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Trump signs sweeping executive orders that overhaul U.S. education system Trump signs sweeping executive orders that overhaul U.S. education system Jan. 29 (UPI) — President Donald Trump signed several sweeping executive orders on Wednesday to overhaul the American education system, primarily by removing so-called progressive ideologies from school hallways and classrooms. The executive orders come as Trump has railed against the U.S. education system, accusing it of indoctrinating children in radical anti-American, racist and gender ideologies. However, critics swiftly condemned the executive orders as being an attack on LGBTQ students and on the accurate teaching of U.S. history, specifically concerning slavery and racial injustice. Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schools The executive order titled Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schools threatens to withhold federal funding for “******** and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools,” including based on gender ideology and the undefined and vague “discriminatory equity ideology.” The order calls for schools to provide students with an education that instills “a patriotic admiration” for the United States, while claiming the education system currently indoctrinates them in “radical, anti-American ideologies while deliberately blocking parental oversight.” Without proof, the order claims that students are forced to adopt “identities as either victims or oppressors solely based on their skin color” and “made to question whether they were born in the wrong body.” “These practices not only erode critical thinking but also sow division, confusion and distrust, which undermine the very foundations of personal identity and family unity,” the order states. The order threatens to sanction schools that support LGBTQ students, but specifically trans students, by promoting what it calls “social transition” — meaning acceptance of a student’s gender identity. Schools that provide trans students with psychological or psychiatric counseling, modify their names, use pronouns to reflect their gender identity, permit them to use gender facilities that match their gender identity or allow them to participate in athletic competitions on gendered teams that reflect their gender identity will have federal funding threatened, it said. The legality of some of its directives were unclear, with civil rights organization Lambda Legal calling it “patently unconstitutional nonsense” designed to demean transgender and LGBTQ students by denying their existence. It said the order encourages mistreatment and bullying of the ********* students. By forcing schools to inform parents when a student chooses an identity that does not match their birth sex, the executive order also exposes them to abuse at home, it said. “Lambda Legal is taking a hard look at the details of this horrific executive order,” Nicholas Hite, the McDonald/Wright senior attorney at Lambda Legal, said in a statement. Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ political lobby in the United States, described the executive order as dictating to children, parents and schools what they can and cannot read and learn and who they can and cannot be. “They want to limit the ability to talk about the very existence of LGBTQ+ people in our schools and keep all our children from being taught an honest, accurate history of our nation,” HRC President Kelley Robinson said in a statement on Blue Sky. And Advocates for Trans Equality described the executive order as an attempt to paint those who believe in equity and respect for trans students as anti-American. “The scapegoating of trans students and developmentally appropriate curricula is from an old playbook,” A4TE Executive Director Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen said in a statement emailed to UPI. “This executive order does not change the law, but it sends a harmful message to trans young people and could make school harder for students who are already struggling to get through each day.” Like Lambda Legal, A4TE said its lawyers will look over the executive during the next few days and stand ready “to use every resource at our disposal, from Capitol Hill to the courts, to defend the rights of all students, parents and teachers who deserve to feel safe and welcome at school.” Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism A second executive order, Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism, involves several federal departments, including the Department of Homeland Security, to combat anti-Semitism in universities, which across the United States saw mass pro-Palestine protests amid Israel’s war against ****** in Gaza. Among the directs is the calling for schools to monitor and report the protest activities of “alien students and staff” in order to investigate and deport them “if warranted.” “Anti-Semitism has no place in America,” Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on X. “President Trump took an important step today by showing that non-citizen criminals involved in hate speech against Jews following the horrific October 7 attacks in Israel must leave.” However, Radhika Sainath, a senior staff attorney for Palestine Legal, told The New York Times that the Trump administration was targeting people based on their support of ************ rights. “And they’re trying to drag all federal department into it,” she said. Meanwhile, the pro-Israel Jewish lobby Anti-Defamation League welcomed the executive order, saying “there must be real consequences for those commit violent crimes.” “Obviously, any immigration-related ramifications must be consistent with due process and existing federal statutes and regulations and should not be used to target individuals for their constitutionally protected speech,” it said in a statement. Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families A third executive order, Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families, seeks to make available federal funding to expand education options for private, faith-based or public charter schools. The executive order argues that “well-designed education-freedom programs” improve student achievement while causing nearby public schools to improve their performance. “When our public education system fails such a large segment of society, it hinders our national competitiveness and devastates families and communities,” it said. Source link #Trump #signs #sweeping #executive #orders #overhaul #U.S #education #system Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Asia-Pacific markets mostly rise after Wall Street gains overnight – CNBC Asia-Pacific markets mostly rise after Wall Street gains overnight – CNBC Asia-Pacific markets mostly rise after Wall Street gains overnight CNBCView Full Coverage on Google News Source link #AsiaPacific #markets #rise #Wall #Street #gains #overnight #CNBC Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Aussies take more big wickets before rain comes down Aussies take more big wickets before rain comes down Australia are eyeing a convincing win in the Test series opener against Sri Lanka as more big wickets tumbled on a bright start to day three in Galle. But the tourists will hope tropical Sri Lankan showers don’t dampen their hopes of another productive day, with rain forcing the covers on just before lunch. Mitch Starc (2-13) and Matt Kuhnemann (2-48) disposed of Sri Lanka’s strike weapon Kamindu Mendis and captain Dhananjaya de Silva as Sri Lanka went to lunch at 5-136. The follow-on will surely be in consideration for the tourists, who are 518 runs ahead of their hosts on a pitch starting to offer assistance to the bowlers. One more scalp and Sri Lanka will be into their own bowlers, with wet weather forcing the session to finish 15 minutes early and denying Australia more scalps. Dinesh Chandimal (63no) offered resistance for the hosts, who had fallen to 3-44 at stumps on day two and were in desperate need of his positive intent. The 35-year-old wore a bouncer from Starc on his hip and needed medical attention on-field but fought on for a 31st Test half-century. He looms as the crucial wicket for Australia’s bowling attack, having made his highest Test score – an unbeaten 206 – in the sides’ last meeting in Galle in 2022. Kusal Mendis (10no) is unbeaten next to Chandimal. But teammates Kamindu Mendis and de Silva threw their wickets away earlier in the first session. Starc did well to extract some swing from the ball during the session and enticed Mendis into poking down the leg-side, where he was caught by Alex Carey. Mendis (15) had scored five centuries last calendar year, including an unbeaten 182, the last time Sri Lanka hosted at Galle in September. De Silva (22) advanced on Kuhnemann but missed the left-arm offspinner’s length ball and found himself stumped by Carey. Axed from the Test team for the series opener, Sam Konstas watched the third day’s play from the team hotel after coming down with a stomach bug. The team is confident the issue is not serious. Australia confirmed legspinner Tanveer Sangha would join the Test squad in Galle as their second development player after Ollie Peake, but is not expected to be considered for selection. Source link #Aussies #big #wickets #rain Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

What’s The Difference Between McDonald’s Quarter Pounder And The Deluxe Version? What’s The Difference Between McDonald’s Quarter Pounder And The Deluxe Version? Clever fast food experts have come up with creative ways to improve their meals, like the simple bun hack that will upgrade any McDonald’s sandwich or ordering McDonald’s secret menu items. To upgrade a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder, however, all you need to do is order from the menu. The Quarter Pounder Deluxe has all the features of the original burger — a quarter pound of beef topped with onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and cheese on a sesame seed bun — with the addition of shredded lettuce, three Roma tomatoes, and ******* mayo. The additional ingredients slightly increase the price and the calorie count of the fan favorite burger. While other McDonald’s burgers use frozen patties, for both the Quarter Pounder and the Deluxe version, the patties are cooked fresh on the grill when you order them. It stands to reason that non-frozen burger patties are generally juicer and fresher tasting than flash frozen patties that have been sitting in the freezer for a couple of weeks. If you haven’t tried every Mickey D’s sandwich yet, do yourself a favor and check out every McDonald’s burger ranked worst to best. Read more: Every McDonald’s Burger, Ranked Worst To Best The Timeline Of The Quarter Pounder Quarter Pounder with Cheese box – Ben Gingell/Shutterstock In 1971, McDonald’s franchise owner Al Bernardin (who owned multiple restaurants in Fremont, California) created the Quarter Pounder, named for the weight of its precooked burger patty. He felt there was a need for a burger that had more meat than bun, and it turns out he was right. The quarter pound burger was highly successful and became a trademarked menu item sold at McDonald’s around the world. In 2018, in an effort to compete with other fast food restaurants (like Wendy’s) who were using fresh burger patties, Mickey D’s switched from frozen to fresh patties cooked to order, but not for all its burgers. Interestingly enough, the Quarter Pounder is the only McDonald’s burger that isn’t cooked from frozen. After making the change, the fast food giant sold 40 million more Quarter Pounders in the first quarter of 2019 than it did during the previous year’s first quarter (per Business Insider). In 2019, the Quarter Pounder Deluxe was introduced along with the Bacon Quarter Pounder. In September and October 2024, the freshly made burgers took a hit when an E. Coli outbreak affected McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, a result of contaminated slivered onions on the burgers. After temporarily removing the burgers from the menu, McDonald’s has since added them back and stopped using onions from the facility where the E. Coli was discovered. Read the original article on Chowhound. Source link #Whats #Difference #McDonalds #Quarter #Pounder #Deluxe #Version Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

World's Space Agencies Say Asteroid Has 1.3% Chance of Hitting Earth in 2032 – ScienceAlert World's Space Agencies Say Asteroid Has 1.3% Chance of Hitting Earth in 2032 – ScienceAlert World’s Space Agencies Say Asteroid Has 1.3% Chance of Hitting Earth in 2032 ScienceAlertNewly discovered asteroid will likely miss Earth but impact during 2032 holidays can’t be ruled out Fox Weather Asteroid triggers global defence plan amid chance of collision with Earth in 2032 The GuardianAsteroid 2024 YR4 Could Strike Earth, Researchers Say, But the Odds are Small The New York Times’City-killer’ asteroid has a 1-in-83 chance of smashing into Earth in 2032, NASA says Livescience.com Source link #World039s #Space #Agencies #Asteroid #Chance #Hitting #Earth #ScienceAlert Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Before Simu Liu, Donnie Yen Wasted His Own Money to Make Sleeping Dogs Live Action Movie That Never Happened Before Simu Liu, Donnie Yen Wasted His Own Money to Make Sleeping Dogs Live Action Movie That Never Happened Are you a fan of Sleeping Dogs? Because if you are, you’ve probably been waiting for a sequel or a movie adaptation. Unfortunately for us, we almost got a movie starring Ip Man star Donnie Yen. The man spent years working on the project and even invested his own money into it, but the project has been scrapped. This game has gone ignored for too long. | Image Credit: United Front Games As if it was fate though, Shang Chi star Simu Liu has recently stated that he’s “working with the rights holders” for a new Sleeping Dogs project for the big screen! Let’s hope it works out this time around because we need something if a sequel isn’t coming. Donnie Yen put so much into an adaptation but it didn’t work out Donnie would’ve been perfect for the project. | Credits: Lionsgate The Sleeping Dogs movie was first announced in 2017, with Donnie Yen set to play the lead. At the time, Yen already had a good reputation for action movies after his involvement in projects like Ip Man and Rogue One. So naturally, we were excited to see him portray Wei Shen, an undercover cop infiltrating the Hong Kong Triads. Yen’s Sleeping Dogs could’ve been something special. Not only was he set to star as Wei Shen, but he also invested so much personally in making it happen. In his conversation with Polygon, Yen shared his frustration about the failed project. Even though he has now moved on, his words really convince us of his passion. I waited for years. Years. And I really want to do it. I have all these visions in my head, and unfortunately… I don’t know, you know how Hollywood goes, right? I spent many, many years on it. It was an unfortunate thing. The cancellation of the whole project is a really big blow for fans because the game itself has already been neglected for the longest time. Released in 2012 by the now-defunct United Front Games and published by Square Enix, Sleeping Dogs is still a cult hit and is a favorite for many of us. Now it remains ignored and ahead of its time. Simu Liu says he is working with the rights holders to make a ‘SLEEPING DOGS’ movie happen. (Source: @SimuLiu) pic.twitter.com/3DcIjWqhtJ — DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 30, 2025 Comment byu/SimuShangChi from discussion inmarvelstudios Alas, all hope is not lost as it seems that Simu Liu, most notably known for his role as Shang Chi in Marvel Studio’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is part of a new Sleeping Dogs project. And like Donnie Yen, Liu also has a real interest in the game as he previously revealed in a Reddit AMA back in 2021. The Shang Chi star is now picking up the project Will we make any progress this time? | Credits: Marvel Studios There are a few things to talk about regarding Simu Liu’s involvement in this project. Hollywood’s track record with video game adaptations has been inconsistent at best. Even in 2024, we saw a mixed bag of results. While Fallout, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Arcane became some of the best adaptations, we also saw the Borderlands movie which was terrible. There is currently no confirmed studio backing the project, and no director has been named. Like Yen, Liu’s track record with action films and his personal passion for the game could give it a better chance at survival. This time though, we can expect it to not be stuck in development limbo for nearly a decade since Liu seems to be working directly with the rights holders from the start. We’ll have to wait and see what becomes of this. Fans also wish that Will Yun Lee be brought into the project. Yun Lee voiced Wei Shen in the game is also an excellent actor with a good rep as well. Before any official details are revealed, it’s all speculation so join us with your own theories in the comments! Source link #Simu #Liu #Donnie #Yen #Wasted #Money #Sleeping #Dogs #Live #Action #Movie #Happened Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Queensland Police charge 67-year-old Mango Hill man with grooming, ***** offences Queensland Police charge 67-year-old Mango Hill man with grooming, ***** offences A former basketball coach is behind bars, charged with grooming a child a decade ago. Queensland Police on Friday appealed to the public for further information into the case. “Operation Xray Modern was established after a report was received by police on January 19,” the police said. “Detectives from the Gateway Child Protection and Investigation Unit yesterday attended a Mango Hill address where a 67-year-old man was taken into custody. “Police will allege the man used his position as a basketball coach to groom a child prior to them turning 16 years old. “The man has been charged with seven counts of *****, two counts of ******* assault and one count of grooming a child under 16.” Camera IconThe police arrested the man at Mango Hill in Brisbane’s outer north. NewsWire / Glenn Campbell Credit: News Corp Australia The man has been refused bail and is expected to face Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday afternoon. Mango Hill is a suburb in Brisbane’s outer north Moreton Bay region. Detective Senior Sergeant Peter Lunney has urged anyone with further information or interactions of a similar nature to come forward. “There may be someone out there with more information that could assist this investigation and we encourage you to come forward,” he said. “If you have experience ******* violence, it is not your fault and you are not alone, there are multiple reporting and support options available to you.” 24/7 SUPPORT LINES Source link #Queensland #Police #charge #67yearold #Mango #Hill #man #grooming #***** #offences Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Can Palantir Technologies Stock Turn a $25,000 Investment Into More Than $1 Million? Can Palantir Technologies Stock Turn a $25,000 Investment Into More Than $1 Million? If you had invested $25,000 in Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) stock at the start of 2024, you would have finished the year with more than $110,000. Last year was a significant one for the business as it solidified itself as a top growth stock. Not only did it generate solid top-line growth, but its bottom line was also impressive. As a result, the stock is now a part of both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq-100 index. The data analytics company is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to grow its operations, with CEO Alex Karp remaining bullish on its future growth prospects. But at an elevated valuation and market cap of around $170 billion, is Palantir Technologies stock still a great place to invest, and can it turn a $25,000 investment into $1 million or more? This is the big question investors need to ask themselves if they’re serious about buying shares of Palantir. AI-fueled demand has helped accelerate the company’s growth rate in the past year and has made Karp excited about its future. Analysts at Grand View Research also project a wildly optimistic outlook for AI, forecasting that the global AI market will expand at an annual rate of 36.6% until 2030. And if you believe that outlook and that AI will truly change the game for industries and businesses around the world, it wouldn’t be hard to remain bullish on Palantir in the long run. It provides data analytics services that many businesses rely on to make important decisions in a timely basis. The U.S. government is also a key customer, demonstrating the trust that many important decision-makers have in the company’s platform. Recently, however, there have been growing concerns that perhaps companies are spending a bit too much on AI. A new ******** AI model, made by DeepSeek, reportedly cost significantly less than ChatGPT and other chatbots to develop, despite performing similarly to them. Tech stocks fell as a result of this news. Depending on your outlook for AI and whether you believe the hype or the fear about AI-related spending, that is likely to dictate whether you still think Palantir is a good buy for the long term. If you’re still bullish, despite the stock’s high valuation, then it’s time to ask yourself the next question: Palantir would need to grow into a $6.7 trillion market cap to turn a $25,000 investment into $1 million. This would be its valuation if it grew to 40 times its size today. There isn’t even a $4 trillion stock on the market today but in 20 or 30 years, it may be much more common to see stocks trading at these types of valuations. Story Continues If you’re looking at a ******* of 20 years, then Palantir would need to rise by an average annual rate of more than 20% to reach a $6.7 trillion market cap. But if you’re willing to wait 30 years, then the necessary annual return would fall to just 13%. That would mean that Palantir’s stock has to consistently outperform the market, as the S&P 500 historically averages an annual return of around 10%. Shares of Palantir were down on Monday on news relating to the DeepSeek developments, which highlights just how fragile this tech stock can be due to its mammoth valuation — it trades at more than 370 times its trailing earnings. While anything can happen when you’re looking at the very long term, I wouldn’t expect this be a millionaire-making stock based on what is evident about Palantir’s business today. There are many AI companies today and more will emerge in the future. And without a clear moat and way to ensure its growth rate will remain strong for years to come, I don’t see a reason to believe that this will remain a top stock to own for decades. Palantir may still produce good returns for investors in the near term, but there are arguably better options out there for growth investors to consider today. Before you buy stock in Palantir Technologies, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Palantir Technologies wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $790,519!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 915% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 177% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list. Learn more » *Stock Advisor returns as of January 27, 2025 David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool recommends Nasdaq. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Can Palantir Technologies Stock Turn a $25,000 Investment Into More Than $1 Million? was originally published by The Motley Fool Source link #Palantir #Technologies #Stock #Turn #Investment #Million Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Israelis and Palestinians rejoice after more hostages and prisoners are freed – The Associated Press Israelis and Palestinians rejoice after more hostages and prisoners are freed – The Associated Press Israelis and Palestinians rejoice after more hostages and prisoners are freed The Associated PressJanuary 30, 2025: Eight hostages freed from Gaza amid chaotic scenes as ************ prisoners released CNNPalestinians Gather in West Bank to Welcome Prisoners Released by Israel The New York TimesNetanyahu furious about chaotic handover of Israeli hostages from ****** Fox News Source link #Israelis #Palestinians #rejoice #hostages #prisoners #freed #Press Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Green Range fire: People urged to leave as fast-moving bushfire poses threat to lives and homes east of Albany Green Range fire: People urged to leave as fast-moving bushfire poses threat to lives and homes east of Albany People in the Green Range area have been urged to leave due to an emergency level warning, issued for a dangerous bushfire that was started near South Coast Highway and Mettler Road on Friday. The alert is in place for people bounded by Chillinup Road to the north, Old Boundary Road to the east, the coast to the south and Kojaneerup Springs Road to the west. It covers parts of Gnowellen, Kojaneerup South, Wellstead, Mettler and Green Range in the City of Albany and people in those areas are in danger and need to act immediately to survive given the threat to lives and homes. Fire crews and aerial support have rushed to the scene to battle the blaze. The bushfire — which was reported at 12.37pm — is moving fast in a north-easterly direction posing a threat to lives and homes. The fire triggered an emergency level warning in just over an hour. A Department of Emergency Services spokesperson said several firefighting crews are actively fighting the fire with more crews and aerial support on its way. The cause of the fire is unknown. Visit Emergency WA, call 13 DFES (13 3337), follow DFES on Facebook, listen to ABC Local Radio, 6PR, or news bulletins. More to come. WHAT TO DO If the way is clear, leave now for a safer place. This may be with family or friends away from the area.Leave in an easterly direction towards Wellstead.If you’re located west of the fire, leave in a westerly directionDo not wait and see, leaving at the last minute could put your life in danger.Take your emergency kit with you.If you become stuck in your car, park away from bushes, cover yourself with a woollen blanket, get on to the floor as the windows may break from the intense heat.Close all doors and windows and turn off evaporative air-conditioners but keep water running through the system if possible.If you cannot leave, you need to get ready to shelter in your home.You must shelter before the fire arrives, as the extreme heat will kill you before the flames reach you.Go to a room in your home where you can shelter from the approaching fire.The room should have running water, such as a kitchen or laundry, and have a clear exit so you can easily escape.If you are not at home, it is too dangerous to return. Source link #Green #Range #fire #People #urged #leave #fastmoving #bushfire #poses #threat #lives #homes #east #Albany Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

PBS, NPR Say They Comply With U.S. Regulations After Trump-Appointed FCC Chairman Warns They May Be ‘Violating Federal Law’ by Airing Ads PBS, NPR Say They Comply With U.S. Regulations After Trump-Appointed FCC Chairman Warns They May Be ‘Violating Federal Law’ by Airing Ads Brendan Carr, the President Trump-appointed FCC chairman, warned the CEOs of PBS and NPR that they “could be violating federal law by airing commercials” — and that he has ordered an investigation by the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau into the matter. For decades, PBS and NPR have engaged in the practice of airing underwriter acknowledgements to companies and groups that donate funding. However, they are not allowed to run commercial messages. Both public media organizations maintained that they comply with the FCC’s underwriting guidelines, in response to a letter Carr sent this week to NPR president and CEO Katherine Maher and PBS president and CEO Paul Kerger. More from Variety “I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials,” Carr wrote in the letter, dated Jan. 29, which was obtained by the New York Times. “In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements. It is important to me, as Chairman of the FCC, that [noncommercial educational] broadcast stations stay true to their important missions and refrain from operating as noncommercial in name only.” Carr’s letter did not cite examples in which PBS or NPR broadcasts may have aired explicitly commercial ads. SEE ALSO: Trump’s Pick to Bring Digital Culture Wars to FCC: ‘He’s Going to Be a Loud Mouthpiece’ Carr told the CEOs in the letter that he will provide a copy of the letter to “relevant Members of Congress” given that “Congress is actively considering whether to stop requiring taxpayers to subsidize NPR and PBS programming. For my own part, I do not see a reason why Congress should continue sending taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS given the changes in the media marketplace since the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.” Democratic FCC commissioner Anna Gomez, appointed by President Biden, wrote in a post on X about Carr’s letter to NPR and PBS: “This appears to be yet another Administration effort to weaponize the power of the FCC. The FCC has no business intimidating and silencing broadcast media.” PBS said in a statement responding to Carr’s letter, “PBS is proud of the noncommercial educational programming we provide to all Americans through our member stations. We work diligently to comply with the FCC’s underwriting regulations and welcome the opportunity to demonstrate that to the Commission.” NPR’s Maher said in a statement, “NPR programming and underwriting messaging complies with federal regulations, including the FCC guidelines on underwriting messages for noncommercial educational broadcasters, and Member stations are expected to be in compliance as well.” She continued, “We are confident any review of our programming and underwriting practices will confirm NPR’s adherence to these rules. We have worked for decades with the FCC in support of noncommercial educational broadcasters who provide essential information, educational programming, and emergency alerts to local communities across the United States.” (Pictured above: FCC Chairman Brendan Carr) Best of Variety Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Source link #PBS #NPR #Comply #U.S #Regulations #TrumpAppointed #FCC #Chairman #Warns #Violating #Federal #Law #Airing #Ads Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

DeepSeek, next-generation AI agents may erode value of large models DeepSeek, next-generation AI agents may erode value of large models Jaap Arriens | NurPhoto via Getty Images Large language models like those developed by Microsoft-backed firm OpenAI are set to become commoditized this year amid rapid advances toward next-generation artificial intelligence agents and more nimble, open-source rivals, according to top tech executives. Last week, ******** AI firm DeepSeek released R1, an open-source reasoning model that claims to rival OpenAI’s o1 model on both cost and performance. Open-source refers to software whose source code is made freely available on the open web for possible modification and redistribution. This week, growing awareness of DeepSeek’s new model led to a severe slump in shares of Nvidia and other tech giants, as investors feared a possible retrenchment in spending on the powerful graphics processing units required to train and run advanced AI workloads. Nvidia lost close to $600 billion in market capitalization on Monday — the biggest single-day drop for any company in U.S. history. Meanwhile, executives and scientists at leading AI labs are all talking up a shift from large language models to so-called “AI agents” that can carry out actions on your behalf. LLMs are the foundational technology behind today’s generative AI apps. However, experts believe a push toward agentic AI systems — which incorporate LLM technology — this year will erode the value of these models. Commoditization of LLMs LLMs are expected to become more of a commodity in the near future as the tech becomes increasingly advanced and the costs involved in training and running them continue to drop. Thomas Wolf, co-founder and chief science officer of Hugging Face, suggested LLMs will become more integrated into intelligent systems linked to the company’s own databases. “I think people are moving from this craziness around the model, understanding that, thanks to open-source … a lot of these models are going to be free and freely available,” Wolf told CNBC. Hugging Face is a popular code repository for open-source AI projects. “In the internet revolution, we’re moving from building websites as the main business to actually building internet-native companies — so, the Airbnb of AI, the Stripe of AI,” he added. “They are not about the model. They are about the system and how you make the model useful for tasks.” The arrival of DeepSeek’s R1 model last week is viewed by some tech CEOs as a further indicator LLMs are becoming increasingly commoditized. R1 incorporates some key aspects that differentiate it from other models on the market. For example, the model incorporates a “mixed precision” framework that uses a combination of full-precision 32-bit floating point (FP32) numbers and low-precision 8-bit floating point (FP8) numbers. The latter is faster to process but can be less accurate. However, rather than rely on one or the other, DeepSeek uses FP8 for most calculations and switches to FP32 for certain tasks where a higher degree of accuracy is required. “As AI gets more efficient and accessible, we will see its use skyrocket, turning it into a commodity we just can’t get enough of,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wrote on social media platform X, in an apparent reference to DeepSeek. Meanwhile, Matt Calkins, CEO of U.S. software firm Appian, told CNBC that DeepSeek’s success simply shows that AI models are going to become more of a commodity in the future. “In my opinion, we’re going to see a commoditization of AI. Many companies will achieve competitive AI, and a lack of differentiation will be bad for high-spending first-movers,” Calkins said via email. What are AI agents? In the last two years, much of the focus has been on LLM-powered products, from generative AI chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT to tools that can produce images and video content. LLM-based generative apps like ChatGPT rely on a certain amount of handholding from users to continuously prompt them for outputs, whereas in contrast, AI agents are designed to be more action-oriented. If you wanted to book a doctor’s appointment, for example, you could ask ChatGPT for information on your nearest GP practices — similar to how you’d query the web using Google’s search engine. In future, tech execs predict the next generation AI will involve agents that can find out where your nearest GP is, provide available times for your doctor, and book you an appointment — all directly within a single platform. This is expected to transform the way that we interact with the web. “Over the decades since the web was invented, the standard interface of webpages and menus hasn’t really changed very much,” Bobby Blumofe, chief technology officer of Akamai, told CNBC previously. “We’re sort of living in this tyranny of being tethered to a screen and being tethered to web pages and menus you have to remember how to navigate.” The shift from models to agents Last week, Arthur Mensch, the CEO of Mistral said that he thinks the “focus should shift to systems” that integrate both language models and contextual business data. “That’s that’s where this is shifting,” Mensch told CNBC’s Arjun Kharpal at the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland. “It also means that the industry that is adopting it, is going to distill its expertise into those systems — and that’s where that’s going to be necessary to actually drive the value of AI into those industries.” Mistral, which is backed by Microsoft, has swiftly become one of Europe’s buzziest AI firms. Founded only two years ago, it was last valued by investors at around $6 billion in June 2024. The trend of agents has already gained considerable traction. Last week, OpenAI launched its own agent, called Operator. OpenAI describes it as “an agent that can go to the web to perform tasks for you,” adding it’s trained to interact with “the buttons, menus, and text fields that people use daily” on the web. Microsoft, which has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI, rolled out AI agents itself in November. Anthropic, an Amazon-backed AI startup founded by ex-OpenAI research executives, last year introduced “computer use,” which is a capability that allows its AI agents to use computers like humans to complete complex tasks. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin in Davos last week that Computer Use should be thought of as a precursor to a “broader vision” that integrates these agents with commonly used applications. “We are planning this year in 2025 to build something that we call the ‘virtual collaborator,'” Amodei said, describing it as “an agent that operates on your computer.” “You can give it tasks. You can say, write this feature for this app, and it’ll write some code, it’ll compile the code, it’ll check the code, it’ll talk to its coworkers on Slack, or on Google Docs, or on some other platform,” Anthropic’s chief explained. Anthropic plans to gradually build out pieces of this vision over the next year — while still ensuring it’s “safe and controllable,” Amodei added. Paul O’Sullivan, Salesforce’s chief technology officer for U.K. and Ireland, predicts verbal communication will become more important in the new world of AI agents. Salesforce was arguably early to the agentic AI game, having launched its own Agentforce system in September before Microsoft, OpenAI or Anthropic. “We will converse more,” he told CNBC in a recent interview. “The screens will get smaller, our eyes will get worse. But they’ll probably be replaced with mobile devices that are more powerful than laptops anyway.” Source link #DeepSeek #nextgeneration #agents #erode #large #models Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Lebanon reports 15 new Israeli breaches of ceasefire – Anadolu Agency | English Lebanon reports 15 new Israeli breaches of ceasefire – Anadolu Agency | English Lebanon reports 15 new Israeli breaches of ceasefire Anadolu Agency | EnglishStatement from the ADC on Israel’s Ongoing Violation of the Gaza and Lebanon Ceasefires American-Arab Anti-Discrimination CommitteeTehran blasts Israeli occupation of south Lebanon Tehran TimesSpotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (January 22-29, 2025) Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center Source link #Lebanon #reports #Israeli #breaches #ceasefire #Anadolu #Agency #English Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

'Fantastic' Bell removes Litchfield for 45 'Fantastic' Bell removes Litchfield for 45 Lauren Bell gets her reward for a “fantastic” spell of bowling as she removes Australia opener Phoebe Litchfield for 45. Source link #039Fantastic039 #Bell #removes #Litchfield Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Sutherland Shire grandfather Bruce Mitchelson accessed child abuse material due to ‘curiosity’ during Covid-19 Sutherland Shire grandfather Bruce Mitchelson accessed child abuse material due to ‘curiosity’ during Covid-19 A court has been told the reason why grandfather convicted of accessing child abuse material decided to access it in the first place. Source link #Sutherland #Shire #grandfather #Bruce #Mitchelson #accessed #child #abuse #material #due #curiosity #Covid19 Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mexico’s president calls on Google to identify US as ‘América Mexicana’ Mexico’s president calls on Google to identify US as ‘América Mexicana’ Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has blasted Google for kowtowing to Donald Trump by changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico – and wants the United States to be identified as “América Mexicana.” Sheinbaum attacked Google after Trump unilaterally decreed last week in an executive order hat the Gulf of Mexico will henceforth be known as the “Gulf of America” – and Google quickly agreed to comply on its Google maps. All it takes for such a name change is for U.S. documents to make the switch, Google explained in a statement Monday on X. Google claimed the move was in line with its “longstanding practice of applying name changes” when they have simply been “updated in official government sources.” The company also said it will “quickly” change the name of the Alaska mountain Denali in Alaska to honor the state’s native population to Mt. McKinley, as Trump has demanded in a move that has triggered furious criticism, once official documents are updated. Trump declared both changes in an executive order to “honor America’s greatness.” Americans will see the “Gulf of America” on their Google maps, Mexico will see the “Gulf of Mexico,” and the rest of the world will see both, according to Google. Sheinbaum objected to Trump and Google’s name grab in a letter addressed to the company that she showed reporters Thursday. But if Google is so cavalierly changing names on its maps, she wants the United States identified as América Mexicana, she said Wednesday. Sheinbaum recognizes that she has no authority to do so, just as Trump has no power to switch the name of the Gulf of Mexico, she noted. The U.S. cannot unilaterally change the name of a body of water which it shares with Cuba and Mexico because the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea dictates that an individual country’s sovereign territory only extends up to 12 nautical miles out from the coastline, she noted. “If a country wants to change the designation of something in the sea, it would only apply up to 12 nautical miles,” Sheinbuam explained to reporters. “t cannot apply to the rest, in this case, the Gulf of Mexico. This is what we explained in detail to Google.” But in a **** for tat, Sheinbaum is calling on Google to prominently display the map of América Mexicana as including regions of the United States. “We ask that when you put América Mexicana in the search engine, the map appears that we presented,” she told Google. Trump has not commented on Sheinbaum’s demand. Google has not responded to questions from The Independent whether it will include sections of the U.S. on América Mexicana on Google Maps – once the switch is recorded in official ******** documents, which is apparently the sole Google requirement for such a change. The name América Mexicana was first seen on maps in 1607. It covers various areas in what is currently known as the United States. Source link #Mexicos #president #calls #Google #identify #América #Mexicana Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Said to Get Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC; Galaxy Z Flip 7 RAM, Storage Options Leaked Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Said to Get Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC; Galaxy Z Flip 7 RAM, Storage Options Leaked Samsung recently launched its Galaxy S25 series of smartphones with custom Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy SoC. The South Korean tech giant is expected to introduce the next generation of foldable handsets, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, later this year. The company may use the same processor in at least one of the purported foldable models, as per a new leak. The tipster has also hinted at the chipset, RAM and storage options of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Flip 7 SoC, RAM, Storage Details (Expected) According to an X post by tipster PandaFlash (@PandaFlashPro), the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is expected to get a Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy SoC. All global variants of the handset will likely carry this chipset, the tipster added. The phone, alongside the purported Galaxy Z Flip 7, was previously tipped to be equipped with the yet-unannounced Exynos 2500 chipsets. In reply to a comment, the tipster explained that all Galaxy Z Fold 7 prototypes are currently running on Snapdragon 8 Elite chipsets. He further claimed that the rumoured Exynos 2500 chip is “causing some production issues,” and might only be available on the Galaxy Z Flip 7. The tipster added that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 are expected to be available in 256GB and 512GB storage options with support for 12GB of RAM. The book-style Galaxy Z Fold 7 is likely to arrive in a third 1TB storage variant. An earlier leak by the same tipster suggested that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 may launch at the same prices as the preceding Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 handsets. This means that they could start at Rs. 1,64,999 and Rs. 1,09,999, respectively, for the base 12GB + 256GB configurations. Source link #Samsung #Galaxy #Fold #Snapdragon #Elite #SoC #Galaxy #Flip #RAM #Storage #Options #Leaked Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Tom Daley practises mindfulness to overcome Olympics pressure Tom Daley practises mindfulness to overcome Olympics pressure Tom Daley attends Out100 Celebration on December 11, 2024 in Hollywood, California. Olivia Wong | Wireimage | Getty Images Olympic gold medalist Tom Daley tapped into the age-old strategy of mindfulness to help him overcome the pressure of performing at the world’s biggest sporting event, he told CNBC. “The pressure of what it means to go into an Olympic game where you have to perform on that one day, and those six dives have to be perfect, and if they’re not, it’s over,” Daley, Britain’s most decorated and recently retired diver, told CNBC’s Tania Bryer at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January. “So going into that, of course, it’s completely terrifying, and you have to get to a place where you can be as relaxed and peaceful as possible.” Daley’s 16-year Olympics diving career began at just age 14 when he won gold at the European championships. He has gone on to win a total of five Olympic medals. Speaking to CNBC’s Bryer, he admitted he was skeptical about mindfulness at first — but found it grew on him after. “After 2016, I started doing mindfulness. I started doing breathing techniques, guided meditations and it took me ages to actually start doing it, because as soon as somebody said, ‘Oh, you should try mindfulness, you should try meditation’ I was like ‘Come on. What is that really gonna do?'” Daley found it “challenging” in the beginning, but he eventually got into the swing of things. “What I loved about it was the fact that I could go to this mind bank if you like. I like to think of mindfulness as going to the mind bank and taking out all of the mind cash that you need for the day but the nice thing about this mind bank is that it doesn’t run out of cash. So, throughout the day, you can go back to this mind bank and take whatever cash you need from it to be able to perform at your best,” he explained. Mindfulness is a tried and tested method that has been proven to decrease feelings of anxiety and depression. One 2024 study of 1,247 adults from 91 countries by the University of Southampton and Bath found that, after a month of practicing mindfulness for 10 minutes daily, participants reported reduced depression, improved wellbeing, and decreased anxiety. In fact, just a few minutes of mindfulness a day can make a world of difference, Vishen Lakhiani, CEO of Mindvalley and a meditation expert of 20 years, previously told CNBC Make It. “People think that the length of your meditation is what determines the quality of your meditation. [That’s] not true…don’t think that you need an hour in meditation,” he said. “You can take a one- to three-minute dip into peacefulness, and you can see remarkable results. The biggest benefits are going to happen in the first few minutes,” Lakhiani added at the time. Knitting as a form of mindfulness Daley said it became harder to find time to practise mindfulness after having children. He and his husband Dustin Lance ****** have two sons together, aged one and six-years-old. “Then [eldest son] Robbie was born, and, sitting down for 10 minutes of mindfulness throughout the day kind of became a little bit impossible. Because, with kids, any parents will know you can get interrupted at various points throughout the day,” Daley told Bryer. “It was actually just at the beginning of [the Covid-19] lockdown where my mindfulness journey shifted into knitting, mainly because my coach said to me ‘You’re always on the go. You’re always doing something. You need to learn to sit still, because your rest and recovery is just as important as the diving training itself.” Daley’s husband suggested at the time that he should start knitting, so he ordered needles and taught himself how to knit using YouTube videos. This led to an Instagram media account about his knitting and crocheting journey called “Made with Love,” which now has 1.4 million followers as of Thursday. Daley eventually turned his knitting passion into a business where he sells his creations. “My passion is to be able to bring craft as a form of mindfulness to as many people as possible, and not just the knitting and crochet. I mean, it can be embroidery, it can be cross stitch, candle making, you name it,” he added. Source link #Tom #Daley #practises #mindfulness #overcome #Olympics #pressure Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Stills and Nash Reunite During L.A. Wildfire Relief Concert FireAid – Hollywood Reporter Stills and Nash Reunite During L.A. Wildfire Relief Concert FireAid – Hollywood Reporter Stills and Nash Reunite During L.A. Wildfire Relief Concert FireAid Hollywood ReporterBilly Crystal shares devastating loss of home in Palisades Fire at FireAid concert KTLA Los AngelesFireAid: Los Angeles benefit concert to feature Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo BBC.comFireAid benefit concert uses star-studded lineup to help LA: How to watch USA TODAY Source link #Stills #Nash #Reunite #L.A #Wildfire #Relief #Concert #FireAid #Hollywood #Reporter Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Extra £100m funding announced as police warn of cuts Extra £100m funding announced as police warn of cuts Kate Whannel Politics reporter Hannah Miller Political correspondent BBC The Home Office has announced an extra £100m for neighbourhood policing in England and Wales, as part of its pledge to put more officers on the ground by 2029. It comes on top of an initial £100m announced in December, when the government made recruiting an extra 13,000 officers into neighbourhood roles one of its central pledges. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Restoring local policing will not happen overnight, but this funding boost will get more officers into our town centres and rural areas.” However, several forces have warned that existing funding levels mean they will have to make cuts to existing officers this year. Last year, when the first tranche of money was announced, the National Police Chiefs Council said forces faced an estimated gap of £1.3bn in their overall finances over the next two years. On Thursday evening, Lincolnshire Police announced that it has cancelled its upcoming intake of new police officers due to financial challenges. Earlier this week, Essex Police said it planned to make all 99 of its PCSOs (police community support officers) redundant in response to a £5.3m shortfall in its budget. The new money announced by the Home Office is understood to come from efficiencies identified within the department. But senior police sources have criticised the lack of detail in the government’s plans and are questioning whether the money will go into plugging existing gaps rather than recruiting extra officers. Speaking to the BBC, a senior police source said that forces had not had any details as to how they could spend the first £100m announced in December. He asked whether the money was for new PCs or PCSOs, whether it could be used to plug existing funding gaps, and how items like uniforms and cars would be paid for. PCSOs are paid employees but only share some of the powers that police officers have. They can hand out fixed-penalty notices and take alcohol from a person under the age of 18, but must ask a police officer to arrest someone. The announcement of an extra £100m comes as the government publishes its final police funding settlement which provides up to £17.5bn for local police forces for the next year. Around a third of the funding will be dependent on police and crime commissioners opting to increase council tax by £14. The government says the settlement includes funding to support the costs of pay awards and the increase in the employer National Insurance contributions. Source link #Extra #100m #funding #announced #police #warn #cuts Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mitch Marsh out of Champions Trophy with back issue Mitch Marsh out of Champions Trophy with back issue Mitch Marsh’s international future has taken another hit with a back injury ruling the allrounder out of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Marsh had been contending with a lower back issue since being dropped from the Test team after the fourth match of an unconvincing home series against India. He missed the end of the Perth Scorchers’ Big Bash League campaign but the problem deteriorated over the past three to four weeks as Marsh attempted rehabilitation. The reigning Allan Border Medallist’s injury is not a stress fracture as had been reported on Friday morning. Cricket Australia selectors made the call to sideline Marsh from the Champions Trophy while meeting on Thursday night during the two-Test series in Sri Lanka. Marsh will also miss the two-match One Day International series against Sri Lanka that follows the Tests. The hope is that sidelining Marsh in the short-term will give the 33-year-old the best chance of extending his international career, but there is no timeline for his return. Marsh still holds hope of a Test recall but now appears stuck behind allrounders Beau Webster and Cameron Green, who is due back in May. Green may not be available to bowl before the World Test Championship Final against South Africa in June, which is followed by a three-match series against West Indies to follow. Marsh’s injury could also end his hopes of lining up for the IPL’s Lucknow Super Giants in March, after Justin Langer’s team selected him at last year’s auction. The allrounder had been set to captain Australia in the Champions Trophy, which begins in Pakistan in February, if Pat Cummins failed to recover from his own ankle injury in time. Australia remains unsure whether Cummins will be available, with the captain missing the Sri Lanka Test series for the birth of his second child. Selectors released a preliminary Champions Trophy squad earlier this month but it does not need to be finalised until February 12. Steve Smith or Travis Head would be the clearest options to captain Australia if Marsh and Cummins are unavailable. Australia play their first match of the tournament against England in Lahore on February 22. Legspinner Tanveer Sangha will fly to Galle to join Australia’s Sri Lankan Test and ODI squads as a development player, but is not in contention for selection. Paceman Spencer Johnson is doing the same for the ODIs, with the pair also a chance to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. Source link #Mitch #Marsh #Champions #Trophy #issue Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Okay, I Seriously Can’t Stop Laughing At All These Ignorant Americans Who Got Absolutely Roasted Into Oblivion So Far This Year Okay, I Seriously Can’t Stop Laughing At All These Ignorant Americans Who Got Absolutely Roasted Into Oblivion So Far This Year 1.On European cities: 2.On temperature: Facebook 3.On 5ks: Facebook 4.On clocks: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 5.On 10 dollar bills: Facebook 6.On distances: Facebook 7.On Denmark: Twitter 8.On coffee: Twitter Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 9.On violas: Facebook 10.On Greenland: 11.On the letter “Z”: 12.On coins: Facebook Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 13.On Texas vs Europe: TikTok 14.On the demise of the United States: 15.On soccer: 16.On the dictionary: Instagram Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 17.On Latin: Twitter 18.On car parts: 19.On the English language: TikTok 20.On traveling: Instagram Advertisement Advertisement 21.On passports: Facebook 22.On the Sun: TikTok 23.On spelling: 24.On dates: Advertisement Advertisement 25.On Canada: Facebook 26.On the almighty dollar: 27.And on US history: Source link #Stop #Laughing #Ignorant #Americans #Absolutely #Roasted #Oblivion #Year Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Marianne Faithfull, singer-songwriter and 1960s pop star, dies at 78 – The Washington Post Marianne Faithfull, singer-songwriter and 1960s pop star, dies at 78 – The Washington Post Marianne Faithfull, singer-songwriter and 1960s pop star, dies at 78 The Washington PostMarianne Faithfull, a Pop Star Turned Survivor, Is Dead at 78 The New York TimesMarianne Faithfull, singular icon of British pop, dies aged 78 The GuardianMick Jagger Pays Tribute to Late Marianne Faithfull: ‘She Was So Much Part of My Life for So Long’ PEOPLEThe Rolling Stones Pay Tribute to Marianne Faithfull With Throwback ‘As Tears Go By’ Performance Yahoo Entertainment Source link #Marianne #Faithfull #singersongwriter #1960s #pop #star #dies #Washington #Post Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Ukraine’s missing people – how the disappearances erode morale Ukraine’s missing people – how the disappearances erode morale Sarah Rainsford Eastern Europe correspondent BBC The Russians came for Tetiana and Oleh Plachkov while they were sleeping, bursting into their home late at night. It was 25 September 2023 in Melitopol, south-eastern Ukraine, where the couple had grown up, fallen in love and been married. Now their city was occupied by Russian forces. The men were armed and dressed in ******. As some began searching the house, seizing devices and documents, others led Tetiana and Oleh away in handcuffs. The couple then vanished without trace. Ukraine has listed more than 61,000 people as missing since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, both soldiers and civilians. When troops go missing in action there is a chance they might eventually be included in a prisoner-of-war exchange. But civilians are returned very rarely: the Russians don’t usually admit to holding them. Tetiana and Oleh Plachkov (pictured above and in the lead image) were taken late at night – their daughter Lyudmila’s phone is full of happy memories of her parents Four months after she was detained, Tetiana was abandoned at a hospital in Melitopol in a coma. She had no clothes or medical papers and the soldiers who brought her left no explanation. She died without ever regaining consciousness. Oleh has never been found. “It’s so hard for me to think about what they did to her, and why. My mum was 51. She loved life. She was such a radiant person, then everything was cut short,” the couple’s only daughter, Lyudmila, cries quietly. “If, God forbid, something has happened to my father it will kill me.” Punishment, fear and patrolling soldiers Lyudmila’s phone is full of happy memories of her parents. She showed them to me on a recent visit to Ukraine, where she’d travelled to wind up the family restaurant business and give a DNA sample that might identify her father if a body is ever found. It’s not something Lyudmila wants to contemplate. The family were extremely close. Every day under Russian occupation, her parents would send reassuring video messages. “Morning, daughter! Just checking in,” Tetiana announces in one video, then swings the camera round to her husband who waves and grins in his dressing gown. There are pictures from life before the war, too: laughing on a beach, dancing at a disco. The couple are full of energy and life. Lyudmila (pictured with Sarah Rainsford) says: “My Mum was 51. She loved life. She was such a radiant person, then everything was cut short” When Russian tanks rolled into their city in early 2022, the Plachkovs decided to stay. The entire country was under attack in an invasion that Vladimir Putin had threatened, but most could not imagine until the first explosions. In those first weeks, Lyudmila joined the crowds waving blue and yellow Ukrainian flags and shouting at the soldiers to leave. Then the round-up began. In Putin’s Russia, fear is a way of rule: dissent is crushed and critics imprisoned. The aim is to punish the few and scare the rest into compliance. Now the same principle was being imported to the swathes of southern and eastern Ukraine illegally claimed by Russia, with soldiers patrolling the streets. There, those considered loyal to Kyiv were seen as traitors. Tetiana and the ‘waiters’ of Ukraine After a few months in that climate, Lyudmila fled abroad as a refugee. But her mother didn’t want to leave her city, her own parents or the business she and Oleh had built up. She also had faith in the Ukrainian military. In late 2023, all the talk was of a counteroffensive in the southeast to take territory back from Russia and Tetiana believed Melitopol would be liberated. “She was a strong optimist,” Lyudmila smiles. “I’d say, ‘mum, maybe you should leave.’ And she’d say, ‘Just a little more time. Our guys will push harder.'” Earlier that year, Tetiana’s name had appeared online on a pro-Russian forum. It identified her as a ‘waiter’, a slur for those seen to be ‘waiting’ for liberation. Melitopol was full of informers. “She definitely donated money and helped [Ukraine] however she could,” her daughter tells me. “Some people die on the battlefield and others die in occupation, helping Ukraine in other ways. To me, she’s a warrior. She knew the risks. But she had to help.” By then, Ukrainians in occupied areas were being forced to take Russian passports. Russian citizens were brought in to staff schools, as well as police and prosecutors. Eventually Tetiana and Oleh agreed to leave Melitopol if the Ukrainian army hadn’t pushed through by November. But in September, they were arrested. What became of the disappeared Lyudmila was frantic. Unable to return to an occupied town, she wrote to every official body she could find, demanding answers as her grandmother began searching local police stations and prisons. Then, in February 2024, came a call: Tetiana was critically ill, and Lyudmila’s gran could visit her in hospital – once she’d been questioned by the FSB security service. That’s how the family learned Tetiana was being investigated for espionage. But by that point she was unconscious. A nurse later told Lyudmila her mother had arrived in hospital with severe bedsores, suggesting she had been immobile for some time. So where had she been and what happened to her? Through sheer persistence, Lyudmila has gathered a thick file of documents on her parents’ disappearance but she says that none of the printed words make sense. They claim Tetiana had been passing information about Russian military personnel to Ukrainian intelligence, but the criminal case was only opened after she was brought to hospital. Before that, the papers record that “unknown persons in military uniform” had taken her and Oleh in an “unknown direction” in September 2023. Lyudmila has gathered a thick file of documents on her parents’ disappearance Their whereabouts from then on is officially a mystery. But in Russia it is the FSB that handles espionage cases, including detention and interrogation, and it was Russian FSB officers who searched Tetiana and Oleh’s home. “I’d like to believe her health deteriorated because of the poor conditions and lack of proper care, but deep down I understand that they tortured her,” Lyudmila believes. Her view is formed from first-hand accounts of brutality in occupied territory, including from a restaurant singer charged in the same espionage case as Tetiana. “They were probably extracting information,” Lyudmila says. “I know they like to use electric shock.” The autopsy and a hospital report she obtained show that Tetiana died of pneumonia after a prolonged time on a ventilator. But why she was intubated initially isn’t recorded. Neither is what happened to Lyudmila’s father, Oleh. “He is not on the lists of those detained, there is no criminal case against him,” a letter from the Russian Interior Ministry reads. Police have opened a criminal case for abduction but there are no suspects and no clues. Thousands of other missing people Lyudmila’s suffering is shared by many thousands of Ukrainian families. At a hotline in Kyiv run by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), most of the calls are from people searching for relatives lost in this war. The phone operators gather detailed information, often in long and emotional calls, which they then send to a tracing database in Geneva. Lyudmila has logged her own details here and elsewhere, but so far there have been no answers. “There are always limits to what we’re able to do, and we have to be very realistic with families to manage their expectations. There’s a lot of pain and frustration,” ICRC spokesman Patrick Griffiths explains. He is also countering criticism in Ukraine that the organisation doesn’t push Russia hard enough. The ICRC phone operators gather detailed information, often in long and emotional calls International humanitarian law obliges all states to report every detainee during an armed conflict, and provide access, but Russia simply ignores that. It’s partly because it sees all civilians in occupied areas as Russian and nobody else’s business. It’s also a display of contempt for the rest of the world’s rules. The ICRC does have staff in Moscow and parts of occupied Ukraine, but whilst handing out aid is allowed, occasionally, touring Melitopol to search for secret prisons is not. “There are a lot of families who… may never receive the answer they’re looking for,” Mr Griffiths cautions, adding that the ICRC can’t “force its way in” anywhere. “But the process of dialogue with the authorities, trying to improve our access, never stops.” Ukraine’s own national search squad has even less access. The Office for Missing Persons in Special Circumstances amounts to just three police officers, based at the end of an Interior Ministry corridor in Kyiv. But their powerful facial recognition software can scan websites and media, hunting for an ever-growing list of the missing. Russian bloggers sometimes post videos of detainees, or the dead. But a search for Lyudmila’s father draws a blank. “Either he’s being held hostage and can’t contact relatives,” commissioner Artur Hnatovych explains before voicing the other alternative. “Sometimes, the bodies of civilians are returned to us along with our deceased soldiers. They are mostly in a very poor condition, so visual recognition is impossible.” That’s why Lyudmila gave a DNA sample. Morale and the knock-on effect In occupied areas, the abductions have slowed as the full-scale war heads towards its fourth year, but they haven’t stopped. The interior ministry recorded more than 1,000 new missing people last month but these days many of that number will be soldiers. On the whole, Russia’s methods seem brutally effective: the staunchest supporters of Kyiv have either left occupied land, or keep their heads down and mouths shut. In some cases, Ukrainians who once fled such towns are now returning to live under Russian rule. For some, it’s better than being a refugee. Perhaps that’s why I’ve heard some Ukrainians wonder out loud lately whether such land is still worth fighting for. With the frontline barely shifting, certainly not in Kyiv’s favour, and soldiers dying each day, the country is starting to ask some very tough questions: about this war, the endgame and the immense costs. The missing returned: ‘I was in hell’ In her own personal battle, Lyudmila still manages to find some cause for hope. Because sometimes the missing do resurface. In 2023, Leonid Popov was detained in Melitopol, just like Lyudmila’s parents He’d taken a photograph of Russian military hardware, was chased down the street by soldiers then disappeared. Three months later his father got a call: Leonid had been left at a city hospital, exhausted and severely dehydrated. The photographs his mother Anna has shared from that day are shocking: the young man’s ribs are clearly visible beneath his skin. “He told me that he’d been in awful conditions,” Anna remembers talking to Leonid that day. “He said, ‘mum, in a word, I was in hell.'” Leonid was officially listed as missing even though he’d been taken away by soldiers Over the months, Leonid had been held and interrogated in multiple locations. “They were given plastic plates of buckwheat and a glass of water for about 20 people. When they said they were hungry, they were told to shut up or they’d be shot.” His parents began making plans to get him out of Melitopol to safety. But as soon as he was discharged, he was detained immediately and disappeared all over again. Like Lyudmila’s father, Leonid was officially listed as missing even though he’d been taken away by soldiers. It was another whole year before his parents were told he was in pre-trial detention in Donetsk, another occupied city, and charged with espionage. Initially overjoyed to find him, they now worry about his health: Leonid has paranoid schizophrenia, managed with medication. “They do not understand that for a person with such a diagnosis, it’s already deadly just to be in prison without his pills,” Anna worries. She has begun writing to Russian officials, pleading for Leonid to be included on a prisoner exchange list, on humanitarian grounds. The Trump effect “No one could have foreseen this nightmare,” says Lyudmila. “Even now, as I talk about it, I can’t believe it’s real.” She hasn’t chosen a photo for her mother’s grave, as if she’s stalling her grieving until she can find her father. But she’s run out of places to turn. And now Donald Trump is back in the White House, with talk of negotiations to end the war. That won’t be quick or easy, if it happens at all, but it could force Ukraine to relinquish occupied areas like Melitopol to Russia. “Maybe they’ll release the civilians if they think they’ve won?” Lyudmila tries to look on the bright side. “Or maybe it will get worse: a dead end.” “Either way, accepting that this land is no longer Ukraine would be very hard.” It is the land her parents defended and where they were happy and where, even now, Lyudmila believes Oleh could be held in a cold basement or a prison cell, still waiting to be found. “I couldn’t save my mum, even though I tried so hard,” she says. “Now I need to save my dad.” Production by Paul Pradier, Xavier Vanpevenaege and Svitlana Libet Top picture credit: BBC Byline image picture credit: Jonathan Ford BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below. Source link #Ukraines #missing #people #disappearances #erode #morale Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Honor Pad X9a Allegedly Spotted on TDRA Website, Launch Could Be Imminent Honor Pad X9a Allegedly Spotted on TDRA Website, Launch Could Be Imminent Honor unveiled its Honor Pad X8a tablet with Snapdragon 680 SoC and 8,300mAh battery in India in September last year. The ******** tech brand appears to be gearing up to release the Honor Pad X9a as a successor to last year’s model. While details for the Honor Pad X9a are yet to be revealed formally, the tablet has purportedly been spotted on the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) website. The listing indicates the Wi-Fi-only variant of the tablet and suggests that a launch could be imminent. The unannounced Honor Pad X9a is said to have appeared (via GizmoChina) on the TDRA website with model number ELN2-W29. The Wi-Fi-only variant of the tablet reportedly passed through the certification platform. Besides the name and model number, the listing doesn’t include any other details about the upcoming Honor tablet. Honor is likely to bring the Pad X9a with upgrades over the Honor Pad X8a. The latter arrived in India in September last year with a price tag of Rs. 12,999 for the sole 4GB RAM + 128GB storage option. It is offered in a Space Grey shade. Honor Pad X8a Specifications The Honor Pad X8a runs on Android 14-based MagicOS 8.0 and has an 11-inch full-HD (1,200×1,920 pixels) screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, and 4,000 nits of peak brightness level. The screen has low blue light certification and flicker-free certifications from TÜV Rheinland. It runs on a 6nm octa-core Snapdragon 680 chipset with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. It carries a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel selfie shooter. It includes a quad-speaker unit backed by Hi-Res Audio certifications. Honor has packed an 8,300mAh battery in the Honor Pad X8a. It supports split screen feature and offers connectivity features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, OTG and more. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Samsung to Bring Galaxy S25 Ultra’s Motion Photo, Other Camera Features to Older Galaxy Models: Report 5 Things to Know About Apple’s Performance in India From CEO Tim Cook’s Q4 Results Call Source link #Honor #Pad #X9a #Allegedly #Spotted #TDRA #Website #Launch #Imminent Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]