as unusualmaybe unusually severe illness or clusters of illnessand they have any concern at all that that animal may have had some type of connection to the general area around which the inauguration is happening, they should alert us and we can talk it through," Murphy said.Next steps would include connecting with diagnostic resources, and potentially reaching out to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Department of Agriculture.Murphy also noted that the public health system has built up strong relationships with the clinical veterinarian community. "If something was to happen, I have a high degree of confidence that we would hear about it early and quickly."Beth MoleSenior Health ReporterBeth MoleSenior Health Reporter Beth is Ars Technicas Senior Health Reporter. Beth has a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and attended the Science Communication program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She specializes in covering infectious diseases, public health, and microbes. 2 Comments

HealthThe benefits of taking GLP-1 agonists seem to outweigh the risks, at least when taken for approved uses, according to an assessment of how the drugs affect 175 conditions 20 January 2025 Semaglutide and other GLP-1 agonists are injectedIuliia Burmistrova/Getty ImagesDrugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, called GLP-1 agonists, carry more benefits than risks when taken for their approved uses, according to a comprehensive analysis of their effects on 175 conditions. The same may not be true for people taking the drugs for other uses, however.In this new land of GLP-1, we wanted to really map the benefits and risks for all conditions that might be plausibly linked, says Ziyad Al-Aly at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri. AdvertisementThe drugs are best known for helping people control type 2 diabetes and treat obesity. They mimic a hormone in the body, GLP-1, that lowers blood sugar levels and makes people feel fuller for longer.Dozens of studies suggest GLP-1 agonists may also cut the risk of a slew of other conditions, from heart disease to dementia to substance use disorders. These studies have involved hundreds or thousands of people and focused on just one or a few conditions at a time, but millions of people are now using the drugs, meaning we can investigate less frequent effects, says Al-Aly.To gain a more comprehensive picture, he and his colleagues examined the health records of more than 200,000 people with diabetes who took GLP-1 agonists in addition to their standard treatment over a four-year period. They also looked at 1.2 million people with diabetes who only received standard care across the same period, and assessed the risks of both groups developing 175 different health conditions. Get the most essential health and fitness news in your inbox every Saturday.Sign up to newsletterThe team found that those who took GLP-1 agonists had a lower risk of 42 conditions. For instance, their risk of heart attacks was reduced by 9 per cent and their risk of dementia dropped by 8 per cent. The odds of this group having suicidal thoughts or substance use disorders, including addiction to alcohol and opioids, also decreased by around a tenth even when the team accounted for factors that could affect the results, such as participants age, sex and income levels.There were downsides for the people taking GLP-1 drugs, however. They were more likely to experience known side effects including nausea and vomiting, along with others not described before. These include a 15 per cent higher risk of kidney stones and more than double the risk of an inflamed pancreas, or drug-induced pancreatitis. In total, risks were higher for 19 conditions, while for most of the conditions assessed, including bronchitis, rheumatoid arthritis and obsessive-compulsive disorder, taking GLP-1 drugs had no meaningful impact on risk levels.The fact that these drugs do affect such a wide range of conditions is still surprising, although exactly why they have this impact is unclear. Theyre reducing obesity, which is sort of the mother of all ills you treat it and subsequently get benefit in the heart, the kidney, the brain and everywhere else, says Al-Aly. They also generally dampen organ-damaging inflammation and seem to target parts of the brain related to addiction, he says.One issue with the analysis is that the team didnt report the actual number of people affected by each condition, making it hard to interpret the results, says Daniel Drucker at the University of Toronto, who has worked with obesity-drug companies. While the risk reductions in common conditions like heart attacks and dementia are probably worth taking seriously, he says, the links to rarer conditions like pancreatitis might involve a very small number of cases and so pose little risk to most people. Al-Aly says the team will be presenting specific case numbers in a future study.Overall, the research provides reassurance that the benefits of GLP-1 agonists outweigh the risks, at least for people with type 2 diabetes and obesity. There are no red flags for this group, says Stefan Trapp at University College London, who has also worked with an obesity-drug firm.But for those without these conditions, such as people without obesity buying the drugs to lose weight, the picture may differ. We have no idea if the benefits will outweigh the risks, says Drucker.Journal reference:Nature Medicine DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-03412-w Topics:

President Donald Trump's address did not include imposing tariffs.But he vowed that tariffs would lead to "massive amounts of money" entering the US Treasury.Trade experts have said that broad tariffs could increase prices for consumers and spark inflation.President Donald Trump is officially back in the White House, and one of his top priorities is tariffs and trade.While no tariffs were officially imposed on January 20, Trump announced during his inauguration speech that he plans to create the External Revenue Service, which would collect tariffs, duties, and revenues. He said this agency would lead to "massive amounts of money" coming into the US Treasury. Trump first announced the External Revenue Service on January 14."Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens, Trump said during his inauguration speech.The details of the plan are unclear, and creating a new agency requires approval from Congress.On the campaign trail, broad tariffs were a cornerstone of the president's platform. He proposed a 60% tariff on all goods imported from China, along with a 10% to 20% tariff on all imports from other countries.In November, Trump said he would "sign all necessary documents" to impose a 25% tariff on goods imported from Mexico and Canada on his first day in office unless the countriesOne month later, Trump also threatened the BRICS group, which is made up of nine countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with a100% tariff on imports from those countriesunless they committed to not creating another currency that competes with the US dollar.Trade industry experts previously told Business Insider that Trump's tariff proposals could cause the prices of impacted goods to increase, leading consumers to pay more for products like electronics or apparel,A number of companies have already announced that they were preparing to raise prices in anticipation of the tariffs. Some economists have also predicted that broad tariffs could increase inflation, likely causing the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.Trump has denied that his tariff proposals would hurt the economy and consumers, saying during an August speech that his plans have "nothing to do with taxes to us. That is a tax on another country." However, many economists have argued that the costs of tariffs couldestimated that the president's trade plans could cost the typical American household an extra $1,500 a year.Brian Hughes, a Trump-Vance transition spokesperson, told BI that Trump "has promised tariff policies that protect the American manufacturers and working men and women from the unfair practices of foreign companies and foreign markets.""As he did in his first term, he will implement economic and trade policies to make life affordable and more prosperous for our nation," Hughes said.How tariffs will impact consumers and the economyTrump implemented tariffs during his first term, which did not significantly impact inflation. Some economists, however, predict his proposals this time around could have a larger impact on the economy given their broader scope. For example, the nonpartisan Peterson Institute estimated that Trump's 60% tariff on goods imported from China would boost inflation by 0.4 percentage points in 2025.During Trump's inauguration speech, he touched on inflation concerns, which he blamed on government overspending and high energy prices. He vowed to direct members of his Cabinet to fight inflation and bring prices down by focusing on expanding domestic energy supply, specifically for oil and gas, and ramping up domestic manufacturing."Today, I will also declare a national energy emergency. We will drill, baby, drill," Trump said.It's unclear how quickly consumers could see the tariffs translated into higher prices on goods or whether a drop in energy prices could counteract the effect.In a recent report, the National Retail Federation predicted that Trump's tariff plans would raise prices on apparel and shoes, furniture, and appliances. An October report from the Consumer Technology Association estimated that the proposed tariffs would increase laptop and tablet costs by 45%."It's tough to say right now at what point consumers would feel the impact," Jonathan Gold, the vice president of supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation, previously told BI."It could also depend upon the individual companies and what their tariff mitigation plans are and how much they can try and lessen the impact on the consumers," Gold added.Trump's tariffs could also face legal challenges due to their potential violations of the US-Mexico-Canada agreement, a free-trade agreement negotiated by Trump in his first term that went into effect in July 2020.

Its a very cold day in the District of Columbia. The frigid temperatures have prompted the inauguration of Donald Trump and JD Vance to be moved into the US Capitol Rotunda.But thats not all thats changed between this day and Trumps inauguration eight years ago.Trumps Electoral College victory in 2016 shocked many, including the winner himself, according to many of his campaign staffers.Washington DCs elected officials and political insiders, Democrats and Republicans alike, were still reeling in January 2017 as Trump laid his hand on a Bible and solemnly swore to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.Now, in 2025, things have changed considerably. The Supreme Court has granted the president broad immunity from criminal prosecution. Trump has vowed to exact retribution against his political adversaries. While his team was unprepared to assume office the first time, now his staff has reportedly prepared more than 100 executive orders to be signed on Day 1. Organized resistance to Trump is muted this time around, the guardrails protecting democracy are weaker, and many Democrats in Congress say they are willing to work with him.Today, Explained host Noel King spoke with Susan B. Glasser, staff writer and a columnist for the New Yorker, about her memories of Trumps first inauguration and how hes being received differently this time. Glasser is the author, with Peter Baker, her husband and the chief White House correspondent for the New York Times, of the 2022 book The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021.Below is an excerpt of their conversation, edited for length and clarity. Theres much more in the full podcast, so listen to Today, Explained wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify.Susan B. GlasserIve been to a lot of different inaugurations here in Washington, going back to Bill Clintons. And 2016 was like nothing Ive ever seen in Washington DC. It was almost like an alien invasion. The streets were deserted. Definitely not the largest inauguration crowd ever in Washington. Nobody knew what to expect. It was just absolutely a time of disorientation, by the way, for Republicans here as well as for Democrats. It was a sense that anything was possible, that the wheels were possibly coming off of the American system. And I will never forget, I was at an inauguration watch party at the top of a hotel here in Washington that looks out over Pennsylvania Avenue where the inaugural parade is. I was sitting there with a close friend and colleague of mine from Politico. And the moment when Barack Obamas helicopter flew off, it just [felt], Were on our own this is really happening.Noel KingIts worth noting that it would not have only been Democrats feeling that on that day, Donald Trump being something new. Can you give us a bit of a sense of just how anti-establishment a figure he was perceived on that Inauguration Day and who maybe he was making the most nervous?Susan B. GlasserYeah, for sure. It was Republicans as well as Democrats who not only didnt know what to expect, but had a profound sense of disruption and concern about it. Remember that Trump had been opposed by the vast majority of his own party in the Republican primaries in terms of the establishment types, the elected officials. And for many of those elected Republicans here in Washington, they viewed this, correctly, I think, as a sort of a hostile takeover by an outsider of their own party. And remember the famous comment from George W. Bush, who was sitting on the platform in his role as former president for Trumps first inauguration. He turned to Hillary Clinton, who was sitting next to him in her role as a former first lady, not in her role as the defeated opponent of Donald Trump. And he said to Hillary Clinton, That was some weird shit, referring to Donald Trumps famous American carnage inaugural address. I later asked the two of them about that. And lets just say that they are not denying that that exchange happened and that that was the experience that they both felt of that moment.Noel KingSo eight years ago, everything was eerie and what the heck is going to happen, and the crowds are not out in the same way that you might expect. In 2025, who is coming out to support Donald Trump that wasnt there last time? Who is notable this year?Susan B. GlasserWell, there is a big change. First of all, we can talk about the opposition to Trump or the lack thereof. And thats the other important point about 2016, is that immediately a resistance paradigm kicked in among Democrats, among people who were upset and appalled and worried about Trumps victory. There was an almost immediate sense that weve got to resist this, weve got to stand up to this. There was the Womens March, as youll recall, immediately after the Trump inauguration. It had huge participation here. And so there was a sense of action being taken, I would say, and that this was something that could or would have to be gotten through for the next four years. I think that that for me is the biggest difference now, eight years later. Not only is there no such massive public kind of acts of resistance planned for the immediate aftermath of Trumps inauguration, but you have Democrats still embroiled in a game of finger-pointing and blame game among themselves about why they lost the election. You have many business leaders, establishment Republicans, and other types of people who would have considered Trump anathema back in 2016, who are not only openly supporting him, but I think theyve come to the conclusion that this is the new normal not only of the Republican Party, but to a certain extent of the country that Trumpism is not some one-off aberration, but an important factor for a long time to come in this countrys politics.Noel KingTell us about the types of corporations. So we hear that big business is getting behind Trump, at least symbolically, in this inauguration. What kinds of big business are we talking about and who represents them on Inauguration Day?Susan B. GlasserThe participation in Trumps inaugural committee, the fundraising for that committee, is a really striking difference that tells you about the level of acceptance from 2016 to today. Since Trumps election in November, youve seen many of Americas corporate leaders of many blue chip corporations, certainly ones that are not associated exclusively with red America, chipping in and announcing $1 million contributions either from the corporation or from the CEO personally or from both of them. Were talking companies like Apple, for example. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, is reported to be one of the people who is going to appear at Trumps inauguration, who gave a $1 million contribution. And Tim Cook, hes not a MAGA tweeter like Elon Musk, the worlds richest man, whos donated an extraordinary amount, something like a quarter of a billion dollars, to the effort to elect Donald Trump in 2024. Tim Cook is not a political donor. He seems to be going along with the idea that you have to pay to have access to the Trump administration going forward. And Ive been really struck by that. Thats a huge difference from 2016. The other big difference is not only are you seeing blue chip companies and mainstream Republican donors or even Democrats or former Democrats giving to Trumps inauguration, but its almost like its a concerted message thats being sent to Americas corporate elite, which is that if you dont pony up at least $1 million for this inauguration, you do not have a seat at the table in this future administration.Noel KingAnd so is that what, on this day, support for Trump looks like? Is it giving money to the inauguration? Or is there anything else that we should be looking for?Susan B. GlasserWell, I think thats just a sort of a tip-of-the-iceberg indicator. Donald Trump, of course, is very, very concerned about the public optics, the public narrative. I imagine that it pleases him to no end in Mar-a-Lago to see the parade of business leaders whove sought an audience with him since the election, whove made these very public displays of giving to his inaugural committee. But that is a reminder that theres so much that we dont see thats not publicly disclosed, that we journalists will have to do a lot of digging and a lot of hard work to understand the nature of what else these business leaders are getting.First of all, Trump is appointing many very wealthy individuals and business leaders to his Cabinet. By any reckoning, it is the wealthiest Cabinet with the most billionaires ever appointed in American history. So thats one thing. What are the other possible conflicts of interests, other business concerns that they might bring with them into these cabinet roles, first of all? Second of all, theres the question of the transparency, or lack thereof, of Trumps own family interests and personal financial interests, which was a big issue in his first administration as well. And third, theres the kind of unofficial power that many of those in Trumps orbit exercised in his first term and that I expect them to exercise in a second term as well. And thats very hard to track and is not something that we can find on a disclosure form.Noel KingWhat about elected Democratic lawmakers? Are the Democrats behaving this year in ways that are unexpected or different from last time?Susan B. GlasserYeah, I mean, inaugural addresses have a long tradition of being much more aspirational and very high altitude looking at the big picture goals and dreams and hopes for the country. Not Donald Trump. First, he comes in in 2016 and he has this very, very dark inaugural address, talks about American carnage, huge break with historical past. Then in 2020, what does he do? He denies the results of the election that he legitimately lost. Thats the first time in history, in all of American history, that has happened. He sics a violent mob of his supporters on the US Capitol on the day when theyre certifying Joe Bidens win and Trumps defeat. He refuses to attend the inauguration of his successor. These are ruptures with our past. And so you cant speak about what Democrats are doing this year in anything other than the context of what Trump did four years ago. Even there what you have is Democrats, theyre much more right now an institutionalist party, a party about saying were here to stand up for the traditions and the guardrails that exist in American democracy. So you have Joe Biden not only accepting Trumps victory, Kamala Harris accepting Trumps victory, conceding defeat, planning to attend the inauguration, but theyre not seeing this as the celebration of America in a nonpartisan sense that it used to be. I just saw that George W Bush, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton are not planning on attending the traditional post-inaugural luncheon at the Capitol that normally, of course, they all do attend. And this speaks to Donald Trump turning almost everything into a partisan test of how you react to him. Thats the reason why my husband and I called our book about Trumps first term The Divider. For him, everything is a confrontation. Everything is a division. And that now applies to this tradition of American inaugurations.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More: