Latest news with #AlexPerry
eNCA
27-06-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Mozambique probes claims of army atrocities near TotalEnergies site
Mozambique's human rights commission said on Friday it has opened an investigation into media reports of deadly abuses by government soldiers against villagers fleeing jihadist unrest near a major TotalEnergies gas plant. Politico reported in September that soldiers tasked with protecting the French fossil fuel giant's site had rounded up villagers following a major attack in 2021 and locked between 180 and 250 into containers, accusing them of being part of an insurgency. The men were held for three months and beaten, suffocated, starved and tortured, with only 26 surviving, according to the report by journalist Alex Perry based on interviews with survivors and witnesses. "If true, the facts alleged in the article may constitute crimes of summary execution (murder) torture and other cruel, degrading or inhuman treatment," the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) said in a statement. A team of investigators was in place and consulting with officials from the northern Cabo Delgado province, the statement said. They would visit the area to collect statements from witnesses and victims, and also meet representatives of Mozambique LNG, the local subsidiary of France's TotalEnergies. A final report would include recommendations on accountability and possible reparations for victims, it said, without giving a timeline. Mozambique LNG said last year it had no knowledge of the atrocities alleged to have been carried out between April and July 2021. In March 2021 Islamic State-linked militants active in Cabo Delgado since 2017 attacked the port town of Palma, a few kilometres from the TotalEnergies site, sending thousands of people fleeing. Conflict tracker ACLED estimated that more than 800 civilians and combatants were killed while Perry reported, after an investigation, that more than 1,400 were dead or missing. The multi-billion-dollar liquefied natural gas project, a major boon for impoverished Mozambique, has been stalled since then.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nintendo Switch 2 vs Switch 1: All the differences I found while playing the new console
Curious how the Switch 2 compares to the Switch 1? Tens of millions of gamers are asking the same question. Nintendo has officially launched its newest home console/handheld hybrid. You're probably wondering what makes it so different from the original Nintendo Switch console. After the Nintendo Direct Switch 2 livestream ended back in April, I got to spend several hours playing with the Switch 2 and upcoming games like Mario Kart World and Metroid Prime 4. After nearly five hours of hands-on time then, and much more in the time since, I came away very impressed with the Switch 2, but also concerned about a couple of key factors. Let's dig in. On the surface, Switch 2 seems like a fairly iterative upgrade. Fortunately, that's not really the ALSO: How to buy Nintendo Switch 2 online: It's all eyes on Target now It looks much more professional than the Switch 1. Credit: Alex Perry/Mashable First, I want to focus on the hardware and its new features rather than the software. The first Switch was a godsend in terms of industrial design compared to the Wii U. However, over time, things like the Steam Deck started to make it feel a little bit like a toy. Personally, the Joy-Cons were always too small for me to use comfortably, rendering it a TV-and-Pro-Controller-only machine in my household. Admittedly, it proved to be a fantastic device for children, but I am not a child, at least not physically. SEE ALSO: Nintendo Switch 2 specs unveiled: Bigger screen, better performance, and more From the first second I got to hold a Switch 2 unit, I instantly liked the way it felt in my hands. The 7.9-inch 1080p display (which supports HDR and 120Hz refresh rate) is substantially nicer than the 6.2-inch 720p display on the predecessor console. In addition to a bigger screen, the Joy-Cons also have some added muscle. I still would rather use the new Pro Controller (which feels great, but is functionally very similar to the last one), but I played several games using Joy-Cons and didn't have any comfort-related problems for once. Nintendo crucially maintained the same level of thinness from Switch 1 to Switch 2, so it's in that sweet spot of "just heavy enough to feel premium and just light enough to feel comfortable." I'd also like to shout out the magnetic Joy-Con attachment mechanism, which instantly shut down any skepticism I may have had about its reliability the second I tried it. It smartly requires you to pull a little release trigger on the back to detach Joy-Cons from the unit, so it seems nearly impossible to do unintentionally. Miraculously, though, inserting the Joy-Cons magnetically works like magic. Nintendo absolutely nailed this aspect of the device. Featured Video For You Nintendo Switch 2: Hands On The new Pro Controller feels great. Credit: Alex Perry/Mashable It's no surprise that Switch 2 is more powerful than its predecessor, as that console was underpowered when it launched eight years ago. I can confirm that Switch 2 is noticeably more powerful than the original Switch. SEE ALSO: My day one Nintendo Switch 2 review: It's here, and it's awesome Doing a cross-country race across Mario Kart World's gorgeous open world without even a hint of loading between tracks is awesome. Seeing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom run at a buttery smooth 60 frames per second is very convincing in person. The Switch 2 can run Street Fighter 6 and Cyberpunk 2077 at levels that at least seem acceptable. It's definitely not a handheld PS5, but Nintendo forcing what is functionally a tablet to run (some) games at 4K resolution or 120 frames per second (Metroid Prime 4 looks unbelievable that way) is a real sight to behold. The new Joy-Cons are very nice. Credit: Alex Perry/Mashable One big new thing is that the Joy-Cons have a mode where they double as computer mice. I don't know if you can literally use one on a PC, but the primary experience I had with them was very PC-like. My main exposure to the Joy-Con mouse support was in a brief demo of Metroid Prime 4, where played like a PC first-person shooter. The mouse controls are very responsive and feel right. I do think the Joy-Cons are a little weird to hold with one side facing down on a flat surface, as that definitely caused some accidental button presses at inopportune moments. I'm also not sold on this becoming a regular feature in games after the launch window, or even something I personally want to do, primarily because I don't usually keep a flat surface within arm's reach while I play games. But I can confirm that it works precisely as intended, and as an added bonus, you can just lift up the Joy-Con and resume playing Prime 4 with dual-analog stick controls seamlessly without even pausing the game. The fabled "C" button. Credit: Alex Perry/Mashable First announced back at the Direct in April, one of the Switch 2's defining features is GameChat. This is basically Discord, but with some Nintendo seasoning. Up to 12 people can be in a room yapping it up at a time, and up to four people can stream a very choppy-looking live feed of their gameplay to everyone else. I've tried a bit of this already, and I can confirm it at least works. GameChat is designed to be used with an open mic attached to the Switch 2 itself, and it does a pretty good job of eliminating unwanted background noise, in my brief experience. However, you can also just use a headset, if you like. You can even pre-order a Piranha Plant webcam for your Switch 2. SEE ALSO: Every Nintendo Switch 2 game you can preorder right now Here is the start of the bad news when comparing the Switch 2 and Switch 1. More horsepower and a better display also mean more drain on battery, which was confirmed by Nintendo, via Kotaku. (Womp, womp.) It has an approximate battery life of 2 to 6.5 hours, depending on what you're playing on it. Compare that to the Switch OLED, which can range from 4.5 to 9 hours, and it's not looking so hot for the new console. Again, this is something that was impossible to test prior to launch, so we'll need to find out for sure now that the console is actually out. But don't expect amazing battery life from Switch 2. It still comes with a dock, of course. Credit: Alex Perry/Mashable This is the worst news about Switch 2: It costs $450 to start. There's also a $500 model bundled with Mario Kart World, which actually looks like the more enticing deal because Nintendo has gone wild with game prices this time around. Mario Kart World is a shocking $80 on its own and Donkey Kong: Bananza is $70. There's also a little minigame collection meant to be a tech demo for the console that is, for reasons I cannot fathom, a paid download. Combine all of that with the fact that upgraded "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition" versions of old games will come with a price tag for the upgrade, and it feels like Nintendo is nickel-and-diming us a little bit. I'll grant the company a little bit of grace because of the Trump administration's chaotic tariff policy, but customers who feel the weight of a $500 console purchase justifiably won't give Nintendo the same benefit of the doubt. Regardless of all the upgrades Switch 2 brings, it's $150 more expensive than Switch 1 was at launch. It's not ideal. UPDATE: Apr. 24, 2025, 3:29 p.m. EDT This story has been updated with additional photos of the Switch 2 and its accessories, as well as new details about the console's social features and preorder launch in the United States.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What's the average hourly pay in Vermont? See how your paycheck compares
Vermont residents are in the top half of hourly earners in the country, reveals data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its total private average hourly earnings by state, along with the average weekly earnings and the average number of hours Americans work per week as of April 2025. It showed that Vermont residents do pretty well for themselves. Here's the average hourly salary for Vermont and how it compares to other states. How does your salary compare? On average, Vermonters earn $34.78 per hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This figure is not seasonally adjusted. This means that per week, Vermonters earn $1,182.52 on average. Vermonters work 34 hours per week on average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's the highest working hours of the New England states. New England is home to two of the top 10 earning states in the country, Massachusetts and Connecticut. While Vermont is in the top half of earning states in the country, it's the second lowest in New England. Massachusetts, $42.21 Connecticut, $38.43 Rhode Island, $36.01 New Hampshire, $35.68 Vermont, $34.78 Maine, $32.39 Employees in the nation's capital of Washington, D.C., earn the most money with an average hourly pay of $52.25 per hour. This is over $15 per hour more than what workers in Vermont make. Mississippi lands in last place for earnings per hour: average hourly earnings in this Southern state are just $27.88. Washington, D.C., $52.25 Massachusetts, $42.21 Washington, $41.61 California, $40.69 Colorado, $39.10 Minnesota, $39.04 New York, $38.50 Connecticut, $38.43 Hawaii, $37.84 New Jersey, $37.68 Contributing: Alex Perry This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: What's the average hourly pay in VT? How does your paycheck compare? Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texans work the most hours per week. See average hourly pay in Texas, how yours compares
Do you make more money than the average Texan? The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its total private average hourly earnings by state, along with the average weekly earnings and the average number of hours Americans work per week. Here are the average hourly and weekly salaries for Texas, average weekly hours, and how these figures compare to those in other states, as of April 2025. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, total private average hourly earnings in Texas are $34.25 as of April. That hourly rate is not seasonally adjusted. The data shows that the average gross weekly earnings are $1,239.85. Extrapolated over 52 weeks, that weekly earnings figure equates to $64,472.20 per year, Texas' average hourly earnings rank in the middle among states, with its average weekly earnings falling in the upper-middle category. Employees in the nation's capital of Washington, D.C., earn the most money with an average hourly pay of $52.25 per hour. This is a full $18 above Texas' average. Mississippi lands in last place as the state that earns the least on average. Its average hourly earnings are just $27.88, which is $6.37 less than Texas'. Washington, D.C.: $52.25 Massachusetts: $42.21 Washington: $41.61 California: $40.69 Colorado: $39.10 Minnesota: $39.04 New York: $38.50 Connecticut: $38.43 Hawaii: $37.84 New Jersey: $37.68 Mississippi: $27.88 New Mexico: $29.13 Louisiana: $29.38 Arkansas: $29.69 West Virginia: $29.90 Kentucky: $30.07 Tennessee: $30.68 Iowa: $30.75 Oklahoma: $30.76 Alabama: $31.08 At 36.2 hours per week, the average Texas employee spends the most time at work compared to those in other states. This is nearly four hours more than the average employee in South Dakota, with the fewest weekly hours. Texas: 36.2 hours Louisiana: 36.0 hours Mississippi: 35.6 hours Alabama: 35.3 hours Oklahoma: 35.2 hours West Virginia: 35.0 hours North Dakota: 34.9 hours Kentucky: 34.8 hours Arkansas: 34.7 hours Arizona: 34.6 hours South Dakota: 32.4 hours Delaware and New York: 32.5 hours Hawaii: 32.6 hours Wisconsin: 32.7 hours Minnesota: 32.9 hours Colorado, Maine and New Hampshire: 33.1 hours Montana: 33.2 hours — The Columbus Dispatch's Alex Perry contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: What's the average hourly pay in Texas? See how your paycheck compares
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
How this 'generational shift' impacts fitness, wellness industries
Bank of America data shows that Gen Z and millennials are increasingly prioritizing their health. Bank of America Securities leisure analyst Alex Perry joins Asking for a Trend host Josh Lipton to share his top wellness stock picks and discuss the generational shift toward healthy habits. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Asking for a Trend here.
