Double roundabouts? PennDOT releases ideas for East Berlin Road improvements near Hampton
Double roundabouts? PennDOT releases ideas for East Berlin Road improvements near Hampton
During a ******* of public comment, PennDOT has released the possible plans for improving multiple intersections along East Berlin Road in Reading Township.
The plans, which focus separately on the intersections of East Berlin Road and Stoney Point Road and then East Berlin Road and Peepytown Road, each have multiple possible improvements listed.
Previously reported: Could East Berlin Road get a roundabout? Open house planned for intersection improvements
For the intersection of East Berlin Road and Stoney Point Road, there are three possible alternatives, which range from an estimated $9.9 million to $13.8 million:
Alternative 1: Construct a roundabout at the existing intersection.
A map shows a proposed alternative for intersection improvements at the intersection of East Berlin Road and Stony Point Road in Reading Township.
In the first alternative for Stoney Point Road, the proposal sees a roundabout placed in the existing location of the intersection.
Due to the change in alignment required in this proposal, the plans appear to show at least one home south of the intersection would be required to be removed to facilitate this version of proposal.
This proposal shows limited improvements to the Kimberly Lane intersection.
Alternative 2: Construct a split intersection with roundabouts east and west of the existing intersection and realign Stoney Point Road.
A map shows a proposed alternative for intersection improvements at the intersection of East Berlin Road and Stony Point Road in Reading Township.
In what appears to be one of the more complicated proposals, alternative 2 is known as the “Dual Roundabout” proposal.
This proposal would see Stoney Point Road separated before and after the existing intersection, with the southern approach terminating with a roundabout at East Berlin Road and the northern approach terminating at a roundabout with Kimberly Lane and East Berlin Road.
The western roundabout is shifted to the west into a small forested area between houses, in order to avoid the impacts to houses seen in alternative 1.
Short roads ending in ****-de-sacs would provide access to existing homes along Stoney Point Road.
Alternative 3: Construct a roundabout west of the existing intersection and realign Stoney Point Road to the west.
A map shows a proposed alternative for intersection improvements at the intersection of East Berlin Road and Stony Point Road in Reading Township.
In the third alternative for the Stoney Point Road intersection, PennDOT proposes realigning the intersection to the west, along with improvements to the Kimberly Lane intersection.
Short roads terminating in ****-de-sacs would maintain access to homes that would previously have been along Stoney Point Road.
The alternative is known as the “Shifted Roundabout” alternative, as it would see the road realigned to the west, somewhat similar to alternative 2.
In realigning the roundabout to the west, the proposal would have less impact on existing homes, placing the roundabout in the space of existing trees rather than requiring the demolition of a home as seen in the first alternative.
For the intersection of East Berlin Road and Peepytown Road, there are four possible alternatives, ranging from an expected cost of $1.4 million to $4.7 million dollars.
Alternative 1: Construct a roundabout at the existing intersection.
A map shows a proposed alternative for intersection improvements at the intersection of East Berlin Road and Peepytown Road in Reading Township.
In the first of four alternatives to the Peepytown Road intersection, a roundabout is created at the existing intersection.
in doing this, the approach of Peepytown Road to the south would be realigned to the east to provide a straighter approach, with a driveway connecting to an existing driveway nearby.
Alternative 2: Construct a roundabout west of the existing intersection and realign Peepytown Road.
A map shows a proposed alternative for intersection improvements at the intersection of East Berlin Road and Peepytown Road in Reading Township.
The second proposal for the Peepytown Road intersection would see a “shifted roundabout,” which would move all approaches to the intersection southwest of where they currently meet.
In doing so, this alternative appears to show lesser impact on surrounding residential properties in creating a roundabout than the first alternative.
Alternative 3: Realign the existing intersection to the west, add Route 234 right turn lane and realign Peepytown Road.
A map shows a proposed alternative for intersection improvements at the intersection of East Berlin Road and Peepytown Road in Reading Township.
In a less radical change to the intersection, the third alternative would see the intersection remaining as a single stop sign from the Peepytown Road approach, but would realign the intersection to the west to improve sightlines.
Alternative 4: Add Route 234 right turn lane at the existing intersection and achieve sight distance.
A map shows a proposed alternative for intersection improvements at the intersection of East Berlin Road and Peepytown Road in Reading Township.
In the most minor proposed revision of the intersection, Alternative 4 simply suggests adding a right-turn lane to East Berlin Road for traffic turning onto Peepytown Road.
Both plans are currently in the “alternatives analysis phase,” according to PennDOT. Construction is proposed to begin in 2027, and be completed by 2029.
An open house was set for Thursday, May 8, 2025, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Reading Township Community Center along South Firehouse Alley in Hampton.
The online display of plans, as well as public comment ******* for the plans, runs from May 1 to May 30, 2025. PennDOT said that, during the public comment *******, the public was encouraged to respond with any questions or concerns.
This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: PennDOT eyeing roundabouts in East Berlin Road improvements
Source link
#Double #roundabouts #PennDOT #releases #ideas #East #Berlin #Road #improvements #Hampton
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Trump elevates Marco Rubio as a potential successor — and as a 2028 rival to Vance
Trump elevates Marco Rubio as a potential successor — and as a 2028 rival to Vance
As President Donald Trump tiptoed away this week from the idea that he might try to win a third term, he opened the door to a fresh round of intrigue: Whom does he see as his successor?
In practically the same breath in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Trump suggested national security adviser and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance — in that order — as potential candidates.
“You look at Marco, you look at JD Vance, who’s fantastic,” Trump replied when Kristen Welker asked him what gives him confidence that his MAGA movement will continue once he’s out of office. “You look at — I could name 10, 15, 20 people right now just sitting here.”
That he mentioned Rubio at all struck a senior White House aide as notable, given that it was the first time Trump had so publicly identified him as a favorable prospect. And the development, while not exactly surprising to anyone aware of Rubio’s long-held White House ambitions, quickly injected the elements of competition and rivalry that Trump has long enjoyed fostering among those who work for him.
Expectations of such a clash are premature and overblown, those close to both Rubio and Vance told NBC News. They are ideological allies and have become good friends.
“They’ve got a really good personal and professional relationship, so if they’re both running, I have no doubt there will be a [conversation] about it beforehand,” said a person familiar with their relationship, who, like others interviewed for this article, was granted anonymity to offer candid insights about a politically sensitive topic.
Three people in Rubio’s orbit who spoke with NBC News, cognizant of Vance’s higher rank in the line of succession and of polling that reinforces his higher standing among Republican voters, see Vance as having right of first refusal on the Republican nomination in 2028.
Among Vance’s allies, too, there’s no ill will. A person close to Vance emphasized that the two remain extremely close and didn’t see a scenario in which Vance and Rubio would run against each other for president in 2028 at this point.
But Rubio is, without question, ascending in Trump world. His rise was punctuated last week when Trump appointed him as his interim national security adviser. Rubio is the first person to hold both roles at the same time since Henry Kissinger in the mid-1970s.
While internally there has long been an overwhelming sentiment that Vance will be the first in line to carry on Trump’s political legacy, even some White House advisers are starting to see him and Rubio on an equal playing field in Trump’s estimation.
“President Trump sees them as both very loyal and very talented, I think that’s very fair to say,” a senior Trump adviser said.
The expanded portfolio is a signal that Rubio, according to four sources who have long advised him, is building a substantial footing that can position him well as the heir apparent to Trump — if Vance stumbles over the next three years.
“You would still have to give the advantage to Vance because he is the sitting vice president,” a Rubio ally said of the hypothetical 2028 showdown. “But everyone in Rubio’s orbit is feeling really good about how things are playing out. If for any reason Vance isn’t the guy or the electorate is seeking an alternative, there is no question that Rubio is in the pole position for that.”
“He is a guy who can speak MAGA but can also gather the confidence of your more traditional Republican,” this person added.
Another longtime Rubio ally allowed that “Vance is the guy for now, but as we have seen, for now isn’t forever.”
“There is a lot of time,” this person added. “Important to remember it’s early, but Rubio wears many hats now. That’s not by mistake.”
In the meantime, neither Rubio nor Vance is shy about asserting his strengths in meetings with Trump. Just days before the “Meet the Press” shoutouts, Rubio sat next to Trump at an hourslong Cabinet meeting wearing a matching blue suit and red tie. At one point, Rubio said he had uncovered that a State Department office built a dossier on someone else seated at the table, identifying the person “as purveyors of disinformation,” which he said would soon be turned over.
“Was it me or Elon?” Vance interrupted, referring to Trump adviser Elon Musk and drawing laughs with what amounted to a flex of his “deep state” enmity.
Trump’s indulgence in succession talk barely 100 days into his second administration follows his indulgence of scenarios in which he would circumvent the Constitution to serve a third term. The latter has had a freezing effect on the GOP’s 2028 field, with no prospective candidate daring to get too far ahead of him.
But Trump backed away from the third-term talk in the “Meet the Press” interview, suggesting he would be comfortable going into the history books as an “eight-year president.”
“So many people want me to do it. I have never had requests so strong as that,” Trump said, referring to tactics that could circumvent the Constitution. “But it’s something that, to the best of my knowledge, you’re not allowed to do.”
Early polls taking stock of a potential 2028 Republican primary field show Vance with a wide plurality, assuming Trump doesn’t try to run again, and Rubio in the single digits. A recent Economist/YouGov survey found that 43% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who responded picked Vance as their “ideal” GOP nominee, followed by Donald Trump Jr. at 11%, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 8% and Rubio at 4%.
Critics have for years tried to square the Rubio of the 2016 campaign — in which he ran as an establishment-friendly candidate known for his openness to immigration reform — with the Rubio they now see as embracing a MAGA doctrine. But those close to him say any so-called transformation wasn’t some overnight phenomenon that took place once he was picked to be secretary of state.
“He showed the one thing Trump values above any other quality,” said a longtime Republican operative who has previously supported Rubio — “loyalty to Trump while going out preaching the gospel of Trump.”
In the years leading up to Trump’s second presidential bid, Rubio gravitated toward the school of right-wing thought that has risen in the party — attending National Conservatism conferences popular with then-colleagues like Vance and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who are in alignment on several key policy areas in which Trump has led the charge in shifting GOP orthodoxy.
“I think my instincts have always been where they are now,” Rubio told NBC News in a 2021 interview. “As you’re exposed to new facts, new realities, and as the world changes, so, too, does your public policy response to it.”
Vance and Rubio became friends when they served together in the Senate. They viewed each other as fellow converts to Trump’s movement and as ideological peers on issues that Trump had reoriented Republicans around, like trade. A person close to Rubio said he and Vance are close and “were very much swimming in the same policy circles.”
Also key to Rubio’s ascension in Trump’s inner circle has been how much face time he has spent around Trump both in the White House and at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Four senior administration officials told NBC News that Rubio spends as much time as he can at the White House to be close to Trump, while a person close to him said he has become a regular at Mar-a-Lago, where Trump spends most weekends.
To the extent that Vance and Rubio were rivals in Trump’s running mate search last year, there was limited sniping between their teams and a mutual understanding that both were more in sync with Trumpism than then-North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, another finalist for the job.
Their friendship has tightened in the Trump administration. Each has worked to cultivate and maintain relationships with tastemakers on the far right. Vance and Rubio both, for example, were among the guests at an inaugural ball hosted by Turning Point USA, the group led by influential far-right activist Charlie Kirk.
The vice presidency might offer Vance more built-in steppingstones to the Oval Office. Like Rubio, he has been able to travel the globe, gaining the type of experience that can bolster a White House bid.
Vance doesn’t have the same constraints that Rubio, as a diplomat, faces when it comes to moonlighting in politics and campaigns. His hand is already seen in Ohio’s race for governor, a key midterm contest next year that could elevate Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy. With Trump’s blessing, Vance is finance chair for the Republican National Committee — a position that will keep him connected to some of the party’s top donors between now and 2028.
And while Trump seemed to put Vance and Rubio on an equal 2028 plane in the “Meet the Press” interview and stopped short of anointing Vance as the favorite, he indicated that the nomination could be Vance’s to lose.
“Marco is great. There’s a lot of them that are great,” Trump said. “I also see tremendous unity. But certainly you would say that somebody’s the VP, if that person is outstanding, I guess that person would have an advantage.”
Source link
#Trump #elevates #Marco #Rubio #potential #successor #rival #Vance
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
A failed Soviet Venus probe is falling to Earth, and an astronomer will attempt to catch it on camera on May 8 – Space
A failed Soviet Venus probe is falling to Earth, and an astronomer will attempt to catch it on camera on May 8 – Space
A failed Soviet Venus probe is falling to Earth, and an astronomer will attempt to catch it on camera on May 8 SpaceKosmos 482: Soviet spacecraft will likely fall to Earth this week BBCA Soviet probe orbiting Earth since 1972 will soon reenter the planet’s atmosphere NPRWhat to Know About Kosmos-482, a Soviet Spacecraft Returning to Earth After 53 Years The New York TimesA Venus probe will fall to Earth this week — here’s how Aerospace is tracking it The Aerospace Corporation
Source link
#failed #Soviet #Venus #probe #falling #Earth #astronomer #attempt #catch #camera #Space
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
NHS plans ‘unthinkable’ cuts to balance books
NHS plans ‘unthinkable’ cuts to balance books
Getty Images
The NHS in England is planning “previously unthinkable” cuts to try to balance the books, health bosses say.
Services including diabetes care for young people, rehab centres and talking therapies are in the firing line, according to NHS Providers, which represents health managers.
Staff, including doctors and nurses, also face the axe – and some NHS trusts are stopping overtime for doctors, putting the drive to cut the hospital waiting lists at risk.
NHS Providers said some of the savings were “eye-watering”, but the Department of Health and Social Care said NHS services should focus on cutting bureaucracy and driving up productivity.
The figures come after initial accounts for 2025-26 suggested frontline NHS organisations were going to go nearly £7bn over budget, an overspend nearly 5% above what they have been given by government, despite ministers increasing funding by £22bn over two years.
One chief executive of a large hospital trust said it was looking to shed 1,500 jobs, some 5% of its workforce, including doctors and nurses.
Meanwhile, a boss of a mental health trust told the BBC they had had to stop accepting referrals for adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), while waits for psychological therapies exceeded a year.
They said morale had “never been lower” among staff.
Other services at risk include stop smoking services and palliative care.
The closure of some maternity units is also being considered, although part of that is down to the falling birth rate which has seen a number of services being under-used.
Consequences
NHS Providers received evidence from 114 trusts, more than half of the total in England.
Nearly all said they were cutting or planning to cut jobs which in many cases would affect clinical staff such as doctors and nurses too.
A majority also reported they were looking at closing services or at least scaling them back.
NHS Providers interim chief executive Saffron Cordery said NHS managers were having to think the “previously unthinkable”.
And she said while they would do their best to protect patient care, she added: “Let’s be clear. Cuts have consequences.”
She said pay rises for resident doctors – previously known as junior doctors – and inflation had eaten into the extra money the health service had been given.
But the Department of Health and Social Care said the extra funding being provided should be enough.
A spokeswoman said: “We have underlined the need for trusts to cut bureaucracy to invest even further in the front line so we can support hard-working staff and deliver a better service for patients and taxpayers’ money.”
Source link
#NHS #plans #unthinkable #cuts #balance #books
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Ange Postecoglou: Tottenham boss hits back at critics as Spurs reach Europa League final
Ange Postecoglou: Tottenham boss hits back at critics as Spurs reach Europa League final
“If it’s so easy to get to a final, then why doesn’t everyone who finishes in the top three do it?”
In Norway, boss Ange Postecoglou took aim at Tottenham’s critics after they reached the Europa League final as he remained on course to continue his record of winning a trophy in his second season.
Spurs eased past *****/Glimt 2-0 in the second leg of their semi-final in the Arctic Circle to complete a 5-1 aggregate victory on Thursday.
Dominic Solanke and Pedro Porro sent Spurs to the final, where they will face Manchester United in Bilbao on 21 May.
Tottenham are 16th in the Premier League after a poor domestic season and are chasing their first major trophy since 2008.
Postecoglou has come under huge criticism for Tottenham’s form, despite losing a number of senior players to injury. They won in Norway without James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall – both out for the season – with Son Heung-min also missing.
At times he has been mocked after stating, accurately, he wins trophies during his second season at a club.
In the Aspmyra Stadion, minutes after seeing his team reach the final, he came out fighting again.
“It’s going to upset a lot of people isn’t it,” Postecoglou said. “The debate’s now raging. The latest one is that neither of us will be able to get a trophy if we win, they’re just going to take a team photo because we’re not worthy.
“I mean, who cares if we’re struggling in the league? It’s a separate thing. It’s got nothing to do with league form.
“I couldn’t care less who’s struggling and who’s not. I think both us and Manchester United have earned the right to be there.”
It is Tottenham’s sixth European final – their last was in 2019 when they lost to Liverpool in the Champions League.
Since winning the 2008 Carabao Cup Spurs have lost three finals and been beaten in three semi-finals. They have also reached four FA Cup semi finals without progressing.
The club has not lifted the Europa League in 41 years, since beating Anderlecht to win what was the Uefa Cup at the time.
“I’ve said all along that this is important,” Postecoglou continued. “What’s happening now is people are fearing that – that it actually might happen, and let’s see how we can tear it down somehow and diminish it somehow by saying it’s been a poor season and we don’t deserve this or we don’t deserve that, or somehow comparing us to Man United.
“Maybe if we had Man United’s success then maybe I’d have a different view. So, of course it’s massive. Of course it is, because you have to frame it against what this club has been through over the last 15 or 20 years and what the supporters have been through.
“We’ve given them some real hope and something to dream about that we can do something special this year.”
Source link
#Ange #Postecoglou #Tottenham #boss #hits #critics #Spurs #reach #Europa #League #final
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Woman charged with ******* after allegedly stabbing another woman to death
Woman charged with ******* after allegedly stabbing another woman to death
A woman has been charged with ******* after her alleged victim was found at the scene with a stab wound to her chest.
Source link
#Woman #charged #******* #allegedly #stabbing #woman #death
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
I was in the room when Trump let slip the real reason behind his 11th-hour *** trade deal
I was in the room when Trump let slip the real reason behind his 11th-hour *** trade deal
The occasion was a splashy trade deal with Britain, the first since Donald Trump triggered a tariff war as he looks to remake the global economy.
But an appearance from Lord Mandelson, the British ambassador to the US, technical questions about imports of chlorinated chicken and even a cameo – albeit by speakerphone – from Sir Keir Starmer were overshadowed by looming trade talks at the weekend with China.
If Britain was the day’s big news, China was the context and climate – and probably the timing.
Questions about talks with China dominated the hour-long press conference.
So when I asked him whether the discussions with London included efforts to wean the *** off its trade with China, he quickly pivoted to why the world will be better off once he gets an agreement over the line with Beijing to open the country up.
Credit: Reuters
“That’ll be the greatest thing that ever happened to China. The people will be happier,” he said. “They’ll buy for less. They’ll see things that they never saw before … and it’ll really create great long-term peace.”
Mr Trump had revealed what the announcement was really all about. He is one step closer to a much ******* prize, and one that could define his presidency.
“I will tell you that China very much wants to make a deal,” said Mr Trump, from his position behind the gleaming Resolute Desk. “We’ll see how that works out.”
Key members of his cabinet stood behind him, while Lord Mandelson hovered over his right shoulder.
Lord Mandelson looms over Mr Trump in the Oval Office – Bonnie Cash/UPI
No one had expected the *** to be first across the line with a trade deal, although it was about the easiest to negotiate.
Washington and London share warm relations, and the two countries each export to each other just as much as they import.
And with one of Mr Trump’s top negotiators headed for talks with China at the weekend, it gives the president a big win to deflect any hint that his administration is about to back down in its stand-off with Beijing.
“China, as you know, has a tremendous trade surplus with us, and we can’t, you know, we just can’t have that,” Mr Trump said.
A speakerphone on the desk allowed Sir Keir to add his voice to proceedings, even if his officials weren’t sure whether the call would even happen until the very last moment.
“We’re prepared for all eventualities,” said one.
Sir Keir Starmer spoke on the line to Donald Trump from a car factory in Solihull – WPA Pool/2025 Getty Images
That uncertainty reflected a deal that was scrambled together at the 11th hour.
It may have been sweetened by the “special relationship”, and Mr Trump’s love of the Royal family, and with the way it was unveiled on the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe day, but the timing caught some British officials off guard.
Lord Mandelson had not even been in Washington for much of last week, with trips to New York and California.
Officials were still haggling over details on Wednesday after Mr Trump used a social media post to reveal that a “major trade deal” was coming. It had been sealed in a phone call that night between Mr Trump and Sir Keir.
“Mr President, thank you very much indeed in hosting us this morning, and thank you very much indeed, also for that very typical 11th-hour intervention by you, demanding even more out of this deal than any of us expected,” said Lord Mandelson, prompting laughter from Mr Trump.
Mr Trump laughs after Lord Mandelson thanks him – Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America
British officials insisted that the late-night tweaks simply marked the final approval step in a deep and thorough trading of language, benchmarks and texts that had gone on for weeks.
Yet other countries were supposedly ahead in the line.
India, South Korea, Japan and Australia had all been suggested as the first winners from talks, as Mr Trump looked to isolate China in its own backyard.
Instead Scott Bessent, the treasury secretary who kept a low profile at the fringes of the Oval Office on Thursday, will head to Switzerland for talks with ******** negotiators.
Mr Trump exuded optimism, saying it could mean tariffs on China come down immediately. “Well, it could be,” he said. “I mean, we’re going to see. Right now you can’t get any higher at 145.”
Credit: Reuters
Like the chamber of the British House of Commons, the Oval Office never feels quite big enough.
In recent weeks Mr Trump has taken to using it for press conferences, enjoying the back and forth with journalists lobbing questions from close range.
On Thursday, he had all the key players lined up behind him.
JD Vance, his vice-president, and Howard Lutnick, his commerce secretary, were lined up over his left shoulder, and the first to laugh at any jokes.
Mr Mandelson was on the other side, his face a fixed mask for much of the occasion, particularly Mr Trump’s close-to-the-bone jokes about opponents.
Howard Lutnick and JD Vance laugh as Lord Mandelson remains composed – Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America
But he managed to make the president smile, when he offered to sell him a Rolls-Royce after Mr Trump admitted his admiration for the British brand.
Beside them a chart showed the benefits to the US from the deal: $5 billion in extra market access, an extra $6 billion in tariffs.
Yet the questions kept coming back to China and who blinked first in asking for a meeting.
“We can all play games, who made the first call, who didn’t make the call, doesn’t matter,” said Mr Trump.
With his first trade deal out of the way, Mr Trump can declare his strategy a success as he swiftly moves on to a ******* but more contentious prize – forcing a reset in relations with China.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Source link
#room #Trump #slip #real #reason #11thhour #trade #deal
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
Asia-Pacific markets live: China trade data, SMIC
Asia-Pacific markets live: China trade data, SMIC
The view of Nanjing Road East Pedestrian Mall, the main shopping street in Shanghai.
Bruce Yuanyue *** | The Image Bank | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets were set to mostly climb Friday, tracking Wall Street gains after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the broad outline of a trade deal with the United Kingdom — the first since the U.S. paused sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs in April.
Specific details of the agreement remained unclear, and no official documents were signed during the Oval Office announcement.
“The final details are being written up,” Trump said. “In the coming weeks we’ll have it all very conclusive.”
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 is set to open higher, with the futures contract in Chicago at 37,530 while its counterpart in Osaka last traded at 37,490, against the index’s last close of 36,928.63.
Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 is set to rise, with futures standing at 8,216, up from the index’s close of 8,191.7.
Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index stood at 22,732, slightly lower than HSI’s last close of 22,775.92.
Investors in Asia will also be keeping an eye out for China’s April trade figures.
U.S. stock futures hovered near the flatline as investors hope that the U.S.- United Kingdom trade deal framework signals more progress to come.
Overnight stateside, the three major averages closed higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 254.48 points, or 0.62%, to settle at 41,368.45. The S&P 500 rose 0.58% and closed at 5,663.94. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.07% to end at 17,928.14.
— CNBC’s Sean Conlon and Pia Singh contributed to this report.
Source link
#AsiaPacific #markets #live #China #trade #data #SMIC
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
Global militaries to study India-Pakistan fighter jet battle – Reuters
Global militaries to study India-Pakistan fighter jet battle – Reuters
Global militaries to study India-Pakistan fighter jet battle ReutersLive updates: Explosions heard in Indian-controlled Kashmir as tensions with Pakistan escalate CNNExclusive: Pakistan’s ********-made jet brought down two Indian fighter aircraft, US officials say ReutersPakistan Hails Role of ******** Jets in Repelling India Strikes Bloomberg.comIndia claims to have thwarted Pakistan missile and drone strikes The Guardian
Source link
#Global #militaries #study #IndiaPakistan #fighter #jet #battle #Reuters
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Inside the secretive world of the fashion brand
Inside the secretive world of the fashion brand
Emma Simpson
Business correspondent
Watch: BBC given exclusive behind-the-scenes access to Zara’s Spanish headquarters
It’s going to be a very sexy summer, a touch of romantic, cowboy and rock and roll.
That’s according to Mehdi Sousanne, at least. And he should know. He’s a designer for Zara who helps create the clothes for a brand that’s one of the most successful stories in High Street fashion.
Zara is owned by Inditex, the world’s biggest fashion retailer, which runs a string of store chains including Massimo Dutti and Pull & Bear.
It relies on 1,800 suppliers across the world, but nearly all the clothes are brought to Spain where the company is based, to be despatched to stores in 97 countries.
Zara doesn’t advertise and rarely gives interviews. But as it marks 50 years since the opening of its first store, I’ve come to its vast campus in Galicia to meet the boss and workers for a rare glimpse into how the secretive brand operates.
It’s a time when the company finds itself having to navigate fast-changing markets, with growing competition from ultra-cheap online players Shein and Temu, who ship their goods direct from China, as well as uncertainty surrounding US tariffs.
But Oscar Garcia Maceiras, Inditex’s CEO, says US President Donald Trump’s tariffs won’t disrupt its supply chains or change Zara’s plans to expand further in the US, now its second biggest market.
“Bear in mind that for us, diversification is key. We are producing in almost 50 different markets with non-exclusive suppliers so we are more than used to adapt ourselves to change,” he tells me.
Designer Mehdi Sousanne has worked for Zara for 11 years
The business has certainly adapted and grown since its first store opened a short drive away in the town of A Coruna.
It now has 350 designers, with the staff coming from some 40 different countries.
“There are no rules in general. It’s all about feelings,” says Mehdi, who works on delivering the key pieces for the season.
He says inspiration can come from anyone ranging from the “street” to the cinema as well as the catwalks. He likes to sketch his ideas once an all-important mood board has been created.
In the pattern cutting room, the designs are turned into paper samples, and are pinned on to mannequins. Dozens of seamstresses then run up the first fabric samples on the spot for a first fitting.
Pattern maker Mar Marcote has been with the business 42 years and still uses a magnifying glass to examine each item of clothing before it finally goes into production.
“When you finish the item and see that it looks good, and then sometimes sells out, it’s marvellous,” she says.
Mar Marcote says she takes great pride in her work
Zara is a business that has changed the way we shop.
In the old days, retailers released just two main collections a year, Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter. For decades, most chains have outsourced manufacturing to lower-cost factories in the far east with the clothes arriving up to six months later.
Zara went against conventional wisdom by sourcing a lot of its clothes closer to home and changing products much more frequently. That meant it could respond much faster to the latest trends and drop new items into stores every week.
Just over half of its clothes are made in Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Turkey. There’s a factory doing small production runs on site at HQ, with another seven nearby, which it also owns.
As a result, it can turn around products in a matter of weeks.
Inspiration for Zara’s clothes can come from anywhere
More basic fashion staples are produced with longer lead times in countries like Vietnam and Bangladesh.
Logistics and data are other factors behind its success. Every piece of clothing is packaged and despatched from its distribution centres in Spain, as well as one in the Netherlands.
“What is absolutely critical is the level of accuracy,” says CEO Mr Maceiras.
“It’s something that allows us to make the right decision in the last possible minute, in order to assess properly the appetite from our customers, in order to adapt our fashion proposition to the profile of our customers in different locations.”
In other words, getting the right products to the right shops.
At HQ, product managers then receive real-time data on how clothes are selling in stores worldwide, and – crucially – feedback from customers, which is then shared with designers and buyers, who can adjust the ranges along the season according to demand.
Unlike some other High Street rivals, it only discounts when it stages its twice-yearly sales.
Zara’s boss says quality, creativity and sustainability are at the heart of the brand’s offering
But is Zara starting to lose its shine after posting slower sales growth at the start of this year?
“The key challenge for Inditex is continuing to be relevant in a fashion world that continues to get faster and cheaper,” says William Woods, European retail analyst for Bernstein.
Not only are mainstream rivals like H&M, Mango and Uniqlo trying to catch up, the market has been disrupted by Shein and Temu.
Shein racked up $38bn in global sales last year, just a whisker behind Inditex.
Asked how much of a threat Shein and Temu’s success poses to Zara, Mr Maceiras stresses that its business model doesn’t rely on price.
“Of course, we are looking at providing our customers our products at an affordable price. But for us, it’s critical to provide customers fashion that should be inspirational, with quality, creativity and sustainable.”
Zara has come a long way since its founder Amancio Ortega started the business.
The company is still majority-owned by his family and his daughter Marta is now chairwoman of the group.
Now aged 89, Mr Ortega remains famously reclusive but still pops in, according to Mr Maceiras.
“He’s a presence, a physical or moral presence, absolutely every day.”
Source link
#secretive #world #fashion #brand
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
What’s likely to move the market
What’s likely to move the market
Stocks @ Night is a daily newsletter delivered after hours, giving you a first look at tomorrow and last look at today. Sign up for free to receive it directly in your inbox. Here’s what CNBC TV’s producers were watching as stocks rallied on news of a U.S.-U.K. trade deal outline, and what’s on the radar for the next session. The British The iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWU) was 0.8% lower on Thursday. This after President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with the U.K. The EWU is up nearly 15% in a month. Since the April 2 White House tariff announcement, the EWU has gained 1.3%. In what could be the quote of the day on CNBC, “Halftime Report” trader Josh Brown said, ”Against all odds the U.S. managed to make a trade deal with its greatest ally over the last 200 years, it’s really remarkable.” Brown went on to say all the market seems to need right now is less saber-rattling on trade and a few good headlines. The S & P 500 and Dow Industrials were up about 0.6% Thursday. The Nasdaq Composite added roughly 1.1%. EWU 1M mountain The iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWU) over the past month Other big country-specific ETFs The iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ) was up 4.1% Thursday. It is off 15.4% from the high. The iShares Latin America 40 ETF (ILF) was up about 2%. It’s down 12% from the high. The Amplify Bluestar Israel Technology ETF (ITEQ) was up 1.8% in the session, and iShares MSCI Israel ETF (EIS) was up 1.7%. The iShares MSCI China ETF (MCHI) was up 1.4% Thursday, while the iShares China Large-Cap ETF (FXI) advanced 1.5%. Both are off 10% from the high. The iShares MSCI India ETF (INDA) fell 3.16% on Thursday. The fund is down 13% from the high. It’s unclear if this session’s action is trade related or due to heightened tensions with neighbor Pakistan. Bitcoin $100K The flagship cryptocurrency reclaimed the $100,000 level on Thursday. It last traded around $103,000. It is up 48% since the November election. In the last month, bitcoin is up nearly 35%. Gold is up about 11% in a month. I am not comparing the two. BTC.CM= 6M mountain Bitcoin over the past six months Cathie Wood The investor and head of Ark Invest will be on ” Squawk Box ” Friday in the 8.a.m. hour ET. She recently started buying Nvidia again after selling shares. Nvidia is up about 22% in a month, but it’s down 23% from the January high. The Ark Innovation ETF (ARKK) is 25% from the February high. The biggest holdings include the following: Tesla at 12%; Coinbase , Roblox and Roku in the 7% range; and Tempus AI and Palantir in the 6% range. Tesla is off 41.7% from the December high, but up nearly 30% in a month. Coinbase is down 41% from the December high, but up 36% in a month. Roblox is off 7.5% from the February high, up about 37% in a month. Roku is off 41.5% from the February high. Shares are up 11% in a month. Tempus AI is 29% from the February high. The stock is up 75% in a month. Palantir is 5% from the high. Shares are up 54% in a month. ARKK 1M mountain The Ark Innovation ETF (ARKK) in the past month The Russell 2000 The small-cap benchmark was Thursday’s biggest index winner, up about 1.9%. The Russell 2000 is down 18% from the 52-week high. It is up 15% in a month. The industrials The sector is the biggest gainer of the 11 sectors in the last week, up 2.8%. The industrials are off about 5.3% from the 52-week high. Only utilities and financials are closer to a high. Notable gainers in the past week: Delta Air Lines and Rockwell Automation , both up about 17%. United Airlines is up nearly 15% in the *******. DAL 5D mountain Delta Air Lines in the past five sessions The residential REITs CNBC TV’s real estate reporter Diana Olick is working on a story for Friday about how renters are renting longer Several residential real estate investment trusts have had a big month. American Homes 4 Rent is up about 17% in a month. Shares are off 7% from the high. Essex Property is up 10.6% in a month. The stock is off 11% from the September high. UDR is up 10% in a month. Shares are down 11.6% from the high. AvalonBay is up 9.2% in a month. It’s down 14.5% from the high. Mid-America and Realty Income are up more than 7% in a month, and UMH is up more than 5%.
Source link
#Whats #move #market
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
Enforced skort rule in Camogie ‘screams sexism’
Enforced skort rule in Camogie ‘screams sexism’
BBC
Jane Adams says it’s an issue of what is comfortable to play in
What is a skort?
The current rules governing playing gear for camogie state that it must include a skirt, skort (a pair of shorts with an overlapping fabric panel which resembles a skirt) or a divided skirt.
This is in contrast to women’s gaelic football where shorts are allowed.
Camogie is governed by the Camogie Association of Ireland, which is closely linked to the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and alongside the Ladies Gaelic Football Association which is scheduled to formally integrate into the wider GAA in 2027.
‘It’s all about comfort’
Ms Adams told BBC News NI that throughout her “20-year career, this has always been an issue for players”.
She retired in 2016 and said she “can’t understand or believe that in 2025, this is still a debate and not a choice.”
“Personally, it does scream sexism – girls shouldn’t be being told what they have to wear. Skorts and shorts look similar, but it’s all about comfort.”
Ms Adams described the issue as “a no-brainer” and “should have been changed a long time ago”.
“I guarantee that one of the reasons why girls are dropping out of camogie is because of this issue.
“So let’s look at a solution instead of turning it into a fight.”
She said during her career, there was a lot of things she “didn’t agree with in the camogie association”, which “retired me quicker than it should have done”.
Getty Images
In 2023, the Antrim and Tipperary teams left the pitch at Croke Park together wearing United for Equality t-shirts to highlight and protest at the ongoing disparities between male and female Gaelic games players
A recent Gaelic Players Association survey highlighted how 70% of players experienced discomfort while wearing the skort, and that 83% of players wanted an option to choose to wear shorts.
Speaking to RTÉ News on Wednesday, Cork camogie player Ashling Thompson said Cork will wear shorts in Saturday’s Munster senior camogie final and if they are asked to change to skorts they will refuse to do so, even if it risks the game being abandoned or forfeiting the Munster title to Waterford.
‘All training is done in shorts’Aislín Ní Choinn
Aislín Ní Choinn has played camogie for 15 years
Aislín Ní Choinn from St John’s in west Belfast told BBC News NI that skorts “aren’t fit for purpose” and that “it would always be the talk in the changing rooms”.
“It would always be something that would annoy everybody but we just never challenged it,” she told BBC News NI.
“No one would ever come to training in a skort, all training is done in shorts because it’s the most convenient and comfortable,” she said.
She said that player ******** should be the focus, and the skort causes a problem for player ********.
“If you’re on your *******, if you’re having a week like that and you’re bloated, the skorts are very uncomfortable, they’re very tight.
“When you’re playing and you’re bending down to go for the ball, you’re worrying: ‘Am I exposed here, are people going to be able to see?’ when your skort comes up.
“You’re very, very vulnerable, and if you’re worrying about that, you’re not focused on the game,” she added.
‘Not the biggest issue’Elen McIntosh
Elen McIntosh thinks there are some more pressing issues facing women’s sport
However, the captain of Ballycastle’s senior camogie team, Elen McIntosh, said she does not “feel that strongly about players having to wear skorts or shorts”.
“There are much ******* issues facing women’s sports, like access to facilities, funding and media coverage.
“I don’t think skorts should overshadow these ******* issues,” she added.
However, she added that the choice should come from the players and it should not “imposed.
‘Why does it matter?’Caoihm Mallon
Caoihm plays for the only senior camogie team in the north of England
Caoimh Mallon is the club secretary for Fullen Gaels, the only senior camogie team in the north of England.
The Manchester club was set up in the early 2000s, and Caoimh said the same rules apply in England.
“I play both Gaelic football and camogie, and I don’t understand the need for women to have to wear skorts for camogie and not football.
“It’s not the issue that we have to wear them, it’s the fact we have no choice,” she said.
“We are playing Gaelic games in Britain, we are making a name for ourselves here.
“Why does it matter what we wear? It matters what game we play and how we perform,” she added.
Source link
#Enforced #skort #rule #Camogie #screams #sexism
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Wilson wows top-ranked Ferreira in surfing comeback
Wilson wows top-ranked Ferreira in surfing comeback
Competing his first World Surf League event in almost four years, veteran Julian Wilson has upset tour rankings leader Italo Ferreira at the Gold Coast Pro.
Source link
#Wilson #wows #topranked #Ferreira #surfing #comeback
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
“They Aren’t Kidding. This Is A Threat” — People Are Warning Against Attending The 2026 World Cup In The US After JD Vance Made A “Joke” About Deporting Visitors
“They Aren’t Kidding. This Is A Threat” — People Are Warning Against Attending The 2026 World Cup In The US After JD Vance Made A “Joke” About Deporting Visitors
Under the Trump administration, the US is set to be one of three host countries for the 2026 FIFA World Cup global event.
Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature over 100 matchups across five weeks and is estimated to bring in $17.2 billion in GDP to the US and an estimated 6.5 million attendees.
Well, in a now-viral clip from the 2026 World Cup Planning Task Force Conference held at the White House, Vice President JD Vance made a deportation “joke” about visitors who attend the 2026 World Cup, and it’s not going over well.
Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Here’s the full clip:
C-SPAN / Twitter: @factpostnews
During his remarks, Vance said, “Of course, everybody is welcome to come and see this incredible event. I know we’ll have visitors, probably from close to a hundred countries.”
Related: This ’90s Band’s Response To Donald Trump Using Their Song In A Deportation Video Is Going Mega Viral
“We want them to come, we want them to celebrate, we want them to watch the game.”
“But, uh, when the time is up, they’ll have to go home. Otherwise, they’ll have to talk to Secretary Noem,” Vance said, looking off camera seemingly toward Secretary Noem and laughing.
Related: “My Generation Will Never Forgive You”: 25 Of The Very Best And Very True Political Tweets From The Last Week
For reference, Kristi Noem is the Secretary of Homeland Security.
People are seemingly taking Vance’s “joke” seriously and are warning those who plan to attend the 2026 World Cup. “They aren’t kidding. This is a threat. Do not come to the World Cup. Especially if you’re a brown or ****** US citizen,” one person wrote.
C-SPAN / @DickThickly / Via x.com
“That’s one way to potentially ***** up a high revenue earning GLOBAL event,” this person said.
C-SPAN / @Savorysneaks / Via x.com
“JD Vance is so far from funny even Trump is sitting there with a look on his face like, ‘dude shut the ***** up.'”
“It’s genuinely insane that we’re hosting several World Cup games and the Olympics under these conditions,” another person said, seemingly referencing the recent deportation policies of the Trump administration.
C-SPAN / @Smorgasboredom / Via x.com
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.
Also in In the News: People’s Jaws Dropped When AOC Shared Her Very Blunt Reason For Not Attending Donald Trump’s Inauguration
Also in In the News: Donald Trump Just Shared A Very Ominous Post, And People Are Calling It “One Of The Worst Statements Ever Made By A Sitting US President”
Also in In the News: Senator Lindsey Graham’s Bizarre Trump Pope Comments Are Going Viral
Source link
#Arent #Kidding #Threat #People #Warning #Attending #World #Cup #Vance #Joke #Deporting #Visitors
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Trump asks US Supreme Court to allow revocation of migrants' legal status – Reuters
Trump asks US Supreme Court to allow revocation of migrants' legal status – Reuters
Trump asks US Supreme Court to allow revocation of migrants’ legal status ReutersTrump asks Supreme Court to revoke legal status of 500,000 immigrants NBC NewsNews Wrap: White House asks Supreme Court to allow it to remove deportation protections PBSTrump asks Supreme Court to allow him to end humanitarian parole for 500,000 people from 4 countries YahooGovernment asks justices to allow DHS to revoke parole for a half-million noncitizens SCOTUSblog
Source link
#Trump #asks #Supreme #Court #revocation #migrants039 #legal #status #Reuters
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Visit the Arctic vault holding back-ups of great works
Visit the Arctic vault holding back-ups of great works
Adrienne Murray
Technology Reporter
Reporting fromLongyearbyen, NorwayGetty Images
Norway’s Longyearbyen is the world’s most northernmost town
High above the Arctic Circle, the archipelago of Svalbard lies halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole.
Frozen, mountainous, and remote, it’s home to hundreds of polar bears and a couple of sparse settlements.
One of those is Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost town, and just outside the settlement, in a decommissioned coal mine, is The Arctic World Archive (AWA) – an underground vault for data.
Customers pay to have their data stored on film and kept in the vault, for potentially hundreds of years.
“This is a place to make sure that information survives technology obsolescence, time and ageing. That’s our mission,” says founder Rune Bjerkestrand, leading the way inside.
Switching on head-torches we descended a dark passageway and followed the old rail tracks 300 metres into the mountainside, until we reached the archive’s metal door.
Inside the vault, stands a shipping container stacked with silver packets, each containing reels of film, on which the data is stored.
“It’s a lot of memories, a lot of heritage,” Mr Bjerkestrand says.
“It’s anything from digitised art pieces, literature, music, motion picture, you name it.”
Since the archive’s launch eight years ago, more than 100 deposits have been made by institutions, companies and individuals, from 30-plus countries.
Among the many digitised artefacts are 3D scans and models of the Taj Mahal; tranches of ancient manuscripts from the ******** Library; satellite observations of Earth from space; and Norway’s treasured painting, the Scream, by Edvard Munck.
The Arctic World Archive is in an disused coal mine near Longyearbyen
The AWA is a commercial operation and relies on technology provided by Norwegian data preservation company, Piql, which Mr Bjerkestrand also heads.
It was inspired by the Global Seed Vault, a seed bank that’s located only a few hundred metres away, a repository where crops can be recovered after natural or manmade disasters.
“Today, there are a lot of risks to information and data,” said Mr Bjerkstand. “There is terrorism, war, cyber hackers.”
According to him, Svalbard is the perfect place, for hosting a secure data storage facility.
“It’s far away from everything! Far away from wars, crisis, terrorism, disasters. What could be safer!”
Underground it’s dark, dry and chilly, with temperatures remaining sub-zero all year-round; conditions which Mr Bjerkestrand claims are ideal for keeping the film safe for centuries.
Should global warming cause the thick Arctic permafrost to thaw, the vault is still robust enough to preserve its contents he says.
At the back of the chamber, another large metal box contains GitHub’s Code Vault.
The software developer has archived hundreds of reels of open source code here, which are the building blocks underpinning computer operating systems, software, websites and apps.
Programming languages, AI tools, and every active public repository on its platform, written by its 150 million users, are also stored here.
“It’s incredibly important for humanity to secure the future of software, it’s become so critical to our day to day lives,” Githhub’s chief operating officer, Kyle Daigle tells the BBC.
His firm has explored a variety of long-term storage solutions, he said, and there are challenges. “Some of our existing mechanisms can be stored for a very long time, but you need technology to read them.”
The film is stored in metallic envelopes in the underground vault
At Piql’s headquarters in southern Norway, data files are encoded onto photosensitive film.
“Data is a sequence of bits and bytes,” explains senior product developer, Alexey Mantsev, as film ran through a spool at his fingertips.
“We convert the sequence of the bits which come from our clients data into images. Every image [or frame] is about eight million pixels.”
Once these images are exposed and developed, the processed film appears grey, but viewed more closely, it’s similar to a mass of tiny QR codes.
The information can’t be deleted or changed, and is easily retrievable explains Mr Mantsev.
“We can scan it back, and decode the data just the same way as reading data from a hard drive, but we will be reading data from the film.”
One key question arising with long-term storage methods, is whether people will understand what has been preserved and how to recover it, centuries into the future.
That’s a scenario Piql has also thought about, and so a guide that can be magnified and read optically, is printed onto the film, as well.
Clients pay to have their data transferred to tape and stored in the Arctic
Every day more data is being used and generated than ever before, but experts have long warned of a potential “digital Dark Age”, as technological advances render previous software and hardware obsolete.
That could mean the files and formats we use now, face a similar fate to the floppy disks and DVD drives of the past.
Many firms offer long-term data storage.
Cassettes of magnetic tape known as LTO (Linear Tape Open), are the most common form, but newer innovations promise to revolutionise how we preserve information.
For example, Microsoft’s Project Silica has developed 2mm-thick panes of glass, onto which chunks of data is transferred by powerful lasers.
Meanwhile a team of scientists from the University of Southhampton have created a so-called 5D memory crystal, which has saved a record of the human genome.
That’s also been placed in the Memory of Mankind repository, another vault safeguarding historic documents, hidden in a salt mine in Austria.
The film contains instructions on how to read the data
The Arctic World Archive receives deposits three times a year, and as the BBC visited, recordings of endangered languages and the manuscripts of the composer Chopin, were among the latest reels placed in the vault.
Photographer, Christian Clauwers, who’s been documenting South Pacific Islands threatened by sea level rise, was also adding his work.
“I deposited footage and photography, visual witnesses of the Marshall Islands,” he says.
“The highest point of the island is three meters, and they’re facing huge impact of climate change.”
“It was really humbling and surreal,” says archivist Joanne Shortland, head of Heritage Collections at the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, after depositing records, engineers’ drawings and photographs of historic car models.
“I have all these formats that are becoming obsolete.
“You need to keep changing the file format and making sure that it’s accessible in 20 or 30, years time. The digital world has so many problems.”
More Technology of Business
Source link
#Visit #Arctic #vault #holding #backups #great #works
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
The Kooks and Hard-Fi on the last great wave of British guitar bands
The Kooks and Hard-Fi on the last great wave of British guitar bands
Mark Savage
Music Correspondent
Getty Images
The Kooks and Hard-Fi were among a wave of guitar bands who sold millions of records in the 2000s
“I’m pretty sure we hung out in Brixton. Hopefully I didn’t embarrass myself.”
Luke Pritchard, the eternally youthful lead singer of The Kooks, is reintroducing himself to fellow indie survivor and Hard-Fi frontman, Richard Archer.
Both admit the 2000s, when they each sold millions of records, are a bit of a blur.
“But I think I’d remember if you’d done something odd,” reassures Archer, all chiselled good looks and friendly bonhomie.
“It’s weird, because we were all part of the same scene but, when you’re on tour, everyone’s like planets, orbiting around but missing each other.”
The Kooks and The ‘Fi were at the epicentre of the last great indie ***** – a scene that kicked off in 2002 when The Libertines jolted British guitar music out of its post-Britpop slump.
Over the next half-decade, they joined acts like Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs and Razorlight as they surfed a wave to the top of the charts.
Angular riffs, clever-clever lyrics and big, hooky choruses were the order of the day.
By 2006, seven of the ***’s 10 best-selling new albums were by guitar bands, including the Arctic Monkey’s incendiary debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, and The Kooks’ Inside In/Inside Out.
But the party couldn’t last forever.
In 2008, The Word magazine coined the phrase “indie landfill” to describe a seemingly endless parade of identikit bloke-bands cluttering the airwaves.
Where were they all coming from? Why couldn’t you tell them apart? Why where they all called “The Something”?
Almost overnight, radio stations ditched indie for a new generation of forward-thinking pop (Lady Gaga, Florence + The Machine) and club-centric hip-hop (****** Eyed Peas, Dizzee Rascal).
“It did suddenly seem that four boys in a band became very un-hip,” says Archer.
“The opportunities dried up in England,” agrees Pritchard. “We were playing smaller venues and the vibe just wasn’t exciting any more.”
“It got to a point where we were just exhausted,” Archer continues. “It felt like we were screaming into the void. So we stopped and tried other things.”
Bernice King
Hard-Fi in 2004 (left-right): Ross Phillips, Steve Kemp, Richard Archer and Kai Stephens
In the 2010s, Hard-Fi’s guitarist Ross Phillips retrained as a tiler, while Archer formed the short-lived blues band OffWorld.
But when he streamed an acoustic set of Hard-Fi songs during Covid, the response was big enough to tempt the band back on stage. A one-off gig at London’s Forum sold out in minutes.
“The response was just so warm. I was quite taken aback by it,” says Archer.
The show led to a full reunion. This summer, the band will release a 20th anniversary edition of their class-conscious, Mercury Prize-nominated debut, Stars of CCTV, while preparing a long-delayed fourth album.
The Kooks, meanwhile, never went away, recording a clutch of more experimental albums that blended drum loops, pastoral pop and even Ethiopian jazz influences.
But today, the band are ******* than ever after hits like Naïve and Ooh La found a new audience on TikTok.
Later this year, they will headline the O2 Arena for the first time, with18 to 24-year-olds making up 45% of the audience.
How do they explain this sudden revival?
“We’re at that point where teenagers start going back to listen to the music their parents grew up with,” Pritchard observes.
“In the 90s, we did it too, going back and discovering Nick Drake, so there’s a circular nature to it. The scene, and even the fashion, has come around again.”
But there’s something else, too. Songs like The Kooks’ She Moves In Her Own Way and Hard-Fi’s Hard To Beat have something that went missing in the 2010s – choruses you can sing until you’re hoarse.
“Yeah, that anthemic thing was removed from guitar music,” agrees Pritchard. “People started consuming music on earbuds, so they connected with the introspective stuff.
“But when we were gathering a little fanbase in Brighton, we’d play all these small clubs and you’d filter the setlist by whether people could sing along to the hook.”
Getty Images
Both bands were regular guests at the NME Awards – but never managed to walk away with a trophy
Archer recalls the grind of those early tours. In their first year, he reckons, Hard-Fi were on the road for “almost 365 days”.
But with one grassroots venue closing every fortnight in the ***, it’s getting harder to book tours and road-test songs.
“What worries me is, if you’re a new artist now, do you have the opportunity to go out there and make mistakes and fix them?” says Archer.
A shrinking live scene isn’t the only upheaval in the industry.
The Kooks’ debut album sold 1.5 million copies in 2006 – making it the fifth biggest record of the year. Compare that with 2024, when the best-selling album in the *** (Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Department) only sold 600,000 copies.
Streams have cannibalised sales, turning every artist into a cult act. It doesn’t help that opportunities for promoting music have dried up.
The only music TV show left standing is Later… With Jools Holland, while weekly music magazines like the NME are no more – not that everyone laments its demise.
“We were never the best friends with the NME,” laughs Archer.
“Who was?” asks Pritchard. “There were two or three anointed bands and the rest of us were cast out.”
Are there any reviews seared into their memories?
“No, I’ve done a lot of work on that,” Pritchard jokes. “But I definitely was more sensitive than I should have been.”
“How can you not be, though?” asks Archer. “They’re criticising something you’ve sweated blood and tears over.”
While compiling the anniversary edition of Stars of CCTV, he found an old clipping where a critic said the band’s fans didn’t understand real music.
“I kept it,” he says, “so I could get revenge later.”
“You should frame it and put it in the loo,” Pritchard suggests.
“Then I’d just be angry every time I have a dump.”
María Villanueva
The Kooks are about to embark on their biggest arena tour to date
But the music press was powerful in the 2000s. Both frontmen recall feeling pressure to live up to the NME’s ideal of a gobby frontman.
Archer, a thoughtful and introspective character, was even provoked into saying he wanted to be the biggest star in the world.
“I don’t see the point in being just another indie band,” he boasted in one interview. “What’s the point of being parochial and small-time? I’m in competition with Eminem.”
“You had to be super-confident and say provocative things,” Pritchard reflects now.
“But what I learned is that a lot of songwriters are introspective, insular people – and when you throw them in front of a camera, it’s quite challenging.”
With hindsight, both men emerged from the 2000s relatively unscathed, and share a newfound appreciation for their early records.
Pritchard, in particular, is revisiting the breathless pop of The Kooks’ first two albums on their new record Never/Know, released this week.
“I felt like I slightly lost my identity [because] I’d been collaborating with outside producers so much,” he says.
“So I went back and played all the records we were listening to when we started – not to repeat ourselves, but to get a firm hand on the identity again.”
The result is an album that’s perfectly timed for summer road trips and sun-soaked festival sets, replete with buoyant melodies and timeless guitar grooves.
Archer is in a similar place, with a new album inspired by a CD-Rom of old demos an ex-girlfriend sent to him last year.
So, have the bands got a five-year plan?
“Definitely – but it’s locked up in my safe,” laughs Pritchard. “I think it’s good to have goals!”
“Do you really?” asks Archer, with a concerned frown.
“I literally don’t know what I’m going to have for lunch.”
Source link
#Kooks #HardFi #great #wave #British #guitar #bands
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
New Pope Leo XIV Has 5 Words for the World
New Pope Leo XIV Has 5 Words for the World
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key Takeaways
The world saw white smoke on May 8, and they also met a new pope in U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo XIV. It’s quite a big moment, because this marks the first time a U.S. cardinal has ever been named pope.
Cardinal Robert Prevost was born in Chicago and is also a citizen of Peru, where he worked for years. Prevost was also the head of the church’s Dicastery for Bishops, so he had a major role in the selection of new bishops.
According to CBS News, Prevost is considered a centrist, “but on many social issues he’s seen as progressive, embracing marginalized groups like Francis, who championed migrants and the poor.” However, he “opposes ordaining women as deacons, for instance, so he’s seen as conservative on church doctrine,” according to CBS News.
Prevost walked out from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on May 8 and addressed the public for the first time. His first public message was just five words: “Peace be with all you.”
In his speech from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo XIV also said the church can still hear “the weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis,” so he paid tribute to his predecessor.
He was elected pope by the world’s cardinals on the second day of the conclave. The Catholic church hasn’t had a Pope Leo in more than a century. The previous Pope Leo was Leo XIII, who was born in French-occupied Rome in 1810. He was pope from 1878 until his death in 1903.
Leo XIII is known for being a pope of Catholic social teaching. He wrote an open letter in 1891 discussing the technological changes that were taking place due to the Industrial Revolution. Prevost choosing the use the Leo XIV will likely signal some of the priorities for his papacy.
Related: Pope Francis Approves a First for the Catholic Church
Source link
#Pope #Leo #XIV #Words #World
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
JD Vance says Russia has asked for territory it hasn’t won – Politico
JD Vance says Russia has asked for territory it hasn’t won – Politico
JD Vance says Russia has asked for territory it hasn’t won PoliticoTrump news at a glance: Vance says Russia not being realistic on Ukraine, Trump says he may be right The GuardianUkraine updates: Vance calls for direct Moscow-Kyiv talks dw.comWATCH: Vance discusses free speech, Ukraine war at Munich Leaders Meeting PBSVance says Russia ‘asking for too much’ in concessions, while Trump says decisions ‘have to be made’ soon CNN
Source link
#Vance #Russia #asked #territory #hasnt #won #Politico
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Extremely rare Moon dust loaned from China shown in ***
Extremely rare Moon dust loaned from China shown in ***
Georgina Rannard
Climate and science reporter
Kate Stephens and Tony Jolliffe
BBC climate and science team
Tony Jolliffe/BBC News
The specs of dust must be kept free from contamination on Earth
The first samples of Moon rock brought back to Earth in nearly 50 years have arrived in the *** – on loan from China.
The tiny grains of dust are now locked inside a safe in a high security facility in Milton Keynes – we were given the first look at them.
Professor Mahesh Anand is the only scientist in the *** to have been loaned this extremely rare material, which he describes as “more precious than gold dust”.
“Nobody in the world had access to China’s samples, so this is a great honour and a huge privilege,” he says.
Mahesh Anand
Professor Mahesh Anand travelled to China to collect the samples
After grinding and zapping the dust with lasers, Prof Anand’s team hope to answer fundamental questions about how the Moon formed and about the early years of planet Earth.
Inside the grains of dust could be evidence to back up scientists’ theory that the Moon was made from the debris thrown out when Earth struck a Mars-sized planet 4.5 billion years ago.
China collected the rocks on its Chang’e 5 space mission in 2020 when it landed on a volcanic area called Mons Rümker.
A robotic arm drilled into the soil to collect 2kg of material, which was brought back to Earth in a capsule which landed in Inner Mongolia.
It was the first successful lunar sampling since a Soviet mission in 1976 and catapulted China into a leading position in the new space race.
Now, following a long tradition of global collaboration between space scientists, China has for the first time granted seven international researchers samples to make new discoveries.
Mahesh Anand
The tiny vials were handed to Prof Anand at a glamorous ceremony in Beijing last week, where he met colleagues from Russia, Japan, Pakistan and Europe.
“It was almost like a parallel universe – and China is so far ahead of us in terms of their investment in space programmes,” he said.
He returned to the *** with the precious cargo in the safest place he could think of – his hand luggage.
At his lab at the Open University in Milton Keynes, we step onto sticky mats to clean our shoes and put on plastic gloves, gowns, hair nets and hoods.
The environment inside this high security room must be spotless to prevent contamination.
If Earthly material mixes with these extra-terrestrial specs, it could permanently ruin the analysis Prof Anand’s team will do.
Getty Images
We crouch down on the floor in front of a row of safes. Prof Anand unlocks one and carefully pulls out a ziplock bag with three containers the size of boxes that could keep a necklace.
Wedged firmly in each one is a see-through vial with a dusting of dark grey at the bottom.
That is the Moon dust.
It looks underwhelming, but it is humbling to think of its cosmic journey.
And Prof Anand says they don’t need any more than this 60mg in total.
“Here, the small is mighty. Believe me, it is enough to keep us busy for years to come because we specialise in working on the micro,” he adds.
Tony Jolliffe/BBC News
In a lab down the corridor, technician Kay Knight will be the first person to actually work on the grains when the vials are opened.
She’s been cutting and grindings pieces of rocks for 36 years, but this will be the first time she’s worked on something straight from the lunar surface.
“I’m extremely excited,” she says, after showing us how she cuts meteorites using a diamond blade.
“But I’m nervous – there’s not much of the samples and they can’t really go and get more very easily. This is high stakes,” she adds.
After she prepares the samples, they will go into two more labs.
BBC News
Sasha Verchovsky built most of this bespoke machine – called Finesse – by hand
In one, we see a machine with an intricate network of countless tubes, valves and wires.
Technician Sasha Verchovskyhas been building it since the early 1990s. He shows us the small cylinder where the specs of dust can be heated to 1400 Celsius. That will help them extract carbon, nitrogen and nobel gases.
This is completely unique, and is one of the reasons Prof Anand believes his lab was chosen to receive the rare samples.
Tony Jolliffe/BBC News
James Malley will use this incubator-like machine to work with the Moon dust
James Malley, a research technician, operates a machine that can work out how much oxygen is contained within the specs of dust.
He shows us a test run of what he will do.
“I’m going to hit that grain on the tray with a laser,” he says, showing the scene magnified on a computer screen.
“It’s going to start to glow, and you will see it melt inwards,” he says.
Tony Jolliffe/BBC News
Professor Mahesh Anand has worked with Apollo samples but says China’s samples open new doors in scientific discovery
The team has a year to finish their research. By the end, their search for answers will probably end up destroying the samples.
But China has gone further since the Chang’e 5 mission.
In 2024 its Chang’e 6 launch brought back the first samples from the far side of the Moon. It’s a deeply mysterious place that might have evidence of long-quiet volcanic lava flows.
“I very much hope that this is the beginning of a long-term collaboration between China and international scientists,” says Prof Anand.
“A lot of us built our careers working on samples returned by Apollo missions, and I think this is a fantastic tradition to follow. I hope that other countries will follow suit,” he adds.
Source link
#Extremely #rare #Moon #dust #loaned #China #shown
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
Aussie quintet in the early mix at Liberty National
Aussie quintet in the early mix at Liberty National
Minjee Lee, Gabriela Ruffels and Steph Kyriacou have enjoyed solid opening rounds at the LPGA Tour’s Americas Open in New Jersey.
The three Australians shot four-under-par 68s at Liberty National Golf Club, with compatriots Hannah Green and Hira Naveed a further shot behind.
It could have been so much better for Lee, who dropped three strokes in her last four holes.
Kyriacou finished strong with four birdies in her last six while Ruffles was steady all day, enjoying four birdies in a bogey-free round.
They’re all chasing Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, who took only 26 putts, eight of them for birdie, in a clean start of eight-under 64 to lead by two shots.
Thitikul was bogey-free and had the advantage of playing in the morning with virtually no wind on the course across the Hudson River from Manhattan.
Celine Boutier (66) of France ran off five straight birdies in the middle of her round to join South Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi and American Lindy Duncan, who lost in a five-way playoff at the Chevron Championship two weeks ago.
“I think my putter working well, better than Chevron week,” said world No.2 Thitikul, after her 11th round of 64 or lower over the last four seasons.
“I feel good when I see it drop but I feel bad when I see it miss … And I was like, ‘No, you can’t be like this.’ It’s in or it’s not. It has to be the same feelings and emotion.”
The group at 67 included Haeran Ryu of South Korea, coming off a victory last week at the ****** Desert Championship in Utah that elevated her to No.5 in the world.
Nelly Korda, the defending champion and world No.1 who has yet to win this year, had six birdies — three of them on the par 5s — to account for a few bogeys on her front nine and finished in the group at 68.
“I know at the beginning of the year I had a lot to defend, but I think that instead of putting pressure on myself I should be happy that I was in that moment, that I did achieve all that great success,” Korda said.
“So just go out here and do what I love.”
With AAP.
Source link
#Aussie #quintet #early #mix #Liberty #National
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Trump says he is naming Fox News host and former judge Jeanine Pirro as top federal prosecutor in DC
Trump says he is naming Fox News host and former judge Jeanine Pirro as top federal prosecutor in DC
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is naming Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, a former county prosecutor and elected judge, to be the top federal prosecutor for the nation’s capital after abandoning his first pick for the job.
Pirro, who joined Fox News in 2006, co-hosts the network’s show “The Five” on weekday evenings. She was elected as a judge in New York’s Westchester County Court in 1990 before serving three terms as the county’s elected district attorney.
Trump tapped Pirro to at least temporarily lead the nation’s largest U.S. Attorney’s office after pulling his nomination of conservative activist Ed Martin Jr. for the position earlier on Thursday. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was naming Pirro as the interim U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., but didn’t indicate whether he would nominate her for the Senate-confirmed position on a more permanent basis.
“Jeanine is incredibly well qualified for this position, and is considered one of the Top District Attorneys in the History of the State of New York. She is in a class by herself,” Trump wrote.
Trump withdrew Martin from consideration after a key Republican senator said he could not support Martin for the job due to his defense of rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“He’s a terrific person, and he wasn’t getting the support from people that I thought,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. He later added: “But we have somebody else that will be great.”
Pirro is the latest in a string of Trump appointments coming from Fox News — a list that includes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who co-hosted “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
Martin has served as acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia since Trump’s first week in office. But his hopes of keeping the job faded amid questions about his qualifications and background. Martin had never served as a prosecutor or tried a case before taking office in January.
Martin has stirred up a chorus of critics during his brief but tumultuous tenure in office. He fired and demoted subordinates who worked on politically sensitive cases. He posted on social media about potential targets of investigations. And he forced the chief of the office’s criminal division to resign after directing her to scrutinize the awarding of a government contract during Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.
Martin’s temporary appointment is due to expire on May 20.
Pirro, a 1975 graduate of Albany Law School, has significantly more courtroom experience than Martin. She led one of the nation’s first domestic violence units in a prosecutor’s office.
After her elected terms as a judge and district attorney, Pirro briefly campaigned in 2005 as a Republican to unseat then-Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton before announcing that she would would run for New York attorney general instead. She lost that race to Andrew Cuomo, son of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo.
Pirro became an ubiquitous television pundit during O.J. Simpson’s ******* trial, often appearing on CNN’s “Larry King Live.” During her time on Fox News, she has frequently interviewed Trump.
In the final minutes of his first term as president, Trump issued a pardon to Pirro’s ex-husband, Albert Pirro, who was convicted in 2000 on conspiracy and tax evasion charges.
In 2021, voting technology company Smartmatic USA sued Fox News, Pirro and others for spreading false claims that the company helped “steal” the 2020 presidential election from Trump. The company’s libel suit, filed in a New York state court, sought $2.7 billion from the defendants.
Source link
#Trump #naming #Fox #News #host #judge #Jeanine #Pirro #top #federal #prosecutor
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
Huckabee says US ‘not required to get permission’ from Israel to cut deal with Houthis – The Times of Israel
Huckabee says US ‘not required to get permission’ from Israel to cut deal with Houthis – The Times of Israel
Huckabee says US ‘not required to get permission’ from Israel to cut deal with Houthis The Times of IsraelTrump operation against Houthis cost more than $1 billion NBC NewsIran welcomes end of US attacks on Yemen, foreign ministry says ReutersHouthis say US ‘backed down’ and Israel not covered by ceasefire BBCCan the U.S.-Houthi Cease-Fire Hold? Foreign Policy
Source link
#Huckabee #required #permission #Israel #cut #deal #Houthis #Times #Israel
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
*** must ‘do everything’ to rebuild trade with EU, says Bank boss
*** must ‘do everything’ to rebuild trade with EU, says Bank boss
The Governor of the Bank of England has said the *** now needs to “rebuild” Britain’s trade relationship with the European Union and do “everything we can” to improve long term trade, after yesterday’s US deal.
Andrew Bailey told the BBC that as a public official he did not take a view on Brexit, but that reversing the post Brexit hit to ***-EU trade would be “beneficial”.
The Government is currently in talks with the EU on its plan to reset its trade and security relationship ahead of a summit later this month.
The US deal agreed on Thursday left space for the *** to pursue a veterinary agreement with the EU, including alignment on standards in order to lower post Brexit red tape on food, farm and fish exports.
As part of a new agreement between the US and ***, the US agreed to reduce import taxes on a set number of British cars and allow some steel and aluminium into the country tariff-free.
But it will leave a 10% duty in place on most goods from the ***.
Pushed on what impact a closer relationship between the *** and the EU would have on the economy and inflation, Mr Bailey said: “It would be beneficial. Having a more open economy to trade with the European Union. Because there has been a fall-off in goods trade with the EU over recent years.”
He added that it’s important because the EU is the ***’s largest trading partner.
“It is important we do everything we can to ensure that whatever decisions are taken on the Brexit front do not damage the long-term trade position. So I hope that we can use this to start to rebuild that relationship,” Mr Bailey said.
The Governor also said that the ***’s dealmaking across the world was setting an important example to other countries.
“It demonstrates that trade deals are important. Trade deals can be done, and the trade is important…honestly, it seems an unpromising landscape at times. But I hope that we can use these deals to rebuild the world trading system,” he said.
Source link
#rebuild #trade #Bank #boss
Pelican News
View the full article at [Hidden Content]
For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]
Privacy Notice: We utilize cookies to optimize your browsing experience and analyze website traffic. By consenting, you acknowledge and agree to our Cookie Policy, ensuring your privacy preferences are respected.
