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Trump fires CQ Brown as Joint Chiefs Chairman – ABC News Trump fires CQ Brown as Joint Chiefs Chairman – ABC News Trump fires CQ Brown as Joint Chiefs Chairman ABC NewsTrump administration fires top US general and Navy chief in unprecedented purge of military leadership CNNSecretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Statement on General Officer Nominations Department of DefenseDan Caine, Trump’s Joint Chiefs Pick, Had Unusual Path to Top Ranks The New York TimesBig shakeups possible at the Pentagon, with top officers reportedly on the list to be fired 13newsnow.com WVEC Source link #Trump #fires #Brown #Joint #Chiefs #Chairman #ABC #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

WA Liberals pledge $100,000 to Hannans Primary School canteen and kitchen upgrade WA Liberals pledge $100,000 to Hannans Primary School canteen and kitchen upgrade The WA Liberals have pledged to spend $100,000 upgrading Hannans Primary School’s canteen and kitchen facilities if elected to Government at next month’s State election. Source link #Liberals #pledge #Hannans #Primary #School #canteen #kitchen #upgrade Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

US Supreme Court tackles straight woman’s ‘reverse’ discrimination case US Supreme Court tackles straight woman’s ‘reverse’ discrimination case By Andrew Chung (Reuters) – Marlean Ames received numerous promotions and good evaluations over the years working in Ohio’s youth corrections system, so when she was denied a promotion and demoted in 2019 with a $40,000 pay cut she said she felt “shocked and hurt and humiliated.” But, according to Ames, that was not all. She had a gay supervisor at the time, she was passed over for a promotion in favor of a gay woman and she was demoted in favor of a gay man – both of whom, Ames asserted, were less qualified than her. 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. “That’s how I came to feel that I was being discriminated on because I was straight and pushed aside for them,” Ames, 60, said in an interview. The U.S. Supreme Court is due next Wednesday to hear arguments in her bid to revive her civil rights lawsuit against the Ohio Department of Youth Services after lower courts threw it out. She is seeking monetary damages from the state. A ruling in her favor by the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, could make it easier for non-minorities, including white people and heterosexuals, to pursue claims of ******** bias – often called “reverse” discrimination – under a landmark federal anti-discrimination law. The dispute centers on how plaintiffs like Ames must try to prove a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, national origin and sex – including ******* orientation. Ames is challenging a requirement used by some U.S. courts that plaintiffs from majority groups, such as white and straight people, must provide more evidence than ********* plaintiffs to make an initial – or “prima facie” – claim of discrimination under a seminal 1973 Supreme Court ruling that governs the multi-step process employed to resolve such cases. These courts include the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled against Ames. They require majority-group plaintiffs to show “background circumstances” indicating that a defendant accused of workplace bias is “that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority.” The 6th Circuit ruled that Ames could not meet that bar, throwing out her case. ‘A FAIR SHAKE’ “Discrimination is discrimination,” Ames told Reuters. “This will hopefully be able to help anyone who feels they’ve been discriminated on to get a fair shake in the courtroom and not have to go to the lengths that I had to go to.” The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund and other civil rights groups told the Supreme Court in a legal filing that Ames is asking the justices “to interpret Title VII in a way that ignores the realities of this country’s persisting legacy of discrimination in evaluating disparate-treatment claims.” The “background circumstances” inquiry allows courts to account for the reality of historical and present-day discrimination “against certain ********* groups like ****** and/or LGBTQ people, and the virtual absence of widespread discrimination targeting certain majority groups like white people and straight people,” the groups said. Reverse discrimination lawsuits are increasing in the United States amid a backlash by conservatives and Republicans against initiatives in the public and private sectors to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the workforce. On his first day back in office, Republican President Donald Trump ordered the dismantling of such policies in federal agencies and encouraged private companies to follow suit. Conservative groups including America First Legal, which has filed numerous legal actions claiming anti-white and anti-male bias, have urged the Supreme Court to rule in favor of Ames. Louisiana State University employment law professor William Corbett said that if Ames wins, “I think those who believe that reverse discrimination is a prevalent problem will see it as a victory and an adjustment that puts reverse and traditional discrimination claims on equal footing.” Before Democratic former President Joe Biden left office, his administration filed a brief backing her. Edward Gilbert, an Ohio lawyer with a long history of representing local branches of the NAACP and ********* clients in civil rights and employment cases, agreed to handle her case. To Gilbert, the “background circumstances” rule is unfair, regardless of whether the plaintiff’s background is ********* or majority. The evidence requirements should be “equal, straight across the board,” Gilbert said. The office of Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost in court papers defended the employment actions concerning Ames as part of a Department of Youth Services restructuring. The “background circumstances” requirement did not place a higher burden on Ames because the “specific facts that give rise to a suspicion of discrimination differ from plaintiff to plaintiff,” Yost’s office said. Ames started working in Ohio’s juvenile corrections system in 2004, and was promoted in 2014 to administrator of the department’s program aimed at complying with federal standards for preventing ******* abuse in its facilities. In 2019, Ames interviewed for a newly created “bureau chief” position, but was not offered the job. It was filled by a gay woman who had not applied for the post. Around the same time, Ames learned she was being demoted to her previous secretarial role, resulting in an annual pay cut from about $100,000 to $60,000. A gay man was selected to take her place. Department leaders said Ames lacked the vision and leadership skills needed for the new position, according to court filings. The 6th Circuit ruled against Ames, concluding that she could not show the required “background circumstances,” including that a gay person made the employment decisions in favor of gay people. The two people who had authority in those personnel decisions, the 6th Circuit noted, were straight. ‘THIS WILL BE IRONIC’ Corbett predicted that the Supreme Court will side with Ames, making it easier for all plaintiffs to make a “prima facie” claim of workplace bias. “This will be ironic in view of the fact that the prima facie case was fashioned based on the historical prevalence of certain types of discrimination – not discrimination against Caucasians and males,” Corbett said. Such a decision “may prompt the filing of more charges of reverse discrimination and more lawsuits,” leading to more costs for businesses to defend against them, Corbett added. Though Ames has again been promoted in recent years, she said she still feels traumatized. She said she sued to “get some justice done,” she said. But Ames, who calls herself a longtime ally to the LGBT community, said she wants people to understand that her efforts will benefit everyone. “There’s no hate of any certain groups. There’s no animosity toward anybody,” Ames said. “It’s actually helping people be able to have the same rights across the board as the law was intended.” (Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham) Source link #Supreme #Court #tackles #straight #womans #reverse #discrimination #case Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Qualcomm’s Kedar Kondap on Bringing Low-Cost Snapdragon X CPUs to India and Snapdragon’s Retail Strategy Qualcomm’s Kedar Kondap on Bringing Low-Cost Snapdragon X CPUs to India and Snapdragon’s Retail Strategy Qualcomm will unveil new Snapdragon X laptop CPUs next week to power low-cost AI-capable devices in India. The firm has targeted the midrange laptop segment in the country. The chipmaker’s OEM partners are expected to introduce new Copilot+ laptops priced around $600 (roughly Rs. 52,000) and offer support for on-device AI features. The company is also expanding via retail channels—it set up the first Snapdragon Experience Zone at a Croma outlet in Mumbai on Thursday. Ahead of the launch of the new Snapdragon X-powered laptop models, Gadgets 360 sat down with Kedar Kondap, Qualcomm’s Senior Vice President of Product Management, to discuss the chipmaker’s plans to expand in India and how its retail expansion fits into its strategy. ⁠On Qualcomm’s efforts to bring its Arm-based Snapdragon chips to laptops in India Kedar Kondap: Our journey on PCs started a few years ago — we launched a new CPU, which was the Qualcomm Oryon CPU, and our intent was to deliver the best performance, battery life, and AI performance. We did this across three different tiers – the Snapdragon X Elite, Snapdragon X Plus, and the new Snapdragon X. The sweet spot for PCs in India is around $600 (roughly Rs. 52,000). Snapdragon X Elite targeted PCs that cost over $1,000 (roughly Rs. 86,700), X Plus covers PCs priced at $800 (roughly Rs. 69,400) and above, and the newer Snapdragon X is designed for $600 (roughly Rs. 52,000) or more. 
 The consumer understands Snapdragon in phones, and we want to drive that same association with Snapdragon in PCs. We just launched a new Snapdragon Experience Zone at one of the flagship Croma stores in Mumbai. And so, the intent is to familiarise the Indian consumer with the association between the phone and the PC while showcasing all the different experiences enabled by these chipsets. 
 How the laptop market in India has responded to Snapdragon-powered laptops Kedar Kondap: I think it’s still very early, but it has been promising. Penetration for PCs in India is about 10 percent. We want to make sure consumers understand the benefits of the technology and the advancements we’re making in PCs. We did the same thing with phones. When you think of premium Android phones, they offer long battery life, CPU and camera performance, reliable GPS, and more. We want to drive that same association on PCs. 
Microsoft has been a fantastic partner. First, they brought all the Copilot+ experiences exclusively to Snapdragon. At the same time, other PC OEMs like Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Asus have built their core platform products across different price points from the Snapdragon X, X Plus, and X Elite, including in India. This process typically takes a little bit of time. We have already unveiled multiple devices at Croma today, and you’ll hear more from our partners on February 24 regarding Snapdragon X. What led to Snapdragon’s retail expansion, and how launching an experience zone at Croma fits into Qualcomm’s strategy Kedar Kondap: Look, we come from a legacy of phones, and the way a consumer buys a phone is very different from how they buy a PC. Not every buyer wants to touch and feel a phone, but there’s still a large number of customers that want to try out a PC before purchasing it. Second, more specifically in India, the consumer relates to Snapdragon on phones, but they might not relate to Snapdragon PCs just yet. People want to be able to understand what exactly Generative AI is and what they can do with it on a laptop. 
There are a lot of use cases for creators, students, corporate employees, or software engineers. 
 We want people to associate Snapdragon PCs with premium experiences with Windows, so that when they walk into a Croma store, they can try out these experiences for themselves at the new Snapdragon Experience Zone, which isn’t available at other retailers. On improveing compatibility with popular apps relied on by Indian users on Snapdragon-powered laptops Kedar Kondap: To begin with, Microsoft telemetry data shows that 93 percent of the apps used globally today are native. I like to think about app compatibility in three phases. Microsoft did a fantastic job with Prism, which is the Arm emulator which offers reliable performance. Second, we’ve got hundreds of apps now that are already running natively on Snapdragon PCs. 
 And finally, these apps can take advantage of the heterogeneous architecture that we have across the ISVs – for example, when apps run on the CPU, but some tasks are offloaded to the GPU and the NPU. That’s when you start to see benefits like improved battery life. So for the most part, for consumers in India, most core apps are probably already working natively on Snapdragon PCs. 
 When it comes to LLMs, we’re already working with most — if not all — providers. 
With our Qualcomm AI hub, developers can upload and compile all of their code. As long as the app is on the AI Hub, it’s seamless enough for the developer to be able to take that application and just support it. We give them all the tools the documentation to make it as seamless as possible. Competing in an AI-drivel computer market using Snapdragon’s diversified portfolio across price segments Kedar Kondap: The one thing we’ve kept constant across the Snapdragon X, X Plus, and X Elite chips is the same NPU, with 45 TOPS. We’ve kept the same DDR across all chips to ensure that all of these LLMs and generative AI models have all the bandwidth they will need while scaling the other parts of the technologies across the tiers. At the same time, models are also being optimised. So what you could do with, say, a 13 billion parameter model, now you could run like 20-40 million parameter models while still achieving comparable accuracy. 
As a result, we can deliver reliable performance battery life across the entire tier of products, using the same Oryon CPUs that scale, and it’s the same 45 TOPS for AI use cases. 
 On the possibility of customers holding on to laptops powered by Arm-based processors for longer Kedar Kondap: If a consumer walks into a store, they need to understand that some legacy devices from non-Snapdragon-based architecture don’t have an NPU. So you’re not future-proofing your purchase — if you buy a PC without 45 TOPS performance, it might be ‘outdated’ within a few weeks or months. Generative AI is moving rapidly, so you wouldn’t be buying a PC of the future. When you think about smartphones, consumers didn’t upgrade as fast at first. But when they saw the benefits of technology, consumers in India quickly switched from a feature phone to a smartphone, which enabled features like clicking images, browsing the web, watching content without a TV, and so on. 
Eventually, customers started upgrading to phones with ******* screens or with 5G connectivity. So as consumers are more aware of what they are getting, they might be more willing to spend and use a better device. 
 The PC market hasn’t seen that level of excitement in years, but we want to bring that back with Snapdragon Experience Zones. 
When consumers start to see the benefits, such as “okay, this PC lasts a long time”, or “I don’t need an external camera, because this PC optimises the built-in camera performance”, or “it saves my time with Generative AI features”,,. Working with educational institutions in India to increase awareness of Arm-based computers Kedar Kondap: We’re doing multiple university engagements across the globe, and we’re making it as ubiquitous as possible for the kids and showing them exactly what they can do with AI models on these PCs. And again, while we want to grow fast, we also want to ensure that we understand whether we’ve solved any of their application issues, before we go to a university. In certain student communities, they may want a certain set of applications that may not necessarily be ported yet. 
 So, while it is a big audience for us, we have to make sure that we spend time, working with all the developers, just like we do in the enterprise and in commercial space. As part of our developer communities, we also provide access to Snapdragon PCs to help them understand the platform. Comparing Snapdragon-powered AI PCs with traditional x86 systems that are now beginning to offer AI features Kedar Kondap: Running everything on the cloud is not economically viable — we’re going to need on-device AI, you’re going to need some cloud computing, and a hybrid version that uses a bit of both. I think the fact that everybody else is responding by providing access to more on-device AI just tells you the importance of where this is going. When it comes to the Snapdragon X, I don’t think there’s a competitor today that even supports 45 TOPS performance at that price segment. Making AI-powered technology more accessible via Qualcomm’s retail expansion Kedar Kondap: We’re training resellers and the sales staff at retailers about AI technology available on Snapdragon devices, and we can also better demonstrate generative AI tools at experience zones like the one we just opened at Croma. You can show the user what you can do with the device, instead of just talking about it, by performing tasks like image upscaling or features like DJ Pro, which is aimed at musicians. At Qualcomm, we have over 3,000 engineers at Qualcomm using AI to write several million lines of code through Codegen. Being able to see that in person at a store is different. The customer also realises that the PC continues to understand the user and their needs over time. When we’re in a retail environment, and the retail staff can explain that a customer can get this experience on this $600 (roughly Rs. 52,000) laptop or perform these additional tasks on a $1,000 (roughly Rs. 86,700) model, customers might then decide to purchase a laptop with AI features based on their budget. On potential plans to partner with OEMs on exclusive stores that only sell Snapdragon-powered PCs Kedar Kondap: I can’t share details of what we’re working on at the moment, but like I said, our first experience zone with Croma in India is now open to showcase the capabilities of Snapdragon PCs. We’ll see how it goes. It’s designed to bring us closer to the consumer while ensuring that the same Snapdragon brand that the consumer trusts in a phone today is the one they can trust on PCs or in XR or, in wearables or in any of the other devices that power a consumer’s experience today. Think of it as a journey that we’re on and want to relate to the consumer as quickly as we can. Some responses have been condensed and slightly edited for clarity. Source link #Qualcomms #Kedar #Kondap #Bringing #LowCost #Snapdragon #CPUs #India #Snapdragons #Retail #Strategy Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Earnings from Nvidia, Dell and Home Depot Earnings from Nvidia, Dell and Home Depot CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Friday walked investors through next week on Wall Street and highlighted earnings reports from Home Depot as well as tech giants Nvidia and Dell. He also discussed the market’s decline over the past few sessions — especially the poor performance of formerly-hot growth stocks — predicting investors haven’t seen the end of the downturn. “Out of nowhere, the momentum stocks had a hideous downturn today. It’s hurt many aggressive growth investors,” he said. “Can this pullback finally run its course? I hope so. If not, my prediction? More of the house of pain.” On Monday, Cramer will be following reports from Domino’s Pizza, Coterra, Realty Income, Cleveland-Cliffs as well as Hims & Hers. The pizza giant’s results could give investors insight into the state of the consumer, he suggested. Cramer said he feels generally good about the oil and gas group, including Coterra. He also said Realty Income is one of his favorite real estate investment trusts, but added that he’s worried about Cleveland-Cliffs which may face difficulties due to cheap steel exports from abroad. He called online healthcare provider Hims & Hers a “true battleground,” as investors wonder if the company can continue to offer less expensive GLP-1 weight loss drugs with compounded ingredients now that the Food and Drug Administration has deemed the shortage of the semaglutide injection products over. Home Depot is set to report Tuesday, and while Cramer said he expects a weaker quarter from the retailer, it should benefit from the need to rebuild after major storms in the southeast and fires in Los Angeles. He’ll also be watching earnings on Tuesday from Planet Fitness and Sempra, saying the gym chain may benefit from increased focus on fitness from younger generations. Cramer noted the utility company has a decent yield, a lot of opportunity and could be worthy buying on weakness. Workday and Cava will also report that day. According to Cramer, Workday will see more downside if sales are weak, and even though he largely expects a solid quarter from Cava, he said the market in general has soured on momentum stocks. Wednesday brings earnings from Lowe’s, and Cramer said the Home Depot competitor has been “a stand-out performer for years,” going higher over time instead of shooting up. Tech leaders Salesforce, Snowflake and Nvidia will also report Wednesday. Salesforce is thought to be doing well, Cramer said, but has been hit with sellers because it is seen as a momentum stock. He also suggested that Snowflake is not just a cloud company, but an advisor to the enterprise about how use artificial intelligence. According to Cramer, Nvidia’s report is the most important one of the week. He reiterated that he believes investors should own, not trade, the stock, expressing confidence in CEO Jensen Huang even as some investors routinely question the worth of new iterations of the company’s chips. But he noted that Friday’s decline in semiconductors doesn’t bode well for the AI darling. The latest gross domestic product report comes out on Thursday, and Cramer said he thinks it will be strong. Also on Thursday are reports from Norwegian Cruise Line, Vistra and Dell. Cramer noted that cruise stocks are holding up well, even in a tougher economic environment, and he wondered whether Norwegian can keep its winning streak going. Vistra has been a favorite among investors who want to believe the data center ***** is driving an energy shortage, but Cramer said “key momentum” companies like Vistra have been hit recently. He called Dell’s report “crucial,” saying the stock’s been hit but could make a comeback because it helps companies adopt Nvidia’s AI platform. On Friday, the Labor Department will release the personal consumption expenditure number, a key inflation metric for the Federal Reserve. The data could provide some clarity about whether the economy is cooling or inflation is coming down, Cramer said. Jim Cramer’s Guide to Investing Sign up now for the CNBC Investing Club to follow Jim Cramer’s every move in the market. Disclaimer The CNBC Investing Club Charitable Trust holds shares of Home Depot, Coterra, Salesforce and Nvidia. Questions for Cramer?Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC Want to take a deep dive into Cramer’s world? Hit him up!Mad Money Twitter – Jim Cramer Twitter – Facebook – Instagram Questions, comments, suggestions for the “Mad Money” website? *****@*****.tld Source link #Earnings #Nvidia #Dell #Home #Depot Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Latest On The Bybit Record Breaking 1.4 Billion Dollar Crypto Hack – Forbes Latest On The Bybit Record Breaking 1.4 Billion Dollar Crypto Hack – Forbes Latest On The Bybit Record Breaking 1.4 Billion Dollar Crypto Hack ForbesCryptocurrency exchange says it was victim of $1.5 billion hack The Associated PressHackers steal $1.5 billion from exchange Bybit in biggest-ever crypto heist CNBCNorth Korean Hackers Were Behind Crypto’s Largest ‘Theft of All Time’ CoinDeskBREAKING: Binance Founder CZ Advises Bybit to Halt Withdrawals After $1.46B Loss Coinspeaker Source link #Latest #Bybit #Record #Breaking #Billion #Dollar #Crypto #Hack #Forbes Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Six Nations: Ireland look for new leaders to emerge in history chase Six Nations: Ireland look for new leaders to emerge in history chase Change this weekend has not been limited merely to the coaching box. Sherratt has made eight personnel switches from the side that lost against Italy last time out, along with two positional alterations. Scarlets wing Ellis Mee, off the back of just 10 senior outings for his region, will make his Wales debut, while significantly there are returns for Gareth Anscombe and WillGriff John. The former has not played in this competition since Wales clinched the Grand Slam six years ago, also against Ireland. The latter makes his Six Nations debut having not played international rugby for three and a half years. For Wales, perhaps it was to be expected that a new broom would sweep clean. But despite the winning formula utilised in the first two games, Easterby has made seven changes to his side too, with just two of them forced by injuries. With the likes of James Ryan, Bundee Aki and Finlay Bealham held in reserve, and Hugo Keenan not involved at all, this is by some way the most callow line-up Ireland have named so far in this championship. Replacement loose-head Jack Boyle will make his Ireland debut should he be used from the bench, while tight-head Tom Clarkson is set for his first start. Jamie Osborne, Gus McCarthy, Cian Prendergast have never before featured in the Six Nations. Injury, meanwhile, means Ireland go into a Test match without their influential captain Caelan Doris for the first time in four years. As the number eight’s incredible streak comes to an end, his positional replacement Jack Conan said the side’s back row will be “under a huge amount of pressure” to compensate for his absence. Hooker Dan Sheehan, meanwhile, will captain the side for the first time and believes the onus of leadership can be shared among the squad. “We wish that Caelan wasn’t injured but someone had to step up,” said the 26-year-old. “I was asked on Monday and I was absolutely delighted to take that responsibility. It’s something I’ve enjoyed so far. “This team sort of runs itself with the leaders that are in it. There are a handful of people who could have been named captain – Pete [O’Mahony], Tadhg Beirne, Jamo [Gibson-Park], Jack Conan. “A lot of them have huge amounts of leadership and they help to run the week as well. Obviously my name gets the ‘c’ beside it but we know in our group we rely on a lot of people.” Source link #Nations #Ireland #leaders #emerge #history #chase Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pirates favoured in decider against Cobras Pirates favoured in decider against Cobras Pirates have not enjoyed flag success in the Goldfields Eight Ball Association since 2016. Source link #Pirates #favoured #decider #Cobras Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Delaware high school student, 15, charged with bringing gun to school in backpack Delaware high school student, 15, charged with bringing gun to school in backpack Delaware police arrested a 15-year-old high school student accused of bringing a gun to school in his backpack. School staff at Rutherford B. Hayes High School and a resource officer were told about 11:40 a.m. Wednesday that a student might have a gun in his backpack, Delaware Police Chief Adam Moore said. The resource officer confronted the student with school administrators, and they found a gun in his backpack, Moore said. The student was taken into custody and taken to the Central Ohio Youth Center, where he is being held as of Thursday morning on a charge of illegally bringing a weapon into a school safety zone. Moore said a lockdown was not necessary because the incident was addressed quickly. Police and school staff are working to determine why the student brought the gun to school. “At this time, I do not have information that would lead me to believe there is an ongoing threat to our students or staff,” Moore said in an email. A spokeswoman for Delaware City Schools confirmed officials found the gun, and police took the student into custody. Principal Rex Reeder alerted parents to the incident in an email Wednesday. “The safety of our students is our number one priority, but it takes all of us to ensure a safe school environment,” Reeder said in an email to parents. “We want to reiterate the importance of ‘See something, say something.” Moore and Reeder said any safety concerns in schools should be reported to school administration, police or the Safer Ohio Schools tip line at 844-723-3764. This story has been updated with additional information. *****@*****.tld This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Student at Delaware high school charged with bringing gun in backpack Source link #Delaware #high #school #student #charged #bringing #gun #school #backpack Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Ukraine against the ropes as U.S. backing falters after 3 years of war Ukraine against the ropes as U.S. backing falters after 3 years of war Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (not seen) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hold a joint press conference following their bilateral and inter-delegation meetings at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkiye on February 18, 2025. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images Ukraine has put up a staunch fight against the invasion launched by its ******* and more powerful neighbor Russia, but things appear to be going horribly wrong for it as the war’s third anniversary approaches. Kyiv’s relationship with the United States, its biggest military backer since the start of the war in Feb. 24, 2022, has gone rapidly downhill since President Donald Trump’s inauguration. As things stand, the prospect of more U.S. military aid looks dead in the water and the likelihood is increasing that a “bad” peace deal could be foisted on Ukraine in which it’s forced to concede territory to Russia. Even the prospect of U.S. support when it comes to a future peacekeeping mission looks unlikely, making Ukraine look isolated and at sea after three long and bloody years of fighting back against Russia. “The first U.S.-Russia ceasefire talks [this week] on Ukraine offered little cause for optimism for Kyiv,” Andrius Tursa, central and Eastern Europe advisor at risk consultancy Teneo, said in a note Thursday. “Washington has signaled willingness to consider several Russian demands that undermine Ukraine’s long-term security, while the bilateral format and thawing U.S.-Russia ties raise concerns about a ceasefire deal that may be highly unfavorable for Ukraine. Trump’s criticism towards Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is driving anti-American sentiment in Ukraine and heating up Transatlantic tensions,” he said in emailed comments. Relationships fraying Tensions came to a head this week as U.S. officials re-established relations with their Russian counterparts, excluding Ukraine from preliminary talks laying the groundwork for peace. Then the already tense relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy went from bad to worse on Wednesday as the latter described the U.S. president as “living in a Russian disinformation bubble.” Trump hit back, describing Ukraine’s wartime leader was a “dictator without elections,” referring to the absence of a democratic vote in Ukraine since 2019. Ukraine says it’s impracticable to hold elections during a time of martial law and war. U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, continued his visit to Kyiv on Thursday, but there were already doubts over the value the meeting, with Kellogg absent from the high-profile talks held between Russian and U.S. officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, earlier in the week. Ukraine said Kellogg canceled a press conference that was due to take place after the meeting. Relations between the U.S., Europe and Ukraine took an unexpected turn last week, with Trump leaving allies on the continent dumbfounded when he announced he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and that the leaders had agreed to talks. Trump said he had then informed Zelenskyy of the situation. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 28, 2019. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth caused more consternation by stating that it was “unrealistic” for Ukraine to join NATO, and that it could not expect to regain Russian-occupied territory it has lost since 2014, when Russia invaded the Ukrainian ****** Sea peninsula of Crimea. Hegseth also said there was no way that U.S. troops would be deployed to help keep the peace in Ukraine under any future deal, as he told European leaders that they would need to step up and take responsibility for any peacekeeping. European officials have so far appeared divided over the proposal to send a peacekeeping force to Ukraine in any post-war scenario. Close followers of developments in the war, and geopolitical relations between the U.S. and its erstwhile allies, were critical of Washington’s approach, saying the U.S. had made too many concessions to Russia before talks had even begun by taking the potential leverage of Ukrainian NATO membership off the table. “Trump has conceded upfront and ahead of any talks with Ukraine what could have been part of a more balanced deal in the end,” Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank, said in a note Thursday. “For all that is publicly known, Russia has not made any concessions in return. This can only embolden Russia to push for more. To add insult to injury, Trump has questioned the legitimacy of democratically elected Zelensky and blamed Ukraine for not giving in to Putin’s maximalist demands years ago,” he said, adding that Trump “seems to have endorsed almost the entire false Russian narrative about the worst war in Europe since 1945.” Putin rates talks ‘highly’ Russia certainly appears to be loving every minute of the disharmony between the U.S. and Ukraine. When asked about the growing rift between the former partners Thursday, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov commented that the “Kyiv regime loves to live on donations [referring to military aid] and doesn’t like to be held accountable.” Russia has spent a significant proportion of its time pitching the U.S. as its arch enemy but has itself performed a dramatic U-turn when it comes to its rhetoric and public position on Washington now that that Trump is in charge. On Wednesday, Putin praised Russia-U.S. talks, saying he rated them “highly” and that the mood was “very friendly.” “On the American side, there were entirely different people who were open to the negotiation process without any bias, without any prejudice to what was done in the past,” he said in comments translated by NBC News. Russian President Vladimir Putin praised U.S. President Donald Trump for showing “restraint” amid what he described as “hysteria” by European leaders who are angry at being left out of negotiations on Ukraine’s future. Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty Images Putin also praised Trump for showing “restraint” amid what he described as “hysteria” by European leaders who are angry at being left out of negotiations on Ukraine’s future. As Ukraine confronts a potentially “dismal” outcome of the war, and massive sacrifice of human lives after three long years of war that has caused up to $500 billion worth of damage to the country, Kyiv is putting a brave face on the situation, with Zelenskyy insisting, after his dramatic falling out with Trump, that “together with America and Europe, peace can be more secure; and that is our goal.” “This should be not only our goal, but a shared one with our partners. Especially as we approach the third anniversary of the beginning of this war – a war that we in Ukraine have wanted to end from the very first second. I am confident that we will end it, and with lasting peace. And in such a way that Russia will never be able to invade Ukraine again, that Ukrainians will return from Russian captivity, and that Ukraine will have a future,” he said. Source link #Ukraine #ropes #U.S #backing #falters #years #war Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Dirk Nowitzki talks disappointment for Luka Doncic after Mavs trade – The Dallas Morning News Dirk Nowitzki talks disappointment for Luka Doncic after Mavs trade – The Dallas Morning News Dirk Nowitzki talks disappointment for Luka Doncic after Mavs trade The Dallas Morning News’Ripped away’: Inside the Mavericks’ struggle to manage the post-Luka trade backlash ESPNDirk Nowitzki shares first reaction to Mavericks’ Luka Dončić trade: ‘Disappointed and sad for him’ Yahoo SportsDirk shares his thoughts about Luka’s trade to Lakers on Friday radio show CBS NewsCould Rick Welts’ ‘superpower’ help Mavs fans move past Luka trade? The Dallas Morning News Source link #Dirk #Nowitzki #talks #disappointment #Luka #Doncic #Mavs #trade #Dallas #Morning #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trans Euphoria star says new passport lists her as male Trans Euphoria star says new passport lists her as male Rachel Looker BBC News, Washington Getty Images Hunter Schafer, a transgender woman and star of hit HBO teen drama Euphoria, has said a new US passport lists her as male, despite selecting female when she filled out the paperwork. “I was shocked,” Schafer said in a TikTok video showing the “M” marker on her new travel document. Her previous passport listed her as female. “I just didn’t think it was actually going to happen,” the 26-year-old added, criticising US President Donald Trump’s policies on gender. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order recognising only two sexes and declaring they cannot be changed. The US now issues passports with just male or female designations, based on a person’s sex recorded at birth. Previously, Americans could select their gender for passports and also request to be listed as “X”, which the Biden administration said in 2022 was being offered as an option “for non-binary, intersex and gender non-confirming individuals”. Schafer said she had applied for a new passport after losing her old one while filming overseas. She filled out forms indicating she was female, but when she picked up her replacement, it listed her as male, according to her post. Schafer said she intended to travel abroad next week and anticipated challenges at the airport because of the new passport. She said she believed it was “a direct result of the administration our country is currently operating under”. Trump’s executive order says of the male and female sexes that they “are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality”. It adds: “‘Sex’ is not a synonym for and does not include the concept of ‘gender identity’.” Watch: ‘I’ll see you in court’—Trump and Maine governor clash on trans athletes The US state department, which issues passports, says on its website that it will “only issue passports with an M or F sex marker that match the customer’s biological sex at birth”. After learning about Trump’s executive order, Schafer said her first reaction was: “I’ll believe it when I see it.” “Today I saw it,” she told fans. Schafer added: “I just feel like it’s important to share that it’s not just talk – that this is real and it’s happening and no-one – no matter their circumstance, no matter how wealthy or white or pretty or whatever – is excluded.” The Euphoria star said she changed her gender markers for her driver’s licence and passports when she was a teenager, but that her birth certificate was never amended. “I’m pretty sure it’s going to come along with having to out myself to border patrol agents and that whole gig, much more often than I would like to or is really necessary,” she said. On the HBO drama, now in its third season, she plays a transgender teenager, Jules Vaughn, who has a complicated relationship with the main character Rue. Source link #Trans #Euphoria #star #passport #lists #male Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Artgold forms governance partnership with Evolution Mining Artgold forms governance partnership with Evolution Mining Not-for-profit organisation Artgold has signed a corporate governance agreement with a local mining company to ensure it can continue to champion arts in the region. Source link #Artgold #forms #governance #partnership #Evolution #Mining Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘What kind of magic is this?’ ‘What kind of magic is this?’ The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV is already setting industry records, which could set the standard for EV production in the future. Featuring the largest battery pack in the market, this electric pickup is breaking the norms of power and efficiency through a seamless blending of both. The guys at Out of Spec Testing (@OutofSpecTesting) conducted a road test meant to simulate road trip conditions where an EV is driven down to a 10% charge and spends some time replenishing its battery before getting back on the road. The Chevrolet Silverado EV 4WT’s 24-module, 800-volt battery pack stored roughly 215 kilowatt-hours of energy, with a recharge time capped at just 15 minutes. It reached a top charging speed of 361 kW and maintained over 300 kW throughout the session. In a quarter of an hour, it went from a 10% state of charge to 45%, redefining the standard for the company’s EV lineup. However, the Silverado EV 4WT’s energy efficiency could still use improvement. Its current rating is just 1.7 miles/kWh, nearly half that of other models like the Lucid Air, Porsche Taycan, and Hyundai Ioniq 6, according to InsideEVs. Although EVs do not release tailpipe pollution, the production of EV batteries is generally not a clean process, though methods are improving gradually. Overall production of EVs still falls behind gas-powered vehicles in terms of environmental impact today, and with improvements made to models like the Chevrolet Silverado EV, that window can become even smaller. EVs still bring more environmental benefits than traditional cars in the short term, and knowing how to choose the best EV is crucial to ensuring more models like the Chevrolet Silverado are on the road in the near future. Watch now: How bad is a gas stove for your home’s indoor air quality? “I am amazed that it can pull above the rated 350kW of those EA chargers! What kind of magic is this?” one commentator said via InsideEVs. “This truck makes me proud to be an American,” said another. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don’t miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Source link #kind #magic Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

LA mayor dismisses fire chief over response to most destructive wildfire in city history last month – The Associated Press LA mayor dismisses fire chief over response to most destructive wildfire in city history last month – The Associated Press LA mayor dismisses fire chief over response to most destructive wildfire in city history last month The Associated PressCommunities impacted by the deadly Palisades Fire react to Bass’ firing of LAFD chief Kristin Crowley ABC7 Los AngelesLAFD Chief’s firing could be overturned by city council KTLA Los AngelesPacific Palisades community reacts to Bass’ firing of LAFD chief Yahoo Source link #mayor #dismisses #fire #chief #response #destructive #wildfire #city #history #month #Press Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Long-standing rivalries continue this weekend on local greens Long-standing rivalries continue this weekend on local greens The traditional rivalry between Kalgoorlie and Boulder will be on display again this weekend as part of a hectic lawn bowls program. On Saturday, the last round of pennant qualifying fixtures will be played at Kalgoorlie, and on Sunday they will host Boulder in the grand final. Teams from Boulder and Kalgoorlie played off in the annual Goldfields League Pairs final last weekend in a precursor to the pennants grand final. After leading most of the way, the Boulder pair of Roger Pascoe and Josh Beddow prevailed over Doug Milne and Gavan Dixon, 12 shots to nine. With three ends to go, the Kalgoorlie pair showed great fighting spirit and closed to within two shots but Pascoe and Beddow extended the lead to four with only one end to go. The eight rounds of pennants this season has seen Kalgoorlie generally on top, which is why they are hosting the grand final, but some of the scores have belied just how close the games have been. Kalgoorlie’s skippers are evergreen Reg Arthur, John Bowler, Steve Hill, John Jarvis, Joe Kennedy and Barry Pascoe, while the Boulder teams will be led by Beddow, Jamie Hooper, Jordie Menzies, Pascoe, Louie Trow and Andrew Watson. Source link #Longstanding #rivalries #continue #weekend #local #greens Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘The Stock Can’t Stabilize Until These Weak Shareholders Sell Out’ ‘The Stock Can’t Stabilize Until These Weak Shareholders Sell Out’ We recently compiled a list of the Jim Cramer’s Bold Predictions About These 15 AI Stocks. In this article, we are going to take a look at where NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) stands against the other AI stocks. With the first quarter of 2025 well underway, Jim Cramer hasn’t been short of comments on artificial intelligence. AI stocks, which entered 2025 with optimism and tailwinds were dealt a shock during January’s DeepSeek selloff. The selloff was centered around stocks of firms that investors believe stand to benefit from billions of dollars in AI GPU spending. The firm that led the DeepSeek selloff was the AI GPU stock that has been Wall Street’s favorite. Its shares dropped by 17% during the day and are flat year to date after having gained 17% since the selloff. Cramer has also been one of the firm’s biggest fans. For instance, consider his remarks made in January before the selloff. Cramer started out by bemoaning a lack of knowledge about the firm and shared: “Okay, some of the analysts are good, but some of the analysts are just talking about the quarter! And these are people, who are, they are bound by the four walls of idiocy. This is one of the greatest companies in the world, these people want to buy sell, buy sell, they don’t recognize that [the firm] is doing things that are just running circles around.” In fact, Cramer went as far as to suggest that the firm was ushering in an industrial revolution. According to him: “Industrial revolution, why can’t we believe? Do you remember, did you read that, book about John Garfield, where they talked about the telephone, and Alexander Graham Bell tries to get it into the centennial in Philadelphia, and only because the Brazilian guy there doesn’t get to represent it. And Alexander Graham Bell says you know this could revolutionize all of how we do things. And the American judges were like who is this clown?” However, the CNBC TV show host had to naturally adjust his expectations after investors re-calibrated their AI GPU spending. Appearing on Squawk on the Street the day after the selloff, he shared two factors that would be key in determining the future of AI stock performance. According to Cramer, these factors are energy spending and GPU orders. Investors have focused on energy stocks, particularly those that deal with nuclear energy – a fact that has sent some stocks to gain as much as 140% over the past year. As for GPU orders, the Q4 2024 earnings season has seen big tech firms persist in their multi-billion dollar AI capital expenditure commitments. Story Continues In another morning appearance, Cramer also commented on an outfit he had discovered that was better than DeepSeek. He shared: “Now there’s an outfit that I’ve been dealing with called you dot com. . . .I really like you dot com. It’s one of those companies that is really ahead of DeepSeek, it’s way ahead.” He added that after digging deeper, he found that the AI GPU firm mentioned above was actually this outfit’s largest investor. The investment signaled to Cramer that there are alternatives better than DeepSeek as he commented that “the long knives came out” for it at the slightest hint of trouble. To compile our list of Jim Cramer’s bold predictions about AI stocks, we scanned the stocks he mentioned in Mad Money and Squawk on the Street as far back as September 2024. Then, we picked out stocks with AI computing, hardware, and energy generation exposure, and ranked them by the number of hedge funds that had bought the shares in Q3 2024. For these stocks, we also mentioned the number of hedge fund investors. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds invest in? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points. (see more details here). Is NVIDIA Corp. (NVDA) the Most Profitable Tech Stock to Buy Now? A close-up of a colorful high-end graphics card being plugged in to a gaming computer. Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 193 Date of Cramer’s Comments: September 4th, 2024 Performance Since Then: 30.7% NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is Wall Street’s favorite AI GPU stock we mentioned in our introduction. Its entire narrative is built on AI data center spending and the nascent humanoid robot industry. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)’s shares have gained 30.7% since Cramer’s remarks making them rank low in performance terms when compared to some other stocks in our list. The tepid performance is due to cost overruns and supply constraints of the Blackwell GPU. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)’s shares dipped by 17% during the DeepSeek selloff. Here’s what Cramer has said about the stock in September: “What about tech weakness as a recession signal? I keep hearing Nvidia may have missed its quarter due to economic softness. Let’s put that rumor to bed. The issue wasn’t demand; it was Nvidia’s inability to produce enough of its high-end Blackwell chips due to supply constraints. This wasn’t a demand issue.” Overall NVDA ranks 4th on our list of the AI stocks Jim Cramer recently talked about. While we acknowledge the potential of NVDA as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than NVDA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and Complete List of 59 AI Companies Under $2 Billion in Market Cap Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Source link #Stock #Stabilize #Weak #Shareholders #Sell Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Judge blocks parts of Trump executive orders targeting DEI, citing free speech – Fox News Judge blocks parts of Trump executive orders targeting DEI, citing free speech – Fox News Judge blocks parts of Trump executive orders targeting DEI, citing free speech Fox NewsMajor Lawsuits Against Trump And Musk: Judge Halts Trump’s DEI Contract Ban—For Now ForbesCourts rule on Trump administration initiatives including DOGE, DEI The Washington Post Source link #Judge #blocks #parts #Trump #executive #orders #targeting #DEI #citing #free #speech #Fox #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

More pain for Souths as Dragons clinch Charity Shield More pain for Souths as Dragons clinch Charity Shield St George Illawarra have claimed a 46-26 Charity Shield victory to leave South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett with more questions than answers as he attempts to save the Rabbitohs’ NRL season before it has begun. After a week in which Cameron Murray was ruled out for the rest of the year and Latrell Mitchell was sidelined for the first six weeks of the season, Jamie Humphreys emerged as a beacon of light for the Rabbitohs on Saturday. The sample size is small but already the 23-year-old halfback looks set to place major pressure on Souths’ key off-season recruit Lewis Dodd. English No.7 Dodd struggled for much of the first half at Mudgee’s Glen Willow Oval and did not return in the second stanza. Dodd was retrospectively sin-binned by the bunker – an initiative being trialled during the pre-season challenge – for a first-half high shot on Red V winger Sione Finau. The former St Helens halfback was forced to watch on as Humphreys scored a try and registered two try assists to make a compelling case to partner Cody Walker. With Humphreys pulling the strings, the Rabbitohs recovered from trailing 34-10 at halftime to cut the Dragons’ lead to just eight points by the hour mark. Eventually the Dragons clicked back into gear and Shane Flanagan’s men secured just their second Charity Shield win in the last decade. Finau will steal the headlines with a four-try display before going off with a concussion but all of Flanagan’s main off-season recruits had valuable contributions. Val Holmes and Clint Gutherson both had two try assists in a first-half rampage and Lachlan Ilias impressed against his former club. Ilias, who was shown the door after Souths signed Dodd last year, crashed in for his side’s third try of the afternoon and also set up Moses Suli in the second half. Tries for Ilias, Mathew Feagai and Finau’s quadruple put the Dragons in the box seat in the first half before livewire fullback Jye Gray helped Souths get on the board. Gray, who will deputise for Mitchell, grubber-kicked to himself for Souths’ opener before setting up Jayden Sullivan on the stroke of halftime. In the second half, Humphreys burst into life to set up Keaon Koloamatangi for a double and diving over the line himself. But hopes of running the Dragons down were quickly ended when Suli and Ryan Couchman found their way over the line. The Rabbitohs face the Dolphins in their season-opening clash while the Dragons host Canterbury. Source link #pain #Souths #Dragons #clinch #Charity #Shield Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The First Descendant’s Balance Problems Are a Sign of Something Problematic, but There’s Something Worse The First Descendant’s Balance Problems Are a Sign of Something Problematic, but There’s Something Worse The First Descendant was one of the breakout hits of 2024. But as we move into 2025, the game has lost 96% of its players. The game has been struggling with balancing issues for months, and while the devs at Nexon Games have acknowledged the issues, there are no fixes to be seen. This isn’t normal for a live service game. | Image Credit: Nexon Games The devs recently addressed concerns again but it might be too little too late as we barely have any faith at this point. Buffs and nerfs are common in live-service games but the situation with The Last Descendant isn’t that simple. We need Nexon to make the hard choice sooner rather than later. The First Descendant needs changes and it needs it now The player decline should ring alarm bells at the studio. | Image Credit: Nexon Games At this point, The First Descendant is beyond simple buffs and nerfs. The character balancing in the game has reached a point where Nexon needs to rethink its approach. Players have pointed out that characters like Ines and Freyna are so good that others feel irrelevant. The problem we have isn’t just that these characters are too powerful, it’s also the fact that weaker characters remain weak. As Reddit user u/devinraven explained in a recent post, “The problem isn’t top dog being too powerful, it’s the underdog being too weak and irrelevant.” Other users argue that the game needs to start with nerfs to these overpowered characters before buffs can make a difference. But then we reach the typical problem of developers wanting to make new characters powerful, often at the cost of others feeling weak. One of the more concerning aspects of The First Descendant’s balance issues is what it suggests about Nexon’s development process. We already brought up balance issues when Freyna first came out, but even with this knowledge, Ines came out as overpowered as she is. Did Nexon learn nothing? The developers recently addressed these issues but it doesn’t look like they actually plan to change anything. Comparing this to the fact that the devs have been quick to roll out premium cosmetics and questionable content updates. Look at the recent addition of a hot tub and bikini skins for example. We get the reason behind it, but players realize that the game’s biggest updates seem to focus on monetization rather than gameplay improvements. If you look at the statistics, it gets worse Does Nexon have what it takes to bring it back? | Image Credit: Nexon Games The worst part is that these aren’t just empty words and feelings from players. The game’s struggles with balance are clear when looking at the slowly declining player count. Despite launching with strong numbers, the game has seen a 96% player drop in just seven months (via Forbes). It doesn’t take an expert to tell that it’s far below expectations, especially for a live service game. According to Nexon’s quarterly report, The First Descendant is performing “below expectations” due to a “decline in traffic attributable to lack of fresh content.” But we can argue that the real issue is the lack of meaningful balance updates and gameplay variety. So what’s it going to take for the developers to realize it? The problems have been pointed out, but will they fix it? We’ve seen situations like this play out before. Nexon can either take the difficult but necessary steps to properly balance the game, or continue the cycle of power creep and cosmetics-driven updates. And it should be pretty easy to tell which choice is better. Source link #Descendants #Balance #Problems #Sign #Problematic #Worse Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

American recounts being stuck in dirty clothes for days on stranded flight American recounts being stuck in dirty clothes for days on stranded flight A disgruntled United Airlines passenger who was forced to spend days on a freezing ********* island after an emergency flight diversion said the airline “completely dropped the ball” and those affected should receive compensation. Phillip Magness, 43, who lives just outside Washington, D.C., was one of 259 passengers and 12 crew left stranded in the ********* province of Newfoundland and Labrador after a traveler suffered a medical emergency halfway through the flight. The flight took off from New York’s Newark Liberty International Airport just after 8 p.m. last Thursday and was headed to Dublin before it was diverted. Magness, an economic historian, was supposed to catch a connecting flight from Dublin to London, where he was due to speak about President Donald Trump’s tariffs at a conference. Instead, Magness and the hundreds of others on board United Flight 23, landed at St. John’s International Airport at about 2:30 a.m. last Friday and spent the entire weekend in frigid temperatures in Newfoundland. Phillip Magness, 43, was supposed to fly to Dublin before heading on to London for an economics conference (Provided by Phillip Magness) Magness, who takes up to 70 flights a year, said that the airline had left passengers completely in the dark. “An apology would certainly be in order, just for the lack of customer service,” he told The Independent. “I think it would be fair to ask them to compensate passengers that had to go to Walmart to get clothing and toiletries, and also the things that we lacked for almost 72 hours when we were stuck there.” The economist stressed that the flight’s crew were right to take whatever steps necessary to get the ill passenger medical attention. “It was after that just United completely dropped the ball,” he said. After landing in Newfoundland, passengers were stuck on the plane for about four hours before eventually being let off at about 6:30 a.m., Magness said. They sat on the tarmac for the first 90 minutes with no announcement from the pilot and “the crew was basically silent,” he said. The passenger requiring medical assistance, however, was tended to within 15 minutes. United Airlines told The Independent that they were taken to a local hospital for treatment. Passengers were greeted by two airport staff, Magness said. Despite being alerted by text that a United customer service representative would meet them upon arrival, no one from the airline was in sight, he added. St. John’s is a small airport that doesn’t typically handle large commercial flights. The airport had sent school buses to take passengers to a local hotel (Provided by Phillip Magness) At about 7:30 a.m., they were bused to a local Marriott hotel — without their luggage. Magness said passengers were receiving inaccurate information from United about their flight, and when he spoke with a customer service employee, who was seemingly unaware of the diversion, he was allegedly told: “Aren’t you supposed to be landing in Dublin?” “I’m a very experienced flyer, and I’ve never seen anything so atrocious in terms of customer service as this one… It’s my worst disruption by far,” he said. “It’s just a complete breakdown in communication.” Passengers were shuttled from the Marriot to the airport at 4 a.m. on Saturday as temperatures plummeted to 21 degrees for a rescheduled flight to Dublin, which was once again canceled due to an incoming blizzard. Passengers asked for their luggage but were denied because of the weather, Magness said. At that point, it was “48 hours, at least, with no new clothes, toiletry or anything in the middle of the blizzard,” he said. Magness said he couldn’t get to vital blood pressure and allergy medication that he had packed in his luggage and was forced to head to a local Walmart to pick up some supplies. “I got medication, got a jacket, a pair of shoes that were more suitable for walking in snow, basic toiletries, like toothbrush, toothpaste, all of that stuff,” Magness said. A United Airlines Boeing 777-322(ER) passenger, similar to the one diverted to Newfoundland, photographed in November (Getty Images) Morale amongst the group became “extremely low,” he said. There were elderly passengers in their 80s and 90s who required wheelchairs and a dozen young students from an Oklahoma school who were due to go on a class trip to Dublin. “We’re now getting very visibly frustrated because we had the same clothes we were wearing on Thursday when we departed,” he added. After weather conditions finally improved last Sunday morning, the flight was able to take off — after one final 45-minute delay — and arrived in Dublin at 4:21 p.m. Magness made it to the conference on Monday, and landed back on U.S. soil on Thursday — this time without a hitch. “It was just a very standard flight was refreshing to be able to just take off and land on time,” he said with a chuckle. When asked about Magness’ experience, United gave a statement outlining the trip. “United flight 23… diverted to St John’s International Airport to address a medical issue with a passenger onboard,” the airline said. “Medical personnel met the aircraft on arrival at St John’s and transported one passenger to a local hospital. While high winds kept the aircraft grounded, we provided hotel accommodation and meal vouchers for our customers. With the weather improved, the flight departed Sunday morning from St John’s to Dublin and arrived at 4:18 p.m.” Source link #American #recounts #stuck #dirty #clothes #days #stranded #flight Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Kibbutz Nir Oz announces Shiri Bibas was murdered in Gaza captivity – The Times of Israel Kibbutz Nir Oz announces Shiri Bibas was murdered in Gaza captivity – The Times of Israel Kibbutz Nir Oz announces Shiri Bibas was murdered in Gaza captivity The Times of IsraelRemains of Shiri Bibas, mom of two killed, allegedly returned to Israel following ******’ broken promise Fox NewsHamas releases remains of captive Shiri Bibas after ‘mix-up of bodies’ Al Jazeera EnglishFate of Bibas Family Renews Fears for Israel-Gaza Cease-Fire The New York TimesNetanyahu vows ‘revenge’ after Israel says ****** sent back wrong body for Shiri Bibas ABC News Source link #Kibbutz #Nir #announces #Shiri #Bibas #murdered #Gaza #captivity #Times #Israel Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

WA election 2025: Liberals remain tight lipped on costings but insist they are following ‘normal manner’ WA election 2025: Liberals remain tight lipped on costings but insist they are following ‘normal manner’ Libby Mettam has refused to confirm when her party’s costings will be released or who they will be done by but insists it is a normal process despite increasing pressure from critics. Source link #election #Liberals #remain #tight #lipped #costings #insist #normal #manner Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Gas station owner in Northern California shoots man twice in the chest, deputies say Gas station owner in Northern California shoots man twice in the chest, deputies say (FOX40.COM) — The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Officer is investigating a shooting that involved a gas station owner Friday night. Around 7:15 p.m., SCSO said the store owner of FastTrip Gas Station located at 8061 Florin Road shot a man twice in the chest. The circumstances of the shooting are unclear, however, the sheriff’s office said the incident was not a robbery gone wrong. The store owner has been detained and the gun owner was reportedly recovered by deputies. Double ******* in Northern California leads to arrest in Mexico, suspect arraigned According to SCSO, the incident began as the store owner left the premises after his shift. During that time, the victim and a woman were sitting outside of the store, which was still open for business. For unknown reasons, the store owner returned to FastTrip and began talking to the victim and woman. Deputies said the store owner “somehow got scared” during the conversation and shot the victim twice. Subsequently, the woman who was with the victim, ran away and has not been located. The victim was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and the incident is under investigation. Copyright 2025 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 FOX40 News. Source link #Gas #station #owner #Northern #California #shoots #man #chest #deputies Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Voletta Wallace, Mother Who Shaped the Notorious B.I.G.’s Legacy, Dies at 78 – The New York Times Voletta Wallace, Mother Who Shaped the Notorious B.I.G.’s Legacy, Dies at 78 – The New York Times Voletta Wallace, Mother Who Shaped the Notorious B.I.G.’s Legacy, Dies at 78 The New York TimesVoletta Wallace, mom of The Notorious B.I.G, dies at 78 USA TODAYThe Notorious B.I.G.’s Mom Voletta Wallace Dead at 78 TMZDiddy’s Lawyer Quits: ‘Under No Circumstances Can I Continue’ The Daily BeastRemembering Voletta Wallace, the Guardian of Biggie’s Legacy Rolling Stone Source link #Voletta #Wallace #Mother #Shaped #Notorious #B.I.G.s #Legacy #Dies #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]