Pelican Press

Dozens of recruits have died nationwide while training to become police officers Dozens of recruits have died nationwide while training to become police officers Ronald Donat’s longtime dream of becoming a police officer was in jeopardy. The 41-year-old struggled to stand after completing a flurry of pushups, sprints and pullups in the notoriously grueling start of physical training that recruits call “Hell Day.” “You are dead!” classmates recall a sergeant berating Donat, ordering him to sit on concrete at the suburban Atlanta police academy. Donat, a Haitian immigrant on his third attempt to land a law enforcement job, assured instructors he wasn’t giving up. He managed to get off the ground and rejoin recruits in a bear crawl exercise. But he soon went limp. 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. One hundred minutes after training began that October 2021 morning, he was dead, according to records obtained by The Associated Press. Donat is among at least 29 recruits who died during basic training at law enforcement academies around the country in the last decade, an AP investigation found. Most died of exertion, dehydration, heat stroke and other conditions tied to intense exercise — often on the first day of training, like Donat. Others died several weeks in, sometimes after suffering trauma during boxing or use-of-force drills or collapsing during high-stakes timed runs on hot days. Experts and police advocates were surprised by AP’s findings — based on an extensive review of lists of law enforcement deaths in every state, workplace safety records and news reports — and said many of the deaths were preventable. No federal agency or outside organization comprehensively tracks recruit deaths, unlike officers who die in the line of duty. “Training shouldn’t have one death, much less 29,” said David Jude, a retired Kentucky State Police academy commander and instructor. “To hear that number, it is shocking.” ****** recruits represented nearly 60% of those who died, a striking disparity given that federal data show ****** officers make up 12% of local police forces. Many carried sickle cell trait, a condition most prevalent among ****** Americans that increases the risk of serious injury following extreme exertion. Overall, the deaths amount to a tiny percentage of the nation’s 800,000 sworn officers but highlight another hazard in a profession where shootings, car accidents and other dangers are part of the job. AP’s tally shows the deaths have grown at a time when departments are tapping an older and more diverse pool of applicants to address officer shortages. More than two-thirds of the deaths occurred since 2020. A ‘heartbreaking’ string of deaths A Texas recruit collapsed minutes after instructors denied his request for water, saying: “You can’t get water in a fight,” video obtained by AP shows. An Arkansas cadet died after he was forced to run wearing long pants in the scorching midday sun. A North Carolina ********’s temperature was 106 degrees an hour after his death, when he had no water breaks during an hourlong obstacle course. Citing similar cases, one expert warned in a medical journal in mid-2023 of a “troubling spate of exertional collapse and death” of police trainees. “This sad tragedy is preventable, but will not become so until our police chiefs begin to heed the message,” wrote Dr. ****** Eichner, a retired University of Oklahoma professor who has long studied exertion-related deaths. But deaths have only continued to mount. At least five were recorded in 2024, including a New York City recruit who died of heat stroke, a Kentucky man who exerted himself during water-based survival training and a Massachusetts cadet who became unresponsive during defensive tactics training. Police leaders say some deaths can be prevented through improved awareness and practices, acknowledging that the field needs to better screen for and accommodate health conditions that put recruits at risk and to rein in unnecessarily harsh drills. “Not only are we potentially putting students in danger, but we’re also putting instructors in precarious situations where they may not know about the risks,” said Jude, an expert witness in the 2022 death of 38-year-old Jonesboro, Arkansas, recruit Vincent Parks. Jude cited a law passed in Arkansas, amid outrage over video showing Parks collapsing while training on a hot afternoon, as a positive step. It requires trainers be educated on heat exhaustion, dehydration and symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest, and mandates that instructors remove cadets from physical activities if they faint or lose consciousness. AP’s investigation found instances in which recruits who were in serious medical distress were pushed to continue training before they died. In addition to calling off drills in such cases, academy leaders must ensure adequate hydration and breaks and limit training when heat makes it unsafe, experts said. Bill Alexander, CEO of the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, said the number of deaths could be reduced but probably not eliminated given the nature of policing, which can require chasing and arresting combative suspects. “If you’re training people physically and if you’re training them hard, you’re going to have these very rare medical events,” said Alexander, who previously led an academy in Maryland. Still, some leaders say the field needs urgent action to better protect recruits. “It was just heartbreaking. I’ll never forget it. And I’ll do anything at all to get this message out,” said Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey of Hamilton County, Ohio, who witnessed the 2023 death of 36-year-old Marcus Zeigler after he collapsed during a training run. “We’re talking about life or death.” An eager recruit for a department in need When Ronald Donat arrived at the Gwinnett County Police Department Academy in Lawrenceville, Georgia, he thought he’d finally found his place in law enforcement. He always wanted to become an officer, but his wife, Sharline Volcy, said she initially discouraged him due to safety concerns when their children were young. Both immigrated from Haiti in the 1990s to New Jersey, where they met at church. Donat earned a college degree and worked various jobs, including installing satellites and cable, but longed for the responsibility and community service that policing would bring. He finally applied but was initially passed over. When Gwinnett County recruited applicants from New Jersey, Donat applied because he already had a sister living in Georgia, Volcy said. Georgia’s second-largest police agency, Gwinnett County has held hiring events around the country as it struggles to fill hundreds of vacancies. It’s offered bonuses to combat the officer shortage, which grew during the coronavirus pandemic and 2020 protests against police brutality. A physician who evaluated Donat for the department concluded he was healthy, with no concerning conditions, according to a form the doctor submitted to the state’s police standards agency. Following the normal process for the county and most U.S. police departments, the doctor didn’t screen Donat for sickle cell trait. Donat began working out with other recruits, passed a state-mandated physical fitness test and was given badge 2423. He smiled for a selfie in a squad car. He shared advice with a classmate: “Never give up.” Most departments lack policies on sickle cell trait Up to 3 million ****** citizens in the U.S. have sickle cell trait, yet many adults with the genetic condition don’t know their status, researchers say. Unlike people with sickle cell disease, they carry only one gene for sickle cell, and one normal gene. The condition, which is diagnosed through a blood test, doesn’t usually affect their daily lives. But it can cause decreased blood flow and muscle breakdown after intense exertion, dehydration or high body temperatures. In very rare cases, that can result in collapse and death. The NCAA and U.S. military now screen recruits for the condition, which has contributed to some deaths during football practices and boot camps. Researchers say exertional deaths among college athletes plummeted after NCAA-mandated testing and precautions went into effect in 2010, while the impact of the military programs is under review. Slowly building intensity, resting between drills, remaining hydrated during workouts and responding quickly to signs of distress are recommended. Most police departments have no such screening programs. Many longtime law enforcement trainers say they’ve never heard of the condition, which AP found was cited as a contributing factor in several deaths and serious injuries of recruits. McGuffey, the Ohio sheriff, said the cause of Marcus Zeigler’s death was initially a mystery. Before his collapse in May 2023, Zeigler was in peak condition and a top recruit, she said. The sheriff said she learned about sickle cell trait afterward from another employee, who himself had been seriously injured during academy training. She asked the coroner to investigate whether Zeigler had the condition. After ruling that Zeigler died of exertional heatstroke, the coroner’s office added sickle cell trait as a contributing factor. Since the death, Hamilton County has started screening recruits for the condition, which costs $75 per test. A physical and mental test For Donat and his 27 classmates, academy staffers planned an intense hourlong workout — a first-day ritual designed to test physical and mental fitness. Pushups. Flutter kicks. More pushups. Hill sprints. Burpees. Pullups. Bear crawls. Trainers say the exercises set the tone for the monthslong academy, which seeks to instill a never-quit mindset and prepare recruits for the most dangerous aspects of policing. But the military-style drills have long led to allegations of harsh treatment that cross the line into hazing. The risks were so well-known that an ambulance usually sat nearby on the first day at the Gwinnett County academy. But that year, a major declined the staff’s request, saying an ambulance would create the perception of danger, according to statements in an internal investigation report. Donat kept up with classmates for 45 minutes but became exhausted during a set of pullups and couldn’t complete the next exercise, air squats. An instructor ordered Donat to sit: “You are dead!” six recruits recalled him screaming, according to the investigation. The instructor insisted that he told Donat “You are done!” Either way, it was intended as a reminder, the investigation found, that giving up on police work could lead to death. Donat didn’t want to quit. Three minutes later, he got up with the help of another recruit and got in formation for a 25-foot bear crawl. “Everything is all right, Donat,” a recruit assured him. But Donat collapsed and stopped breathing. A paramedic on scene quickly treated Donat with oxygen and chest compressions. An ambulance arrived 10 minutes later. After Donat was pronounced dead at a hospital, instructors wondered whether his life could have been saved with an ambulance on site. Changes but no discipline after a Georgia death Hours after Donat died, Gwinnett County released a statement saying Donat had been “instructed by supervising staff to rest” after becoming lethargic. A fellow recruit who saw that statement on the news questioned the claim, texting classmates, “as far as I know I never heard that or saw that.” One responded that Donat was last seen in the planking position before his collapse. A county medical examiner ruled Donat died of natural causes, saying he had an enlarged heart prone to abnormal rhythms. That shocked his wife, Volcy, who said her husband was a fit soccer player with no known heart issues. The autopsy report didn’t mention sickle cell trait. Volcy believes her husband had it – she’s learned their daughters do, she said, and she has tested negative. Today, Gwinnett County still doesn’t screen recruits for the condition, spokesperson Sgt. Collin Flynn said. The department’s investigation, completed weeks after Donat’s death, found no policy violations and resulted in no disciplinary action. A major who led the investigation concluded, “I cannot imagine a scenario, had different actions been taken, that would have changed the tragic death of Recruit Donat.” Still, the department now requires an ambulance with emergency responders on scene during the first day of physical training, Flynn said. Changes to the workout allow instructors to keep a closer eye on those who are struggling, he said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration didn’t investigate because local government agencies aren’t under its jurisdiction. That’s the case in many states, which have not extended workplace safety protections to municipal employees such as police officers. Families of deceased recruits face obstacles to recognition, benefits Because most of the recruits in AP’s investigation hadn’t been sworn in as officers before they died, their names don’t appear on the national memorial for deceased officers or some state memorials. And many of their families can’t qualify for death benefits. Aware of those stakes last year, the police chief in Knoxville, Tennessee, summoned a judge to the hospital room of unconscious recruit Wisbens Antoine. On that February night, a fellow recruit took the oath on behalf of Antoine, who’d collapsed during training a week before graduation. Hours later, Officer Antoine, 32, died. Like Donat, he was a Haitian immigrant who left behind a wife and two daughters. In Gwinnett County, officials honored Donat by adding his name to its Fallen Heroes Memorial in 2022. But his name isn’t on federal or state memorials. Donat’s family was ineligible for state death benefits because he hadn’t graduated. Congress in 2021 passed a law allowing trainees’ relatives to be eligible for the same federal death benefits as those of sworn officers. The program includes a payment of nearly $450,000, plus college assistance. But three years later, Volcy said, she’s still awaiting a ruling from the Department of Justice on her application for benefits, which she said she desperately needs to afford college tuition and other expenses. Volcy was unaware of the investigation into her husband’s death until AP gave her the report last year. She said the department put recruits like Donat – and their families – at risk. “It is disappointing to know that excessive strain and physical activities brought an end to his life,” Volcy said. “What was supposed to be a new beginning, a lifetime achievement, a dream come true turned children into orphans, a wife into a widow and a lifetime of grief.” Source link #Dozens #recruits #died #nationwide #training #police #officers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Top Russian and US officials are set to hold talks on Ukraine war without Kyiv – The Associated Press Top Russian and US officials are set to hold talks on Ukraine war without Kyiv – The Associated Press Top Russian and US officials are set to hold talks on Ukraine war without Kyiv The Associated PressWhy is Saudi Arabia hosting talks between the US and Russia? CNNTop Russian, US officials meet in Saudi Arabia to begin talks on Ukraine war without officials from Kyiv Fox NewsUS-Russia Talks Live: Saudis host negotiations on Ukraine, Europeans excluded Reuters UKRussia-Ukraine war live: US, Russia meet in Saudi Arabia without Kyiv Al Jazeera English Source link #Top #Russian #officials #set #hold #talks #Ukraine #war #Kyiv #Press Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Bozena Knapinksi: Husband suspicious wife was poisoning him ‘swapped dinners with son to watch her reaction’ Bozena Knapinksi: Husband suspicious wife was poisoning him ‘swapped dinners with son to watch her reaction’ Robert Knapinski told his now ex-spouse’s Supreme Court trial that he did it to watch her reaction – and she was upset at him for having an affair during a separation. Source link #Bozena #Knapinksi #Husband #suspicious #wife #poisoning #swapped #dinners #son #watch #reaction Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Greece to build escape port on Santorini as quakes continue, says minister Greece to build escape port on Santorini as quakes continue, says minister ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece will soon set up an evacuation port on the island of Santorini to facilitate the safe escape of people in case a ******* quake hits the popular tourist destination, a Greek minister said on Monday. Santorini, a volcanic island in the Aegean Sea, has been shaken by tens of thousands of mild quakes since late January, forcing thousands of people to flee, and authorities to ban construction activity, and shut schools and nearby islands. No major damage has been reported but scientists have said the seismic activity was unprecedented even in a quake-prone country like Greece and have not ruled out ******* tremors. 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. They have identified the main ferry port at the foot of a precipitous slope and other sites across Santorini as weak links, although they have not said they cannot be used in an emergency situation. Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said Greece will build an evacuation port for the safe docking of passenger ferries until a new port infrastructure is in place. “Along with the new port in Santorini which is being prepared, there was a decision for setting up an escape port on the part of the island where passenger ferries would be able to dock in an emergency,” he said in an interview with Greek ANT1 television. Although the tremors lessened over the weekend, local authorities extended emergency measures for a third week on Sunday and reiterated calls for people to stay away from coastal areas and steep hillsides prone to landslides. “This story is not over,” Costas Papazachos, a seismology professor, and a spokesperson for the Santorini quakes told public broadcaster ERT. “Both authorities and habitants should get used to a rather unpleasant situation for some time, it could be another two, three months.” Santorini took its current shape following one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history, around 1600 BC. Seismologists have said the latest seismic activity, the result of moving tectonic plates and magma, has pushed subsurface layers of the island upwards. (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou, editing by Ed Osmond) Source link #Greece #build #escape #port #Santorini #quakes #continue #minister Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

No. 3 Duke vs. Virginia odds, line: Feb. 17, 2025 best bets by proven CBB model – SportsLine No. 3 Duke vs. Virginia odds, line: Feb. 17, 2025 best bets by proven CBB model – SportsLine No. 3 Duke vs. Virginia odds, line: Feb. 17, 2025 best bets by proven CBB model SportsLineFlagg has 17 points and 14 rebounds as No. 3 Duke beats Virginia 80-62 Yahoo SportsBalanced Attack Paces Duke in 80-62 Victory at Virginia GoDuke.comDuke vs. Virginia odds, prediction, time: 2025 college basketball picks, Feb. 17 bets by proven model CBS SportsPainful win: Three takeaways as Duke topples Virginia, but loses key reserve to injury Raleigh News & Observer Source link #Duke #Virginia #odds #line #Feb #bets #proven #CBB #model #SportsLine Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pearce says Spacey ‘targeted’ him on L.A. Confidential Pearce says Spacey ‘targeted’ him on L.A. Confidential Guy Pearce claims that Kevin Spacey harassed him for months on the set while filming L.A. Confidential. The *********** star previously declared Spacey – whose career went into freefall after he was accused of ******* misconduct by a number of men – was “handsy” when they worked together on 1997’s L.A. Confidential. Explaining his reluctance to describe himself as a victim, Pearce told the Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast: “Even though I probably was a victim to a degree; I was certainly not a victim by any means to the extent that other people have been to ******* predators.” He recalled initially brushing off Spacey’s alleged advances as “nothing”. “I did that for five months, and really I was sort of scared of Kevin because he’s quite an aggressive man. He’s extremely charming and brilliant at what he does – really impressive, etc… He holds a room remarkably. But I was young and susceptible, and he targeted me, no question.” The 57-year-old actor was with then-wife Kate Mestitz filming the movie in Los Angeles and recalled telling her he only felt “safe” if a “prettier” co-star was on set too. Pearce told her: “The only days I feel safe are the days when (Simon Baker) is on set because I’m dumped like a hot potato, and (Kevin) focuses on (Simon) because he was 10 times prettier than I am.” In 2017 when Anthony Rapp came forward to accuse Spacey of making ******* advances towards him when he was just 14, Pearce “broke down and sobbed” when he realised how much he had been affected. “I was in London working on something, and I heard (the reports) and I broke down and sobbed, and I couldn’t stop,” he said. “I think it really dawned on me the impact that had occurred and how I sort of brushed it off and how I had either shelved it or blocked it out or whatever. That was a really incredible wake up call.” The former Neighbours actor admitted he has since “had a couple of confrontations” with Spacey that “got ugly” but didn’t share details. Spacey has denied allegations of misconduct and acquitted of all of the nine ******* assault charges he faced in the *** in 2023. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National ******* Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Source link #Pearce #Spacey #targeted #L.A #Confidential Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Thousands of Indian investors lose $100 million in Ponzi scheme, police say Thousands of Indian investors lose $100 million in Ponzi scheme, police say By Rishika Sadam, Praveen Paramasivam and Haripriya Suresh HYDERABAD (Reuters) – Thousands of investors in India are scrambling to recoup nearly $100 million after they were caught in a Ponzi scheme that duped them into making short-term investments promising high returns, according to a police statement and multiple victims Reuters spoke to. Indian police arrested two individuals on Saturday after a case was filed against Falcon Invoice Discounting, which promised returns of up to 22% by claiming to connect depositors with the likes of Amazon and biscuit maker Britannia. Falcon collected 17 billion rupees (about $196 million) from nearly 7,000 investors since 2021 but has repaid only half, according to a statement from police in the southern state of Telangana. Ankit Bihani, a New Delhi-based jeweler, met with 50 other investors last week to discuss measures, including legal remedies, to recoup the collective 500 million rupees they said they had lost. “Most of them (investors) got to know about the investing platform through social media and invested in it,” Bihani told Reuters. Falcon used the money from new investors to pay out older ones and diverted the remaining funds to various shell entities, the police said. Authorities are hunting for Amardeep Kumar, Falcon’s founder and the main accused, a source said. However, some of the victims that Reuters spoke to are left wondering if they will recoup the money — entire life savings, in some cases — they entrusted to Falcon. “It is my hard-earned money. We don’t know when and how will we get it back,” said Roopesh Chauhan, a tech employee who lost 15 million rupees. S. Smriti, an assistant professor, reached out to the police after losing over 3 million rupees. “The money was all our savings,” said Smriti. Indian authorities have expressed concerns over a recent surge in complaints from people being duped by phoney investment schemes that rely on fraudulent apps, websites and call centres to deceive unsuspecting investors. Britannia, Amazon and Falcon did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters sent on Monday. ($1 = 86.8550 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Rishika Sadam in Hyderabad, Praveen Paramasivam in Chennai, Haripriya Suresh in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Manoj Kumar and Mayank Bhardwaj; Editing by Savio D’Souza) Source link #Thousands #Indian #investors #lose #million #Ponzi #scheme #police Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

People are losing faith in Adam Silver after ‘worst All-Star Weekend ever’ – New York Post People are losing faith in Adam Silver after ‘worst All-Star Weekend ever’ – New York Post People are losing faith in Adam Silver after ‘worst All-Star Weekend ever’ New York Post Players call All-Star Game stoppages ‘not ideal’ ESPN2025 NBA All-Star Weekend Winners and Losers The RingerAnalysis | The biggest winners and losers from NBA All-Star Weekend The Washington PostNBA All-Star Sunday was slightly better than last year, but biggest issues remain The New York Times Source link #People #losing #faith #Adam #Silver #worst #AllStar #Weekend #York #Post Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Bendigo Bank queried by ASX after weak profit sent shares plunging Bendigo Bank queried by ASX after weak profit sent shares plunging Bendigo and Adelaide Bank has been forced to defend its disclosure practices after being queried by the ASX over a lower-than-expected interim profit that sent its shares plunging. Higher costs and a lower cash profit sent Bendigo shares tumbling as much as 18 per cent on Monday, drawing the scrutiny of the ASX. In a letter to the bank, the market operator questioned whether Bendigo breached rules that require companies to update shareholders when upcoming results are likely to differ materially from market expectations. The bank on Monday said net earnings for the six months to December 31 slumped 23.2 per cent to $282.3 million, with cash earnings off 1.1 per cent at $265.2m. The disappointing cash earnings result was questioned by analysts during a conference call with Bendigo’s management after Monday’s announcement, with one questioning why they had not heard earlier about the weaker margins that undermined profit. Bendigo has denied any disclosure breach, despite determining last week that the market “consensus” expectation for the first-half cash profit was $282m. Company secretary Belinda Donaldson told the ASX in the company’s reply on Tuesday that based on nine analysts’ forecasts, there was a 5.8 per cent difference between its cash profit and “its best estimate of the market’s expectations”. That was well below what Ms Donaldson said was the ASX’s guidance of a 15 per cent difference “for considering a disclosure in such circumstances”. The Bendigo board “remains satisfied that its expected cash earnings for (the 2025 financial year) are at a level that does not result in any obligation for Bendigo to make an announcement regarding those expectations based on ASX’s guidance,” Ms Donaldson said. The profit fall contrasted with Bendigo’s reported growth in lending and deposit products, with chief executive Richard Fennell blaming it on margin pressure driven by higher funding costs. Bendigo shares lost a further 3 per cent to $11.08 on Tuesday. Source link #Bendigo #Bank #queried #ASX #weak #profit #shares #plunging Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Everything just kind of went sideways:’ Passenger recounts plane ****** landing at Toronto airport ‘Everything just kind of went sideways:’ Passenger recounts plane ****** landing at Toronto airport Pete Carlson didn’t think his life would be turned upside down when he boarded a Delta Air Lines flight in Minneapolis, but that’s literally what happened after the plane touched down in Toronto. The plane crashed at Pearson International Airport on Monday, flipping onto its back and injuring 18 passengers. “Everything just kind of went sideways,” Carlson, an American health-care worker who was travelling to Toronto for a paramedics conference, told The National’s Adrienne Arsenault in an interview about the plane’s “forceful” landing. “One minute you’re landing, kind of waiting to see your friends and your people, and the next minute you’re physically upside down,” he said, adding it’s “really amazing” that he’s alive. He is also not sure when he received a large cut on the top of his head. “[I’m] a little balder than I was this morning,” he joked. Carlson is not sure when he received a large cut on the top of his head because the ****** disoriented him. (Adrienne Arsenault/CBC) Source link #kind #sideways #Passenger #recounts #plane #****** #landing #Toronto #airport Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Ukraine isn’t invited to its own peace talks. History is full of such examples – and the results are devastating – The Conversation Ukraine isn’t invited to its own peace talks. History is full of such examples – and the results are devastating – The Conversation Ukraine isn’t invited to its own peace talks. History is full of such examples – and the results are devastating The Conversation‘We will last six months’ if Trump pulls US military aid from Ukraine Al Jazeera EnglishZelenskyy says US support is ‘critical’ for Ukraine’ survival, calls Putin ‘scared’ of Trump USA TODAY Source link #Ukraine #isnt #invited #peace #talks #History #full #examples #results #devastating #Conversation Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Double screen: Beast Games blurs the line between YouTube and television | Television Double screen: Beast Games blurs the line between YouTube and television | Television Beast Games, Amazon Prime Video’s reality competition series hosted by the YouTuber known as MrBeast, is not a well-made show. It is certainly an expensive show, something Mr Beast, the alter ego for 26-year-old Jimmy Donaldson of Greenville, North Carolina, likes to frequently remind viewers. The series is a feat of scale shocking to audiences outside the realm of YouTube, and especially Donaldson’s fiefdom: 1,000 contestants, filmed by a system of 1,107 cameras, battling each other for a $5m cash prize – the largest in entertainment history, according to Donaldson. For the competition, Donaldson and his posse designed a warehouse war zone modeled on the Netflix dystopian series Squid Game, constructed a bespoke city and purchased a private island (also to be given away, along with a Lamborghini and other lavish prizes). Contestants eliminated in the first episode are dropped through trap doors to unseen depths; there is a pirate ship with cannons. Yet for all the ostentatious displays of wealth, the show still looks terrible – garishly lit, frenetically edited, poorly structured, annoyingly loud and tackily designed. Many have pointed out that the show’s central conceit – broke Americans duking it out and playing psychological warfare for luxury prizes, many in the name of paying their bills – is as dystopian as the Netflix series it’s based on, a depressing spectacle of aggro-capitalism for our neo-Gilded Age times, with Donaldson as a self-styled ****** Wonka figure. For sure, Beast Games has a rotted, though grimly compelling, core, but its surfaces are also telling. On a stylistic level, the show erases what line remained between YouTube and television. Beast Games has a higher production budget than any of MrBeast’s YouTube videos, which run anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes and reach upwards of 360 million subscribers. (Almost all take some base-attention magnet concept – being stranded at sea, stuck in the Great Pyramids or helping blind people see again – to their most extreme and hyperbolic ends.) But it maintains the same aesthetics and incentives of addled attention. It looks like YouTube content – content being the operative word (Donaldson also made the first three episodes available on YouTube). And it is popular. Beast Games is now Amazon Prime Video’s most-watched unscripted series ever, reaching 50 million viewers in 25 days (although it’s worth noting that Amazon does not disclose what counts as a “viewer”). It reached number one on Amazon in 80 countries. Squid Game, for reference, reached 142 million households in 2021, according to Netflix. The show is not a sea change – plenty of reality shows look terrible, and many Americans have long consumed YouTube videos as their primary source of entertainment – but it is a line in the sand, as television shifts both in form and function. What is television in 2025? Is it a device? A style? A format? It’s hard to say – the content is shifting from linear to streaming platforms, while use of the device shifts to YouTube. In the US, people watch YouTube on a TV more than any other device, causing CEO Neal Mohan to proclaim, in his annual letter this month, that “YouTube is the new television”. YouTube is not making television, per se, but is serving as such; global viewers streamed over 1bn hours of “content” on their TV screens last year, according to the company, including 400m hours a month of supposedly audio-only podcasts. The company shut down its Originals division in 2022, though it is now making a push into children’s entertainment, recruiting a dedicated head of family entertainment and learning in late 2024. Functionally, YouTube may not be the new television so much as its next evolution. Formally, they’re converging. Even though digital-native influencers like YouTube talent (and TikTok talent, for that matter) have struggled to break into Hollywood despite huge numbers of fans, the ethos of the platform – the incentive structure of more eyeballs, the ring light glare, the maximalist aesthetic for maximum viewership – dovetails with evolving Hollywood logic. As one MrBeast director told Time: “These algorithms are poisonous to humanity. They prioritize addictive, isolated experiences over ethical social design, all just for ads. It’s not MrBeast I have a problem with. It’s platforms which encourage someone like me to study a retention graph so I can make the next video more addicting.” In other words, value-neutral entertainment over art. Content as a means to an end. Which is not that different than the business logic of a streaming platform. Hollywood has its own race to the bottom for viewers, with its own aesthetic effect – the rise of mid TV, the predominant cheap Netflix sheen, the endless scroll of a “content” library – that mirrors the lowest-common-denominator attention economy ethos of a MrBeast. Donaldson, after all, now leads an Amazon show, styled after a Netflix original series, that is explicitly fixated on “entertainment”. The show is all about, as he says, “making entertainment history” – being the biggest, the brightest, the most shocking, the most entertaining. As in, a product devoid of complexity or values or even narrative, for the one value of capturing attention. With the MrBeast-ification of entertainment, as Vox’s Rebecca Jennings put it, the lines between content, entertainment, television and influencer are even blurrier than they already were. He has crossed what divide remained – will Hollywood subscribe? Source link #Double #screen #Beast #Games #blurs #line #YouTube #television #Television Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

How much Aussies will save on mortgages after RBA rate cut How much Aussies will save on mortgages after RBA rate cut Households are tipped to have a bit more in their pockets after the RBA’s first rate cut in four years, but just how much you will save will depend on the size of your loan. Source link #Aussies #save #mortgages #RBA #rate #cut Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

3 *** Dividend Stocks Yielding Up To 7.2% 3 *** Dividend Stocks Yielding Up To 7.2% The United Kingdom’s FTSE 100 index has recently faced downward pressure, largely influenced by weak trade data from China, which has impacted companies with significant exposure to the ******** market. In such a volatile environment, dividend stocks can offer a measure of stability and income potential for investors seeking reliable returns amidst broader market uncertainties. Name Dividend Yield Dividend Rating Keller Group (LSE:KLR) 3.54% ★★★★★☆ Dunelm Group (LSE:DNLM) 7.81% ★★★★★☆ OSB Group (LSE:OSB) 7.78% ★★★★★☆ Man Group (LSE:EMG) 5.74% ★★★★★☆ DCC (LSE:DCC) 3.68% ★★★★★☆ Big Yellow Group (LSE:BYG) 4.86% ★★★★★☆ NWF Group (AIM:NWF) 4.63% ★★★★★☆ Grafton Group (LSE:GFTU) 4.01% ★★★★★☆ James Latham (AIM:LTHM) 7.24% ★★★★★☆ RS Group (LSE:RS1) 3.38% ★★★★★☆ Click here to see the full list of 59 stocks from our Top *** Dividend Stocks screener. Let’s review some notable picks from our screened stocks. Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: ★★★★★☆ Overview: James Latham plc, with a market cap of £217.57 million, imports and distributes timbers, panels, and decorative surfaces across the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Europe, and internationally. Operations: James Latham plc generates its revenue primarily from the timber importing and distribution segment, which accounts for £362.22 million. Dividend Yield: 7.2% James Latham offers a dividend yield of 7.24%, placing it in the top 25% of *** dividend payers. While dividends have grown steadily over the past decade, they are not well covered by cash flows, with a high cash payout ratio of 107%. Despite stable earnings coverage with a payout ratio of 33.4%, recent earnings reports show declining sales and net income, potentially impacting future dividend sustainability. AIM:LTHM Dividend History as at Feb 2025 Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: ★★★★☆☆ Overview: Computacenter plc delivers technology and services to corporate and public sector organizations across the United Kingdom, Germany, France, North America, and internationally, with a market cap of £2.33 billion. Operations: Computacenter plc’s revenue from Computer Services amounts to £6.44 billion. Dividend Yield: 3.2% Computacenter’s dividend payments have been volatile over the past decade, though they are well covered by earnings and cash flows, with payout ratios of 46.8% and 28.2%, respectively. Despite this coverage, the dividend yield of 3.18% is lower than the top *** payers. Recent board changes include Simon McNamara joining as a non-executive director, which may influence future strategic decisions but does not directly impact dividend stability or growth prospects. Story Continues LSE:CCC Dividend History as at Feb 2025 Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: ★★★★☆☆ Overview: Foresight Group Holdings Limited is an infrastructure and private equity manager operating in the United Kingdom, Italy, Luxembourg, Ireland, Spain, and Australia with a market cap of £459.09 million. Operations: Foresight Group Holdings Limited generates revenue through its segments of Infrastructure (£87.79 million), Private Equity (£50.78 million), and Foresight Capital Management (£8.10 million). Dividend Yield: 5.7% Foresight Group Holdings’ dividend yield is in the top 25% of *** payers, supported by earnings and cash flows with payout ratios of 86.6% and 68.3%, respectively. Despite only a four-year dividend history, payments have been stable and growing. Recent earnings growth, highlighted by a net income rise to £12.65 million for H1 2025, supports future payouts. The company expanded its buyback plan by £5 million to £15 million, potentially enhancing shareholder value further. LSE:FSG Dividend History as at Feb 2025 Explore the 59 names from our Top *** Dividend Stocks screener here. Have you diversified into these companies? Leverage the power of Simply Wall St’s portfolio to keep a close eye on market movements affecting your investments. Take control of your financial future using Simply Wall St, offering free, in-depth knowledge of international markets to every investor. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Companies discussed in this article include AIM:LTHM LSE:CCC and LSE:FSG. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email *****@*****.tld Source link #Dividend #Stocks #Yielding Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

USA vs. Sweden hockey takeaways: Americans fall, but focus shifts to 4 Nations Face-Off final vs. Canada – CBS Sports USA vs. Sweden hockey takeaways: Americans fall, but focus shifts to 4 Nations Face-Off final vs. Canada – CBS Sports USA vs. Sweden hockey takeaways: Americans fall, but focus shifts to 4 Nations Face-Off final vs. Canada CBS SportsWho wins the U.S.-Canada rematch? Goalie confidence, X factors, keys to victory ESPNErsson makes 32 saves, Sweden holds off United States NHL.comCanada beats Finland 5-3 to set up rematch with United States in 4 Nations Face-Off final The Associated PressCanada vs. Finland: How to watch the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament today Yahoo Sports Source link #USA #Sweden #hockey #takeaways #Americans #fall #focus #shifts #Nations #FaceOff #final #Canada #CBS #Sports Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Wagin Woolorama: Giant ram Bart’s quest to find love Wagin Woolorama: Giant ram Bart’s quest to find love You’ve heard of The Farmer Wants A Wife, but what about Wagin’s giant ram Bart’s quest to find a girlfriend? That’s the tale being told through a limited-edition **** produced by Busselton-based Beyond Distilling to honour Bart’s 40th birthday. Rams Jam, a 40 per cent alcohol spirit with a dark green label, will be available to buy at this year’s Wagin Woolorama. Beyond Distilling assistant distiller Dylan Pascoe said he firmly believed the best gins “told a really good story”. When tasked with creating a Wagin-themed ****, he and Beyond’s head distiller Greg Garnish decided it was time Bart coupled up. And so the tale of a 40-year-old ram looking for love was born. “Bart had been sitting lonely for 40 years, after all. It was probably time he found himself a partner,” Mr Pascoe laughed. “We thought the idea of finding a wife for Bart was a good story. Bart has embraced modern romance.” The ****’s label was created by Margaret River’s Misty Shipway and features a well-dressed, horned ram in a maroon blazer with a dark blue tie and a white pocket square. Rams Jam itself features grains and botanicals from the Wheatbelt, which Mr Pascoe said “captured the essence of the landscape” and gave it a savoury, earthy taste. He said the palate was roughly based on a London dry with an addition of orange to give it a “beautiful smell”. It features Maximus barley from Wagin farmer Clayton South, which was malted at Mallokup Malt at Capel and triple-distilled at Beyond Distilling using a chardonnay yeast strain. The key botanical ingredient is melaleuca, with splashes of wild honeydew myrtle. Mr Garnish, a regular Wagin Woolorama attendee, is well known for his love of regional WA. In 2021, he created a range of gins to honour WA towns with “****” in their names — including Wagin, Narrogin, Corrigin, Dangin, Muntagin, Badgingarra and Gingin — while working at a different distiller. Mr Pascoe said it was easy to describe Bart and what kind of suitor he would be. “A sheep of refined taste, a good roll in the wildflower, and the occasional banter with his friends,” he said. “Though his hooves are rough from years of adventuring, he is ready to give it to the right ****.” And if Bart were to take an ad out in the local paper looking for love, it would say: “Loyal, loving Merino seeking a **** with a love for the land.” Rams Jam was released on February 1 at both the Beyond Distilling cellar door in Busselton and online, with a social media campaign focused on Bart’s quest to find love. It will be available to buy in the Home and Lifestyle Pavilion for $80. Each bottle comes with a commemorative sheep tag. Source link #Wagin #Woolorama #Giant #ram #Barts #quest #find #love Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Tim Cook hints at surprising iPhone shake-up later this week Tim Cook hints at surprising iPhone shake-up later this week When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Apple Readying its first product reveal of 2025, Apple is reportedly set to unveil its new fourth-generation iPhone SE on Wednesday, February 19, following months of leaks, rumors, and speculation surrounding its return to the midrange market. Or is it? Ahead of Wednesday’s Apple event, CEO Tim Cook took to X last week to get the hype train rolling with a simple ten-word post: “Get ready to meet the newest member of the family.” Taken at face value, Cook’s words would appear to back up expectations of the iPhone SE 4’s arrival. However, the iPhone SE has been part of the iPhone family since 2016, and there’s growing speculation that Cook’s post suggests something else — potentially confirming a January rumor that seemed far-fetched at the time. The newest member of the iPhone family: iPhone SE 4 or iPhone 16E? In January, an Apple tipster using the alias Majin Bu posted on X claiming that the company’s next smartphone reveal would be the iPhone 16E, not the iPhone SE 4. The iPhone 16E rebrand would effectively retire the SE line of smartphones and introduce an affordable mid-range option to follow Apple’s annual iPhone releases — similar to Google’s Pixel A series and Samsung’s FE series offerings. Featuring the same iPhone 14-inspired redesign and leaked specifications rumored of the iPhone SE 4, the iPhone 16E looks set to feature an OLED display an Apple Intelligence-ready Apple A17/A18 Bionic chip, and 8GB of RAM at an expected price of up to $499. What’s next It’s important to note that while we presume that Cook is hinting towards the iPhone SE 4 or iPhone 16E, he doesn’t explicitly make any reference to the iPhone in his original post. There’s a strong possibility that the product in question could be a new HomePod device, or even the MacBook Air M4, also rumored to be unveiled soon. Taking Cook’s words literally, the iPhone 16E would certainly fit the bill more closely as the suggested “newest member of the family.” A new annual model like the iPhone 16E would also give Apple a second iPhone launch window beyond its typical September showcase, and a more consistent, budget-conscious, mid-range release for iPhone users to look forward to — countering the iPhone SE’s sporadic past releases. However, to know for certain, we’ll need to wait for Apple’s official product launch on Wednesday, with further reveals expected to be spread out across the coming months. More from Laptop Mag Source link #Tim #Cook #hints #surprising #iPhone #shakeup #week Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Team from Elon Musk’s SpaceX to review air traffic control system – The Washington Post Team from Elon Musk’s SpaceX to review air traffic control system – The Washington Post Team from Elon Musk’s SpaceX to review air traffic control system The Washington PostDuffy brings up Clinton while noting SpaceX workers will visit Air Traffic Control System Command Center Fox NewsMusk’s DOGE team to visit US FAA command center on Monday ReutersMusk’s SpaceX team visiting FAA: Duffy The HillFAA’s new air traffic control towers go ‘green’ instead of the latest safe tech Washington Times Source link #Team #Elon #Musks #SpaceX #review #air #traffic #control #system #Washington #Post Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

iPhone 17 Air Design Renders Hint at Slim Body With Elongated Rear Camera Module iPhone 17 Air Design Renders Hint at Slim Body With Elongated Rear Camera Module Apple’s iPhone 17 Air has been spotted in renders that show off the purported smartphone, which is expected to debut later this year with a slim design. While Apple has yet to announce any plans to launch a new iPhone ‘Air’ model, previous reports indicate it will be the thinnest handset in the iPhone 17 series of smartphones, and replace the ‘Plus’ model. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to arrive with one rear camera, and the latest design renders suggest the presence of a horizontal camera module. iPhone 17 Air Design (Expected) A new video uploaded by FrontPageTech (created by @zellzoi) shows the design of the purported iPhone 17 Air, which is expected to arrive as Apple’s thinnest iPhone to date. The handset is said to be 5.5mm thin, and the renders give us an idea of how it might look, if Apple decides to launch the handset later this year, as part of the iPhone 17 series of smartphones. We can see an elongated camera module at the top of the rear panel that extends from the left corner to the right corner. A single rear camera is seen at the left end of the camera module, and an LED flash is seen on the right. The iPhone 17 Air isn’t expected to be the only smartphone in the series to feature this elongated camera bar. The rumoured iPhone 17 Pro was also seen in similar renders recently, with a considerably “wider” camera module that includes the same camera layout as its predecessor, the iPhone 16 Pro. Apple is expected to unveil the IPhone 17 Air later this year, as its slimmest phone to date — it’s expected to have a thickness of 5.5mm, which is much thinner than the iPhone 6 that arrived with a 6.9mm body. The company is said to have made some hardware changes to the phone’s design, to deliver a slimmer model. An older report claims that Apple will revamp the design of the iPhone 17 series, using an aluminium frame, while a portion of the rear panel will be made of glass to enable support for wireless charging. Apple’s recent iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro feature a titanium frame, so it remains to be seen whether this claim is accurate. Source link #iPhone #Air #Design #Renders #Hint #Slim #Body #Elongated #Rear #Camera #Module Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Tom Brough voices support for Albany Health Campus capacity inquiry at Let’s Talk Albany community forum Tom Brough voices support for Albany Health Campus capacity inquiry at Let’s Talk Albany community forum Liberal candidate Thomas Brough says there is “absolutely a case” to open an inquiry into the service capacity of Albany Health Campus, saying a lack of beds has led to patients waiting in corridors. Source link #Tom #Brough #voices #support #Albany #Health #Campus #capacity #inquiry #Lets #Talk #Albany #community #forum Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Socorro ISD plans up to 300 layoffs, increased class sizes to deal with budget shortfall Socorro ISD plans up to 300 layoffs, increased class sizes to deal with budget shortfall The Socorro Independent School District is planning to lay off employees, increase class sizes and cut programs in an effort to save itself from financial ruin. SISD employees late Friday received an email from Acting Superintendent James Vasquez informing them the district needs to reduce its budget by $38 million for the 2025-26 school year and will need to cut staff to do so. “We are currently working to identify exactly how many employees will be impacted. Once this has been determined, employees will be notified, and we will do everything we can to help them through this painful process,” Vasquez said in an email. More: Vasquez email Vasquez email A Socorro spokesperson said the district wouldn’t comment on the financial challenges beyond Vasquez’s email. But multiple people familiar with the plan, who asked not to be identified, said they were told the district could lay off up to 300 people ahead of the next school year. That includes eliminating dedicated fine arts teachers at elementary schools. An agenda for Wednesday’s Socorro school board meeting said the plan includes “elementary fine arts redesign.” Two veteran teachers said the district’s elementary school fine arts teachers received an email Thursday night telling them to cancel Friday classes and attend a 1 p.m. Friday meeting at district headquarters. There, Vasquez and others delivered devastating news. “As of 2025-2026, there will be no fine arts in the elementary schools. There will be no music, no art in any of the elementary schools,” one teacher said they were told, adding that Socorro’s two fine arts academies were exempted. “And then, in addition to that, they’ll be eliminating 300 jobs.” The teacher said the reaction to the news was “absolute shock, absolute betrayal, absolute fear.” “At a previous meeting when Jim Vasquez came to speak to us personally at our campus, he told us that there would be no eliminations, that they would do everything they can to make sure that students were not hurt, that we did nothing to hurt their education,” the teacher said. “And I fail to see how taking away fine arts is a part of that because it is just as an important part of their education as anything else. So this was a complete reversal of what we had been told before.” More: Bowie High School in El Paso played historic role in ICE policy lawsuit A second teacher said the cuts in fine arts will hurt students. “Many things have happened over the years to where we’re finally having students from El Paso make it to all-state, and students from El Paso making it to the state mariachi contest. We just have the band from Socorro march in the Rose Bowl parade. We’re seeing the benefits of starting elementary-level music and fine arts education bubble up through the high schools and it’s good for El Paso,” the teacher said. Socorro ISD is El Paso County’s second largest school district, with about 47,000 students. It experienced decades of rapid growth, but has seen enrollment decline in recent years as El Paso’s birthrate plunges and it competes with charter schools and neighboring Ysleta ISD for a diminishing student population. The SISD school board will discuss and potentially vote on layoff recommendations at its meeting Wednesday, Feb. 19. Some of the recommendations include cutting administrative staff and Career and Technical Education program employees, redesigning its elementary fine arts program and restructuring staffing for academic programs with low student participation. The district also plans to change its staffing formulas, increasing middle school class sizes from 24 to 26 students per teacher and submitting waivers to the Texas Education Agency to allow it to increase its elementary class sizes from 22 to 24 students per teacher. A third teacher who was briefed on the elimination of dedicated elementary fine arts faculty said administrators at the Friday meeting discussed how quickly broader layoffs will take place. Administrators at Friday’s meeting said that individual campuses will be given a number of positions to cut and have to identify staff members whose contracts won’t be renewed for next school year by the beginning of March, the third teacher said. “The other thing that he said was that everyone’s supposed to be notified by April 1st,” this teacher said. The Socorro district has been depleting its reserves in recent years as it struggles with declining enrollment, stagnant state funding and management issues that led the Texas Education Agency last year to appoint two conservators to oversee the district. Last year, the SISD school board adopted a $479.6 million budget with a $22 million deficit for the 2024-25 school year. Since then, the district reduced its employee health plan contribution to cut costs and took out a $25 million loan to make payroll when its cash reserves were low. James Vasquez, acting superintendent of Socorro ISD, listens to public comments at a Board of Trustees meeting, May 15, 2024. In his email, Vasquez said the district has saved $25 million by eliminating vacant positions, cutting its operating budgets and reducing its workforce by 8% through attrition. Student enrollment has decreased by 1,200 students in the last three years and daily attendance has decreased by more than 2%. Those developments have led to a $16 million reduction in state aid, Vasquez said in his email. Most El Paso County school districts are facing significant financial struggles, though Socorro ISD is the first to announce plans for large-scale layoffs. The El Paso Independent School District is closing several elementary schools to address declining enrollment and Ysleta ISD board members received a financial update Wednesday informing them the district may need to take out a loan to cover a cash shortage. The third teacher from Friday’s meeting with SISD administrators who spoke to El Paso Matters said good teachers will lose their jobs, but the biggest impact will be on students. “Look, we can get new jobs, we can look for other opportunities, but our children are looking to us for their education and for their well-being and a well-rounded education,” the teacher said. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Socorro ISD plans up to 300 layoffs, increased class sizes Source link #Socorro #ISD #plans #layoffs #increased #class #sizes #deal #budget #shortfall Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Russian and U.S. to hold talks on ending war. Ukraine, Europe left out Russian and U.S. to hold talks on ending war. Ukraine, Europe left out The Russian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (front), arrive in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to meet with their American counterparts, on February 17, 2025. Meeting will focus on Russia-U.S. bilateral ties, preparations for talks on Ukraine and a potential Putin-Trump meeting. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images Russian and U.S. officials are holding their first formal meeting in years on Tuesday, as they meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss the foundation for talks on how to end the war in Ukraine. The meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, which began in the last hour, marks the first formal sit-down meeting between top U.S. and Russian diplomats since January 2022, when then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Lavrov met in Geneva just weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine. U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz are taking part in the meeting while Lavrov is accompanied by Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov, according to Russian state media, with no plans for a private meeting between Rubio and Lavrov. The high-profile meeting comes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced last week that he and Russian President Putin had agreed to start negotiations to end the three-year war in Ukraine. Both sides appear to be playing down the potential outcome of this first meeting. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters on Monday that the Riyadh meeting was designed to “determine if the Russians perhaps are serious, and if they’re on the same page.” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the meeting was to discuss restoring bilateral relations and “preparations for potential Ukraine peace talks” as well as a forthcoming meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to comments translated by NBC News. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Antonio Rubio (L) meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud (R) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 17, 2025. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, is also a part of the Russian delegation in Riyadh with his presence signalling that Moscow is keen to emphasize the economic benefits of restoring ties. Speaking to Russian media outlets Tuesday, Dmitriev estimates that “U.S. businesses lost around $300 billion from leaving Russia. So there is huge economic toll on many countries from you know what’s happening right now, and we believe as a way forward is through solutions,” he said, according to a news agency Interfax report. Ukraine and Europe frozen out Officials from Ukraine will not be present at the talks in Riyadh, Kyiv said, and European allies also remain frozen out of the discussions for now. Kyiv’s leadership has warned that it will not agree to any peace deal that goes against its interests, while European leaders warned at the Munich Security Conference last weekend that any agreement made without its involvement would not work. European leaders held an emergency meeting in Paris on Monday where they agreed on the need to sharply increase defense spending but could not agree on whether to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine as part of a post-war plan. The U.K. has said it is willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine but said the U.S. would need to provide a “backstop” to support the deployment, while Denmark and France signaled a willingness to consider sending troops to the country. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a meeting on security issues in Europe at the Elysée Palace on Feb. 17, 2025, in Paris. Tom Nicholson | Getty Images Other nations, including some of Ukraine’s biggest backers, Poland and Germany, are wary, however. ******* Chancellor Olaf Scholz was openly critical of the idea, calling it “completely premature” and “highly inappropriate” while the leaders of Italy, Spain and Norway appeared to be more cynical about the idea. Anxious to remain close to President Trump, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is due to meet the president next week, while French President Emmanuel Macron said he’d spoken to Trump and Zelenskyy after the emergency summit. “We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians. Otherwise, there is a risk that this ceasefire will end up like the Minsk agreements. We will work on this together with all Europeans, Americans, and Ukrainians. This is the key,” Macron said on social media platform X. Source link #Russian #U.S #hold #talks #war #Ukraine #Europe #left Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

As Deadline for Withdrawal Lapses, Israel Says It Will Stay in Southern Lebanon – The New York Times As Deadline for Withdrawal Lapses, Israel Says It Will Stay in Southern Lebanon – The New York Times As Deadline for Withdrawal Lapses, Israel Says It Will Stay in Southern Lebanon The New York TimesLIVE: Israeli troops remain on 5 hilltops in Lebanon as deadline expires Al Jazeera EnglishVillagers in southern Lebanon prepare to return home as Israeli army withdraws under ceasefire deal YahooIsrael keeps some troops in southern Lebanon in defiance of withdrawal deadline CNNIDF begins withdrawal from Lebanon, forces to triple along border The Jerusalem Post Source link #Deadline #Withdrawal #Lapses #Israel #Stay #Southern #Lebanon #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Charlie Curnow injury: Blues star to miss AFL round one match against Richmond after undergoing surgery Charlie Curnow injury: Blues star to miss AFL round one match against Richmond after undergoing surgery Blues goal-kicking machine Charlie Curnow will miss the season opener against Richmond after having a ****** removed from his knee. Carlton are downplaying the severity of the surgery Curnow underwent on Tuesday, saying it was minor and the club hoped he would be fit for the round two’s Thursday night MCG blockbuster against Hawthorn. “This procedure allowed for the removal of a ****** that is no longer required from an old knee injury, which the club was able to identify as the cause of a small level of discomfort for Curnow over the last week,” the Blues said in a statement. “The club has been able to move quickly to have it corrected to ensure there will be no ongoing impact for Curnow once the season begins. “Due to the minor nature of the surgery, Curnow will be able to recommence running within the week, full training in the coming weeks and be available to play in either Rounds 1 or 2.” Curnow left the field in discomfort during the Blues’ match simulation session against St Kilda at Ikon Park on February 8 and had his right knee assessed by medical staff. The two-time Coleman Medal winner was then sent for precautionary scans, which came back clear. Curnow has been on a modified training program as he builds back to full fitness after undergoing knee and ankle surgeries in the off-season. The 28-year-old has had a horror run with knee injuries from 2019 to 2021, playing only 15 games across three years. He played more than 20 games each year over the next three seasons but missed several games last season due to knee and ankle complaints. Blues superstar Sam Walsh is expected to recover from a hamstring injury in time for round one, while Jack Silvagni (knee) is expected to resume full training in a week. Carlton play Geelong in a match simulation at Ikon Park on Thursday. Source link #Charlie #Curnow #injury #Blues #star #AFL #match #Richmond #undergoing #surgery Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Philippines accuses China’s navy of ‘reckless’ flight manoeuvres Philippines accuses China’s navy of ‘reckless’ flight manoeuvres MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippine coast guard accused the ******** navy of performing dangerous flight manoeuvres on Tuesday when it flew close to a government aircraft patrolling a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. “This reckless action posed a serious risk to the safety of the pilots and passengers,” the coast guard said in a statement. The Philippine coast guard said the government fisheries aircraft was conducting what it called a maritime domain awareness flight on Tuesday over the Scarborough Shoal, a rocky atoll and prime fishing patch located inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. 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. The ******** defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The People’s Liberation Army Navy helicopter flew as close as three metres to the aircraft, which the Philippine coast guard said was a “clear violation and blatant disregard” for aviation regulations. Named after a British ship that was grounded on the atoll nearly three centuries ago, the Scarborough Shoal is one of the most contested maritime feature in the South China Sea, where Beijing and Manila have clashed repeatedly. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, a vital waterway for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, putting it at odds with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. A 2016 arbitration ruling invalidated China’s expansive claim but Beijing does not recognise the decision. (Reporting by Mikhail Flores and Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty) Source link #Philippines #accuses #Chinas #navy #reckless #flight #manoeuvres Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]