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Trump reportedly is set to accept a jet from Qatar’s ruling family for possible use as Air Force One Trump reportedly is set to accept a jet from Qatar’s ruling family for possible use as Air Force One WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump reportedly is set to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the ruling family of Qatar during his trip to the Middle East this coming week, and U.S. officials could convert the plane into a potential presidential aircraft. ABC News reported that Trump will use the plane as a new version of Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office in January 2029, when ownership will be transferred to the foundation overseeing his yet-to-be-built presidential library. The gift is expected to be announced when Trump visits Qatar as part of a trip that also includes stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the first extended foreign travel of his second term. The Qatari government did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday night. Administration officials, anticipating questions about the president accepting such a large gift from a foreign government, have prepared an analysis arguing that doing so would be legal, according to ABC. The Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, Article I, Section 9, Clause 8, bars anyone holding government office from accepting any present, emolument, office or title from any “King, Prince, or foreign State,” without congressional consent. Trump intends to convert the Qatari aircraft into a plane he can fly on as president, with the Air Force planning to add secure communications and other classified elements to it. But it will still have more limited capabilities than the existing planes that were built to serve as Air Force One, as well as two other aircraft currently under construction, according to a former U.S. official who was briefed about the plane and spoke Sunday on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not yet been made public. The existing planes used as Air Force One are heavily modified with survivability capabilities for the president for a range of contingencies, including radiation shielding and antimissile technology. They also include a variety of communications systems to allow the president to remain in contact with the military and issue orders from anywhere in the world. The official told The Associated Press that it would be possible to quickly add some countermeasures and communications systems to the Qatari plane, but that it would be less capable than the existing Air Force One aircraft or long-delayed replacements. Neither the Qatari plane nor the upcoming VC-25B aircraft will have the air-to-air refueling capabilities of the current VC-25A aircraft, which is the one the president currently flies on, the official said. Air Force One is a modified Boeing 747. Two exist and the president flies on both, which are more than 30 years old. Boeing Inc. has the contract to produce updated versions, but delivery has been delayed while the company has lost billions of dollars on the project. Delivery has been pushed to some time in 2027 for the first plane and in 2028 — Trump’s final full year in office — for the second. ABC said the new plane is similar to a 13-year-old Boeing aircraft Trump toured in February, while it was parked at Palm Beach International Airport and he was spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago club. Trump’s family business, the Trump Organization, which is now largely run by his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, has vast and growing interests in the Middle East. That includes a new deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar, partnering with Qatari Diar, a real estate company backed by that country’s sovereign wealth fund. Qatar, which is ruled by the Al Thani family, is home to the state-owned airline Qatar Airways. The country also has worked to have a close relationship to Trump after he apparently backed a boycott of Doha by four Arab nations in his first term. Trump later in his term applauded Qatar. Administration officials have brushed off concerns about the president’s policy interests blurring with family’s business profits. They note that Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children and that a voluntary ethics agreement released by the Trump Organization in January bars the company from striking deals directly with foreign governments. But that same agreement allows deals with private companies abroad. That is a departure from Trump’s first term, when the organization released an ethics pact prohibiting both foreign government and foreign company deals. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, when asked Friday if the president during his upcoming trip might meet with people ties to his family’s business, said it was “ridiculous” to suggest Trump “is doing anything for his own benefit.” ___ Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. Source link #Trump #reportedly #set #accept #jet #Qatars #ruling #family #Air #Force Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Trump transforms congressionally mandated health offices into ghost towns – Politico Trump transforms congressionally mandated health offices into ghost towns – Politico Trump transforms congressionally mandated health offices into ghost towns PoliticoAttorney General Bonta Files Motion for Preliminary Injunction to Stop Unlawful Dismantling of HHS State of California – Department of Justice (.gov)19 states sue Trump administration over mass layoffs at HHS Government Executive19 states sue RFK Jr., Trump administration for overhauling HHS and staff cuts USA TodayCoalition of 19 states ask federal judge to reverse deep cuts to US Health and Human Services nrtoday.com Source link #Trump #transforms #congressionally #mandated #health #offices #ghost #towns #Politico Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How expensive will Chelsea’s Premier League loss at Newcastle prove to be? How expensive will Chelsea’s Premier League loss at Newcastle prove to be? Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca went through his full range of brave faces, but he will know just how expensive the damaging defeat at Newcastle United could prove to be. Maresca has been keen to emphasise what he regards as Chelsea’s progress since he succeeded Mauricio Pochettino in the summer. The reality, especially what passes for reality at Stamford Bridge, means the final judgement will only come once the Premier League season concludes. The Italian regards Chelsea’s advance to an upcoming Europa Conference League final meeting with Real Betis as the clearest signal of an upward trend under his guidance. The brutal truth is that this is a competition Chelsea have been expected to win. There will be no flowers handed out at Stamford Bridge for winning Europe’s third-tier tournament. For a club of Chelsea’s ambition, not to mention vast financial outlay, the Champions League is what matters. That is where the club believes it should be. The Blues are still clinging on to the final Champions League spot with two matches remaining but, with just a point separating them and seventh, it is far too close for comfort. And the 2-0 loss on Tyneside places a heavy load on their final two games at home to Manchester United, then, with great significance as they are chasing the same lucrative prize, away to seventh-placed Nottingham Forest on the last day. If Chelsea win the Conference League but do not qualify for the Champions League, Maresca must expect this season to be judged as failure, however harsh that judgement may seem. The stakes could not be higher, not least for Maresca, who has had a somewhat loveless relationship with Chelsea fans never fully convinced by the studied passing style which is his trademark. This defeat means Chelsea have lost six of their last nine away games in the Premier League, winning one and drawing two. Since Christmas Day, only Leicester City and Southampton (both four) have picked up fewer away points in the competition than Chelsea’s five. It is a flaw that has brought Chelsea to the point where the success of their season hangs in a delicate balance. And all this makes the act of wild indiscipline from striker Nicolas Jackson after 35 minutes at St. James’ Park, with Chelsea already trailing to Sandro Tonali’s early goal, not only reckless but potentially very expensive. Only Jackson can explain what possessed him to launch himself forearm first into the face of Newcastle defender Sven Botman, a red card the inevitable outcome once referee John Brooks was directed towards the screen by the Video Assistant Referee. Jackson not only left Chelsea short-handed at Newcastle, he will now miss those pivotal final games that could shape so many futures at Stamford Bridge. This may yet be one very pricey swing of a forearm. Source link #expensive #Chelseas #Premier #League #loss #Newcastle #prove Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Make a statement Make a statement Steeped in riverfront opulence, this stately abode sits in the coveted Applecross. Source link #statement Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The multicultural effort to defeat fascism The multicultural effort to defeat fascism Regarding Gary Younge’s article (Millions of the ****** and brown people who fought for Europe’s freedom didn’t get a VE Day, 8 May), it is refreshing to read about what actually happened at the end of the second world war. But I do resist strongly the framing of the millions of colonised people in the British empire as having “fought for the allies”. They were the allies. These people, including my late father, were subjects of the British empire, just like any soldier from Liverpool or an Auxiliary Territorial Service recruit from Maidenhead. They were trained as the British army and they fought and died, or survived, just like those from Scotland or Wales. Many British people don’t want to hear that millions of the grandparents and parents of those “foreigners” living here were born and lived under the same rule as any Bristol or Birmingham council estate, but that was the case. The far-right “othering” of people is a result of a deliberate and hateful ideology aimed at seizing power. The words we use matter. The soldiers and service personnel that Younge is talking about were British subjects and Britain was a complex, global, multicultural empire – not a white bastion of democratic resistance that fought alone from the shores of Blighty.Judy VertannesChurchdown, Gloucestershire • I read with interest that about 2.5 million personnel from the Indian subcontinent fought during the second world war. They are perhaps not the only forgotten ones. My mother was in India when war broke out. She joined the Women’s Royal Army Corps (WRAC) in India and served throughout the duration, ending up with the rank of captain. Her last days would have been made easier if her service had been acknowledged. On inquiring whether extra pension rights (she had a very small state widow’s pension) as a former servicewoman were hers to claim, she was told no records were available for WRAC in India. End of story. And a very shabby end to the story. Quite apart from the financial side, it was as if her service to the nation had simply never existed.Angela Blazy-O’ReillyVilleneuve-la-Comptal, Aude, France • Do you have a photograph you’d like to share with Guardian readers? If so, please click here to upload it. A selection will be published in our Readers’ best photographs galleries and in the print edition on Saturdays. Source link #multicultural #effort #defeat #fascism Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

India's diplomatic ambitions tested as Trump pushes for deal on Kashmir – Reuters India's diplomatic ambitions tested as Trump pushes for deal on Kashmir – Reuters India’s diplomatic ambitions tested as Trump pushes for deal on Kashmir ReutersTrump vows to increase trade with India, Pakistan after praising ceasefire agreement: ‘A job well done!’ Fox NewsIndia tried to project strength but ended up showing weakness Al JazeeraIndia claims its strikes inside Pakistan territory last week killed over 100 militants AP NewsAs Truce Seems to Hold, India and Pakistan Both Claim Victory The New York Times Source link #India039s #diplomatic #ambitions #tested #Trump #pushes #deal #Kashmir #Reuters Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

‘God Still Heals’: Mike Signorelli on Fighting the Demonic, Seeing Miracles — and More ‘God Still Heals’: Mike Signorelli on Fighting the Demonic, Seeing Miracles — and More A New York City pastor is on a mission to help people see that “God still heals.” Mike Signorelli of V1 Church in New York City joined Billy Hallowell to explain how facets of the secular medical community are now “open to the spiritual realm.” Listen to the latest episode of “Quick Start” While some doctors and hospitals are looking for help in the wrong places, he said there is an opportunity for Christians to step into the fold and divert attention toward biblical truth. “What we have to do is believe that God is going to do what only He can do and let me awaken people to the reality that He still heals,” Signorelli said. In his own ministry, the popular preacher said he has to remind himself to “pray for even incurable things,” as he puts full trust in the Lord. He said he’s seen and experienced incredible miracles as a result of this trust. Signorelli even shared the example of a woman who was healed of Multiple sclerosis (MS). “I received an email with all of these PDF attachments of a medical diagnosis of MS, and then as I begin to read the documents,” he said, noting he had prayed for the woman. “It was multiple confirmations that all the lesions were gone. It was completely undetectable and they cleared her and even said, ‘You’re done with medication and any medical intervention.’” Signorelli continued, “And I wept knowing my own unbelief in that moment.” These are the very issues CBN tackles in our new documentary “Investigating the Supernatural: Miracles,” as we travel the nation diving into claims of miraculous healing. “Your film is so important,” Signorelli said of the project. “And I hope many people listening watch it right now because it’s like, listen, I don’t want to serve a God that never heals. … But we also don’t want to distract people from the fact that salvation is the greatest healing and we’re all going to die of something. So it’s like living in that both and is healthy doctrine, healthy theology.” Signorelli is also on a mission to launch a new effort to inspire faith — the Mission 11:59. Find out more about that here. Source link #God #Heals #Mike #Signorelli #Fighting #Demonic #Miracles Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

U.S. trade talks with China were ‘productive,’ Bessent says U.S. trade talks with China were ‘productive,’ Bessent says U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testifies before a House Financial Services Committee hearing entitled “The Annual Testimony of the Secretary of the Treasury on the State of the International Financial System,” on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 7, 2025. Nathan Howard | Reuters Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that trade talks with China officials over the weekend were “productive.” “We will be giving details tomorrow, but I can tell you that the talks were productive,” he said during brief remarks. Bessent said that he and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer both spoke to President Donald Trump on Saturday evening and “he is fully informed” about the discussions. This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates. Source link #U.S #trade #talks #China #productive #Bessent Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Ukrainian president welcomes Russian overtures, but says ceasefire must come before peace talks – National Ukrainian president welcomes Russian overtures, but says ceasefire must come before peace talks – National Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday welcomed Russia’s offer for direct peace talks, but insisted there must be a full, temporary ceasefire in place before negotiations can start. Zelenskyy, writing on X, said it was a “positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war” and said that “the entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time.” He added, however, that “the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire,” in a reference to his proposal to start a 30-day unconditional truce on Monday. “There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day. We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire — full, lasting, and reliable — starting tomorrow, May 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet,” Zelenskyy said. Russian President Vladimir Putin in remarks to the media overnight effectively rejected that ceasefire offer and proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday instead “without preconditions.” He said a ceasefire might be agreed on during the negotiations. Story continues below advertisement Putin’s counter-offer came after leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Moscow if it does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. Get daily National news Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, ******* Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Saturday and issued a coordinated call for the truce starting Monday. The plan has received backing from both the European Union and U.S. President Donald Trump. In a social media post several hours after Putin’s overnight remarks about peace talks, Trump said it was “a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!” More on World More videos “I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens. The USA wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!” he added. Macron said Sunday that Putin’s offer of direct negotiations with Ukraine is “a first step, but not enough,” signaling continued Western skepticism toward Moscow’s intentions. “An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations,” Macron told reporters at the Polish-Ukrainian border, according to French media. Trending Now Inmate suffers bungled execution after firing squad misses target in South Carolina Recount sees Liberals take Quebec riding of Terrebonne by single vote Macron also warned that Putin is “looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in comments aired by Russian state TV on Sunday, called Putin’s proposal “very serious,” aimed at eliminating “the root causes of the conflict,” and said it “confirms a real intention for find a peaceful solution.” Story continues below advertisement Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday spoke to Macron and Putin and told them in separate phone calls that Turkey was ready to host the peace talks. He also said that a “historic turning point” had been reached in efforts to end the war, according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications office. Meanwhile, Russia resumed mass drone attacks in Ukraine early on Sunday, after its self-declared three-day pause expired. Russia launched 108 attack drones and simulator drones from six different directions, Ukraine’s air force said. It said 60 drones were shot down and another 41 simulator drones failed to reach targets due to Ukrainian countermeasures. The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday accused Ukraine of “violating” Moscow’s three-day ceasefire more than 14,000 times. Ukraine, which did not agree to the May 8-10 ceasefire, has also accused Russia of violating its own truce, with the Ukrainian foreign minister calling it a farce. &copy 2025 The ********* Press Source link #Ukrainian #president #welcomes #Russian #overtures #ceasefire #peace #talks #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Perth’s median house price increased in April Perth’s median house price increased in April Perth’s median house price increased 1.1 per cent in April to $775,000. This was 19.2 per cent higher than a year ago. Source link #Perths #median #house #price #increased #April Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump set to depart Monday for first international trip of second term Trump set to depart Monday for first international trip of second term President Trump is set to depart Monday for the Middle East, the first international trip of his second term. His trip comes as his administration is at the center of three major international flashpoints: the Middle East, Russia and Ukraine and India and Pakistan. Imtiaz Tyab reports. Source link #Trump #set #depart #Monday #international #trip #term Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

U.S. "encouraged" by progress in fourth round of nuclear talks with Iran, official says – Axios U.S. "encouraged" by progress in fourth round of nuclear talks with Iran, official says – Axios U.S. “encouraged” by progress in fourth round of nuclear talks with Iran, official says AxiosIran, US nuclear talks end in Oman, next round to be announced ReutersUS ‘not genuine’ in talks over Tehran’s nuclear program, Iranian official says CNNIran and US begin 4th round of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program in Oman PoliticoIran’s top diplomat arrives for indirect nuclear talks with US in Oman ABC News Source link #U.S #quotencouragedquot #progress #fourth #nuclear #talks #Iran #official #Axios Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

New figures reflect ongoing supply constraints New figures reflect ongoing supply constraints The latest sales figures released this week by UDIA WA highlight an ongoing trend in Greater Perth’s new land market. Source link #figures #reflect #ongoing #supply #constraints Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

People who fled Pakistan-administered Kashmir return after ceasefire People who fled Pakistan-administered Kashmir return after ceasefire People who fled Pakistan-administered Kashmir return after ceasefire Source link #People #fled #Pakistanadministered #Kashmir #return #ceasefire Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

William H. Luers, Diplomat Who Backed Czech Dissident Leader, Dies at 95 William H. Luers, Diplomat Who Backed Czech Dissident Leader, Dies at 95 In 1983, William H. Luers, a new American ambassador to Czechoslovakia, bet on a long shot for its future: Vaclav Havel, the often-imprisoned poet-playwright and enemy of the ********** state. But after leading a peaceful revolution to oust the regime, the long shot cultural leader became the democratically-elected last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of its successor, the Czech Republic. The ambassador’s contribution to Mr. Havel’s very survival in the last years of ********** rule, and his subsequent political successes were, in his own telling, results of maneuvers as gentle as the so-called Velvet Revolution that extricated Czechoslovakia from the Communists in 1989. To spare Mr. Havel from an assassin’s bullet, a poison pill or a return to prison — where he might have been snuffed out quietly — Mr. Luers enlisted dozens of American cultural celebrities, mostly friends of his, to visit Prague, meet the playwright and then, at news conferences outside the reach of the government-controlled Czech news media, recast him in a protective armor of global publicity. “I spent a lot of my career with artists and writers, promoting the arts,” Mr. Luers said in a 2022 interview for this obituary. “I was worried that the Communists might poison him or put him back in prison. My strategy was to shine as much light on Havel as possible. So I brought in John Updike, Edward Albee and many other people to talk about how great an artist and cultural leader he was.” The recruited celebrities, Mr. Luers said, included the novelists E.L. Doctorow, Kurt Vonnegut and William Styron; Philippe de Montebello, the director of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art; Joseph Papp, the producer-director who created Shakespeare in the Park; the California abstract painter Richard Diebenkorn; and Katharine Graham, the publisher of The Washington Post. The secret police filmed and photographed the visitors, but they were hardly people who could be intimidated. Indeed, Mr. Luers said, it was ultimately the ********** authorities who were cowed by the worldwide attention accorded to Mr. Havel. The underlying message, he said, was that harming Mr. Havel might risk incalculable international consequences for the Czech government. Mr. Luers, who retired from the Foreign Service in 1986 and became president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for 13 years, died on Saturday at his home in Washington Depot, in western Connecticut. He was 95. His wife, Wendy Luers, said the cause was prostate *******. In a 29-year Foreign Service career, Mr. Luers was a blend of diplomat and showman who cultivated friendships with artists and writers while seeking solutions to Cold War problems for five presidential administrations, from Dwight D. Eisenhower’s in the 1950s to Ronald Reagan’s in the ’80s. It was an era of nuclear perils, regional conflicts and fast-moving economic and political changes. Specializing in Soviet and East European affairs, and fluent in Russian, Spanish and Italian, Mr. Luers worked at embassies in Moscow, Rome and other capitals of Europe and Latin America. At his career’s end, he was ambassador to Venezuela (1978-82) as well as Czechoslovakia (1983-86). On his last and most important diplomatic assignment, Mr. Luers arrived in Prague months after Mr. Havel, the scion of a wealthy Czech family noted for its cultural accomplishments, was released from four years in prison, the longest of his several sentences for political activities in defiance of the government. Mr. Havel’s absurdist plays ridiculing Moscow’s satellite state had already raised him to international prominence, but had left him an official pariah and his works blacklisted at home for years after Soviet tanks crushed the brief Prague Spring uprisings of 1968. Mr. Luers set his leadership sights on Mr. Havel for his artistic talents and magnetic personality, and contacted him through dissident intellectuals in the Civic Forum, a notable opponent of the ********** Party. His American celebrity friends burnished Mr. Havel’s name as a writer, but not as a statesman, which might have increased Mr. Havel’s perils. Inside Czechoslovakia, only the underground samizdat press circulated the encomiums to him. Long after Mr. Luers left Prague and retired in 1986, the protective effects of his stratagem lingered, and Mr. Havel played a major role in the peaceful revolution that toppled the Czech puppet government in 1989. Weeks after that revolution, Mr. Havel was named president of Czechoslovakia by a unanimous vote of the Federal Assembly. In 1990, his presidency was affirmed by a landslide in the nation’s first free elections since 1946. And when the Czech Republic and Slovakia were created as successor states in 1993, Mr. Havel became the republic’s first president. Re-elected in 1998, he left office at the end of his second term in 2003. “Bill Luers had a remarkable career — in fact many careers,” James L. Greenfield, a former State Department colleague who later was an assistant managing editor of The New York Times, said in a 2022 email for this obituary. (Mr. Greenfield died in 2024.) “He was the ambassador to Venezuela, but more importantly to Czechoslovakia. While there he became the main supporter, defender and protector of Vaclav Havel.” William Henry Luers was born on May 15, 1929, in Springfield, Ill., the youngest of three children of Carl and Ann (Lynd) Luers. William and his sisters, Gloria and Mary, grew up in Springfield. Their father was president of a local bank and their mother was an avid bridge player. William attended Springfield High School, where he played basketball and golf and was the senior class president; he graduated in 1947. At Hamilton College in upstate New York, he majored in chemistry and math and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1951. He studied philosophy at Northwestern University briefly, but joined the Navy in 1952, according to an oral history. He graduated from officers’ candidate school, became a deck officer on aircraft carriers in the Atlantic and Pacific and was discharged as a lieutenant in 1957. He then joined the Foreign Service, and in 1958 earned a master’s degree in Russian studies at Columbia University. In 1957, he married Jane Fuller, an artist. They had four children: Mark, David, William and Amy, and were divorced in 1979. That year he married Wendy (Woods) Turnbull, the founder and president of the Foundation for a Civil Society, who had two daughters, Ramsay and Connor Turnbull, from a previous marriage. His son Mark died of esophageal ******* in 2020. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his other children along with five grandchildren and five step-grandchildren. After 16 years in the Foreign Service at lower ranks, Mr. Luers became an aide to Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger in 1973 (and personally delivered to him President Richard M. Nixon’s 1974 letter of resignation in the Watergate scandal.) He became deputy assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs in 1975, and for European affairs in 1977. Retiring from the Foreign Service, he joined the Metropolitan Museum of Art as president in a leadership-sharing arrangement with Mr. de Montebello, who as director presided over artistic matters and was the Met’s spokesman. Mr. Luers, as chief executive, handled finances, fund-raising and outreach to government agencies. The dual leadership, at times tense, lasted until 1999. His strong suit was fund-raising. “He’s indefatigable,” Carl Spielvogel, a trustee, said of Mr. Luers. “I don’t know many people willing to be out at breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, but he was. And he’s very good at it.” Mr. Luers doubled the museum’s endowment, modernized its financial systems, enlarged its staff to 1,800 full-time employees, secured the $1 billion Walter Annenberg collection of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings for the museum, and oversaw the construction of new galleries, wings, exhibitions and public programs. When he stepped down, the museum had a $116 million budget, and crowds that often exceeded 50,000 visitors on weekends. In 1990, Mr. Luers arranged for Mr. Havel, who was conferring with President George W. Bush on a state visit to the White House, to make a side trip to New York to visit the museum. It was a touching reunion for Mr. Luers, who returned many times to the Czech Republic for meetings with old friends and Mr. Havel, who died in 2011. After the Met, Mr. Luers was chairman and president of the United Nations Association of the U.S.A., which provides research and other services for the U.N. For many years, he also directed the Iran Project, a nongovernmental organization that supported United States negotiations with Iran. Mr. Luers, who had homes in Manhattan and Washington Depot, wrote scores of articles for foreign policy journals and newspapers, including The Times. He lectured widely and taught at Princeton, George Washington, Columbia and Seton Hall Universities, and at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Last fall, he released a memoir, “Uncommon Company: Dissidents and Diplomats, Enemies and Artists.” “My greatest satisfaction was the success of Vaclav Havel,” he said in the 2022 interview. “Havel proved my point that culture makes a difference, especially in international relations. The ********** system was deeply flawed. It underestimated cultural leaders’ influence on the people.” Alex Traub contributed reporting. Source link #William #Luers #Diplomat #Backed #Czech #Dissident #Leader #Dies Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Could New Orleans Saints lure Arch Manning to NFL Draft after only one starting season? – CBS Sports Could New Orleans Saints lure Arch Manning to NFL Draft after only one starting season? – CBS Sports Could New Orleans Saints lure Arch Manning to NFL Draft after only one starting season? CBS SportsSaints QB Derek Carr retiring from NFL after 11 seasons due to shoulder injury NFL.comSolak: Can the Saints’ offense find success with Tyler Shough starting as a rookie? ESPNDerek Carr gives up $30 million to retire NBC SportsDerek Carr’s wife reveals how ex-Saints QB spent first day of NFL retirement in new video New York Post Source link #Orleans #Saints #lure #Arch #Manning #NFL #Draft #starting #season #CBS #Sports Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy welcomes Russian offer for peace talks but says ceasefire must come first Ukraine’s Zelenskyy welcomes Russian offer for peace talks but says ceasefire must come first Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday welcomed Russia’s offer for direct peace talks, but insisted there must be a full, temporary ceasefire in place before negotiations can start. Zelenskyy, writing on X, said it was a “positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider” ending the conflict and said that “the entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time.” He added, however, that “the very first step” in ending any conflict “is a ceasefire.” British Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson, speaking on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” warned Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s calls for a ceasefire proposal “doesn’t seem serious to us.” “At face value, it’s constructive that he’s offered direct talks,” Mandelson said. “But then, when you look at the small print, you see that he wants these talks so as to call into question the very existence of Ukraine as a free, Democratic and sovereign nation.” Meanwhile, Russia resumed mass drone attacks in Ukraine early on Sunday, after its self-declared three-day pause expired. Russia launched 108 attack drones and simulator drones from six different directions, Ukraine’s air force said. It said 60 drones were shot down and another 41 simulator drones failed to reach targets due to Ukrainian countermeasures. U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, the vice chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, said Sunday on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that Putin is “not making any concessions at all, while Mr. Zelenskyy seems to be making all the concessions.” “If the bottom line is Putin has to agree to a 30-day ceasefire for any peace talks to go forward,” McCaul said. “We want peace, but not peace at any price. Because peace at any price is like appeasement, like we saw with Chamberlain and Hitler, and that’s unacceptable.” The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday accused Ukraine of “violating” Moscow’s three-day ceasefire more than 14,000 times. Ukraine, which did not agree to the May 8-10 ceasefire, has also accused Russia of violating its own truce, with the Ukrainian foreign minister calling it a farce. The Ukrainian president appeared to insist on his proposal to start a 30-day unconditional ceasefire on Monday. “There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day. We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire — full, lasting, and reliable — starting tomorrow, May 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet,” Zelenskyy said. Putin in remarks to the media overnight effectively rejected that ceasefire offer and proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday instead “without preconditions.” He said a ceasefire might be agreed on during the negotiations. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday spoke to Macron and Putin and told them in separate phone calls that Turkey was ready to host the peace talks. He also said that a “historic turning point” had been reached in efforts to end the conflict, according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications office. Putin’s counter-offer came after leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Moscow if it does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, ******* Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Saturday and issued a coordinated call for a 30-day ceasefire starting Monday. The plan has received backing from both the European Union and U.S. President Trump. In a social media post several hours after Putin’s overnight remarks about peace talks, Mr. Trump said it was “a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!” “I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens. The USA wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!” he added. U.S. ambassador Ukraine Oksana Markarova, appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” praised Mr. Trump’s “idea of full and unconditional ceasefire” as a “great idea,” but she warned “the killings have to stop.” “President Zelenskyy today already said that, yes, Ukraine is ready to negotiate, but he put a special emphasis on ceasefire, the idea that both he and President Trump strongly supports,” Markarova said. Macron said Sunday that Putin’s offer of direct negotiations with Ukraine is “a first step, but not enough,” signaling continued Western skepticism toward Moscow’s intentions. “An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations,” Macron told reporters at the Polish-Ukrainian border, according to French media. Macron also warned that Putin is “looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in comments aired by Russian state TV on Sunday, called Putin’s proposal “very serious,” aimed at eliminating “the root causes of the conflict,” and said it “confirms a real intention for find a peaceful solution.” Source link #Ukraines #Zelenskyy #welcomes #Russian #offer #peace #talks #ceasefire Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump to accept a jet from Qatar’s royal family Trump to accept a jet from Qatar’s royal family President Donald Trump reportedly is set to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the royal family of Qatar during his trip to the Middle East this coming week, and the US could convert the plane into a potential presidential aircraft. ABC News reported that Trump will use the plane as a new version of Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office in January 2029, when ownership will be transferred to the foundation overseeing his yet-to-be-built presidential library. The gift is expected to be announced when Trump visits Qatar as part of a trip that also includes stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the first extended foreign travel of his second term. Administration officials, anticipating questions about the president accepting such a large gift from a foreign government, have prepared an analysis arguing that doing so would be legal, according to ABC. The Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, Article I, Section 9, Clause 8, bars anyone holding government office from accepting any present, emolument, office or title from any “King, Prince, or foreign State,” without congressional consent. Trump intends to convert the Qatari aircraft into a plane he can fly on as president, with the Air Force planning to add secure communications and other classified elements to it. But it will still have more limited capabilities than the existing planes that were built to serve as Air Force One, as well as two other aircraft currently under construction, according to a former US official. The existing planes used as Air Force One are heavily modified with survivability capabilities for the president for a range of contingencies, including radiation shielding and anti-missile technology. They also include a variety of communications systems to allow the president to remain in contact with the military and issue orders from anywhere in the world. The official told Associated Press that it would be possible to quickly add some countermeasures and communications systems to the Qatari plane, but that it would be less capable than the existing Air Force One aircraft or long-delayed replacements. Neither the Qatari plane nor the upcoming VC-25B aircraft will have the air-to-air refuelling capabilities of the current VC-25A aircraft, which is the one the president currently flies on, the official said. Air Force One is a modified Boeing 747. Two exist, and the president flies on both, which are more than 30 years old. Boeing has the contract to produce updated versions, but delivery has been delayed while the company has lost billions of dollars on the project. Delivery has been pushed to some time in 2027 for the first plane and in 2028 — Trump’s final full year in office — for the second. ABC said the new plane is similar to a 13-year-old Boeing aircraft Trump toured in February, while it was parked at Palm Beach International Airport and he was spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago club. Trump’s family business, the Trump Organisation, which is now largely run by his sons, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, has vast and growing interests in the Middle East. That includes a new deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar, partnering with Qatari Diar, a real estate company backed by that country’s sovereign wealth fund. Administration officials have brushed off concerns about the president’s policy interests blurring with the family’s business profits. They note that Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children and that a voluntary ethics agreement released by the Trump Organisation in January bars the company from striking deals directly with foreign governments. But that same agreement allows deals with private companies abroad. That is a departure from Trump’s first term, when the organisation released an ethics pact prohibiting both foreign government and foreign company deals. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, when asked Friday if the president during his upcoming trip, might meet with people tied to his family’s business, said it was “ridiculous” to suggest Trump “is doing anything for his own benefit”. Source link #Trump #accept #jet #Qatars #royal #family Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Some Ukrainian soldiers say Russians must withdraw before any peace talks Some Ukrainian soldiers say Russians must withdraw before any peace talks By Alina Smutko and Herbert Villarraga ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, Ukraine (Reuters) – After fending off attacks during a three-day weekend ceasefire declared by Russia, some Ukrainian soldiers fighting near the front line had advice for their president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy: don’t talk to Moscow until Russian troops withdraw. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed direct talks with Ukraine just over an hour after his ceasefire ended, something Zelenskiy said was possible, but only after Moscow agreed to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire from Monday. Preparing drones to observe Russian troop movements as the ceasefire was ending, the commander of a drone unit in Ukraine’s national guard, using the call sign Chepa, told Reuters any talks could only start with a full Russian withdrawal to Ukraine’s borders when the country won independence in 1991. “As a soldier and a citizen of Ukraine I believe that before we sit down at the negotiation table we should go back to the borders of 1991,” Chepa said in a bunker near the front line. “That’s it. Full withdrawal of all troops from the territory of Ukraine. Then when we can talk. Whatever he (Putin) is thinking of, take certain regions or divide territories, nobody has given him the right to do it.” Chepa’s views were echoed by others in the unit. Russia occupies nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory and has repeatedly said Kyiv must recognise the “reality on the ground”. Zelenskiy has acknowledged that at least some of Ukraine’s occupied territory will have to be retaken through diplomacy. But Kyiv cannot legally recognise Russian control over any Ukrainian territory because of the constitution. Zelenskiy has said any discussion about territory can only take place after a ceasefire is in place. Putin used a late night press conference to make his proposal for talks, which he said, should be based on a draft deal negotiated in 2022, under which Ukraine would agree to permanent neutrality. That would contradict Ukraine’s constitution, amended in 2019 to include the goal of “fully-fledged membership” of NATO. Zelenskiy received a show of support from European powers on Saturday, when the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland backed an unconditional ceasefire beginning on Monday. Chepa said he also wanted negotiations but feared they would never come about. “Yes, we do need negotiations. But he (Putin) is scared of talks,” Chepa said, adding his brigade had seen no evidence of a ceasefire over the weekend. “We have not seen any ceasefire, there were continuous attacks by howitzers, rocket launchers, they used it all. We have not experienced any ceasefire.” The Russian movements continued into Sunday, after the Russian-declared ceasefire ran out at midnight (2100 GMT), when the reconnaissance drones flew over a nearby village. “There is a lot of movement there of military as well as civilian vehicles,” Chepa said. “Interesting that so close to the contact line there is a civilian car. Not damaged, mind you. They must be making good use of it.” (Writing by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Giles Elgood) Source link #Ukrainian #soldiers #Russians #withdraw #peace #talks Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

RPG Hall of Fame: Dragon Quest Provided the Building Blocks of the JRPG Genre – EpicRPGTales RPG Hall of Fame: Dragon Quest Provided the Building Blocks of the JRPG Genre – EpicRPGTales In the first of EpicRPGTales’ RPG Hall of Fame series, we look back at the grandaddy of JRPGs, Dragon Quest. Source link #RPG #Hall #Fame #Dragon #Quest #Building #Blocks #JRPG #Genre #EpicRPGTales Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

With teeth like knives, this giant kept the young tyrannosaurs at bay – Earth.com With teeth like knives, this giant kept the young tyrannosaurs at bay – Earth.com With teeth like knives, this giant kept the young tyrannosaurs at bay Earth.com Source link #teeth #knives #giant #young #tyrannosaurs #bay #Earth.com Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Man Utd are 'not scared of losing' – Amorim's scathing assessment Man Utd are 'not scared of losing' – Amorim's scathing assessment Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim says his players are “not scared of losing” matches, and believes such a mentality is a “big problem” for the club. Source link #Man #Utd #039not #scared #losing039 #Amorim039s #scathing #assessment Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Rate cut prospects offer property market relief Rate cut prospects offer property market relief With inflation now within target range and major banks forecasting at least a 25 basis point cut, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) next meeting on Tuesday May 20 could mark the turning point. Source link #Rate #cut #prospects #offer #property #market #relief Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Tiny Corp heralds world’s first AMD GPU driven via USB3 — eGPUs tested on Apple Silicon, with Linux and Windows also supported Tiny Corp heralds world’s first AMD GPU driven via USB3 — eGPUs tested on Apple Silicon, with Linux and Windows also supported External GPU (eGPU) support on Apple Silicon Macs and MacBooks has been a persistent pain point for AI/ML developers. Through what some may consider to be ****** magic, Tiny Corp has managed to get an AMD eGPU working in Tiny Grad over USB3, a standard that inherently lacks PCIe capabilities. As they’re using libusb, this functionality extends to Windows, Linux, and even macOS, including devices with Apple Silicon. Traditionally, GPUs are connected through PCIe slots or the Thunderbolt/USB4 interfaces, which offer PCI Express tunneling support. As such, external GPU solutions rely on the aforementioned interfaces, which limits their support for older systems and laptops. Unlike Intel-based Macs/MacBooks, Apple Silicon based devices do not support external GPUs, mainly due to the lack of driver support and architectural differences. So, despite their efficiency compared to traditional x86-based systems, users have reported challenges in AI workloads, especially when it comes to prompt processing. Here’s the worlds first AMD GPU driven over USB3. From a Mac! Linux and Windows should work too, it’s just libusb.Available today in tinygrad master, use an ADT-UT3G to connect the GPU to your USB port. You have no idea of the level of engineering that went into this. pic.twitter.com/V6trNwcGXtMay 9, 2025 Requirements for running an eGPU through a USB3 interface at this time include the use of an ASM2464PD-based adapter and an AMD GPU. For its tests, Tiny Corp used the ADT-UT3G adapter, which uses the same ASM2464PD chip, but out of the box, it only works with Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, or USB 4 interfaces. The team likely employed a custom firmware to enable USB3 mode that works without direct PCIe communication. Technical details are murky, however, the controller appears to be translating PCIe commands to USB packets and vice versa. The solution is quite hacky, as it bypasses kernel-level GPU drivers, requires specific hardware, and uses USB3, which was not originally intended for GPU communication. It essentially offloads the computation part, referring to kernel executions, from your system to the eGPU. The constraint here is that data transfer speeds are capped at 10 Gbps due to the USB3 standard used, so loading models into the GPU will take much longer than if you were to use a standard PCIe connection. Since it uses custom user-space drivers to avoid tinkering with the kernel, the feature is limited to AMD’s RDNA 3/4 GPUs, although there’s a hint of potential RDNA 2 support in the future. USB3 eGPU functionality has been upstreamed to Tiny Grad’s master branch, so if you have an AMD GPU and a supported adapter, feel free to try it out. We can expect Tiny Corp to provide a more detailed and technical breakdown once its developers done tidying up the code. Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #Tiny #Corp #heralds #worlds #AMD #GPU #driven #USB3 #eGPUs #tested #Apple #Silicon #Linux #Windows #supported Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Rep. Stansbury slams Musk, GOP over ‘complete joke’ of lack of real savings Rep. Stansbury slams Musk, GOP over ‘complete joke’ of lack of real savings This week, an exchange on Capitol Hill got tense as the DOGE subcommittee met for a hearing about transgender athletes, rather than addressing massive firings and cuts. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), who was involved in some of these heated exchanges, blasts DOGE’s touted accomplishments and calls on her Republican colleagues in Washington to put a stop to cuts to the federal government. Source link #Rep #Stansbury #slams #Musk #GOP #complete #joke #lack #real #savings Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]