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WWE Royal Rumble 2025 results, winners, grades: Jey Uso, Charlotte Flair punch their tickets to WrestleMania – CBS Sports WWE Royal Rumble 2025 results, winners, grades: Jey Uso, Charlotte Flair punch their tickets to WrestleMania – CBS Sports WWE Royal Rumble 2025 results, winners, grades: Jey Uso, Charlotte Flair punch their tickets to WrestleMania CBS SportsWWE Royal Rumble 2025 card, date, matches, rumors, match card, start time, where to watch, location CBS SportsRoyal Rumble winners history: Full list of who won WWE event USA TODAYRoyal Rumble Results Blog WTHRWWE Royal Rumble 2025 Results: Charlotte Flair Wins And Everything That Happened Forbes Source link #WWE #Royal #Rumble #results #winners #grades #Jey #Uso #Charlotte #Flair #punch #tickets #WrestleMania #CBS #Sports Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Peter Dutton confirms Coalition government would not initiate spending audit, doesn’t identify areas for public service job cuts Peter Dutton confirms Coalition government would not initiate spending audit, doesn’t identify areas for public service job cuts Peter Dutton has said a re-elected Coalition government would not launch an independent inquiry to identify areas of inflated government spending, despite the opposition mounting continued attacks on Labor’s expenditure and pledging to reduce government inefficiency in the lead up to the election. Appearing on ABC’s Insiders, the Opposition leader said he would not follow former Liberal Prime Minister Tony Abbott in promising a National Commission of Audit style inquiry, to identify savings and sustainability issues, and instead his government would do it themselves. “We’re not having a similar style audit, but many of us have sat around the expenditure review committee. I was assistant treasurer to Peter Costello many years ago. We know what we’re doing,” he said. “We’re able to hit the ground running, and we’ve worked with the departments, with many of the departmental heads that are there now, and I have no doubt that we’ll be able to find where Labor has put **** into the system that is not helping do anything but drive inflation.” Camera IconPeter Dutton said he would not call for an independent audit of government spending, stating: ‘We know what we’re doing’. NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia While Mr Dutton pledged to cut “wasteful spending,” flagging an influx of 36,000 Canberra-based public servants which he said taxed the budget bottom line with an extra $6bn of recurring expenditure, he didn’t identify specific areas or departments where he would cut staff. He also stressed essential “frontline positions” would be protected. “There are 36,000 additional places that have been put on. I made the point in my speech on Friday that we protect frontline positions, but we’re not going to allow the public service to balloon,” he said. “I don’t think any *********** can say that their lives are easier in terms of their interactions with government agencies because of 36,000 new public servants being employed in Canberra.” Mr Dutton’s comments mirrors similar calls flagged by Elon Musk, who leads Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, and has pledged to cut $2 trillion (AU$3.21 trillion) from the $7 trillion (AU$11.23) US budget. In a key speech on Friday, Mr Dutton also took aim at “culture, diversity and inclusion advisers, change managers and internal communication specialists,” stating the roles did nothing to “improve the lives of everyday Australians”. The comment came just days after Mr Musk wrote: “DEI must DIE” on X, adding that the point of the programs “was to end discrimination, not replace it with different discrimination”. Mr Dutton’s speech was immediately criticised by the Community and Public Sector Union, with national secretary Melissa Donnelly accusing Mr Dutton of taking strategies “straight from the Trump playbook”. “What Mr Dutton fails to comprehend is that a workforce that reflects the public they serve is better able to deliver essential services effectively,” she said. The Coalition’s finance spokesperson Jane Hume said a Coalition government would “stop the growth in this bloated public service”. She pointed to a $250,000 consultant role within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade which offers advice on a “First Nations approach to foreign affairs,” however said the job mirrors the $380,000 position given to First Nations ambassador role given to Justin Mohamed. “We will make sure that essential services are maintained and indeed improved, but there is duplication out there,” she said. “Because as the public sector grows, it grows to unprecedented levels, it actually prevents the private sector getting on and getting ahead. We want to make sure that we have private sector led recovery, because that’s the only way to sustainable economic growth.” Camera IconSenator Jane Hume said there was a lot of “duplication” in the public service. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has been tasked with the shadow portfolio of government efficiencies, who will identify saving opportunities, including consolidating the public service workforce. Citing areas of concern, Senator Price said she would look to audit the “billions of dollars spent in the Indigenous space,” and indicated she would reduce funding given to Welcome to Country ceremonies. Asked if Senator Price’s portfolio was a duplication for finance, Senator Hume said Senator Price was a “warrior for the cause,” adding it wasn’t “unusual” for a Coalition government to have a focus on “reducing government waste and improving government efficiency”. “We’ve had ministers for government efficiency and reducing red tape and improving government services in the past. It’s fantastic to have Jacinta Price as part of the team,” she said. Source link #Peter #Dutton #confirms #Coalition #government #initiate #spending #audit #doesnt #identify #areas #public #service #job #cuts Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Lakers trade Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic in shocking NBA blockbuster with Mavericks and Jazz, per reports – CBS Sports Lakers trade Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic in shocking NBA blockbuster with Mavericks and Jazz, per reports – CBS Sports Lakers trade Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic in shocking NBA blockbuster with Mavericks and Jazz, per reports CBS SportsSources: Mavs trading Luka to Lakers for AD, pick ESPNLakers trade Anthony Davis for Luka Dončić in one of the most shocking deals in NBA history Yahoo SportsLos Angeles Lakers acquire Luka Doncic from Dallas Mavericks for Davis in three-team deal TSNDallas Mavericks trade Luka Doncic to LA Lakers for Anthony Davis The Dallas Morning News Source link #Lakers #trade #Anthony #Davis #Luka #Doncic #shocking #NBA #blockbuster #Mavericks #Jazz #reports #CBS #Sports Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Welcome to the Madhouse: NASCAR hits tiny Bowman Gray Stadium for rough-and-tumble racing – The Associated Press Welcome to the Madhouse: NASCAR hits tiny Bowman Gray Stadium for rough-and-tumble racing – The Associated Press Welcome to the Madhouse: NASCAR hits tiny Bowman Gray Stadium for rough-and-tumble racing The Associated PressClash gives 53-year-old modified racer chance to live NASCAR Cup dream NBC Sports Source link #Madhouse #NASCAR #hits #tiny #Bowman #Gray #Stadium #roughandtumble #racing #Press Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

NBA blockbuster trade: Luke Doncic traded for Anthony Davis in monster deal between LA Lakers and Dallas NBA blockbuster trade: Luke Doncic traded for Anthony Davis in monster deal between LA Lakers and Dallas The NBA has been shocked to its core by one of the biggest surprise trades in the league’s history, with Luka Doncic set to join LeBron James at the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis shipped to Dallas. The trade stunned the basketball world and changed the shape of the competition just days before the trade deadline, with Doncic – considered one of the best players on the planet and in his prime at age 25 – heading to Hollywood. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Mavericks will give up Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. Doncic just last season led the Mavs to the NBA finals. More to come Source link #NBA #blockbuster #trade #Luke #Doncic #traded #Anthony #Davis #monster #deal #Lakers #Dallas Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Costco, Teamsters reach tentative contract agreement, avoiding a strike – WLOS Costco, Teamsters reach tentative contract agreement, avoiding a strike – WLOS Costco, Teamsters reach tentative contract agreement, avoiding a strike WLOSStrike averted at Costco CBS NewsCostco Raises Pay To Over $30 An Hour For Non-Union Employees, Leaving 18,000 Union Members Waiting ForbesCostco reaches deal with union after hiking nonunion pay to over $30 an hour The Washington Post Source link #Costco #Teamsters #reach #tentative #contract #agreement #avoiding #strike #WLOS Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Hello Kitty Island Adventure Nintendo Switch physical release confirmed, pre-orders open Hello Kitty Island Adventure Nintendo Switch physical release confirmed, pre-orders open Hello Kitty Island Adventure Nintendo Switch physical release revealed that includes extras, and pre-orders are open now. Source link #Kitty #Island #Adventure #Nintendo #Switch #physical #release #confirmed #preorders #open Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Royal Rumble results, live match coverage – Cageside Seats Royal Rumble results, live match coverage – Cageside Seats Royal Rumble results, live match coverage Cageside SeatsWWE Royal Rumble 2025: Jey Uso, Charlotte Flair win men’s and women’s Rumbles ESPNBiggest Surprise Returns from each Royal Rumble Match WWEWWE Royal Rumble 2025 live results: Jey Uso, Charlotte win; highlights and analysis USA TODAYWWE Royal Rumble 2025 Results: Cody Rhodes Snaps, Destroys Kevin Owens Forbes Source link #Royal #Rumble #results #live #match #coverage #Cageside #Seats Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Kirby: Planet Robobot Rumored For A Nintendo Switch Launch Later This Year, Report Suggests Kirby: Planet Robobot Rumored For A Nintendo Switch Launch Later This Year, Report Suggests Nintendo’s 3DS action-platformer, Kirby: Planet Robobot, is set for a Nintendo Switch launch later this year, based on a new rumor. Source link #Kirby #Planet #Robobot #Rumored #Nintendo #Switch #Launch #Year #Report #Suggests Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

David Benavidez-David Morrell live updates, results and analysis – ESPN David Benavidez-David Morrell live updates, results and analysis – ESPN David Benavidez-David Morrell live updates, results and analysis ESPNWho is on David Benavidez vs David Morrell fight card? Full undercard including Isaac Cruz TennesseanDavid Benavidez vs. David Morrell Jr. fight prediction, odds, undercard, start time, preview, where to watch CBS SportsDavid Benavidez vs. David Morrell full card results, schedule for 2025 boxing fight Sporting NewsDavid Benavidez vs. David Morrell preview: Benavidez’s heart can’t be questioned after taking this risk Yahoo Sports Source link #David #BenavidezDavid #Morrell #live #updates #results #analysis #ESPN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

inKonbini, The Japanese Slice of Life That is Desperately Needed inKonbini, The Japanese Slice of Life That is Desperately Needed Zach discusses the upcoming title inKonbini: One Store, Many Stories and why it is one of his most anticipated indie titles this year. Source link #inKonbini #Japanese #Slice #Life #Desperately #Needed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

A coup, a film and an unlikely family A coup, a film and an unlikely family A blindfolded camel walks in a circle powering a traditional sesame oil press on the dusty outskirts of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. That opening and recurring scene in “Khartoum” is a metaphor for the African and Arab nation that has had less than a year of elected government since gaining independence nearly 70 years ago. Perhaps no place on earth has experienced as many military coups as Sudan in the last half century. It has become a never-ending loop. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this week, a first for a Sudanese production. The directors and producers sat for an interview with the Deseret News at a Park City hotel, talking about the production they intended to make and how the outbreak of yet another war forced them to change direction. “Khartoum” directors Ibrahim Snoopy, Rawia Alhag, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed and Anas Saeed, from left, arrive to the Park City Hostel in Park City on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, for the world premiere of their film at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the Sudanese directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Sundance provided them a chance to showcase their talents and exposed audiences to the plight of Sudan that has gone underreported in the West. “We can be the voice of Sudanese people. We can ask the world to stand with us. We can ask the world to look at Sudan, to take care of what’s happening there,” Rawia Alhag, one of the directors, said in Arabic, with translation from Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, another director. It was during a ******* of relative calm in 2022 that the young Sudanese filmmakers set out to make “a piece of poetic cinema, a poem about the city,” said British director Phil Cox. “Khartoum” directors Anas Saeed, left, and Timeea Mohamed Ahmed are interviewed by Awards Radar journalist Shane Slater on Zoom, along with the two other Sudanese directors, at the Salt Lake Plaza SureStay Hotel in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Strategically located where the Blue Nile and White Nile rivers meet to form the Nile River, Khartoum is the economic and cultural center of Sudan where the traditional and modern coexist. Alhag, Ahmed and two other filmmakers, Anas Saeed and Ibahim Snoopy, joined with Cox to chronicle the lives of five people in the city: a civil servant, a tea stall owner, a resistance committee volunteer, and two young boys collecting plastic bottles for money. The project was almost finished in April 2023 when the city erupted into civil war between two powerful military factions: the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The roots of the conflict trace back to the complex political and military landscape following the ousting of long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Through its long history of conflict, war had never touched the 6.3 million residents of Khartoum. “Khartoum” directors Anas Saeed, left, and Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, right, are interviewed by Awards Radar journalist Shane Slater on Zoom, along with the two other Sudanese directors, at the Salt Lake Plaza SureStay Hotel in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. This is the four Sudanese directors’ first time in the United States, after arriving to the Salt Lake City airport on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” director Ibrahim Snoopy is interviewed by Awards Radar journalist Shane Slater on Zoom, along with the three other Sudanese directors, at the Salt Lake Plaza SureStay Hotel in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. This is his and the three other Sudanese directors’ first time in the United States, after arriving to the Salt Lake City airport on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” director Anas Saeed shows off his “director” patch on his Sundance Film Festival jacket at a Montana Film Office party on Main Street in Park City on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” Sudanese director Timeea Mohamed Ahmed adjusts his custom jacket featuring a patch depicting the Sudanese flag, designed by Sudanese brand Paanchi, after receiving his Sundance Film Festival credential outside DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Park City on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” Sudanese director Rawia Alhag receives her Sundance Film Festival credential outside DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Park City on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” director Anas Saeed puts his arm around his fellow directors while waiting for the bus to go to Main Street in Park City on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. This is his, and the three other Sudanese directors’, first time in the United States and first time seeing snow. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News The ongoing fighting, including a drone strike that killed 70 people at a hospital last week, triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and has claimed 20,000 lives and displaced over 11 million people, according to the United Nations. Sudan also is confronting a growing famine with widespread starvation and surging malnutrition. “Khartoum” director Rawia Alhag looks outside at the snow shortly after arriving to the Park City Hostel in Park City on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Fleeing war-ravaged Sudan The filmmakers were among those who ultimately fled the country, using all their film production money. “It was a hard decision because we didn’t flee by choice. It was by force. We stayed for more than six months. We didn’t see the end of this so we had to escape,” Saeed said in Arabic, with translation from Ahmed. “Khartoum” Sudanese directors Ibrahim Snoopy, left, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, center, and “Khartoum” editor Yousef Jubeh, right, leave after a night of parties on Main Street in Park City on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Traumatized and malnourished, they regrouped in Nairobi, Kenya, to decide whether to continue the film “as an act of resistance, as a statement,” Cox said. To do that, they would have to get their five subjects to Kenya, a dangerous proposition for people whose identification documents were burned or taken from them. Over several months, often without means of electronic communication, the four Sudanese directors located Majdi, the civil servant; Khadmallah, the tea lady; Jawad, the resistance committee member; and Wilson and Lokain, the inseparable young bottle collectors. Using some creative means, they managed to get them to Nairobi. All of them wanted to tell their stories amid a new reality. For the next six months, the filmmakers and participants lived together, shopped together, cooked together. They talked about what they had witnessed in Khartoum. Professional therapists helped them process the trauma. They became the unlikeliest of families. Majdi, Khadmallah, Jawad, Wilson and Lokain never would have met in Sudan. “It would be like a ****** kid from the projects in the Bronx living now with a banker from Long Island,” Cox said. But it became a safe space for them to share their harrowing experiences. Sudanese director Ibrahim Snoopy, left, Sudanese director Rawia Alhag, center, editor Yousef Jubeh, front right, and director Phil Cox, back right, dance at a party celebrating the world premiere of their documentary “Khartoum” that screened at the Egyptian Theatre earlier that day in Park City on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News An unlikely family affair With war raging, it was too dangerous to film in the country. The filmmakers had no footage of the five people they were following. They decided to ask them to reenact their experiences of conflict and exile in front of a green screen. But rather than just give them instructions, each director first took a traumatic moment in their own escape and reenacted it in front of the participants. “It was a very difficult thing because we all lived the same situation,” Saeed said. “They were willing to open up then, telling us their stories because it happened to all of us.” War became a catalyst that galvanized the filmmakers and participants in a united purpose, said Giovanna Stopponi, a producer. “Khartoum” director Rawia Alhag, center, looks at fellow director Phil Cox, off camera, as “Khartoum” producer Giovanna Stopponi, left, embraces director Anas Saeed, right, after the four Sudanese directors arrived to the Park City Hostel in Park City on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, for the world premiere of their film at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time the team has seen each other since March 2024. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “It was a mix of living together and producing,“ Ahmed said. ”It was very fascinating for me personally. I’ve never been in a production like that even in Sudan.” Associate producer Yousef Jubeh said the group spent so much time together that opening up became natural. “It wasn’t so much about we have to film,” he said. “It’s more of a healing session.” The reenactments were not just solo efforts. The participants brought each other in to play roles in their scenes. Jawad and Majdi became RSF soldiers as Wilson and Lokain recounted the army gunning down people in front of them. Jawad mourns as Majdi plays his friend killed in the fighting. Majdi and Jawad are soldiers threatening to kill Khadmallah. “There wasn’t four separate stories. Everyone appears in everyone else’s story,” Cox said. “Khartoum” director Ibrahim Snoopy, editor Yousef Jubeh, director Rawia Alhag, director Phil Cox, director Anas Saeed, producer Giovanna Stopponi, and director Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, from left, pose for a team photo after the four Sudanese directors arrived to the Park City Hostel in Park City on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, for the world premiere of their film at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time the team has seen each other since March 2024. The team and the subjects in the film lived in three apartments next door to one another for six months during filming in Nairobi, Kenya, from October 2023 to March 2024. The four Sudanese directors and five Sudanese subjects in the film had to flee Sudan to Nairobi, Kenya, after war broke out during filming. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” editor Yousef Jubeh, center, pretends to be surprised when “Khartoum” Sudanese directors Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy, Anas Saeed and Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, from left, gift him a custom ring from Sudan to show their appreciation for his work on the film in their room at the Park City Hostel in Park City on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. The Sudanese directors gave Yousef his gift early because he was in the room while they were packaging up the jewelry to give to the film team. The gifts include custom rings showing where the White and Blue Niles meet at Khartoum and traditional Sudanese women’s earrings called Qamar Boba designed by a Sudanese brand Paanchi. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” editor Yousef Jubeh, center, pretends to be surprised when “Khartoum” Sudanese directors Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy, Anas Saeed and Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, from left, gift him a custom ring from Sudan to show their appreciation for his work on the film in their room at the Park City Hostel in Park City on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. The Sudanese directors gave Yousef his gift early because he was in the room while they were packaging up the jewelry to give to the film team. The gifts include custom rings showing where the White and Blue Niles meet at Khartoum and traditional Sudanese women’s earrings called Qamar Boba designed by a Sudanese brand Paanchi. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” editor Yousef Jubeh hugs “Khartoum” Sudanese directors Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy, Anas Saeed and Timeea Mohamed Ahmed after they gifted him a custom ring from Sudan to show their appreciation for his work on the film in their room at the Park City Hostel in Park City on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. The Sudanese directors gave Yousef his gift early because he was in the room while they were packaging up the jewelry to give to the film team. The gifts include custom rings showing where the White and Blue Niles meet at Khartoum and traditional Sudanese women’s earrings called Qamar Boba designed by a Sudanese brand Paanchi. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” Sudanese director Rawia Alhag tries on a custom ring from Sudan, showing where the White and Blue Niles meet at Khartoum, while she packages up rings and earrings to gift to the film team for their work on “Khartoum” in her room at the Park City Hostel in Park City on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. The four Sudanese directors gifted the film team custom rings showing where the White and Blue Niles meet at Khartoum and traditional Sudanese women’s earrings called Qamar Boba designed by a Sudanese brand Paanchi. The Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” Sudanese directors Anas Saeed, back left, and Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, center, practice what they will say when they give the entire film team gifts from Sudan to show their appreciation for everyone’s work on the film in their room at the Park City Hostel in Park City on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. The gifts include custom rings showing where the White and Blue Niles meet at Khartoum and traditional Sudanese women’s earrings called Qamar Boba designed by a Sudanese store, brand Paanchi. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Reenacting their stories of survival and freedom through dreams, revolution and civil war triggered painful memories for the participants. The directors came out from behind the camera to give them a consoling hug when they broke down in tears. “Having five directors can be your worst nightmare but there was a ******* picture where everyone was engaged emotionally. They really lost everything. There was a ******* picture of war going on and that put the film in a different context,” Cox said. The change in direction also gave the filmmakers a cause to solicit funds to complete it. “From a production point of view, it wasn’t just a beautiful, lyrical poem, a nicely crafted poem about the city of Khartoum. It became something else. That gave us the opportunity to go ahead and get international support,” Stopponi said. “Khartoum” director Anas Saeed jumps for joy while exploring Park City after arriving on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. This is his, and the three other Sudanese directors’, first time in the United States and first time seeing snow. Typical temperatures in Nairobi, Kenya, where they live, in January range from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. They were told they would need coats in Park City, so they purchased winter coats at an outdoor gear store in Nairobi before traveling for 24 hours from Nairobi to Park City. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Coming to America In Utah, the Sudanese filmmakers experienced a series of firsts: snow, Taco Bell, 7-Eleven. But nothing they saw was unexpected. They’d seen it all in American movies. “There is nothing not in the movies. It’s the same. That’s what cinema is for. I’m in Sudan, a 21 hours flight away and I know about all these people and cities and towns,” Ahmed said. “That’s the power of cinema. They influence us. We know them but they don’t know us.” “Khartoum” directors Anas Saeed, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, Ibrahim Snoopy, and Rawia Alhag, from left, order at Taco Bell in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. This is the Sudanese directors’ first time in the United States, after arriving to the Salt Lake City airport on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. They paid for their meals using a $100 bill, because they are only using cash while in the country. The four directors ate at Taco Bell for the first time the day prior, on Monday Jan. 20, 2025, and wanted to come back. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” directors Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, left, Rawia Alhag, center, and Ibrahim Snoopy, right, pile together their cash before paying with a $100 bill at Taco Bell in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. The four directors ate at Taco Bell for the first time the day prior, on Monday Jan. 20, 2025, and wanted to come back. This is the Sudanese directors’ first time in the United States, after arriving to the Salt Lake City airport on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. They took out cash at a bank in Nairobi, Kenya, where they live, before traveling to the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” directors Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, left, and Ibrahim Snoopy, right, eat lunch with fellow Sudanese directors Anas Saeed and Rawia Alhag at Taco Bell in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. This is the Sudanese directors’ first time in the United States, after arriving to the Salt Lake City airport on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. They paid for their meals using a $100 bill, because they are only using cash while in the country. The four directors ate at Taco Bell for the first time the day prior, on Monday Jan. 20, 2025, and wanted to come back. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” director Ibrahim Snoopy browses souvenirs at the Salt Lake Plaza SureStay Hotel in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. This is his and the three other Sudanese directors’ first time in the United States, after arriving to the Salt Lake City airport on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” director Timeea Mohamed Ahmed packs up his markoub shoe, a traditional Sudanese shoe worn by men, as he prepares to leave the Salt Lake Plaza SureStay Hotel in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, to travel to Park City for the film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is his and the three other Sudanese directors’ first time in the United States, after arriving to the Salt Lake City airport on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. They traveled for 24 hours to be in Park City for the festival. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” director Ibrahim Snoopy looks out the window at the Wasatch Mountains as he packs up his clothes to leave the Salt Lake Plaza SureStay Hotel in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, to travel to Park City for the film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is his and the three other Sudanese directors’ first time in the United States, after arriving to the Salt Lake City airport on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. They traveled for 24 hours to be in Park City for the festival. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” directors Ibrahim Snoopy, left, and Anas Saeed, center, load luggage into a taxi at the Salt Lake Plaza SureStay Hotel in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, to travel to Park City for the film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is their, and the two other Sudanese directors’, first time in the United States, after arriving to the Salt Lake City airport on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. They traveled for 24 hours to be in Park City for the festival. Only two of the directors had their luggage with them. Sudanese directors Anas Saeed and Rawia Alhag’s luggage was lost in Paris, France, where they had their layover from Nairobi, Kenya, to Salt Lake City. It finally arrived, in damaged condition, to the Park City Hostel at night on Jan. 21, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” directors Anas Saeed, left, and Rawia Alhag, right, enjoy the snow while exploring Park City after arriving on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. This is their, and the two other Sudanese directors’, first time in the United States and first time seeing snow. Typical temperatures in Nairobi, Kenya, where they live, in Jan. range from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. They were told they would need coats in Park City, so they purchased winter coats at an outdoor gear store in Nairobi, Kenya, before traveling for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” director Ibrahim Snoopy picks out donuts at the Fresh Market to bring back to the Park City Hostel where him and the three other Sudanese directors are staying in Park City on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. The directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” director Ibrahim Snoopy shops for “Park City” shirts at the Fresh Market in Park City on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” director Rawia Alhag, right, hands fellow director Anas Saeed, left, orange juice at the Fresh Market to bring back to the Park City Hostel where they and the two other Sudanese directors are staying in Park City on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. The directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” director Anas Saeed tries on a winter hat at the Fresh Market in Park City on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time the four Sudanese directors have seen snow. Typical temperatures in Nairobi, Kenya, where they live, in Jan. range from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” director Anas Saeed pays for a winter hat with a $100 bill using cash he withdrew from a bank in Nairobi, Kenya, where he lives, at the Fresh Market in Park City on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time the four Sudanese directors have seen snow. Typical temperatures in Nairobi, Kenya, where they live, in Jan. range from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” director Anas Saeed kicks snow in the air while waiting for the bus to go to Main Street in Park City on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. This is his, and the three other Sudanese directors’, first time in the United States and first time seeing snow. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Adds Snoopy, “We came to America through movies and you go to Sudan through our movie.” After Sundance, the filmmakers are going to Washington, D.C., to present “Khartoum” on Capitol Hill. They also hope to show it at the United Nations in New York. “Khartoum” Sudanese director Rawia Alhag, left, waits at a bus stop to head to a photo shoot at the L.A. Times Studio on Main Street with the other “Khartoum” directors in Park City on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “We just want to raise that voice. A lot of people are suffering. I think the peak of it is to reach out to world leaders then they can come up with a plan to help end this war,” Snoopy said. The vast majority of films never reach an audience. The filmmakers didn’t want that to happen with “Khartoum.” Cox had a “random thought” to submit it to Sundance. Rather than reach out to connections he had with the festival, he simply submitted a rough cut online. Journalists capture directors Ibrahim Snoopy, Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Phil Cox and Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, from left, jumping on the red carpet before the world premiere of their documentary, “Khartoum,” at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News An email later arrived from Sundance asking the filmmakers if they could get on a phone call. The invitation sent them scrambling to prepare for what they thought they might be asked. On the call, they each gave their rehearsed answers. The person on the other end went silent: “Actually, my question was are you going to be able to come?” That sent the directors and producers into a frenzy to polish the film and raise money to travel to Park City. They credit the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID — a federal agency that falls under President Donald Trump’s pause on much U.S. foreign aid — and other donors for helping support the project. “Khartoum” directors Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, Rawia Alhag, Phil Cox, Anas Saeed, and Ibrahim Snoopy, from left, pose while L.A. Times photographer Jason Armond, far left, takes their photograph at the L.A. Times Studio in Park City on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” director Ibrahim Snoopy puts on a jalabiya, a traditional Sudanese garment worn by men, for a photo shoot at the L.A. Times Studio in Park City on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” director Rawia Alhag puts on a thobe, a traditional Sudanese garment worn by women, for a photo shoot at the L.A. Times Studio in Park City on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” Sudanese director Ibrahim Snoopy sits down after a photo shoot at the L.A. Times Studio in Park City on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Sudanese directors Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, left, and Ibrahim Snoopy, right, walk with their fellow directors on Main Street to the Egyptian Theatre with the Sudanese flag for the world premiere of their documentary, “Khartoum,” the first Sudanese film at the Sundance Film Festival and the directors’ first feature-length documentary, in Park City on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. The film chronicles the lives of five citizens of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, that were forced to leave Sudan following the outbreak of war. The Sudanese directors and subjects in the film had to flee from Sudan to Nairobi, Kenya, after war broke out during filming. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Sudanese director Timeea Mohamed Ahmed walks on Main Street with his fellow directors to the Egyptian Theatre with the Sudanese flag for the world premiere of their documentary, “Khartoum,” the first Sudanese film at the Sundance Film Festival and the Sudanese directors’ first feature-length documentary, in Park City on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. The film chronicles the lives of five citizens of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, that were forced to leave Sudan following the outbreak of war. The Sudanese directors and subjects in the film had to flee from Sudan to Nairobi, Kenya, after war broke out during filming. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News A journalist records Sudanese directors Ibrahim Snoopy, Rawia Alhag, Anas Saeed, and Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, from left, posing with the Sudanese flag on the red carpet before the world premiere of their documentary “Khartoum” at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the Sudanese directors’ first time in the United States. The film chronicles the lives of five citizens of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, that were forced to leave Sudan following the outbreak of war. The Sudanese directors and subjects in the film had to flee from Sudan to Nairobi, Kenya, after war broke out during filming. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” Sudanese director Anas Saeed, center, and fellow directors look out at the audience before the world premiere of their documentary “Khartoum” at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the Sudanese directors’ first time in the United States. The film chronicles the lives of five citizens of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, that were forced to leave Sudan following the outbreak of war. The Sudanese directors and subjects in the film had to flee from Sudan to Nairobi, Kenya, after war broke out during filming. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” Sudanese director Ibrahim Snoopy, right, speaks to the audience with his fellow directors onstage before the world premiere of their documentary “Khartoum” at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the Sudanese directors’ first time in the United States. The film chronicles the lives of five citizens of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, that were forced to leave Sudan following the outbreak of war. The Sudanese directors and subjects in the film had to flee from Sudan to Nairobi, Kenya, after war broke out during filming. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News The “Khartoum” film team looks out as the audience claps after the world premiere of their documentary “Khartoum” at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the Sudanese directors’ first time in the United States. The film chronicles the lives of five citizens of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, that were forced to leave Sudan following the outbreak of war. The Sudanese directors and subjects in the film had to flee from Sudan to Nairobi, Kenya, after war broke out during filming. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Sudanese director Ibrahim Snoopy decompresses after speaking onstage during a Q&A after the world premiere of his documentary “Khartoum” at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the Sudanese directors’ first time in the United States. The film chronicles the lives of five citizens of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, that were forced to leave Sudan following the outbreak of war. The Sudanese directors and subjects in the film had to flee from Sudan to Nairobi, Kenya, after war broke out during filming. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” Sudanese director Ibrahim Snoopy, center, talks to people at a Montana Film Office party on Main Street in Park City on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” Sudanese director Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, left, and “Khartoum” director Phil Cox, right, walk on the bus to head to Main Street in Park City on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the four directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “Khartoum” directors Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, Ibrahim Snoopy, Phil Cox, Rawia Alhag, and Anas Saeed, from left, walk to the Sundance Film Festival Merch Store after a photo shoot at the in L.A. Times Studio on Main Street in Park City on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. The four Sudanese directors traveled for 24 hours from Nairobi, Kenya, to Park City for their first feature-length documentary film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the first time that the festival is premiering a Sudanese film, and the Sudanese directors’ first time in the United States. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News “The film was and is an opportunity. An opportunity that we can tell our narrative. The current, historical and the coming narrative in a poetic way that people can feel something towards it, not just numbers, not a report,” Ahmed said. “We need the world to know and we felt responsible for that. It wasn’t just a production. It was the only chance that we can tell the Sudan story for the whole world.” “Khartoum” director Phil Cox, left, producer Giovanna Stopponi, center, and Sudanese director Anas Saeed, right, FaceTime Khadmallah, a teal stall owner in the documentary now living in Nairobi, Kenya, on the day of the film’s premiere at the Park City Hostel in Park City on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. The Sudanese directors FaceTimed every participant in the documentary on the day of the film’s premiere. The film chronicles the lives of five citizens of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, that were forced to leave Sudan following the outbreak of war. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News There’s no place like home Cox said he hopes audiences see a bit of themselves in “Khartoum.” “The film works so well because it has such a holistic, human sphere for each character. They’re all complex individuals like all of us in the room. They’re funny. They have dreams. They mess up,” he said. Sudanese filmmakers Saeed, Alhag, Snoopy and Ahmed still live in Nairobi as do Khadmallah, Wilson and Lokain. Alhag, the only woman among the directors, has become the boys’ guardian. Jawad and Majdi live in Egypt. “Khartoum” Sudanese directors Timeea Mohamed Ahmed and Anas Saeed FaceTime Jawad, a resistance committee volunteer in the documentary now living in Cairo, Egypt, on the day of the film’s premiere at the Park City Hostel in Park City on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News The fighting in Sudan had dragged on for nearly two years now. Unlike wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the conflict in Sudan doesn’t make the nightly news. But it’s always on the minds of the filmmakers and their five subjects. Khartoum is their home. It’s an emotional space. It’s a memory space. They might have lost their physical homes but the sights, sounds and smells are always part of them. Everyone in the film carries something of Khartoum with them and the filmmakers have brought it back out, Cox said. And they long to be back there. “Our dream is not just to return to Khartoum,” Alhag said. “Our dream is that the camel stops circling.” “Khartoum” director Anas Saeed writes the name of his film on the window of his hotel room at the Salt Lake Plaza SureStay Hotel in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, before leaving for Park City for the film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Source link #coup #film #family Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

John Calipari greeted with chorus of boos in return to Kentucky, but Arkansas gives him last laugh – Yahoo Sports John Calipari greeted with chorus of boos in return to Kentucky, but Arkansas gives him last laugh – Yahoo Sports John Calipari greeted with chorus of boos in return to Kentucky, but Arkansas gives him last laugh Yahoo SportsCalipari faces mixed reaction with return to Rupp Arena but comes out with big win 89-79 WLKY Louisville5 keys that defined Calipari’s Kentucky basketball legacy ESPNFive things you need to know from No. 12 Kentucky’s deflating 89-79 loss to Arkansas Lexington Herald LeaderWhy did John Calipari leave Kentucky? Explaining former coach’s decision to join Arkansas Courier Journal Source link #John #Calipari #greeted #chorus #boos #return #Kentucky #Arkansas #laugh #Yahoo #Sports Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Donkey Kong Country Returns review – Frozen in Time | TechStomper Donkey Kong Country Returns review – Frozen in Time | TechStomper “Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is the almost entirely the same critically acclaimed game as its 2010 release – for better and for worse.” – Stuart Cullen, TechStomper Source link #Donkey #Kong #Country #Returns #review #Frozen #Time #TechStomper Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

How LA fires devastation will change the Grammys this year How LA fires devastation will change the Grammys this year Samantha Granville, Emma Vardy & Christal Hayes BBC News Reporting fromLos Angeles, California Getty Images The week leading up to the Grammy Awards is typically a star-studded seven days. It is filled with exclusive parties that draw some of music’s top talents from across the globe – producers, singers, agents and musicians – all to the epicentre of the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. But nearly all of that is non-existent this year. Even the hallmark rowdy after-parties have been cancelled. There were questions over whether the Grammys ceremony, the “Oscars for Music,” would even go on as planned on Sunday after Los Angeles saw its most devastating fire disaster ever recorded – blazes that were only fully doused on Friday after burning for 24 days. Twenty-nine people have died and more than 16,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed – with whole neighbourhoods now ash. Many artists and industry professionals are among those who lost homes, studios and equipment. In the muted lead-up to the show, efforts usually put toward parties have gone instead toward fundraising efforts. Showrunners say the ceremony itself will also look different. To cancel the show or not? The Recording Academy, which runs the show, said the show is needed more than ever. Trustees say the evening will double as a charitable event to raise money and honour both the victims and the emergency responders who risked their lives. But it will look different than years past. Showrunners are looking to strike the right tone honouring the victims of the fire and displaying a defiant Los Angeles that will persevere. But there is concern the optics of rich celebrities dolled up with smiles on a red carpet could come off as tone deaf. Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said that the show include a reimagined format, scaled-back red carpet and a more reflective tone. He highlighted the economic impact, noting that thousands rely on Grammy-related work, particularly in the service industry. He framed the event as a symbol of resilience, arguing that cancelling would not benefit the city or music industry. “Cancelling, pushing, moving does not accomplish what us standing together” does, Mr Mason argued in a webcast. The show will be “unifying and coming together, honouring music, but also using the power of music to heal, rebuild and provide services to people who need it”. “I think this might be one of the most important Grammy weeks we’ve ever had.” Mr Mason told the New York Times that they consulted a range of public officials about whether they should hold the event – including the city’s mayor and California Governor Gavin Newsom – and whether it would hinder fire response efforts. “They strongly suggested that we continue forward with hosting the event,” he told the outlet. “Everyone said there’s nothing good that comes from postponing.” But there are still worries that the night will be a bad look for the music industry. “I actually don’t think that the Grammys should be happening,” Elyn Kazarian, a creative director in the music industry, told the BBC. “It’s just very weird to me that there are going to be celebrities on a red carpet wearing expensive clothes while people in other parts of the city are suffering and whose livelihoods have been destroyed.” Will the show look different? Showrunners say the fires will be a theme that runs throughout the ceremony and the city of Los Angeles will be centre stage. Ben Winston, one of the three executive producers of the show, told the New York Times that the awards will “make LA a character in the night of Grammys” and the show would pay tribute to first responders. A big aim of the show will be fundraising for fire relief efforts. Just days before the show, another big music event in the city raised millions for rebuilding efforts. The FireAid concert, hosted in two LA arenas with more than two dozen musical acts, raised more than $60 million in ticket sales alone. The Grammys will run for a staggering eight hours and hand out 94 awards, recognising everything from best pop album to best choral performance. Beyoncé and Taylor Swift will both be in attendance as they square off in the album of the year category for the first time since 2010 – which Swift won that year. There will also be performances from Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Benson Boone, Shakira, Stevie Wonder, Teddy Swims and Raye – and an in memoriam tribute to Thriller producer Quincy Jones. Getty Images Katy Perry preformed her iconic “California Girls” at the FireAid show to raise funds after the LA fires Previous tragedies have impacted the Grammys This is not the first time a major disruption has impacted the music industry’s biggest night. In 2021, the show was postponed due to Covid-19 and was significantly altered to accommodate safety protocols. It featured a socially distanced format, with no live audience and pre-recorded performances in an intimate outdoor setting rather than the usual large-scale arena production. Artists had to adjust to a new way of promoting their music, relying on digital platforms rather than in-person Grammy week events, which were either cancelled or moved online. “I wouldn’t necessarily compare the COVID pandemic to what’s happening here,” senior music writer for Variety, Steven J Horowitz, told the BBC. “COVID lasted for so long and the effects were devastating for years. People had to cancel major releases, and everything shifted to a digital space.” He said the fires are different. “The industry has reacted in real time. It’s not as widespread as a worldwide pandemic, so people are a little more flexible on how to properly react and help those affected,” he said. How the industry has been impacted Artist Manager Dani Chavez told the BBC that the fires have affected many people working in LA’s music industry. “I know multiple musicians who lost their gear”, Chavez said. “I know stylists who work in music who lost their houses, who had costumes and whatnot. I know musicians who are born and raised in LA who lost their house.” There is also a ripple effect in the industry on those not personally impacted by the fires. The week of events before the show helps new musicians and allows them to break out in a crowded market – getting time with top executives and those at major record labels. “Visibility is very important for artists,” Mr Horowitz told the BBC. “Say you’re a Best New Artist nominee who is relatively unknown to the public – being on these platforms and at these parties is a really big look if you’re trying to get your music out in front of the industry. It really does help.” One of the most sought-after parties is Spotify’s event honouring the nominees for Best New Artist of the year. It is half party, half concert, with previous nominees showcasing their new music, and celebrities from all parts of the entertainment industry there to celebrate. Following the fires, Spotify chose to cancel this year’s event. “We’ve decided that the most impactful approach is cancelling all our Grammy Week events, including our annual Best New Artist party, and redirecting funds to support efforts to reach local fans and charitable organizations,” Spotify’s Global Head of Music Partnerships and Audience Joe Hadley wrote in an announcement. The music industry and the Grammys are deeply rooted in Los Angeles, and though the city is going through a devastating *******, it has reinforced a sense of community, especially in the music industry. “Even if people lost everything, they still have hope. And I think that feeds into what we’re going to see in the music industry in the future,” Mr Horowitz said. “People aren’t going to flee Los Angeles because of this one thing. It’s not going to stop L.A. from being one of the main hubs for music in the world.” Source link #fires #devastation #change #Grammys #year Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

What we could see in a potential February 2025 Nintendo Direct What we could see in a potential February 2025 Nintendo Direct NE: “We look at all the potential announcements we could see if we were to get a final Switch-centered Nintendo Direct in February 2025.” Source link #potential #February #Nintendo #Direct Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

'Fentanyl is America's problem': China denounces tariff 'Fentanyl is America's problem': China denounces tariff Beijing will challenge US President Donald Trump’s tariff on ******** imports at the World Trade Organization and take unspecified “countermeasures”. Source link #039Fentanyl #America039s #problem039 #China #denounces #tariff Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Super Mario RPG official soundtrack release revealed, pre-orders open Super Mario RPG official soundtrack release revealed, pre-orders open VGChartz’s Stephen LaGioia: “Being a polished remake of an already delightful experience, Super Mario RPG is a can’t-miss offering for veterans and newcomers alike. RPG newbies should appreciate the smoothing of its rougher edges, while returning players will no doubt like the added battle features which add some depth. The remake impresses most in terms of a spruced-up presentation and (relatively) more involved combat dynamics, but still adheres closely to traits that made the original so appealing. Some refinements and QoL improvements give the game a sensibility more bound to the current decade, but the pacing and linearity can still feel very ‘90s in some ways — for better and worse. While feeling more “evolutionary” instead of “revolutionary” overall, this enriching Mario journey is still as memorable as ever, and makes a terrific swan song for the Switch.” Source link #Super #Mario #RPG #official #soundtrack #release #revealed #preorders #open Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Obama Center subcontractor files $40M discrimination lawsuit against engineering firm for overruns Obama Center subcontractor files $40M discrimination lawsuit against engineering firm for overruns A Chicago-based subcontractor is suing one of the firms involved in managing the construction of the Obama Presidential Center for $40 million, claiming racial discriminatory practices forced the firm to do extra work that left it at risk of bankruptcy, according to a lawsuit. Robert McGee, the owner of II in One, which provided concrete and rebar services for the center starting in 2021, filed the lawsuit in federal court last month against New York-based Thornton Tomasetti, which oversees structural engineering and design services for the $830 million project. McGee claims that Thornton Tomasetti changed standards and imposed new rules around rebar spacing and tolerance requirements that differed from the American Concrete Institute standards, which resulted in “excessively rigorous and unnecessary inspection” and massive overruns. Former President Obama and his presidential center Obama Breaks Ground In Chicago For Massive Presidential Center Project This, McGee, claims, incurred extensive paperwork that impacted productivity and resulted in millions in losses, according to the lawsuit. However, Thornton Tomasetti defended its actions nearly a year ago, writing in a memo to the lawsuit that the subcontractors were “questionably qualified,” and the delays were due to their own shortcomings. Read On The Fox News App The Obama Presidential Center is being built near Jackson Park in Chicago, and will consist of a planned museum, library, community and conference facilities. The center will house the nonprofit Obama Foundation, which is overseeing the center’s development and operates a scholarship program through the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. McGee claims Thornton Tomasetti falsely accused II in One of lacking sufficient qualifications and experience to perform its work, while stating that non-*********-owned contractors were sufficiently qualified. He is seeking to be paid back for roughly $40 million in construction costs the firm covered itself along with its joint venture partner, Concrete Collective. “In a shocking and disheartening turn of events, the African American owner of a local construction company finds himself and his company on the brink of forced closure because of racial discrimination by the structural engineer,” the lawsuit reads. In a memo, Thornton Tomasetti shared images of cracked slab and exposed rebar. “II in One and its joint venture partners… was subjected to baseless criticisms and defamatory and discriminatory accusations by the Obama Foundation’s structural engineer, Thornton Tomasetti. However, Thornton Tomasetti claimed in an attached February 2024 memo that construction costs and delays “were all unequivocally driven by the underperformance and inexperience” of that subcontractor, II in One. In a memo, Thornton Tomasetti shared images of cracked slab and exposed rebar. In the memo, Thornton Tomasetti tells Obama Foundation leadership that it spent hundreds of hours reviewing, analyzing, re-designing and responding to corrective work and that contractors caused “a multitude of problems in the field.” Chicago South Side Residents Say They’re Being Displaced By Obama Center: Causing ‘Harm To ****** Families’ Thornton Tomasetti said the challenges with the concrete were due solely to the performance of the contractors. “We cannot stand by while contractors attempt to blame their own shortcomings on the design team,” the memo states. The memo goes on to state that Thornton Tomasetti and an architectural firm “bent over backwards to assist what everyone knows was a questionably qualified subcontractor team in areas where more qualified subcontractor would not have required it.” The Obama Presidential Center under construction in the 6000 block of South Stony Island Avenue on Aug. 10, 2023. The project has faced problems in the past. Construction was initially anticipated to get underway in 2018, but it was kicked back to 2021. It is scheduled to open sometime in 2026. Some community activists claim the new center will cause prices for homes and rent to increase and may price many of those who live in the area. Environmental activists have also been critical of the project, arguing that it would remove too many trees and destroy some bird habitats. Activists threatened to sue to block developments, but the plan to build the center was approved shortly after a lawsuit was filed, according to Newsweek. The Supreme Court denied the request to hear the case in 2021. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, left, joins former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama in a ceremonial groundbreaking at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park on Sept. 28, 2021, in Chicago, Illinois. Obama has said he hopes the center would help promote the city’s South Side and bring Chicagoans together. The Democrat downplayed those controversies during his 2021 groundbreaking speech at the site saying that the center will “plant new trees” and “provide new habitats for birds and wildlife.” Fox News Digital contacted the Obama Foundation, Thornton Tomasetti and II in One for comment but did not receive responses before publication. Fox News’ Michael Lew contributed to this report. Original article source: Obama Center subcontractor files $40M discrimination lawsuit against engineering firm for overruns Source link #Obama #Center #subcontractor #files #40M #discrimination #lawsuit #engineering #firm #overruns Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

DeepSeek A.I. Is a Win for China, but a Danger to Party Control DeepSeek A.I. Is a Win for China, but a Danger to Party Control In 2017, China watched in awe — and shock — as AlphaGo, an artificial intelligence program backed by Google, defeated a ******** prodigy at a complex board game, Go. The decisive loss to a foreign computer program, which had similarly trounced a South Korean player, was a sort of Sputnik moment for China. That year, ******** officials laid out a bold plan to lead the world in A.I. by 2030, pledging billions to companies and researchers focused on the technology. From this fervor emerged DeepSeek, the largely unknown ******** start-up that upended the technology landscape by creating a powerful A.I. model with far less money than experts had thought possible. DeepSeek is private, with no apparent state backing, but its success embodies the ambitions of China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, who has exhorted his country to “occupy the commanding heights” of technology. Mr. Xi wants the ******** economy to be powered not by old growth engines like debt-fueled real estate and cheap exports, but by the most advanced technologies like A.I., supercomputing and green energy. For Mr. Xi, this moment helps dent the aura of superiority the United States has held in A.I., a critical field in a fierce superpower rivalry. China has cast itself as a benevolent global partner to developing countries, willing to share its know-how, with Mr. Xi saying that A.I. should not be a “game of rich countries and the wealthy.” Now, DeepSeek has shown that it might be possible for China to make A.I. cheaper and more accessible for everyone. The question, though, is how the ruling ********** Party manages the rise of a technology that could one day be so disruptive that it could threaten its interests — and its grip on power. ******** regulation of A.I. has varied in intensity over the years, depending on where the country assesses its strengths and weaknesses. When the ******** government was worried it had fallen behind the United States in 2022 after the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, it took a more hands-off approach that ultimately allowed ventures like DeepSeek and others to thrive. Now that the pendulum has swung the other way, that confidence in the industry could prove to be a “double-edged sword,” said Matt Sheehan, who studies ******** A.I. as a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The party’s “core instincts are toward control,” Mr. Sheehan said. “As they regain confidence in China’s A.I. capabilities, they may have a hard time resisting the urge to take a more hands-on approach to these companies.” As if to underscore that possibility, DeepSeek’s founder, Liang Wenfeng, was invited to a discussion with Premier Li Qiang on Jan. 20, the same day that the company released its latest and most powerful A.I. model, known as R1. Mr. Liang’s attendance was all the more remarkable considering DeepSeek had not been considered one of China’s so-called A.I. Tigers. That distinction is reserved for high-profile firms like Zhipu AI, a Beijing-based start-up that has received substantial state investment. DeepSeek is no stranger to the party’s urge to interfere; that may have inadvertently played a role in its eventual success. DeepSeek had originally trained its A.I. models to make bets on the ******** stock market. But when regulators targeted such behavior, it pivoted in 2023 to advanced A.I. to conform with China’s industrial policy. Then it stunned the world by rivaling the performance of its American competitors despite using far fewer of the advanced computer chips that are hard for China to obtain — a technological feat that until recently had not been available. At home, ******** commentators have held up DeepSeek’s achievement as evidence that U.S. restrictions on exports of A.I. chips to China are ultimately futile (even though the company’s founder has said such limits are a major concern). Even the recent allegations by OpenAI that DeepSeek improperly harvested its data to build its models have not deterred its fans in China, who accuse the San Francisco company of spreading rumors. “The U.S. technological sanctions on China have left China with no choice but to develop,” said Sun Chenghao, a foreign relations expert at Tsinghua University in Beijing, echoing a popular sentiment in China. “We can only rely on ourselves.” A.I. holds a special place in Mr. Xi’s vision of China’s rise, with its potential to help the country overcome many of its biggest challenges like its shrinking work force. China has used facial recognition and algorithms to supercharge its ability to surveil its people and snuff out dissent. The technology is also factoring into China’s military modernization with autonomous weapons systems and even battlefield strategy. DeepSeek’s development could also advance China’s geopolitical goals. DeepSeek uses an open source model, meaning anyone can peer under its hood and use its technology, unlike leading American companies that use more expensive proprietary software. “The low cost and open source nature of DeepSeek’s model bolsters the ******** government’s narrative that China is the place developing countries can look to for A.I. solutions,” Mr. Sheehan said. How big a player China becomes on the global stage in A.I. could ultimately depend on how the government decides to balance regulations with the freedom that companies and researchers need to do cutting-edge work that allows them to compete with the United States. Some analysts like Gregory C. Allen, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former U.S. defense official, said there were most likely no restraints on A.I. development when it comes to China’s military. “The only thing holding them back is performance,” said Mr. Allen, who in his former job held talks with members of the People’s Liberation Army responsible for assessing the risks of A.I. The same does not hold true for regulating A.I. in the private sector. The landscape there is dictated by the competing priorities of China’s regulatory agencies, each feeling their way around a technology that many in the world still do not fully understand. It is clear that the more widely used a technology is, the more the party will want to rein it in. In 2023, just months after ChatGPT set off an investment frenzy over artificial intelligence, China issued rules aimed at controlling what ******** chatbots say to users, requiring them to reflect “socialist core values” and avoid information that undermines “state power.” In the case of DeepSeek’s chatbot, this has led to awkward responses to seemingly benign questions like, “Who is Xi Jinping?” Researchers testing its capabilities have found that the bot gives answers that spread ******** propaganda and even parrot disinformation campaigns. Some concerns are more existential in nature. A growing chorus of scholars have been sounding the alarm about the potentially catastrophic consequences of losing human control over A.I. Chief among those voices has been Andrew Yao, a giant in A.I. at Tsinghua University and a recipient of the Turing Award, the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for computing. His influence helped establish what China calls the Global AI Governance Initiative, which was introduced by Mr. Xi in 2023 and included a call to always keep A.I. under human control. Last year, the government also called for the enhancement of A.I. governance “on the basis of human decision-making and supervision.” Ultimately, A.I. in China may only advance as far as the government decides it can mitigate those risks, said Barath Harithas, an expert on A.I. policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. “Overregulation and the need to adhere to ‘core socialist values’ could risk neutering A.I.’s potential,” Mr. Harithas said. Source link #DeepSeek #A.I #Win #China #Danger #Party #Control Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Kentucky vs. Arkansas score: John Calipari leads Razorbacks over former team in triumphant Rupp Arena return – CBS Sports Kentucky vs. Arkansas score: John Calipari leads Razorbacks over former team in triumphant Rupp Arena return – CBS Sports Kentucky vs. Arkansas score: John Calipari leads Razorbacks over former team in triumphant Rupp Arena return CBS SportsCalipari faces mixed reaction with return to Rupp Arena but comes out with big win 89-79 WLKY LouisvilleVIDEO: John Calipari, Adou Thiero, D.J. Wagner postgame press conference – Arkansas 89, Kentucky 79 Rivals.com – Arkansas5 keys that defined Calipari’s Kentucky basketball legacy ESPNJohn Calipari greeted with chorus of boos in return to Kentucky, but Arkansas gives him last laugh Yahoo Sports Source link #Kentucky #Arkansas #score #John #Calipari #leads #Razorbacks #team #triumphant #Rupp #Arena #return #CBS #Sports Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Barclays customers hit by third day of payment issues Barclays customers hit by third day of payment issues Getty Images Barclays customers are entering a third day of issues with payments and transactions as the bank struggles to fix ongoing technical issues. On Friday when the outage began, customers told the BBC they were having trouble with mobile and online banking and making essential payments. It is not believed to be a cyber attack and the bank has not yet explained what caused the problem, nor how many people are affected. Barclays is one of the ***’s largest banks, with over 20 million *** retail customers. On Saturday, the website downdetector, which monitors outages, showed nearly 5,000 issues had been reported with Barclays, more than double the number reported on Friday. On Saturday afternoon, Barclays’ website said problems with its app and online banking were ongoing, and warned customers that they may face issues making and receiving payments. “Your balance may be incorrect and some payments you made or are expecting to receive may not show,” read the message on the bank’s website. The website also told customers that their high street branches may not be able to assist with all queries “due to issues we’re facing”. Getty Images Friday, which was pay day for many people in the ***, was the deadline for self-assessment tax returns. Some Barclays’ customers have said they were unable to make their payments to HMRC. A statement from HMRC said it is working closely with the bank to minimise the impact on those submitting self-assessments. It confirmed that issues related to the Barclays outage will not result in late payment penalties as these do not apply until March 1. Barclays has apologised and said it will “ensure that no impacted customer is left out of pocket”. On X, the bank advised customers facing difficulties accessing their money to seek support from friends and family or to get in touch with food banks. In response to one user who said they were unable to access their account, the bank posted a link to the Trussell Trust, a charity which runs food banks nationally. Emily from Exeter told the BBC that she is spending the weekend on a friend’s sofa after being unable to move into her new house. “I’m effectively homeless with my two children and two cats,” she said, adding that her children were staying with family. “My removal van is abandoned with everything I have in it,” the 44-year-old said. “I’m a single mother who has worked incredibly hard for this and to be left homeless is indescribable.” In a statement issued on Saturday, a spokesperson for Barclays said the bank was “extremely sorry” and that it was “working hard to fix the issue”. “Some may continue to see an outdated balance, and payments made or received may not show. Customers should not try to make the payment again”, they said. “Customers can use their cards and withdraw cash, use our app and online banking, and as soon as these remaining issues are resolved, we’ll let our customers know”. It added: “We are keeping our call centres open for longer this weekend and we will be proactively contacting customers who may be vulnerable”. Source link #Barclays #customers #hit #day #payment #issues Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Schmid has first win for *********** team at Cadel race Schmid has first win for *********** team at Cadel race An outstanding one-two combination from the *********** Jayco AlUla cycling team has helped Mauro Schmid to win the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. The reigning Swiss champion took over from the groundwork laid by *********** teammate Chris Harper and soloed to the win on Sunday at Geelong. It is the first time since the race started in 2015 that the only *********** WorldTour team has won the men’s race. Their last winner in the women’s Cadel Evans race was Annemiek van Vleuten in 2017. Asked where this rated in his career, Schmid told the Seven Network “pretty close to the top”. After he broke away with about 7km left in the 183.8km race, his gap to the chase group hovered at around 10 seconds and at times it did not look enough. But Schmid, one of the major pre-race favourites, rode superbly on the tricky finishing straight along the Geelong waterfront to beat New Zealander Aaron Gate (XDS Astana) by three seconds. Gate took out the eight-rider sprint for second as New Zealander Laurence Pithie (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe), the defending champion, finished third. Schmid prevailed in hot, unsettled conditions, with the temperature in the high 30s and thunder in the area. Italian rider Andrea Raccagni Novieri went clear early in the race, building a lead of seven minutes. But the peloton’s lack of concern proved justified when he was swallowed up on the first of four climbs up the steep Challambra Hill landmark, with 70km left. *********** Olympic track gold medallist Oliver Bleddyn (ARA national team) and Belgian Pieter Serry then attacked and were caught inside 50km to go. Soon after, Harper joined a four-rider break and with 26km left, he went clear by himself. Early on the last of the four city circuits in Geelong, Harper still led the peloton by 41 seconds. He was caught on Challambra, inside the last 10km, and handed over to Schmid. The Swiss attacked the diminished lead group a couple of kilometres later. Schmid and Harper attacked together late in the decisive fifth stage at Adelaide’s Tour Down Under earlier this month, but were caught before the Willunga Hill climb. Jayco AlUla suffered a blow on Friday when Luke Plapp was ruled out of the race due to wrist surgery. Source link #Schmid #win #*********** #team #Cadel #race Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Divine, the Digital and the Political at Humanity’s Largest Gathering The Divine, the Digital and the Political at Humanity’s Largest Gathering High above the millions of Hindu pilgrims walking the grounds of the Maha Kumbh Mela, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India beams down from giant billboards and posters as far as the eye can see. Elsewhere, there are life-size cutouts of the leader, luminous at night, with his hands folded in greeting. The Maha Kumbh, a spiritual festival widely considered the largest gathering of humanity, is taking place this year in the city of Prayagraj, where the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers meet. Hindus believe that a third, mythical river called the Saraswati joins them there. Throngs of devotees take a dip in the holy waters in the belief that doing so will purge them of sins and grant them salvation. It is a mesmerizing spectacle. There are ash-smeared monks, naked ascetics, priests with vermilion paste on their foreheads, ordinary pilgrims, tourists with selfie sticks, awe-struck foreigners, entertainers, small vendors and big advertisers. It is also a feat of urban planning, an overnight megalopolis built on land borrowed from the receding Ganges in the state of Uttar Pradesh, with tents, toilets, roads, streetlights and even automated ticket vending machines. For Mr. Modi and his close ally Yogi Adityanath, the hard-line Hindu monk who is the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the Maha Kumbh provides a marketing opportunity like no other. It is a platform to show off India’s achievements — and therefore their own — before a rapt citizenry and a watching world. The political sensitivity of the event was apparent this past week when 30 pilgrims died and 90 were injured in a stampede, according to official counts. Mr. Adityanath appeared to try to minimize the episode, as it took him nearly 15 hours to acknowledge that people had died and to provide a death toll. Mr. Modi expressed grief and offered help, but otherwise kept a distance from the tragic news. For him, the Kumbh represents an important opportunity to advertise himself as the man who will transform India into a well-governed, efficient, tech-savvy and business-friendly heavyweight. A positive picture of the festival also helps Mr. Modi, a Hindu nationalist, to satisfy a desire among his right-wing base to promote a glorious Hindu cultural and religious past. Mr. Modi “is someone who has mixed religion and politics, religion and state,” said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, an author who has followed the rise of the Hindu right as it has sought to uproot the secular foundation laid down by India’s Constitution. Keenly aware of the importance of image, Mr. Modi has enhanced his power by projecting himself not only as a political leader, but also as the caretaker of Hindu traditions. He is both the prime minister and “the head priest of Hinduism in the entire country” performing rituals familiar to many Hindus in public settings, Mr. Mukhopadhyay said. Mr. Modi is expected to take his holy dip at the Maha Kumbh on Wednesday, the same day that the capital, New Delhi, holds regional elections. The media spotlight on him that day will spill over to his Bharatiya Janata Party as it contests the election. Mr. Adityanath has been equally active in seeking political advantage from the spiritual event. Last month, Mr. Adityanath, who has been seen at times as a potential successor to Mr. Modi, held a special cabinet meeting for state ministers in Prayagraj. There, they announced infrastructure projects and bathed at the confluence of the rivers — yet another sign, Mr. Mukhopadhyay said, of the increasingly blurred lines between religion and state. A week later, after the stampede, Mr. Adityanath worked to spin the disaster as showcasing the prowess of the Maha Kumbh’s rescue operations. The Kumbh Mela and other ritual bathing events have been around for centuries. Hindu legend holds that when gods and demons fought over a pitcher, or “kumbh,” of the nectar of immortality, the gods spilled drops in four places — each an Indian city that holds a Kumbh Mela every 12 years. For decades, the festival was overseen largely by various orders of Hindu monks. But governments have long been facilitators, ensuring that the events are orderly and safe. Kumbh Mela festivals have steadily increased in size over the decades, from a total attendance of a few million people to hundreds of millions, as better infrastructure and facilities attracted more pilgrims. The central and state governments earmarked hundreds of millions of dollars for this year’s event, called the Maha Kumbh, or “Great” Kumbh, because it coincides with a rare celestial alignment last seen 144 years ago. The festival began in mid-January and will end late this month. Government involvement is inevitable given the vastness of the pilgrimage, but “people don’t come to the Mela because it’s advertised or promoted by the government,” said Diana L. Eck, a professor emerita at Harvard Divinity School who worked on a 2015 study called, “Kumbh: Mapping the Ephemeral Mega City.” Still, Mr. Adityanath has gone to great lengths to pitch this year’s festival as a tourist event, with Kumbh “experience” packages, luxury tents and efforts to attract celebrity guests. As he made it a P.R.-driven affair, some attendees said he had distracted from the essence of the festival. “Politicians should do politics and saints should do their religious work,” said Narender Kumar Sahoo, a pilgrim from the state of Madhya Pradesh who runs a grocery store in his village. The stampede also led to criticism from opposition parties that Mr. Adityanath’s courting of wealthy and influential attendees came at the cost of arrangements for ordinary pilgrims. Amanda Lucia, a professor in the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of California-Riverside, has attended the Kumbh Mela many times. Dr. Lucia recalled being astounded during her first visit to a smaller version of the Kumbh in 1997, boarding a packed train from the Indian city of Varanasi to Prayagraj, where she was forced to sit under a sink for the roughly three-hour journey. Promotion of the event, both domestically and globally, increased significantly after Mr. Modi came to power in 2014, Dr. Lucia said. In 2019, months before Mr. Modi was elected to a second term, he and Mr. Adityanath upgraded a “half” Kumbh Mela that occurs every six years into a so-called full Kumbh, a move meant to win support for his campaign. “A lot of people were calling it the ‘government Kumbh’” and complaining that the overtly political ploy had cheapened the event, Dr. Lucia said. One major change for this year’s Kumbh is its heavy marketing as a cultural and developmental showcase — “The Greatest Show on Earth” for Hinduism — rather than as a religious event. The state has highlighted how revenue from commerce associated with the festival will add to official coffers. The government of Mr. Adityanath has wowed devotees by showering them with rose petals dropped from helicopters. Billboards and digital displays trumpet the government’s investments in infrastructure. Officials share endless data points, including the number of bathers and foreign tourists, feeding the hype. State government posters have advertised the Maha Kumbh as “divine, grand, digital” — a modern twist for a country that sees itself as a model of homegrown high-tech innovation. Digital technology has made it far easier for people to find their way around the temporary city. QR codes provide links to hotels, food, emergency assistance and the Mela administration authorities. Nestled among those offerings is a code with a link to the “achievements” of the state government. Officials said they were using sophisticated technology powered by artificial intelligence to monitor and manage crowds. At the lost-and-found center, workers have been using facial recognition technology to track missing people. Private companies have supplied artificial intelligence software that can record specific information like the number of people taking holy dips at a certain hour, said Ashok Gupta, a police inspector overseeing the Integrated Command and Control Center. The software can also determine the inflow and outflow of people in a certain area and manage the risk of overcrowding by redirecting people, although that system could not stop this week’s stampede. For many of the millions of pilgrims, however, the marvel of the Maha Kumbh Mela is neither political nor organizational. Dharmendra Dubey, 28, walked for miles toward the confluence of the rivers, reaching the waters after dark. As he toweled off after his dip, shivering as the temperature hit the low 50s, Mr. Dubey, who works in a private bank, said he felt energized. Despite the long walk, he said he could go into the cold water again. “No tiredness now,” Mr. Dubey said. “It’s gone.” Source link #Divine #Digital #Political #Humanitys #Largest #Gathering Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

WWE Royal Rumble 2025 results: Live updates, recap, grades, highlights, matches, card, start time – CBS Sports WWE Royal Rumble 2025 results: Live updates, recap, grades, highlights, matches, card, start time – CBS Sports WWE Royal Rumble 2025 results: Live updates, recap, grades, highlights, matches, card, start time CBS SportsWWE Royal Rumble 2025: Jey Uso, Charlotte Flair win men’s and women’s Rumbles ESPNWWE Royal Rumble 2025 live results: Jey Uso, Charlotte win; highlights and analysis USA TODAYWWE Royal Rumble 2025 Results: Cody Rhodes Snaps, Destroys Kevin Owens ForbesWWE Royal Rumble 2025 predictions, card, matches, start time, PPV preview, location, date, expert picks CBS Sports Source link #WWE #Royal #Rumble #results #Live #updates #recap #grades #highlights #matches #card #start #time #CBS #Sports Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]