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Meta Quest 3S review: A cheaper VR that still offers wonderful immersive worlds



Meta had huge success last year with its flagship Quest 3 VR headset and it is back with a significantly cheaper 3S device that compromises on visuals but still delivers a great experience




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Xbox Game Pass releases for November 2024: Everything coming to PC and console as Microsoft drops surprise classic



From Goats to airplanes, Xbox Game Pass has another bumper month in store for subscribers. Here's everything you need to know about what is heading to PC and console this November 2024




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EA FC 25 TOTW 8: All players for latest Team of the Week as Gyokeres gets upgraded



EA FC 25 players have a whole new Team of the Week to grind for, and there are some fantastic cards among them, including Sporting CP's hotshot striker Viktor Gyokeres.




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Sony's PS5 Pro comes with a secret feature for PlayStation fans but it may disappoint



Aside from offering a more powerful console, the PS5 Pro also packs a sneaky theme for PlayStation fans to uncover - something Sony hadn't previously discussed.




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PlayStation classic gets surprise release on Xbox today – it only took five years



Death Stranding, originally launched in 2019, has finally come to Xbox consoles five years after its initial debut as a Director's Cut version from Hideo Kojima.




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PS5 Pro scalpers sell Sony's console at a loss – but one accessory is in demand



PlayStation 5 Pro is out, and with plenty of availability, scalpers are shifting the £700 console at a loss and turning their attention to a key accessory instead




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Destiny 2 Xur Exotics: All items for sale and where to find him on November 8



Destiny 2's Exotic vendor, Xur, is back again this week. Here's how to find him, what he's selling, and whether we recommend his offerings before he vanishes again.




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EA FC 25 offering Ballon d'Or nominee in Ultimate Team for free this weekend – here's how



EA FC 25 players can snag some big freebies this week, with EA Sports celebrating the Ballon d'Or in style for all Ultimate Team players with some of the best players around.




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Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Season 1: Start date & time, new maps and everything you need to know



Black Ops 6 is here, and fans have been itching to know what's included in Season 1 - and now we have an answer. Here's what's included, and when you can play




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Call of Duty fans hail 'packed' Season 1 roadmap with fan-favourite skin



Call of Duty fans are impressed by Black Ops 6 Season 1 already, calling it the 'best Season 1 roadmap' since 2019's Modern Warfare reboot and you can find out below why they're saying it




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Pokemon set to break Guinness World Record with huge 24-hour livestream



The Pokemon Company is teaming up with content creators to stage a 24-hour unboxing live stream for its new Scarlet & Violet - Surging Sparks card set as you Gotta Catch 'Em All




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Final Fantasy 8 Remake guru urged to dump girlfriend to focus on the game



One fan has been rebuilding Final Fantasy 8 but it's not going quickly enough for some people who suggested they cut out things like relationships to focus on the game.




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Overwatch 2 6v6 Classic release time revealed as fans claim 'we're so back'



Overwatch 2 is bringing 6v6 gameplay back from Overwatch 1 - and fans are overjoyed. Here's all we know so far, including when you can finally play the Classic mode




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It's PS5's birthday - here's the five best games you must play on Sony's latest console



Just got a PS5 or want to know what to prioritise in your backlog? We've got you covered with the best PlayStation 5 games for your console that you can play right now.




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Call of Duty's Black Ops titles ranked - including zombies, CIA and Gary Oldman



Black Ops 6 is here, and it's Black Ops 2's anniversary, so what better time than to rank the Call of Duty Black Ops titles? Here's our ranking of every mainline version.




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New Pokemon card only launched last week - and it's already worth £420



Pikachu ex, found in the new Pokemon TCG set Surging Sparks, has seen its value soar with players spending over $500 for the latest card. Here's why.




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Epic Games reveals Fortnite OG release date for next month and it's permanent



Fortnite fans are going wild after Epic Games announced it's bringing back the original version of its battle royale as Fortnite OG as a permanent addition to the game.




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New comet makes historically close approach to Earth today, but spotting it will take some luck

Comet Nishimura (C/2023 P1) was discovered in August and is now whizzing by Earth, but finding it in the sky will be a challenge.




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Some scientists say blocking the sun could slow climate change — just like on The Simpsons

Scientists say geoengineering, or doing things like intentionally increasing Earth’s reflectivity or blocking the sun, is a “really big deal” in slowing down climate change. Here are the ideas they are proposing.




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Efforts underway to save salmon trapped in B.C. lake due to drought

More than 80 per cent of B.C.'s water basins are experiencing level 4 or 5 drought conditions, with salmon in many parts of the province struggling to make it to their spawning grounds.



  • News/Canada/British Columbia

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Oh my pod! Orcas moving en masse near N.L. astonish scientist

Fisheries and Oceans Canada whale researchers recently spotted one of the largest pods of orca whales ever reported off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.



  • News/Canada/Nfld. & Labrador

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How E. coli infections wreak havoc on the body, causing dangerous disease — particularly in kids

Certain strains of E. coli are capable of causing severe disease, by rapidly spreading through the human digestive system, wreaking havoc throughout the bloodstream, and eventually damaging the delicate kidneys. That's the situation right now during a large outbreak in Alberta, with hundreds of children now affected.




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NASA wants to shift talk on unexplained sightings 'from sensationalism to science'

NASA said Thursday that the study of UFOs will require new scientific techniques, including advanced satellites as well as a shift in how unexplained sightings are perceived.




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2 grizzlies follow hikers down trail for 20 minutes in Banff National Park

Two large grizzly bears followed 13 hikers down a trail in Banff National Park for 20 minutes — with one even making a few quick runs at the group.



  • News/Canada/Calgary

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Oceans could be used for carbon capture on a big scale

In this week's issue of our environment newsletter, we look at the carbon capture potential of the world's oceans and what effect beavers are having in the Arctic (spoiler: it's not good).




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Electric vehicles could save thousands of lives by reducing pollution, new study finds

Researchers calculated that if 30 per cent of vehicles in Chicago currently running on combustion engines were converted to electric, the reduction in pollution would save billions in health care costs every year. 



  • Radio/Quirks & Quarks

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What does a mummy smell like? Woodsy and sweet, with a 'note of pistachio'

Scientists have recreated the scent of the embalming fluid used to preserve a noblewoman more than 3,500 years ago — and they say it's quite lovely, indeed.



  • Radio/As It Happens

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Whale scientists capture the sights and sounds of a baby sperm whale birth for the first time

Scientists are using machine learning to decode and eventually translate how sperm whales communicate with Morse code-like clicks and pauses.



  • Radio/Quirks & Quarks

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Cement is everywhere. The industry is turning to carbon capture to curb emissions, and it's not alone

Cement is ubiquitous, but the process of making it emits carbon into the atmosphere. The industry says there's no easy way to avoid that, which is why it's turning to carbon capture and storage technology as a way to decarbonize.



  • News/Canada/Calgary

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Artificial intelligence is being used in university classes. How it's being used matters, say profs

As artificial intelligence becomes more common in university classrooms, some professors are weighing the benefits — and downsides — of students using it for research projects.



  • News/Canada/Nova Scotia

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This pediatrician has a stark warning about the risks of 'anti-science'

A pediatrician, author and co-inventor of a low-cost COVID-19 vaccine warns that the anti-vaccine movement has morphed into a political force that threatens the world's gains against deadly childhood infections like measles.




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After dismal start, UN hosts 'halftime summit' in bid to save development plan

After a dismal start, the UN is hosting a "halftime summit" about its 15-year plan to meet a series of human-development targets by 2030. Delegates will try to focus on problems like extreme poverty and gender equality while watching for sparks between the representatives of Ukraine and Russia.




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Nova Scotia biologist adapting COVID-19 technology to detect oyster disease

A biologist at Cape Breton University is hoping a piece of technology used to keep people safe in the pandemic can help protect Nova Scotia's oysters against the effects of warming waters.



  • News/Canada/Nova Scotia

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Do Newfoundland's Tablelands hold the answer to life on Mars? This researcher is trying to find out

The Tablelands in Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most unique landscapes in the world — and its orange peridotite rocks could hold the secret to finding life on Mars.



  • Radio/The Current

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N.L. institution says due diligence on OceanGate wasn't necessary prior to Titan implosion

The Marine Institute and OceanGate signed a partnership in early 2023, but it remains unclear if the Memorial University campus knew the ill-fated Titan submersible was unregulated, unclassed and uncertified.



  • News/Canada/Nfld. & Labrador

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Equity overload: Federal department keeps 294 DEI staffers on payroll, most with six-figure salaries

The Health and Human Services Department employs 294 people whose jobs focus on diversity, and the department maintains seven separate "minority health" offices spread across its various agencies, according to a new report that suggests it will be tough for the incoming Trump administration to unwind it all.




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Fired FEMA supervisor cites 'political hostility' as reason for avoiding homes with Trump lawn signs

The Federal Emergency Management Agency supervisor who was fired after she told her staff to skip hurricane-damaged homes with Trump signs in their yards says it wasn't an isolated incident and is a "colossal event."




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Mike Huckabee selected for ambassador to Israel

President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel.




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'Free, fair and fast': Officials quietly begin certifying presidential election results

Local officials are beginning to certify the results of this year's presidential election in a process that, so far, has been playing out quietly, in stark contrast to the tumultuous certification period four years ago that followed then-President Donald Trump's loss.




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Trump eyes major Day One moves on the border, energy production, electric vehicles and more

President-elect Donald Trump vowed on his first day in office to sign an executive order that seeks to end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants and kick-start the largest deportation effort in the nation's history.




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House Republicans demand Biden Cabinet members preserve all documents, communications

House Republicans on Tuesday demanded that each member of President Biden's cabinet preserve all relevant documents and communications, a move that signals future investigations into the Biden administration.




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Senate Republicans set to pick new leader in first open contest in 18 years

Senate Republicans on Wednesday will elect a new party leader for the first time in nearly two decades.




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Inside the report that reveals the extent of DEI spending in HHS

A new report by OpenTheBooks reveals that the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) employs 294 people in diversity-focused positions, with 182 of them earning six-figure salaries.




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UAPs return to Capitol Hill with joint House hearing on Wednesday

Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena -- that's UAPs for short -- are the centerpiece of a hearing Wednesday co-conducted by the two subcommittees of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. The joint hearing is titled "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth."




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Steven Witkoff chosen by Trump as special envoy to the Middle East

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East, marking another key position for his incoming administration.




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Trump picks former national intelligence head John Ratcliffe for CIA

President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman and director of national intelligence, will serve as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his administration.




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Trump picks John Ratcliffe for CIA, expected to name Gov. Kristi Noem for Homeland Security

President-elect Donald Trump announced a flurry of appointments Tuesday for key posts in his new administration, including former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA and the expected nomination of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to head the Department of Homeland Security.




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Justice Department kept FBI employees in the dark for years about whistleblower protections

A new Government Accountability Office report says that the Justice Department kept FBI employees in the dark for seven years after Congress updated whistleblower protections for bureau personnel in 2016.




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Trump selects Fox host Pete Hegseth for defense secretary

President-elect Donald Trump said he will nominate Fox News host Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense.




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Report: NFL intentionally delayed fine for 49ers' Nick Bosa until after election

According to a report Tuesday, the league deliberately decided not to impose an immediate fine on San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa for wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat during a postgame television interview.