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‘I have same condition as Tulisa on I’m A Celeb ‘I have same condition as Tulisa on I’m A Celeb Amy Green Amy Green, from Leeds, has suffered from Bell’s palsy since it first struck seven years ago When Amy Green first saw Tulisa Contostavlos on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, she said it was “like looking at a mirror image” of herself. Though the two women look different, they have both suffered from Bell’s palsy, a condition affecting about 100,000 people in the ***. Amy quickly recognised how Bell’s palsy had affected Tulisa’s face, saying “there’s volume that lacks in her face, which is very similar to mine”. Amy, 42, said she welcomed the star’s appearances on prime-time TV as it would help raise awareness. “You can’t get a ******* platform than I’m a Celebrity to talk about things, so it’s wonderful she’s in there,” she said. Tulisa, 36, first spoke about having Bell’s palsy on Olivia Atwood’s So Wrong It’s Right podcast, during which she said her initial ******* had happened when she was 24. She explained she was given steroid injections and left with swelling before her face dropped and remained drooped for seven months, during which time she said she hid in her house. She added she had since undergone a series of surgeries to balance her face. However, appearing on the current series of I’m a Celebrity, Tulisa has received criticism about her appearance from some viewers, prompting broadcaster Rylan Clark to urge people on X not to “make jokes about her”. ITV Reality TV star Tulisa first experienced Bell’s palsy 12 years ago For Amy, from Leeds, the condition hit seven years ago after a stressful ******* at work. “I was exceptionally busy. I was doing 60-plus hours a week and I had a second job. Something had to give – and it was me,” she explained. She said she first noticed something was wrong while at the hairdresser one day. “I remember looking at myself in the mirror and thinking I didn’t feel like I was there. I’d felt a little unwell in the run-up to it. I’d had like headaches and pain. “I’d gone to bed on the Sunday night thinking I just needed some rest. Then I woke up with a really droopy face and my eyes sort of wide open. “It got progressively worse throughout the day, so my face dropped a lot more. My speech started to be slurred.” Amy said her doctor soon diagnosed her with Bell’s palsy. It took her more than 18 months to recover, and she said that even seven years later there were still areas of her face she cannot move. “I think I was one of the unlucky ones. It doesn’t always take as long to recover for many people,” she said. “Sometimes I could go to bed and it looked one way, and then I’d wake up and it looked a completely different way the next day.” Amy Green Amy says her parents has been very supportive throughout her experience According to the NHS, Bell’s palsy is a condition causing temporary weakness or paralysis of the muscles in one side of the face, with symptoms varying from person to person. The weakness on one side of the face can be described as either a partial palsy, a mild muscle weakness, or a complete palsy, which is no movement at all. It can also affect the eyelid and mouth, making it difficult to close and open them. Amy said that while she understands why Tulisa chose to undergo several bouts of surgery to deal with the effects of Bell’s palsy, she had decided against them. “I was offered Botox, but I decided not to take it because I don’t think it’s the right thing. “You’re trying to match your other side all the time and I can’t tell you what this side of my face is going to do in two hours, let alone in two days. “So, I chose physical therapy to try and loosen up this side of my face and try to encourage it to come back with stretches.” Amy said the experience of having Bell’s palsy had changed her life in many ways: she cannot drink unless it is through a straw; she has to be more careful about getting rest; and she said eating fast food can be a challenge. “One time I was trying to go to McDonald’s with nieces and nephews,” she said. “I tried to eat something there and I had to bring my own cutlery so I could kind of cut it up and, like, eat a burger. “But food was never going to stop me. I’m far too much of a foodie.” ‘Stronger person’ Amy said she was lucky to have a big support network, but colleagues and strangers have not always been so kind and, like Tulisa, she has also experienced negative feedback after going on TV. “I appeared on TV during the election a couple of years ago. Every single time I go on TV, you can guarantee somebody says something about my face,” she said. “And I just think sometimes it’s quite cruel, isn’t it, that people think they can have that conversation?” However, Amy said she thinks having Bell’s palsy had made her a stronger person. “I think it’s made me more empathetic. It’s opened up my eyes, pun intended, to understand disabilities for other people.” Amy said when “everything kind of fell apart”, she had decisions to make – and she concluded: “I can help and I make that a bit better for others.” “You know, I’ll wallow for a while and then pull my big girl socks up and get on with it,” she explained. “So, yeah, it’s been tough, but it certainly could have been worse.” Meanwhile, Amy said she can only praise Tulisa for going on I’m a Celebrity and raising awareness about a condition which affects so many people. “It’s kind of really nice to have that,” she said. “I think it’s just good they give a platform to things like that. I wish her all the best.” Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here. Source link #condition #Tulisa #Celeb Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Labor throws pity party after being told to keep anti-Basil Zempilas signs away from Pride parade Labor throws pity party after being told to keep anti-Basil Zempilas signs away from Pride parade A senior Labor minister has accused Pride WA of ‘censorship’ over police action to remove negative Basil Zempilas signs from their annual march. Source link #Labor #throws #pity #party #told #antiBasil #Zempilas #signs #Pride #parade Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Two missiles, 27 drones downed over Russia’s Kursk, regional governor says Two missiles, 27 drones downed over Russia’s Kursk, regional governor says (Reuters) – Two Ukrainian missiles and 27 drones were destroyed over Russia’s Kursk region, the governor of the region that borders Ukraine said on Sunday. It was not immediately clear what missiles were destroyed. Kursk regional governor Alexei Smirnov did not provide further details in a post on his Telegram channel. The Ukrainian military later said on Telegram that its forces had destroyed a Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile system in Kursk. Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. Reuters could not independently confirm the report. Ukrainian troops stormed across Russia’s western border into Kursk on Aug. 6 and seized a chunk of territory. Moscow launched waves of counter-assaults and has retaken at least 40% of the captured territory since then, but Kyiv still controls about 800 square kilometres (309 square miles) in the region, a senior Ukrainian military source said on Sunday, (Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Gareth Jones) Source link #missiles #drones #downed #Russias #Kursk #regional #governor Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Max Verstappen says winning his fourth title in Las Vegas came after a ‘very challenging’ season Max Verstappen says winning his fourth title in Las Vegas came after a ‘very challenging’ season Max Verstappen says his fourth consecutive world title came after a “very challenging” season and he is “hungry” to bid for more success in 2025. The Red Bull driver’s fifth place in the Las Vegas Grand Prix put his points total beyond the reach of his closest rival, McLaren’s Lando Norris. The Briton, who needed to win at least three more points than Verstappen to continue the title ******, finished sixth. George Russell took a dominant victory ahead of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton. “It was a very challenging season,” Verstappen said. “Also as a person at times it was very challenging and I had to be calm. “In a way I still prefer last season. I enjoyed it a lot, but I think this season, it has taught me a lot of lessons. “I am very proud of us as a team and in a way that makes it a very special and beautiful season.” Source link #Max #Verstappen #winning #fourth #title #Las #Vegas #challenging #season Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

WA quick Richardson survives injury scare in Shield WA quick Richardson survives injury scare in Shield Western Australia’s injury-plagued paceman Jhye Richardson has overcome an injury scare while celebrating a Sheffield Shield wicket against South Australia. Source link #quick #Richardson #survives #injury #scare #Shield Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘He could have been saved’ ‘He could have been saved’ Shocking new footage seemingly capturing Liam Payne’s final moments shows the listless One Direction singer being hauled through the lobby of his Argentinian hotel — an image that left grieving girlfriend Kate Cassidy sobbing about the missed opportunity to avert his tragic ******. “Whenever it seems it can’t get more painful for Kate, it gets even more painful,” a close pal of the 25-year-old influencer told The Post. “He could have been saved, he could have been helped. It’s devastating — and infuriating.” Liam Payne was apparently hauled through the lobby of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires and dumped back in his hotel room alone minutes before his tragic ******. The wrenching CCTV footage recorded inside the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires shows three men carrying a seemingly unconscious Payne by his arms and legs out of the main lobby of the building. The footage was timestamped at 4:54 p.m. on Oct. 16 — exactly 13 minutes before Payne plummeted to his ******. The Post could not independently verify the timestamp’s accuracy, but a Daily Mail report noted that the timestamp conflicted with a different CCTV image taken outside Payne’s room timestamped seconds before the lobby image. The 31-year-old singer was acting erratically in the lobby for about an hour before he became incapacitated, with one witness claiming Payne was “convulsing” on the floor, according to the outlet, which obtained a still photo from the surveillance video. Payne stayed in Argentina for two weeks before plunging to his ******. Somehow, Payne ended up back in his hotel room alone at 5:17 p.m. Minutes later, the “For You” singer was ***** from multiple blunt force trauma after falling from his balcony. An autopsy found that the former boy-******* had a toxic mixture of drugs in his system at the time of his ****** — including ****** and so-called “pink ********” — which is a mixture of ketamine and other drugs. After Payne *****, authorities found a trove of ***** paraphernalia in his room. . Payne ***** instantly of massive internal and external injuries when he took his fatal fall, with experts at the time telling The Post that the singer appeared unconscious as he plummeted to the courtyard below. The new footage has been devastating to Cassidy, who began dating Payne in 2022 and believes it suggests there was time to intervene in the crooner’s tragic ******. She had left Argentina two days before his fatal fall. The CCTV footage is among the trove of more than 800 hours of video both in and near the hotel that investigators are analyzing are part of Payne’s ****** probe. Girlfriend Kate Cassidy said the video proves Payne “could have been saved,” a close friend revealed. Instagram/ Kate Cassidy Officials are also filing through dozens” of testimonies from “hotel staff, family members, friends, medical professionals, biochemists and psychiatrists.” Argentinian police are still investigating the last days of Payne’s life. They believe that the singer partied with two prostitutes and went on a *****-fueled bender that culminated in the fatal fall. The prostitutes left the hotel after a dispute over payment, authorities say. Local police are investigating three people in connection to the singer’s ******, including his close friend, Rogelio “Roger” Nores. Payne may have been unconscious when he plummeted to his ******. . They have also named former hotel employee Braian Nahuel Paiz, who they say furnished him with drugs. The 24-year-old admitted to having two hotel meetings with the “Story of My Life” singer, but insisted that he did not sell him any drugs and just had an “intimate” time with him. A third man, Ezequiel David Pereyra, is being investigated for being a “***** supplier.” Source link #saved Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Young people who refuse to work to lose benefits, says minister Young people who refuse to work to lose benefits, says minister ‘Youth guarantee’ to focus on ‘earning or learning’ Young people who refuse to work will face having their benefits cut, the work and pensions secretary has said. Liz Kendall told the BBC the government will offer young people the opportunity to “earn or learn” under new proposals to be unveiled on Tuesday. “In return for those new opportunities young people will have a responsibility to take them up,” she said. Official figures published earlier this week showed that nearly a million young people were out of education, employment or training between July and September. Under new measures to reform the ******** system, a “Youth Guarantee” for 18 to 21-year-olds aims to train young people or get them back into work. Kendall told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg these proposals would see an overhaul of the apprenticeship system so “more people have the chance to train” with young people offered “the opportunity to be earning or learning”. Asked if those who did not take up these offers would lose benefits, Kendall replied: “Yes.” She said this would transform opportunities for young people. “If you are out of work when you’re young that can have lifelong consequences in terms of your future job prospects and earning potential.” PA Media In an op-ed in the Mail on Sunday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised that the benefits overhaul would ****** down on “**********” who “game the system”. Kendall told the BBC that she believed there were people who can work but refused to do so, but said she thought these people were “in the *********” of benefit claimants. Economic inactivity has grown rapidly since the pandemic. There are now 9.3 million people who are neither in work nor looking for a job – a rise of 713,000 since Covid. Nearly three million people are out of work due to ill health, a 500,000 increase since 2019. Asked about the rise in benefit claimants in recent years, Kendall said some people have “self-diagnosed” mental health problems, as well as those “diagnosed by doctors” – but added that there was a “genuine problem” with mental health in the ***. PA Media Kevin Hollinrake said there were “incentives in the system” for people to leave work and claim benefits Under the previous ************* government’s plans to tighten eligibility for incapacity benefits, an estimated 400,000 people signed off work long-term would have lost payments. The work and pensions secretary refused to confirm whether those people would keep their benefits under Labour’s proposals. “We will deliver those savings, we will bring forward our own reforms,” she said. Shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake said that rising numbers of people out of work due to ill health was “a phenomenon caused largely by the pandemic”. He said the previous government had been “dealing with it” and welcomed Labour’s focus on the issue, but added: “I want to make sure they do the right things rather than just talk a good game.” Source link #Young #people #refuse #work #lose #benefits #minister Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Editorial: Labor backflip shows lack of conviction Editorial: Labor backflip shows lack of conviction Another day, another embarrassing backdown from Anthony Albanese. Source link #Editorial #Labor #backflip #shows #lack #conviction Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Part of Premium Outlets parking lot collapses from underground ***** Part of Premium Outlets parking lot collapses from underground ***** JAMES CITY COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) – The James City County ***** Department is investigating an underground ***** at the Williamsburg Premium Outlets off of Richmond Road. The JCC ***** Department said they were dispatched around 9 a.m. to the Premium Outlets for a possible underground *****. Units arrived to find the parking lot behind the stores partially collapsed and an active ***** in the underground stormwater detention facility. Photo Courtesy: James City County ***** Department Out of an abundance of caution, and due to smoke, some area businesses were evacuated. This situation is ongoing and the public is encouraged to avoid the area. Continue to check WAVY.com for updates. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. Source link #Part #Premium #Outlets #parking #lot #collapses #underground #***** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Man critical after being stabbed Man critical after being stabbed A man is in a critical condition after he was stabbed on Westminster Bridge in central London, the Met Police has said. Emergency services were called at about 10:45 GMT to reports of a ****** on the bridge. London Ambulance Service and the air ambulance also attended and took him to hospital. The Met said three people had been arrested on suspicion of attempted ******* while another arrested for affray. Two of those arrested were taken to hospital with minor facial injuries, the Met added. It is understood the incident is not being treated as *******-related. Westminster Bridge is closed each way as are the roads around it while the police carry out investigations. Buses including 11, 12, 148, 159, and 453 are on diversion. Source link #Man #critical #stabbed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The 44 ****** Friday tech deals worth shopping right now from Amazon, Walmart, Target, Apple and others The 44 ****** Friday tech deals worth shopping right now from Amazon, Walmart, Target, Apple and others ****** Friday may technically just be one day, but it’s evolved to consume the entire month of November in the US at this point. For the past few years, retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Target have ushered in the holiday shopping season earlier and earlier, and this year is no different. ****** Friday deals are already here, bringing discounts to some of our favorite tech we’ve tested this year. In the past, we’d advise waiting until the week of ****** Friday to get the best of the best discounts, but we’re seeing those sales right now this year. If you’re eager to get a jump start on your holiday shopping, or you want to pick up a few items for yourself, now is the time. These are the best early ****** Friday deals we could find; we’ll be updating this post regularly throughout November, so check back for the latest discounts. Engadget’s top picks Apple 10th-gen iPad for $250 ($100 off with coupon): The best iPad for those on a budget, this model has a modern design, good performance, a landscape-oriented front-facing camera and a solid battery life. It has also done away with the Lightning port in favor of a more modern USB-C port. Note that some ****** options are on ***** for $279 and have an addition coupon that brings the final price down to $250. Apple Watch Series 10 for $329 ($70 off): The latest Apple Watch is our top pick for the best smartwatch you can get thanks to its slightly thinner and lighter design, wide-angle OLED panel for better viewing angles, watchOS 11 features and slightly improved battery life. We gave it a score of 90 in our Apple Watch Series 10 review. Anker 10K MagGo power bank for $60 ($30 off): This is one of our top picks for the best power banks you can buy today thanks to its versatile capacity, speedy Qi2 charging capabilities, clear screen that shows remaining battery power and its built-in kickstand. DJI Osmo Mobile 6 gimbal for $89 ($40 off): The latest version of DJI’s smartphone gimbal includes improved tracking and a new Quick Launch feature for iPhones that automatically launches the companion app in camera view so you can get to filming. Bose QuietComfort headphones for $199 ($150 off): The latest version of Bose’s iconic QC headphones, these cans have excellent ANC, a comfortable (if a bit dated) design, 24 hours of battery life and a quick-charge feature that will get you two hours of battery after just 15 minutes of them being plugged in. Elden Ring for PS5 for $20 (67 percent off): Elden Ring is one of our favorites for most consoles, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find it cheaper than this right now. It offers a rich, open world to explore and, depending on your play style, you can pursue a path as difficult as you want. Meta Quest 3s + $75 gift card for $300 ($75 off): A recent addition to our best VR headsets guide, the 3S is our favorite cheap virtual reality device. It’s comfortable to wear for long sessions, has fast performance and excellent controllers, plus it has a vast library of games and programs to choose from. Also available at Target. PS5 Slim Digital for $374 ($75 off): If you’ve been unable to get your hands on a PS5 until now, you can get a decent discount for the holiday shopping season. It earned a score of 87 in our original review for its speedy 4K gaming, minimal load times and excellent DualSense controller. Also available at Walmart, Target and Sony. reMarkable 2 bundles starting at $529 ($89 off): Our top pick for the best E Ink tablet for most people has now been discounted when you pick up one of its folio cases and a marker to go along with it. The reMarkable 2 provides an excellent, distraction-free reading and writing experience, plus it has handy integrations with Google Drive and Dropbox. The best early ****** Friday tech deals Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $170 ($80 off): The best AirPods you can get right now, these offer a secure, comfortable fit, good sound quality and ANC, plus excellent transparency mode. Thanks to a recent software update, the Pro 2 earbuds can be used as hearing aids if the user takes Apple’s new hearing test and it discovers mild to moderate hearing loss. Apple Watch SE for $169 ($80 off): The most budget-friendly Apple Watch has all of the core features that the flagship one has, but lacks things like ECG monitoring. We consider it to be the best Apple Watch for first-timers, and anyone who’s on a tight budget. Apple AirTags (four-pack) for $73 ($27 off): These are the Bluetooth trackers to get if you have an iPhone, and they allow you to keep track of your keys, wallet and other belongings from within the Find My app. Just make sure to pick up an AirTag holder or case if you plan on using them with your keys. Apple MacBook Air (M3, 13-inch) for $849 ($250 off): The latest MacBook Air is our top pick for the best laptop for most people, and this model has 16GB of RAM built in — double the previous base amount. If you’re ok with getting an M2 processor, that 13-inch MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM is also on ***** for $749. Apple 2024 M4 iMac desktop computer for $1,150 ($148 off with coupon): Apple just released the refreshed iMac last month, and now the silver model is already on *****. It has the latest Apple silicon, the M4 system on a chip that gives it a speed boost and enables the new Apple Intelligence features in macOS Sequoia. Will Lipman Photography for Engadget Anker 3-in-1 10K portable charger for $30 ($15 off): A top pick in our best power banks guide, this 10K brick has a built-in USB-C cable so you don’t need to remember to bring one with you, plus it has an extra USB-C port for charging other devices. Anker Soundcore Space A40 for $45 ($35): The Space A40 is the longtime top pick in our guide to the best budget earbuds, as it delivers the kind of robust feature set we expect from pairs that cost three times as much. Call quality isn’t the best, and it won’t auto-pause when you take out an earbud, but its warm sound, powerful ANC, eight-ish hours of battery life and comfy design all impress for the money. This deal ties the lowest price we’ve seen — it’s only available to Prime subscribers at Amazon, but you can also grab it at Anker’s online store with an on-page coupon. PS5 DualSense Wireless Controller for $54 ($21 off): If someone on your list already has a PS5 (or if that someone is you), now’s the time to stock up on extra controllers. These have a comfortable design and some of the best haptics we’ve tried on any console controller. Xbox Series X (1TB) with extra controller for $490 ($110 off): This bundle includes a total of two Xbox wireless controllers with the Series X console, and the built-in 1TB SSD is a good starting point for most gamers. Seagate Storage Expansion Card 2TB for $200 ($160 off): Seagate’s expansion card is one of the best options for expanding your Xbox Series X/S storage. A 2TB version has dropped to $200, its lowest price to date. It’s one of our picks for the best Xbox Series X/S accessories. Also available at Seagate. Lego Star Wars: A New Hope Boarding The Tantive IV Fantasy Toy 75387 for $44 (20 percent off): This set recreates the scene in which Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers battled the Rebels, and it includes seven Star Wars minifigures. Lego Google Pixel Watch 3 for $280 ($70 off): Google’s latest smartwatch is down to an all time low price. This is the model we recommend for anyone with an Android phone in our guide to the best smartwatches and it earned an 84 in our review. It detects workouts quickly, has an extra long battery life and is one of the more attractive smartwatches on the market. The deal applies to the 41mm size with GPS only but the larger and cellular-enabled models are on ***** too. Also at Best Buy and Target. Google Nest Indoor security camera (wired) for $70 ($30 off): Google’s security camera can tell the difference between people, animals and vehicles while it’s monitoring your home, and it supports 1080p video, night vision and two-way audio. Theragun Mini 2.0 for $149 ($50 off): This compact massager makes a great gift for a beloved parent or anyone else you think could use a little more TLC. It supports a couple of different head attachments that help relieve different muscles of the body and it’s arguably the easiest of Thergun’s devices to throw into a carry on or gym bag. Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer for $280 ($70 off): One of our favorite air fryers, this machine does a lot more than just air fry thanks to its 11 cooking modes, and while it’s larger than a typical air fryer, that means it can cook larger things like a full turkey or chicken. Kindle for $85 ($25 off): The 2024 base Kindle is lighter than ever before, and it has a 6-inch, glare-free screen with an adjustable front light, 16GB of storage, speedier performance and six weeks of battery life. Echo Dot for $23 ($27 off): This is one of the best smart speakers you can get right now thanks to its compact design, physical button controls that compliment voice commands and its solid sound quality for its size. Amazon Echo Spot for $45 ($35 off): This recently revived smart display is billed as a smart alarm clock, and it features a customizable screen, big sound for its size and all the perks for Alexa voice commands. You can also grab it bundled with a free TP-Link smart light bulb. Echo Buds for $25 ($25 off): These are one of our top picks for the best budget wireless earbuds you can get right now thanks to their comfortable design, pocket-friendly case, automatic wear detection, multi-device connectivity and, of course, built-in Alexa voice controls. Amazon ***** TV Stick 4K Max for $33 ($27 off): Amazon’s most powerful dongle supports 4K streaming with Dolby Vision, Wi-Fi 6E and live picture-in-picture mode so you can see security camera feeds directly on your TV as you’re watching a show or movie. In addition to being a solid streamer, it also makes a good retro gaming device. Ring pan and tilt security camera for $50 ($30 off): This security camera joined the Ring lineup only a few months ago, and this is the best price we’ve seen on it. It’s part of a larger Ring ***** that discounts home security gear by up to 50 percent. Blink Mini 2 (two-pack) for $35 ($35 off): The newest Blink Mini wired security camera came out earlier this year and it supports 1080p video recordings, a wider field of view than the previous model and improved low-light performance. It may be wired, but you can use it outside if you wish provided you have the separate $10 weather-resistant adapter. Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget Hisense U8N 4K TV (55-inch) for $698 ($402 off): The U8N is the next step up from the U7N in Hisense’s TV lineup, so it should provide better colors, contrast and brightness across the board. If you don’t mind buying a smaller panel for around the same price, this is another new low. Also at Best Buy. Samsung 55-inch The Frame smart TV (2024) for $898 (40 percent off): The latest Frame TVs can show art on the screen when you’re not using it, and it has a matte finish to make it look more like a picture frame on your wall. Also available at Samsung. Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ for $150 ($70 off): Our top pick for the best budget Android tablet sports an 11-inch 90Hz display, a microSD card slot for extra storage and a hefty battery. Segway Ninebot Max G2 electric scooter for $799 ($200 off): The latest electric scooter from Segway can reach a maximum speed of up to 25mph, and it can run for up to 43 miles in Eco mode. Solo Stove Bonfire Backyard Bundle for $400 ($180 off): Solo Stove ****** Friday deals include up to 30 percent off fit pit bundles that give you all of the necessary accessories to make the most out of your new ***** pit. Alternatively, you can pick up the Bonfire ***** pit with its stand over at Amazon for only $196. Ooni ****** Friday deals: Get 20 percent off pizza ovens: Most pizza ovens at Ooni have been discounted, including a few of our favorites. The Karu 16 multi-fuel oven is down to $519, a whopping $280 off its normal price. Audible Premium Plus for $0.99/month for three months + $20 Audible credit ($64 off): Those who don’t currently subscribe to Audible can get three months of the audiobook service’s Premium Plus plan for $1. Normally, the service costs $15 per month after a 30-day free trial. As a refresher, Premium Plus is Audible’s upper tier: In addition to giving access the full Audible Plus library, it lets you keep one title from a curated selection of audiobooks each month. We wouldn’t call it essential, but if you’ve been on the fence, this is a good way to see if it’d work for you. Just note that the plan will auto-renew until you cancel. Plus, you’ll now also get an additional $20 Audible credit to use at your discretion. Amazon Kindle Unlimited for $1 for three month ($35 off): Amazon’s ebook subscription service gives you access to a catalog of thousands titles for unlimited reading, select Audible audiobooks to listen to and included magazines to read. Prime members can get a different deal: two months for only $5. Headspace annual plan for $35 ($35 off): Our top pick for the best meditation app has tons of courses that address specific anxieties and worries, a good in-app search engine that makes it easy to find the right meditation you need and additional yoga routines, podcasts and music sessions to try out. MasterClass Premium for $10/month ($10 off): Premium subscriptions, which include access for up to six devices and offline mode, are half off for the holidays. MasterClass’ other subscription tiers are also discounted. Those who love learning and want to pick up a new hobby (or refine an existing one) can take courses with some of the best in their respective fields. Adobe Creative Cloud for $30/month ($30 off): First-time subscribers can get half off Creative Cloud for their first year of membership, bringing the cost down to just $30 per month. This gives you access to Photoshop, Illustrator and the rest of Adobe’s suite of apps. ProtonVPN Plus two-year plan for $72 ($168 off): Our top pick for the best VPN is based on open-source framework and has a no-logs policy. Its easy-to-use apps are available on most platforms including iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and more, and some of them even include a *****-switch feature. ExpressVPN two-year plan plus six extra months for $150 (82 percent off): Our top pick for best VPN for travelers provides access to tons of servers and had some of the fastest connections of any VPN service we tested. In addition to a VPN, this subscription tier gives you access to an ad blocker and password manager. ****** Friday FAQs When is ****** Friday 2024? ****** Friday 2024 lands on November 29 this year. When do ****** Friday deals start? We expect some ****** Friday tech deals to start as early as November 1. Over the past few years, retailers have been kicking off the holiday shopping season earlier and earlier. This trend will continue in 2024, and you’ll likely find early ****** Friday deals available online and in stores in the weeks before the actual shopping event. When do ****** Friday deals end? Some ****** Friday tech deals will end immediately on Saturday, November 30. But those will likely be few and far between. Along with starting deals earlier and earlier, retailers have also extended ****** Friday deals past the day for a while now, too. In the tech space, we’ve seen many ****** Friday deals in the past run through Cyber Monday. Where are the best ****** Friday deals? There is no one place to buy all of the best ****** Friday deals, but you can expect the big retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Target to have many of the same ****** Friday deals available — both in the lead up and on the day itself. We also recommend checking direct-to-consumer sites like Apple, Samsung, Sonos and others to make sure you’re getting the best deal before you cross things off your list. Does Apple have ****** Friday deals? You typically will not find cash discounts on Apple’s website for ****** Friday, though it has offered various gift card bundles during ****** Friday in recent years. You may be able to find local Apple store discounts on accessories, but Apple isn’t a retailer known for slashing prices on its products. However, you can find more traditional Apple ****** Friday tech deals at other retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Best Buy. Check out all of the latest ****** Friday and Cyber Monday deals here. Source link #****** #Friday #tech #deals #worth #shopping #Amazon #Walmart #Target #Apple Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Renegades to host WBBL final despite another Heat win Renegades to host WBBL final despite another Heat win The Melbourne Renegades will host the WBBL final as the Brisbane Heat downed the Sydney Sixers but fell short of pinching top spot. Source link #Renegades #host #WBBL #final #Heat #win Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

I’ve been tracking laptop deals for 4 years: here are the 10 deals actually worth buying in the Dell ****** Friday ***** I’ve been tracking laptop deals for 4 years: here are the 10 deals actually worth buying in the Dell ****** Friday ***** It’s that time of the year again – the one where you can get the lowest prices of the entire year on Dell laptops and PCs thanks to the brand’s excellent ****** Friday *****. If you’re interested, Dell ****** Friday deals are already live and available to buy ahead of the big day itself. As TechRadar’s Deals Editor, I’ve already gone through all of today’s Dell ****** Friday ***** and rounded up the best deals into one neat package right here. Not only can you save massive amounts on the latest Dell XPS machines today, but there are also some great options for those on a tighter budget. My recommendations for today’s ****** Friday deals at Dell start at just $299 but I’ve made sure to include options for those who need something with a little more power. Gamers will be pleased to note that there are massive discounts on Alienware gaming PCs and laptops that you can check out. As with other Dell listings today, I’ve gone through the Alienware deals and rounded up the best ones just below. While you’re here, I recommend checking out our main ****** Friday laptop deals page. That includes other brands and major stores like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart – all of which have early deals available now. Dell ****** Friday quick links Dell ****** Friday *****: 10 best deals More early ****** Friday sales today Amazon: TVs, smart home & air fryers from $12.99 Apple: AirPods, iPads, MacBooks from $89.99 Best Buy: $1,000 off 4K TVs, laptops & headphones Cheap TVs: smart TVs at Best Buy from $69.99 Christmas trees: top-rated trees from $54.99 Dell: best-selling Inspiron & XPS laptops from $279.99 Dreamcloud: mattress deals from $349 + free shipping Gift ideas: deals for the whole family from $9.99 Holiday: decor, lights, Christmas trees & PJs from $10.99 Home Depot: 40% off tools, appliances & furniture Lowe’s: holiday decor, appliances & tools from $17.31 Nectar: up to 50% off all mattresses Nordstrom: 46% off boots, coats, jeans & jewelry Purple: up to $1,000 off mattresses + base Saatva: up to $600 off luxury mattresses Samsung: $2,500+ off TVs, phones, watches & appliances Target: save on furniture, Christmas decor, tech & clothing Tempur-Pedic: up to $500 off mattress sets Walmart: cheap TVs, ****** vacs, AirPods & appliances Wayfair: 70% off furniture, decor & Christmas Source link #Ive #tracking #laptop #deals #years #deals #worth #buying #Dell #****** #Friday #***** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Billionaire Bill Ackman Just Poured $2.2 Billion Into These 2 Incredible Stocks Billionaire Bill Ackman Just Poured $2.2 Billion Into These 2 Incredible Stocks Bill Ackman is happy to buy stocks when he believes they’re on *****, and he holds them until their prices reflect what he believes are their true values. That could be a few months or it could be a decade. For example, Ackman established a position in Chipotle ******** Grill more than eight years ago, and it has grown to become one of the largest positions in the portfolio of his hedge fund, Pershing Square. Over the last two quarters, Ackman has built two new significant positions for Pershing Square — Nike (NYSE: NKE) and Brookfield (NYSE: BN) — piling an estimated $2.2 billion into those stocks during the third quarter alone. Here’s why. Are You Missing The Morning Scoop? Wake up with Breakfast news in your inbox every market day. Sign Up For Free » Image source: Getty Images. Ackman bought about $275 million worth of Nike stock in the calendar year’s second quarter, but he loaded up in the calendar year’s third quarter after Nike’s fiscal 2024 fourth-quarter earnings results and fiscal 2025 outlook disappointed the market back in late June 2024. Ackman added 13.2 million shares, spending over $1 billion based on its average share price during the quarter. Nike has struggled lately as it manages what share direct-to-consumer sales should be of overall sales. Cutting off wholesale distribution in favor of its own stores and website has worked in some quarters but is not working as well lately and it’s forcing management to adjust. As a result, there was a near-term drop in revenue as its sales through big retail partners dried up while Nike shifted inventory to its own channels. Sales came in worse than expected and revenue fell 10% year over year in Nike’s fiscal 2025 Q1. In reporting the results, management guided for a slow recovery in sales due to economic uncertainty. It’s worth pointing out, however, that its ****** margin improved by 1.2 percentage points in fiscal Q1 on the back of streamlined product and warehousing spending and strategic price improvements. As Nike improves its inventory management and returns to sales growth, it should see strong improvements in both ****** margin and operating margin over time. Nike’s price-to-sales ratio of about 2.3 is near its 10-year low. And while sales are currently moving in the wrong direction, there’s good reason to believe things will turn around. Nike has one of the strongest brands in the world, China still presents a growth opportunity for its business, and it has been able to maintain its premium pricing. With earnings growth expected to rebound after this year, Nike could be a great stock to buy now and hold for several years while it works through its business model transition. Story Continues Brookfield is an investment firm that has its hands in many different businesses. It has an extremely strong track record, producing average compound annual returns of 18% for its shareholders over the last 30 years. Ackman loaded up on about $285 billion of the stock in the second quarter and added roughly $1.2 billion more in the third quarter. Thanks to strong price performance since Ackman’s purchases, Brookfield is now Pershing Square’s largest stock position. The company spun off its asset management business last year, but it maintains a 75% ownership stake in it. It also runs an insurance business (wealth solutions), and it owns several businesses across infrastructure, renewable energy, business services, and real estate. Brookfield expects to keep growing that portfolio over the next few years. It seeks to buy companies where it believes it can unlock additional value through operational and capital improvements. It does that by taking the cash flow from its existing operations and deploying it wherever it sees investment opportunities. Management expects its free cash flow growth over the next five years to compound at a rate of 20%-plus annually. If that prediction proves accurate, that would result in a whopping $47 billion of total free cash flow over that *******, of which it plans to retain 75% ($36 billion) to allocate toward new investments. The rest, it intends to put toward share repurchases and dividends. Shares currently trade for about 15 times distributable earnings. Management thinks the stock should trade for a multiple of 23 today, which suggests that investors are getting a healthy discount on shares. What’s more, it sees the growth in distributable earnings over the next five years giving the stock a fair value of $176 per share in 2029. That would amount to an average compound annual return of more than 25% over the next five years, based on the share price as of this writing. Whether Brookfield can capitalize on the investment opportunities it seeks ******** to be seen. Ackman seems to believe there’s a lot of growth ahead for the company, and it could produce the returns management is forecasting. Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you’d have $368,053!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $43,533!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $484,170!* Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon. See 3 “Double Down” stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of November 18, 2024 Adam Levy has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Brookfield, Brookfield Corporation, Chipotle ******** Grill, and Nike. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: short December 2024 $54 puts on Chipotle ******** Grill. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Billionaire Bill Ackman Just Poured $2.2 Billion Into These 2 Incredible Stocks was originally published by The Motley Fool Source link #Billionaire #Bill #Ackman #Poured #Billion #Incredible #Stocks Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Sudan in danger of becoming a ******* state, Jan Egeland warns Sudan in danger of becoming a ******* state, Jan Egeland warns War-stricken Sudan is in danger of becoming another ******* state because civil society is disintegrating amid a proliferation of armed groups, the head of a leading international aid agency has told the BBC. As well as the two main warring parties in Sudan – the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces – there are many smaller “******* armies” looting and going “berserk” on civilians, Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian ******** Council (NRC), said. “The parties are tearing down their own houses, they are massacring their own people,” he said. For nineteen months, there has been a brutal power struggle between the army and the RSF, that has forced over 10 million people to flee their homes and pushed the country to the brink of starvation. “All that I saw confirms that this is indeed the biggest humanitarian emergency on our watch, the biggest hunger crisis, the biggest displacement crisis,” Mr Egeland said, following a trip to Sudan. In September, the World Health Organization (WHO) said starvation in Sudan “is almost everywhere”. Soup kitchens have been forced to close due to being underfunded. Egeland said the lack of humanitarian response meant remaining sources of aid are simply “delaying deaths instead of preventing them.” “Most of Sudan is starving, it’s starving,” he said, adding that starvation has been used as a method of warfare. Some food security specialists ***** that as many as 2.5 million people could **** from hunger by the end of this year. Mr Egeland warned that the world is “failing Sudan completely” by not doing enough. He told the BBC if Europe wanted to avoid a ******** crisis, it needed to invest in “aid, protection and peace in this corner of the world”. “It’s an underfunded operation, even though it’s the world’s biggest emergency,” he said. Thousands of people have been ******* since a civil war broke out. Rights groups have also expressed fears that there may be ******* cleansing and genocide in Sudan. Despite this, peace talks between the RSF and the army have been fruitless. “The war will stop when these warlords feel they have more to lose by continuing fighting, than by doing the sensible thing” Egeland said. Source link #Sudan #danger #******* #state #Jan #Egeland #warns Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

ScottishLib Dems would vote down Budget that contains independence spending ScottishLib Dems would vote down Budget that contains independence spending PA Media Alex Cole-Hamilton said he will urge his party to vote against the budget if it reserves funding for independence The Scottish ******** Democrat leader has said his party would vote down the Scottish government’s upcoming Budget if it contains even a “penny” promoting independence. The ********* SNP administration needs some opposition MSPs to either back or abstain in the vote on its spending plans to get them passed. Alex Cole-Hamilton confirmed talks had taken place about the price of Lib Dem support – but made it clear they would actively vote against any spending plans that promoted Scottish independence. Finance secretary Shona Robison will deliver the Scottish government’s Budget in Holyrood on Wednesday. Speaking to the BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show, Cole-Hamilton said the public had sent the SNP a “clear message” in the recent general election they are “done with the constitution”. He said: “I don’t see a circumstance where any ******** Democrat could vote for a budget that is clearly spending money on the constitution. “I think that would be a massive misuse of public funds no matter how small. “We need every penny available spent on our schools, on our GP surgeries, on the mental health crisis.” Cole-Hamilton added that his party believes in “moving forward together”. “The SNP will have to go a long way to persuade us, that whilst they might delete things like any independence spending from their budget that they won’t just go back to their old ways of spending any political oxygen on the constitution,” he continued. Will the Scottish Budget pass? The SNP group in the Scottish Parliament has 62 MSP’s, but in order for their budget to pass they need a majority of 65 MSP’s to vote for it. The spending plans are likely to be supported by Glasgow Shettleston MSP John Mason, who despite being expelled from the SNP has indicated he would continue to support the party. It is unlikely the SNP could reach agreement with the Conservatives or Labour, and with only one MSP, Alba’s support would be insufficient to get them over the line. That means the support of the Scottish Greens or Scottish Lib Dems is necessary. The Scottish Green party left a power-sharing deal with the government earlier this year. They have said the government needs to re-earn their trust but they are against axing cash for independence. The Scottish Budget sets out Holyrood’s tax and spending plans for the next financial year, which runs from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026. The *** government has said its own Budget outlined last month would provide £1.5bn this financial year and a further £3.4bn next year for the Scottish government. Economists at the Fraser of Allander Institute have said this is “likely to make the Scottish government’s job of balancing its budget significantly easier”. However, First Minister John Swinney has said his government has “difficult” decisions to make, and that the extra Treasury funding is not “nearly as much” as has been claimed. The Scottish government has been approached for comment. Source link #ScottishLib #Dems #vote #Budget #independence #spending Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

George Harrison guitar sells for record-breaking price George Harrison guitar sells for record-breaking price The Futurama guitar bought by a teenage George Harrison for Stg58 ($A112) has sold for more than Stg1 million ($A1.9 million) at auction. The late Beatles star’s mother paid for the Resonet Futurama instrument in 1959 when he was a 16-year-old apprentice electrician. Harrison played the instrument at more than 320 Beatles gigs across the years and it has now gone under the hammer for $A1.9 million. Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien’s Auctions – which sold John Lennon’s acoustic guitar for $US2.85 million ($A4.38 million) earlier this year – said the lot had set a world record for the highest ***** price of one of Harrison’s instruments. “George Harrison’s iconic Futurama guitar, one of the most important guitars in rock and roll history and formative to The Beatles’ sound, has made history at today’s auction,” he said in a statement. “We’re beyond thrilled to add this Harrison guitar to the Julien’s Auctions’ million-dollar club, which already includes guitars from John Lennon, Eric Clapton, and Kurt Cobain.” The auction house had given the guitar an expected ***** price of between $US600,000 ($A923,077) and $US800,000 ($A1.2 million) and celebrated its significance in Beatles history when they first announced it was going up for *****. “George Harrison’s Futurama guitar was The Beatles’ north star and one of his most loved instruments in his collection of legendary and prized guitars,” Nolan said at the time. “This mythic guitar aptly named Futurama was played during the early Beatles’ countless groundbreaking performances from their halcyon nights at the Cavern Club in Liverpool to their famous Hamburg Days where they honed their sound and style and the future of Beatlemania literally took off.” It had previously ******* to sell after it didn’t meet its reserve price when it was put up for auction by Bonhams in 2019. Source link #George #Harrison #guitar #sells #recordbreaking #price Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Tears of the Kingdom for a record-low price Tears of the Kingdom for a record-low price Nintendo ****** Friday deals are now live, and they’re worth paying attention to if you want to pick up some big games on *****. In addition to video games, you can pick up a few Nintendo Switch bundles on ***** as well, including options for the standard Switch, the OLED model and the Switch Lite. The deals are available at retailers like Best Buy and Target, and of course, direct from Nintendo. Perhaps the jewel in ****** Friday’s crown is a big discount on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Normally $70, Nintendo has the game for $50, but we’re seeing even steeper price drops at GameStop ($45), Target ($40) and Best Buy ($40) at the moment. The game is an absolute blast and builds on all of the good stuff originally introduced in Breath of the Wild. This time, however, new abilities allow for even more unique solutions to puzzles. The ***** also applies to the long-gestating Pikmin 4 and the sublimely creative Super Mario Maker 2. Both is available for between $35 and $40. Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the belle of the COVID-era ball, costs between $35 and $40 as well, depending on the retailer. There are a few deals on an actual Switch console bundles, too. The Nintendo Switch Lite: Hyrule Edition has dropped to $210, but it comes with some serious perks. This bundle ships with the gold-******** console and a full year of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. This provides access to all kinds of retro games, from the NES all the way to the N64. Elsewhere at Target and Best Buy, a bundle with the Nintendo Switch OLED edition and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is down to $275. The standard Switch is also on ***** bundled with the same game for $225. There’s a caveat here. The Nintendo Switch isn’t long for this world, as a sequel is imminent. Adults may want to wait for the new console, but a Switch Lite is still a great gift for a ****. However, nobody has any idea what Trump’s promised tariffs will do to console prices, so maybe even the Switch Lite will cost $600 next year. Who the heck knows anymore. If you’re keen on getting some holiday shopping done now, though, you can browse the best ****** Friday tech deals we’ve curated. Gaming deals are ramping up, and right now you can get up to 55 percent off Xbox titles right now, or a 1TB Xbox Series X with two included controllers for $490 — that’s $110 off the usual rate. Elsewhere, Lego deals are in full swing with up to 40 percent off Star Wars and Super Mario sets, including this Super Mario King Boo’s Haunted Mansion (71436) for $60 and Star Wars: A New Hope Boarding The Tantive IV Fantasy Toy (75387) for $44. Check out all of the latest ****** Friday and Cyber Monday deals here. Source link #Tears #Kingdom #recordlow #price Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Moscow offers debt forgiveness to new recruits and AP sees wreckage of a new Russian missile Moscow offers debt forgiveness to new recruits and AP sees wreckage of a new Russian missile KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir ****** has signed a law granting debt forgiveness to new army recruits who enlist to ****** in Ukraine. The measure, whose final version appeared on a government website Saturday, underscores Russia’s needs for military personnel in the nearly 3-year-old war, even as it fired last week a new intermediate-range ballistic missile. According to Russian state news agency Interfax, the new legislation allows those signing up for a one-year contract to write off bad debts of up to 10 million rubles ($96,000). The law applies to debts for which a court order for collection was issued and enforcement proceedings had commenced before Dec. 1, 2024. It also applies to the spouses of new recruits. Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. Russia has ramped up military recruitment by offering increasing financial incentives, in some cases several times the average salary, to those willing to ****** in Ukraine. The strategy has allowed the military to boost its ranks in the conflict zone while avoiding another mobilization order. A “partial mobilization” in September 2022 sparked an exodus of tens of thousands of Russian men, who fled the country to avoid enlistment. The intense and drawn-out war has strained Russian resources. ****** in September called for the military to increase its troops by 180,000. The U.S., South Korea and Ukraine say North Korea sent more than 10,000 troops to Russia in October, some of whom have recently begun engaging in combat on the front lines, piling more pressure on Ukraine’s also weary and overstretched army. The push for recruits coincides with a new intermediate-range ballistic missile the Kremlin fired at Ukraine on Thursday. ****** said it was in response to Kyiv’s use of ********* and British missiles capable of striking deeper into Russia. Ukraine’s Security Service showed The Associated Press on Sunday wreckage of the new experimental ballistic missile, which struck a factory in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro. The fragments of the missile called Oreshnik – Russian for hazel tree, and which the Pentagon said is based on Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile – have not been analyzed yet, according to security officials on site in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. The AP and other media were able to see the fragments before they were taken by investigators. Charred, mangled wires and an ashy airframe the size of a large snow tire was all that remained of the *******, which can carry either conventional or nuclear warheads. “It should be noted that this is the first time that the ******** of such a missile have been discovered on the territory of Ukraine,” said an expert with Ukraine’s Security Service, who identified himself only by his first name Oleh because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the issue with the media. Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the missile was fired from the 4th Missile Test Range, Kapustin Yar, in Russia’s Astrakhan region and flew for 15 minutes before striking Dnipro. The missile had six warheads, each carrying six submunitions. The peak speed was 11 Mach. Meanwhile, Moscow sent 73 drones into Ukraine overnight into Sunday. According to Ukraine’s air force, 50 drones were destroyed and four lost, likely having been electronically jammed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Russian forces over the past week had struck Ukraine with more than 800 guided aerial ******, about 460 ******* drones and more than 20 missiles. In Russia, the Defense Ministry said that 34 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight into Sunday in four regions of western Russia, including Kursk, Lipetsk, Belgorod and one over the Oryol region. ___ Morton reported from London. ___ Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at Source link #Moscow #offers #debt #forgiveness #recruits #sees #wreckage #Russian #missile Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Can Starbucks fix long lines at its airport cafes? Can Starbucks fix long lines at its airport cafes? Customers wait in a long line at a Starbucks cafe in a terminal at Miami International Airport, in Miami, Dec. 12, 2022. Jeff Greenberg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images Air travelers face a host of headaches on their journeys: slow security lines, long waits for plush lounges, the threat of delays or cancellations — and the airport Starbucks. Many travelers, flight crews and even airport employees have at some point encountered long wait times for their Starbucks cappuccinos, cold brews and egg bites. “They need to have a better system,” said Coresa Barrino, a Starbucks patron at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Terminal B earlier this month who said she had been waiting 10 minutes and counting for her coffee. The nursing assistant, who was taking a flight back to Charlotte, North Carolina, said the wait when she buys her coffee at a Starbucks in Charlotte is about two minutes. The long waits have caught the attention of the coffee chain’s new CEO, Brian Niccol, who joined Starbucks from Chipotle in September, pledging to win back customers and reverse the company’s sales slump. Niccol told investors he thinks that licensed locations, such as those inside Target stores or airports, are interested in following the company’s strategy of “getting back to Starbucks.” “When I think about the airports and such, there’s such a huge opportunity for us to simplify some of the ********** there so that we get people the great throughput that they want so they can get on their way,” Niccol said on the company’s quarterly conference call Oct. 30. Starbucks’ airport location staff — and company technology — will be put to the test this week during some of the busiest travel days of the year. The Transportation Security Administration forecast a record number of travelers during Thanksgiving week and said Sunday, Dec. 1, could be the busiest day of the year, with more than 3 million people screened at U.S. airports. The surge in air travel, especially during peak times such as Thanksgiving, has led to congestion in airport security lines, in lounges and at gates — problems that airlines and the federal government are trying to fix. For the aviation industry, bottlenecks at airport Starbucks are just another sign of soaring demand and overcrowded airports. A record 1.05 billion people boarded airplanes going either to, from or between U.S. airports in 2023, narrowly topping the total in 2019, before the pandemic, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Struggles and fresh approaches Starbucks has recently struggled. Its sales fell for the third straight quarter in the ******* ended Sept. 30, as consumers pushed back against higher prices and ignored initiatives such as discounts and energy drinks aimed at bringing customers back. Same-store sales in the U.S. declined by 6% from a year earlier. In late October, Niccol unveiled plans aimed at improving customers’ experiences and reviving the company’s sales, from bringing back condiment bars, to eliminating surcharges for dairy alternatives and cutting down the menu. Cutting wait time is a key goal: He wants to trim service times down to four minutes, which would shrink long lines and improve the customer experience. And while Starbucks started rolling out mobile order and pay to its airport locations in 2022, the change can sometimes add to the confusion and chaos at the cafe counter instead of resolving it. Plus, some travelers might not be regular Starbucks customers who already have the app downloaded. Improving the coffee chain’s airport outposts could boost both sales and the brand’s reputation during a time when it needs it most. Even the customers Starbucks has lost might visit an airport location while they’re traveling. With travelers returning in droves after the pandemic, it gives Starbucks and other restaurant chains a chance to boost sales. Concessions contribute about 4% of U.S. airport revenue annually, according to the latest available Federal Aviation Administration data, but they’re an important feature to many passengers, who have limited time — and, often, energy — to fuel up before a flight. At Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, revenue from food and beverage outlets is growing faster than passenger numbers, said Jennifer Simkins, the airport’s assistant vice president of concessions. The airport has become the world’s third-busiest for passengers, up from 10th place in 2019, according to Airports Council International. Airlines are also packing more seats on their aircraft and in some cases are flying larger jets. More passengers per plane means restaurants can become crowded during peak times with more customers waiting to be served and space limited, said Ursula Cassinerio, an assistant vice president at Moody’s Ratings who covers airports. She noted that many airports have been undergoing major renovations, if not building new terminals. That means “more opportunities for revenue if you have more square footage for retail and restaurants,” she said. The 25 busiest airports in the U.S. have an average of 80 food and beverage brands as options for travelers, according to data from market research firm Technomic. Licensing model A challenge for Starbucks is that licensees — not Starbucks itself – operate its airport locations. Starbucks opened its first airport location with licensee HMSHost in 1991 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which serves Starbucks’ hometown. For nearly three decades, HMSHost operated the chain’s airport locations through an exclusive deal with Starbucks and gradually grew its airport footprint to roughly 400 outposts. But in 2020, HMSHost ended the deal, giving the operator flexibility to offer more coffee options to airports. While HMSHost still operates the overwhelming majority of Starbucks’ airport cafes, more operators, such as Paradies Lagardere and OTG, have since taken a swing at it. HMSHost, Paradies Lagardere and OTG did not respond to requests for comment for this story. “Airport locations are tricky because they can make good money, but operationally, at times, they can be very challenging,” said Mark Kalinowski, restaurant analyst and CEO of Kalinowski Equity Research. Customers wait in line at a Starbucks cafe in a terminal at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, Nov. 11, 2024. Leslie Josephs/CNBC Licensing its stores saves Starbucks the hassles of operating inside an airport, such as staffing problems, high rents and security checkpoints. And though the coffee chain is used to handling a surge of undercaffeinated customers in the mornings, the swell in demand at an airport can be even more erratic. “A plane lands, and all of a sudden there’s a hundred people when there were zero people there before,” said Kevin Schimpf, director of industry research for Technomic. The trade-off is that Starbucks makes less money from those licensed restaurants. The company has more than 16,300 locations in the U.S. as of Sept. 24. But it only runs about 60% of those cafes itself; licensees operate the rest. That number includes its cafes in 47 of the 50 busiest airports in the U.S., according to Starbucks. The company did not disclose its current airport store count to CNBC. In fiscal 2024, licensed locations accounted for 12% of Starbucks’ revenue, or $4.51 billion. From those stores, Starbucks collects only licensing fees, a percentage of monthly sales through royalties, and payments for supplying its coffee, tea and food to licensees, according to company filings. For every dollar spent in a licensed store, Starbucks generates about 7 cents of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, according to estimates from Bank of America analyst Sara Senatore. Company-owned stores make about 23 cents per dollar spent, Senatore wrote in a research note in September. If its business partners and third-party providers slack off, Starbucks’ brand could be damaged, the company noted in the risk factors section of its latest annual filing. “The vast majority of customers, they don’t know whether that is a company-owned Starbucks or a licensed Starbucks,” Kalinowski said. “They just want their Starbucks. They want it made properly. They want it quickly. And they’re in a situation of heightened stress because they’re trying to get to their gate.” Airports themselves have been adopting more technology in their restaurants to help move lines along. Labor challenges have led to more kiosks and tablets inside airport restaurants, for example. “It’s ******* and ******* to staff a lot of these restaurants, so any front-of-house savings that you can make by having consumers order on kiosks or tablets or whatever, that really, really helps,” Schimpf said. Laurie Noyes, vice president of concessions and commercial parking at Tampa International Airport, said that “sometimes the airports are a little bit behind the street.” But she said the airport has made strides in offering more digital options and now, travelers can order food ahead of time via Uber Eats, and pick it up at airport restaurants. Dallas Fort Worth offers DFWOrderNow, a website and platform available at digital kiosks so travelers can order food ahead. Simkins said the airport’s platform will reroute Starbucks customers to Starbucks’ own platform. Starbucks offers more than 170,000 possible drink orders, according to the chain’s website. “We just found the value in keeping the familiarity for their customers,” Simkins said. Simkins said the airport is developing robotic technology for delivery to speed up service. It’s also experimenting with offering meal and retail bundles from airport restaurants and shops, she said, so passengers “no longer have to plan their route for multiple stops” in an airport. A local coffee company, Fort Worth, Texas-based Ampersand, plans to open a robotic barista at DFW’s Terminal C, Simkins said. It will be available 24/7, to accommodate flight crews arriving at off-hours. Simkins said popular chains still draw a crowd. “There are some brands that people will line up for,” she said. For Barrino, who was waiting for her coffee at LaGuardia, Starbucks is one of those companies. “I just really love the brand,” she said. Source link #Starbucks #fix #long #lines #airport #cafes Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Can Starbucks fix long lines at its airport cafes? Can Starbucks fix long lines at its airport cafes? Customers wait in a long line at a Starbucks cafe in a terminal at Miami International Airport, in Miami, Dec. 12, 2022. Jeff Greenberg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images Air travelers face a host of headaches on their journeys: slow security lines, long waits for plush lounges, the threat of delays or cancellations — and the airport Starbucks. Many travelers, flight crews and even airport employees have at some point encountered long wait times for their Starbucks cappuccinos, cold brews and egg bites. “They need to have a better system,” said Coresa Barrino, a Starbucks patron at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Terminal B earlier this month who said she had been waiting 10 minutes and counting for her coffee. The nursing assistant, who was taking a flight back to Charlotte, North Carolina, said the wait when she buys her coffee at a Starbucks in Charlotte is about two minutes. The long waits have caught the attention of the coffee chain’s new CEO, Brian Niccol, who joined Starbucks from Chipotle in September, pledging to win back customers and reverse the company’s sales slump. Niccol told investors he thinks that licensed locations, such as those inside Target stores or airports, are interested in following the company’s strategy of “getting back to Starbucks.” “When I think about the airports and such, there’s such a huge opportunity for us to simplify some of the ********** there so that we get people the great throughput that they want so they can get on their way,” Niccol said on the company’s quarterly conference call Oct. 30. Starbucks’ airport location staff — and company technology — will be put to the test this week during some of the busiest travel days of the year. The Transportation Security Administration forecast a record number of travelers during Thanksgiving week and said Sunday, Dec. 1, could be the busiest day of the year, with more than 3 million people screened at U.S. airports. The surge in air travel, especially during peak times such as Thanksgiving, has led to congestion in airport security lines, in lounges and at gates — problems that airlines and the federal government are trying to fix. For the aviation industry, bottlenecks at airport Starbucks are just another sign of soaring demand and overcrowded airports. A record 1.05 billion people boarded airplanes going either to, from or between U.S. airports in 2023, narrowly topping the total in 2019, before the pandemic, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Struggles and fresh approaches Starbucks has recently struggled. Its sales fell for the third straight quarter in the ******* ended Sept. 30, as consumers pushed back against higher prices and ignored initiatives such as discounts and energy drinks aimed at bringing customers back. Same-store sales in the U.S. declined by 6% from a year earlier. In late October, Niccol unveiled plans aimed at improving customers’ experiences and reviving the company’s sales, from bringing back condiment bars, to eliminating surcharges for dairy alternatives and cutting down the menu. Cutting wait time is a key goal: He wants to trim service times down to four minutes, which would shrink long lines and improve the customer experience. And while Starbucks started rolling out mobile order and pay to its airport locations in 2022, the change can sometimes add to the confusion and chaos at the cafe counter instead of resolving it. Plus, some travelers might not be regular Starbucks customers who already have the app downloaded. Improving the coffee chain’s airport outposts could boost both sales and the brand’s reputation during a time when it needs it most. Even the customers Starbucks has lost might visit an airport location while they’re traveling. With travelers returning in droves after the pandemic, it gives Starbucks and other restaurant chains a chance to boost sales. Concessions contribute about 4% of U.S. airport revenue annually, according to the latest available Federal Aviation Administration data, but they’re an important feature to many passengers, who have limited time — and, often, energy — to fuel up before a flight. At Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, revenue from food and beverage outlets is growing faster than passenger numbers, said Jennifer Simkins, the airport’s assistant vice president of concessions. The airport has become the world’s third-busiest for passengers, up from 10th place in 2019, according to Airports Council International. Airlines are also packing more seats on their aircraft and in some cases are flying larger jets. More passengers per plane means restaurants can become crowded during peak times with more customers waiting to be served and space limited, said Ursula Cassinerio, an assistant vice president at Moody’s Ratings who covers airports. She noted that many airports have been undergoing major renovations, if not building new terminals. That means “more opportunities for revenue if you have more square footage for retail and restaurants,” she said. The 25 busiest airports in the U.S. have an average of 80 food and beverage brands as options for travelers, according to data from market research firm Technomic. Licensing model A challenge for Starbucks is that licensees — not Starbucks itself – operate its airport locations. Starbucks opened its first airport location with licensee HMSHost in 1991 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which serves Starbucks’ hometown. For nearly three decades, HMSHost operated the chain’s airport locations through an exclusive deal with Starbucks and gradually grew its airport footprint to roughly 400 outposts. But in 2020, HMSHost ended the deal, giving the operator flexibility to offer more coffee options to airports. While HMSHost still operates the overwhelming majority of Starbucks’ airport cafes, more operators, such as Paradies Lagardere and OTG, have since taken a swing at it. HMSHost, Paradies Lagardere and OTG did not respond to requests for comment for this story. “Airport locations are tricky because they can make good money, but operationally, at times, they can be very challenging,” said Mark Kalinowski, restaurant analyst and CEO of Kalinowski Equity Research. Customers wait in line at a Starbucks cafe in a terminal at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, Nov. 11, 2024. Leslie Josephs/CNBC Licensing its stores saves Starbucks the hassles of operating inside an airport, such as staffing problems, high rents and security checkpoints. And though the coffee chain is used to handling a surge of undercaffeinated customers in the mornings, the swell in demand at an airport can be even more erratic. “A plane lands, and all of a sudden there’s a hundred people when there were zero people there before,” said Kevin Schimpf, director of industry research for Technomic. The trade-off is that Starbucks makes less money from those licensed restaurants. The company has more than 16,300 locations in the U.S. as of Sept. 24. But it only runs about 60% of those cafes itself; licensees operate the rest. That number includes its cafes in 47 of the 50 busiest airports in the U.S., according to Starbucks. The company did not disclose its current airport store count to CNBC. In fiscal 2024, licensed locations accounted for 12% of Starbucks’ revenue, or $4.51 billion. From those stores, Starbucks collects only licensing fees, a percentage of monthly sales through royalties, and payments for supplying its coffee, tea and food to licensees, according to company filings. For every dollar spent in a licensed store, Starbucks generates about 7 cents of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, according to estimates from Bank of America analyst Sara Senatore. Company-owned stores make about 23 cents per dollar spent, Senatore wrote in a research note in September. If its business partners and third-party providers slack off, Starbucks’ brand could be damaged, the company noted in the risk factors section of its latest annual filing. “The vast majority of customers, they don’t know whether that is a company-owned Starbucks or a licensed Starbucks,” Kalinowski said. “They just want their Starbucks. They want it made properly. They want it quickly. And they’re in a situation of heightened stress because they’re trying to get to their gate.” Airports themselves have been adopting more technology in their restaurants to help move lines along. Labor challenges have led to more kiosks and tablets inside airport restaurants, for example. “It’s ******* and ******* to staff a lot of these restaurants, so any front-of-house savings that you can make by having consumers order on kiosks or tablets or whatever, that really, really helps,” Schimpf said. Laurie Noyes, vice president of concessions and commercial parking at Tampa International Airport, said that “sometimes the airports are a little bit behind the street.” But she said the airport has made strides in offering more digital options and now, travelers can order food ahead of time via Uber Eats, and pick it up at airport restaurants. Dallas Fort Worth offers DFWOrderNow, a website and platform available at digital kiosks so travelers can order food ahead. Simkins said the airport’s platform will reroute Starbucks customers to Starbucks’ own platform. Starbucks offers more than 170,000 possible drink orders, according to the chain’s website. “We just found the value in keeping the familiarity for their customers,” Simkins said. Simkins said the airport is developing robotic technology for delivery to speed up service. It’s also experimenting with offering meal and retail bundles from airport restaurants and shops, she said, so passengers “no longer have to plan their route for multiple stops” in an airport. A local coffee company, Fort Worth, Texas-based Ampersand, plans to open a robotic barista at DFW’s Terminal C, Simkins said. It will be available 24/7, to accommodate flight crews arriving at off-hours. Simkins said popular chains still draw a crowd. “There are some brands that people will line up for,” she said. For Barrino, who was waiting for her coffee at LaGuardia, Starbucks is one of those companies. “I just really love the brand,” she said. Source link #Starbucks #fix #long #lines #airport #cafes Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

ExpressVPN’s ****** Friday deal saves you up to 61 percent ExpressVPN’s ****** Friday deal saves you up to 61 percent ****** Friday doesn’t just mean discounts on “stuff,” it also means big price cuts on services — and VPNs are no exception. ExpressVPN, a mainstay on our list of , is currently offering an attractive discount for all new customers: Up to 61 percent off. US-based customers can choose between two plans with huge discounts over ExpressVPN’s standard rate. The “1-year plan” (actually 16 months) costs $6.25 per month, billed at a total of $100, and the 2-year plan (actually 30 months) costs just $4.99 per month, billed at a total of $150. Those rates compare to a default price of $12.95 per month. ExpressVPN Engadget deemed ExpressVPN the best for streaming services, frequent travel and gaming. Its biggest drawback is generally considered to be the price — higher than most rivals in the space — so this is a great time to get it at a discount. (There’s a 7-day trial ******* and a 30-day money back guarantee, so you can make sure it meets your needs before committing.) And since we conducted our review, ExpressVPN has added some additional features making it more of a full-service suite, including a password manager and ad blocker. More recently, it’s added ID alerts (with a $1 million identity theft insurance package), as well as a data removal service (to counteract the preponderance of online data brokers). Some notable caveats: The data removal service is only available on the 30-month plan, and the ID alerts, insurance and data removal features are only applicable to subscribers in the US. Furthermore, these discounts are applicable only to new ExpressVPN customers. And the service will automatically renew at the standard rate after the initial discount ******* expires. It goes without saying that ExpressVPN is compatible with nearly all major operating systems, with support for connecting 8 devices at a time. And its no-logs policy means your online activity is as anonymous as can be. If you’re looking for a dependable VPN that now has a bevy of additional privacy features, ExpressVPN is worth checking out. But don’t delay: This offer is only good through December 6. Check out all of the latest ****** Friday and Cyber Monday deals here. Source link #ExpressVPNs #****** #Friday #deal #saves #percent Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Brace yourself for PC hardware to get insanely expensive next year Brace yourself for PC hardware to get insanely expensive next year None of us like higher prices, but that’s exactly what we could be in for next year. I’m going to be analyzing the impact of Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on the price of PC hardware in the future, using not only some estimates that are available now, but also the historical context of tariffs during Trump’s first administration. My point is not to say anything political in nature, but instead to take a serious look at just how much these tariffs will affect PC hardware pricing. The target of these tariffs is the world’s second-largest economy in China, and the latest reports indicate the tariffs could be as high as 40% come early next year. That will undoubtedly impact the price of PC components, as both chips and hardware are largely manufactured in China. Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming Some background Jacob ****** / Digital Trends We’ve been here before. During the first Trump administration, tariffs ranging from 7.5% to 25% were imposed on various goods imported from China. Graphics cards and other PC components were originally spared from the import tax. However, as the pandemic started to peak, supply chains were disrupted, and the GPU shortage got underway, tariffs on China’s largest semiconductor firm, SMIC, went into effect. The original tariffs that were supposed to go into effect in 2019 didn’t manifest at first, thanks to an exclusion that was offered as the pandemic ramped up. In early 2021, however, the exclusion expired. Not only did the tariffs keep GPU prices high, but Asus, at the time, also said that it would be raising the prices of its motherboards, and other companies followed suit. The context of the pandemic is very important here, as the tariffs imposed in 2019 largely didn’t impact PC hardware until the supply chain was already disrupted. Because of that, it’s hard to attribute the rise in GPU prices — and PC hardware prices overall — solely to the tariffs. Regardless, they made an already bad situation worse. Jacob ****** / Digital Trends If you lived through the GPU shortage of 2020, you already know how rough it was. The prices of PC components were sometimes double what they normally sold for, and you’d have to camp out in long lines outside of retailers to even have a chance of scoring something at list price. Even as the supply chain recovered, the prices of some GPUs only truly dropped in early 2022. A big reason why is that the tariffs were lifted. In late 2021, a group of companies spearheaded by Nvidia asked the Biden administration to remove the tariffs, and they were joined by HP and Zotac in asking for the exclusion that was applied in 2020. In 2022, the tariffs were lifted, and immediately Asus said it would be lowering its prices by up to 25% — the same amount as the tariff. Just days before, prices on GPUs dropped significantly, barreling back toward list price. We don’t have a pandemic to contend with this time around, nor a sudden rise in the price of cryptocurrency. However, the upcoming Trump administration has signaled that tariffs could climb up to 60% on goods imported from China, which could have a devastating impact on the price of PC hardware. Projecting projections CTA Fast-forward to today. The proposed tariffs are 60% on ******** goods and either 10% or 20% on goods imported from all other countries. This won’t all happen at once — that’s why I cited the 40% number earlier on — but that’s what’s been suggested. According to a study by the Consumer Technology Association (or the CTA, who’s behind the annual CES event), prices on smartphones would rise by 26% and prices of video game consoles by 40%. Laptops and tablets? 46%. Those numbers alone show how big of a role tariffs on China play in the price of PC components (and video game consoles, which are using largely the same hardware). Although PC component manufacturing is focused in the Asia-Pacific region overall, including countries like Taiwan, Vietnam, and Korea, nearly all hardware touches ********-made components in some form. There are PCBs, fans, MOSFETs, capacitors, and a slew of other components that go into PC hardware that come from China. On video games, one analyst told Digital Trends that the cost of something like the PlayStation 5 could jump from $500 to as high as $800 under the tariffs. We don’t have any specific estimates for GPUs and other PC components, but there’s plenty of historical context given the — relatively minor — tariffs we saw during 2021 and 2022. Giovanni Colantonio / Digital Trends Last time around, major tech companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Sony were able to carve out a temporary exclusion, and they likely will try again. That doesn’t mean they’ll be successful, however. Earlier this year, the tariffs lifted in 2022 were reimposed, and at the time, the CTA told PCMag that “they’re not getting rid of anything. There are only tariff increases.” The CTA doesn’t have any estimates for PC hardware in particular. However, there are some parallels. For laptops, the CTA says China currently represents 79% of all U.S. imports of laptops and tablets, and 87% of imports for video game consoles. Prebuilt desktop computers are a bit different, representing only 2% of imports — though that’s largely because these PCs are assembled and imported through Mexico. Understanding the cost of PC hardware Jacob ****** / Digital Trends PC hardware is complex. Most components are truly a result of global manufacturing, which makes them highly sensitive to tariffs placed on any country, let alone China. “China ******** the major manufacturing base of video graphics cards and personal computers in the industry,” computer hardware company Zotac wrote to the U.S. Trade Representative in 2021. “The major reason is due to the upstream supply chain remaining mostly in China.” The supply chain for PC components isn’t solely in China, so you shouldn’t expect prices to suddenly jump by 60% across the board. However, the jump could still be signficant. Even if chips are made in, for example, Taiwan by TSMC, final packaging usually takes place elsewhere. AMD, for instance, has facilities in both China and Malaysia for final packaging. Tariffs are meant to encourage domestic purchasing of goods made locally instead of the goods from the country on which the tariffs are imposed. The problem is that the U.S. doesn’t have much capacity for PC hardware manufacturing. Even looking to other countries like Malaysia and Vietnam, it’s unlikely that PC hardware companies will be able to pull completely out of China. EVGA We saw this in action in 2021 when the original tariffs went into effect. Even a U.S.-based company like EVGA raised prices on its graphics cards across the board at the time, with some GPUs going up by as much as $100. That was only with a 25% tariff, as well. With a 60% tariff, or even a 40% one, that number could climb quite a bit. Although it’s worrying for the price of building a PC, it’s important to remember that nothing has actually happened yet. The increased tariffs aren’t in place, and it’s still possible that the tariffs on PC components could either be lower or completely removed when the time comes. But the signs right now just aren’t promising. Source link #Brace #hardware #insanely #expensive #year Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

IPL 2025 auction: Rishabh Pant becomes most expensive player in tournament’s history IPL 2025 auction: Rishabh Pant becomes most expensive player in tournament’s history Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League as he was signed by Lucknow Super Giants for 27 crore (£2.54m) at the mega auction in Saudi Arabia. The India wicketkeeper, 27, was the subject of a bidding war between the Super Giants and his former side, Delhi Capitals. Pant, who returned to the game in this year’s IPL after an 14-month lay-off following a car accident, beat the record set earlier in the day when Shreyas Iyer was signed for 26.75 crore (£2.51m) by Punjab Kings. Australia seamer Mitchell Starc, who held the record prior to the auction, was signed for 11.75 crore (£1m) by the Capitals, some way short of his 24.75 crore (£2.3m) cost when he was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders last year. Jos Buttler was the only Englishman in the initial batch of players auctioned in Jeddah, and the England white-ball captain and wicketkeeper was picked up by Gujarat Titans for 15.75 crore (£1.4m). Liam Livingstone was signed from the second set of players, joining Royal Challengers Bangalore for 8.75 crore (£827,000). Hundreds of players will go under the hammer at the IPL’s mega auction across Sunday and Monday, with sides looking to build their squads after retentions in October. Source link #IPL #auction #Rishabh #Pant #expensive #player #tournaments #history Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Fallout 76’s next update could revolutionize the endgame experience Fallout 76’s next update could revolutionize the endgame experience Fallout 76 had an undeniably rocky start, with an above-average number of bugs and glitches for even a Bethesda game. It also has one of the best comeback stories in all of gaming and is now a popular, and more importantly, populated, game with a ton of content. The Gleaming Depths update promises to add even more to do in the game, including a brand-new raid, the biggest boss yet, and — finally — four-star gear. This update marks the start of Fallout 76 season 19, The Scientific Forge. It starts on December 3, but the new raid has already been conquered several times over on the Fallout 76 Public Test Server. However, the biggest news of all isn’t in the new raid or even the better gear. Fallout 76 is finally getting pets. That’s right: Players will be able to choose between a Bombay cat and a ******* Shepard to keep their companions company at CAMP while they’re out on adventures. The Fallout Day broadcast teased many of these new features, including the upcoming ability to transform into a ghoul. This isn’t expected until the March 2025 update, but you can see a bit of it for yourself if you watch the video. Bethesda’s continued support of Fallout 76 is encouraging. The game is truly a delight to play (but, like most things, it’s better with friends), and there will be plenty of opportunities throughout the months to come to score double EXP, so you don’t even need to play every day to avoid any FOMO. Fallout 1st subscribers will receive a few extra bonus items at the start of the season, including a BBQ grill, a plasma core recharger, and a terminal that serves as another vendor at your camp. Source link #Fallout #76s #update #revolutionize #endgame #experience Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]