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Sussan Ley a ‘unique opportunity’ for Liberal Party, VP says Sussan Ley a ‘unique opportunity’ for Liberal Party, VP says One of the most senior women in the Liberal Party has weighed in on Sussan Ley’s historic election as party leader. Source link #Sussan #Ley #unique #opportunity #Liberal #Party Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Cheesesteak Anthony Bourdain Said Should Be A ‘National Landmark’ Isn’t From Philly The Cheesesteak Anthony Bourdain Said Should Be A ‘National Landmark’ Isn’t From Philly Philadelphia is often considered home to the greatest cheesesteaks in the world, and considering the sandwich was first created in the city in the 1930s, that isn’t a shocking distinction (though the original cheesesteak was missing a crucial ingredient). Some, however, such as illustrious celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, disagree with this take. Instead, Bourdain believed that Donkey’s Place, a restaurant across the Delaware River in Camden, New Jersey, was just as good as (or better than) any cheesesteak in the neighboring state. Bourdain revealed his love for Donkey’s cheesesteaks in Season 5, Episode 6 of “Parts Unknown,” which exclusively covered the cuisine found across New Jersey. In it, Bourdain questioned whether or not Philadelphia was truly the “center of the cheesesteak universe,” or if the 80+ year-old restaurant in Southern New Jersey arguably makes a better version of the dish. “Behold the Jersey cheesesteak,” Bourdain narrated, “It’s round, it’s got steak, spices, browned onions, real American cheese, such as it is, and a poppy seed roll. And it is sublime.” Read more: Once-Popular Pizza Styles That Are Slowly Disappearing What Sets Jersey Cheesesteaks Apart From Philly Cheesesteaks A Philly Cheesesteak on a piece of paper with a wooden block underneath it – Foodgraphy39/Shutterstock Philly cheesesteak diehards — folks that know the proper way to order a cheesesteak — likely think the idea of New Jersey doing the dish better is insane (or, as Bourdain put it, treasonous). However, the changes implemented by these Jersey cheesesteak-makers have proven to be quite appetizing for many sandwich lovers in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and beyond. For Bourdain, the poppy seed kaiser roll used at Donkey’s gave the Jersey cheesesteak a more satisfying taste and texture than the hoagie roll or baguette typically used in Philly. Otherwise, some may prefer the sliced American cheese in Jersey cheesesteaks over the Cheez ***** and provolone cheese that the Philly version is known for. Despite cheesesteaks being one of those foods that cause an argument whenever they’re mentioned, after his experience at Donkey’s Place, Bourdain wasn’t afraid to draw a line in the sand and admit his controversial preference. “This should be a national landmark right away. This sandwich is unbelievably good,” Bourdain praised, “Jersey cheesesteaks, I’m not saying they’re better than Philadelphia — yeah, I am, actually. This is great.” For more food and drink goodness, join The Takeout’s newsletter. Get taste tests, food & drink news, deals from your favorite chains, recipes, cooking tips, and more! Read the original article on The Takeout. Source link #Cheesesteak #Anthony #Bourdain #National #Landmark #Isnt #Philly Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Gérard Depardieu Found Guilty of ******* Assault – The New York Times Gérard Depardieu Found Guilty of ******* Assault – The New York Times Gérard Depardieu Found Guilty of ******* Assault The New York TimesFrench actor Gérard Depardieu found guilty of ******* assault CNNGérard Depardieu, sentenced for ******* assaults, ‘does not seem to have grasped the concept of consent,’ according to the Paris court Le Monde.frA French icon falls: Gérard Depardieu’s guilt will make his films hard to watch The GuardianGérard Depardieu found guilty in ******* assault trial BBC Source link #Gérard #Depardieu #Guilty #******* #Assault #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Head of worker safety agency NIOSH restored, ahead of RFK Jr. hearing Head of worker safety agency NIOSH restored, ahead of RFK Jr. hearing The head of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and a handful of teams at the agency had their layoff notices rescinded Tuesday, multiple officials say, and several worker safety programs that had been eliminated by layoffs last month are being restored. Letters reversing the layoffs arrived in the inboxes of some NIOSH staff a day ahead of House and Senate hearings Wednesday with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. where he was expected to face questions about the layoffs. Health officials and scientists being brought back to work include everyone in NIOSH’s respiratory health division, division of safety research, division of compensation and analysis support and National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory according to an email obtained by CBS News. “Secretary Kennedy has been working hard to ensure that the critical functions under NIOSH remain intact. The Trump Administration is committed to supporting coal miners and firefighters, and under the Secretary’s leadership, NIOSH’s essential services will continue as HHS streamlines its operations,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in an email. A handful of NIOSH staff working in the agency’s World Trade Center Health Program previously had their layoffs reversed, after a second round of cuts at the agency earlier this month. “While we celebrate with those who received a rescission letter from HHS, I am mindful that others did not. I am hopeful that we can continue to make the case for reinstating everyone at NIOSH,” the agency’s now-reinstated director, Dr. John Howard, wrote in the email. The reinstatements mean that some NIOSH programs might soon be able to resume, after they were previously hobbled by the layoffs. For example, the agency’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory had been forced to suspend new approvals of equipment like new N95 respirators and protective gear for firefighters after the initial round of cuts on April 1. Investigations of workplace health risks through NIOSH’s Health Hazard Evaluation program were also upended by the layoffs, but staff working in those probes have now been reinstated. But many workers also remain effectively laid-off at the wide-ranging agency, which functions as the research and testing counterpart to the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Mine Safety and Health Administration. In NIOSH’s Spokane and Pittsburgh Mining Research Division, laid-off scientists and engineers were called back to work, but only for a few more weeks to wind down their laboratories and research before their layoff notices take effect. Those NIOSH employees have not received letters formally rescinding their layoffs, unlike some of their colleagues. Part of their work includes overseeing miner safety programs like the personal dust monitors, or PDM, required by the Department of Labor for coal miners. NIOSH is responsible for testing PDM’s accuracy. The monitors are needed to reduce the risk of ****** lung disease. NIOSH had also been in the process of developing similar monitors for miners exposed to silica dust, before the layoffs gutted the teams overseeing that work. Other NIOSH teams like the Health Effects Laboratory Division were also not listed among the reinstatements. Other parts of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which currently houses NIOSH, also remain off the job, despite calls from states and lawmakers for their reinstatements. HHS previously said it was planning on moving what remained of NIOSH into a new agency called the Administration for a Healthy America. Among the CDC scientists still laid-off include the agency’s laboratories for investigating STD and viral hepatitis, which upended work helping states investigate outbreaks. Staff in the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health, which had been responsible for a range of issues including lead poisoning and cruise ship outbreaks, also have not been reinstated. Other workers who have been promised by their supervisors that they would be reinstated elsewhere at HHS have also so far not received notices, like at the Food and Drug Administration’s drug safety labs in Puerto Rico and Detroit. While their counterparts at food safety labs in Chicago and San Francisco were reinstated, multiple scientists in those labs said they had yet to receive formal written notices revoking their layoffs, weeks after they were told they would be reinstated. Alexander Tin Alexander Tin is a digital reporter for CBS News based in the Washington, D.C. bureau. He covers federal public health agencies. Source link #worker #safety #agency #NIOSH #restored #ahead #RFK #hearing Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How real is the risk of nuclear war? How real is the risk of nuclear war? Corbis via Getty Images India’s nuclear capable Agni-5 missile has a range of over 5,000km In the latest India-Pakistan stand-off, there were no ultimatums, no red buttons. Yet the cycle of military retaliation, veiled signals and swift international mediation quietly evoked the region’s most dangerous shadow. The crisis didn’t spiral towards nuclear war, but it was a reminder of how quickly tensions here can summon that spectre. Even scientists have modelled how easily things could unravel. A 2019 study by a global team of scientists opened with a nightmare scenario where a terrorist attack on India’s parliament in 2025 triggers a nuclear exchange with Pakistan. Six years later, a real-world stand-off – though contained by a US-brokered ceasefire on Saturday – stoked fears of a full-blown conflict. It also revived uneasy memories of how fragile stability in the region can be. As the crisis escalated, Pakistan sent “dual signals” – retaliating militarily while announcing a National Command Authority (NCA) meeting, a calculated reminder of its nuclear capability. The NCA oversees control and potential use of the country’s nuclear arsenal. Whether this move was symbolic, strategic or a genuine alert, we may never know. It also came just as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly stepped in to defuse the spiral. President Trump said the US didn’t just broker a ceasefire – it averted a “nuclear conflict”. On Monday, in an address to the nation, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “[There] is no tolerance for nuclear blackmail; India will not be intimidated by nuclear threats. “Any terrorist safe haven operating under this pretext will face precise and decisive strikes,” Modi added. India and Pakistan each possess about 170 nuclear weapons, according to the think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri). As of January 2024, Sipri estimated there were 12,121 nuclear warheads worldwide. Of these, about 9,585 were held in military stockpiles, with 3,904 actively deployed – 60 more than the previous year. The US and Russia together account for more than 8,000 nuclear weapons. The bulk of both India’s and Pakistan’s deployed arsenals lies in their land-based missile forces, though both are developing nuclear triads capable of delivering warheads by land, air and sea, according to Christopher Clary, a security affairs expert at the University at Albany in the US. “India likely has a larger air leg (aircraft capable of delivering nuclear weapons) than Pakistan. While we know the least of Pakistan’s naval leg, it is reasonable to assess that India’s naval leg is more advanced and more capable than Pakistan’s sea-based nuclear force,” he told the BBC. One reason, Mr Clary said, is that Pakistan has invested nowhere near the “time or money” that India has in building a nuclear-powered submarine, giving India a “clear qualitative” edge in naval nuclear capability. Since testing nuclear weapons in 1998, Pakistan has never formally declared an official nuclear doctrine. India, by contrast, adopted a no-first-use policy following its own 1998 tests. But this stance has shown signs of softening. In 2003, India reserved the right to use nuclear weapons in response to chemical or biological attacks – effectively allowing for first use under certain conditions. Further ambiguity emerged in 2016, when then–defence minister Manohar Parrikar suggested India shouldn’t feel “bound” by the policy, raising questions about its long-term credibility. (Parrikar clarified that this was his own opinion.) AFP via Getty Images Pakistan’s surface-to-surface Shaheen II missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead The absence of a formal doctrine doesn’t mean Pakistan lacks one – official statements, interviews and nuclear developments offer clear clues to its operational posture, according to Sadia Tasleem of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Pakistan’s nuclear threshold remains vague, but in 2001, Khalid Kidwai – then head of the Strategic Plans Division of the NCA – outlined four red lines: major territorial loss, destruction of key military assets, economic strangulation or political destabilisation. In 2002, then-president Pervez Musharraf clarified that “nuclear weapons are aimed solely at India”, and would only be used if “the very existence of Pakistan as a state” was at stake. In his memoir, former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote that he was jolted awake at night to speak with an unnamed “Indian counterpart” who feared Pakistan was preparing to use nuclear weapons during the 2019 stand-off with India. Around the same time, Pakistani media quoted a senior official issuing a stark warning to India: “I hope you know what the [National Command Authority] means and what it constitutes. I said that we will surprise you. Wait for that surprise… You have chosen a path of war without knowing the consequences for the peace and security of the region.” During the 1999 Kargil War, Pakistan’s then-foreign secretary Shamshad Ahmed warned that the country would not “hesitate to use any weapon” to defend its territory. Years later, US official Bruce Riedel revealed that intelligence indicated Pakistan was preparing its nuclear arsenal for possible deployment. AFP via Getty Images Indian soldiers patrolling the edge of a crater, the site of the May 1998 underground nuclear test But there is scepticism on both sides over such claims. Former Indian high commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria wrote in his memoir that Pompeo overstated both the risk of nuclear escalation and the US role in calming the conflict in 2019. And during Kargil, Pakistan “knew the Indian Air Force wouldn’t cross into its territory” – so there was no real trigger for even an implicit nuclear threat, insist Pakistani analysts. “Strategic signalling reminds the world that any conflict can spiral – and with India and Pakistan, the stakes are higher due to the nuclear overhang. But that doesn’t mean either side is actively threatening nuclear use,” Ejaz Haider, a Lahore-based defence analyst, told the BBC. But nuclear escalation can happen by accident too. “This could happen by human error, hackers, terrorists, computer failures, bad data from satellites and unstable leaders,” Prof Alan Robock of Rutgers University, lead author of the landmark 2019 paper by a global team of scientists, told the BBC. In March 2022, India accidentally fired a nuclear-capable cruise missile which travelled 124km (77 miles) into Pakistani territory before crashing, reportedly damaging civilian property. Pakistan said India failed to use the military hotline or issue a public statement for two days. Had this occurred during heightened tensions, the incident could have spiralled into serious conflict, experts say. (Months later, India’s government sacked three air force officers for the “accidental firing of a missile”.) Yet, the danger of nuclear war remains “relatively small” between India and Pakistan, according to Mr Clary. “So long as there is not major ground combat along the border, the dangers of nuclear use remain relatively small and manageable,” he said. “In ground combat, the ‘use it or lose it’ problem is propelled by the possibility that your ground positions will be overrun by the enemy.” (‘Use it or lose it‘ refers to the pressure a nuclear-armed country may feel to launch its weapons before they are destroyed in a first strike by an adversary.) AFP via Getty Images The Chagai Hills, whitened at the top after Pakistan’s nuclear tests in May 1998, in south-western Balochistan Sumit Ganguly, a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, believes that “neither India nor Pakistan wants to be labelled as the first violator of the post-Hiroshima nuclear taboo”. “Furthermore, any side that resorts to the use of nuclear weapons would face substantial retaliation and suffer unacceptable casualties,” Mr Ganguly told the BBC. At the same time, both India and Pakistan appear to be beefing up their nuclear arsenal. With new delivery systems in development, four plutonium reactors and expanding uranium enrichment, Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal could reach around 200 warheads by the late 2020s, according to The Nuclear Notebook, researched by the Federation of American Scientists’ Nuclear Information Project. And as of early 2023, India was estimated to have about 680kg of weapons-grade plutonium – enough for roughly 130-210 nuclear warheads, according to the International Panel on Fissile Materials. Despite repeated crises and close calls, both sides have so far managed to avoid a catastrophic slide into nuclear conflict. “The deterrent is still holding. All Pakistanis did was to respond to conventional strikes with counter-conventional strikes of their own,” writes Umer Farooq, an Islamabad-based analyst. Yet, the presence of nuclear weapons injects a constant undercurrent of risk – one that can never be entirely ruled out, no matter how experienced the leadership or how restrained the intentions. “When nuclear weapons can be involved, there is always an unacceptable level of danger,”John Erath, senior policy director at the non-profit Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, told the BBC. “The Indian and Pakistani governments have navigated these situations in the past, so the risk is small. But with nuclear weapons, even a small risk is too large.” Source link #real #risk #nuclear #war Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Takeaways from Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura’s testimony Takeaways from Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura’s testimony Madeline Halpert BBC News in New York court Reuters/Jane Rosenberg Prosecutors’ star witness, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, took the stand on Tuesday in the hip-hop mogul’s sex trafficking trial, accusing the rapper of controlling her life and coercing her into “humiliating” sex acts. Mr Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Family and friends have come to court in large numbers to support Mr Combs, whose legal team has not yet questioned Ms Ventura. Ms Ventura, who is pregnant, told prosecutors about the alleged physical and emotional abuse she endured at the hands of the rapper during so-called “freak-offs”, or ******* encounters the couple had with male escorts. Here are some of the most notable parts of her first five hours of testimony. Warning: This story contains details that some readers may find distressing. Ms Ventura fell ‘in love’ with Mr Combs Prosecutors began by questioning Ms Ventura – one of their two central witnesses in the case – about her 11-year, on-and-off relationship with Mr Combs. Now 38 and pregnant in her third trimester with her third child, Ms Ventura met Mr Combs when she was a 19-year-old aspiring singer and he was 37. Mr Combs’ record label would later sign Ms Ventura as an artist, and shortly after, their romantic relationship began. Their relationship progressed over a series of several trips. At the time, she testified, she felt like they were in a monogamous relationship, though she knows now that he had other girlfriends. She said she “fell in love” with the “larger than life entrepreneur and musician”. But it was not long before she noticed another side to him, she said. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg Mr Combs wanted to ‘control’ every part of her life, Ms Ventura says Mr Combs wanted to “control” her life, Ms Ventura said. She said he paid for her home, her cars, her phone and other technology that he would sometimes take away to “punish” her. “Control was everything, from the way that I looked … to what I was working on,” Ms Ventura said. Eventually, she claimed, the control turned violent. Mr Combs would “bash on my head, knock me over, drag me and kick me” frequently, Ms Ventura testified, sometimes through tears. She alleged that she was left with swollen lips, ****** eyes and knots on her forehead. Ms Ventura felt ‘humiliated’ by ‘freak-offs’ Prosecutors spent hours on Tuesday asking Ms Ventura about so-called “freak-offs”. Ms Ventura told the court how Mr Combs introduced her to the ******* events during the first year of their relationship: They would hire a male ******* or stripper to have sex with Ms Ventura while Mr Combs watched. Ms Ventura told the court that she first tried the encounters to make Mr Combs “happy”. But she said they humiliated her, and sometimes lasted three to four days. “I felt pretty horrible about myself,” she told the court, wiping away tears. “It made me feel worthless.” Ms Ventura told the court she never wanted to have sex with anyone but Mr Combs, and claimed she would take myriad drugs – **********, ecstasy and ketamine – to help her perform to Mr Combs’ satisfaction, but also to “disassociate”. The drugs were “a way to not feel it for what it really was”, she said, “having sex with a stranger I didn’t really want to be having sex with”. Mr Combs flew male escorts in for freak-offs, court hears As prosecutors pressed Ms Ventura about the “freak-offs”, she told the court of how Mr Combs would direct her to find male escorts, strippers or dancers to have sex with while he watched. She alleged that Mr Combs would pay the men anywhere from $1,500 to $6,000 in cash, depending on their performance. They found the men through stripper companies and sites like Craigslist. Some of their photos were displayed to the jurors, including Daniel Phillip, who finished his testimony earlier on Tuesday. Ms Ventura and Mr Combs had the enounters in cities around the world, including Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas and Ibiza, Spain, Ms Ventura testified. Sometimes, men would be flown in during vacations, she alleged, and Mr Combs would direct her to ask staff to pay for and arrange their travel, calling them new employees. Among other charges, prosecutors are trying to prove that Mr Combs engaged in sex trafficking – human trafficking for the purpose of ******* exploitation – and transportation to engage in prostitution. Mr Combs ‘directed’, Ms Ventura says As prosecutors pressed Ms Ventura for graphic details, one key element emerged: Ms Ventura claimed that Mr Combs controlled every part of the encounters. He chose the outfits she wore – down to the extremely high heels she kept on for hours – as well as the ******* acts that transpired and the lighting, Ms Ventura told jurors. “If Sean wanted something to happen, that was what was going to happen,” she said. “I couldn’t say no.” Sometimes, Ms Ventura said, she would take the lead on which male escorts to hire because Mr Combs was “very busy”, but she only did so at his direction, she said. She said freak-offs had a very specific “pattern” of ******* acts each time. “He was controlling the whole situation,” she alleged. “He was directing it.” At times, Ms Ventura said, she tried to tell Mr Combs that she felt “horrible”. But when he dismissed her concerns, she said, she relented, worried he would get angry or question their relationship. Ms Ventura is expected to continue her testimony on Wednesday, when she could also face cross-examination. Source link #Takeaways #Sean #Diddy #Combs #exgirlfriend #Cassandra #Venturas #testimony Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Why Kenya’s president attracts so many nicknames Why Kenya’s president attracts so many nicknames Basillioh Rukanga BBC News, Nairobi Reuters Kenya’s President William Ruto is a man of many nicknames. Deputy Jesus, El Chapo, ******** and Chicken Seller are just some that he has acquired in recent years. As is often the case when people are given alternative monikers, some are affectionate but some are intended to mock and reflect a profound anger. A history of the president’s aliases offer a window into how the perception of him has changed. Ruto has acknowledged the rechristening trend, joking recently that Kenyans are “finishing” him with the numerous labels. “You have given me so many names. I had the name William Kipchirchir Samoei Ruto. You added Survivor… Zakayo… now you are at Kasongo (the title of a Congolese song about abandonment and heartbreak). Will you stop at ten, or should I prepare for more?” he recently asked. The crowd, at a rally in the capital, Nairobi, responded that they had yet more. Before he was elected president in 2022, Ruto attracted handles that bolstered his reputation as a man of the people. ******** – Kenyan parlance for someone eking out a living against the odds – helped portray him as someone who would prioritise the needs of the struggling folk. Chicken Seller, referring to his childhood when he hawked poultry on the roadside, resonated with many who saw his life as an epitome of their own. “These were very positive [names]. They sold him to the public in terms of votes,” political analyst Prof Herman Manyora told the BBC arguing that they helped catapult him into the top job. “Names really stick with Ruto,” he added. AFP / Getty Images Ruto gained a reputation among Kenyans struggling to get by that he understood their plight But the president has been a high-profile figure in Kenyan politics for a long time, including serving as deputy president for nine years up until 2022, and has never been far from controversy. Prof Manyora recalls the label Arap Mashamba – which translates as “son of farms” – coined just under a decade ago and relates to Ruto’s ownership of vast tracts of land across the country. Concerns have been raised about how some of these have been acquired. In 2013, a court ordered Ruto to surrender a 100-acre (40-hectare) farm and compensate a farmer who had accused him of grabbing it during the 2007 post-election violence. He denied any wrongdoing. Ruto’s penchant for quoting ****** verses also earned him the Deputy Jesus tag. However, it is since his rise to the presidency that the nickname manufacturers have been working overtime – with at least a dozen being created – and they have become increasingly critical. One that has stood out is Zakayo – Swahili for the name Zaccheaus, a Biblical figure who is portrayed as a greedy tax collector who climbed a tree to see Jesus. Ruto’s government ntroduced a raft of unpopular taxes and many Kenyans began to say that he had betrayed the “hustlers”. “He failed to deliver after becoming president,” Prof Manyora said. The pain of paying more taxes, and a perception that the extra money will be wasted, is often the focus many conversations. Last year, young people came out onto the streets of Nairobi for weeks of protests, which turned deadly, against a fresh government proposal to raise taxes that was later dropped. Anadolu / Getty Images Last year’s anti-tax protests galvanised young people angry at the government over the state of the economy The chant “Ruto must go” became a rallying call for the demonstrators and now Must Go has become another way to refer to the leader. The creative christeners have also focussed on the allegation that the president enjoys foreign travel. Hence the title Vasco da Ganya – a play on the name of the 15th Century Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, and the Swahili word danganya, which means “to lie”. Ruto’s honesty has also been called into question with Kaunda Uongoman, which mimics late Congolese musician Kanda Bongoman. The first part refers to the president’s love for the Kaunda suit – a safari jacket with matching trousers – and Uongoman, which incorporates the Swahili word uongo, meaning “lies”. But the president seems impervious to this volley of verbal attacks. Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said the manifold nicknames “don’t raise concerns” in the office of the president but simply “capture how people view a person”. Ruto is “very hands on and doing his best to transform the economy… It’s normal for any leader to have many nicknames as this signifies his various attributes and initiatives as a leader”, he told the BBC. Mwaura also argued that in spite of the Zakayo nickname, the government has had to raise taxes to pay for new projects, reduce the budget deficit and fix the economy. Nevertheless, when people have gone beyond inventing new names and used satire and forms of art to ridicule the president, there has been a negative reaction from officials. Some cartoons and AI-generated images, including showing the president in a casket, have been described as “reckless” and “distasteful”. Some of the alleged producers of this online content have been victims of abductions. This, Prof Manyora said, should been seen as a sign of intolerance by the government. Lachon Kiplimo, a 23-year-old university student, said that while he supported the president, some of the promises he has made are sometimes “unrealistic”, which fuels the nicknames. He cited the use of El Chapo, referring to the former ******** drug lord, after Ruto promised a machine that would produce a million chapatis (also known as chapo in Kenya) every day to feed schoolchildren in the capital. AFP / Getty Images A chapati – a popular street food in Kenya – is also known as a chapo Mr Kiplimo however reckons that the way the president brushes off the monikers, and in fact seems to embrace them, shows how strong he is. Prof Manyora believes the young people who come up with the alternative labels for the president do it as a form of catharsis, a way of releasing tension. This view is backed up by 24-year-old student Margaret Wairimu Kahura, who said that many Kenyans “are in a lot of pain”. She feels that the mockery is a way of letting Ruto know how the youth are feeling. She says that no other Kenyan president has been subjected to this level of lampooning, and “so this is unique [but] in a bad way”. It is true that previous heads of state had had nicknames but they have not been so numerous. The last President, Uhuru Kenyatta, was called Kamwana (“young boy”), Jayden (a Kenyan reference to a pampered or lazy child) and Wamashati (for his love of print shirts). His predecessor, Mwai Kibaki, was known as General Kiguoya (a general who is afraid) and Fence Sitter. Perhaps the age of social media, with its insatiable appetite for new content to keep people amused has increased the trend towards name calling. But for many, like Ms Kahura, the volume of nicknames for Ruto are a genuine reflection of “the different problems that people are facing”. You may also be interested in:Getty Images/BBC Source link #Kenyas #president #attracts #nicknames Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Stock and crypto trading site eToro prices IPO at $52 per share Stock and crypto trading site eToro prices IPO at $52 per share Omar Marques | Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images EToro, a stock brokerage platform that’s been ramping up in crypto, has priced its IPO at $52 a share, as the company prepares to test the market’s appetite for new offerings. The Israel-based company raised nearly $310 million, selling nearly 6 million shares in a deal that values the business at about $4.2 billion. The company had planned to sell shares at $46 to $50 each. Another almost 6 million shares are being sold by existing investors. IPOs looked poised for a rebound when President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January after a prolonged drought spurred by rising interest rates and inflationary concerns. CoreWeave’s March debut was a welcome sign for IPO hopefuls such as eToro, online lender Klarna and ticket reseller StubHub. But tariff uncertainty temporarily stalled those plans. The retail trading platform filed for an initial public offering in March, but shelved plans as rising tariff uncertainty rattled markets. Klarna and StubHub did the same. EToro’s Nasdaq debut, under ticker symbol ETOR, may indicate whether the public market is ready to take on risk. Digital physical therapy company Hinge Health has started its IPO roadshow, and said in a filing on Tuesday that it plans to raise up to $437 million in its upcoming offering. Also on Tuesday, fintech company Chime filed its prospectus with the SEC. Founded in 2007 by brothers Yoni and Ronen Assia along with David Ring, eToro competes with the likes of Robinhood and makes money through fees related to trading, including spreads on buy and sell orders, and non-trading activities such as withdrawals and currency conversion. Net income jumped almost thirteenfold last year to $192.4 million from $15.3 million a year earlier. The company has been ramping up its crypto business, with revenue from cryptoassets more than tripling to over $12 million in 2024. One-quarter of its net trading contribution last year came from crypto, up from 10% the prior year. This isn’t eToro’s first attempt at going public. In 2022, the company scrapped plans to hit the market through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) during a sharp downturn in equity markets. The deal would have valued the company at more than $10 billion. CEO Yoni Assia told CNBC early last year that eToro was still aiming for a market debut but “evaluating the right opportunity” as it was building relationships with exchanges, including the Nasdaq. “We definitely are eyeing the public markets,” he said at the time. “I definitely see us becoming eventually a public company.” EToro said in its prospectus that BlackRock had expressed interest in buying $100 million in shares at the IPO price. The company said it planned to sell 5 million shares in the offering, with existing investors and executives selling another 5 million. Underwriters for the deal include Goldman Sachs, Jefferies and UBS. — CNBC’s Ryan Browne contributed reporting WATCH: Venture capital firm founder on the Gulf’s next wave of unicorns Source link #Stock #crypto #trading #site #eToro #prices #IPO #share Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

What Virat Kohli meant to India What Virat Kohli meant to India Getty Images Virat Kohli announced his retirement after a 14-year Test career Virat Kohli’s retirement from Tests has left Indian cricket beleaguered and the sporting world gasping in surprise. Coming on the heels of captain Rohit Sharma quitting a few days earlier, it adds up to a double whammy for India who embark on a tough tour of England for a five-Test series come June without their two most experienced batters. Like Sharma, Kohli took to Instagram, where he commands more than 270 million followers, to make his retirement public. “As I step away from this format, it’s not easy – but it feels right…” he explained to his disconsolate fans. Tributes for Kohli have come in a deluge since: from fellow cricketers, past and present, old and young, and also legends from other disciplines like tennis ace Novak Djokovic and football star Harry Kane, which highlights the sweep and heft of Kohli’s global appeal. Leading India to victory in the Under-19 World Cup in 2008, Kohli was fast tracked into international cricket by the then-chairman of selectors, former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar, against the judgement of others in the cricket establishment. “Many in the Indian cricket board felt he was too young but he was scoring heavily in domestic cricket, and the hunger to succeed was palpable in him,” recalls Vengsarkar. An example of Kohli’s obsessive passion for the sport comes imbued with poignancy. Kohli was playing his second Ranji Trophy match for Delhi. His father passed away suddenly with his team in a crisis. After the ********, he went back and scored a battling 90. Getty Images Kohli bows out of Test cricket as one of the defining players of his generation Vengsarkar’s approving eye earned Kohli an ODI debut in 2009. At 23, he was the youngest member of India’s 2011 ODI World Cup winning team under MS Dhoni. A few weeks later, he made his Test debut in the West Indies. Some months on, the disastrous tour of Australia with his place under threat, Kohli made a gritty maiden century and never looked back. Within a couple of years he established himself as the pre-eminent batter of his generation. Brash and provocative, without a benign muscle in his body, he was as volatile as potassium on water in his early years. He was unafraid to take on the most reputed opponents, often indulging in on-field fracases that sometimes earned him criticism. Happily, this was not to become his defining identity in cricket. Prolific run-getting in dashing style across formats provided another more compelling dimension and was to take him to the pinnacle. When his idol Sachin Tendulkar retired in 2013, Kohli, allying unbridled ambition with his abundant skills, grabbed the baton hungrily and went on to sketch one of the most stellar careers in cricket history. He wielded the bat like a Jedi, with great skill and telling thrust to slay opponents, as it were. Coupled with his high-octane persona, his scintillating batting made him a cult hero whose very presence ensured blockbuster box-office returns everywhere he played. Kohli always wore his passion on his sleeve. He was always demonstrative and dramatic on the field but over a ******* of time, misplaced angst was sublimated into a raging inner pursuit of excellence that took him to dizzying heights. Marriage to film star Anushka Sharma made them the country’s foremost power couple, putting both under the glare of even more intense spotlight. Metaphorically, Kohli’s outstanding exploits, especially in the first decade of his career, epitomised the emerging India of the 21st century: unabashedly, unrelentingly ambitious, discarding all past demons, willing to take on the best in the world. His achievements across formats are monumental. In ODIs, he is third in run aggregate behind Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakarra, but boasts the best average (57.88) among batters who have played more than 100 games. His ability to win ODI matches in the most daunting run chases is the stuff of folklore, many of his record 51 centuries coming in such pursuit. Getty Images Kohli led the Indian team to victory in 2018-2019 Test series against Australia In T20s, his run aggregate and centuries don’t put him the top 5, but he’s immortalised himself with incredible knocks, notably 82 not out in a emotion-charged, pulsating match against arch-rivals Pakistan in the 2022 World Cup and a vital 76 in the 2024 final against South Africa which helped India win the title. He is also the highest run scorer in the history of the Indian Premier League. At one point, Kohli averaged 50-plus in all three formats, making him the most productive and versatile batter of his era – way ahead of contemporaries Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Steve Smith. The four were locked in a fascinating, long-running race for batting supremacy. When it appeared he would break all batting records, Kohli’s career took an inexplicable downturn. From the start of the pandemic, the flow of runs began to ebb and centuries became a trickle. In his pomp – between 2014 and 2019 – he had been unstoppable, at one time scoring six double centuries in just 18 months. The drought of runs hit him most adversely in Test cricket where his average, from a high of 55-plus in 2019 slumped to the current 46.75. In this *******, Kohli also lost the captaincy, though his stellar standing in international cricket remained untouched. Kohli finishes his Test career with 9,230 runs, which puts him 19th overall in aggregate, and fourth among Indians behind Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar, all of whom finished with a 50-plus average and more centuries. But to judge him only on this yardstick would diminish the massive impact he has had on this format . As captain, Kohli easily hurdles over Gavaskar, Tendulkar and Dravid. In Test cricket, winning 40 of the 68 matches he led in, making him the fourth most successful in the format. In the Indian context, this assumes Himalayan proportions. Former Australia captain Greg Chappell says that Kohli’s energy, grit, sense of purpose and aura was “transformative” for Indian cricket. Chappell marks him out as the most influential Indian captain, ahead of even Sourav Ganguly and M S Dhoni. Former India captain and chief coach Ravi Shastri, who collaborated with Kohli for years, gives first-hand perspective. “Kohli made India into a fighting unit, especially when playing overseas,” says Shastri. Getty Images Virat Kohli giving autographs to his fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground The lack of ICC and IPL titles according to Shastri, is misleading as an index to his captaincy ability. “He always played to win, sought and nurtured fast bowlers to win overseas, demanded high intent and supreme fitness from all players, putting himself in the forefront, not as a ********* driver.” For seven years when Kohli and Shastri collaborated, India were in the top three in ICC rankings in all formats almost continuously which is unprecedented. The most cherished and significant triumph of this ******* came in 2018 when India beat Australia in its own backyard in a Test series for the first time ever. Australia is where Kohli had launched himself into batting greatness, scoring 692 runs in four Tests in 2014-15. In 2018, he contributed as captain and batter to break an hitherto unassailable psychological barrier. In 2020 touring Australia, Kohli played only one match (which was lost) returning home for the birth of his child. But India, having overcome the mental barrier two years earlier, went on to win the rubber in a melodramatic see-saw series. Australia was Kohli’s happy hunting ground and his last visit Down Under in late 2024 grabbed worldwide attention. He began with a roar, hitting a century in the first test at Perth. But his form fizzled out alarmingly and made only 190 runs in the five Tests. How much this contributed to his decision to retire is moot. Advancing years, the dislike of being constantly under harsh scrutiny, wanting to be close to his young family and behind the scene shenanigans that abound in Indian cricket have doubtless played a part too. Kohli ends his retirement post on Instagram enigmatically. “I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile. #269 signing off,” he wrote. The greatest ambassador for the five-day format in the last decade and a half had moved into the sunset. Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. Source link #Virat #Kohli #meant #India Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Government has no clear plan for NHS England abolition Government has no clear plan for NHS England abolition The government is abolishing NHS England without a clear plan for how it will be achieved and how it will benefit frontline care, a cross-party group of MPs has warned. Ministers announced in March that the body responsible for overseeing the health service in England would go, with its functions brought into the Department of Health and Social Care. But the Public Accounts Committee said it was concerned about the uncertainty being caused and urged the government to set out a clear plan within the next three months. The government said the move would eliminate “wasteful duplication” and that detailed planning had started. Alongside the changes at a national level, the 42 local health boards responsible for planning services are also having to shed around half of their 25,000 staff. The MPs also raised concerns about the “jaw-dropping” amount of money lawyers are making from clinical negligence claims. Of the £2.8bn paid out in 2023-24, nearly a fifth went on legal costs. It said this was unacceptable and more must be done to improve safety. Committee chair and Tory MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said the changes to NHS England and local health boards amounted to a major structural reform. He said strong decision-making and experienced staff would be vital to manage a ******* of “huge pressure” for the NHS. “It has been two months since the government’s decision to remove what, up until now, has been seen as a key piece of machinery, without articulating a clear plan for what comes next – and the future for patients and staff remains hazy,” he added. NHS England, which employs nearly 15,000 staff, is in charge of £193bn of public sector money this year. The reduction in staffing of abolishing NHS England is expected to save £400m, while the cut in local health board staff is expected to add another £700-750m. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Social Care said the changes would eliminate “wasteful duplication” and a joint board was already working on detailed plans. “Serious reform is needed to tackle the challenges facing the NHS,” she added. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS trusts, said the changes “marked the biggest reshaping of the NHS in a decade”. He said that while many managers in the NHS understood the need for change, the lack of detail and how the plans fitted in with the forthcoming 10-year plan were “a cause for concern” for those running the health service. Source link #Government #clear #plan #NHS #England #abolition Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia Stock Surges on Bullish News: How High Could It Climb? Nvidia Stock Surges on Bullish News: How High Could It Climb? NVIDIA’s stock price is melting up and can extend the move to lofty levels. While little has been confirmed, easing trade tensions with China, reduced semiconductor restrictions on Arab nations, and improving economic conditions point to an improved outlook for sales and market sentiment. Up 50% from the April low to the mid-May highs, this undervalued stock could add another 25% to its share price by summer and continue trending higher as the year progresses. The latest news is that NVIDIA (NASDAQ:) will provide Saudi Arabia’s Humain with hundreds of thousands of its most advanced semiconductors. The deal is slated to run over five years and lead to nearly two gigawatts of data center capacity by 2030. The first will link 18,000 Grace Blackwell GPUs in a supercomputer for Saudi Arabia’s people and businesses. Humain was launched in preparation for the announcement and is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). There Is a Catalyst for Higher Share Prices in NVIDIA’s Upcoming Guidance NVIDIA is scheduled to report at the end of this month and will likely provide numerous market catalysts. These include potential for outperformance and improved guidance, which were expected to be strong before the Humain announcement and are now amplified by it. Reasons to expect strength include the latest funding news from Perplexity, an AI start-up backed by NVIDIA, which suggests AI spending remains robust. It is reportedly valued at $14 billion, a 55% increase in just under six months. The impact on NVIDIA’s outlook is significant. Assuming the average cost of Grace Blackwell GPUs is around $65,000, it could cost upward of $3 million per rack and thousands of racks are needed just for the initial order. This scales to billions in additional revenue in F2025 and annually thereafter until 2030, assuming it can meet the increased demand. The analysts’ trends for NVIDIA are bullish. Some price target reductions in April and early May provided a headwind that evaporated in the wake of the Saudi news. The likely outcome is that analysts will lift sentiment by increasing revenue, earnings, and stock price estimates, leading this market into a rebound that will move into the high-end range of targets. That is sufficient for new all-time highs and a solid 50% upside from May trading levels. As it is, the consensus forecasts another solid double-digit increase, although growth will slow from last year’s 262% and last quarter’s 77% to about 65%. Other critical details will be the earnings and cash flow, expected to be impacted by export curbs on China, but now offset by Saudi Arabia. The takeaway will be the nature of charges, which are expected to be mostly non-cash, and the balance sheet health. Details at the end of F2024 included a significant cash build, a net cash position, low leverage, and a rapidly improving outlook for increased capital returns. Institutions Buy NVIDIA at Low Prices The institutional activity in NVIDIA stock is telling, with them having bought on balance in Q4 2024, Q1 2025, and quarter-to-date in Q2. The net result is an increase in total holdings to about 65% of the stock and a solid support base for the market. The technical action reflects their buying, the price correction bottoming at critical targets, and will likely continue to move higher ahead of the release. The Saudi news sent price action above the 30-day EMA, where bullish day- and short-term traders are in control. The critical resistance point is near $140 and will likely be tested if not exceeded by the late May reporting date. Original Post Source link #Nvidia #Stock #Surges #Bullish #News #High #Climb Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

20 states sue Trump administration over conditions on federal transportation, disaster-relief funds 20 states sue Trump administration over conditions on federal transportation, disaster-relief funds A coalition of 20 state Democratic attorneys general filed two federal lawsuits on Tuesday, claiming that the Trump administration is threatening to withhold billions of dollars in transportation and disaster-relief funds unless states agree to certain immigration enforcement actions. According to the complaints, both Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have threatened to cut off funding to states that refuse to comply with President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. While no federal funding is currently being withheld, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said during a press conference on Tuesday that the threat was “imminent.” “President Donald Trump can’t use these funds as a bargaining chip as his way of ensuring states abide by his preferred policies,” Bonta added. Email messages seeking comment were sent Tuesday to the departments of Transportation and Homeland Security. Both lawsuits say that the Trump administration is violating the U.S. Constitution by trying to dictate federal spending when Congress has that power — not the executive branch. On April 24, states received letters from the Department of Transportation stating that they must cooperate on immigration efforts and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs or risk losing funds. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin criticized the timing of Duffy’s letter when Newark’s airport struggles with radar outages and other issues. “I wish the administration would stop playing politics with people’s lives,” Platkin said. “I wish Secretary Duffy would do his damn job, which is to make sure planes land on time, not to direct immigration enforcement.” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul also criticized the administration, calling those funds, “quite literally, lifesaving.” “This critical funding has nothing to do with immigration, and the administration’s attempts to hold it hostage unless states agree to do the federal government’s job of civil immigration enforcement is unconstitutional and outrageous,” Raoul said. “I am proud of the continued collaboration between state attorneys general and am committed to using all tools at our disposal to fight the Trump administration’s ongoing attempts to play politics with Americans’ lives.” Meanwhile, on Feb. 24, states received letters from the Department of Homeland Security declaring that states that “refuse to cooperate with, refuse to share information with, or even actively obstruct federal immigration enforcement reject these ideals and the history we share in common as Americans.” “If any government entity chooses to thumb its nose at the Department of Homeland Security’s national security and public safety mission, it should not receive a single dollar of the Department’s money unless Congress has specifically required it,” Noem wrote in her letter. Attorneys general behind the lawsuits include the following states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin and Vermont. “Law enforcement agents across Minnesota work hard to protect and serve their communities, and we are truly grateful for all they do. Decisions about how police resources should be allocated to maintain public safety are made at the local level because every community has different safety needs,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said. “It is both wrong and unlawful for the Trump Administration to demand Minnesota law enforcement step away from their patrols, investigations, and community-engagement work to instead enforce federal immigration law.” “These funds are meant to repair aging roads and bridges, strengthen public safety, and ensure law enforcement has the tools they need to act quickly in emergency situations. By clawing back this already-allocated funding, Donald Trump’s White House is prioritizing political posturing over the safety and well-being of Americans,” added Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. The cases are being spearheaded by California but were filed in federal court in Rhode Island, a detail that the attorneys general defended by saying they filed an “any court that is going to be fair and objective and consider our factual presentation and legal analysis.” The lawsuits are the latest legal actions that Democratic-led states have taken against Trump since he took office earlier this year. Bonta noted that California has filed more than 20 lawsuits against the administration, while Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said his state has launched more than a dozen. While the lawsuits have challenged policies on tariffs, federal employee firings to health care research, Trump’s focus on immigration enforcement and the mass deportation of immigrants in the United States illegally have received the most attention. This has included the president’s promise to mass deport people to the start of a registry required for all those who are in the country illegally. “What we’re seeing is a creeping authoritarianism,” Neronha said. More from CBS News Source link #states #sue #Trump #administration #conditions #federal #transportation #disasterrelief #funds Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Penny Wong reveals Australia’s first steps with crucial allies as Albo heads to Indonesia Penny Wong reveals Australia’s first steps with crucial allies as Albo heads to Indonesia Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has revealed Australia’s first steps with crucial allies Indonesia and the US as Anthony Albanese is expected to head overseas in the coming days. The Prime Minister said his first trip after winning the federal election would be to Indonesia to “signal” the importance of the defence and security relationship with the region. He is expected to land in Jakarta to meet with President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday – a day after his government was sworn in. Senator Wong said there was no other country more important to Australia than Indonesia. Camera IconAnthony Albanese said Indonesia would be his first overseas visit in the wake of his historic election win. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia “The first trip the Prime Minister is making is to Indonesia, and I’m sure there will be other engagements that are settled in the weeks and months to come, including with the United States,” she told Today. “Obviously, the first trip being to Indonesia sends a signal, just as his first trip last term was to Indonesia too. “(The) region matters to Australia and we’re very focused on what we can continue to do to keep strengthening that relationship.” The Indonesian-Russian relationship was a focal point during the election campaign because of security concerns. A military intelligence firm reported that Russia was looking to base long-range aircraft at an air force base in Papua, the most eastern Indonesian province. However, the Indonesian defence minister said that no such Russian base would be allowed. Senator Wong said the relationship between Australia and Indonesia had been ongoing since the time of former prime minister Robert Menzies in the 1960s. Camera IconMr Albanese is strengthening ties with Indonesia. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia “What we have to focus on is what we do, and that’s what we’ve done,” she added. “We’ve got, for the first time ever, a defence agreement with Indonesia. We have stronger economic ties, we work much more closely diplomatically, internationally.” When asked about relations with the US and President Donald Trump, Senator Wong reiterated that the “usual rules don’t apply”. “It’s a different approach, and we will take that step by step,” she said. “We recognise that President Trump and the United States envisage a very different role for America in the world. “There’s obviously changes in policy and we’ll have to keep dealing with that, and I think it’s very important for us to stay clear and steady on what is our national interest, what is in Australia’s national interest,” Senator Wong said. “We are a sovereign nation and we make decisions about what advances our interests.” She confirmed that Australia would continue to engage about ongoing trade issues. Mr Albanese is expected to attend the G7 leaders meeting in Alberta next month, opening up an opportunity to meet with Mr Trump in either Canada or the US. Source link #Penny #Wong #reveals #Australias #steps #crucial #allies #Albo #heads #Indonesia Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Active ETFs Just Hit a Major Milestone in April Active ETFs Just Hit a Major Milestone in April Actively managed ETFs are “transforming the investment landscape.” Just six years ago, actively managed ETFs were a rarity, as passively managed, index-tracking ETFs outnumbered them five to one. But in recent years, particularly this year, there has been an explosion in actively managed ETFs, which are ETFs that are built and managed by portfolio managers rather than passively tracking an index, like the . According to a report from JP Morgan Asset Management, there are now more actively managed ETFs than passively managed ones, led by a major surge this year. The report, from JP Morgan Chief ETF Strategist John Maier and ETF Strategist Shannon Ahern, found that approximately 81% of the 300 ETFs that have launched in the U.S. this year are actively managed. Over the past 12 months, there have been 694 new active ETFs, representing 84% of all new ETFs. In April alone, 57 actively managed ETFs were introduced. “In our view, the growth in active ETFs is a clear signal that a new era in ETFs is upon us-driven by shifting investor preferences as the market environment grows more complex,” the strategists’ wrote. The Most Popular Types of Active ETFs Investors’ increased desire for active ETFs is evident by the types of ETFs that are the most popular right now. The ETFs seeing the most issuance this year include defined outcome ETFs, also called buffer ETFs. These ETFs are structured to limit downside losses, often with capped upside. It shows that many investors have little appetite for the type of volatility we have seen. Also popular are leveraged equity ETFs, which are far riskier than traditional ETFs. They are appealing to perhaps another segment of the marketplace, those seeking alpha in a difficult market. Leveraged ETFs amplify the gains – or losses – of an index by investing in derivatives or options. So, a 2X leveraged ETF would generate two tims the gain of a benchmark, while a 3X leveraged ETF would generate 3X. But if the benchmark goes down, the losses would be amplified. Along the same lines, derivative income ETFs are also gaining popularity. These ETFs use derivatives, including options and futures, and employ strategies like covered calls or puts to boost yield. Finally, there has been a significant surge in digital asset ETFs, like those that invest in , cryptocurrencies, blockchain technologies, and other digital assets. Currently, according to JP Morgan, there are about 100 digital asset ETFs in the market, with some 75 more awaiting approval. Maier and Ahern said these launches reflect two very different trends – the desire for income and reduced volatility on one hand, and the growing appetite for leverage/inverse and digital asset strategies. Derivative Income ETFs See Most Active ETF Inflows In the month of April, ETF assets increased by 0.55% to $10.5 trillion, according to JP Morgan. Approximately 64% of the $62 billion in April ETF inflows went into equity ETFs, while 22% went into fixed income funds. Of the $62 billion in inflows, $22 billion went to active ETFs, with about 85% going into equities and about 11% into fixed income. At the end of April, active ETFs had $1.01 trillion in assets. Year-to-date through April, $357 billion have flowed into ETF overall, with 39% of flows going into active strategies. Among active ETFs, derivative income fuds saw the most inflows in April, with about $4.5 billion. For the year, $18.8 billion in new funds have flowed into derivative income ETFs. “Volatility is a friend to these strategies, and April was particularly volatile amid the tariff uncertainty. The VIX, peaking at 52, in April rivaled the volatility of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Great Financial Crisis,” the JP Morgan strategists wrote. Also in April, active large-cap value ETFs saw $3 billion in flows in April, while large blend saw $2.5 billion in inflows. Further, active intermediate-term bonds saw $2 billion, while large-cap growth saw $1.6 billion. For the year so far, derivative income, ultrashort bond, large blend and large value have accounted for approximately 40% of active flows. Original Post Source link #Active #ETFs #Hit #Major #Milestone #April Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

***** Alexander’s family describes his “battle between hope and despair” leading up to release ***** Alexander’s family describes his “battle between hope and despair” leading up to release For the first time since the release Monday from Gaza of American-Israeli hostage ***** Alexander’s by the militant group ******, his family spoke publicly about what their emotional reunion was like, and what their son went through. In a news conference Tuesday from the hospital in Tel Aviv where her son is recovering, Yael Alexander said the moment she embraced him “time stood still,” adding, “My heartbeat returned in sync with his.” However, she also shared that during his more than 580 days in captivity, “Every minute was a battle between hope and despair.” She said the reunion was also met with the pain of learning that her son faced “daily fear, hunger, the lack of water and appalling sanitary conditions.” While being held in underground tunnels, ***** Alexander heard deafening explosions, the whistles of missiles, and felt the earth shaking, she said. Alexanders call for the release of the remaining hostages At the news conference, Yael Alexander said it was important to bring home the remaining hostages. The extended Alexander family held up photos of those still being held captive. Yael and her husband, Adi Alexander, thanked President Trump, who ***** Alexander spoke with by phone on Monday. Neither of them thanked Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however. “Soon, ***** will be home in the United States, in New Jersey, watching his little brother play basketball, reuniting with his friends in New Jersey. He’s 21 now, and those happy kinds may include a beer, too, but we will never forget the first beer he had on the rooftop of this very building since his release,” Adi Alexander said. ***** Alexander takes to social media for first time ***** Alexander on Tuesday created his first Instagram post of that moment, titling it, “Home sweet home.” He was wearing a Star of David, a necklace given to him by Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East. It belonged to Witkoff’s late son, Andrew. Witkoff’s son, Alex, posted on X that ***** is “a true warrior and the necklace is a powerful reminder of his strength, survival, and pride in his Jewish heritage.” It is unclear when Alexander will return to the U.S. Alexander grew up in New Jersey before moving to Israel. He was serving in the Israeli military on Oct. 7, 2023, when he was abducted during ******’ assault on Israel. More from CBS News Lisa Rozner Lisa Rozner joined CBS News New York in 2017. She covers a wide range of stories. Source link #***** #Alexanders #family #describes #battle #hope #despair #leading #release Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nvidia CEO’s net worth nears $120 billion as shares surge on Saudi chip deal Nvidia CEO’s net worth nears $120 billion as shares surge on Saudi chip deal (Reuters) – Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s personal net worth jumped to around $120 billion on Tuesday, up from $80 billion last year, as a ***** in demand for the company’s artificial intelligence chips has powered a steep rally in its shares. Nvidia hit $3 trillion in market value after it agreed to sell hundreds of thousands of AI chips in Saudi Arabia with many chips to an AI startup launched by its sovereign wealth fund, in a sign demand for its top-line processors is still booming. The company’s shares closed 5.6% higher at $129.93. The deal came as a part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gulf tour, which he kicked off in Saudi Arabia with plans to visit the UAE later in the week. Huang has played a critical role in making Nvidia one of the world’s most valuable companies by positioning the chipmaker as the dominant force in the AI semiconductor industry. The latest boost to his net worth puts him among the world’s wealthiest people, but just out of the top ten, according to Forbes’ real-time billionaires list. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur) Source link #Nvidia #CEOs #net #worth #nears #billion #shares #surge #Saudi #chip #deal Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Dallas Mavericks paid $33 million over 3 years by Chime for patch Dallas Mavericks paid $33 million over 3 years by Chime for patch Klay Thompson #31 of the Dallas Mavericks handles the ball during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2025 SoFi Play-In Tournament on April 18, 2025 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. Joe Murphy | National Basketball Association | Getty Images Chime Financial paid the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks roughly $33 million over three years to have its logo worn as a patch on player jerseys, the company disclosed in its IPO filing Tuesday. The Mavericks finalized the jersey deal, along with “certain other sponsorship and promotional rights,” in 2020, but terms weren’t announced. CNBC reported at the time that, citing an NBA official, that the league’s patch sponsorships ranged from $2 million to $20 million per season, depending on market size. Chime, a San Francisco-based fintech company that provides online banking services like direct deposit and credit cards, plans to soon debut on the Nasdaq. Cynthia Marshall, who was CEO for the Mavericks from 2018 until December of last year, is on Chime’s board, so the company included details of the arrangement in the related party transactions section of its filing. The company said it paid the Mavericks $10.5 million in 2022, $11.5 million in 2023 and $11.2 million last year. Marshall told CNBC in 2020 that the decision to select Chime for its jersey patch came as the team was looking to fill its official sponsorship slot, which came with the deal. The logo has been displayed around American Airlines Center, where the Mavericks play their home games. “We wanted somebody that was doing well as a business and growing,” Marshall said. “It’s a perfect fit.” Chime’s IPO filing lands a day after the Mavericks shocked the NBA world by winning the draft lottery and the right to draft presumed top pick Cooper Flagg from Duke University. The Mavericks had only a 1.8% chance of landing the top pick based on where they finished in the standings. ESPN reported on Wednesday that the Mavericks plan to draft Flagg and are not considering the possibility of trading him. It was a remarkably fortuitous turn of events for a front office and ownership team that’s been roundly criticized for months since trading franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic in February, bringing back older star Anthony Davis in return. Longtime owner Mark Cuban sold a majority stake in the Mavericks in 2023 to casino owner Miriam Adelson and her family. In October, the Mavericks announced a multi-year extension to its Chime deal, agreeing to showcase the brand and the company’s products more broadly. One new aspect was the creation of Chime Lane, “a dedicated entrance featuring exclusive benefits for Chime members during Mavs games and select events at AAC,” the team said in a press release. — CNBC’s Jordan Novet contributed to this report. WATCH: Chime files to go public on NASDAQ under CHYM Source link #Dallas #Mavericks #paid #million #years #Chime #patch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

How To Find Minecraft String How To Find Minecraft String While you can craft Minecraft string in one limited case, the easiest way to get it is to harvest it from enemies. If you want to hunt down this valuable resource in bulk, you’re going to need to come face-to-face with some Minecraft mobs. In this guide, we’ll detail where to find string, what it can be used for, and some of the most useful crafting recipes that require string. Spiders drop string when killed How to find string in Minecraft Killing spiders is the easiest way to get your hands on a lot of string quickly. They’re noisy, so you’ll know their location easily, although we’ve found that they spawn most often in dark caves and under trees in dense forests. They’re also pretty big, so hitting them is easy, and taking them down isn’t strenuous at all. While killing spiders is the easiest way to get your hands on plenty of string, there are other methods. You can also break cobwebs, fish, and loot it from jungle temples, desert pyramids, and dungeons. If you have some tamed cats around your base, it might also bring you some string as a gift from time to time. Although we’ve heard that cats only bring “gifts” when they think you’re incapable of looking after yourself–so take from that what you will. You can use string to craft wool in the absence of sheep String crafting recipes While you can’t craft string in Java, in Bedrock, you can add cobwebs to a crafting table to turn them into string. More importantly, string is used for several vital in-game items. You can use it to create wool, looms, leads, fishing rods, bows, crossbows, and even scaffolding. Wool To craft wool from string you’ll need to have four string and arrange them in the lower left corner of the crafting table. Loom To craft a loom, place a wood plank in the center of the crafting table and another to the left of it. Place two string above both of these blocks to create a loom. Fishing rod Place three sticks diagonally from the bottom left to upper right corners of the crafting table. Place two string on the right side of the sticks to create a fishing rod. Lead A lead is used to capture mobs. To craft one, you’ll need five string. Place four next to each other in the upper left corner of the crafting grid in a 2×2 shape, and one in the bottom right corner to create a lead. Bow To craft a bow from string, place three string down the right-hand side of the crafting grid. Place three sticks in the top middle, middle left, and bottom middle spaces to create a bow. Taking string to fishermen villagers to trade could get you some valuable items, and you can even create traps with string by turning it into tripwire. If you connect string to a tripwire hook, it’ll activate whenever anything walks by. You can create traps for your fellow players in this way, or you can use it to trigger trapdoors that mobs can fall into for item farming. If you’re on a multiplayer server and you spot someone else’s tripwire, you can cut it with shears to avoid falling to your doom. Now that you know how to get string in Minecraft, take a look at our Minecraft guides hub, which covers everything from the most useful Minecraft tools, to how to breed Minecraft animals. Source link #Find #Minecraft #String Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Eva Longoria in Beaded Tamara Ralph Gown, Heidi Klum in Floral Elie Saab and More Cannes Film Festival 2025 Red Carpet Arrivals – Yahoo News *** Eva Longoria in Beaded Tamara Ralph Gown, Heidi Klum in Floral Elie Saab and More Cannes Film Festival 2025 Red Carpet Arrivals – Yahoo News *** Eva Longoria in Beaded Tamara Ralph Gown, Heidi Klum in Floral Elie Saab and More Cannes Film Festival 2025 Red Carpet Arrivals Yahoo News UKCannes Film Festival 2025: What to Watch From This Year’s Star-Packed Lineup The New York TimesRobert De Niro attacks Trump in Cannes speech: ‘This isn’t just America’s problem’ The GuardianCannes Launches With Lots of Politics, No Cleavage and a Tarantino Surprise Variety14 Movies We Can’t Wait to See at This Year’s Cannes Film Festival Vulture Source link #Eva #Longoria #Beaded #Tamara #Ralph #Gown #Heidi #Klum #Floral #Elie #Saab #Cannes #Film #Festival #Red #Carpet #Arrivals #Yahoo #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Is the US finally on track to build a high-speed rail network? Is the US finally on track to build a high-speed rail network? Sam Gruet & Megan Lawton Business reporter Getty Images Amtrak’s new high-speed trains will be held back by tracks that greatly limit how quickly they can move The US is a country of 340 million people, 71 interstate highways, more than 5,000 public airports, and currently no high-speed railways. Yet with two high-speed rail (HSR) projects now under construction, and others planned, is the US finally on track to start catching up with the fast trains seen in China, Japan and Europe? Rick Harnish, of US campaign group High Speed Rail Alliance, says it is at least good to see the first two schemes being built. “The first is the San Francisco to Los Angeles route,” he explains. “That’s an incredibly challenging route to build because of the mountains in California. “Then there’s Las Vegas to Los Angeles, a relatively easy project to build, as it is flat land.” In addition, there are plans for a HSR line from Portland in Oregon to Seattle in Washington State, and onto Vancouver in Canada. And another between Dallas and Houston. Yet Mr Harnish warns that planning efforts for the former are “moving slowly”, while the Texas line is now more doubtful after President Trump’s government cancelled a $63.9m (£48m) grant. By marked contrast, the total length of China’s HSR network will reportedly exceed 50,000 km (31,000 miles) this year. Meanwhile, the European Union has 8,556 km of HSR lines, led by Spain’s 3,190 km. In the ***, the only current HSR line is High Speed 1, the 68 miles link between the Channel Tunnel and London St Pancreas. But High Speed 2 continues to be constructed from London Euston to Birmingham, despite well-publicised funding issues. While there is no universally agreed definition on what constitutes HSR, global railways trade group International Union of Railways says that trains generally need to be moving at more than 250 km/h (155 mph). So why does US lag behind Europe and especially China? “We’re a very car-addicted nation,” says American rail industry journalist and author Will Doig. “There’s lots of people who just don’t think we need it, or don’t really want it coming through their area. “And the US government has really shown a willingness to shut down investment in a lot of projects, especially rail.” Getty Images Two high-speed rail lines are currently under construction in the US, in California and Nevada Further complicating the situation in the US is that the boss of the government-owned passenger train service Amtrak, Stephen Gardner, resigned last month. It was widely reported that he stood down after pressure from the White House. Amtrak currently does not operate any HSR trains. Later this year it is due to enter 28 new 160mph NextGen Acela trains into service on its Northeast Corridor route between Boston and Washington DC. However, only around 50 miles of the 457-mile line can presently allow trains to travel at more than 150mph. Amtrak is not involved in the high-speed lines being built in California and Nevada. The LA to San Francisco project, called California High-Speed Rail, is being led by the state of California, and due to be completed by 2033. The line from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Brightline West, is a privately-run project. It is expected to open in 2028. Globally, there are 23 nations with HSR, according to Mr Harnish. His non-profit organisation has the sole mission of bringing it to the US. Allowing HSR trains to run safely is far from straightforward, he adds. “You can’t have any crossings with highways, it needs to be very straight and a sealed corridor.” In China the country is still building more and more HSR lines, with the total distance expected to reach around 60,000km by 2030. ******** cities that get HSR links see their economies increase by 14.2%, according to data from Denmark-based think tank 21st Europe. ******** firms are also helping to build HSR systems in other Asian countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Will Doig, who wrote a book called High-Speed Empire, ******** Expansion, and the Future of Southeast Asia, says that China is not just interested in helping its neighbours improve their rail networks. “It is a way of China spreading its influence across a region that it felt was geopolitically strategic,” he says. “In some of these cases, countries have taken out loans from China so that China can then build the railways.” He warns that this may put them “in a position where they’re beholden to China”. Getty Images China’s high-speed rail network now dwarfs that in all other countries Europe’s growing HSR network is testament to the continent’s history of investing in its public infrastructure, says Kaave Pour from 21st Europe. His think tank is now calling for further expansion of HSR, so that it connects most capitals and main cities in the EU, and those in the ***. Mr Pour says that if the US wants to develop HSR it needs to start with a cultural shift, a move towards more public transport, and asking itself “what type of future does it want?”. Mr Harnish from the High Speed Rail Alliance says that in order for HSR to work in the US, “the federal government is an essential component”. Yet as already flagged, the White House has pulled the plug on giving the planned high-speed line between Houston and Dallas a federal grant. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the project as a “waste of taxpayers’ money”. Scott Sherin is an executive at French train manufacturer Alstom. His firm is suppling Amtrak’s new high-speed trains, but he questions whether the US has the political will “to spend the public purse on rail versus other modes of transportation”. He also notes that any future HSR lines would struggle to get into city centres such as Dallas and Houston, because there are too many buildings. “The issue is that the cities are so densely built [in their centres]”. Will Doig says that going forward he would love to see China helping to build more HSR in the US, but that he is not holding his breath. “It’s politically very difficult,” he says. “Which is too bad because without the animosity between the US and China, you could see how a partnership between them could really create great things for America, that America is not so good at building itself.” Source link #finally #track #build #highspeed #rail #network Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

SQM: A newly listed medical asset in Bunbury – or Bunvegas – hits the market with perfect timing SQM: A newly listed medical asset in Bunbury – or Bunvegas – hits the market with perfect timing A newly listed medical asset in Bunbury – or should we say Bunvegas – has hit the market with perfect timing Source link #SQM #newly #listed #medical #asset #Bunbury #Bunvegas #hits #market #perfect #timing Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

A lack of oxygen likely incapacitated the pilot of a private jet that crashed in Virginia in 2023 A lack of oxygen likely incapacitated the pilot of a private jet that crashed in Virginia in 2023 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A lack of oxygen that incapacitated the pilot and three passengers is likely what caused a private jet to become unresponsive before flying over the nation’s capital and prompting the military to scramble fighter jets in 2023, according to a final report from the National Transportation Safety Board released on Tuesday. The oxygen problem was likely caused by a loss of cabin pressure, according to the report. Investigators could not determine the exact reason for the pressure loss, but they noted that the Cessna Citation had a number of maintenance issues. They included no pilot-side oxygen mask and supplemental oxygen at its minimum serviceable level. “At that level, oxygen would not have been available to the airplane occupants and passenger oxygen masks would not have deployed in the event of a loss of pressurization,” according to the report. It concluded that, “Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s and owner/operator’s decision to operate the airplane without supplemental oxygen.” Four people died in the June 4, 2023 accident. They were pilot Jeff Hefner, 69; New York real estate broker Adina Azarian, 49; Azarian’s 2-year-old daughter Aria; and Evadnie Smith, 56, who worked as live-in nanny for Aria. Prior to the ******, Azarian, Aria and Smith were in North Carolina to visit Azarian’s adoptive parents. Hefner stopped responding to air traffic control instructions within minutes of taking off from Elizabethton, Tennessee, at 1:13 p.m. The plane flew to New York, near its destination at Long Island’s MacArthur Airport, then turned around and flew a straight path over D.C. Fighter jets sent after it caused a loud sonic ***** that was heard across the capital region as they raced to catch up. The plane then plunged almost straight down in into a mountain near Montebello, Virginia, and burst into flames at 3:23 p.m. Fighter pilots tasked with intercepting the wayward flight said Hefner “was laying and slumped completely over into the right seat and remained motionless throughout their observations,” according to NTSB records. They did not observe any movement within the cabin area nor any shapes that resembled a person. Once Hefner lost consciousness, the plane likely was directed along its path by autopilot “until a point at which it was no longer able to maintain control,” according to the report. Lack of oxygen, called hypoxia, can affect people differently, but it is known to cause confusion, disorientation and diminished judgment and reactions, according to the report. A pilot would likely have between 30 seconds and 2 minutes to take corrective action. That time could be less if the depressurization is rapid. “However, gradual depressurization can be as dangerous or more dangerous than rapid depressurization because of its potential to insidiously impair a pilot’s ability to recognize and respond to the developing emergency,” according to the report. “Cognitive impairment from hypoxia makes it harder for affected individuals to recognize their own impairment.” The report noted that Hefner had several health issues and had been prescribed at least one medication that was potentially impairing but did not list those issues as contributing to the accident. Source link #lack #oxygen #incapacitated #pilot #private #jet #crashed #Virginia Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

UKRI must do more to drive innovation agenda and avoid fraud UKRI must do more to drive innovation agenda and avoid fraud The UKRI, the largest single public funder of research and innovation in the ***, needs funding assurance. The *** research and innovation: Providing support through grants report by the National Audit Committee (NAO) found that the organisation’s ongoing challenges include a lack of joined-up direction from government departments; inefficient data systems; and the need to consider how to further support well-managed risk-taking through organisational culture. The report found a lack of coordination in how the government expects UKRI to support the delivery of a range of objectives. The UKRI uses its budget to support the government’s research and innovation agenda. Given the multi-year nature of UKRI’s investments, it needs to make a high level of financial commitments into future financial years, which, the NAO said, limits the budget available to respond to emerging government priorities through initiating new programmes. Due to the broad nature of UKRI’s activity, government departments indicate their policy priorities to UKRI through a variety of means, including ad hoc and routine meetings, government strategies and mission statements, and spending review budgets. However, the NAO reported that these are not consolidated or ranked. The report’s authors found that since its establishment, UKRI has been grappling with consolidating the data of its predecessor organisations, which ran separate systems and had data quality issues. Although it has now developed a system to classify grants by theme algorithmically, based on the award title and description, tracking or analysing other aspects of spending across UKRI remains a difficult manual exercise. The NAO was told by UKRI that around 15% of its grants do not have a full description on its system or the descriptions are poor quality, which means that spending on these grants cannot be accurately automatically classified. There are also issues relating to fraud. The NAO reported that the counter-fraud team at the UKRI is under-staffed, which means there is a backlog of cases and limited capacity for preventative work. The report from the NAO found that in 2023-24, UKRI investigated suspected fraud on £42.6m of grants. It identified £4.6m of fraud; prevented £13.5m and recovered £80,000. The NAO noted that UKRI has recognised there are issues with its approach to fraud, and said it was reorganising its risk, assurance, counter-fraud and corporate governance team. According to the NAO report, the UKRI is working on a new counter-fraud strategy and a new approach to funding assurance; has recruited new staff; and begun efforts to improve team culture and update fraud risk assessments. The NAO was told to expect improvements by September 2025. The authors of the report concluded that UKRI, which spends around £9bn annually, needs to establish a strong approach to understand how its work is providing a return on investment for taxpayers. Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “UKRI plays a key role in supporting a substantial and successful R&I system, seeking to take a high risk, high reward approach to grant funding. However, it lacks any measurable objectives to track progress and does not have the right data to manage grant spending strategically. “For the nation to remain global leaders in R&I, UKRI must do more to support its decision-makers, foster resilience and ensure our systems can continue to respond to emerging challenges.” Source link #UKRI #drive #innovation #agenda #avoid #fraud Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Jeffries warns against arresting New Jersey Democrats involved in immigration protest – Politico Jeffries warns against arresting New Jersey Democrats involved in immigration protest – Politico Jeffries warns against arresting New Jersey Democrats involved in immigration protest PoliticoOcasio-Cortez warns of ‘problem’ if Democratic colleagues are arrested The HillAOC Slams ICE Barbie and Trump Border Czar Over Mayor Arrest: ‘We’re Going to Have a Problem’ The Daily BeastDemocrat Leaders threaten ICE officers National Republican Congressional CommitteeWar of words over sanctuary policies between elected Democrats and Trump Administration KATU Source link #Jeffries #warns #arresting #Jersey #Democrats #involved #immigration #protest #Politico Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

AI tool put to test sifting public views on botox and fillers AI tool put to test sifting public views on botox and fillers Chris Vallance Senior Technology Reporter Getty Images An artificial intelligence (AI) tool has been used to sort through comments about botox and lip fillers, that were submitted as part of a public consultation, in what officials said was the first use of this kind in the ***. Officials set the tool to work sifting responses to a Scottish government consultation on regulating non-surgical cosmetic procedures. They found it came up with “nearly identical” results, when compared to humans set the same task. It is hoped the tool, dubbed “Consult”, will spare civil servants from similar time-consuming tasks in future, and save taxpayers an estimated £20m. Consult is one of a planned set of government AI-powered tools that have collectively been dubbed “Humphrey” after the wily senior civil servant, Sir Humphrey Appleby, from the classic 1980s sitcom Yes, Minister. The series often took aim at excessive bureaucracy in government. In this trial the AI tool examined 2,000 submissions. But public consultations, which gather the views of *** citizens on issues under consideration by ministers, can generate tens of thousands of responses. It was able to identify themes amongst the responses, and counted and catalogued answers accordingly – with human experts checking its work at both stages. Consult’s findings were then examined to see how they compared to a team of human experts working in parallel. Technology secretary Peter Kyle said the initial success of the trial meant that Consult would be used across government “very soon”. “After demonstrating such promising results, Humphrey will help us cut the costs of governing and make it easier to collect and comprehensively review what experts and the public are telling us on a range of crucial issues,” he wrote. The government hopes £45bn can be saved by wider public sector use of AI technology. ‘Humans in the loop’ The government says that Consult is currently still in its trial stage and more evaluation will take place before any final decision to roll it out more widely. There would always be “humans in the loop” checking Consult’s work, the government added. Officials have also sought to address some of the persistent concerns about AI systems. One is that they sometimes invent information – a failing known as “hallucinating”. Because the AI was only being asked to carry out a relatively limited task, officials said hallucination would not be a major problem. Such AI tools, built using what are known as “large language models” have also displayed bias, as they adsorb the prejudices inherent in the human-generated data on which they are trained. But experts who worked with Consult had found it reduced bias overall, the government said, by removing opportunities for individual human analysts to “project their own preconceived ideas”. Consult has also been tested to check it can handle language containing spelling mistakes and other errors. However, for now it only works in English, and responses in other languages spoken within the *** such as Welsh would need to be translated into English first. Source link #tool #put #test #sifting #public #views #botox #fillers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]