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Columbia Sportswear CEO on tariffs: ‘We need some surety’ Columbia Sportswear CEO on tariffs: ‘We need some surety’ In a Wednesday interview with CNBC’s Jim Cramer, Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle said his company needs more clarity about global tariff decisions in order to plan for what’s to come. “It’s a dampening effect,” he said. “But, more importantly, we need some surety about what is going to happen, what’s the future.” President Donald Trump has moved swiftly to deliver on his campaign promises to inflate tariffs for some of the U.S.’s biggest trading partners, raises taxes on goods from China by 10%. He also raised taxes on imports from Mexico and Canada by 25%, but agreed to temporarily pause the hikes for a month. Boyle said tariffs are designed to raise the price of imported products. The sportswear company is one of the largest duty payers in the U.S., he said, and its commodities are tariffed highly already, with some products carrying 37.5% duties. According to Boyle, Columbia doesn’t import much from China into the U.S., but he said China is an important part of business, as it’s where the company produces products to distribute locally and in other countries. He said it’s necessary to be “incredibly cautious” going forward, as it’s unclear where the tariffs will appear and how much they will be, even as he said his company is good at navigating such a challenge. While Columbia has seen strength in China and other countries, Boyle said the company is focused on beefing up business in North America. Columbia reported a mixed quarter Tuesday night and issued soft guidance, with shares dipping during Wednesday’s session to finish down 5.70%. Boyle stressed that the company will be spending an “incredible” amount of time and effort to return its North American business back to growth, just as it has done for other regions in the past. “If we think about historically, when we’ve underperformed in an area, let’s call China and, and Europe underperforming areas from a historical perspective,” Boyle said. “We’ve worked diligently on those areas, we’ve seen growth, and, frankly, we need to be putting the same sort of rigor around our North America business.” Jim Cramer’s Guide to Investing Source link #Columbia #Sportswear #CEO #tariffs #surety Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Wizards trade Kyle Kuzma to Bucks for Khris Middleton – The Washington Post Wizards trade Kyle Kuzma to Bucks for Khris Middleton – The Washington Post Wizards trade Kyle Kuzma to Bucks for Khris Middleton The Washington PostGiannis Antetokounmpo Reacts to Bucks Trading Khris Middleton to Wizards Sports IllustratedBetting market not impressed with Bucks’ acquisition of Kyle Kuzma Yahoo SportsLatest NBA Trade News: Middleton for Kuzma Blazer’s EdgeWhat’s the Bucks roster, depth chart after the Khris Middleton, Kyle Kuzma trade Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Source link #Wizards #trade #Kyle #Kuzma #Bucks #Khris #Middleton #Washington #Post Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Arsenal: ‘Not enough’ – ‘toothless’ Gunners miss out again after losing to Newcastle Arsenal: ‘Not enough’ – ‘toothless’ Gunners miss out again after losing to Newcastle Arsenal are the second top scorers in the Premier League this season with 49 goals – but they need a striker, a talisman up front. Newcastle, who do have one in Alexander Isak, had 17 shots to Arsenal’s 34 across the two legs – and won 4-0. Usually football managers pretend they are happy anyway after a transfer window where they fail to recruit but Arteta admitted he was “disappointed” that they “haven’t achieved it”. Aston Villa rejected an approach from Arsenal for England striker Ollie Watkins in the week before the transfer window closed. Rumours linking them to Isak, Wolves’ Matheus Cunha, Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and even Brighton’s Evan Ferguson went nowhere. That leaves them with Kai Havertz – who is more of an attacking midfielder – as their only real option at number nine. Havertz has done well with 15 goals in all competitions – but that is still not a lot to be the top scorer for a team fighting for multiple trophies. The ******* is joint 12th top scorer in the Premier League with nine, level with Liam Delap, whose Ipswich Town are in the relegation zone. Gabriel Jesus – the last striker (although he is also a wide player) they signed back in 2022 – is injured, as is star winger Bukayo Saka, who was their only 20-goal scorer last season. Arteta said in the build-up to Wednesday’s game that Havertz might have to start every game for the rest of the season. His other options to play there, he said, are wingers Leandro Trossard, Raheem Sterling, Ethan Nwaneri and Gabriel Martinelli. Martinelli went off injured against Newcastle, Sterling has scored one goal for the club and Nwaneri is 17. Their last 20-goal-a-season striker was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (29 goals in 2019-20). Since then Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Folarin Balogun and Eddie Nketiah are among the strikers to leave the club. Sweden’s Isak, a reported target, showed them what they were missing on Wednesday. He ran the Gunners defence ragged, had a goal disallowed by the VAR for offside and hit the post leading to Jacob Murphy’s opener. He had also scored in the first leg – one of his 19 goals this season. “They have been more efficient than us in the boxes and that is the difference in the tie,” said Arteta afterwards. Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville, speaking on Sky Sports, said: “Isak on one side and Havertz on the other – just imagine what the sides would be if they swapped shirts. “It has shone a massive spotlight on the toothlessness of Arsenal’s front players compared to Newcastle’s.” Former England midfielder Jamie Redknapp added: “Havertz does a good job up there but does he do a great job? No. “I almost feel sorry for him because of the stick but Arsenal have had wonderful nines and the fans will know he isn’t in the class of the players they have had. “The defenders couldn’t cope with Isak, it is like they have seen a ghost. That is what Arsenal don’t have.” While there may be grumbles about Havertz, the fact is he is their only player in double figures for goals in all competitions – and the only one who has a good amount of experience as a striker. “They haven’t got a lot of numbers,” said former Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given. “For Arsenal to achieve anything they have to keep Havertz fit and wrap him up in cotton wool. That is a big ask.” Source link #Arsenal #toothless #Gunners #losing #Newcastle Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Bunbury advocate Lynda Whitton awarded MS Australia’s 2024 John Studdy Award Bunbury advocate Lynda Whitton awarded MS Australia’s 2024 John Studdy Award Bunbury local Lynda Whitton, a champion for people living with multiple sclerosis, has been awarded MS Australia’s highest honour. Source link #Bunbury #advocate #Lynda #Whitton #awarded #Australias #John #Studdy #Award Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How the US Navy’s first hostile drone kill with an air-to-air missile set the stage for the emergence of the ‘******* Hornet’ How the US Navy’s first hostile drone kill with an air-to-air missile set the stage for the emergence of the ‘******* Hornet’ US Navy fighter jets have fought Houthi drones in a high-tempo operating environment over the Red Sea. A first-of-its-kind battle in early 2024 highlighted another air-defense option for the Navy. The Navy eventually added more air-to-air missiles to its F/A-18 fighter jets. US Navy fighter jets fought a first-of-its-kind air battle against enemy drones over the Red Sea early last year, Business Insider has learned. Then, months later, American jets were seen flying with a new missile loadout. The fight was the first successful naval engagement of an enemy drone with an air-to-air missile. It showed what was possible, setting the stage for the Navy to give its F/A-18s a greater air-defense role with a new heavy air-to-air “******* Hornet” configuration. Unit award documents obtained by *** show that on January 9, 2024, units from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group were patrolling Red Sea shipping lanes when Houthi rebels launched a large-scale attack with drones and anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles. Two Navy destroyers — USS Gravely and USS Mason — engaged five of the drones, while a third destroyer, USS Laboon, engaged two anti-ship cruise missiles and an anti-ship ballistic missile. Meanwhile, aircraft launched from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower — the lead ship in the strike group — to help confront the threat. The aircraft from Carrier Air Wing- 3 engaged five drones, marking the first successful naval engagement of a hostile drone with an air-to-air missile, one of the documents said. F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jets fly over the destroyer USS Laboon during flight operations in the Red Sea in March 2024.US Navy photo The document said that “following the successful engagement” of the drone, the conventional loadout on the F/A-18 fighter jet was changed to support drone defense with more cost-effective weapons “while saving higher-end ordnance for more significant threats.” “Higher-end ordnance” appears to reference surface-to-air missiles launched from American warships. These weapons can intercept drones, but they are significantly more expensive than missiles launched from a fighter jet. Ship-based interceptors such as the Standard Missile-series interceptors are better suited, from a cost perspective, to taking down enemy ballistic and cruise missiles rather than cheaper drones. A Navy official told *** that the F/A-18 loadout was changed because of a range of lessons the sea service learned during the Houthi conflict. They said the fighter jets were eventually given more air-to-air munitions. Specifically, they were armed with a new configuration of four AIM-9X and five AIM-120 missiles. Senior Navy officials have previously said that the new munitions configuration offered greater, much-needed firepower for the counter-drone fight in the Red Sea. The AIM-9X is the newest model in the Sidewinder family of short-range missiles. The AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) is a beyond-visual-range weapon. Both munitions are made by American defense contractor RTX Corporation. An F/A-18 with the ******* Hornet loadout launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea in April 2024.US Navy photo The office of the Chief of Naval Operations later identified a Boeing-made F/A-18 with a nine-missile configuration as a “******* Hornet,” a play on the fighter jet’s actual name, the Super Hornet. The CNO’s office confirmed the new loadout was used in combat last year. It was first spotted on an F/A-18 during flight operations on the Eisenhower in the Red Sea in April 2024, as the Ike and the other ships in its strike group were deployed to the Middle East to confront the Houthis and their attacks on shipping lanes. The conflict with the Houthis has been described as a complex, high-tempo operating environment, especially during Eisenhower’s deployment. The January 2024 incident demonstrated what the F/A-18 could do against enemy drones, as these aircraft went on to destroy more during the deployment. US forces have intercepted nearly 500 Houthi drones since the conflict began in October 2023. In March 2024, F/A-18 Super Hornets were spotted sporting drone and missile kill markings. The Eisenhower carrier strike group fired nearly 800 munitions, including almost 60 air-to-air missiles, during its monthslong Middle East deployment, which ended last summer. Documents reviewed by *** showed that the strike group as a whole was recommended for a Combat Action Ribbon for its actions between October 2023 and May 2024. Read the original article on Business Insider Source link #Navys #hostile #drone #kill #airtoair #missile #set #stage #emergence #******* #Hornet Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Trump sued over purge at NLRB Trump sued over purge at NLRB U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as he signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., Jan. 31, 2025. Carlos Barria | Reuters The former chair of the National Labor Relations Board in a new lawsuit Wednesday accused President Donald Trump of breaking the law when he fired her from the agency last week. Lawyers for Gwynne Wilcox argue that she was removed from her post for a “political purpose” in a manner that violates the 90-year-old statute that established the NLRB. Her lawsuit in Washington, D.C., federal court seeks an order reinstating her on the board and declaring that her firing was unlawful. Created by Congress to enforce U.S. labor laws, NLRB is an independent agency with board members who are insulated from arbitrary removal. No member of the NLRB had ever been fired by a president, until Wilcox. On Trump’s first day in office, he replaced Wilcox as the chair with another board member. A week later, both Wilcox and the NLRB’s top lawyer, Jennifer Abruzzo, were fired in a “late-night email,” according to the suit. That email said she was being fired because the “heads of agencies within the Executive Branch must share the objectives of [Trump’s] administration.” Wilcox was appointed by former President Joe Biden, a Democrat. The lawsuit calls this “a blatantly political purpose that flies in the face of the NLRB’s independent status.” Wilcox argues that her firing did more than just violate the agency’s independence. It effectively forced “an immediate and indefinite halt” to all of the NLRB’s regulatory activity. At the time of Wilcox’s firing, there were already two vacancies on the five-member NLRB panel. Wilcox’s ouster leaves just two remaining members on the board, Marvin Kaplan and David Prouty. With only two out of the five board seats filled, the NLRB does not meet the three-member threshold that it requires to continue operating. Without a quorum of three, “no mechanism remains for resolving labor disputes” at NLRB, Wilcox’s lawsuit said. This could be a positive development for the group of companies, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Amazon and other giants, that have argued in a slew of lawsuits that the labor board’s structure is unconstitutional. A vocal opponent of labor unions, Musk was Trump’s largest campaign donor. The billionaire currently serves as a “special government employee” and the leader of Trump’s anti-bureaucracy effort, known as DOGE. Musk and his lieutenants at DOGE are carrying out an unprecedented effort to reduce federal spending, moving through agencies and personnel offices and recommending that thousands of civil servants be reclassified, and in some cases, fired. “We spent the weekend feeding U.S.A.I.D. into the wood chipper,” Musk wrote on X Monday, referring to the U.S. Agency for International Development. There is currently no record of DOGE members visiting the NLRB or contacting the agency. The NLRB declined to comment on Wilcox’s suit. Read more CNBC politics coverage Wilcox’s lawsuit also sets up a challenge over the extent of Trump’s power, as he and his aides, including Musk, rapidly attempt to unilaterally reshape and reduce the size of the federal government. “The President’s action against Ms. Wilcox is part of a string of openly ******** firings in the early days of the second Trump administration that are apparently designed to test Congress’s power to create independent agencies like the Board,” her attorneys wrote in the suit. They added that Wilcox is aware that “if no challenge is made, the President will have effectively succeeded” in defanging the protections of the longstanding labor law, “and, by extension, that of other independent agencies.” Wilcox was sworn in as an NLRB member in August 2021, and was confirmed by the Senate in September 2023 for a second five-year term. On Dec. 17, Biden designated Wilcox chair of the board. The lawsuit also noted that Wilcox was the “the first ****** woman to serve on the Board.” The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 specifies that the president can only remove the agency’s board members in cases of “neglect of duty or malfeasance in office,” and only after that member receives a “notice and hearing.” Wilcox never received a notice and hearing, according to her lawsuit. And instead of identifying any neglect or malfeasance by Wilcox, the email noticing her removal allegedly cited Trump’s view that “heads of agencies within the Executive Branch must share the objectives of [his] administration.” Source link #Trump #sued #purge #NLRB Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Sonos will cut ‘about 200’ jobs in restructuring Sonos will cut ‘about 200’ jobs in restructuring Sonos is embarking on a restructuring plan that will eliminate about 200 positions at the company. Interim CEO Tom Conrad announced the news in a call with the team, then shared the news in a public . Conrad said the company is “reorganizing our Product organization into functional groups for Hardware, Software, Design, Quality and Operations, and away from dedicated business units devoted to individual product categories. With this simpler organization in place, cross-functional project teams will come together to improve our core experience and deliver new products.” Sonos has been taking a beating financially and in the public eye after the launching a last year. The company already laid off 100 employees in August. Since then, and have also departed, and the company has altered some of its product release plans. Yesterday, rumors that a new streaming box could be coming from Sonos in the coming months. Source link #Sonos #cut #jobs #restructuring Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump sued over purge at NLRB Trump sued over purge at NLRB U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as he signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., Jan. 31, 2025. Carlos Barria | Reuters The former chair of the National Labor Relations Board in a new lawsuit Wednesday accused President Donald Trump of breaking the law when he fired her from the agency last week. Lawyers for Gwynne Wilcox argue that she was removed from her post for a “political purpose” in a manner that violates the 90-year-old statute that established the NLRB. Her lawsuit in Washington, D.C., federal court seeks an order reinstating her on the board and declaring that her firing was unlawful. Created by Congress to enforce U.S. labor laws, NLRB is an independent agency with board members who are insulated from arbitrary removal. No member of the NLRB had ever been fired by a president, until Wilcox. On Trump’s first day in office, he replaced Wilcox as the chair with another board member. A week later, both Wilcox and the NLRB’s top lawyer, Jennifer Abruzzo, were fired in a “late-night email,” according to the suit. That email said she was being fired because the “heads of agencies within the Executive Branch must share the objectives of [Trump’s] administration.” Wilcox was appointed by former President Joe Biden, a Democrat. The lawsuit calls this “a blatantly political purpose that flies in the face of the NLRB’s independent status.” Wilcox argues that her firing did more than just violate the agency’s independence. It effectively forced “an immediate and indefinite halt” to all of the NLRB’s regulatory activity. At the time of Wilcox’s firing, there were already two vacancies on the five-member NLRB panel. Wilcox’s ouster leaves just two remaining members on the board, Marvin Kaplan and David Prouty. With only two out of the five board seats filled, the NLRB does not meet the three-member threshold that it requires to continue operating. Without a quorum of three, “no mechanism remains for resolving labor disputes” at NLRB, Wilcox’s lawsuit said. This could be a positive development for the group of companies, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Amazon and other giants, that have argued in a slew of lawsuits that the labor board’s structure is unconstitutional. A vocal opponent of labor unions, Musk was Trump’s largest campaign donor. The billionaire currently serves as a “special government employee” and the leader of Trump’s anti-bureaucracy effort, known as DOGE. Musk and his lieutenants at DOGE are carrying out an unprecedented effort to reduce federal spending, moving through agencies and personnel offices and recommending that thousands of civil servants be reclassified, and in some cases, fired. “We spent the weekend feeding U.S.A.I.D. into the wood chipper,” Musk wrote on X Monday, referring to the U.S. Agency for International Development. There is currently no record of DOGE members visiting the NLRB or contacting the agency. The NLRB declined to comment on Wilcox’s suit. Read more CNBC politics coverage Wilcox’s lawsuit also sets up a challenge over the extent of Trump’s power, as he and his aides, including Musk, rapidly attempt to unilaterally reshape and reduce the size of the federal government. “The President’s action against Ms. Wilcox is part of a string of openly ******** firings in the early days of the second Trump administration that are apparently designed to test Congress’s power to create independent agencies like the Board,” her attorneys wrote in the suit. They added that Wilcox is aware that “if no challenge is made, the President will have effectively succeeded” in defanging the protections of the longstanding labor law, “and, by extension, that of other independent agencies.” Wilcox was sworn in as an NLRB member in August 2021, and was confirmed by the Senate in September 2023 for a second five-year term. On Dec. 17, Biden designated Wilcox chair of the board. The lawsuit also noted that Wilcox was the “the first ****** woman to serve on the Board.” The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 specifies that the president can only remove the agency’s board members in cases of “neglect of duty or malfeasance in office,” and only after that member receives a “notice and hearing.” Wilcox never received a notice and hearing, according to her lawsuit. And instead of identifying any neglect or malfeasance by Wilcox, the email noticing her removal allegedly cited Trump’s view that “heads of agencies within the Executive Branch must share the objectives of [his] administration.” Source link #Trump #sued #purge #NLRB Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

At least 104 Indian citizens deported from US on military aircraft, say Indian officials – CNN At least 104 Indian citizens deported from US on military aircraft, say Indian officials – CNN At least 104 Indian citizens deported from US on military aircraft, say Indian officials CNNMigrants Are Deported to India on U.S. Military Plane The New York TimesIndians deported from US: Future tense for families of Haryana youths Hindustan TimesLegs chained, handcuffed: US deportees say shackled on military flight to India India Today Source link #Indian #citizens #deported #military #aircraft #Indian #officials #CNN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Woman’s divorce case was turned down by 116 legal aid lawyers Woman’s divorce case was turned down by 116 legal aid lawyers David Cowan Home Affairs Correspondent BBC The woman, who did not want to be identified, outside Lochaber Women’s Aid – which has been trying to help her find a lawyer A woman who was assaulted by her husband was unable to find a legal aid lawyer to handle her divorce – despite asking more than 116 law firms to take on the case. The mother-of-two, from the Highlands, said none of the companies was willing or able to work with her. Her struggle highlights the challenges facing the system, with the Law Society of Scotland claiming a third of legal aid lawyers are due to retire over the next decade. The Scottish government minister responsible for legal aid described her plight as “unacceptable” and promised reforms were on the way. The woman, who asked not to be named, qualified for state assistance because she was on universal credit and readily admits her case involved complex issues which would take time to resolve. She says some firms turned her down because she lives in the Highlands, while others said they were no longer taking civil legal aid cases. Some did not reply or give a reason. “It made an extremely difficult, traumatic experience that much harder to deal with,” the woman told BBC Scotland News. “To get constant rejections just left me in an even deeper pit of despair and despondency.” The woman contacted 116 solicitors, who were listed on the Scottish Legal Aid Board website, by phone and email while a friend approached others on her behalf. Applications for legal aid are made through solicitors. Her inability to find a lawyer meant she could not ask for the help she was entitled to receive. After weeks of getting nowhere, the woman was able to appoint a lawyer thanks to donations from friends – but her financial position remains precarious and her future far from certain. “I’m still not out of the woods yet and it might come to the point where I won’t have any representation and I don’t know what I’ll do,” she said. Lochaber Women’s Aid in Fort William says it’s common for local survivors of domestic abuse to have difficulty securing civil legal aid. The agency’s deputy manager Donna Campbell said: “Some of them are being told they’ll have to represent themselves in family court. “The women I deal with are scared. They’re scared for themselves, they’re scared for their children. “It’s incredibly important to them that this gets addressed.” ‘Trauma and safety concerns’ According to the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre, survivors typically contact between 30 and 50 solicitors before they secure representation. The centre’s senior associate Lyndsay Fleming says this is causing “trauma and safety concerns”. “Survivors are being told by police, you need to go and get a civil protective order, like a non-harassment order against the perpetrator. “If they don’t have that protection from the criminal justice system and they don’t have a civil protective order, they’re left alone and at serious risk of injury and harm.” In Orkney, the number of lawyers registered for civil aid cases is said to have fallen from nine in 2000 to just one in 2025. Michelle Ward from Women’s Aid Orkney says some women are forced to stay in harmful situations because they have no way of getting out of them. “It’s a huge issue in rural areas,” she said. “Of the 152 women we supported last year, 24 left because they didn’t feel safe in their own community.” She believes difficulty in securing civil legal aid was a factor in half of those cases. Getty Images Government minister Siobhian Brown said she was aware that there gaps in some parts of Scotland Discontent over legal aid has been building in the profession for many years. The Law Society of Scotland claims there is a real possibility the system could face “complete collapse” because payments are too low. The convenor of the society’s civil legal aid committee, Pat Thom, said: “The solicitors who have been doing it for 20 years are dropping out because it’s not financially sustainable and the younger solicitors aren’t going into it because it’s not very appealing. “It’s not that they want to drive about in Jaguars; they need to make enough to run their office and pay their staff.” The minister for victims and community safety, Siobhian Brown MSP, said she was “really sorry” to hear about the woman’s struggle to find a lawyer. “That’s why we need to make sure people can access justice,” she said. “I’m aware that there are gaps geographically around Scotland.” Ms Brown said Scottish legal aid was “one of the most generous systems in the world” with fees reaching a record £171m this year – although she accepted that had been caused in part by an increase in the number of cases going through the courts. “There has been a 25% uplift in fees since 2019 and it doesn’t seem to be alleviating the problem of solicitors not wanting to take up legal aid,” she said. “It’s not just about throwing money at it because we’ve been doing that the last couple of years.” ‘Potential for change’ She said the Scottish government was preparing to propose reforms which could be brought in before the next Holyrood elections in 2026, while in the longer-term legislation would be required to modernise the system. The Scottish Legal Aid Board says hundreds of lawyers are working in criminal and civil legal aid nationwide but there may be “pockets” where they are harder to access. Chief executive Colin Lancaster said there were specific issues which required solutions and there would be “real benefits” in simplifying and streamlining a complex system. “I don’t think the evidence suggests there’s an overall crisis,” he said. “The system is not as flexible as we would like it to be. The traditional method of delivering legal aid is very much rooted in the 1950s. “There’s definitely potential for change that would improve the way the system can respond to changes in need.” Source link #Womans #divorce #case #turned #legal #aid #lawyers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Man to front court after allegedly waving Hezbollah flag at Melbourne protest last year Man to front court after allegedly waving Hezbollah flag at Melbourne protest last year A man who allegedly waved the flag of a prohibited terrorist organisation at a protest in Melbourne last year has been issued a court summons by the *********** Federal Police. A man allegedly waved a Hezballah flag at a protest in Melbourne’s CBD in September last year. The AFP has now issued the 34-year-old with a court summons to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on March 19 over the public display of a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol. The offence carries a maximum sentence of 12 months imprisonment if convicted. Camera IconThe Hezballah flag was allegedly spotted at a protest in Melbourne’s CBD last year. NewsWire / Valeriu Campan Credit: News Corp Australia AFP Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt said investigators had reviewed more than 100 hours of CCTV and police body-worn camera footage and vision from the protest and would “continue exploring every avenue to identify those involved”.“The AFP is relentlessly pursuing evidence and identifying those who allegedly displayed prohibited symbols at the Melbourne protest in 2024,” Mr Nutt said. The fresh action comes after a 36-year-old man was last year charged with displaying a Hezballah flag at the same protest. The flag falls under legislation brought in last year banning the public display or trade of prohibited Nazi symbols and symbols used by prohibited terrorist organisations. Source link #Man #front #court #allegedly #waving #Hezbollah #flag #Melbourne #protest #year Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Starlink gains higher orbit in Europe Starlink gains higher orbit in Europe A study from Ookla has found that in 2024, low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations emerged as an important part of the connectivity toolkit in the region, with particular good performance by Starlink. The comms analyst found recent satellite launches have improved the SpaceX company’s performance in Europe, bolstering its credentials as a competitive broadband service. And that was amid, and despite, intensifying competition from the rapid expansion of fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) infrastructure across the continent. It noted that the provider ramped up investments to increase the density of its ground stations and launched a blitz of new satellites in the latter half of 2024, and that with a network of more than 7,000 satellites worldwide, it remains the most capable in terms of coverage and capacity, providing broadband access throughout most of Europe. There were three drivers for Starlink’s success highlighted in the study: “significant” improvements in latency were translating into better quality of experience (QoE) for users across Europe; download speeds recovering in most countries as SpaceX continues to scale capacity with recent satellite launches; adoption more highly concentrated in countries with lower levels of fibre penetration and a larger proportion of the population living in rural areas. Latency disparity between Starlink and the aggregate terrestrial fixed broadband market has narrowed substantially across Europe over the past two years. In Q4 2024, Starlink users in Western Europe experienced the lowest median latencies on the continent, with the *** (41 ms), Belgium (46 ms) and Luxembourg (46 ms) leading the way. These improvements in latency have resulted in a boost for Starlink’s QoE performance for video streaming, web browsing and gaming, as evidenced by outcomes such as shorter video start times and reduced game latency. While the latencies observed in the aggregate fixed broadband market remain materially lower than those of Starlink across Europe, there has been remarkable progress in improving its competitiveness. Ookla measurements revealed a consistent trend of double-digit declines in median latency across over a dozen European countries between Q4 2023 and Q4 2024. According to Ookla Speedtest Intelligence data, over the past two years, Starlink’s download speed performance has faced growing pressure as the service scaled and network usage increased. In Q4 2024, most European countries experienced an improvement in Starlink download speeds, likely driven, said Ookla, by the continued expansion of the satellite constellation. For the first time in Q4 2024, there were signs that the successive speed declines observed in previous quarters may have stabilised, with early indications of a potential recovery. The analyst said that the sharp increase in operational satellites at the end of October 2024 appears to have contributed to higher speeds across multiple countries, with some regions seeing particularly notable gains. It noted that Southern European countries such as Croatia (around 70%) and Greece (about 65%) recorded substantial quarter-on-quarter download speed increases between the third and fourth quarters of last year, now ranking among the fastest Starlink connections in Europe. However, it warned that given quarter-to-quarter variability, it remained to be seen whether this trend would hold over 2025. Looking at concentration, the report noted that Central and Southern European countries such as Germany, Greece, Italy and Croatia have below-average FTTH coverage compared with the European Union average, and exhibit higher levels of Starlink adoption, likely due to the LEO offering being relatively more competitive (either on performance or price) in these regions. Yet at the same time, while Starlink was found to continue to provide higher speeds than the aggregate terrestrial fixed broadband market in some countries – including Greece, Czechia, Italy and Croatia – the number of such markets is steadily decreasing. Ookla stressed that significant fibre investments across Europe have improved fixed broadband speeds over the past two years, increasingly challenging Starlink’s competitiveness. Going forward, the report noted that the LEO space race was heating up above Europe, with SpaceX’s ambitions for Starlink extending well beyond traditional broadband. It observed that over the coming year, Starlink plans to enter the direct-to-device (D2D) market by connecting unmodified consumer handsets. This effort is being powered by the launch of SpaceX’s Gen2 satellites, of which the company ultimately hopes to deploy tens of thousands. AST SpaceMobile, meanwhile, is targeting the D2D market and already has five satellites in operation. It aims to expand its constellation to more than 240 satellites. Source link #Starlink #gains #higher #orbit #Europe Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mitch McConnell, 82, Taken Away in Wheelchair After Falling Twice Mitch McConnell, 82, Taken Away in Wheelchair After Falling Twice Mitch McConnell was escorted out of the Capitol in a wheelchair at the Capitol on Wednesday after the 82-year-old senator fell twice in short succession. One of McConnell’s falls occurred on stairs outside the Senate chamber, causing “panicked looks to flash across his congressional staff and security detail,” reported The Hill. A group, which included his Republican colleagues Steve Daines and Markwayne Mullin, reportedly rushed to surround McConnell and help him back to his feet. He was able to walk on his own to a Senate lunch, but he fell again during the lunch meeting. Capitol Police helped close off a hallway to allow McConnell to privately return to his old Capitol office, which is now occupied by his successor, Senate Majority Leader John Thune. “Senator McConnell is fine,” his spokesman Dave Popp said later. “The lingering effects of polio in his left leg will not disrupt his regular schedule of work.” A source close to the senator said the wheelchair is being used for precautionary purposes. McConnell, the third oldest member of the Senate, who will turn 83 on Feb. 20, was spotted in a wheelchair in the Capitol later Wednesday. Mitch McConnell, 82, suddenly froze in front of reporters twice in 2023. Pictured above is the second instance where he went silent on a dime. / ABC Affiliate WCPO via REUTERS The falls are the latest scares for McConnell, who infamously froze twice while speaking with reporters in 2023—first in the Capitol and again in his native Kentucky. His office’s response to those incidents were similar to how they addressed his falls on Wednesday, insisting then that their boss was “fine.” The only senators older than McConnell are Bernie Sanders, 83, and Chuck Grassley, who is 90. There are seven U.S. representatives older than McConnell, with the eldest of the bunch being Hal Rogers—an 87-year-old Republican who ran unopposed in Kentucky last year. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who will turn 85 next month, also suffered a fall in December that required her to undergo hip replacement surgery for a fractured hip. She did not use a wheelchair in her return to the Capitol in January, but the California Democrat had notably ditched her signature stilettos—which rang out throughout the marble-floored Capitol building for decades—for some comfier shoes. Source link #Mitch #McConnell #Wheelchair #Falling Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Met Police spied on BBC journalists’ phone data for PSNI, MPs told Met Police spied on BBC journalists’ phone data for PSNI, MPs told The PSNI had sought the support of the Met police as far back as 2011 to monitor journalists working for the BBC in Belfast, MPs on the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee were told. Belfast journalists Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney, told the committee that there were suspicions that other police forces in the *** were also monitoring journalist’s phones. They were giving evidence after a tribunal ruled in December that the PSNI and the Metropolitan Police had unlawfully placed them under surveillance in an attempt to identify confidential sources. Evidence disclosed at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal last year, showed that during a four month ******* in 2011 over 4,000 phone calls and text messages were being monitored by the Met for the PSNI, Birney told the committee. “Basically, a *** police force was spying on the state broadcaster, the BBC and its journalists and sharing that unlawful surveillance data with at least two other *** police forces,” he added. Defensive operation became offensive Trevor Birney told the MPs that he believed the PSNI’s practice of trying to uncover Police whistleblowers began when a former Met police chief took over as Chief Constable of the then Royal Ulster Constabulary, in 2002. Hugh Orde introduced a policy to stop leaks by making it an offence for police officers to talk to journalists without the agreement of senior officers. But what started as a “defensive operation” to crack down on Police officers leaking to the press, turned into an offensive operation that also monitored journalists to find out if police officers were among their confidential sources, he said. McCaffrey said that phone data showed that the Met police had monitored phone calls made by journalists to other journalists. “That’s not a defensive operation, that’s an offensive operation. That’s spying on journalists to identify their sources,” he said. By 2011 the PSNI were “breaking rules on an industrial scale,” he claimed. Journalist labeled a criminal after call to press office The journalists claimed the PSNI had repeatedly sought to bypass regulations designed to protect the confidentiality of journalists and lawyers. In 2013, for example, Barry McCaffrey had called the PSNI’s press office to ask if they were investigating an allegation of corruption. “That was a simple question. Are you investigating an allegation of corruption? Within 40 hours, Barry McCaffrey was turned into a criminal suspect,” Birney told the MPs. In December 2024, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) found that Trevor Birney and McCaffrey had themselves been placed under unlawful surveillance by two *** police forces, which spied on their phone communications and suspected confidential sources. The PSNI commissioned Angus McCullough KC in June last year to investigate allegations of “unlawful” surveillance of journalists, lawyers and other groups. Birney told the MPs, “We don’t believe that the review goes far enough. We think the remit is far too narrow. And we think that Angus McCullough, despite being a very experienced and knowledgeable KC doesn’t have the tools to get to the bottom of what’s going on here”. Birney told the cross-party group of MPs that one of the problems of the review was that it had an arbitrary cut-off date of 2011. “That isn’t going to get to the bottom of where the spying operations emanated from, who ordered it, why and what would be the culture that led to the incidents that we’ve seen at the IPT (Investigatory Powers Tribunal)”. Another problem with the review, the committee heard, was that it didn’t have the power to look at the role played by other state institutions in monitoring journalists. The IPT disclosed in October that former BBC journalist Vincent Kerney had been subject to surveillance at the same time as Barry McCaffrey in 2011. A barrister for MI5 and GCHQ told the IPT after a secret court hearing that MI5 would need a “number of months” to unearth documentation related to BBC journalism in Belfast and would need to hire security-cleared lawyer to do so. That indicated that “there was an enormous amount of information that MI5 held on the BBC and its journalists,” said Birney. The committee also heard that the Tory MP David Davis, had written to all police forces in the *** to ask if they’d been doing the same thing as the PSNI, but had been met with silence, suggesting that other forces may also be monitoring journalists. Live interception outside scope The MPs heard that the McCullough review is unable to investigate whether journalists were subject to live interception of their phone calls or text messages, leaving a “****** hole” in the review. If journalists are being “spied on on a daily basis or phone calls are being listened to on a daily basis, the McCullough review can’t tell us that,” said McCaffrey. He called on Jon Boutcher, the current chief constable of the PSNI to cooperate with the review, to ensure that McCullough “gets access to every file and every record and that there is no obfuscation or delay.” Judicial strip tease The MPs heard that it was Durham police, not the PSNI that made the most important disclosures to the IPT about surveillance on journalists, including extracts from PSNI’s own files. Seamus Dooley, assistant general secretary of the NUJ, said that the PSNI had engaged in a “form of judicial strip tease”. “Every day you walked in [to the IPT], there was a new little piece [of information] presented. I am an experienced journalist, editor and court reporter and I have never seen evidence presented in that sort of manner before,” he said. McCaffrey said that it was extremely difficult to trust the PSNI to be fully open with the McCullough review. “There had been an incredible amount of delay, obfuscation and denial by the PSNI,” he said. McCaffrey said that trust in the PSNI was being further undermined by a “whispering campaign” which eight years later still continues. “When we were first arrested, someone within the PSNI leadership was briefing that anybody who supported us, whether it was the Irish government or political parties or trade unions would be left with egg on their face,” he said. “This was the phrase that we kept on hearing again and again from different parties, different organisations,” he said. The Belfast based journalists, told the committee that a public inquiry would be the only way to get to the bottom of what they say is a “culture of contempt” for journalists, lawyers, activists and institutions of state within the PSNI. Any public inquiry must be far broader in scope, and look not only at the PSNI but also the Met, because of their recent history of unlawful spying on BBC journalists, the MPs were told. Chilling effect Séamus Dooley told the committee, that the surveillance of journalists was having a chilling effect on press freedom, as journalists weren’t able to assure their sources that they could protect them. Dooley told the committee that the PSNI appeared to think of “journalists as the enemy, think that journalists are criminal, and that any activity which seeks to shine a light is automatically a crime.” He said its “the mindset, which is the problem here… the word that kept coming back to me as I sat in the IPT was contempt, contempt for journalists, contempt for lawyers, contempt for due process.” Source link #Met #Police #spied #BBC #journalists #phone #data #PSNI #MPs #told Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Legs chained, handcuffed: US deportees say shackled on military flight to India – India Today Legs chained, handcuffed: US deportees say shackled on military flight to India – India Today Legs chained, handcuffed: US deportees say shackled on military flight to India India TodayMigrants Are Deported to India on U.S. Military Plane The New York TimesUS plane brings back 104 deported Indians, most from Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana The Indian ExpressIndians deported from US: Future tense for families of Haryana youths Hindustan Times Source link #Legs #chained #handcuffed #deportees #shackled #military #flight #India #India #Today Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Kemi Badenoch says leadership involves ‘tough words’ too Kemi Badenoch says leadership involves ‘tough words’ too Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has defended her internal leadership style, telling the BBC it “isn’t just about telling everybody how great they are”. Earlier this week some Conservative party workers were left unhappy after Badenoch used an all-staff call to say they needed to improve. Asked about the report, she said: “I believe that everyone who works for the Conservative Party need to be fully dedicated to the mission. “If we feel there are people who are doing a great job we will tell them – and when they aren’t, we will do the same.” Asked if she was suggesting some of her staff were useless, Badenoch said: “No, that’s not what I said at all. We want to have a high-performing organisation. “Leadership isn’t just about telling everybody how great they are – sometimes it is about telling them how to improve. “Quite frankly, one of the thing we are seeing in this country is millions of people out of work and not enough people pulling their socks up and getting back on their feet. “We need sometimes to have tough words when people aren’t doing well and words of praise when they are doing well. That’s exactly what I did.” On Tuesday, the Guido Fawkes website reported that Badenoch had told staff at Conservative Central Headquarters they “must do better”. Pressed on whether she was panicking about the challenge posed by Nigel Farage’s Reform *** party, Badenoch said it was not the first time the Conservatives had had low poll ratings. “We need to make sure we understand what is going wrong,” she said. “That is we have just been kicked out of government – the public aren’t going to rush back to us just because Labour are doing badly, we need to rebuild trust with the public. We need to make sure we are fit and ready.” During her time in politics, Badenoch has gained a reputation for being blunt – but speaking to BBC Newscast last year before becoming leader, she said she might have to tone down her approach. Asked about her manner, she said: “I just think I’m saying something that I wouldn’t mind hearing back, so I treat people how I treat myself and, you know, I’ve had even some of my advisers saying, ‘Why did you say that?’ “I have to be mindful that I have a higher tolerance for things than others, and I think part of being a leader is being able to calibrate so that you can help manage other people.” Source link #Kemi #Badenoch #leadership #involves #tough #words Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Sam Kerr says she feared for her life in ill-fated taxi ride, reveals baby’s gender on witness stand Sam Kerr says she feared for her life in ill-fated taxi ride, reveals baby’s gender on witness stand Australia soccer star Sam Kerr has denied she was “drunk and kicking off” in the back of a London taxi before the ill-fated exchange with police that led to her being tried on a racially aggravated public order offence in a British court. On a draining day in the witness box, the Matildas captain relived the racism her family suffered in Australia, spoke of her similar experiences in England and reiterated she and her partner Kristie Mewis were “terrified” and feared they were being “kidnapped” by the cab’s driver. On a lighter note the trial doubled as an unusual gender reveal as Kerr said her American fiancée Mewis was carrying a baby boy, due in May. Kerr took the stand on day three of the trial and faced a demanding last half-hour of cross-examination from top London KC Bill Emlyn Jones, who last month was successfully prosecuting the case of Sara Sharif, a 10-year-old murdered by her father and step-mother. Mr Jones elicited from Kerr an agreement that “you were so drunk you were sick” but denied that she was “kicking off in the back because you were drunk, had misunderstood what was going on and your behaviour became excitable”. Kerr said her memory of the night was “decently good” although she could remember nothing of the driver who was described by the barrister as having a “strong south Asian accent” (which in the *** is likely to mean from the Indian sub-continent). This was relevant as earlier Kerr had told her own counsel, Grace Forbes, she “believed (the police) were treating me differently based on what they perceived was the colour of my skin, particularly PC Lovell”. Police constable Stephen Lovell is the officer Kerr twice called “f***ing stupid and white” in the early hours of January 30, 2023, leading to being charged with racially aggravated harassment with intent to cause alarm or distress. PC Lovell’s attitude “was triggering,” said Kerr. “I felt I had experienced this, people trying to put things on me because of how I look, who I am.” Kerr, mostly composed in demeanour and wearing a white long-sleeved top with her hair tied back, described how she had “witnessed my brother (former West Coast Eagles star Daniel) and father (Roger, who was is Anglo-Indian, and is in court) experience racism because of the colour of their skin”. Racism, she added, had “always been a touchy subject growing up, been prominent in Australia with the Indigenous population. I was about nine or ten when I first witnessed it. I was quite confused, then sad”. At school she was labelled “a trouble-maker when clearly I was not”. Even now, “at a shopping centre, if not dressed correctly, I get followed by security guards or staff”. Kerr explained after a night out in central London she and Mewis tried to call an Uber, which they prefer as the app has a ride-sharing function so friends can track a journey. Unable to do so they took a cab, which Kerr said she normally shuns on safety reasons, noting she had grown up amid speculation “Claremont killer” Bradley Edwards – who was convicted in 2020 for two murders in 1996 and 1997 – was a cabbie. The 40-minute trip home was fine until Kerr, feeling nauseous, put her head out of the window and began vomiting. At this point, she said, the cabbie began shouting and driving “dangerously and erratically,” speeding up and swerving round corners. Neither woman was wearing a seatbelt so they found themselves being thrown around the cab. Kerr said she feared for her life, both scared of crashing and of a male stranger “having power over us”. Mewis became distressed and Kerr said she felt protective. “That is the role I play in the relationship, I am the more masculine one. I am just seen as, for the lack of a better phrase, the man-type role”. When the taxi stopped by a police station and officers arrived she “felt relieved,” but became scared again as she “felt something dodgy was going on, I felt they were trying to get me for criminal damage,” after Mewis had broken a cab window trying to escape. That ultimately led to her abuse of PC Lovell. Of watching the exchange on a video recording she said, “It is hard to watch. I am embarrassed watching that back, the way I was acting, but also watching myself in that much distress.” Mewis will take the stand on Thursday after the cross-examination of Kerr concludes. Source link #Sam #Kerr #feared #life #illfated #taxi #ride #reveals #babys #gender #witness #stand Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Cries Interviewing Man Who Lost Wife And Daughter In American Airlines ****** CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Cries Interviewing Man Who Lost Wife And Daughter In American Airlines ****** CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins became emotional in a heartbreaking interview with a man whose wife and daughter died in the tragic mid-air ****** in Washington, D.C. Andy Beyer joined Collins for an interview on Feb. 4 to talk about the tragedy. “Everyone dies, right? And they live on through our memories. And I want people to have a memory of them so that they live on. So that’s why I wanted to share their story,” Beyer said through tears as Collins began to choke up. Beyer’s daughter Brielle, 12, and wife Justyna were among the 67 victims when American Airlines flight 5342 collided with a U.S. Army ****** Hawk helicopter on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Source link #CNNs #Kaitlan #Collins #Cries #Interviewing #Man #Lost #Wife #Daughter #American #Airlines #****** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Trump to help nuclear energy renaissance: Tema ETFs’ Khodjamirian Trump to help nuclear energy renaissance: Tema ETFs’ Khodjamirian Nuclear energy is set for a “renaissance” that will be accelerated by backing from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. That’s according to Yuri Khodjamirian, chief information officer at Tema ETFs, who noted that the Trump administration is “very, very interested in backing this technology.’ However, he also warned investors that developing this energy source is “going to take time.” New nuclear technology approvals take “10 years to get done,” Khodjamirian said, but added that the nuclear re-emergence will likely be accelerated under the new Trump administration. Speaking to CNBC’s Silvia Amaro on Tuesday’s “Squawk Box Europe,” Khodjamirian said his investment fund has its eyes on firms with a history of developing nuclear technology, such as U.S.-based BWX Technologies, which builds nuclear reactors for military carriers and submarines. Khodjamirian said Tema is being “very selective in a new technology called small scale modular reactors.” Small scale modular reactors (SMRs) are advanced nuclear reactors with the ability to provide around one-third of the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. SMRs take up less physical space compared to conventional reactors and produce a large amount of low-carbon electricity. “There’s a lot of excitement there, and equally, a lot of loss-making companies that have unproven technologies, and we’re going for companies that have projects that are approved,” Khodjamirian said. The nuclear energy renaissance is partly driven by a wave of people that are “realizing that it’s a stable, clean source of energy,” the chief investment officer said, adding that he believes that “there is a need for extra investment” in nuclear, alongside green energy sources that are variable in their electricity production. “Renewables are good. They can be put up to speed quickly, but they require battery storage,” he said. Trump has moved quickly on his energy agenda since his return to the White House. The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed Chris Wright, a fracking executive and a Trump ally, as energy secretary. Wright is a known nuclear energy supporter, having previously served on the board of advanced reactor company Oklo, as well as having held the position of chief executive at Liberty Energy. The energy firm has since appointed a new CEO following Wright’s confirmation as U.S. secretary of energy. In 2023, Wright signed a letter supporting nuclear energy. Digital borders Khodjamirian is also closely monitoring artificial intelligence volatility, after the emergence of China’s Open AI model DeepSeek sparked concerns over how much money big tech companies will invest in AI. European nations have voiced security concerns over DeepSeek. Italy was the first country to block DeepSeek on data protection concerns. France‘s privacy watchdog has expressed concerns and South Korea’s industry ministry has temporarily restricted employee access to the ******** startup’s AI model. Taiwan, meanwhile, banned state departments from using the Beijing-based chatbot, wary of potential security threats from Beijing. The international pushback shows that “no one really knows exactly how to defend digital borders,” according to Khodjamirian. Global concern will “limit the growth of this model, because it’s coming out of China, but it’s clearly showing you that the West needs to be aware that there’s a lot of technical development,” he said. “[But] I do think it redraws some of the lines, and it’ll be interesting to see how the U.S. in particular reacts,” he added. Source link #Trump #nuclear #energy #renaissance #Tema #ETFs #Khodjamirian Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Bondi, as new AG, launches 'Weaponization Working Group' to review officials who investigated Trump – ABC News Bondi, as new AG, launches 'Weaponization Working Group' to review officials who investigated Trump – ABC News Bondi, as new AG, launches ‘Weaponization Working Group’ to review officials who investigated Trump ABC NewsBondi’s DOJ Day 1 directives: Fight weaponization of justice, eliminate cartels, lift death penalty ban Fox NewsAttorney General Pam Bondi orders review of Trump prosecutions, focuses on “sanctuary” cities CBS NewsOn first day as AG, Bondi’s demands ‘zealous advocacy’ of Trump’s agenda The Washington PostVideo Pam Bondi sworn in as attorney general ABC News Source link #Bondi #launches #039Weaponization #Working #Group039 #review #officials #investigated #Trump #ABC #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Supermodel to appeal charity trustee ban Supermodel to appeal charity trustee ban Yasmin Rufo Entertainment reporter Getty Images Campbell said she was not the person “in control” of the charity Supermodel Naomi Campbell is to appeal against her ban on being a charity trustee, claiming that a fake email address was used to impersonate her and gave a false impression of her involvement. In September 2024, the 54-year-old was banned from being a charity trustee for five years after a *** watchdog found a mismanagement of charity funds at Fashion for Relief, which she founded. The model’s representatives claim some documents submitted to an inquiry by The Charity Commission gave a misleading impression of her role in running the *** charity. They claimed there was evidence of a fake email account which they said was used to impersonate Campbell in communications with lawyers. As a result, they said she was therefore not made aware of the allegations being made in the watchdog’s inquiry and did not have the opportunity to answer them. The Charity Commission inquiry found that money raised was being spent on luxury hotels, spa treatments, cigarettes and security. At the time, Campbell said she was “extremely concerned” by the findings and added that she was not the person “in control” of the charity. Her case will come before a tribunal on Friday (7 February). In a statement on Wednesday, Campbell said she wants to “ensure that those responsible are held accountable and justice is done”. ‘Uncover the facts’ Campbell added that she has “fought to uncover the facts” since the commission’s report and “what has been unearthed so far is shocking”. “I want to shine a light on how easy it is to fake identities online and prevent anybody else going through what I have been through. I want to ensure that those responsible are held accountable and justice is done.” Campbell was one of three of the charity’s trustees to be disqualified as a result of the probe last year. Bianka Hellmich and Veronica Chou have been banned for nine years and four years respectively. A probe into Fashion for Relief was opened by the commission in 2021, with the charity dissolved and removed from the register of charities in March 2024. The inquiry, which looked at Fashion for Relief’s expenses between April 2016 and July 2022, found that just 8.5% of funds raised were spent on grants to charity. Some £344,000 has been recovered and a further £98,000 of charitable funds protected, the Charity Commission said in September. Fashion for Relief had been set up with the aim of uniting the fashion industry to relieve poverty and advance health and education, by making grants to other organisations and giving resources towards global disasters. Source link #Supermodel #appeal #charity #trustee #ban Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘I’m pretty optimistic’: Andrew Abdo breathes new life into WA bid, says invitation still open for Donald Trump to attend Vegas games ‘I’m pretty optimistic’: Andrew Abdo breathes new life into WA bid, says invitation still open for Donald Trump to attend Vegas games NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo says he’s “pretty optimistic” that the next NRL franchise will be based in Western Australia, with the Bears remaining a strong chance of being linked with the club. There was speculation that the WA bid would be approved shortly after the Papua New Guinea deal was struck, but that’****** a few hurdles and has slowed down with a state election called for next month. Perth will host a State of Origin match on June 18 at Optus Stadium, with Abdo confident that there’s a strong desire for locals to have a team following the downfall of the Western Reds nearly 30 years ago. Money will be a major sticking point, with Perth presenting an exciting opportunity for TV networks ahead of the new broadcast deal. “I’m pretty optimistic,” he told Breakfast with Vossy and Brandy on SEN. “Western Australia presents a good opportunity for the game. When we had the Western Reds, we had participation numbers of 15,000-20,000 players over there. “When we’ve played matches over there, the response that we get from the community has been overwhelming. “Western Australia presents a great opportunity for the game, not only with fans, but also for player development. “The signs are good. The business case has to stack up, so we need to strike an agreement with the government around infrastructure and grassroots. “The commission is absolutely having a close look at this to make sure we get a business case that’s viable and then we can take it to our stakeholders and members.” Camera IconBears fans desperately want to see their team name associated with the newest franchise. Credit: News Corp Australia The push for a WA team has been strongly linked with the Bears, with North Sydney fans peppering the game’s boss every day with questions on when the famous logo will be back in the NRL. “I live in the northern suburbs so I get this question on average three or four times a day,” Abdo said. “It’s phenomenal. The Bears are a terrific brand, and the North Sydney Bears is a brand that means a lot to a lot of people. “The opportunity to somehow find a way to include that in the competition is definitely at the forefront of the commission’s thinking. “Whether it’s in partnership with WA or whether it’s part of other expansion opportunities, we definitely haven’t forgotten about the Bears. “We’re looking at ways in which they can be included in the NRL rugby league community beyond as the club stands today as a very important club in the NSW state competition.” While expansion remains a key topic going forward, the NRL’s eyes are firmly on Las Vegas where the 2025 season will open next month. Last year’s historic event was a major success, and it should be even ******* this time around with almost 40,000 tickets sold for the festival of footy that includes a women’s Test and a Super League clash. There will be plenty of heavy hitters at Allegiant Stadium, with Abdo hoping to see President Donald Trump there. Trump will become the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl next week and could add rugby league to his schedule if he’s got room in his itinerary. “He’s certainly been invited, and if anyone was going to be able to pull off getting Donald Trump to the stadium, it’s our chairman Peter V’landys,” Abdo said. “I know that he’s reached out. “We’ll make sure that he knows that he’s welcome. If the stars align, we’ll get him in there and it’ll be terrific. “There’ll be plenty of other dignitaries and celebrities there attending because it’s a week (event). It’s not only about rugby league matches – it’s a week of festivities.” Source link #pretty #optimistic #Andrew #Abdo #breathes #life #bid #invitation #open #Donald #Trump #attend #Vegas #games Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Idaho Now Requiring Nonresident Shed Hunters to Buy a License. Montana, Other Western States Eyeing Similar Changes Idaho Now Requiring Nonresident Shed Hunters to Buy a License. Montana, Other Western States Eyeing Similar Changes Big game animals are dropping their antlers across the West. Moose and whitetails have been shedding since January, followed by mule deer in February and elk through March. Shed hunters in the region are already eager to start collecting this spring, but with the growing popularity of shed hunting, wildlife managers in many western states are implementing new rules around it. Starting this year in Idaho, for example, out-of-staters must have a nonresident big-game hunting license to legally collect antlers, even on private land. The new Idaho requirement became law in July, and its intent is to reduce overcrowding on public lands and protect wintering wildlife. It was spurred, in part, by the huge influx of shed hunters to the Gem State in Spring 2023, when many surrounding states had enacted shed-hunting closures due to severe winterkill. “We are trying to cover the cost of impacts to wildlife,” Idaho Department of Fish and Game regional supervisor Dan Garren tells Outdoor Life. “Producing antlers is not our goal. Healthy wild herds are our goal, but that’s where antlers come from. Requiring a nonresident hunting license for shed collection helps us fund management of wild herds and that benefits everybody.” The license required for nonresidents under the new IDFG rule is a base hunting license that costs $185. The only exception to this requirement is nonresidents under 12 who are accompanied by either a resident or a licensed nonresident. There isn’t currently a shed license program in Montana, but legislation introduced Monday seeks to establish such a program. HB533 would require $10 shed hunting licenses for residents, and $50 licenses for nonresidents. Landowners collecting on their own property would not have to buy a license. Read Next: Shed Hunter Finds $10,000 Mule Deer Antler, One of Five Hidden Across the West Idaho isn’t alone in trying to regulate the growing demand for shed antlers, which can add to the stresses facing big-game herds during a vulnerable time of year. Here’s a brief overview of five states in the West that are considering (or have already enacted) new or unique rules for shed hunters. As shed hunting grows in popularity across the West, wildlife managers are trying to reign in the activity with new rules. Photo by RacheleB / Adobe Stock California Shed hunting is allowed on private land and on federal public lands, but it is prohibited on state lands managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Otherwise, there are no special rules or seasons for shed hunting. Colorado Colorado does not currently have a fee-based program for shed hunting. It does, however, maintain a seasonal closure in the western half of the state. All shed and ***** collecting on public lands west of 1-25 is prohibited from Jan. 1 through April 30 each year. Nevada Nevada established a shed-hunting program in 2021. All shed hunters (both residents and nonresidents) are required to carry a collection certificate for specific counties in eastern Nevada between May 1 and June 30. The certificates can be obtained through a free, 30-minute online course. Utah Utah updated its regulations around shed hunting in 2024. Under the new law passed in May, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources now has the authority to set shed-hunting seasons and establish additional rules around the activity. Shed hunters going out between Jan. 1 and May 31 must complete the mandatory Antler Gathering Ethics Course online. Those going out after May 31 do not have to complete the course. Wyoming Under new laws passed in 2023, the Cowboy State requires nonresident shed hunters over the age of 15 to purchase a conservation stamp costing $21.50. Residents don’t need a stamp. They also have a week to collect sheds without competition from nonresidents. Read Next: Conservation Groups, Hunters Fight Off Bill That Would Have Let Wyoming Landowners Sell Their Big-Game Tags for a Profit The Wyoming Department of Fish and Game also has a special antler regulation area in the western part of the state, which includes all land west of the Continental Divide, excluding the Great Divide Basin, and some land west of Laramie. All shed hunting is prohibited in this area from Jan. 1 through May 1. Source link #Idaho #Requiring #Nonresident #Shed #Hunters #Buy #License #Montana #Western #States #Eyeing #Similar Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Attorney General Pam Bondi orders review of Trump prosecutions, focuses on “sanctuary” cities Attorney General Pam Bondi orders review of Trump prosecutions, focuses on “sanctuary” cities In her first hours as attorney general, Pam Bondi issued a broad slate of directives that included a Justice Department review of the prosecutions of President Trump, a reorientation of department work to focus on harsher punishments, actions punishing so-called “sanctuary” cities and an end to diversity initiatives at the department. Bondi was confirmed by the Senate late Tuesday night and was sworn in in front of President Trump by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in the Oval Office Wednesday afternoon. The attorney general established a “weaponization working group” to review Biden administration law enforcement policies. The initial focus of the working group will be the Trump cases in New York — the indictment pursued by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and civil enforcement action brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James — neither of which involved federal prosecutors. The group will also review the two federal cases against Mr. Trump pursued by former special counsel Jack Smith and will examine the prosecutions of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. As the Justice Department has begun collecting information about the FBI agents who worked on Jan. 6 investigations and fired career prosecutors who worked on the cases, Bondi said in her directive that the working group would investigate “improper investigative tactics and unethical prosecutions” versus “good faith actions by federal employees simply following orders.” Bondi is also accusing the Biden administration of targeting Catholic Americans and parents at school board meetings, and abusing the FACE Act — passed in 1994 — which makes it ******** to harm, threaten or interfere with an individual “obtaining or providing reproductive health services” or damage a facility “because such facility provides reproductive health.” These efforts will also be reviewed by the working group. The new group will “review the activities of all departments and agencies exercising civil or criminal enforcement authority in the United States… to identify instances where a department’s or agency’s conduct appears to have been designed to achieve political objectives or other improper aims rather than pursuing justice or legitimate governmental objectives,” Bondi wrote. She added that her department would provide quarterly reports to the White House on the group’s findings. Bondi also targeted sanctuary jurisdictions with an order to end funding to any that “unlawfully interfere with federal law enforcement operations.” She encouraged the department to pursue enforcement actions against sanctuary cities or states that do not comply with the federal government’s immigration efforts. “State and local jurisdictions must comply with applicable immigration-related federal laws,” one memo says, adding that “state and local actors may not impede, obstruct, or otherwise fail to comply with lawful immigration-related directives.” In a separate memo targeting cartels and transnational criminal organizations, Bondi ordered “additional resources and thoughtful charging decisions” to fight ******** drug trafficking and pursue “total elimination” of these groups. Bondi also ended a moratorium on federal executions put in place by former President Joe Biden, who had ended federal executions during his presidency. In 2020, the first Trump administration carried out 10 executions after that had been paused for 17 years. “Going forward, the Department of Justice will once again act as the law demands,” a memo reads, “including by seeking death sentences in appropriate cases and swiftly implementing those sentences in accordance with the law.” The memo emphasizes that prosecutors should seek the death penalty in cases involving the ******* of a law-enforcement officer or a capital crime by an ******** immigrant. Another memo establishes a task force to “prioritize seeking justice” for the victims of the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks in Israel perpetrated by ******, emphasizing that the department is investigating ****** leadership, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and “U.S.-based individuals and entities that provide funding to ******.” Bondi also ended all diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within the Justice Department and ordered full-time return to work for department employees by Monday, Feb. 24. The Justice Department did not disclose the percentage of staff who have been working remotely. Jacob Rosen Jake Rosen is a reporter covering the Department of Justice. He was previously a campaign digital reporter covering President Trump’s 2024 campaign and also served as an associate producer for “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” where he worked with Brennan for two years on the broadcast. Rosen has been a producer for several CBS News podcasts, including “The Takeout,” “The Debrief” and “Agent of Betrayal: The Double Life of Robert Hanssen.” Source link #Attorney #General #Pam #Bondi #orders #review #Trump #prosecutions #focuses #sanctuary #cities Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Singapore Airlines CEO shares how he stays ahead of the competition Singapore Airlines CEO shares how he stays ahead of the competition Singapore Airlines has been ranked as one of the world’s top airlines for decades. In this episode of Managing Asia, Christine Tan sat down for an exclusive interview with CEO Goh Choon Phong to discuss his strategy for staying ahead of increasing competition and ensuring SIA remains a world-class airline. Singapore Airlines has been ranked as one of the world’s top airlines for decades. But it hasn’t all been plain sailing. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, passenger capacity for the airline plummeted from 3.4 million monthly travelers to just 11,000. Steering Singapore Airlines through the crisis was Goh Choon Phong, a 30-year veteran who rose through the ranks and became CEO in 2011. “There were two key objectives to ensure that we emerge stronger. One was to ensure that we have the ability to be the first off the block, to ensure that we have the ability to deploy the capacity whenever a border is opened,” Goh told CNBC’s Christine Tan in the most recent episode of Managing Asia. “The other one is really our internal transformation program. We call it lead the new world. That is to ensure that as we emerge from the pandemic, we continue to offer industry leading services, products, and network for our customers,” Goh added. The airline experienced remarkable growth as it rebounded from the crisis, but it wasn’t long before earnings began to come under pressure as competition rose. “If you compare this year’s half year result relative to the previous year, indeed our yield has come down by about 7%,” Goh said. “But if you compare the yield of the same half year result that we announced to that of the year pre-pandemic, it is still about 12% higher than pre-pandemic,” he said. Goh Choon Phong shared how Singapore Airlines is staying ahead of rising competition, the challenges and hard lessons he has learned and how he intends to keep SIA a world class airline, in his full interview with Managing Asia’s Christine Tan. Source link #Singapore #Airlines #CEO #shares #stays #ahead #competition Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]