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Amazon, Alphabet, and Salesforce assist Databricks valued at $ 28 billion

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Ali Ghodsi, Co-Founder and CEO of Databricks Inc., speaks during a television interview for Bloomberg Technology in San Francisco, California, United States on Tuesday, October 22, 2019.

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Databricks, a start-up whose software helps companies process large amounts of data quickly and prepare it for analysis, announced Monday that it had raised $ 1 billion in fresh money, including from some prominent corporate investors.

Amazon Web Services, Alphabet’s CapitalG Venture Arm, and Salesforce Ventures have joined, according to a statement. Microsoft, which had previously invested in Databricks, is also participating in the new round, the statement said.

The $ 28 billion transaction for Databricks shows that the top three US cloud providers are realizing the company represents a similar opportunity to Snowflake, another cloud software company, is managing the company Data supported.

Databricks became famous for helping companies implement a version of Apache Spark, an alternative to Hadoop technology for storing many different types of data in bulk. It can help cleanse data for exploration in data visualization software like Salesforce’s own Tableau. Databricks software provides companies with an easy way to run this type of software without worrying about configuration and updating. Databricks is also increasingly helping companies provide models for artificial intelligence.

“We are 100 percent cloud-native,” said Ali Ghodsi, CEO of Databricks, to CNBC in an interview in 2019. The same principle applies to Snowflake, in which Salesforce also invested and that after going public last year has seen strong sales growth.

Amazon, the largest cloud provider, did not invest any money in Snowflake before going public. Investments will now be made in Databricks at a later date than before.

Nominations are open to the 2021 CNBC Disruptor 50, a list of private startups that are leveraging breakthrough technology to become the next generation of large public companies. Submit by Friday, February 12th at 3 p.m. EST.

Medical doctors are holding again wanted doses as backups, in accordance with Biden officers

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Close-up of the Moderna vaccine at the Park County’s Department of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic for Seniors 80+ on January 28, 2021 in Livingston, Montana.

William Campbell | Getty Images

Some health care providers have regularly withheld doses of vaccine for Covid-19 to ensure supplies are in place when people come back to get their second shots, an official on President Joe Biden’s coronavirus response team said Monday.

Andy Slavitt, a senior advisor to Biden’s Covid Response Team who previously served in the Obama administration, said health care providers shouldn’t withhold vaccine doses. He said the practice is actually causing some vendors to cancel appointments and preventing some Americans from getting their first shots.

“We want to make it clear that we understand why health care providers did this, but that it doesn’t have to and shouldn’t,” he told reporters during a coronavirus briefing, adding that US officials are aware of supplies of Covid vaccines to states were often unpredictable during the early rollout in late December.

“We fully understand that this is a direct result of the unpredictability that many states and suppliers have had about the number of doses they would receive,” he said. “That’s one reason we announced last week that the federal government would provide a continuous three-week window for the vaccines to be shipped.”

“With this move, states and vaccine providers will use their allocation of the first doses faster to vaccinate as many people as quickly and equitably as possible because they now have the predictability,” he said, that the second shots will be on time.

Biden is trying to accelerate the pace of vaccination in the US after a slower-than-expected rollout under the administration of former President Donald Trump. The Biden government has advised states and health care providers that they no longer need to withhold the two-dose doses reserved for the second round of Pfizer and Moderna vaccinations.

Still, some states have raised concerns that the federal government will be able to maintain an adequate dose supply for the second round of firing. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two vaccinations three to four weeks apart, and the states vaccinate approximately 1 million people daily.

The U.S. has distributed nearly 50 million doses of vaccine, but only about 31.1 million had been administered as of 6 a.m. ET Sunday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Monday, states had 62% of their vaccine inventories managed, but officials expect that number will improve, Slavitt said.

U.S. officials also hope vaccine supplies will increase after Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use. The FDA could give the OK this month.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced in August that it had signed a contract with Janssen, J & J’s pharmaceutical subsidiary, worth approximately $ 1 billion for 100 million doses of its vaccine. The deal gives the federal government the opportunity to order another 200 million cans, according to the announcement.

Unlike Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines, J & J’s vaccine only requires one dose, which makes logistics easier for healthcare providers.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said Monday that making sure people who get their first dose can get their second remains a top priority for officials. CDC director Rochelle Walensky said the agency is still recommending people get their second recordings on time.

On Sunday, an epidemiologist advising Biden’s transition to the Covid-19 crisis warned of an impending wave of infections and said the US should adjust its vaccination strategy to save lives.

Dr. Michael Osterholm told NBC’s Meet the Press that the government should try to give as many first vaccine doses as possible, especially for those over 65, before there is a potential increase in cases involving mutations overseas.

Masks are actually necessary for public transport

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People in masks in the subwayPhoto: SmartPhotoLab (Shutterstock)

Starting today, the CDC officially requires travelers to wear masks on trains, airplanes, buses, taxis, ridesharing, and other forms of “public transportation”. The order, what you can read hereprovides a precise definition of what constitutes a “mask” – bandanas and face shields do not count.

What You Should Know When Traveling

You must wear a mask when boarding, driving, and disembarking your plane, train, boat or whatever. The rules also apply to “transport hubs” such as airports and bus stops, as well as to employees and travelers. As you go through the process of traveling, expect to hear announcements and see signs of the new rules.

If you refuse to wear a mask, the driver or crew shall refuse to service you. If you take off your mask in the middle of the trip and refuse to put it back on, you can get rid of it. They also violate federal law.

The new rule does not apply to people who drive their own car for personal use, but rather to drivers and ridesharing drivers like Uber and Lyft.

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Masks are not required for children under two years of age or for people with a disability that makes it impossible for them to safely wear a mask. The driver or crew may ask for documentation to demonstrate that you have a relevant disability. (Here’s why This is not a HIPAA violation.)

Illustration for article titled Masks Are Now Mandatory on Public Transportation

Can i ever take it off

Yes, you can take it off “for a short time” to eat, drink or take medication. You cannot bypass the rule by pretending to drink a bottle of water for the duration of the flight.

You may be asked to temporarily remove your mask when presenting photo ID. Masks can also be removed from various emergencies, e.g. B. by donning oxygen masks that fall from the ceiling when an aircraft loses cabin pressure. It’s also okay to remove a mask if it is necessary to communicate with someone who reads the lips.

What counts as a mask?

The CDC Are defined an acceptable mask that includes N95, surgical masks, and most cloth masks. The mask must also go over your damn nose counting.

Illustration for article titled Masks Are Now Mandatory on Public Transportation

The following masks are not acceptable:

  • Bandanas (too loose)
  • Masks that are knitted or loosely woven so that you can see light through them
  • Mesh masks or masks with holes
  • Masks with valves (because they have a big old hole in them)
  • Face shield (but you can wear one in addition to a mask)
  • Balaclavas or scarves (also no masks)

Clear masks that allow lip reading are fine. Leggings (like buffs) are allowed if you fold them so that the part over the mouth and nose has at least two layers.

Basically, not much changes if you’ve been wearing masks in a meaningful way all along. However, the airlines already had similar rules USA Today notes that flight crews say it is easier to enforce federal law than company policy.

Why pregnant Ashley Tisdale posed nude on Instagram

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Ashley Tisdale is proud of her pregnant body!

Before the arrival of their first child with husband Christopher FrenchThe high school musical star decided to celebrate her pregnancy journey by posing naked on Instagram.

In a selfie shared on Monday February 1st, the actress took a nude photo of herself in her bathroom with an inspirational message to fans and followers.

“So often do we give our love to others,” she wrote to her 13 million followers. “Let’s start loving ourselves and our bodies in every shape and form. Our bodies do a lot for us every day and we neglect to acknowledge that. Thank your body and say I love you.”

Shortly after the photo was posted, Ashley received support from her famous friends, including the former co-star Vanessa Hudgens who wrote: “Gorgeous babeeeeezzz.”

Hilary Duff added, “Look like a queen,” as Ashley’s husband quickly proclaimed, “The most beautiful and worst woman in the world.”

The No-Contact Grownup Information to Little one Tradition: Warning Indicators

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Internet cultureInternet cultureIt’s hard to keep up with internet culture, but don’t worry: every week we tell you the best of what you need to know.

This week the internet is all about the possibility of great harm. Maybe it’s a hangover of “Just do whatever, who cares?” Sentiment for the past four years, but for whatever reason, all I see are flashing red danger signs, from financial goliaths owned by Internet Davids to bad game night guests to the myriad of troubles you get into if you repeat what you do see see on TikTok.

This week in internet warnings

There is never a shortage of “don’t do what you saw on the internet” stories, but this week the scolding is reaching a fever level. So I’ve prepared a list of things online that could hurt you, your children. and western civilization.

Illustration for article titled The Out-of-Touch Adults Guide To Kid Culture: Warning Signs

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This week in High Finance: GameStop stonks

It’s rare for young people to be interested in the stock market, but this week the internet bankrupted nearly a billion dollar stock fund. Here’s a quick rundown of the situation (from a man whose entire understanding of the stock market came from seeing Trading Places in 1996): Recently, day trading on Reddit’s has subsided Wallstreetbets The forum found that a hedge fund was short selling GameStop’s stock. This may have been a good bet for the fund, given the financial hardship GameStop was in, but when Redditors saw this, they began buying GameStop stock at the low, low short price. This drove up the price. With every tick toward the sky, the hedge fund was losing money.

Illustration for article titled The Out-of-Touch Adults Guide To Kid Culture: Warning Signs

Then big investors noticed and bought into the bubble. With a tweet, Elon raised the share price from $ 147.98 to $ 230, and on further purchases it rose to nearly $ 350 per share and then fell to “only” $ 200 per share. It had traded at around $ 4 a few months ago, up eight thousand percent from the lowest to the highest point. With price in the stratosphere, the hedge fund was as badly hit at the end of the trading venues as the dukes, and it will (presumably) get worse when they are forced to buy back the stocks they cut.

Day trading apps like Robinhood prevented their users from buying GameStop stock, which was considered bad by politicians from AOC to Ted Cruz. Poorer people made money and richer people lost (for now, anyway), and how it all ends is unclear – maybe the rules on short selling will change, maybe Reddit will crash the international economy and put us in Mad Max style Post- Economy hell landscape where we buy stocks made of guzzolene and metal spikes for shoulder pads.

Illustration for article titled The Out-of-Touch Adults Guide To Kid Culture: Warning Signs

Celebrity You’ve Never Heard Of Before: Riyaz Aly

Before the internet, hardly anyone in the US would have heard of Riyaz Aly. The seventeen year old lives with his family in India and enjoys synchronizing himself with other people’s music, wearing nice clothes and dreaming of being a Bollywood movie star one day. It almost piled up too 48 million followers on TikTok. That’s roughly the population of South Korea … all for a random kid in India who syncs with their lips.

He’s a charismatic young man sure, but the fact that your kids, me, and now you know his name must mean something, but I’m not sure what. Modern fame is so damn weird.

Viral Video of the Week: Game Night Stereotypes

It’s been almost 38 years since anyone had a game night that wasn’t about Zoom or Discord.Game night stereotypes”To the top of the YouTube trend chart. The comedy video by Age perfect was viewed 11 million times in a few days and describes all the annoying types of people who would come over to play boggle if it was still a thing to come over to play boggle. So if you are missing out on the Forever Dice Roller, Poker Poseur, and I’m Always Red, this is the video for you. Make sure you stay at the end of the video so you can remember a sequence about the destruction of the room. (By the way: You are all invited to Settlers of Catan to see me as soon as you can present some vaccination papers. I miss the game night.)

Robinhood CEO explains commerce restrictions

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Robinhood Co-Founder and Co-CEO Vlad Tenev speaks on stage during the TechCrunch Disrupt New York event on May 10, 2016.

Noam Galai | Getty Images for TechCrunch

The co-founder of Robinhood used the audio chat app Clubhouse by invitation only to defend the investment platform’s decision to restrict trading in GameStop and other volatile stocks.

GameStop shares are up more than 1,500% since the start of the year, thanks in no small part to a wave of retail investors inspired by Reddit board WallStreetBets. Such investors piled up in GameStop and other sharply shortened stocks, causing huge losses for some hedge funds.

Robinhood restricted trading on several stocks, including GameStop and AMC Entertainment, on Thursday. Vlad Tenev, Co-CEO of Robinhood, said at the time that the decision was made to protect the company and its customers.

In the late Sunday (Pacific Time) session at the clubhouse, Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, pushed Tenev on why the platform, a pioneer in commission-free trading, decided to restrict trading last week. The online brokerage firm restricted trading in 13 stocks, which allowed clients to sell positions but not open new ones in certain stocks, causing anger among users.

“We had no choice in this case,” said Tenev. “We had to meet our regulatory capital requirements.”

Tenev said Robinhood’s operations team received a request from the National Securities Clearing Corporation at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time Thursday. Robinhood and other clearing brokers have to meet certain deposit requirements every day from clearing houses like the NSCC. The amount required is based on factors such as volatility and concentration in certain securities, Tenev said.

Robinhood received a $ 3 billion bond application from the NSCC to help secure business. “An order of magnitude more than usual,” said Tenev. The company raised an additional $ 1 billion in emergency capital from existing investors to prop up its balance sheet and ease trade restrictions.

“Did something shady go down here?” Musk – who has shown support for WallStreetBets on Twitter – asked Tenev.

“I wouldn’t ascribe any shadiness or anything to it,” replied Tenev. “The NSCC was sensible after that.”

Robinhood and the NSCC later agreed to cut the figure from $ 3 billion to around $ 1.4 billion, but Tenev said his company was still forced to take action to limit trade.

Tenev’s explanation of the situation echoed a blog post by Robinhood in which the company stated that some securities are temporarily subject to purchase restrictions due to a tenfold increase in clearinghouse deposit requirements.

Robinhood will continue to restrict trading in short squeeze names like GameStop on Monday. Customers can only buy one share of GameStop stock and five options contracts. However, the millennial-favored stock trading app has reduced the list of restricted stocks from 50 to eight.

When asked by Musk if there would be more trade restrictions in the future, Tenev said, “I think there will always be a theoretical limit. We don’t have infinite capital.”

Musk also asked Tenev whether Citadel Securities – the largest options market maker in the United States – had pushed the company to set trading limits. Robinhood generates a significant portion of its income from referring orders to market makers such as Citadel Securities and Virtu. Citadel, a separate hedge fund business, helped raise nearly $ 3 billion in Melvin Capital, a hedge fund betting against stocks like GameStop.

“How committed are you to Citadel (Securities)?” Musk asked, to which Tenev replied, “There’s a rumor that Citadel (Securities) or other market makers forced us to do it, and that’s just wrong.”

“This was a clearinghouse decision based only on capital requirements,” added Tenev. “From our point of view, Citadel (Securities) and other market makers were not involved.”

“Citadel Securities has not directed or caused any brokerage firm to cease, suspend, restrict, or otherwise cease to operate,” a Citadel Securities spokesperson told CNBC. “Citadel Securities remains focused on providing our clients with continuous liquidity in all market conditions.”

Cash: Reporter’s Pocket book: Wager Huge with Public Cash | Information, sports activities, jobs

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In the past seven days, I was writing about a $ 25 million mortgage application administered by the West Virginia Economic Advancement Authority that had misplaced more than $ 24 million in the past 19 decades.

The Legislative Reviewer’s report on the whole matter is really damned, but not surprising. I’ve seen a few readers email me asking about future options. Who are the names of the persons liable? Will there be a forensic exam? Is someone going to be charged?

However, this is a common story in the West Virginia government. The EDA’s existing management can be excused, considering that pretty much everything happened in the time of former Governors Bob Clever, Joe Manchin and Earl Ray Tomblin, but we will most likely in no way see anyone from previous EDA leadership on any fees.

I’m not sure if fines are even justified. In summary, under a 2002 law, the Board of Treasury Investments, administered by the Condition Treasurer’s Office, was able to lend the EDA $ 25 million for a bank loan method. The EDA then drafted loans to seven venture fund companies, which then invested funds in companies in West Virginia.

The goal was simple: by investing in these companies, they would thrive and retain or retain the services of many more employees. Their results would result in a return on the financial commitment for the venture capital firms, which would then repay their financial loans to the EDA, which would then repay the $ 25 million mortgage to BTI.

That never happened. Disregarding the desired payments, the EDA was only willing to provide BTI with well over $ 600,000 on the basic principle of credit, which made an additional $ 24 million noteworthy. 4 of the seven venture money companies went bankrupt. Two of the $ 8 million total venture fund companies never invested in companies in West Virginia. And the EDA kept poor records between 2002 and 2016 and was barely ever able to confirm whether any of the Venture Fund investments led to economic progress or job creation or retention.

The whole point of carrying out cash is investing in business and tips in the hopes that investments made by people will result in high returns when the business or strategy starts normally. It’s a risky endeavor and it usually doesn’t happen. That’s not the problem unless you believe that government administration shouldn’t use tax pounds to pick winners and losers.

The problem here is when the smart administration and democratically administered legislature passed the bill for this financial lending program, it did not include real benchmarks and reporting specifications and no actual control. As a result, the financial loan application escaped scrutiny until 2019, when former treasurer John Perdue attempted to approach the personal loan plan and identified the issues ahead of the legislative auditor’s office investigation into the environment under review.

This raises another problem: why did the Treasurer’s Office only uncover these concerns in 2019? Perdue was a 6 term treasurer who started business in 1997, five years shortly before the EDA financial credit method was introduced. Why did it take a long time to investigate 18 that the $ 25 million EDA loaned to the EDA in 2002 was not reimbursed?

New state treasurer, Riley Moore, has only been at work for two weeks but is preoccupied with the issue as well as finding other BTI-funded plans.

***.

Derrick Evans, the former Republican member of the Wayne County Delegate Residence who was charged more than three months ago for collaborating in dismissing the U.S. Capitol Constructing to leave Congress and find President Joe Biden as the winner of The Election 2020 was replaced in the last 7 days. But that has turned out to be a controversy over its ownership.

Evans resigned on Jan. 9, triggering a 15-day window for the local political party’s government committee to select the names of three qualified men and women to be sent to Governor Jim Justice, as of the date Five times he had the listing experience to pick 1 of some nominees.

In this case, Wayne County’s Republican Government Committee filed its letter on Jan. 14 in three names. However, the West Virginia Republican Congregation filed their personal letter in three names on January 22nd. The only variation affecting the two letters is the state GOP letter with one of the names exchanged for Joshua Booth. Coincidentally, Booth was the one Justice picked last Wednesday.

The Wayne County REC filed a match with the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals to authorize the judiciary to rule on any of the names on their file. Justice and his advisors believe the second letter is valid and approve of Booth’s appointment. I’m told about the challenges that arise everywhere, regardless of whether the Wayne County’s REC complied with Republican Bash regulations when they met and chose their names.

The state regulation is very clear: justice is essential to determine just one of the names submitted by the district committee as long as it is within the 15 working day window from the time the delegate resigns. After 15 days, Justice can choose who he wants based on the condition code. But did the district committee follow the internal rules required for the celebration? The Supreme Court file has to decide.

If there had been problems with Wayne County REC’s selection of names, Justice could have waited 15 days and then made his selection. It is likely that a situation in the courtroom would play out regardless, but then the judiciary would have an excellent argument on the court record. Instead, it would appear to the layman that the rules have been enhanced to designate a business owner to act as the legislator for the state.

Steven Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com.

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Miley Cyrus provides to be Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton’s marriage ceremony singers

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It looks like Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton can check off an item on her wedding to-do list.

In a series of tweets shared on Sunday January 31st, Miley Cyrus offered to serve as the couple’s wedding singer. It all started after the 51 year old No doubt Star saw the 28-year-old artist play “Prisoner” on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts series.

“Talented Geeezzzz,” wrote Stefani. “gx.”

Needless to say, Cyrus was quite excited to receive a compliment from Stefani who wrote, “When is my hero [sic] Tweet me, I’m getting horny. “Then she offered to sing for the bride and groom on her big day.

“ALSO @gwenstefani @blakeshelton, I’ll be your wedding singer! Cyrus tweeted.” I promise to show my best behavior. Or worst of all. whatever you want! It is your special day! Cheers to love you two almost as much as you love each other! ”

While it’s unclear whether Stefani Cyrus will actually take up her offer, she seemed to appreciate the gesture and replied, “Thank you puppy gx.”

EU vaccine export controls might have an effect on world vaccine provides

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The people lining up outside the Belgrade Fair to receive the China-made Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine became a vaccination center on January 25, 2021.

ANDREJ ISAKOVIC | AFP | Getty Images

The decision of the EU to carry out export controls for coronavirus vaccines is “extremely problematic” according to experts. They warned that if other countries followed suit, this could lead to a collapse in global supply.

“There is a real risk that the EU making this decision could set off a cascade in other countries to introduce export bans (vaccines),” said Suerie Moon, co-director of the Graduate Institute of the Global Health Center in Geneva, on Monday opposite CNBC.

“There is a real risk that the cross-border movement of vaccines will collapse, just as it did a year ago when countries including the EU blocked exports of food and even masks and other essential medical supplies. This is catastrophic internationally.”

In the worst case, she said, “The greatest risk is that this will be an example that many other countries will follow and that will lead to a collapse in the global vaccine supply.”

Export controls

Moon’s warning comes after the EU announced last week that it would introduce a so-called “transparency and approval mechanism for the export of Covid-19 vaccines”. The measure is aimed at “ensuring timely access to Covid-19 vaccines for all EU citizens and eliminating the current lack of transparency in vaccine exports outside the EU”.

While insisting that the measure is not an “export ban”, Member States can restrict exports of block-made coronavirus vaccines if they believe the vaccine maker has failed to respect existing contracts with the EU.

It contains exceptions for a large number of countries outside the EU but within Europe, such as Albania and Serbia, a number of countries in North Africa and one of the 92 low and middle income countries that fall under the COVAX initiative.

Moon said: “The EU has certainly put in some pressure valves to allow exports to certain countries in the world, but there are still many countries that rely heavily on EU production and are seriously injured.” . “

The bloc made the announcement amid heightened concerns and ugly public disputes with vaccine manufacturers over insufficient supplies to the bloc.

Vaccine maker Pfizer announced that it would temporarily cut production of its shot, developed with German biotechnology BioNTech, as it modernized manufacturing facilities in Belgium, while AstraZeneca dealt a blow to the EU by announcing it would deliver far fewer vaccine doses than that originally expected in the first quarter, citing problems in the Dutch and Belgian plants.

The delays put pressure on the European Commission, which has already been criticized for its lack of speed in ordering and approving vaccines and introducing vaccines.

The move to introduce export controls caused a stir, especially in the UK after a week of simmering tensions over shipments of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is also manufactured at two UK sites.

The EU had indicated that supplies were to be diverted from the UK plants to Europe, which sparked a dispute with the drug manufacturer and the UK government. It escalated to the point where the EU said it would override part of the Brexit deal to prevent EU-made vaccines from potentially entering the UK via Northern Ireland.

This decision was reversed shortly after a public outcry, including from the World Health Organization, warning of the dangers of “vaccine nationalism”. The EU assured the UK that it would receive vaccines from the block.

Pandora’s box

Simon J. Evenett, professor of international trade and economic development at the University of St. Gallen, said on Monday that the EU’s move was tantamount to opening the “Pandora’s box” and could have unforeseen consequences.

He said the restrictions could cause concern to foreign governments for a number of reasons, including the fact that the “standard for authorizing the export of Covid-19 vaccines is unclear” and that these decisions “can be arbitrary”. He also pointed out that it shouldn’t expire on March 31, 2021 as promised.

Evenett warned that the move “could spread down the supply chain for Covid-19 vaccines to include key ingredients needed to manufacture and distribute the vaccines,” and even to export restrictions on other essential goods such as food, energy and Energy could lead to other drugs.

CSL staff will be working in the laboratory on November 08, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia, where they will begin manufacturing the AstraZeneca-Oxford University’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Darrian Traynor | Getty Images

Such scenarios “would exacerbate the damage being done to both the EU public health systems and its multinationals,” he said.

“A disruption in vaccine supply chains will slow vaccine rates in the EU and elsewhere, leading to unnecessary deaths and an even slower economic recovery. If the European Commission realizes that it is going to open Pandora’s box, it may find an elegant way to pull it back of the export control regime for the Covid-19 regime, “he said.

“This would allow the EU to regain its reputation as a defender of multilateralism and the rules-based global trading system. This morning that reputation is in tatters.”

Right here Are All Of The Main Final-Gen Video games With Subsequent-Gen Variations

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controlFew games have had a more muddled cross-gen messaging than Control, which will receive a next-gen upgrade next week.Screenshot: 505 Games

Console gaming is at a crossroads, finding itself in the center of that transitory phase between console generations. Many games are landing on both last-gen and next-gen hardware. And given that getting your hands on a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series whatever remains damn near impossible, this is a boon all around.

But three months into the next generation, the state of cross-gen games is still mired in somewhat of a foggy situation. Which games are available across generations? And what exactly do the snazzier, sometimes pricier versions offer that those on last-gen tech do not?

Xbox players certainly have the easiest go of the whole situation, thanks to Microsoft’s “Smart Delivery” program. Short explanation: If you own a game on Xbox, you’ll get the best-performing version for your console. The catch is that it’s contingent on developer participation. Many first-party Microsoft games—including Forza Horizon 4, Gears 5, and Sea of Thieves—support it, and some major publishers, like Ubisoft, appear to be all in, too. All three of Ubisoft’s recent mega-games support Smart Delivery.

The process is a bit more confusing on PS5, where it’s possible to accidentally download the PlayStation 4 version of a game, provided it’s available across generations. (Here’s how to not do that.)

When a game is “enhanced” or “upgrade” or “optimized” for the PS5 and Xbox Series X, there’s a general benchmark: framerates hiked up to 60 frames per second and resolutions jacked up to 4K. (The less expensive Xbox Series S can run games at 60fps but tops out at 1800p in terms of resolution.) The PS5’s DualSense controller also boasts an impressive suite of haptics, which next-gen versions often take advantage of. Of course, it’s all a case by case basis. Some games can hit 120fps. More often than not, the upgrade is free, but some developers will make you pay a premium.

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To that end, here are all of the major last-gen games with next-gen versions out or en route. This roundup is by no means comprehensive. And since Kotaku doesn’t have a crystal ball, it’s limited to games that already exist or will exist in the reasonable future (broadly 2021). Without further ado…

12 Minutes: A-listers James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe will live inside everyone’s little video game boxes when the Annapurna-published 12 Minutes hits Xbox One and Xbox Series X as a “console launch exclusive.” No release date yet.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Ubisoft’s mead-soaked jaunt through 9th-century England is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S. Next-gen versions run at 60fps. Here’s what it looks like on a One S compared to a Series S:

Screenshot: Ubisoft / Kotaku

Screenshot: Ubisoft / Kotaku

Borderlands 3: The raunchiest of raunchy looter-shooters received a next-gen upgrade last November. In addition to seriously improved load times, the PS5 version also makes deft use of the DualSense controller’s fancy haptics.

Bugsnax: Talkin’ bout Bugsnax? The distressing first-person puzzle game is available on both PS4 and PS5.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War: What, you thought that the latest entry in the biggest-selling video game series of all time wouldn’t be available on as many platforms as possible? The literal figurehead of capitalism is the face of this game. No surprise that it’s available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S. Activision saddled this one with a byzantine pricing and upgrade scheme. Essentially, it costs $60 on last-gen consoles and $70 on next-gen ones.

Control: Of all the games receiving next-gen optimizations, few have had a rockier road than Control. After some confusing corporate messaging, Control: Ultimate Edition—which includes the main game, all expansions, and an upgrade path for the next-gen version—will finally be available for $40 next week. It’s also one of the “free” PS Plus games for February.

Cyberpunk 2077: PC players keep talking about some excellent game called Cyberpunk 2077. We console players would like to experience that, too! The troubled open-world shooter initially had next-gen releases planned for 2021. Those versions are still on the way, but for an unspecified date in the back half of the year. It doesn’t look nor run so great on PS4 or Xbox One but runs relatively smoothly on PS5 and Xbox Series X via backward compatibility. Hopefully, the truly next-gen versions bring more significant improvements.

Devil May Cry 5: An expanded and upgraded version of everyone’s favorite Hot Topic simulator released alongside the PS5 and Xbox Series X last year. Called Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition, it boosted the game’s performance, added an extra playable character, and tacked on a new difficulty setting. The Xbox Series X version features ray-tracing, though the Series S version does not.

Destiny 2: In December, shortly after the Beyond Light expansion landed with a bang, Destiny 2 received a next-gen upgrade, allowing the endless looter-shooter to hit that 4K60 standard. Cross-generation play was introduced when the next-gen consoles launched, and load times were significantly slashed on the newer machines. Heads up: Speaking from experience, if you party up with someone playing on an original Xbox One, you won’t load into strikes any faster.

Disco Elysium: In March, the beloved role-playing game will receive an enhanced version (Disco Elysium – Final Cut) featuring fully voice-acted lines for PS4 and PS5. The PS5 version will be able to hit 4K at 60fps. Disco Elysium – Final Cut will release in the summer for Xbox Series X and S and the Nintendo Switch.

Doom Eternal: Hellspawn, beware. Doom Eternal will receive a next-gen upgrade of some sort for both Xbox and PlayStation. No word on a release date or what, exactly, the upgraded versions will bring to the table.

Far Cry 6: Initially planned for a February release, Far Cry 6 has been pushed to some point after April 1. It’ll release across generations.

Fortnite: Surprise! Fortnite remains to claim real estate on all the platforms. 4K. 60fps. You know the drill. (Sexy cat man with Hemsworthian abs not included.)

Forza Horizon 4: In Forza Horizon 4, it is now possible to go from 0 to 60…frames per second, that is! Real talk: Forza Horizon 4 is one of more than two dozen games that were “optimized” for release on the Xbox Series X and S in early November. On the higher-end console, it can hit 4K at 60fps. Zoom, zoom.

Gears 5: 120. That’s the number of push-ups any Gears 5 character can do in one minute, and it’s also the number of frames per second Gears 5 can hit on Xbox Series X and S following an optimization upgrade. For that sky-high framerate, you’ll need a compatible display, naturally, and it’s only available in the competitive mode. The rest of the game runs at 60fps.

Illustration for article titled Here’s Every Major Cross-Gen Game

Gears Tactics: This smarter, slower Gears spinoff was a PC-only game before November when it landed on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Not sure why you need a boosted framerate for a tactical game, but hey, it doesn’t hurt.

Ghostrunner: Last fall’s sharpest cyberpunk game will receive a next-gen upgrade sometime in 2021. No word yet on when it’ll hit or what it’ll entail.

Goodbye Volcano High: Anthropomorphic animals. Broody music. Indie-film vibes. Can’t wait to say hello to Goodbye Volcano High when it hits PS4 and PS5 sometime this year.

Halo: Shortly after the Xbox Series X and S launched, Halo: The Master Chief Collection was upgraded to allow for framerates of 120fps on the new machines. The next entry in the saga, Halo Infinite, is planned for release later this year (maybe, hopefully). It’ll be playable across all Xbox platforms, and the multiplayer mode will be free-to-play.

Hitman 3: Agent 47’s latest jet-setting quest to take out some high-profile targets with sociopathic creativity released on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S.

Horizon Forbidden West: The follow-up to Horizon Zero Dawn is on the horizon for both PS4 and PS5 owners but won’t come out until the latter half of the year.

Immortals Fenyx Rising: Like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Ubisoft’s Greek-inspired map game released across generations and features the next-gen enhancements de rigueur. One word of advice: Play it on any platform other than the Switch, if you can.

kena bridge of spiritsFun fact: Ember Lab, the studio behind Kena: Bridge of Spirits (pictured), previously focused on non-interactive animated projects.Screenshot: Ember Lab

Kena: Bridge of Spirits: Ember Lab’s Kena: Bridge of Spirits will come to both PS4 and PS5 in March. According to a Game Informer interview, the game loads in two seconds flat on PS5. The lush forest environment will look noticeably better on PS5, too, as something had to give for the developers to ensure combat is equally smooth on PS4 as it is on PS5. (Personally, of all the games announced at last year’s spree of Sony events, Kena is the one I’m most pumped about.)

Maneater: “We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat:” The Game received a free next-gen upgrade at launch. (The PS5 version was also one of January’s “free” PS Plus games.) I haven’t had a chance to try this one yet, but a colleague told me that the DualSense implementation is more like a lack thereof.

Marvel’s Avengers: A next-gen-optimized version of Marvel’s Avengers was supposed to release day and date with the PS5 and Xbox Series X and S. Last fall, those upgrades were pushed to an unspecified date in 2021, with developer Crystal Dynamics citing the pandemic and catastrophic wildfires as reasons for the delay. Crystal Dynamics will detail more about the next-gen versions on February 16.

Metro Exodus: In addition to the standard visual enhancements, a planned update for Metro Exodus will introduce ray-tracing to the game on next-gen consoles. Date TBA.

Nioh: Both Nioh and Nioh 2 are coming to the PS5 on February 5. Both games will be able to hit 4K at 120fps, if your display can support that. Like Control, the upgrade paths are a little confusing here. If you played Nioh 2 on PS4, you’ll be able to upgrade to the PS5 version for free, minus any DLC you didn’t purchase. You can also pick up The Nioh Collection, which includes remastered versions of both games, for $70.

ori and the will of the wispsNo matter the resolution, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is sure to shatter your heart.Screenshot: Moon Studios

Ori and the Will of the Wisps: Most next-gen upgrades improve performance to that standard 4K60 benchmark. Not Ori and the Will of the Wisps. On Xbox Series X, the whimsical precision platformer can hit 120fps and resolutions of up to 6K, provided you have a compatible display.

Rainbow Six Siege: As of December, Rainbow Six Siege received a next-gen upgrade allowing for 4K visuals and framerates of 120fps. It’s free almost anywhere on the planet except for Japan, where the upgrade costs 100 yen for PS5 players.

Resident Evil Village: This nightmare factory will be out for PS4, PS5, and the Xbox lineup on May 7. A free demo is currently available for PS5 owners, with an expansion to other consoles slated for the spring

Riders Republic: Ubisoft hasn’t detailed the next-gen enhancements for the don’t-call-it-a-Steep-sequel Riders Republic—which was planned for a February release but will now come out later this year. Ubisoft did, however, confirm that the game will come to basically all platforms, current- and last-gen. I’ll just say this: 60fps won’t even remotely be fast enough to render all the sick, lightning-fast 1080s I plan on busting out.

Sea of Thieves: Among all the games Kotaku messed around with during last fall’s Xbox Series X preview period, Sea of Thieves gave us the most grief in one aspect: Whether or not it was next-gen! Even though the Xbox Series X listed it as an “optimized” game, inspecting the file info revealed that, wait a minute, Sea of Thieves was categorized under the Xbox One’s codeword. Weird. (Sea of Thieves is indeed a cross-gen game.)

solar ashSolar Ash.Screenshot: Annapurna

Solar Ash: The striking Solar Ash is planned for release on both PS4 and PS5 in June. No word on an exact date or what the different versions will bring to the table. One thing’s for sure, though: No matter the platform, Solar Ash is a looker.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order: Respawn Entertainment’s terrific laser-sword simulator received an update that optimizes the game for next-gen consoles, boosting the framerate to 60fps and, on Xbox Series X, bumping post-processing up to 4K.

Spider-Man: Miles Morales: The latest Spider-Man game is available across PlayStation generations but loads literally five times faster on the PS5. It’s also way better looking on the newer console, even featuring a mode that allows for ray-tracing at 60fps. Miles Morales is a follow-up to the 2018 Spider-Man game, which received some next-gen enhancements itself in Spider-Man: Remastered, included only to those who picked up the Ultimate Edition of Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

strayA nondescript bar. A feline player character. Robots. Stray is everything I have ever wanted in a game.Screenshot: Annapurna

Stray: When Stray was first revealed as a console exclusive for PlayStation, it was slated for both a PS4 and PS5 release. Curiously, the PlayStation store lists it as a PS5-only release. (Kotaku reached out to Sony and the game’s publisher, Annapurna Interactive, for clarification.) Either way, it’s out in October.

Watch Dogs Legion: Three Ubisoft-published map games walk into a bar. Three Ubisoft map games walk out of the bar, updated with 4K graphics. Watch Dogs Legion is one of the three.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: Yes, The Witcher 3 is getting a next-gen port. You’ll be able to transfer your saves from Xbox One to the Xbox Series X and S. No word on that functionality for PlayStation, what the upgraded version will entail, or when it will come out.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon: The latest Yakuza game was among the crop of Xbox games to receive a next-gen upgrade and to support Smart Delivery at launch. The PS5 version is planned for release in March and will be free to owners of the PS4 version.

More Ways To Make The Jump To Next-Gen

Illustration for article titled Here’s Every Major Cross-Gen GameIllustration for article titled Here’s Every Major Cross-Gen Game

Correction: 1/29/2021, 5:30 p.m. ET: An earlier version of this post misstated the next-gen upgrades for Watch Dogs Legion and the platforms on which Yakuza: Like a Dragon is available. Kotaku regrets the error.

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